I wanted to pass along an infographic from GOOD, that I thought you may find interesting. The graphic examines how and why Americans are looking to businesses for greener products, practices, and plans. At a time when we are all looking for ways to save, I’m sure you maybe surprised by some the corporations on this graphic that are on board to greening America.

Simply click on the graphic for full page viewing.

I found the top ten reasons for corporations to “go green,” to be quite interesting, as well as, the corporations that are on the list , and making a difference.

You will notice that even Facebook, now uses renewable energy for their data centers. It is great to see that “greening” has become more of a standard in America, instead of just a trend.

It is also encouraging to note, that “Green” has found its place in both business and education. While we are learning and using more green practices in our everyday lives, the doors are now wide open for “Green” careers. With this, there is now better transparency, more involvement and collaboration between business and government, and a surge toward solar energy and other renewable energy resources. As we unite and work together for a greener future , we are working toward a better tomorrow.

Energy Storage- A Study for Storage in Washington is Being Considered

There is a current Northwest study in Washington, that is looking into the possibility of diverting excess underground energy, and storing it for later use. Right now, it is the million dollar question, because,the other pressing question that remains, is how feasible is this idea? That question is what is being  considered, as to whether it’s economically feasible and doable, here in Washington.  The study will determine and have answers to these questions when it wraps up, later this year.

Researchers haven’t drawn up cost estimates for any potential storage system, here in Washington. The facts are,they are a long way from proving that it’s even doable here, or that it makes financial sense to do this type of massive project here, and in this economy.

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Energy Storage- the Concept Isn’t New

But, if we think of this concept of energy storage, as a huge energy bank,where you deposit excess energy when you DON’T need it, and withdraw it when you DO need it, the concept makes perfect sense.

This concept has been used, most notably in our natural gas storage facilities, which are quite common across the entire United States.

A group of researchers led by the Richland, WA-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), are currently exploring whether the idea of energy storage can be put to use in a different form, here in Washington.

Energy Storage- How it would work in Washington

The goal here, is to store excess energy in the form of compressed air and water in the Northwest’s expansive, porous underground basalt formations. If it becomes successful, the concept could have big implications for our Northwest power grid.  There have been times when excess energy has been a problem here, in the past. Just last year (2011),the Columbia River Basin, experienced unusually high flows in our region’s hydroelectric dams, pushing them to maximum capacity.

The well-publicized event ignited a strain between the BPA, and the region’s wind generators, and wind farmers.  With the dams at full capacity, the BPA ordered them to shut down to avoid overloading the power grid.  Of course, the wind farms objected to the ruling. Just this last December (2011), a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, ruled in favor of the wind farms. Some citizens of Eastern Washington,have become alarmed by the ever-growing presence of wind turbines pumping new energy into the system. So, you can see that BPA and PNNL researchers are hopeful of the new form of energy storage alleviating similar over-generation events, in the future, should this energy storage concept, become a reality.  It would be a fantastic solution to those types of problems.

Here is an example of how energy storage could work here in Washington, as reported By Eric Florip, Columbian Staff Reporter.  As stated above, this is not a new concept.  However, the possibility of energy storage here in Washington, is a perfect example of  science and sustainability working together toward a better tomorrow.

Related articles

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• Basic Facts About Energy Storage (greatindiebookreviews.wordpress.com)

Special Thanks to Nicole Whiteley, for this insightful post, on the use of wind energy in the workplace. I think you will find it interesting and thought provoking.

Wind energy in the workplace

Whole Foods uses it, New Belgium uses it, even Wal-Mart sees the value of wind energy. So, what is holding back the rest of the country?

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Miguel Gonzalez, Graduate of the Master’s program, on Sustainable Architecture and Energy Efficiency at BES La Salle, Barcelona, Spain and LEED Green Associate Course with Everblue Training Institute, explained the obstacles of wind energy in the following way:

“Wind Power needs to be taken care of, it takes a lot of money and time to run a wind farm, but the government offers incentives to develop the technologies and improve our current technologies. In Europe the wind farms and technology development are usually funded by private companies that receive huge government incentives. Any green incentive requires three parts to be successful – people, to run the program, a strong care for the planet, and a way to be profitable. No one wants to invest in a project that they won’t see a profit even if the investors have a strong sense of environmental integrity.”

Wind energy is a passionate environmental cause

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