 |
|
|||||
| Responsibility for the factual accuracy of each press release rests entirely with the individuals or organizations identified on the release.
|
|
|||||
|
||||||||||
Penn has again been named the top university consumer of renewable energy in the United States , according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In its quarterly report released last week of the top 25 green-power-using organizations in the country, the EPA ranked Penn tied for 20th, higher than any other university. The report cites Penn's 2003 investment in 40 million kilowatt-hours of wind energy annually — 10 percent of the University's electricity needs— as part of the basis for its ranking.
Michael Coleman, Penn's executive director of operations, said that the University's environmentally friendly energy efforts are now used as a model by other universities. "I get numerous calls from different schools or student groups at schools asking how we got to where we were," said Coleman, who oversees Penn's renewable energy investments.
All forms of electricity generated from environmentally renewable sources are considered in the EPA report. These sources include solar, wind, geothermal and biogas power. The U.S. Air Force took the number one spot in the report, followed by Whole Foods Market. "The University has been a hugely important player in the renewable energy field here in Pennsylvania ," said Paul Copleman, Sales and Marketing Operations Manager for Community Energy Inc. of Wayne , Pa. He referred to the University's renewable energy purchase in 2003, when it agreed to extend an existing wind energy contract with Community Energy Inc. into 2010.
Copleman said that Penn's investment — which allowed for the construction of a new wind farm in the Pocono Mountains — has helped the company expand. The "type of commitment to wind energy that [Penn] made sets an example for other colleges and universities in the state and in the region," Copleman said. Source: By Vince Levy, DailyPennsylvanian.com, 1/31/2006 .
Clif Bar & Company recently announced it will offset carbon dioxide emissions created by the Amgen Tour, a 600-mile cycling race from San Francisco to Redondo Beach , Calif. , by purchasing renewable energy credits in partnership with NativeEnergy. According to Clif Bar, the purchase will help fund the construction of a new wind farm to offset the 518 tons of CO2 created by the tour. Contact: Dean Mayer, Clif Bar, phone 510-558-7855 ext 130. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/25/2006
The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the release of its 2006 Green Power Top 25 list, which the agency said includes a diverse set of U.S. companies, organizations and government institutions that have voluntarily purchased the most renewable energy and are part of the EPA Green Power Partnership. According to EPA, the U.S. Air Force once again leads the Green Power Top 25 list, purchasing more than 1 million megawatt-hours annually for Air Force bases across the country. The Air Force has held the top spot since the list began in September 2004.
EPA noted that Whole Foods Market, at number two on the list, surpassed both Johnson & Johnson (No. 4) and Safeway, Inc. (No. 8) to lead all corporate purchasers after increasing its renewable energy purchase to more than 450,000 MWh annually, while the EPA itself (No. 3) and the Department of Energy (No. 5) follow the Air Force in purchase size for government institutions in the Top 25. EPA also announced that its Green Power Partners are now purchasing more than 4 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy, an increase of nearly 100 percent since the end of 2004. The complete Green Power Top 25 list can be found on the EPA website. Contact: John Millett, EPA, phone 202-564-4355. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/25/2006 .
The Center for Resource Solutions has made progress with the organization and development of the North American Association of Issuing Bodies. The NAAIB is a voluntary organization formed to encourage the coordination and cooperation of systems issuing and tracking certificates of generation in North America . Some significant strides include the development of the first consensus document on Best Practices for Preventing Double-Counting.
In 2006, we expect to tackle several other substantive issues related to the mechanics of establishing a network of compatible certificate tracking systems in North America as well as incorporating and forming a business plan for the organization.
There will be many opportunities for stakeholder involvement in 2006, so please stay tuned. If you have any colleagues that might be interested in the progress of the NAAIB and our plans for 2006, please forward this information to them. Source: Meredith Wingate, Center for Resource Solutions, 1/30/2006.
The Air Force purchased more renewable energy than any other member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s green power partnership last year, according to a report released Jan. 24 by the EPA. The partnership, which is sponsored by the EPA, consists of U.S. companies and organizations that purchase significant amounts of renewable energy. This is the second year in a row the Air Force has topped the list.
Last year, the Air Force purchased 1,066,397 megawatt hours of renewable energy. That represents 11 percent of all electrical usage by the Air Force in 2005. Besides being the biggest purchaser in the green power partnership, the Air Force is also the leading purchaser of renewable energy in the federal government, accounting for nearly 50 percent of all green power purchases by the federal government.
Dyess Air Force Base, Texas , and Fairchild AFB, Wash. , now receive 100 percent of their energy from wind or other renewable power sources provided by local utility companies. The Air Force also has begun generating its own renewable power and operates a 2.4-megawatt wind farm on Ascension Island and a 1.3-megawatt wind farm at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. Wind farms are also being considered at several other bases.
While wind power is the largest contributor so far in the Air Force’s renewable energy plan, the portfolio also includes the use of biomass at Hill AFB , Utah and the installation of more than 3,500 ground source heat pumps at various installations. Energy management officials said they are also trying to increase the use of solar energy, which in the past was considered cost prohibitive. "New technologies have significantly reduced the price of renewables so that in many areas, it’s competitive with commercial power," said Jerry Doddington, chief of the Air Force energy management team. Source: By Master Sgt. Michael A. Ward, Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, 1/28/2006 .
Almost all solar panels are made with silicon — and makers can't buy enough of it. Sometimes it's possible to be a little too successful. The solar power industry has been on a tear, growing at more than 30 percent per year for the last six years. It's poised to reach a surprising milestone within two years, when it will gobble up more silicon for its electricity-generating panels than semiconductor makers use in all their chips and devices. The onetime "'tree-hugger' industry is not a niche business anymore," says Lisa Frantzis, director of renewable energy at Navigant Consulting Inc.
So what's the problem? "Global demand is stronger than the existing supply," says Lee Edwards, president and CEO of BP Solar. His company and others can't buy enough of the ultrapure polysilicon now used in 91 percent of solar panels. The raw material shortage has slashed growth for the industry from more than 50 percent in 2004 to a projected 5 percent in 2006.
The shortage has caused prices for polysilicon to more than double over the last two years. As Economics 101 teaches, that should prompt producers to expand capacity. But for suppliers such as Michigan-based Hemlock Semiconductor Corp., the world's largest producer, the decision hasn't been easy. For one thing, the company was badly burned in 1998. It had just built a new facility in response to pleas from semiconductor makers when Asia went into a slowdown. Demand for silicon plunged, and the factory had to be shuttered. Now the U.S. , Germany , and other nations are offering subsidies for solar power — but governments can take away incentives as easily as they put them in place.
Hemlock finally decided that the industry is real, but only after solar companies agreed to share the risk by signing contracts to buy the future output. So in December the company began an expansion worth more than $400 million that will increase silicon production by 50 percent. Competitors are following suit. On Jan. 12, Munich-based Wacker started construction on a silicon manufacturing plant. The new supply, however, won't be onstream until 2008.
In the meantime, companies are scrambling to cope with the shortage. Sharp Corp., the world's top producer of solar panels, and BP Solar are making panels thinner to use less silicon. First Solar LLC in Phoenix and others are ramping up nonsilicon technologies.
One factor driving demand is Germany 's scheme of paying big bucks (more than 55 cents per kilowatt hour) for power from anyone with solar panels. Spain and Italy have jumped in with similar plans. In the U.S. , last year's energy bill included solar subsidies. The most ambitious plan: On Jan. 12, the California Public Utilities Commission earmarked $2.9 billion over 10 years for solar power.
That's why analysts predict the growth will surge when the new polysilicon production lines get going. And the boom should continue for at least 10 years. By then, technological improvements, economies of scale, and competition from new entrants such as China may make sun power cost-effective without government help. Source: BusinessWeek Online, 1/31/2006 .
The U.S. wind energy industry easily broke earlier annual installed capacity records in 2005, installing more than 2,400 MW or over $3 billion worth of new generating equipment in 22 states, according to AWEA. Instead of the slow year that has previously followed boom years for the industry, 2006 is expected to be even bigger, with installations topping 3,000 MW. The final tally of 2,431 MW boosted the cumulative U.S. installed wind power fleet by over 35 percent, bringing the industry’s total generating capacity to 9,149 MW. The previous record capacity figure was set in 2001, when 1,697 MW of new capacity was installed. There are now commercial wind turbine installations in 30 states. The figure was just shy of an expected 2,500 MW because several projects were subject to weather-related delays.
Wind energy facilities now installed in the U.S. will produce as much electricity annually as 2.3 million average American households use. If the average U.S. utility generation mix were used to generate the same amount of electricity, more than 15 million tons of carbon dioxide would be emitted annually.
The growth in wind power construction comes at a time when customers across the country are facing electricity and natural gas rate hikes due to the natural gas supply shortage, with 2005-2006 winter gas prices peaking as high as $15/thousand cubic foot. Monthly average prices this winter range from $6-13/mcf, where they were in the range of $5-7/mcf a year over the 2004-2005 winter. Wind power, which generates energy without using fuel, provides a hedge against rising energy costs because wind energy production is immune from fuel price spikes. AWEA estimates that an installed capacity of 9,149 MW of wind power will save over half a billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in 2006, alleviating a portion of the supply pressure that is now facing the natural gas industry and is driving prices upward.
The wind farms completed in 2005, AWEA said, will generate approximately $5 million in payments to landowners annually and create skilled, long-term jobs in areas where such employment is scarce, as well as short-term construction jobs and associated economic activity. A state-by-state listing of existing and proposed wind energy projects is available on AWEA’s Web site. The full list of projects installed in 2005 is available on the AWEA newsroom. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 1/27/2006 .
Nunavut 's energy corporation is taking the next steps that could eventually lead to building the first hydroelectric dam in the territory. The Qulliq Energy Corporation, acting on a request last year from the Nunavut government, began looking into hydro generation as an alternative to the territory's diesel generation power plants.
It has narrowed its list of potential rivers from 14 in the Iqaluit region to five, and wants to begin environmental studies to assess the impact of a dam to those sites. The stakes are high for Qulliq, as demand for energy in Iqaluit is expected to grow by one third over the next 10 years.
Qulliq vice-president Jamie Flaherty says it will be costly to develop hydro electricity, but with rising fuel costs and the amount of pollution diesel generates, hydro power will pay off in the end. "It's more financially feasible for Qulliq energy corporation to pursue hydro development because we would not be using fuel if we were to use hydro development and the prices would be more stable," he says.
Flaherty says the next step is to conduct environmental studies. If all goes well, construction on a hydroelectric project could begin in three years. Source: CBC News, 1/30/2006 .
Morningstar Corporation recently announced the introduction of its new SunKeeper solar charge controller — a product mounted directly on a solar module junction box to provide "a low-cost regulated output to help maximize battery life in small solar power applications."
According to Morningstar, the SunKeeper is available in six- or 12-amp versions at 12 volts direct current. To withstand high temperatures, Morningstar said the controller has been designed using "extremely efficient" power electronics and is rated to 70 degrees Celsius. The SunKeeper is also certified for use in Class 1, Division 2 hazardous locations. Contact: Donna Pizzullo, Morningstar, phone 215-321-4457. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/20/2006 .
On the day it announced plans to build a 30-megawatt geothermal power plant at NAS Fallon, ORMAT also made what it considers a "small" contribution to Churchill County , where it has done business for two decades. "This is a modest way of saying 'thank you' for 20 years of business between ourselves and Churchill County ," said ORMAT Vice President Dan Schochet, as he presented a check for $20,000 to Churchill County Manager Brad Goetsch.
The money has been earmarked for lights at the county ball fields on Sheckler Road , just west of the county's indoor pool. ORMAT decided it wanted to help its neighbor, Churchill County , after county officials supported its tax abatement application which the company subsequently withdrew. The company now pays sales and use taxes on its power plant facilities in Churchill County .
ORMAT, a leader in geothermal exploration and development, will build a 30-megawatt geothermal power plant on approximately 4,000 acres of Navy land on the southeast side of the base over the next several years. A megawatt is enough power to supply 1,000 homes with power as long as the geothermal energy source is available from the earth. In theory, that could mean forever. The plant will use hot water and steam from the earth's core and convert it to useable energy which ORMAT will sell to Sierra Pacific Power Company's power grid.
The contract, signed on Dec. 20, 2005 , is for a period of 50 years. Under terms of the contract, ORMAT has the exclusive right to explore and develop the geothermal resource and to market the power. The company will use private capital to execute all phases of the agreement including operation and maintenance of the facilities and will retail ownership of the power plant and auxiliary systems. The company will be responsible for drilling production and injection wells, design and construction of facilities and for marketing the electricity.
According to Schochet, ORMAT plans to employ 10-12 people to operate and maintain the plant at 30-megawatts. More employees would be added if the power production increases. He also said that local contractors would be used whenever possible to build the modular plant according to the company's designs. The technology used to develop geothermal energy is very clean, from an environmental standpoint, with near zero emissions into the atmosphere. It also won't use any ground or surface water resources from the Lahontan Valley .
ORMAT expects to invest about $80 million for the power plant at NAS Fallon and hopes to recoup that investment in 10 years. While the power plant is at NAS Fallon, the contract will be overseen by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command's Geothermal Program Office at China Lake , Calif. which will serve as the technical interface with ORMAT. Source: By Anne McMillin Goodale, Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/27/2006.
After you've enjoyed a tangy olive, don't throw away the pit - it could soon be providing a clean, green answer to heat and electricity production, thanks to technology developed by Israeli start-up Genova, now setting up its first pilot plant. The company, which was founded in September 2004, is headquartered in the northern town of Karmiel .
Dr Yuri Wladislawsky, an engineer and the founder of the company, decided to focus first on the biomass produced from the olive presses that are a feature of the Middle Eastern landscape, "because olive waste is difficult waste to process because of the pits," explains Yonat Grant, an industrial engineer who is the CEO of the company, which has two other employees as well as Wladislawsky and was set up within the Misgav Technology Center incubator, where it will stay for another year. If the company can succeed with olive waste, she says, than any other biomass will be simple in comparison.
First, the olive waste is heated and dried and then it is introduced into the reactor. Here it undergoes two processes, pyrolysis and gasification, which involve the biomass being heated to 800 degrees centigrade, at which temperature its molecules break down. A combination of high-calorie gases including methane and carbon monoxide are produced which, because they are lighter than air, flow upwards through a pipe into a standard gas turbine to generate electricity in the usual way. The other by-product is coke, which can be turned into the active type of coke that can be sold for use to power air conditioners or as filters for various substances.
Genova's technology employs a novel technique for maintaining the high temperatures needed for the process. This technique means that "only ten percent of the electricity we produce is used to power the [olive waste conversion] process," Granot told ISRAEL21c. "The process is 90 percent efficient. Our competitors are only 50 percent efficient, at best." Thus, where the cost of a kilowatt/hour is 9 cents for the company's competitors, Genova's cost is only 2 cents per kw/h.
This high efficiency and low cost has attracted much attention, piquing the interest of the Israel Electric company, Israel 's sole electricity provider. Israel Electric has added a $60,000 investment to the NIS 1.4 million (approx $300,000) that the company receives from the government-run Misgav incubator over the two years of its stay. Genova will be relocating to Misgav shortly.
There is an interested investor in California , famous for its wine industry and where environmentally friendly electricity production is being encouraged and subsidized, who asked to see if Genova's reactor works with vineyard waste products. "We tested it with wine waste from the Carmel Mizrachi vineyard, and we proved it works with wine," says Granot.
There is also interest coming from Australia , which has a flourishing olive oil industry. Genova, whose focus is on small reactors, not larger than 200 kw/h, with processing of the biomass on site to avoid transport costs, will first target Europe . "There are 2000 olive presses in Spain , for example," says Granot. And then there are Greece , Italy and all the other olive oil-producing countries, where governments are actively encouraging biomass conversion. Source: By Tania Hershman, January 29, 2006
The power was out in Fisherville. It was early January, 33 degrees and snow flurries had started to fall. Architect Gary Watrous, however, wasn't worried. He knew that the passive-solar house he had designed for Ann Klem and Dean Smith would stay warm because it captures the sun's rays and uses them as heat. He was right — the interior was a comfortable 70 degrees.
Since the mid-1980s, Watrous has designed passive-solar homes and commercial buildings that are among the most energy-efficient in the region. Once viewed as a bit of a fringe architect, Watrous now looks quite visionary — especially as high heating bills arrive in mailboxes across Kentucky and Southern Indiana .
Watrous was a green architect, practicing environmentalism through design, before the phrase became the popular buzzword it is today. Other architects in Louisville also practice elements of green design, but Watrous has built his career on it. He founded his own architectural firm in 1986 and has designed about 40 homes and several commercial buildings. His structures use "airfloors" — a system where heat and air conditioning flow through floors, so they are warm in the winter, cool in the summer.
Watrous-designed homes also have unique layouts. All the major rooms — those most often used, such as bedrooms, living areas, etc. — are on the southern side of the homes, for the solar heat. Hallways and rooms used less frequently, such as bathrooms, are placed elsewhere.
"That's different from a typical layout," Watrous said, where rooms are placed wherever a developer or homeowner decides. Watrous also requires more efficient insulation than what is used in many homes. Instead of walls with R-13 insulation, his walls must be least R-26 (the higher the R-value, the better the insulation). Instead of R-30 ceilings and roofs, Watrous demands R-40 to R-60.
Building a home to his specifications costs more initially, Watrous said, but those costs are earned back by lower heating and cooling bills. Watrous offers his clients a three-year guarantee that his Sun-Earth homes will cost less than $35 a month per 1,000 square feet to heat and cool — or he'll pay the bills. That means a 2,000-square-foot home should cost no more than $840 to heat and cool annually, Watrous said, depending on energy prices. Watrous said he's never had to make good on his promise. Source: Chris Poynter, The Courier-Journal, Louisville , Kentucky , 1/29/2006 .
In her old dorm room, Devon Goss either shivered under several layers of clothing or baked in a T-shirt. "It'd be really cold all the time and then one day it would be really hot," the 18-year-old St. John's College student said. "It was so unpredictable." Today, Ms. Goss is one of the 40 students in Spector Hall, the second of two new dorms at the college.
While students are praising the media room and its big-screen television, there's also a major, largely unseen difference in Spector: City officials say it is the second building in Annapolis to use a geothermal heat exchange system. The first was Gilliam Hall, the other new dorm at St. John's . Spector was officially dedicated on Saturday.
Don Jackson, director of operations at St. John's , said the dorm has a vertical, closed-loop system. That means it has 49 underground closed wells that plummet 150 feet into the ground. An interconnected set of pipes runs through the wells, and biodegradable antifreeze pumps through the pipes. Air warmed or cooled by the system is circulated through interior ductwork, and each room has its own thermostat. That means students like Ms. Goss, an Oregon native, can keep the room warmer than Connecticut native student Scott Bullard, who keeps his room at about 72.
The original cost of the geothermal heat pump was around $294,000, Mr. Jackson said. That's around $28,000 more than a traditional heating and cooling system for a 20,000-square-foot dorm. Based on energy costs at the time of construction, it was estimated that the system would save the college $4,500 to $5,000 a year in energy costs - recouping the additional investment in about six years.
Jessica Commins, a spokesman for the D.C.-based Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, Inc., said while she does not know of other colleges in Maryland that have a geothermal dorm, other universities around the county have installed systems for their buildings. The systems are proving popular with older, Eastern colleges. "Lots of historic colleges are using geoexchange for the aesthetics," Ms. Commins said. "It's completely hidden and silent." Source: By ELIZABETH LEIS, Staff Writer, The Capital, 1/30/2006 .
Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. recently announced it has completed the design and installation of photovoltaic solar power systems for software development company Access Softek and Greenpads condominiums in Berkeley , CA .
According to Borrego, the company installed a system atop Access Softek's headquarters that employs 206 Sharp mono-crystalline solar modules, which will provide power for the entire building, excluding the server room. Borrego noted that the system features an integrated awning structure that allows for additional power-producing space. The new system is expected to save Access Softek $7,000 in electricity costs annually.
Borrego also installed six individual PV systems at units in the Greenpads condominiums, all of which are powered by Fronius USA power converters. Borrego said the new systems will provide 85 per cent of the units' power needs. Contact: Mike Hall, Borrego, phone 510-843-1113 ext 102. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/26/2006 .
El Paso Electric recently announced that, pursuant to the utility's New Mexico Public Regulation Commission-approved 2005 Procurement Plan, it has received approval to issue this month its 2006 Diversity Request for Proposals for Renewable Energy Supply.
According to EPE, the RFP solicits competitive proposals for diverse renewable energy resources that meet the requirements of the New Mexico Renewable Energy Act and NMPRC Renewable Energy Rule to comply with the NMPRC's annual Renewable Portfolio Standard.
EPE noted that it is seeking diverse resources available on or after Jan. 1, 2008 . Because the company has already acquired a fixed amount of renewable energy credits from wind resources in the years 2008 through 2011, EPE will primarily seek non-wind energy resources and will consider available wind energy resources in greater quantities on or after January 1, 2011 . The utility's remaining RPS requirement in New Mexico is approximately 67,000 megawatt-hours in 2008 and up to approximately 76,500 MWh in 2011. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/26/2006 .
Wind turbines are constantly getting taller because everyone knows the higher you get off the ground, the better the wind speeds. But building big towers is expensive, especially if you want one 15,000 feet tall. So why not ditch the tower and make the windmill fly?
Several people are trying to do that. Here's a little round-up of the three most notable projects: Sky Windpower, Laddermill, and Magenn. Each is a bit sketchy, but deserves to be given a shot. It seems obvious that once someone creates a workable system, it will become a huge winner, because of the sheer amount of power available up high: 1 percent of the jetstream's wind power could supply all US electrical demand. Also, one of the main complaints about wind power is its intermittency—the wind doesn't blow all the time. The wind is much steadier at altitude, so you get even more advantage over ground-based wind power. A final advantage is ad-hoc generation: devices with a reasonably simple tether-system do not have to be permanently installed in one place. They could be trucked out to any location that needed them.
Sky Windpower: Sky Windpower is the furthest along, with functional prototypes tested in the field. Bryan Roberts, an Australian mechanical engineering professor, teamed up with some Americans to commercialize his "Flying Electric Generator" idea—a windmill tethered to the ground but flying like a whirligig in the jetstream, at 15,000 to 35,000 feet altitude.
According to their figures, one flying windmill rated at 240kW with rotor diameters of 35 feet could generate power for less than two cents per kilowatt hour—that would make them the cheapest power source in the world. And they would have far better uptime than most windmills—since the jetstream never quits, they should operate at peak capacity 70-90 percent of the time.
They can't promise uninterrupted power all the time, however. In an electrical storm, the power-carrying tether becomes the biggest lightning rod you've ever seen. Their website says this problem is "frequently brought to our attention, and must be addressed." Their plan is to take the flyers down to land before a storm gets bad, and wait for it to end.
The prototypes Roberts has been making for the last 25 years have gone from wind tunnel to field trial, and they apparently work, with no new technologies required. However, they have been stalled seeking funding for the last three years.
Magenn: Magenn is a more modest design, which makes it more feasible. The inventor is Fred Ferguson, a Canadian engineer specializing in airships. He envisions a range of devices from the household scale (possibly even luggable by RV's or backpackers) to the megawatt power-plant scale. Magenn's design is radically different from other windmills on the market—it would not use propeller blades. Instead, it would be a helium blimp, with Savonius-style scoops causing it to rotate around motors at the attachment-points to its tether. The household device would be the size of a mobile-home floating at 150-400ft. altitude, generating up to 4kW of power. Megawatt-size versions of the device would be the size of a normal blimp and would be tethered at 400-900ft. altitude.
The blimp-like design has several advantages: its Savonius scoop design lets it operate in winds as low as 2 mph; it is safer in a crash, because it would fall slowly and be mostly made of flexible material; it is safer for airplanes, because it sits below legally usable airspace; it is safer for birds, because the moving parts are visible and travel with the wind, not perpendicular to it; and it is a less risky investment, because it is smaller, cheaper, and easier to build than one of Sky Windpower's devices. There are tradeoffs, though—Sky Windpower's flying windmills would be in higher winds and more constant winds, which would be better-suited to large applications; Magenn says their devices are likely to operate at capacity 40-50 percent of the time.
However, not even a working prototype has been built yet. Despite this, Magenn has a distribution partner lined up, once they do get into production. But it will no doubt take a few years before their invention is optimized and debugged.
Laddermill: Laddermill was a research project at TU Delft in the Netherlands . They imagined a series of kites strung together by cables into a loop hundreds of meters—possibly even a few kilometers—high. The kites would be computer-controlled to change their attitude and generate more lift from the wind on one side of the loop than the other. This would cause the entire loop to rotate, and its rotation would push a generator down on the ground to create electricity. In some ways, this design is simpler than Magenn or Sky Windpower because it does not have to have the power-generation equipment aloft, and does not require a power-carrying tether, just a mechanical one. The elimination of power-generation hardware from the flying parts of the device also means that it should be safer, because the bits that can crash are small and light. It appears nothing much has been done on the project since 2003, so it may be dead. Source: Jeremy Faludi, WorldChanging.com. 1/30/2006.
The Geothermal Resources Council has announced a call for papers for their premier 2006 GRC Annual Meeting to be held in San Diego, CA September 10 – 13, 2006, at the Town & Country Resort. The proposed 2006 technical program includes:
The GRC invites you to submit a paper related to one of the above session themes or a technical paper in geothermal research, exploration, development and utilization. The GRC deadline for receipt of draft technical papers is April 28, 2006. Additionally, the GRC 2006 National Conference will focus on university student participation, with its new “Year of the Student” program. The GRC is encouraging students in the fields of geology, engineering, and environmental sciences to submit draft papers for consideration by it Technical Program Review Committee. With U.S. Department of Energy assistance, the GRC will offer attendance scholarships to any student whose paper is accepted for presentation, and cash prizes for Best Student Oral and Poster Presentations.
Register now for the three-part geothermal webcast series sponsored by Western Area Power Administration and the Utility Geothermal Working Group. The free teleconferences will cover economics, financing, permitting, transmission, environmental impacts, marketing, case histories, program development and project development for geothermal technologies.
Webcast sponsors include the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CRN Program and the American Public Power Association DEED Program , among others. The topics and dates for the three webcasts are:
Each webcast begins at Noon EST (11 a.m. CST, 10 a.m. MST, 9 a.m. PST) and lasts for 2 ½ hours, including at least 30 minutes of questions and answers.
Participation is limited to the first 40 utilities that register. To register, email Debbie Rock. There is no charge for participation. About a week before each webcast, registrants will receive via email the dial-in instructions and the presentation file to follow during the webcast. Questions? Contact Guy Nelson, UGWG Team Leader.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America program, American Public Power Association and Western Area Power Administration invite you to participate in a teleconference scheduled for February 9, 2006 on Wind Energy Economics.
The scheduled teleconference will be limited to the first 40 callers, with preference given to electric cooperative and public power personnel. The teleconference is free, but sponsors ask that you reserve a spot in advance so that the maximum number of participants can be accommodated. Please sign up only if you know you will be able to attend as seating is limited. Register by contacting Debbie Rock at 720-962-7271.
A link to the presentations on the web will be provided to all registrants along with call-in information in the week prior to the teleconference. The teleconferences will be moderated by Bob Putnam of CH2M HILL, Technical Support contractor to NRECA. The teleconference is scheduled for 11 am - 1 pm CST. Hope you can join us!
Harvesting clean energy from America 's farms and fields can produce substantial new energy, enhance the environment and help rural communities at the same time. Please join us in Spokane , Washington , February, 27-28 th for the Sixth Annual "Harvesting Clean Energy" Conference. Source: Curtis Framel , U.S. Department of Energy, Western Regional Office, 1/28/2006 .
The Rahus Institute has joined together with Solar Energy International to offer 2 great Solar Electric Design & Installation Workshops in Southern and Northern California . In Southern California, Feb. 6-10 at the SunEarth Facilities in Fontana . SunEarth has a variety of PV systems installed at their facility for review, and is a state-of-the-art solar hot water collector fabricator. In Northern California , March 13-18 at the Westminster Wood in Occidental. Westminster Woods serves as an outdoor environmental education school to nearly 5000 students each year.
As part of this course, participants will install a 1 kW PV grid-tie system. The PV system will become part of the solar energy education curriculum taught at the school. Living with solar energy! Onsite lodging and food is available at this site. Both courses are intensive hands-on approach. To learn more and to register for the workshop visit the SEI website or call 970-963-8855 with any questions. Source: Tor Allen, The Rahus Institute, 1/26/2006 .
The Carbon Trust recently published a new report, based on its Marine Energy Challenge program, which finds that marine energy could provide up to 20 percent of the U.K. ’s current electricity needs. The report also indicates that the marine sector could meet three percent of the U.K. ’s total electricity supply by 2020 and predicts that the cost of marine renewables could fall "significantly" in the future. The report cites private investment, underpinned by long-term government support, as "vital in unlocking the potential of the marine energy market."
In light of the report's findings, Carbon Trust recommends increased support over time for marine renewables technology development, with greater support for RD&D and cross-cutting technology issues to help deliver cost reductions; support for marine renewables project development from now into the medium term, contingent on technologies proving technically viable in the first instance, and later, on evidence of reducing costs; and the development of a clear long-term policy framework to support the sector. Contact: Carbon Trust. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/25/2006.
Windustry's Community Wind Energy 2006 is a national conference bringing agriculture and wind energy together to advance opportunities for locally-owned clean energy production and rural economic development. We will share experiences and information to harness the growing momentum for new models, new policies and new projects.
Who should attend? Farmers, ranchers, rural landowners, elected officials, policymakers, business leaders, wind industry companies, renewable energy entrepreneurs, utilities, government agencies, tribal representatives, economic development professionals, bankers, community planners, community leaders, energy advocates, and interested citizens. For More Information phone Cole McVey at 612.870.3461, toll free 800.946.3640. Source: Windustry.org, 1/26/2006 .
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will host three upcoming renewable energy workshops in Utah . The workshops will focus on grant and loan writing for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for rural small businesses and agricultural producers in Utah , supporting Section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill. To find out if this program is right for you or if you have any questions, contact Richard Carrig, Utah USDA at 801-524-4328. Sponsors and presenters include: USDA-Rural Development, U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America and GeoPowering the West Programs, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Utah Geological Survey's State Energy Program, Utah Clean Energy, and Utah Power. Source: Nykole Littleboy, 1/30/2006 .
This information-packed Guide offers solid advice for small business owners seeking to develop and implement an environmental management plan. The workbook reviews the basics of environmental responsibility and reviews the ways in which good environmental management can help a small enterprise save money over the long term. The Guide includes tips on sticking to an EM plan once it has been introduced. Source: U.S. EPA Small Business Division via GreenBiz.com, 1/30/2006 .
This November 2005 report explores the specific role of board directors in delivering corporate responsibility. Based on discussions with over 40 U.K. board directors, company secretaries, and corporate responsibility professionals, the report offers useful suggestions on how boards should go about setting the values and standards of the company and ensure that it meets its obligations to shareholders and others. The report features case studies demonstrating current board practice at major corporations such as BHP Billiton, BT Group, and BP, among others. Source: Business in the Community via GreenBiz.com, 1/30/2006 .
The Solar Energy Industry Association Guide to Federal Tax Incentives for Solar Energy is now available for downloading from the SEIA site. Source: Scott Sklar, President, The Stella Group, Ltd., 1/30/2006 .
The County Commissioners of Liberty County , Mont. , announced that they are making available a wind power potential study in order to encourage wind power development in the County. The County commissioned the study from Global Energy Concepts. With the assistance of GEC, the County installed several NRG Systems wind monitoring towers over two years ago to evaluate wind development potential. A 50-meter tower and two 30-meter towers were installed.
The results show that there is a very good wind development site located east of Chester , Mont. , which consists of a long north/south ridge. The prevailing winds in the area are out of the west or southwest. There is a Western Area Power Administration transmission line and a Northwest Energy line running east and west through the site. At this site there are no known bird issues, archeological issues, or other such problems. There are no trees in this area of high prairie grasslands. The County conducted the study as part of an economic development program.
Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the GEC study should contact Don Marble, Chairman of the Board of the Commissioners, phone 406-759-5104, or the Clerk and Recorder of Liberty County, phone 406-759-5365. The study is available by e-mail or hard copy upon request. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 1/27/2006 .
Cool It! is a new Web site that lets you plug in your mileage and other data to determine your own impact on global warming. Melissa Hippard, Sierra Club Loma Prieta chapter: "The goal of our calculator is really to allow an individual to put in the information about their home energy use, their transportation use — air and car, and find out well, what am I doing to contribute to global climate change?"
Cool It! then suggests how to reduce emissions, such as riding a bike, taking a free shuttle, or using public transit. Cool It! is a joint venture of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club and Acterra. The site also allows people to offset their emissions by buying green tags, a contribution that goes toward renewable energy sources such as wind farms.
Sun Microsystems is promoting Cool It! to its 9,000 Silicon Valley employees. Sun already has programs in place to give workers the flexibility to work at home or to drop into a computer center, instead of driving to an office miles away. It's important to have companies such as Sun on board, but as Cool It! says, individuals can make a difference too. Source: ABC News, 1/26/2006 .
Clean renewable energy bonds are a type of bond that municipal utilities, electric cooperatives and Indian tribes can use to borrow money for wind farms and other power plants that use renewable fuels. The borrower does not have to pay any interest on the bonds. Rather, the lender is allowed to claim tax credits.
A list of the information that must be included in an application is in Notice 2005-98. Only $800 million in total in clean renewable energy bonds can be issued for all projects. All bonds must be issued in 2006 and 2007. The IRS will allocate the bond authority among interested projects if there is more interest in the bonds than there is capacity. Congress directed it to reserve at least $300 million of bond authority for electric cooperatives. Clean Renewable Energy Bond applications must be filed by April 26.
The IRS said in December that it plans to allocate the scarce bond authority by handing it out to the project that asks for the smallest amount of bond authority first — up to the full amount requested — and then to the next smallest, and so on, until all the bond authority has been used up. A list of the information that must be included in an application is in Notice 2005-98. Source: RenewableEnergyAccess.com, 1/30/2006.
California 's biggest power company today unveiled a new program that would let its ratepayers choose whether they personally would pay more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Pacific Gas & Electric's proposed "Climate Protection Program" would let customers pay a premium to fund carbon sequestration projects monitored by an independent entity called the California Climate Action Registry. The idea is to funnel funds toward forest conservation projects selected by the registry following a competitive bidding process. Bidders would most likely be forest managers willing to sign conservation agreements. Ratepayers would fund three kinds of projects: reforestation, forest conservation and implementation of management practices that encourage forests to grow larger and fuller.
Only native California forests would qualify, meaning not just a tree plantation, a real forest. This means you could not grow a pine forest on habitat native to redwoods. The state established the Climate Action Registry four years ago to establish accounting standards for greenhouse gases. Major industrial emitters, PG&E included, register emissions with an eye toward getting advance credit for future mandatory carbon dioxide regulations. Other members of the registry include PacifiCorp, Reliant Energy, Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, among others.
PG&E submitted its proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission this morning, calling it a "first-of-its-kind" plan to establish carbon credits for a future trading market. The proposal, which sets the stage for additional proceedings to determine the carbon cap for each electric utility, was released for comment late last week. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order last summer calling for reductions in state greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by the year 2020 and 80 percent below that level by 2050. Source: Colin Sullivan, E&ENews PM West Coast Reporter, 1/30/2006 .
Supporters of the newly filed Energy Independence Initiative say their measure protects electricity consumers from volatile fuel prices, boosts the state's green energy economy and decreases dependence on foreign oil. But is their real goal to discourage hydropower and stop new coal-fired power plants? The Northwest Energy Coalition's initiative would require the state's larger utilities to produce 15 percent of their electricity from non-hydro renewable energy sources by 2020. Specifically, electricity from wind, solar and biomass.
Current law requires those utilities to offer customers the option to buy so-called "green power." In most cases, customers pay a surcharge for the more costly wind and solar power. While utilities are increasing their "green" energy sources, that market has yet to materialize. Initiative backers want to make "green power" compulsory.
Tucked into this initiative is a provision that appears to be aimed directly at our regional network of dams. The initiative's definition of "renewable energy" does not include hydropower, which is where the preponderance of our electricity is generated.
Coal is a direct initiative target. Currently, coal-fired plants in our region provide about 18 percent of Washington 's electricity needs. Initiative supporters dismiss new innovations in clean coal-burning technology that eliminate nearly all pollutants and they ignore the fact that some of that resulting electricity can be used to separate hydrogen from water for clean hydrogen-powered cars.
Green energy is no panacea. For example, wind power requires huge tracts of land, and the turbines don't work unless wind conditions are right because, unlike water, wind can't be stored. To some, wind farms are unsightly. For example, in Denmark there is a growing popular rebellion against giant wind machines located offshore in the shallow Baltic, and in California blades on older wind towers located in migratory paths are clobbering birds.
So there are problems with "green sources" that must be considered. Mandates like those in the initiative ignore market-based approaches where consumers make purchasing decisions. People already demonstrate they will pay extra for "green" power, so let the market work. The key to our energy future is to have a variety of energy sources. But mandating one form of energy and excluding others is not the answer. Don Brunell is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state's chamber of commerce. Source: Don Brunell, The Columbian, 1/31/2006 .
A government task force on Monday recommended the state set a goal for utility corporations to produce 10 percent of their electricity by 2020 through renewable energy sources, such as wind. But members of Gov. Matt Blunt's Missouri Energy Task Force shied away from suggesting the target become a requirement - a move favored by some environmentalists.
Task force chairman Jeff Davis, who also is chairman of the utility-regulating Missouri Public Service Commission, said requiring a certain percentage of electricity come from renewable sources likely would lead utilities to seek rate increases from consumers to cover the new costs. Instead, the panel's recommendation calls for utilities to "make a good faith effort" to reach the 10 percent target while still providing "reliable, low-cost" electricity. The target would apply only to the state's four investor-owned electric utilities, not those run by municipalities or cooperatives.
The task force's recommendation embraces the concepts in legislation by Sen. Chris Koster, R-Harrisonville, who said even a baby step toward encouraging more environmentally friendly energy production should be considered a success. A separate bill by Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, would apply to all electricity providers - not just invester-owned companies - and mandate a 3 percent renewable threshold by 2013, 6 percent by 2017 and 10 percent by 2021.
The state chapter of the Sierra Club said Graham's mandates are preferable over Koster's goals. If the state sets a requirement, a private sector market will naturally emerge to meet the new demand for renewable energy technology, said Wallace McMullen, chairman of the Sierra Club's energy committee. "I have not seen any sort of voluntary target in this area be effective," he said. Twenty-one states already have some sort of standard for the generation of electricity by renewable energy sources, according to information distributed by Koster to the task force. Source: By David Lieb, Associated Press, 1/30/2006 .
PacifiCorp's proposed sale to MidAmerican Energy Holdings could speed up the utility's lagging progress in adding renewable power projects to its system. Portland-based PacifiCorp committed in 2002 to buying 1,400 megawatts of power from renewable power sources — including wind farms, geothermal plants and biomass facilities — but has been slow to make progress, said Bill Edmonds, director of environmental policy.
Ideally, the company should have added 100 to 200 megawatts of "green" power a year to meet its 10-year goal. Though it has been slow to sign contracts for green projects, it remains committed to diversifying its fuel sources, said Edmonds , who concedes he's disappointed by the pace of the progress. Edmonds said the newness of the program coupled with constraints on access to money also halted progress.
It was not for lack of possible partners however. In 2003, PacifiCorp solicited potential suppliers, which responded with more than 6,000 megawatts of renewable power. It was from that pool that it selected the two, said Virinder Singh, an environmental policy analyst who helped run the process. "We need to do more than two projects in two years," he agreed. By committing to using more renewable power sources, PacifiCorp is positioning itself to address its carbon "footprint" and also to save money. Source: Wendy Culverwell, Business Journal staff writer, 1/30/2006 .
A three-year experience building a solar house from the ground up has changed forever how I view energy efficiency, the use of natural resources and our responsibility to the environment. I'm proud to be from New Jersey , where there is deep support for solar energy rules that would make the state's effort the most ambitious in the United States .
In preparation for the International Solar Decathlon (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy), the University of Colorado College of Engineering worked with the School of Architecture and Planning and the Environmental Studies program to design and construct an 800-square-foot energy-saving house. Our house has a fully functioning bath/spa, living room, home office, sleeping loft, tech room and glowing battery room. The house stores up to 36 kilowatt-hours of electricity — more than 100 percent of what an average New Jersey household uses. The materials in the walls and roof include soy, corn, coconut, wheat, canola oil, citrus oils, sugar and even chocolate.
In the fall, we packed and moved the house from Boulder to Washington , D.C. , where it competed against 16 other solar houses built by teams from around the United States and as far away as Spain . Over a period of several days, each team had to generate enough energy to meet all needs, including heating the house and making hot water to do laundry and wash dishes. We also had to generate enough additional energy to charge an electric car. We were thrilled and proud that our house won the Solar Decathlon.
After the decathlon was over, I realized how the experience has changed the way I think. Before I joined the University of Colorado solar house team, I paid little to no attention to where PSE&G and every other utility company gets its power. I flipped on the switch and the light came on. That's all that mattered, not whether the light was powered by nuclear energy, coal, oil or expensive natural gas.
Now I understand that although solar energy technologies have been part of the United States energy policy for nearly 30 years, they have yet to emerge as a prominent element of the energy infrastructure. That is the reason legislators and regulators have to lead the way. New Jersey is the shining example of how that can happen. The state's leadership on solar has resulted in more than 1,000 solar projects and 10 megawatts of solar energy installed.
Jeanne Fox, president of the state Board of Public Utilities, has transformed New Jersey into a national leader in solar and energy efficiency. She managed the creation of an ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standard that requires 90 megawatts of solar by 2009, up from 10 megawatts now. She also implemented an incentive program to support that goal.
These regulatory developments are heartening because they drive actions to finally make solar energy mainstream. Progress can be measured by businesses taking advantage of tax credits to invest in solar equipment, and homeowners choosing to power their homes with solar. After winning the Solar Decathlon, the University of Colorado School of Architecture has been receiving phone calls and e-mails from sustainable design firms from all over the country interested in our solar house and in our skills and experience. Business leaders realize there is a profit to be made. But that's only true because leaders like members of New Jersey 's Board of Public Utilities are making it possible. Source: Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/29/06 by Scott Horowitz
Like the proverbial line drawn in the sand, San Diego Gas & Electric's proposal to build a new electricity transmission line from Imperial County through the heart of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and across rural areas of North County has sparked an immediate and heated debate. The utility's initial application for the new line — called the Sunrise Powerlink and expected to cost up to $1.4 billion — prompted protest filings from environmental and consumer groups, as well as from competing projects and other power companies.
SDG&E says the line is essential for it to meet the state-mandated goal of having 20 percent of its electric generating capacity in such renewables. But first and foremost — in SDG&E's view — the new Sunrise transmission line is needed to ensure that the region has enough electricity in the next decade.
"As we've said before, it's not a matter of if Sunrise is needed," said Jim Avery, an SDG&E senior vice president, "it's when the line is needed." By 2015, SDG&E officials estimate the region will at most need about 5,900 megawatts of electric generating capacity. That includes capacity to meet demand and backup generation required by regulators to ensure sufficient power in the event of a transmission line failure or plant breakdown.
In explaining what he says will be the cost-benefit of Sunrise , Avery notes that under California regulations, most utility customers statewide pay for transmission projects even if they are not in their service territory. Under the existing formula, SDG&E customers — who make up about 10 percent of the state's total — would pay about 10 percent of the costs for Sunrise , with customers of Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric paying the balance.
"Reliability typically does not pay for itself, but in this case it does," Avery said. Bill Powers, chairman of the Border Power Plant Working Group, which monitors energy development in this region, calls that kind of accounting a "shell game." "At some point, we all pay for these transmission projects," said Powers, adding that SDG&E customers will pay a share of the costs for transmission projects now being proposed by the other utilities.
Opponents also question whether Sunrise is a "green" project. They note that a competing project, called the Green Path, is being proposed by the Imperial Irrigation District, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Citizens Energy — a company headed by Joseph Kennedy II. It would tap similar renewable resources at a fraction of the expected cost for Sunrise , perhaps just 25 percent. And the Green Path could allow SDG&E to import renewably generated electricity to its service territory, via a route that would move the power north of Anza Borrego, west to the coast above San Diego County and then down into the local area.
Though SDG&E in the past said it needed Sunrise to meet the state-mandated target of 20 percent renewables, the utility more recently acknowledged that it could satisfy the requirement if power from the renewable desert projects with which it has contracts is transported on the Green Path. But SDG&E says this route could raise costs of that electricity. Kennedy said the region faces a choice between Green Path and the Sunrise Powerlink.
But the Green Path competes only with a key component of Sunrise , namely an east-west transmission line piece within Imperial County that would bring electricity near the eastern edge of the Anza Borrego park. It's unclear what value this east-west power line would have other than to connect with another line cutting across Anza Borrego toward San Diego . So it's more accurate to say that Citizens is both competing with and dependent on the Sunrise project. Kennedy said his company's participation would have an important advantage for low-income families. Because Citizens is a nonprofit corporation, it has made a commitment to put profits generated from its portion of the new transmission line into low-income energy assistance for area residents, he said.
Beyond the difficulty of selling this project to regulators and the public, SDG&E has chosen to break new ground in the procedural process. Instead of proposing a specific route for the line to the California Public Utilities Commission, SDG&E has identified only broad corridors for the project, saying it will file a precise route and preferred alternative with state regulators by March.
Avery says this approach allows for greater community involvement in the route selection. The need for greater public input was driven home after the utility failed to win approval for a transmission line proposal in North County a few years ago, he said.
Critics say splitting the application process in the way SDG&E suggests is an unprecedented break with PUC procedure and could leave regulators in the position of giving approval to a line whose route is unknown. The Sierra Club joined with the Center for Biological Diversity in filing a protest to the project. How can you assess the impact of a project if SDG&E won't say where it's going, asked Kelly Fuller, who speaks for the local Sierra Club on the Sunrise project. She also said SDG&E's approach would diminish community input, not increase it.
"If SDG&E has its way, the public won't be able to comment on where the line is actually going until it is too far along in the PUC process," Fuller said. The Sierra Club also argues that the utility has not fully explored the development of renewable energy projects within the urban core of its service territory.
Powers believes SDG&E has pretty much decided where the line is going, noting the white-ribbon markers the utility has placed along a possible route in the desert and backcountry. SDG&E says the white ribbons indicate "macro corridors" that have been presented to the public. But Avery added that it has already been determined that the line would have to pass through the Anza- Borrego park.
In the local area, SDG&E still has much work to do to convince residents that the line is necessary. Tim Stanton of Ramona was unconvinced by a recent open house on the project in his community. "I don't think SDG&E is doing enough with renewables," Stanton said. "And you see a lack of trust about them telling us this is for our own good. It may be good for their shareholders." Source: By Craig D. Rose, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/30/2006 .
Rep. Jose Campos thinks the winds of eastern New Mexico could fuel economic growth and the state's energy options. Windmills would be advantageous to farmers and ranchers, and 200 windmills already spin in Quay and De Baca counties, Campos said.
A bill to establish a state renewable energy transmission authority, written by the Santa Rosa Democrat, will make its way through committees and may hit the house floor by the end of the week, he said. The quasi-governmental agency would regulate 4,000 to 5,000 windmills, each generating one megawatt of power, Campos said, generating enough electricity to supply 1.5 million households annually. A 120 mega-watt wind farm was put online near Elida earlier this month.
The New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority Campos proposes would oversee facilities that would generate electric transmission and storage, according to the Fiscal Impact Report. Republican legislators agree steering away from oil dependency is the wise road to take in the future, and said they'd support such legislation.
Campos thinks renewable energy could benefit the state through both internal use and inter-state sale, he said. "We could create an opportunity to export energy. Capture wind and convert it to electricity, then send it to California and Colorado ," he said.
Campos introduced a similar bill last year, but it didn't make it through committees and onto the floor. This year, he is more confident the bill will make it through the house and senate, he said. "I envision windmills in Roosevelt, De Baca, Quay and Curry counties, and eventually all across the state," Campos said. Source: Jan 30 - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Andy Jackson The Portales News-Tribune , N.M.
State Sen. Robert Cowles and Rep. Phil Montgomery, both Republicans from the Green Bay area, are tweaking a bill they think would help hold the line on swelling energy prices in Wisconsin .
The measure calls for utilities to increase the percentage of energy they produce from renewable sources over the next nine years; would set up new building codes to increase energy efficiency in structures; and would prohibit lawmakers from taking money out of the public benefits program, which provides grants for low-income people to meet their energy bills.
Electricity and natural gas prices have spiked over the last decade in Wisconsin , driven by construction of power plants and transmission facilities, expensive imported power and skyrocketing natural gas prices. "The way to ride out these price hikes ... is to ensure your portfolio of all energy sources is diversified between coal, natural gas and renewables," said Montgomery, of Ashwaubenon. The bill could save about 40 megawatts a year, eventually negating the need to build new power plants, Cowles said.
"There's no question that conservation and renewables, which is a big part of this bill, can have a denting effect, a blunting effect on rates," Cowles said. "If you don't do conservation, you go with the plants, and the plants are just killers on rates." The Senate could take up the bill by mid-February. Source: By Todd Richmond, The Associated Press, 1/30/2006 .
A new federal study shows that the existing electricity grid in North and South Dakota could handle more than five times the amount of power that now flows from the state's wind farms. South Dakota ranks second in the nation in wind power potential, but 20th in actual production. But the study, by the Western Area Power Administration, did not address how that power would get through the congested grids of power-hungry urban centers such as Minneapolis .
Still, Public Utilities Commissioner Dusty Johnson said the results are encouraging, especially combined with plans for new power lines and a possible new state incentive. "Without expensive transmission upgrades, we can put at least some new wind farms in South Dakota ," he said.
The 18-month Dakotas Wind Transmission Study looked at seven hypothetical wind farms in North and South Dakota , and asked if they would cause problems at three likely bottlenecks on the electric grid. Those bottlenecks turned out to affect power transmission for only a few hours each year, to the surprise of Ed Weber, a federal engineer in Billings , Mont. "We expected to see several hundred hours, maybe on the order of 5 percent."
The Dakotas are theoretically able to meet half the nation's electricity needs with wind power alone, although those federal study results are from 1990. The problem is moving that power to the distant cities that need it. "Congestion in the Dakotas is really not the limiting factor for transmission," Weber said. "In most cases, it's the constrained or congested interfaces over other systems."
Johnson said other developments might soon take care of such problems. Xcel Energy is planning two major transmission upgrades, from Brookings and Sioux Falls into Minnesota . And the prospective owners of the proposed new Big Stone II power plant near Milbank plan to build extra power lines, which Johnson said are likely to carry wind energy.
The South Dakota Legislature is also considering making it easier to pay for transmission upgrades. A bill passed a House committee Wednesday to allow companies to quickly pass the cost of upgrades on to consumers, instead of waiting for a lengthy, expensive study by the Public Utilities Commission. Source: Ben Shouse, ArgusLeader.com, 1/30/2006 .
Solar Richmond held its first meeting this past week to discuss ways to increase solar energy in Richmond, Calif., by five megawatts (roughly enough electricity for about 5,000 homes) by 2010. About 75 people attended the meeting to learn more about photovoltaic solar panels and brainstorm on ways to promote the technology as a sustainable energy source to city officials, businesses and residents.
Installing the blue photovoltaic panels on the roof of a home or business can significantly reduce monthly electricity bills and increase the value of the property, said Solar Richmond chairwoman Michele McGeoy, who also works for Real Goods Solar, a company that sells and installs the panels. The panels generate energy during daylight hours and unused electricity is sent back to PG&E's grid for use by other rate payers. For each unit of electricity that goes back on the grid, the home is given a credit for future use.
The cost of solar panels range from about $10,000 to $80,000, depending on energy needs, but the initial investment pays off through federal tax incentives, state rebates and reduced energy costs over the life of the panels, about 30 years. The average system for a home is $29,000, which generates 3.6 kilowatts. After a California Energy Commission rebate of $8,285 and a federal tax credit of $2,000, the system costs $18,715.
The panels are a hedge against rising energy costs which average 7 to 8 percent a year. As PG&E rates go up, so does the value of the energy generated by the panels and credited back to PG&E. Richmond resident Rudy Zeller, who attended the meeting, said he put solar panels on his home three years ago and he's become a sun-power enthusiast. "My annual electricity bill was around $1,000, now it's down to $200," he said.
Councilwoman Gayle McLaughlin, a Solar Richmond committee member, said she was glad to see so many people show up for the first meeting. She said she is hopeful that installing the solar panels will also create jobs.
She said, "Clean energy, job creation and shifting Richmond 's image are all things that seem to resonate very strongly with people." Contact John Geluardi at 510-262-2787. For more information on Solar Richmond, call 510-496-2722. Source: By John Geluardi, Contra Costa Times, 1/31/2006 .
With a name like Hurricane, it would only make sense that as power needs continue to increase for the growing community, the city would try to tame the winds that gave it its name and convert them to power. To assess if there is enough wind to generate power, the city has put up an anemometer — an instrument that measures wind speed — in a spot that power superintendent Dave Imlay calls a natural wind tunnel in the community.
For one year, the 150-foot anemometer will measure wind speeds at three height levels. The information will then be used to determine if there is enough wind to warrant wind energy as a viable power source. "It's good to be forward-thinking and look at this renewable resource," Imlay said.
As the city continues to grow at almost three times what is considered average, developing resources such as power is becoming increasingly important, especially when the city needs to maintain its edge for economic development.
Councilman Glenwood Humphries said cheaper power helps bring in big businesses. "When a business can get a cheaper power rate (in another community), it's hard to compete," Humphries said."
The anemometer, on loan through the state energy program for a year, was set up Monday and Tuesday by Vertical Technologies out of Washington . Imlay said another 60-foot-tall tower would be set up behind the city's power department building. The cost to the city was limited to fees incurred by setting up the structure.
The tall spindly structure set up on land owned by Interstate Rock will provide information over the next 12 months that will help the city to determine if wind as a power source is feasible. The city has had its own power company for 30 years and, for the past six years, has been able to generate its own power.
Electricity is created or generated by the turning of turbines. Imlay said water is one of the best sources for power because it's a constant. Wind may not always be reliable but it is free except for the equipment needed to create the power. About 25 years ago, the city looked into wind power and set up test sites but all of the results were lost. Imlay said, "At least now, we can get this done and see once and for all if this is a direction we need to take." Source: By Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum, 1/28/2006 .
US Department of Energy, Golden Field Office, University Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics Research and Development Grant. Source: Grants.gov, 1/30/2006 .
This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
|
