IBM Big Data Improves Agricultural Efficiency – Environmental Leader
April 25, 2014
IBM Big Data Improves Agricultural Efficiency
IBM’s weather forecasting technology will help Georgia farmers improve agricultural efficiency by up to 20 percent, the company says.
The Flint River Partnership (which includes the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and The Nature Conservancy) tapped IBM big data to enable smarter irrigation. Working with the University of Georgia, IBM’s Deep Thunder precision weather forecasting will help farmers in the Lower Flint River Basin make more informed irrigation scheduling decisions to conserve water, improve crop yields and mitigate the impact of future droughts.
Because the forecasts will be available on mobile devices, farmers will have 24-hour access to weather information in conjunction with other relevant field data. The Partnership is also using IBM Softlayer to manage data flows and automate irrigation recommendations, allowing farmers to determine how much water a specific crop needs at various stages of its life cycle.
In another move toward more sustainable agriculture, last year Monsanto bought the Climate Corporation for about $930 million in an effort to help farmers use big data to produce more crops while using fewer natural resources. The Climate Corporation’s technology platform uses hyper-local weather monitoring, agronomic data modeling and high-resolution weather simulations to help farmers predict crop yields.
Stay Up-to-Date On Environmental Management, Energy & Sustainability News with EL’s Free Daily Newsletter
Stay connected to EL!
Energy Manager NewsRay Yun, a doctoral student in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an intelligent dashboard to evaluate plug load energy savings in the workplace. Office workers who used the dashboard saved 35.4 percent in plug load energy compared to their colleagues. The dashboard lets building occupants see their actual energy use, ; ;…Continue Reading
The post Plug Load Dashboard Stirs Employees to Save 35% in Energy appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>Plug Load Dashboard Stirs Employees to Save 35% in Energy
ZF Energy Development and the non-profit Perfect Power Institute launched a LEED-style grading program for microgrids. The Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) program is a consumer-centric, data-driven system for evaluating power system performance. PEER helps the smart grid movement by providing a rating system with a clear set of criteria for assessing system performance ; ;…Continue Reading
The post LEED-Like Standard for Electric Grids appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>‘LEED-Like’ Standard for Electric Grids
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) released the Retail Energy Management Maturity Matrix, a tool designed to help retailers optimize their energy management programs. The Matrix provides a baseline for retail energy managers to measure their existing programs, identify opportunities for growth and provide a roadmap to improve processes. The Matrix is sponsored by Schneider ; ;…Continue Reading
The post Energy Management for Retailers appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>Energy Management for Retailers
The first 60Hz G114-2.0 MW wind turbine from Gamesa Technology, that produces 20 percent more energy than its predecessor, has been commissioned at the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock, Texas. The collaboration is being done in partnership with Group NIRE, whose research facility tests, certifies and validates next generation wind turbines and other energy assets. ; ;…Continue Reading
The post Gamesa Testing 60Hz Wind Turbine Technology appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>Gamesa Testing 60Hz Wind Turbine Technology
US solar generating capacity quadrupled over the four-year period that ended in February 2014, according to a report by the US Energy Information administration. In 2010, total solar capacity was 2,326 MW which accounted for only 0.22 percent of US electric generating capacity. By February 2014, this capacity increased 418 percent to 12,057 MW, a ; ;…Continue Reading
The post Solar Electricity Booms Over Last Four Years appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>Solar Electricity Booms Over Last Four Years
Intel has maintained its place as the nation’s largest energy user to be powered entirely by renewable energy, according to the EPA Green Power Partnership’s latest rankings. The GPP rankings highlight the annual green power use of Green Power Partners within the United States and across individual industry sectors. Lists include the top 30 local government green ; ;…Continue Reading
The post Intel, City of Houston Top Green Power Rankings appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>Intel, City of Houston Top Green Power Rankings
American Vanadium will partner with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to demonstrate the CellCube vanadium redox flow energy storage system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will host the demonstration at its 1.6 million-sq-foot office building. ConEdison and the Advanced Energy Research Technology Center (AERTC) at Stony Brook will also support ; ;…Continue Reading
The post Manhattan Transit Building Demos Energy Storage appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>Manhattan Transit Building Demos Energy Storage
The Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) Klamath Falls campus will utilize 1.5 MW of newly installed geothermal capacity combined with a 2 MW solar array to generate most of its electrical power from renewable sources. The school’s Geo-Heat Center has been tapping its geothermal resources to heat campus buildings for nearly fifty years. Beginning in ; ;…Continue Reading
The post Oregon College Increases Geothermal Energy appeared first on Energy Manager Today.
“>Oregon College Increases Geothermal Energy
View the original here:
IBM Big Data Improves Agricultural Efficiency – Environmental Leader
