Al Gore did in fact invent the 'electranet', or at least he coined the term to explain the necessity of a new smart grid to transmit electricity from new, green sources like wind and solar. GOOD Magazine reports on the state of the electranet.
"The smart grid won't only be able to handle plug-in hybrids (the most realistic "car of the future" candidate), it'll benefit from them. A national fleet of hybrid batteries will help provide storage capacity that our current distribution system sorely lacks. This is a key point: Solar and wind sources produce electricity in spurts-when the sun is highest, when the wind blows hardest. When you plug in your 2012 Volkswagen Golf Hybrid, its battery-along with all the others plugged-in around your neighborhood-will draw power when there's plenty, and pump it out when the grid is lacking. (And don't worry about your neighbor's gaudy Christmas light display sucking your car dry-that's why we'll have smart computers.)
Can such an integrated, comprehensive system ever actually get built? Ask the people of Boulder, Col., which Xcel Energy announced earlier this year–through this campy video-would be the nation's first "Smart Grid City." There's also heavy speculation floating of late that Google is going to train its brains on the grid. Last year the Internet giant announced an ambitious initiative to make "renewable energy cheaper than coal" (RE
Read the full story: Intelligent Transmission
California’s Shift to Renewables: Successes and Challenges
The state aims to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.
Zoning Stands in the Way of Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is cheap as ever, but zoning isn’t keeping up with the market.
Renewable Energy Powers Entire State of California—for a Few Minutes
Last Saturday afternoon, thanks to a combination of high production and reduced consumption, California’s power needs were met almost entirely by renewable energy sources.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
MTA expects Trump’s tariffs to increase new NYC transit costs by $1 billion
The Metropolitan Transit Authority said the cost of new subway cars has risen by 30% since Trump began his second term as president.
Alaska takes public comment on new long-term plan for roads, bridges and more
Alaska's draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program includes over $1 billion for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
A Colorado neighborhood is the testing ground for the future of home energy
A start up may have found a way to quickly bring geothermal energy to new communities.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello