CleanTech OC Daily - 7/10/12

Bill Gates Ups His Bet On Auto Engine Maker EcoMotors

Bill Gates has increased his investment in automotive engine maker EcoMotors International, who is working on building automotive engines that consume half the fuel and emit 50% fewer greenhouse gases than traditional engines. Gates, Braemar Ventures and Khosla Ventures have put $32.5 million into EcoMotors, bringing total funds raised to $66 million.

Major Energy Efficiency Breakthrough for Desalination Plants

GE’s new Integrated Pump and Energy Recovery (IPER) system is said to be a major energy efficiency breakthrough for desalination plants. The IPER system promises to reduce the energy demands of desalination pumping by at least 10 percent. In order to demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of the technology, a pilot version of the system has been installed at the Water and Sewerage Corporation, a desalination facility in Tarpum Bay, Bahamas.

Smart Grid’s Big Data Opportunities Still Untapped

A new survey from Oracle indicates that while utilities are collecting data from smart meters they aren’t actually doing anything with the information. The survey of 151 North American utility executives revealed a disconnect between data collection and putting that data to use. The survey makes clear that the disconnect is not made up and that  utilities seem aware of the need to shrink these gaps between data collection and data use.