An Electric Reliability Project.” They claim the line is necessary for reliability of our grid, and that PJM Interconnection — the grid operator — deemed the expansion necessary.
PJM operates the grid in New Jersey and 14 other eastern states, and is supposed to be an independent company charged with maintaining the grid’s reliability. In reality, however, PJM is a conglomerate of transmission line owners and power companies — like PSE&G — that generate electricity, mostly from coal-fired power plants to the west of New Jersey. Naturally, PJM is going to try to promote projects and policies that will generate income for their member corporations.
Recent studies by independent research firms — including ERPI and Synapse — have determined that consumer energy demand is falling, and will likely continue to fall or remain flat over the next decade. This drop in demand is not simply due to the depressed state of our current economy, but is more attributable to the efficiency of newer appliances and gadgets being introduced. New refrigerators use only 25 percent of the energy that they did years ago. LCD flat-screen TVs — despite their larger size — use less energy than older TVs. And increasing numbers of people are switching over to compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs.
Perhaps the largest contribution to decreased energy demand — especially during peak use periods — comes from “Demand Response,” a procedure where large energy consumers are paid to curtail energy use during times of high demand, essentially selling the unused surplus energy at a profit and reducing overall peak demand. Since Demand Response is used when transmission lines have the greatest potential to be overloaded — on really hot days with high peak demand — it alleviates most if not all of the need to build costly new transmission lines to cover peak usage, as the proposed Susquehanna-Roseland project is intended to do.
2011年9月13日 星期二
Sam shines a light in New York
Stosur's intoxicating mix of strength, spin, movement and court craft was the performance of a worthy US Open champion. She made the sport seem simple in New York, yet nothing about Stosur's story is that.
To reach this final, Stosur succeeded in the longest women's match ever played in New York and then prevailed in the lengthiest tiebreaker in women's tennis.
She was welcomed to New York by Hurricane Irene, shunted to an outside court for her semi-final victory, faced repeated rain interruptions and then showed up Serena with both her tennis and sportsmanship.
It is the obstacles that Stosur has overcome, including the debilitating Lyme disease just four years ago that could have killed her career, and the courage and humble manner in which she did so that makes this success the sweetest, that defines her as a worthy champion.
The victory was obviously well received at home given it ended a 31-year drought dating back to Evonne Goolagong Cawley's second Wimbledon title in 1980, with Margaret Court's title triumph in 1973 in New York an eternity ago. It resonated in the political halls of power, with Julia Gillard quick to congratulate the Queenslander.
But, in a testament to Stosur's popularity on tour, the success was most warmly welcomed by her peers and champions of both genders, among them former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport who said the Australian "played so well and handled it all with class".
The poise and grace she displayed against Williams (in stark contrast to another atrocious outburst from the American that may see her banned from next year's US Open) is a feature of her character far beyond the baseline.
As her former coach Craig Morris, who watched the match with dozens of Tennis Australia employees at Melbourne Park, says: "Sam is now a grand slam champion on court but has always been a grand slam person off it.
To reach this final, Stosur succeeded in the longest women's match ever played in New York and then prevailed in the lengthiest tiebreaker in women's tennis.
She was welcomed to New York by Hurricane Irene, shunted to an outside court for her semi-final victory, faced repeated rain interruptions and then showed up Serena with both her tennis and sportsmanship.
It is the obstacles that Stosur has overcome, including the debilitating Lyme disease just four years ago that could have killed her career, and the courage and humble manner in which she did so that makes this success the sweetest, that defines her as a worthy champion.
The victory was obviously well received at home given it ended a 31-year drought dating back to Evonne Goolagong Cawley's second Wimbledon title in 1980, with Margaret Court's title triumph in 1973 in New York an eternity ago. It resonated in the political halls of power, with Julia Gillard quick to congratulate the Queenslander.
But, in a testament to Stosur's popularity on tour, the success was most warmly welcomed by her peers and champions of both genders, among them former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport who said the Australian "played so well and handled it all with class".
The poise and grace she displayed against Williams (in stark contrast to another atrocious outburst from the American that may see her banned from next year's US Open) is a feature of her character far beyond the baseline.
As her former coach Craig Morris, who watched the match with dozens of Tennis Australia employees at Melbourne Park, says: "Sam is now a grand slam champion on court but has always been a grand slam person off it.
2011年9月9日 星期五
A little civic-minded flash in Tremont: editorial
Around 8:30 Friday evening, during the Tremont neighborhood's monthly Art Walk, something very cool is going to happen. A switch will be thrown and 17 LED light fixtures attached to buildings along Professor Avenue will come to life.
That moment will mark the culmination of a 2-1/2-year grass-roots effort to make a neighborhood that includes some of Cleveland's hippest restaurants, galleries and boutiques feel even safer and more welcoming.
And the driving force has been a group of (mostly) young professionals who call themselves 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to Keep You Believing in Cleveland.
The group's goal is pretty simple: Make this a better place to live.
When 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas held a civic brainstorming session in 2008, one idea that quickly gained traction involved better street lighting, for aesthetic and safety reasons. After some consideration, they picked Tremont.
As volunteers, they sought expertise from the corporate world, neighborhood groups and City Hall. They raised money with help from Tremont restaurateurs, and immersed themselves in the study of lighting systems. There were setbacks and disappointments, but tonight, in the city where Charles Brush introduced the electric arc streetlight in 1879, 10,000's tenacity is going to pay off.
The array of lights that will fire up may not be as extensive as originally hoped, but, as 10,000's co-President Erin Smith says, it's a start -- and if stakeholders in Tremont or other neighborhoods want to expand on it, she and her colleagues have shown them how.
It is easy to complain about what isn't being done or what someone else ought to do to make Cleveland better. But it's inspiring when passionate volunteers show that, through hard work and tenacity, this city can find ways to renew itself.
That moment will mark the culmination of a 2-1/2-year grass-roots effort to make a neighborhood that includes some of Cleveland's hippest restaurants, galleries and boutiques feel even safer and more welcoming.
And the driving force has been a group of (mostly) young professionals who call themselves 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to Keep You Believing in Cleveland.
The group's goal is pretty simple: Make this a better place to live.
When 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas held a civic brainstorming session in 2008, one idea that quickly gained traction involved better street lighting, for aesthetic and safety reasons. After some consideration, they picked Tremont.
As volunteers, they sought expertise from the corporate world, neighborhood groups and City Hall. They raised money with help from Tremont restaurateurs, and immersed themselves in the study of lighting systems. There were setbacks and disappointments, but tonight, in the city where Charles Brush introduced the electric arc streetlight in 1879, 10,000's tenacity is going to pay off.
The array of lights that will fire up may not be as extensive as originally hoped, but, as 10,000's co-President Erin Smith says, it's a start -- and if stakeholders in Tremont or other neighborhoods want to expand on it, she and her colleagues have shown them how.
It is easy to complain about what isn't being done or what someone else ought to do to make Cleveland better. But it's inspiring when passionate volunteers show that, through hard work and tenacity, this city can find ways to renew itself.
2011年9月8日 星期四
Countdown Begins for UT Team in Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
In just three days, Team Living Led light begins transporting the stunning, state-of-the-art, zero-energy house to the Washington Mall to compete in the US Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon.
epresenting more than 200 students and nine academic programs, UT’s team will face off against nineteen other teams in a series of ten events beginning September 23. Winners will be announced October 1.
More than two years of work have gone into qualifying, planning, designing, and building the 750-square-foot home, inspired by Appalachia’s cantilever barns.
Along with being on display, the house will be part of ten competitive events to judge design excellence, sustainability, energy production, solar energy efficiency, consumer appeal, and cost-effectiveness. The house’s energy source must power its appliances and heat water and one event involves cooking and hosting a dinner party.
Visitors to the Washington Mall will tour the houses and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money. UT students have been preparing to give tours and have been advised to plan for seeing an average of 400 people an hour through the home.
These final days have been spent testing all of the home’s systems, practicing for tours, and moving the structure to its specially designed trailer attachments. Alumnus Bill Powell, of Powell Companies in Johnson City, has provided his expertise and the resources of his company to help the team move its self-contained house to the nation’s capital.
UT students designed the structure to be transportable on its own and to avoid extensive construction and set-up that they’ve seen teams struggle through when visiting the past Solar Decathlon competitions.
Living Light began with students and faculty in the College of Architecture and Design and is led by faculty members James Rose, Edward Stach, Richard Kelso, and Barbara Klinkhammer in the college, along with Deb Shmerler in the School of Art, Leon Tolbert in electrical engineering, and Stan Johnson and Bill Miller in mechanical engineering.
epresenting more than 200 students and nine academic programs, UT’s team will face off against nineteen other teams in a series of ten events beginning September 23. Winners will be announced October 1.
More than two years of work have gone into qualifying, planning, designing, and building the 750-square-foot home, inspired by Appalachia’s cantilever barns.
Along with being on display, the house will be part of ten competitive events to judge design excellence, sustainability, energy production, solar energy efficiency, consumer appeal, and cost-effectiveness. The house’s energy source must power its appliances and heat water and one event involves cooking and hosting a dinner party.
Visitors to the Washington Mall will tour the houses and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money. UT students have been preparing to give tours and have been advised to plan for seeing an average of 400 people an hour through the home.
These final days have been spent testing all of the home’s systems, practicing for tours, and moving the structure to its specially designed trailer attachments. Alumnus Bill Powell, of Powell Companies in Johnson City, has provided his expertise and the resources of his company to help the team move its self-contained house to the nation’s capital.
UT students designed the structure to be transportable on its own and to avoid extensive construction and set-up that they’ve seen teams struggle through when visiting the past Solar Decathlon competitions.
Living Light began with students and faculty in the College of Architecture and Design and is led by faculty members James Rose, Edward Stach, Richard Kelso, and Barbara Klinkhammer in the college, along with Deb Shmerler in the School of Art, Leon Tolbert in electrical engineering, and Stan Johnson and Bill Miller in mechanical engineering.
2011年9月7日 星期三
Road rules apply to cyclists, too
Durango resident Anne Carine pedaled her bike through a red light this spring at College Drive and Main Avenue.
"I thought I was going to get a warning," she said. "The price of the ticket was a little outrageous."
Police said bicyclists have to follow the same rules as motorists. If officers see an infraction, they'll stop the cyclist and decide whether to write a ticket or issue a warning – the same as with motorists, said Lt. Ray Shupe, with the Durango Police Department.
"(A bicyclist's) duty is the same as a driver," Shupe said. "So if they're coming up on a red light, they need to stop for it. The same with a stop sign."
The police department was unable to provide numbers of citations issued to cyclists, saying its records system does not separate bicyclists from motorists.
Durango Municipal Judge David Turner estimates he oversees six or seven traffic violations per month involving bicyclists. That number stays fairly steady throughout the year, he said.
"It's generally stop-light violations," Turner said. "It's generally downtown at night."
The Herald spent one hour Tuesday at Ninth Street and Main Avenue. Fifty-eight bicyclists passed through the intersection from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Of those, 15 stopped for red lights and three pedaled through Led light. Two turned right on red lights without coming to a complete stop. The others either hit green lights or walked their bikes across the intersection at the appropriate time.
Bicycle advocates agree cyclists should follow the rules of the road in every instance – no excuses. But some admit the rules are often broken, and some even admit to being the scofflaws.
Diane Shaline, who works at Mountain Bike Specialists on Main Avenue, said she always stops for red lights and typically slows down for stop signs.
Shaline said she has ridden with some people who brazenly violate stop signs and red lights.
"It's amazing how many people – they don't even think twice about it," she said. "But if they were in a car, they would stop."
"I thought I was going to get a warning," she said. "The price of the ticket was a little outrageous."
Police said bicyclists have to follow the same rules as motorists. If officers see an infraction, they'll stop the cyclist and decide whether to write a ticket or issue a warning – the same as with motorists, said Lt. Ray Shupe, with the Durango Police Department.
"(A bicyclist's) duty is the same as a driver," Shupe said. "So if they're coming up on a red light, they need to stop for it. The same with a stop sign."
The police department was unable to provide numbers of citations issued to cyclists, saying its records system does not separate bicyclists from motorists.
Durango Municipal Judge David Turner estimates he oversees six or seven traffic violations per month involving bicyclists. That number stays fairly steady throughout the year, he said.
"It's generally stop-light violations," Turner said. "It's generally downtown at night."
The Herald spent one hour Tuesday at Ninth Street and Main Avenue. Fifty-eight bicyclists passed through the intersection from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Of those, 15 stopped for red lights and three pedaled through Led light. Two turned right on red lights without coming to a complete stop. The others either hit green lights or walked their bikes across the intersection at the appropriate time.
Bicycle advocates agree cyclists should follow the rules of the road in every instance – no excuses. But some admit the rules are often broken, and some even admit to being the scofflaws.
Diane Shaline, who works at Mountain Bike Specialists on Main Avenue, said she always stops for red lights and typically slows down for stop signs.
Shaline said she has ridden with some people who brazenly violate stop signs and red lights.
"It's amazing how many people – they don't even think twice about it," she said. "But if they were in a car, they would stop."
2011年9月1日 星期四
L-A residents get innovative after Irene
More than 55,000 Maine residents, some of them in highly populated residential areas of Lewiston and Auburn, were forced to rely on camping skills as they waited for their power to be turned back on in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.
“The old-fashioned skillet comes in handy,” said Donna Manson as she baked a shepherd's pie on a gas grill in the backyard of her Granite Street home in Auburn on Tuesday evening.
The storm has left Manson and her husband, Clayton, without electricity for the last 48 hours. They've been cooking meals on the grill and making trips out for coffee in the morning.
“Thank goodness it's not hot, and it's not cold, so we've been able to keep comfortable,” Manson said.
When the sun goes down, the couple uses a combination of battery-powered fluorescent lights, oil lamps, and book lights to see, she said. They pulled out their old Scrabble board to pass the time, Manson said.
“You dig out all the old resources when there's no TV and no computer,” she said, adding that they're using an iPad to keep up with the news.
A few blocks away on Davis Street, the neighborhood has banded together to make sure that everyone is getting by, Bobbi Bubier said.
One family came by before the storm and asked if they had everything they needed, and another offered to pick up ice after the storm, said Bubier, a diabetic who needs to keep her insulin injections chilled.
The level of community involvement has been refreshing, she said, and the lack of distractions has forced people to slow things down for a few days. “It's nice, we've been able to sit and talk and visit; to take a break from our busy lives,” she said.
“The old-fashioned skillet comes in handy,” said Donna Manson as she baked a shepherd's pie on a gas grill in the backyard of her Granite Street home in Auburn on Tuesday evening.
The storm has left Manson and her husband, Clayton, without electricity for the last 48 hours. They've been cooking meals on the grill and making trips out for coffee in the morning.
“Thank goodness it's not hot, and it's not cold, so we've been able to keep comfortable,” Manson said.
When the sun goes down, the couple uses a combination of battery-powered fluorescent lights, oil lamps, and book lights to see, she said. They pulled out their old Scrabble board to pass the time, Manson said.
“You dig out all the old resources when there's no TV and no computer,” she said, adding that they're using an iPad to keep up with the news.
A few blocks away on Davis Street, the neighborhood has banded together to make sure that everyone is getting by, Bobbi Bubier said.
One family came by before the storm and asked if they had everything they needed, and another offered to pick up ice after the storm, said Bubier, a diabetic who needs to keep her insulin injections chilled.
The level of community involvement has been refreshing, she said, and the lack of distractions has forced people to slow things down for a few days. “It's nice, we've been able to sit and talk and visit; to take a break from our busy lives,” she said.
2011年8月29日 星期一
A distinctly maternal air apparent on this year's show
The most memorable moment from Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards wasn’t a fight, or an interruption, or even a kiss. When we think back about the 28th annual VMAs, we’ll remember pop star Beyonce beaming onstage, rubbing her pregnant belly as if it was already an infant, while papa Jay-Z and well-behaved uncle Kanye West cheered her on from the front row of the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
Beyonce had roared through “Love on Top,” a standout cut from her excellent “4” album about marital fidelity and the joys of impending motherhood. She’d danced purposefully, but cautiously (one might even say parentally), looking throughout like a woman with a secret she was dying to spill. After modulating her way through five choruses, each time reaching — and hitting — higher notes, she pulled open her glittering purple blazer to reveal what she’d already half-given away on the pre-show.
The VMAs used to belong to pop’s bad boys: Eminem, Kanye, Van Halen, Aerosmith. But beginning with Rihanna’s protective “Umbrella” in 2007, a solo female performer has taken the most coveted Moon Men every year.
Top honors in 2011 went to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” a deadly earnest self-empowerment ballad that plays like the advice a well-meaning mom might give an offbeat child who’d been bullied on the schoolyard. The video matches the sentiment. Perry inspires a child with leukemia, a shy young gay man, a victim of domestic abuse, and an overweight teenager; in a clumsy but well-meaning metaphor for personal expression, sparks erupt from her chest as she sings.
Because MTV targets a younger audience than the one that tunes in for the Grammys, the Video Music Awards show reflects the state of contemporary mainstream pop better than any other single event. For the past two years, the Billboard Hot 100 has been dominated by female voices with supportive messages for young misfits. It is telling thing that the most prominent male presence at the 2011 Video Music Awards was the fictitious greaser “Joe Calderone” — the drag alter-ego of Lady Gaga, the Mother Monster herself.
Beyonce had roared through “Love on Top,” a standout cut from her excellent “4” album about marital fidelity and the joys of impending motherhood. She’d danced purposefully, but cautiously (one might even say parentally), looking throughout like a woman with a secret she was dying to spill. After modulating her way through five choruses, each time reaching — and hitting — higher notes, she pulled open her glittering purple blazer to reveal what she’d already half-given away on the pre-show.
The VMAs used to belong to pop’s bad boys: Eminem, Kanye, Van Halen, Aerosmith. But beginning with Rihanna’s protective “Umbrella” in 2007, a solo female performer has taken the most coveted Moon Men every year.
Top honors in 2011 went to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” a deadly earnest self-empowerment ballad that plays like the advice a well-meaning mom might give an offbeat child who’d been bullied on the schoolyard. The video matches the sentiment. Perry inspires a child with leukemia, a shy young gay man, a victim of domestic abuse, and an overweight teenager; in a clumsy but well-meaning metaphor for personal expression, sparks erupt from her chest as she sings.
Because MTV targets a younger audience than the one that tunes in for the Grammys, the Video Music Awards show reflects the state of contemporary mainstream pop better than any other single event. For the past two years, the Billboard Hot 100 has been dominated by female voices with supportive messages for young misfits. It is telling thing that the most prominent male presence at the 2011 Video Music Awards was the fictitious greaser “Joe Calderone” — the drag alter-ego of Lady Gaga, the Mother Monster herself.
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