WattB wins second prize at Department of Energy Hackathon

WattB won second place at the Department of Energy sponsored hackathon on January 25th at 1776. The winning entry, WattZ, was a working iOS application that used an address (or iOS GPS) to pull Zillow house information, then estimated electricity usage based on the Building Performance Database. We'll try to incorporate this new feature into an upcoming version of WattBuddy!

Elon Musk and the Huge Lithium Battery in South Australia

South Australia, the Australian state that relies heavily on wind energy to supply the power grid, faced a number of blackouts following variations in wind speed that makes energy generation inconsistent. Grid operators said that having a 100-megawatt battery could store enough energy to alleviate most of the problems with inconsistent energy generation rates. The battery should be able to sustain 100 megawatts of power and store 129 megawatt hours, enough to power 30,000 homes.
In addition to being a backup in case of inconsistent energy supply, the battery will also help reduce the cost of electricity for consumers. The battery can be charged when there is excess power when cost of production is much lower, and then distribute that energy from the battery when there is less energy available and costs are higher.
Elon Musk won a bid, beating 91 other international contestants, to produce this battery, famously stating that he would built it 100 days or else the battery would be free. …

Do we need electricity grids in emerging markets?

Electricity grids have been powering cities across the world since the early 1900s. As the world continues to develop at different speeds, and rural areas demand more and more electricity, is the traditional electricity grid still the best option?

Providing electricity to countryside homes will likely have ripple effects on eradicating poverty and increasing the sustainable development of these areas. Kerosene lamps are main source of light at night in many rural homes in developing countries. These lamps have been known to cause injuries when broken, as the highly flammable fuel can severely burn those nearby.

Companies like d.light and M-KOPA have attempted to address this safety issue associated with kerosene lamps by developing solar powered LED lights to replace the kerosene. While these LED lamps may have a much higher upfront cost than kerosene lamps, they have very little maintenance costs and much lower life-time costs. Providing electricity to such homes not only reduces the…

Renewable Energy and the Electricity Grid

Solar and wind energy is becoming less and less expensive and more and more states are demanding to be powered by renewable energy. California, a leader in renewable energy usage, has a goal of operating on 33% renewable energy by 2020, and they will likely achieve the goal in time. Integrating renewables into the electricity grid is an important step towards sustainability. In order for the US to fully benefit from all of the energy sources that are available to it, they need to address the challenges associated with adding renewables to the grid.
One of the biggest challenges with renewables powering the grid is their unreliability. The grid was built on the idea that it would be powered by fossil fuels, requiring predictable, on demand energy generation. With solar and wind power, this isn't the case. When the sun goes down or the wind stops, there is no more electricity being produced. The grid operator no longer has the option to turn the electricity generator on or off.
The …

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