Tidal Energy. New Interactive Map Reveals US Tidal Energy Resources

Tidal energy—one of the fastest growing emerging technologies in the renewable sector—holds great promise for clean energy generation. And now, a first of its kind database gives researchers deeper insight into the potential of this vast energy resource for the United States.
The online database, developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with the help of a $469,500 award from the U.S. Department of Energy, maps the energy available in the nation’s tidal streams. Researchers at Georgia Tech’s Savannah campus used the Regional Ocean Model to simulate tidal flows along the entire U.S. coastline, which is marked by thousands of streams, rivers and bays subject to daily tides. DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory validated the model’s accuracy and the resulting data are now publically available.
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Announcing Social Good Summit 2011 info

                       Announcing Social Good Summit 2011 [VIDEO & REGISTRATION]

DOE Announces 6 New Corporate Partners Join the National Clean Fleets Partnership

Per the DOE...
Furthering the Obama Administration's goal to cut U.S. oil imports by one-third by 2025, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that six new corporate partners have joined the National Clean Fleets Partnership. The new partners—Coca-Cola, Enterprise Holdings, General Electric, OSRAM SYLVANIA, Ryder, and Staples—operate a total of nearly a million commercial vehicles nationwide. The National Clean Fleets Partnership, announced by President Obama in April, is a public-private partnership that helps large companies reduce diesel and gasoline use in their fleets by incorporating electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and fuel-saving measures into their daily operations. This announcement represents a major step towards reducing fuel use and achieving greater efficiency and cost-savings for the nation's largest commercial vehicle fleets.
"The National Clean Fleets Partnership is an important part of the Department's strategy to help U.S. companies reduce their fuel use and save money," said Secretary Steven Chu. "This initiative will support the nation's largest commercial fleets as they move to adopt fuel-efficient vehicles that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and improve our energy security."
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DOE Report Highlights Innovative Breakthroughs in Energy-Efficient Technologies for Buildings

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a new report showcasing numerous energy-saving products and technologies, made possible through DOE research and development, which are currently available in the market or projected to enter the marketplace in the future. Because buildings consume roughly 40% of the nation's energy, more than transportation or the industrial sector, improving buildings with energy-saving products is one of the most beneficial ways to reduce energy waste and greenhouse gas emissions. The report, titled Buildings R&D Breakthroughs: Technologies and Products Supported by the Building Technologies Program (BTP), informs government professionals, architects, designers, manufacturers, and energy efficiency advocates about DOE project successes and next-generation innovations.
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Social Network Comments Fuel Offline Behavior

As Facebook users become more engaged with the site, posting status updates and commenting on friends' posts, they are being influenced by what they see. And when it comes to posts about brands or products, more than half of US social network users are taking action after seeing a post related to a company.Full Article

Department of Energy Awards Nearly $7.5 Million to Help Develop Next Generation Wind Turbines

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that six projects in four states—California, Colorado, Florida, and New York—have been selected to receive nearly $7.5 million over two years to advance next-generation designs for wind turbine drivetrains. Drivetrains, which include a turbine's gearbox and generator, are at the heart of the turbine and are responsible for producing electricity from the rotation of the blades. The advances in drivetrain technologies and configurations supported through these research and development projects will help the United States maintain its position as a global leader in wind energy technologies, support thousands of American manufacturing, construction and planning jobs in a key renewable energy market, and reduce the cost of wind energy in the future. The projects selected today will also help promote and accelerate the deployment of advanced turbines for offshore wind energy in the United States.
"Developing innovative drivetrain technologies will allow U.S. manufacturers to build larger, more cost-effective, and more efficient wind turbines than any in operation today," said Secretary Chu. "The projects announced today will help the United States to lead the global wind energy industry in this critical technology area, diversify our domestic energy portfolio, and create new jobs for American workers."
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The Seven Performance Metrics that Matter Most

In Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success, eMarketer CEO and co-founder Geoff Ramsey and Vipin Mayar, EVP of McCann Worldgroup, outline a framework for how marketers can approach performance measurement in the digital world. Full Article