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#Post#: 571--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 17, 2013, 12:19 am
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Cost of renewable energy’s variability is dwarfed by the savings
[img]
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Wear and tear on equipment costs millions, but fuel savings are
worth billions.[img width=30
height=40]
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/>
by John Timmer - Sept 24 2013,
Energy
The variability of renewable energy sources like solar and wind
has raised concerns about how well the US electrical grid could
tolerate high levels of them. Some of the early estimates
suggested that the grid couldn't handle having more than 20
percent of its electricity coming from intermittent sources
without needing a major overhaul. But thanks to improved
practices and a bit of experience, several states are already
pushing that 20 percent limit well in advance of having a smart
grid in place.
Adjusting for intermittent power sources primarily comes from
cycling traditional fossil fuel plants on and off to match
supply with demand. And that cycling has a cost in terms of wear
and tear to equipment and fuel burned without producing
electricity.
So the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) produced a
series of studies to look at these costs and how they compared
to the savings in fuel that doesn't get burned. The answer: the
cost is a tiny fraction of the ultimate savings. :o
Solar and wind power have very distinct profiles.
Solar varies the most over the course of a day, but the general
outline of solar production is very predictable even if the
total power delivered varies a bit with cloud cover.
Wind tends to be steadier, but the total amount being produced
can change at any time of day.
To compensate for this variability, electricity suppliers
essentially have to turn sources on and off. Since wind and
solar have minimal operating costs—they burn no fuel—attention
turns to coal and natural gas. Depending on the design of the
plant, switching them on or off entails a variety of costs. Fuel
gets burned without producing electricity when the plants cycle
up, and a changing state entails an increased level of
wear-and-tear on the equipment. Some of this went on before
renewables entered the mix, but solar and wind are clearly
increasing the frequency.
So, what are the costs? To find out, NREL commissioned a company
called APTECH that had previously been hired by plant operators
to estimate these costs. With these costs in hand, the NREL team
analyzed the grid in the Western US under a number of different
scenarios where intermittent renewables accounted for 33 percent
of the total power. These scenarios included an even split
between wind and solar sources and both 25 percent/eight percent
(wind/solar and solar/wind) splits.
As expected, costs did go up. Cycling the fossil fuel plants
added between $0.47 and $1.28 to each MegaWatt hour generated.
Over the course of a year in the Western US grid, that adds up
to between $35 and $157 million, a boost of between 13 and 24
percent. :P
That's the bad news. The rest is pretty much good. The fuel
savings from not running the fossil fuel plants adds up to $7
billion
HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/tuzki-bunnys/tuzki-bunny-emoticon-005.gif
, meaning the added costs are, at most, two percent of the
savings. The fuel burned when spinning up the fossil fuel plants
also makes a minimal contribution to pollution, either in the
form of CO2 or in terms of nitrogen and sulfur compounds. ;D
Perhaps the most significant news, however, is that the worst
problems come earlier in the transition to renewables. "In terms
of cycling costs," the report notes, "there may be a big step in
going from 0 percent to 13 percent wind/solar but a much smaller
step in going from 13 percent to 33 percent." In other words,
once the percentage of renewables reaches a critical point, then
the amount of adjustments we have to make becomes incremental.
This doesn't yet mean that all renewable power is cost effective
compared to fossil
fuels;
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wind is
very close, but solar is a bit further.
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With current
trends, however, we're only a few years away from that point.
And this report indicates that once we get there, there won't be
any significant additional costs to adding them to the grid.
HTML http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/09/cost-of-the-variability-of-renewable-energy-is-dwarfed-by-the-savings/
Agelbert NOTE: Actually, I would correct that last sentence to
point out there will be significant additional costs to delaying
the increased percentage of renewable energy!
WHY? Which smart grid technology, power sharing among
neighboring grids and new storage technology from compressed air
to battery to inertia (flywheel) storage, keeping old burners
maintained won't be worth it (unless they can be converted from
coal to biomass)..
Have you noticed they DID mention lost energy for spin up above
but didn't mention shunting? Shunting is when a utility is
trying to cut it real close on baseload "cheap" coal or nuke
power so it doesn't have to use as much from the rapid spin up
power plants run on natural gas which costs a bit more. When you
are running a high baseload and the demand goes BELOW baseload,
you CANNOT slow down a nuke or a coal plant quickly so you shunt
the juice to some massive resistance (you throw it away!).
Utilities don't care about this waste because they just make it
up with their rates to YOU. The bottom line is utilities LIKE to
run full tilt because they make more money that way. That is why
they are loathe to set up smart grids that would NEGATE the need
for a high baseload!
The excuse they use is that renewable is too "intermittent".
They claim they need to supply demand spikes and no way can they
even guarantee a baseload common denominator to accurately
figure the demand spike on and off power they need.
That simply is not true. Do you know they could have set up
giant capacitor technology around nukes and never did because
shunting into a massive resistance is cheaper? And WHY is it
"cheaper" to throw away power than saving that "over the top"
power for later? Because YOU pay for the 4.5 to 6 year MTBF fuel
rod baby sitting for a few centuries after she can't boil water
up to 600C or so. Such a deal!
Please understand this folks. Utilities HATE RENEWABLE ENERGY,
not because it is intermittent, but because they cannot justify
a high baseload coal or nuke piggery with smart grid technology.
Look at my last post on LED street lighting to see how they are
NOT interested in saving energy. It's ALL about gaming the
output to JUSTIFY high energy costs and collect a profit on
them. Putting street lights on LED is a royal kick in the nuts
to utility baseload wet dreams. Worse yet for them, LED with
smart grid technology is NOT as voltage sensitive as the old
street light power hogs that would blow or brown out if your
voltage or frequency got too strange. Juice sucking street
lights JUSTIFIES high baseload fossil fuel or nuke, steady as
she goes, high output and profits (and CO2 out the ying yang
too!). LED street lights DON'T.
With 50% plus "intermittent" wind and solar on a smart grid, the
computer KNOWS where every single street light is and if there
is a human or car anywhere near it and shuts it down instantly
as power is waxing and waning. Yes, some biofuel baseload will
probably need to be available for unusual demands but that will
be a the niche power source.
If demand goes up at ten pm when the sun is down, 80% of the LED
street lights can be light lowered in an instant with no damage
whatsoever. And then there are all the electric cars plugged in
to the grid at ten p.m. ready to add to demand spike needs.
Computers can handle all this. Don't let the fossil fuelers tell
you any different.
Utilities want to have an excuse to run high baseload power so
they can claim renewables can't cut it. It's bull****. They just
want to burn more fossil fuels and charge YOU for it.
Don't let them get away with. Support 100% renewable energy in
your state with biomass fired plants and storage technologies.
We do NOT need the nukes or the fossil fuels,
period!
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#Post#: 579--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 18, 2013, 5:12 pm
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Michigan Conservatives Launch Group to Increase Renewable
Energy! :o ;D
SustainableBusiness.com News
Conservatives Launch Renewable Energy Group in Michigan! Is this
a typo?
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_1402.gif<br
/>No, but I read the article over several times to make sure. :
D
According to Michigan Live, several Republicans have formed the
Michigan Conservative Energy Forum to reduce coal use in the
state while increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy.
On their facebook page, the group says, "the state must
transition to clean, renewable energy sources" and that they
plan to facilitate a dialogue that depoliticizes the issue."
Great news!
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height=520]
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"For too long, we have allowed the energy discourse to be
dominated by the left," Larry Ward, executive director of the
Forum and former political director of the Michigan Republican
Party, told Michigan Live. "Conservatives have sat on the
sidelines for far too long."
Unfortunately, Conservatives haven't just sat on the sidelines,
they have been actively blocking programs that would reduce coal
use and increase renewable energy. >:( On the national level, a
slew of conservative groups are leading the helm from ALEC
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to Americans for
Prosperity.
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In
Michigan, a voter referendum that would have raised the state's
Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) failed because of the usual
reasons: a pile of money poured into the state spreading
misinformation. >:(
The Forum wants Michigan to diversify its energy supply to
include wind, solar, hydro, biomass, landfill gas,
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natural
gas, nuclear and some coal. >:(
"This is exactly what the Republican Party needs to be relevant
for the next generation of voters," Michael Stroud, co-chair of
the Michigan Federation of College Republicans, told Michigan
Live.
Governor Snyder is holding a roundtable discussion today on
Michigan's energy policies. After the referendum failed, he
called for a one-year study on the state's energy future.
Several public forums were held across the state and four
reports were submitted to the governor. One of them shows that
it's feasible for Michigan to reach 30% renewable energy by
2035.
The referendum would have raised the state's RPS from the
current target of 10% renewable energy by 2015 - which utilities
are on track to meet at much lower cost than expected - to 25%
by 2025.
Michigan is one of a bunch of states that's been in the news
because wind power costs less than that from a new coal plant.
Because of that, the utility, Consumers Energy, has cut the
monthly surcharge that pays the cost of meeting Michigan's RPS
and now wants to eliminate it. Over the past two years, they
reduced the surcharge from $2.50 a month to just 52 cents.
A Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council study shows the
state's advanced energy manufacturing sector - solar, wind,
energy storage, and biomass - generates $5 billion a year in
economic activity and supports 20,500 jobs a year.
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HTML http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25409
#Post#: 617--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 25, 2013, 3:36 pm
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HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/12/utility-scale-renewable-energy-development-in-the-u-s-faces-obstacles-in-2014#comment-128499<br
/> ;D
#Post#: 621--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 26, 2013, 2:10 pm
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Dreaming Big: Six Really Far-Thinking Renewable Energy Plans
:o ;D
New Hampshire, USA -- Every day we applaud and encourage all
types of renewable energy development and deployment, in
whatever forms make the most sense for their application:
distributed solar PV, offshore wind, biomass conversions,
hydropower (and hydro storage), geothermal. But what about those
at the edge of our universe, the ones really pushing renewable
energy to its limits?
During this holiday season as we reflect on the accomplishments
of the past year and prepare to look ahead into 2014, we also
take time to salute those who peer even further into the
distance, envisioning where renewable energy can go -- and it's
to some really interesting and far-out places. Some of them may
be a little hard to bring to fruition, but all of them get us
thinking about what's possible, and that's where the best ideas
start.
To the Moon!
Since solar energy comes from the sun, why not cut out part of
the middleman? Japanese engineering and construction firm
Shimizu envisions the "Luna Ring," a 11,000-km belt of solar
panels encircling the moon's equator, in a width from just "a
few kilometers to 400 km." Power harvested from the sun would be
transmitted via to enormous (20-km diameter) wireless antennas,
and shot out to earth via 20-GHz microwaves, with radio beacons
ensuring accurate transmission. Alongside, high-density lasers
would be beamed to offshore facilities on Earth to be
concentrated by a Fresnel lens and mirrors to generate solar PV
power; the lasers' thermal energy would be harvested as well.
Receivers and massive cabling on Earth would convert all of that
into electric power, to be supplied to grids and for conversion
of hydrogen. The moon itself would be tapped to produce
resources to make the solar cells and panels and construction
materials. Robots would perform most of the tasks, and the
equipment would be assembled in space and lowered to the surface
for installation.
The Luna Ring reportedly would supply up to 13,000 terawatts of
power, or what Shimizu says would match the world's energy
demand by 2030. Exploration would begin within the next few
years, followed by a pilot demo both on Earth and the moon in
the next decade, and construction beginning in 2035.
If lunar solar installs seem a bit too risky, how about orbiting
solar projects? One company has NASA backing to use robots for
building structures in orbit... using the most popular concept
running, "additive manufacturing" -- essentially melting a metal
(or plastics, in less fancy versions) in precise patterns to
build up a tough finished product. The Trusselator and the
"SpiderFab" would enable fabrication of carbon fiber truss
structures, including solar arrays and other structures like
antennae and transmitters with "kilometer-scale apertures," to
help enable lower-cost space exploration and development.
Is There a Draft?
One of the more unusual ideas we've noticed in the past year is
a proposal to build a downdraft chimney: sun-heated air at the
top of a massive tower is cooled with a mist of water, channeled
and accelerated down through the structure and out via numerous
turbines at the bottom. The company, Solar Wind Energy Tower
(SWET), has been approved by the City of San Luis, Arizona (just
this side of the border with Mexico) for development rights to
develop two of its downdraft towers, and recently signed a
"letter of intent to enter into a definitive agreement" to
purchase a 3,200-acre site in Mexico with "ideal attributes" for
two more towers. They've also begun looking at a site in Chile's
Atacama Desert, and claim interest from groups in India, South
Africa, and Brazil.
The concrete tower itself would be 2,250 feet high, making it
easily the planet's second-tallest structure ever built (Dubai's
Burj Khalifa is tops at 2722 feet) -- and that's a significant
downscale from initial designs of 3,000 feet. The base alone
would be 1,500 feet at the base. Proposed yield would be 600
MWh, but a chunk of that would be used to operate the tower so
the actual yield available to the grid would average around 435
MWh hourly. Proposed costs for such a tower is $1 billion, plus
another $100 million to pipe in water from Mexico, plus some
unspecified amount to build a desalination plant. Earlier this
month the company clarified that it isn't proposing to build
these massive structures itself; it just wants to license the
technology to evaluate sites, and take development fees and
royalties based on the tower's output.
There are significant questions about all this, from the
challenges scaling up such a project (reportedly straight from a
4-foot model to full king-size) to the physics and costs
involved with obtaining and pumping the water at these
identified desert sites, though allegedly there would be systems
in place to reuse most of what's used. A far smaller structure
based on similar principles was built in Spain in the 1980s,
worked for a few years at 50 kW max output, and then blew over;
a 200-kW structure is currently in operation in China. Neither
of them, nor a few other planned proposals, are remotely close
to the scale that SWET is proposing. Moreover, other companies
are pursuing solar updraft towers in Arizona at smaller scales.
Here is SWET's CEO recently describing the technology & business
model, and how they arrive at projections of $18 million
annually in royalty fees from each tower, how the company will
be "cash-flow positive on the first project" -- and why the
stock is currently trading at under a penny.
Giant concrete towers not so feasible? How about swapping all
that concrete for some hot air? The man behind Richard Branson's
continent-soaring balloon travails wants to alter the design
from a massive permanent fixed updraft tower to an inflatable
fabric-based tower. The proposed structure would be a 130-MW
power station as much as 1-km high (3,280 feet), with roughly 25
percent capacity factor producing 281 GWh/year of electricity --
but at a comparative bargain investment of about $20 million.
Why Not Drones?
Amazon got a lot of buzz a few weeks ago for unveiling its
dreams of a drone-powered package delivery service. But just
fulfilling warehouse orders for Mr. & Mrs. John Q InternetSurfer
might be ok for some drones, why not give them a higher purpose?
A U.K. company wants to send them forth into the skies to
harvest energy for us back down here on terraria. New Wave
Energy says its 65 x 65 ft drones, supersized versions of the
delightful copters found in Brookstone et al., would be rigged
out with wind turbines and solar panels, sent up to heights of
50,000 feet to generate up to 50-kW of energy to be wirelessly
beamed back to Earth. Thus, 8,000 of these buggers aloft in a
group would be a 400 MW power plant. Alternatively,
smaller-scale groupings would be perfect for deployments such as
disaster relief. They suggest it'll cost £32 million and five
years of development to reach commercial viability, which they
compare favorably against a new Boeing 747. First things first,
though: they plan to seek roughly $500,000 through Kickstarter
crowdfunding.
Hydro City
OK, a man-made island for pumped hydro is pretty ambitious. So
how about a pumped hydro storage system that floats? ;D
Canadian firm Humpback Hydro is designing a platform with
holding tanks that sits just "meters offshore" near the demand
centers that need them most. (Cue the same argument for offshore
wind, which presumably would fit nicely with this concept.)
Water is pumped from the surrounding ocean or lake into the
tanks, run through turbines, and then sent back into the source.
It's said to be scalable from 1MW up to and even exceeding 1 GW.
The company is working with the National Research Council of
Canada to develop a scale-model pilot project and then one out
in the field.
In case that quick elevator pitch didn't swing you, try this:
they also propose to put wind turbines and solar panels on these
structures for additional benefit (including powering the pumps
themselves). They could also be used for desalination. And if
built big enough, they'd even be able to support housing and
commercial developments.
Blimps: The Civilized way to Transport
This one we first heard about at last spring's AWEA conference
in Chicago. Aeros has been designing airships for transporting
heavy cargo "from point-of-origin to point-of-need," cutting out
all the middleman transportation infrastructure, time, and
costs. Its Aeroscraft dramatically changes the game of
large-scale logistics, and trust us: it looks extremely cool:
cruising along at 100-120 knots at up to 12,000 ft altitudes,
with 3,100 nautical mile range.
Their lowest-hanging fruit is in military and disaster recovery
applications, and they just signed a deal with a European cargo
firm. But they've also expressed a desire to work in renewable
energy -- for example, lifting and hauling the entire wind
turbine structure and components directly from the factory to a
project site, even those that aren't prepared or are uneven.
(Think of the highway bottlenecks that would avoid.) A key
feature of the Aeros is that it can offload cargo without
reballasting to stay grounded.
The company says it's still a few years away from having a
66-ton airship ready to haul wind turbine blades, but they've
already projected that they can slash equipment transportation
costs by two-thirds.
Solar in the Desert
We've all seen the modeling: a stamp-sized solar array in the
Sahara could theoretically generate enough power for the entire
planet, notwithstanding challenges in construction or
interconnection or financing. The Desertec Initiative (DII) was
created for the slightly less grand purpose of just getting
enough juice from that desert to power supply some of Europe's
power needs.
This summer the initiative ran into some controversy, though, as
the Desertec Foundation decided to part ways with DII citing
"many irresolvable disputes between the two entities in the area
of future strategies, obligations and their communication and
last but not least the managerial style of Dii’s top
management." The group further cited a desire to distance itself
from what it called a "maelstrom of negative publicity"
surrounding those conflicts, which it said "led to resentment
among the partners of the DESERTEC Foundation." Nonetheless DII
is committed to staying the path, pointing to a new arm in
France and a European Commission working document urging
cooperation in renewable energy, as well as support from
economic development interests in the MENA region, and a new
partner: China's State Grid Corp. And earlier this month the EC
offered to back half of the costs of a feasibility study on a
desert energy project between Italy and North African nations.
HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/12/dreaming-big-six-really-far-thinking-renewable-energy-plans?page=all
#Post#: 641--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 30, 2013, 10:56 pm
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13 major clean energy breakthroughs of 2013
By Kiley Kroh and Jeff Spross
Cross-posted from ThinkProgress
While the news about climate change seems to get worse every
day, the rapidly improving technology, declining costs, and
increasing accessibility of clean energy is the true bright spot
in the march toward a zero-carbon future. 2013 had more clean
energy milestones than we could fit on one page, but here are 13
of the key breakthroughs that happened this year.
1. Using salt to keep producing solar power even when the sun
goes down. Helped along by the Department of Energy’s loan
program, Solana’s massive 280 megawatt (MW) solar plant came
online in Arizona this October, with one unique distinction: the
plant will use a ‘salt battery’ that will allow it to keep
generating electricity even when the sun isn’t shining. Not only
is this a first for the United States in terms of thermal energy
storage, the Solana plant is also the largest in the world to
use to use parabolic trough mirrors to concentrate solar energy.
2. Electric vehicle batteries that can also power buildings.
Nissan’s groundbreaking “Vehicle-To-Building” technology will
enable companies to regulate their electricity needs by tapping
into EVs plugged into their garages during times of peak demand.
Then, when demand is low, electricity flows back to the
vehicles, ensuring they’re charged for the drive home. With
Nissan’s system, up to six electric vehicles can be plugged into
a building at one time. As more forms renewable energy is added
to the grid, storage innovations like this will help them all
work together to provide reliable power.
3. The next generation of wind turbines is a gamechanger. May of
2013 brought the arrival of GE’s Brilliant line of wind
turbines, which bring two technologies within the turbines to
address storage and intermittency concerns. An “industrial
internet” communicates with grid operators, to predict wind
availability and power needs, and to optimally position the
turbine. Grid-scale batteries built into the turbines store
power when the wind is blowing but the electricity isn’t needed
— then feed it into the grid as demand comes along, smoothing
out fluctuations in electricity supply. It’s a more efficient
solution to demand peaks than fossil fuel plants, making it
attractive even from a purely business aspect. Fifty-nine of the
turbines are headed for Michigan, and two more will arrive in
Texas.
4. Solar electricity hits grid parity with coal. A single solar
photovoltaic (PV) cell cost $76.67 per watt back in 1977, then
fell off a cliff. Bloomberg Energy Finance forecast the price
would reach $0.74 per watt in 2013 and as of the first quarter
of this year, they were actually selling for $0.64 per watt.
That cuts down on solar’s installation costs — and since the
sunlight is free, lower installation costs mean lower
electricity prices. And in 2013, they hit grid parity with coal:
In February, a Southwestern utility agreed to purchase
electricity from a New Mexico solar project for less than the
going rate for a new coal plant. Unsubsidized solar power
reached grid parity in countries such as Italy and India. And
solar installations have boomed worldwide and here in America,
as the lower module costs have drivendown installation prices.
5. Advancing renewable energy from ocean waves. With the
nation’s first commercial, grid-connected underwater tidal
turbine successfully generating renewable energy off the coast
of Maine for a year, the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC)
has its sights set on big growth. The project has invested more
than $21 million into the Maine economy and an environmental
assessment in March found no detrimental impact on the marine
environment. With help from the Department of Energy, the
project is set to deploy two more devices in 2014. In November,
ORPC was chosen to manage a wave-energy conversion project in
remote Yakutat, Alaska. And a Japanese delegation visited the
project this year as the country seeks to produce 30 percent of
its total power offshore by 2030.
6. Harnessing ocean waves to produce fresh water. This year saw
the announcement of Carnegie Wave Energy’s upcoming desalination
plant near Perth, Australia. It will use the company’s
underwater buoy technology to harness ocean wave force to
pressurize the water, cutting out the fossil-fuel-powered
electric pumps that usually force water through the membrane in
the desalination process. The resulting system — “a world first”
— will be carbon-free, and efficient in terms of both energy and
cost. Plan details were completed in October, the manufacturing
contract was awarded in November, and when it’s done, the plant
will supply 55 billion litters of fresh drinking water per year.
7. Ultra-thin solar cells that break efficiency records.
Conversion efficiency is the amount of light hitting the solar
cell that’s actually changed into electricity, and it’s
typically 18.7 percent and 24 percent. But Alta Devices, a
Silicon Valley solar manufacturer, set a new record of 30.8
percent conversion efficiency this year. Its method is more
expensive, but the result is a durable and extremely thin solar
cell that can generate a lot of electricity from a small surface
area. That makes Alta’s cells perfect for small and portable
electronic devices like smartphones and tablets, and the company
is in discussions to apply them to mobile phones, smoke
detectors, door alarms, computer watches, remote controls, and
more.
8. Batteries that are safer, lighter, and store more power.
Abundant and cost-effective storage technology will be crucial
for a clean energy economy — no where more so than with electric
cars. But right now batteries don’t always hold enough charge to
power automobiles for extended periods, and they add
significantly to bulk and cost. But at the start of 2013,
researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory successfully
demonstrated a new lithium-ion battery technology that can store
far more power in a much smaller size, and that’s safer and less
prone to shorts. They used nanotechnology to create an
electrolyte that’s solid, ultra-thin, and porous, and they also
combined the approach with lithium-sulfur battery technology,
which could further enhance cost-effectiveness.
9. New age offshore wind turbines that float. Offshore areas are
prime real estate for wind farms, but standard turbines require
lots of construction and are limited to waters 60 meters deep or
less. But Statoil, the Norwegian-based oil and gas company,
began work this year on a hub of floating wind turbines off the
coast of Scotland. The turbines merely require a few cables to
keep them anchored, and can be placed in water up to 700 meters.
That could vastly expand the amount of economically practical
offshore wind power. The hub off Scotland will be the largest
floating wind farm in the world — and two floating turbines are
planned off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, along with the
world’s first floating electrical substation.
10. Cutting electricity bills with direct current power.
Alternating current (AC), rather than direct current (DC) is the
dominant standard for electricity use. But DC current has its
own advantages: It’s cheap, efficient, works better with solar
panels and wind turbines, and doesn’t require adaptors that
waste energy as heat. Facebook, JPMorgan, Sprint, Boeing, and
Bank of America have all built datacenters that rely on DC
power, since DC-powered datacenters are 20 percent more
efficient, cost 30 percent less, and require 25 to 40 percent
less floorspace. On the residential level, new USB technology
will soon be able to deliver 100 watts of power, spreading DC
power to ever more low voltage personal electronics, and saving
homes inefficiency costs in their electricity bill.
11. Commercial production of clean energy from plant waste is
finally here. Ethanol derived from corn, once held up as a
climate-friendly alternative to gasoline, is under increasing
fire. Many experts believe it drives up food prices, and studies
disagree on whether it actually releases any less carbon dioxide
when its full life cycle is accounted for. Cellulosic biofuels,
promise to get around those hurdles, and 2013 may be when the
industry finally turned the corner. INOES Bio’s cellulosic
ethanol plant in Florida and KiOR’s cellulosic plant in
Mississippi began commercial production this year. Two more
cellulosic plants are headed for Iowa, and yet another’s being
constructed in Kansas. The industry says 2014′s proposed
cellulosic fuel mandate of 17 million gallons will be easily
met.
12. Innovative financing bringing clean energy to more people.
In D.C., the first ever property-assessed clean energy (PACE)
project allows investments in efficiency and renewables to be
repaid through a special tax levied on the property, which
lowers the risk for owners. Crowdfunding for clean energy
projects made major strides bringing decentralized renewable
energy to more people — particularly the world’s poor — and
Solar Mosaic is pioneering crowdfunding to pool community
investments in solar in the United States. California figured
out how to allow customers who aren’t property owners or who
don’t have a suitable roof for solar — that’s 75 percent of the
state — to nonetheless purchase up to 100 percent clean energy
for their home or business. Minnesota advanced its community
solar gardens program, modeled after Colorado’s successful
initiative. And Washington, D.C., voted to bring in virtual net
metering, which allows people to buy a portion of a larger solar
or wind project, and then have their portion of the electricity
sold or credited back to the grid on their behalf, reducing the
bill.
13. Wind power is now competitive with fossil fuels. “We’re now
seeing power agreements being signed with wind farms at as low
as $25 per megawatt-hour,” Stephen Byrd, Morgan Stanley’s head
of North American Equity Research for Power & Utilities and
Clean Energy, told the Columbia Energy Symposium in late
November. Byrd explained that wind’s ongoing variable costs are
negligible, which means an owner can bring down the cost of
power purchase agreements by spreading the upfront investment
over as many units as possible. As a result, larger wind farms
in the Midwest are confronting coal plants in the Powder River
Basin with “fairly vicious competition.” And even without the
production tax credit, wind can still undercut many natural gas
plants. A clear sign of its viability, wind power currently
meets 25 percent of Iowa’s energy needs and is projected to
reach a whopping 50 percent by 2018. :o ;D
Kiley Kroh is a deputy editor of Climate Progress.
Jeff Spross is video editor and blogger for ThinkProgress.org.
HTML http://grist.org/climate-energy/13-major-clean-energy-breakthroughs-of-2013/
#Post#: 647--------------------------------------------------
Renewable Energy Mock Porfolio makes 118% profit in 8 months!
By: AGelbert Date: January 2, 2014, 2:59 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[img width=740
height=230]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-020114155053.png[/img]
#Post#: 664--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: January 5, 2014, 10:23 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Outrageously Positive Renewable Energy Growth Prediction! [img
width=80
height=70]
HTML http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/yayayoy/yayayoy1106/yayayoy110600019/9735563-smiling-sun-showing-thumb-up.jpg[/img]<br
/>
HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2014/01/a-g-gelbert-outrageously-positive-renewable-energy-growth-prediction
#Post#: 667--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: Surly1 Date: January 6, 2014, 5:01 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Here you go, AG.
California Installed More Rooftop Solar In 2013 Than Previous 30
Years Combined
HTML http://www.mintpressnews.com/california-installed-rooftop-solar-2013-previous-30-years-combined/176191/
#Post#: 670--------------------------------------------------
NREL: 23% Of Global Electricity Generation Supplied By Renewable
Sources
By: AGelbert Date: January 6, 2014, 9:15 pm
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Surly,
Excellent data point! ;D
Here's more good news:
NREL: 23% Of Global Electricity Generation Supplied By Renewable
Sources [img width=100
height=150]
HTML http://shelivedinashoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/go-dog-go.jpg[/img]
Originally published on 1Sun4All.
The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) released a report –
2012 Renewable Energy Data Book – in October of 2013 regarding
the status of renewable energy globally and in the US. The
report has an abundance of great charts and, in reading through
the pages, I discovered that renewable energy accounts for 23%
of all electricity generation worldwide (4,892 TWh) (on page
41). I’ve brought out a few of the relevant charts and findings.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
In 2012, Germany led the world in cumulative solar photovoltaic
installed capacity, reports the NREL. The United States leads
the world in geothermal and biomass installed capacity. China
leads in wind, and Spain leads in solar thermal electric
generation (STEG). The following is from the 2012
Renewable Energy Data Book:
Leading Countries For Installed Renewable Energy
[img width=640
height=380]
HTML http://i0.wp.com/cleantechnica.com/files/2014/01/renewable-NREL-country-1.jpg[/img]
Image courtesy of NREL | 2012 Renewable Energy Data Book
Zach mentioned the weakness of this chart is that it doesn’t
address the per capita or per GDP leaders. From his post, 18 Fun
Renewable Energy Charts From NREL Director Dan Arvizu &
Ren21′s Renewables 2013 Global Status Report, he offered
the latest on those for wind and solar:
Top Solar Power Countries
Top Wind Power Countries Per Capita
Top Wind Power Countries Per GDP
More findings from NREL’s 2012 Renewable Energy Data Book:
Total Global Renewable Electricity Capacity
[img width=640
height=640]
HTML http://i2.wp.com/cleantechnica.com/files/2014/01/renewable-NREL-country-4.jpg[/img]
Image courtesy of NREL | 2012 Renewable Energy Data Book
The installed global renewable electricity capacity doubled
between 2000 and 2012, and represents a significant and growing
portion of the total energy supply both globally and in the
United States.
Growth of the World’s Sustainable Energy Resources from 2000 to
2012
[img width=640
height=640]
HTML http://i0.wp.com/cleantechnica.com/files/2014/01/renewable-NREL-country-3.jpg[/img]
HTML http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/03/nrel-23-global-electricity-generation-supplied-renewable-sources/#oteiprGfxaOfca4o.99
Agelbert NOTE: I realize most of the data does not include 2013
but I just want to add to the good news about the massive 400
MW hydroelectric dam just completed in Bui, Ghana.
[img]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg[/img]
Flag of Ghana
But even before that, Ghana is way ahead of most countries in
the world in renewable energy.
Total Electrical Grid capacity (2012) = 14,675 GW
Share of fossil energy = 0%
[I]Share of renewable energy (hydro, bio energy, thermal energy)
= 99%[/I]
Share of renewable energy (solar, wind energy) = 1%
Perhaps they aren't praised as much as countries like Denmark
because of this: Ghana produces 200,000 barrels of crude oil per
day on average.
Never the less, this PV project now being built shows they
should be touted as a great example of a country transitioning
to 100% renewable energy:The biggest photovoltaic (PV) and
largest solar energy plant in Africa, the Nzema project, based
in Ghana, will be able to provide electricity to more than
100,000 homes. The 155 megawatt plant will increase Ghana's
electricity generating capacity by 6%.
One more thing. Ghana burns zero coal for electrical or any
other purpose! That is also praiseworthy.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/balloons.gif
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Ghana
#Post#: 674--------------------------------------------------
100% Renewable Energy for New York State Feasibility Study
By: AGelbert Date: January 7, 2014, 10:49 pm
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The Fossil Fuelers are going HATE this plan to make New York
State 100% powered by renewable energy by 2030! That's even
ahead of my 2035 (less than 100%) prediction! Excellent!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/earthhug.gif
Examining the feasibility of converting New York State’s
all-purpose energy infrastructure to one using wind, water, and
sunlight
a b s t r a c t
This study analyzes a plan to convert New York State’s (NYS’s)
all-purpose (for electricity, transportation, heating/cooling,
and industry) energy infrastructure to one derived entirely from
wind,water, and sunlight (WWS) generating electricity and
electrolytic hydrogen. [img width=80
height=70]
HTML http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/yayayoy/yayayoy1106/yayayoy110600019/9735563-smiling-sun-showing-thumb-up.jpg[/img]<br
/>
Under the plan, NYS’s 2030 all-purpose end-use power would be
provided by
10% on shore wind (4020 5-MW turbines),
40% off shore wind (12,700 5-MW turbines),
10% concentrated solar (387 100-MW plants),
10% solar-PV plants (828 50-MW plants),
6% residential roof top PV (5 million 5-kW systems),
12% commercial/ government roof top PV (500,000 100-kW
systems),
5% geothermal (36 100-MW plants),
0.5% wave (1910 0.75-MW devices),
1% tidal (2600 1-MW turbines), and
5.5% hydroelectric (6.6 1300-MW plants, of which 89% exist ;D).
At most, about 944 MW of additional installed hydroelectric will
be needed. See pdf for explanation of "6.6" hydroelectric plants
meaning.
Mined natural gas and liquid biofuels are excluded from the NYS
plan for the reasons given in the pdf link below. Jacobson and
Delucchi (2011) explain why nuclear power and coal with carbon
capture are also excluded. ;D
[img width=640
height=500]
HTML http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/jacobson-powering-ny.jpg?[/img]
The conversion would reduce NYS’s end-use power demand 37% and
stabilize energy prices since fuel costs would be zero.
HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/tuzki-bunnys/tuzki-bunny-emoticon-022.gif
It would create more jobs than lost because nearly all NYS
energy would now be produced in-state.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/47b20s0.gif
NYS air pollution mortality and its costs would decline by 4000
(1200–7600) deaths/yr, and $33(10–76) billion/yr (3% of 2010 NYS
GDP), respectively, alone repaying the 271 GW installed power
needed within 17 years, before accounting for electricity
sales.
NYS’s own emission decreases would reduce 2050 U.S. climate
costs by $3.2 billion/yr.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/301.gif
2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
HTML http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/NewYorkWWSEnPolicy.pdf
[quote]So is all of this just crazy and unrealistic? Consider
some facts about the impressive growth of solar energy of late:
A solar energy system is now installed every four minutes in the
U.S., according to GTM Research. By 2016, that’s projected to be
down to 83 seconds.
According to the Solar Energy Industry Organization, the price
of a solar panel has declined 60 percent just since 2011.
Walmart is now producing more solar power at its stores than 38
U.S. states.[/quote]
The producers of this study have stated they will ALSO soon
publish a 100% Renewable Energy Transition Study for EVERY OTHER
STATE!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/maniac.gif
Mark Ruffalo wants you to imagine a 100 percent clean energy
future
HTML http://grist.org/climate-energy/mark-ruffalo-wants-you-to-imagine-a-100-percent-clean-energy-future
Expect MKing to label this feasability study as "hopium and
fartium".
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/ugly004.gif
What else
can expect from someone enamored with Social Darwinism?" [img
width=40
height=40]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
/>
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