Electical Contractor

In times of great change, innovation becomes the norm. Already ahead of the curve for tapping plentiful solar, wind and other renewable sources, California continues to feed that trend. The state recently announced new, mandatory green-building standards.

As the Eastern United States experienced a severe cold spell, utilities saw record winter peak-electricity demand.

Duke Energy intends to match a $22 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to design, build and install large-scale batteries to store wind energy at one of its wind farms in Texas.

Ameren Corp. and its utility companies in Illinois and Missouri launched a major solar-energy initiative that will span both states. “At these sites, we will be able to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiencies of specific types of solar systems in this region,” said Thomas R.

Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd) began the first wave of 131,000 smart meter installations for its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) pilot in the Chicago area.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) announced that more than 10 million Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have been distributed statewide as part of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. The milestone shows the state’s progress toward the future envisioned in Gov.

Residential customers of FirstEnergy Corp.’s Ohio utility operating companies will receive two compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) through a company program designed to reduce electricity usage and increase awareness of the benefits of energy-efficiency measures, including lower electric bills.

It’s entirely appropriate that California should take the lead in the generation of solar power. In the wake of Gov.

Ameren Cos.. in Illinois and Missouri are among the first electric utility companies in the nation to offer power outage information on mobile devices. Called ameren.mobi, it is available to Ameren’s 2.4 million electricity customers in Illinois and Missouri.