Sopogy, Inc. Inaugurates World's First MicroCSP Solar Thermal power Plant In Hawaii

Solar Thermal Plant Produces 2 Megawatts (MW) And Energy Storage at Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii

Holaniku at Keahole Point, Hawaii Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Array

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii, Kona, HI and Sopogy, Inc. of Honolulu, HI inaugurated the World’s first MicroCSP Solar Thermal Plant December 10, 2009 at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii.

According to the Sopogy Press Release the 2 Megawatt (MW) solar thermal energy project uses 1,000 Sopogy proprietary MicroCSP solar panels on 3.8 acres in the hot Kona desert.

“Through the use of mirrors and optics and an integrated sun tracker, these panels achieve higher efficiencies than conventional solar panels. The system also uses a unique thermal energy storage buffer that allows energy to be produced during cloudy periods and to shift energy produced from the day to evening periods.”

Holaniku at Keahole Point, Hawaii Solar Thermal Energy Storage

“The project name: ‘Holaniku at Keahole Point’ comes from the Hawaiian term for a location that has everything required for self-sufficiency.”

“MicroCSP is an achievement in rugged, modular and cost effective solar thermal technology.” According to Darren T. Kimura, President and CEO of Sopogy, Inc., “The completion and demonstration of this 2 megawatt solar thermal project is an important first step in bringing the solution to the World.”

“With the initialization of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, the state has become a magnet for renewable energy project development. Sopogy and its local solar project development partner Keahole Solar Power have a goal to bring 30 megawatts of MicroCSP power to the state by 2015.”

Sopogy Total Solar Solutions

Contact: Ann Fitzgerald – Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator, Sopogy, Inc.

Email: afitzgerald@sopogy.com Tel: 808.237.2422

Sopogy Mirrored Solar Collectors, Holaniku at Keahole Point, Hawaii

Photo by Baron Sekiya, Hawaii 24/7

California Builds An Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

Nissan Leaf Five-Seat, Zero-Emission Hatchback made its USA debut on November 13, 2009 at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. The Leaf will offered in markets in the USA and Europe in 2010, and will be available on the global market in 2012. The Leaf will run on a lithium-ion battery and have a 100-mile range after charging.

California Installs Thousands Of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on December 1, 2009 announced an electric vehicle infrastructure plan for the city. Together with partners, Los Angeles plans to update 400 electrical charging stations an add 100 more. Partners in the plan include Southern California Edison Co., the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Nissan Motor Co., General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and the cities of Burbank, Pasadena, Santa Ana and Santa Monica.

The electric vehicle charging stations are the foundation for an infrastructure being constructed to meet the demands of a large influx of electric vehicles as early as 2010. At least ten automobile manufacturers will be offering electric cars for the USA mass market within the next one to three years.

SolarCity Corp. of Foster City, CA announced on September 22, 2009 that it had finished construction of five solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations along U.S. Highway 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA. This program is in collaboration with Rabobank which is hosting charging stations at its offices in Salinas, Atascadero, Santa Maria, and Goleta, California. The fifth electric vehicle charging station in the project is on city land in San Luis Obispo, CA.

SolarCity has built about 100 Tesla Motors Inc. electric vehicle charging stations at individual residences, and to date has installed a total of about 2,500 charging stations statewide in California.

Electric Charger Device and Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle

The Los Angeles Times reported the following on the Nissan Leaf debut in Los Angeles on November 13, 2009:

"Chargers inside customers' home garages will be the primary method of powering up the cars, but Nissan has been planning a network of Leaf charging stations with public and private partners.

So far, Nissan has cut 33 deals around the world, with stations set for San Diego; Sonoma County; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; Tucson; Phoenix; Washington, D.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; and in Tennessee.

On Friday, (November 13, 2009) Nissan announced an agreement to develop a charging infrastructure in Texas with Houston-based Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of electricity giant NRG Energy Inc. The deal could involve Reliant home charging packages offered through Nissan, said NRG Chief Executive David Crane.

The Leaf battery, which can be quick-charged to 80% capacity in 30 minutes at special charging stations or fully charged overnight using a 220-volt socket, will be leased separately at a rate that Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said would be less than the cost of gasoline."

The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Updating The World On the Latest Climate Science

The Copenhagen Diagnosis, a new report that summarizes and highlights climate science during the past three years, was released November 25, 2009.

From the Preface of the Copenhagen Diagnosis report:

"It is over three years since the drafting of text was completed for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4).

In the meantime, many hundreds of papers have been published on a suite of topics related to human-induced climate change. The purpose of this report is to synthesize the most policy-relevant climate science published since the close-off of material for the last IPCC report.

The rationale is two-fold. Firstly, this report serves as an interim evaluation of the evolving science midway through an IPCC cycle – IPCC AR5 is not due for completion until 2013.

Secondly, and most importantly, the report serves as a handbook of science updates that supplements the IPCC AR4 in time for Copenhagen in December, 2009, and any national or international climate change policy negotiations that follow.

This report covers the range of topics evaluated by Working Group I of the IPCC, namely the Physical Science Basis. This includes:

• an analysis of greenhouse gas emissions and their atmospheric concentrations, as well as the global carbon cycle;

• coverage of the atmosphere, the land-surface, the oceans, and all of the major components of the cryosphere (land-ice, glaciers, ice shelves, sea-ice and permafrost);

• paleoclimate, extreme events, sea level, future projections, abrupt change and tipping points;

• separate boxes devoted to explaining some of the common misconceptions surrounding climate change science.

The report has been purposefully written with a target readership of policy-makers, stakeholders, the media and the broader public. Each section begins with a set of key points that summarises the main findings. The science contained in the report is based on the most credible and significant peer-reviewed literature available at the time of publication. The authors primarily comprise previous IPCC lead authors familiar with the rigor and completeness required for a scientific assessment of this nature."

Earth at Night:
Arctic, Greenland, North America & northern parts of South America

[See image information & credits at the end of this post.]


Executive Summary
Copenhagen Diagnosis Report

"The most significant recent climate change findings are:

Surging greenhouse gas emissions: Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels in 2008 were nearly 40% higher than those in 1990. Even if global emission rates are stabilized at present-day levels, just 20 more years of emissions would give a 25% probability that warming exceeds 2°C, even with zero emissions after 2030. Every year of delayed action increases the chances of exceeding 2°C warming.

Recent global temperatures demonstrate human-induced warming: Over the past 25 years temperatures have increased at a rate of 0.19°C per decade, in very good agreement with predictions based on greenhouse gas increases. Even over the past ten years, despite a decrease in solar forcing, the trend continues to be one of warming. Natural, short-term fluctuations are occurring as usual, but there have been no significant changes in the underlying warming trend.

Acceleration of melting of ice-sheets, glaciers and ice-caps: A wide array of satellite and ice measurements now demonstrate beyond doubt that both the Greenland and Antarctic ice-sheets are losing mass at an increasing rate. Melting of glaciers and ice-caps in other parts of the world has also accelerated since 1990.

Rapid Arctic sea-ice decline: Summer-time melting of Arctic sea-ice has accelerated far beyond the expectations of climate models. The area of sea-ice melt during 2007-2009 was about 40% greater than the average prediction from IPCC AR4 climate models.

Current sea-level rise underestimated: Satellites show recent global average sea-level rise (3.4 mm/yr over the past 15 years) to be ~80% above past IPCC predictions. This acceleration in sea-level rise is consistent with a doubling in contribution from melting of glaciers, ice caps, and the Greenland and West-Antarctic ice-sheets.

Sea-level predictions revised: By 2100, global sea-level is likely to rise at least twice as much as projected by Working Group 1 of the IPCC AR4; for unmitigated emissions it may well exceed 1 meter. The upper limit has been estimated as ~ 2 meters sea level rise by 2100. Sea level will continue to rise for centuries after global temperatures have been stabilized, and several meters of sea level rise must be expected over the next few centuries.

Delay in action risks irreversible damage: Several vulnerable elements in the climate system (e.g. continental ice-sheets, Amazon rainforest, West African monsoon and others) could be pushed towards abrupt or irreversible change if warming continues in a business-as-usual way throughout this century. The risk of transgressing critical thresholds (“tipping points”) increases strongly with ongoing climate change. Thus waiting for higher levels of scientific certainty could mean that some tipping points will be crossed before they are recognized.

The turning point must come soon: If global warming is to be limited to a maximum of 2 °C above pre-industrial values, global emissions need to peak between 2015 and 2020 and then decline rapidly. To stabilize climate, a decarbonized global society – with near-zero emissions of CO2 and other long-lived greenhouse gases – needs to be reached well within this century. More specifically, the average annual per-capita emissions will have to shrink to well under 1 metric ton CO2 by 2050. This is 80-95% below the per-capita emissions in developed nations in 2000."


The Copenhagen Diagnosis, 2009: Updating the World on the Latest Climate Science. I. Allison, N.L. Bindoff, R.A. Bindschadler, P.M. Cox, N. de Noblet, M.H. England, J.E. Francis, N. Gruber, A.M. Haywood, D.J. Karoly, G. Kaser, C. Le Quéré, T.M. Lenton, M.E. Mann, B.I. McNeil, A.J. Pitman, S. Rahmstorf, E. Rignot, H.J. Schellnhuber, S.H. Schneider, S.C. Sherwood, R.C.J. Somerville, K. Steffen, E.J. Steig, M. Visbeck, A.J. Weaver. The University of New South Wales Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC), Sydney, Australia, 60pp.

Earth at Night:
Eastern China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Philippines,
Australia, New Zealand & Antarctica

"Earth at Night" images by Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, data collected 1994—1995
Operated by the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency
EARTH FROM SPACE courtesy of the U.S. Geological
Survey, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and the
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Courtesy Marc Imhoff, Craig Mayhew, Robert Simmon NASA/GSFC; Christopher Elvidge
NOAA/NGDC

ROOFTOP & SMALL-SCALE CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER NOW COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE

Sopogy SopoFlare Rooftop Parabolic Mirror Collector

This system for rooftop mounting measures 8 feet long by about 2 feet high with a mirror width of about 2.5 feet.

Sopogy of Honolulu, HI announced on October 27, 2009 that the company is releasing the world’s first commercially available rooftop concentrating solar thermal power system.

Sopogy claims that its SopoFlare MicroCSP parabolic mirror system is priced at 30 percent cheaper than competing rooftop solar technologies.

According to the Sopogy Press Release:

“The system easily retrofits into existing facilities, reducing natural gas consumption (and) giving users an estimated 3-year payback on installation.”

“SopoFlare's compact design at 8 feet long by 2.5 feet wide is perfect for quick and easy installation by local HVAC and Plumbing professionals.”

“This brings concentrating solar power to the commercial and industrial facility in a cost effective, space efficient and contractor friendly solution.”

Sopogy’s products illustrate the range of scalability of concentrating solar thermal power (CSP/CSTP) installations. CSP/CSTP can provide utility-scale solar thermal electric power in excess of hundreds of megawatts as well as residential- and commercial-scale power in the range of a few kilowatts. In addition, CSP/CSTP can be used for air-conditioning, water heating, space heating, and commercial process heating.

Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP/CSTP) has a significantly higher conversion efficiency of sunlight into energy. CSP/CSTP systems currently boast efficiencies ranging from about 20 to 40 percent compared with about 15 percent for most commercially available solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. CSP/CSTP systems also are able to produce excess heat during daylight hours that can be stored for use during cloud cover, darkness, or to supplement peak power demands.

Concentrating Solar Thermal Electric Power Generation Schematic showing Parabolic Trough Mirrors and Thermal Storage Tanks. Parabolic trough mirrors focus solar heat onto a fluid-filled pipe. The heated fluid is carried to storage and/or to a heat exchanger that heats water into steam. The steam runs the turbine that generates electricity.

Andasol 1 Concentrating Solar Thermal Electric Power Plant Parabolic Trough Mirrors & People for Scale

Andasol 1 is one of three similar CSTP plants constructed or planned in the Aldeire and La Calahorra area, Marquesao del Zenete Region, Granada Province, Spain

Andasol Power plants 1, 2, & 3 are each designed using 209,664 mirrors. The solar field peak efficiency is about 70 percent, and the annual average solar field peak efficiency is about 50 percent. Molten salt thermal storage retains enough heat for about 7.5 peak load hours of operation during cloudy or dark conditions, or in response to demand. Each of the three Andasol CSTP plants is rated at about 50 megawatts (MW) of power. The peak efficiency of each CSTP plant is about 28 percent, with an annual average efficiency of about 15 percent. The estimated lifespan of the power plants is at least 40 years.

CLIMATE PROTECTION AGREEMENT MILESTONE

Mayor Gavin Newsome of San Francisco, California views installation of electric vehicle charging stations at San Francisco City Hall.
Photo courtesy of San Francisco Office of the Mayor, published in the New York Times, February 19, 2009.

1,000 USA Cities Now Support Reducing Greenhouse Gases Emissions

As of Friday, October 2, 2009, one thousand mayors nationwide in the USA have signed the

U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

The 1,000 mayors represent approximately 86.3 million USA citizens from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The United States Conference of Mayors
The Voice of America’s Mayors in Washington, D.C.

Seattle, Washington Mayor Greg Nickels launched the initiative on February 16, 2005 as a grassroots effort to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. Nickels recognized that his effort was necessary because at the time our federal government was not seen to be acting forcefully on the threats of excessive greenhouse gases emissions.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
Photo courtesy of Office of the Mayor
Published in Environment News Service, September 30, 2009

The U.S. Conference of Mayors for decades “…has formally adopted and actively promoted policy positions on a range of issues affecting energy production and use…” together with impacts on our environment.

Lobbying by our nation’s mayors led to $2.7 billion in block grants authorized in 2009 by the federal government for states, municipalities and native tribes for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Continuing authority for such grants – again the result of lobbying by our mayors – is embodied in the federal climate change legislation recently introduced by USA Senators John F. Kerry and Barbara Boxer.

The Kerry-Boxer Bill is cited as
“The American Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act”

The stated intention of the bill is:
“To create clean energy jobs, promote energy independence, reduce global warming pollution, and transition to a clean energy economy.”

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels upholds that energy and economic solutions must come from the top 100 metropolitan areas of the USA. These areas represent seventy-five percent (75%) of our nation’s gross domestic product, and consume the bulk of domestic and imported energy resources.

The United States Conference of Mayors released a report on Friday, October 2, 2009 that lists city-by-city accomplishments in energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements. The 52-page report is entitled:

“The Power of 86 Million Americans: 1,000 Mayors Committed to Climate Action – Selected Profiles of Mayoral Leadership.”

The report highlights specific actions being taken in our nation’s municipalities ranging from “…changing city fleets to alternative fuel vehicles, to retrofitting city-owned buildings with energy efficient technology to collecting methane gas from landfills for electricity use.”

Notable results include:

• Seattle, Washington reducing its 1990 carbon footprint by eight percent (8%) in 2005,
• Los Angeles, California reaching its Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gases reduction targets in 2008, four years ahead of schedule,
• Boson, Massachusetts increasing its solar power capacity by three hundred percent (300%),
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania adopting a plan to retrofit one hundred thousand (100,000) homes with energy-savings features during the next seven years, and
• Cleveland, Ohio setting a standard of converting to twenty-five percent (25 %) of its electricity consumption to be provided by renewable energy sources.

The United States Conference of Mayors believes that our mayors are “…on the front lines of impacting human behavior…” on a wide variety of issues, including those of energy and greenhouse gases emissions reduction. In this regard, comments from the group’s September 30, 2009 Press Release are instructive:

“Global warming is real and demands our immediate response. It is in our national interest to act now and exhibit our global leadership."

“We are especially pleased that the Senate has responded to our request that the bill include a provision for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. By doing this, these Senate leaders are acknowledging the important role cities play in creating green jobs and achieving energy independence and climate protection. The Conference has worked long and hard to establish this innovative program as a cornerstone of our national climate protection strategy."

“In these hard economic times, we know that many people are without jobs and are struggling. This bill will help jump start new green industries that will create new jobs at a time when they are desperately needed. These green jobs are the future of our economic competitiveness.”


Earth At Night: The Lights Of North America

Source: "Earth from Space: The Human Presence"
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Data (1994-1995) compiled courtesy of Marc Imhoff, Craig Mayhew, and Robert Simmon, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and Christopher Elvidge, NOAA/National Geophysical Data Center

Energy Efficiency Potential In The USA

"Heated Earth"
Earth image from Earthobservatory at NASA, Compiled by iStockphoto/Adam Korzekwa, Science Daily, January 28, 2009.

New McKinsey & Company Report Focuses On Barriers To Achieving Energy Efficiency

A significant tool in the portfolio of climate change solutions is improved energy efficiency across a broad range of applications throughout global society. Although energy efficiency has been widely touted as desirable for at least the past several decades, its full-scale potential remains far from being realized.

In July 2009, McKinsey & Company through its electric power and natural gas division published an important report entitled, “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy.”

"The report is the product of a year-long effort by McKinsey & Company in close collaboration with 13 leading U.S.-based companies, government agencies and environmental NGOs."

See both the Preface and pages 143-144 for lists of contributors.

The focus of the collaborators “…has been to identify what has prevented attractive efficiency opportunities from being captured in the past and evaluate potential measures to overcome these barriers. Our goal is to unlock the efficiency potential for more productive uses in the future.”

The report examines in detail the energy saving potential “…for greater efficiency in non-transportation uses of energy…” and reaches this central conclusion:

“Energy efficiency offers a vast, low-cost energy resource for the U.S. economy – but only if the nation can craft a comprehensive and innovative approach to unlock it. Significant and persistent barriers will need to be addressed at multiple levels to stimulate demand for energy efficiency and manage its delivery across more than 100 million buildings and literally billions of devices. If executed at scale, a holistic approach would yield gross energy savings worth more than $1.2 trillion, well above the $520 billion needed through 2020 for upfront investment in efficiency measures (not including program costs). Such a program is estimated to reduce end-use energy consumption in 2020 by 9.1 quadrillion BTUs, roughly 23 percent of projected demand, potentially abating up to 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gases annually.”

The report acknowledges that decline in energy demand attributed to energy efficiency is only one tool in reducing carbon-emitting energy production. There will be demand for new clean energy power plants, both to serve regions of growth and to retire “…economically or environmentally obsolete energy infrastructure…” such as nearly all existing coal-fired power plants.

The collaborators reaffirm that energy efficiency represents an emissions-free energy resource. “If captured at full potential, energy efficiency would abate approximately 1.1 gigatons CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent; also, CDE) of greenhouse gas emissions per year in 2020 relative to BAU (Business-As-Usual) projections, and could serve as an important bridge to a future era of advanced low-carbon supply-side energy options."

[For BAU = Business-As-Usual projections, the collaborators used the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook 2008 to focus on the 81 percent of non-transportation energy with end uses that the collaborators were able to attribute.]

The report has a thorough glossary, a detailed explanation of methodology, a 20-page reference list, and sidebars to explain and complement the highly informative graphics.

The graphs throughout are very informative. For example, the graphic on page 11 shows itemized energy efficiency potential -- expressed as cost savings -- for building components and other actions relative to the year 2020.

You can download the 165-page document as a 6.4-megabyte .pdf file:

McKinsey & Company, 2009, Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy: McKinsey Global Energy and Materials, Electric Power & Natural Gas, July 2009, 165p.

Another way to look at energy efficiency potential is a flow chart recently published by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy. The diagram shows "Estimated U.S. Energy Use in 2008: ~99.2 Quads."

[One Quad = 1 quadrillion BTUs]

The flow chart shows a grey box in the upper right labeled "Rejected Energy 57.07 (Quads)".

[1 Quad = approximately 293,071,000 megawatt hours.]

"Rejected Energy" means that out of 99.2 Quads produced from all energy sources, about 57.5% (fifty-seven and one-half percent) is wasted. Wasted energy is that energy produced that is not used for the services we demand, labeled as "Energy Services" on the flow chart. Improved energy efficiency would make better use of that wasted energy and/or would reduce total energy demand.

In a typical statement on USA energy waste, Clark Energy Group (2009) says:

“Electricity from the (USA) grid is tremendously inefficient as less than half of the energy utilized to produce grid electricity is used productively. In fact, much of grid electricity’s energy is lost from waste heat during the generation process, transmission losses, converting between AC and DC current, and the like.”

Click on the chart below to enlarge it and make it more readable.

Flow Chart for Estimated U.S. Energy Use in 2008: ~ 99.2 Quads.
Graphic prepared by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and U.S. Department of Energy.

Smart Grid Basics

The Twilight of the Electric Grid?

Image from "DOE Reports Paints Bleak Picture Of Our Electric Future," by John Timmer, Ars Technica, January 19, 2009. Timmer's Ars Technica article comments on the DOE Electricity Advisory Committee January 9, 2009 report,
"Keeping the Lights On in a New World."

The USA’s electrical transmission infrastructure consists of nine thousand two hundred (9,200) power plants including fossil fuel, nuclear, hydro, solar, geothermal, wind, and biofuel plants, and facilities that combine these power sources. Collectively, these plants have an electrical generating capacity of more than one million megawatts (1,000,000 MW). The power plants are connected to more than three hundred thousand (300,000) miles of transmission lines.

The USA's electrical transmission infrastructure has grown to its current size and complexity over the course of a century. Nonetheless, the USA electricity “grid” is outdated because it relies on obsolescent technology and contains vast inefficiencies that have accumulated during the course of its construction. Further, the “grid” was never designed for a future of lower carbon emissions and the newer technologies of high-speed computers, the Internet, clean energy power plants and distributed generation (DG).

The USA Department of Energy (DOE) is in charge of “…orchestrating the wholesale modernization of our nation’s electrical grid.” The DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability formed a Smart Grid Task Force under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The Smart Grid Task Force is to lead the “grid” modernization effort.

DOE recently contracted with Litos Strategic Communication to produce the report, “The Smart Grid: An Introduction.”

According to the DOE, “It is the first book of its kind to explore – in layman’s terms – the nature, challenges, opportunities and necessity of Smart Grid implementation.”

On page 2 of “The Smart Grid: An Introduction,” the authors say:

“Our nation’s electric power infrastructure that has served us so well for so long – also known as “the grid” – is rapidly running up against its limitations. Our lights may be on, but systemically, the risks associated with relying on an often overtaxed grid grow in size, scale and complexity every day. From national challenges like power system security to those global in nature such as climate change, our near-term agenda is formidable. Some might even say history-making.”

The new report treats:
• the history of our existing national electrical grid
• what the Smart Grid is and what it is not
• comparing and contrasting the Smart Grid with existing systems
• what must be done first in creating the Smart Grid
• what the working platform of the Smart Grid looks like
• which Smart Grid efforts now being employed are succeeding
• what is the average person’s stake in the Smart Grid, and
• resources and glossary to help people learn the principles and language applied to the new technology.

The report provides fundamental information and resources for investigating our emerging new-technology electrical generation and transmission infrastructure. It is a guide to thinking about questions emerging in our national debate over our new energy economy:

How much electrical capacity do we now demand?

How much electrical capacity will we demand in the future?

How many new power plants and power lines will we build?

How many obsolescent technology power plants must we replace and how quickly?

Where is it appropriate to construct new power plants, transmission, and other "grid" infrastructure?

“Smart Grid” thinking, in fact, can defer the demand to spend billions of dollars on new electrical power transmission lines. A “Smart Grid” that operates with the flexibility available from modern computing technology provides huge opportunities for employing distributed clean energy power generation (DG). DG systems provide a very rapid installation, “plug-and-play” input to our national grid. DG systems produce electricity from many small energy sources, and electricity is generated very near where it is used.

On May 18, 2009 U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu issued a Press Release announcing progress on the USA Smart Grid, and "significant steps in Smart Grid development." Secretaries Locke and Chu "...announced the first set of standards that are needed for the interoperability and security of the Smart Grid and $10 million in Recovery Act funds provided by the Energy Department to the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology to support the development of interoperability standards."

"Secretary Chu also announced that based on feedback from the public and Smart Grid stakeholders, the Department of Energy is increasing the maximum award available under the Recovery Act for Smart Grid programs. The maximum award available under the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program will be increased from $20 million to $200 million and for the Smart Grid Demonstration Projects from $40 million to $100 million. In making awards, DOE will ensure that funding is provided to a diversity of applications, including small projects as well as end-to-end larger projects."

You may offer your opinions on and applications for developing the USA's "Smart Grid" by tracking and responding to posts on the web site of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Solar Choices And Costs For Homes & Businesses

Heliodyne Offers Web-Based Courses On Installing Solar Thermal Systems


The New Mexico Coalition for Clean and Affordable Energy (NMCCAE) and the New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA) offer an 8-page document on solar energy for homes, businesses, and agricultural entities.





The guidebook, "How to Go Solar Using New Mexico's New Solar Energy Incentives," is a basic introduction for getting involved with solar energy.

Although specific to New Mexico in terms of reference information, the guidebook offers sound advice for potential residential, business and agricultural solar customers anywhere.

The guidebook has information on registering one's solar rights, descriptions of types of solar systems, estimated costs of solar systems, and putting together incentives such as solar tax credits.

The guidebook covers solar photovoltaic and active solar thermal heating systems -- the systems that use panels to collect solar energy. NMSEA and many others offer information on passive solar systems that are typically used for heating and cooling. A well designed passive solar home in New Mexico -- and other areas with cold but sunny winters -- saves about 80 (eighty) percent of the off-site energy purchased to heat and cool an average home.

The NMCCAE and NMSEA urge those considering solar systems to move carefully, be patient, and research options according to one's needs and budget. In many cases, low-cost or no-cost energy efficiency improvements will be a more economical solution than solar electric or solar thermal installations.

Look for restrictions such as homeowner covenants, historical district standards, etc. that affect your home or business.

Register and protect your solar rights under the New Mexico Solar Rights Law. You have the right to prevent nearby construction or other activities that will shade your solar system, but only if you register your rights and inform your neighbors.

Understand different types of solar systems and their costs.

• Solar Hot Water Systems provide domestic hot water.
• Large Solar Hot Water systems provide hot water for air heating.
• Direct Solar Hot Air Systems provide air heating.
• Grid-Tied Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems provide solar electricity without batteries.
• Off-grid Solar Photovoltaic Systems provide solar electricity using batteries.

Positive Energy 1.5-kilowatt grid-tied solar panel array on a garage rooftop, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Positive Energy provides an instructive Photo Gallery of different types of solar systems and components of these systems.

Look at the incentives available to you. Incentives change frequently in the fast growing solar energy field, so check the links provided in the guidebook for updated information.

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) in May 2009 created DSIRE Solar.

"DSIRE SOLAR is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote the adoption of solar technologies. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology Program, DSIRE SOLAR is a new component of the DSIRE project that provides solar-specific policy information to consumers, policy makers, program administrators, the solar industry and other stakeholders."

For any USA state, one may search DSIRE Solar for incentives for either solar electric, solar thermal, or both technologies.

Locate a reputable installer. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is training and certifying solar PV installers and will soon be training and certifying solar thermal installers. Beware of installers who suggest solar systems not be inspected. Report problems with installers to the Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico and/or your local chamber of commerce or better business bureau.

The "How to Go Solar" guidebook was originally published in April, 2007. The guidebook is updated from time to time as new incentives and other information become available. See the NMCCAE and NMSEA web sites for current information.

Heliodyne, Inc. Offers Online Training For Installing Solar Thermal Systems

Heliodyne, Inc. Solar Thermal Roof Mounted Flat Plate Collector. Our Sun heats water in conduits inside the panel. Heated water flows into a tank or other storage system inside the building. A pump returns cooler water to the panel. Water flows in and out of the collector panel through the two silver pipes seen in the image.

Heliodyne, Inc. of Richmond, California announced on May 11, 2009 that it now offers web-based courses for trade professionals interested in installing solar thermal systems.

"Training includes topics such as solar hot water fundamentals, sales and quoting, sizing, installation and service and maintenance. The subjects are broken down into short lessons, which the student can study at his or her own pace from the convenience of his or her home or office.

"

"The beginner’s course is intended to educate professionals on solar hot water theory along with proper installation techniques." 



"'Utilizing the internet as a medium to train and educate plumbers, builders, dealers, engineers, architects, planners and other relevant industry professionals is an ideal solution since we can reach so many without the inconvenience and expense of travel,' said Robert Cooley, training manager at Heliodyne."

USA Wind Power Grows To More Than 28,200 Megawatts

New Mexico Has One 100-Megawatt Wind Facility Due For Completion In 2009





















The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently issued its first-quarter report on wind energy installations in the USA.

The AWEA 1st Quarter Market Report April 2009 is a 9-page brief listing new wind power projects completed through the end of March 2009, wind power projects under construction as of April 2009, and a glossary of definitions of terms associated with wind projects.

Easily readable tables show state and project names, project capacity in megawatts (MW), number of wind turbines in each project, turbine rating in megawatts (MW), turbine manufacturer, project developer, and power purchaser.

A summary on the report cover says, "The U.S. wind industry installed over 2,800 MW of new wind capacity in the first quarter of the year, bringing the total installed capacity to over 28,200 MW overall. Some 3,400 MW more are under construction for completion this year (2009) or next year (2010)."


High Lonesome Wind Ranch, New Mexico

The AWEA report lists one project for New Mexico, the High Lonesome Wind Ranch being built on private land about 55 (fifty-five) miles southeast of Albuquerque. The wind power facility is located on Mesa de los Jumanos about 10 (ten) miles south-southeast of Willard, NM and west of NM State Highway 42 in Torrance County.

The High Lonesome Wind Ranch is expected to begin producing power in 2009. The project will contain 40 (forty) three-bladed wind turbines, each rated at 2.5 megawatts (MW), for a total of 100 (one hundred) megawatts (MW). The project was about 60 percent complete as of March, 2009.

The wind facility power is connected to an electrical substation at Willard, NM by a new 14-mile-long overhead transmission line.

The project is being developed by High Lonesome Wind Ranch LLC, a partnership of Foresight Wind, Karbon Zero, and Edison Mission Group. Primary contractors are Wind Energy Constructors, Inc. and the wind turbine manufacturer Clipper Windpower. Construction began in early July 2008 with a peak employment of 300 workers and 50 support staff.

APS Renewable Energy of Phoenix, Arizona has a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 100 megawatts (MW) of power from the High Lonesome Wind Ranch. This power is estimated to serve the electrical demands of up to 30,000 residences.


New Mexico Wind Energy Center, Eastern New Mexico


















Wind Turbines, New Mexico Wind Energy Center (NMWEC).

The NMWEC facility went online October 1, 2003. There are 136 turbines that can produce up to 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power about 94,000 average-sized New Mexico homes. Florida-based NextEra Energy (formerly FPL Energy) owns and manages the facility, and PNM, a New Mexico public utility, purchases all of its output.







Wind Turbines, Road and Vehicle, New Mexico Wind Energy Center (NMWEC). The NMWEC is located 170 miles southeast of Albuquerque and 20 miles northeast of Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

New Solar Photovoltaic Power Facilities Planned For Colorado & New Mexico

New CO & NM Solar PV Plants Have Small Power Output Compared With Solar Thermal Plants

Xcel/SunPower Solar PV Project in Southern Colorado

Xcel Energy of Minneapolis, Minnesota and SunPower Corporation of San Jose, California on April 7, 2009 announced an agreement to build a 17-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant near Alamosa, Colorado. The facility will use Sunpower® Tracker systems that generate up to more than 30 percent more energy per land area than conventional systems.

The new solar PV power is an expansion of the existing 8.24-megawatt (MW) Xcel/SunEdison solar PV power plant located west of Colorado State Highway 17 about one mile north of Mosca, Colorado. See the post of March 26, 2009 below for photographs of the existing Xcel/SunEdison facility's solar PV heliostats and panel arrays.

In the announcement, SunPower CEO Tom Werner says, “Today, high-efficiency solar PV technology is competitively proceed for power plant applications. It’s fast to install, and reliably delivers clean power, particularly during peak demand hours.”




SunPower Trackers are arrays of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on axles aligned in a north-south orientation. The panels rotate on the axles allowing the panels to track the sun from east to west throughout daylight hours.

Cimarrón I Solar Project in Northern New Mexico

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association of Westminster, Colorado, and First Solar of Tempe, Arizona, on March 24, 2009 announced an agreement to build a 30-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant between Cimarrón and Springer, New Mexico. Click on the box below to bring up and enlarge an artist's depiction of the solar PV facility.


Cimarrón I Solar Project Visualization Still Frame 3. The view is from east to west on the high plains of New Mexico just northwest of Springer, NM and west of U.S Interstate Highway 25. The eastern foothills and peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are on the horizon, and include snow-covered Baldy Mountain in the upper right which is on Philmont Scout Ranch property. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association provides outstanding visualizations, animations, and still photographs of the site.

The Cimarrón I Solar Project will use 500,000 (five hundred thousand) solar PV panels, each 2 (two) by 4 (four) feet, installed on 250 (two hundred fifty) acres of land. Construction is to begin in April 2010, and the first part of the system should be producing power by August 2010. Click on the box below to bring up and enlarge an artist's depiction of the solar PV facility.


Cimarrón I Solar Project Visualization Still Frame 6. The view is from west to east on the high plains of New Mexico east of Cimarrón and northwest of Springer. The hills south of Raton, NM are on the horizon, the tallest of which is Laughlin Peak which is about 20 miles southeast of Raton. Note the transmission facilities in the foreground. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association provides outstanding visualizations, animations, and still photographs of the site.

Solar Photovoltaic & Concentrating Solar Power Production Numbers In Perspective

The announcements for the two solar PV power plants indicate they are among the largest of their type in the world. Although these projects may indeed be large in comparison with other power plants relying exclusively on solar photovoltaic panels, the two NM and CO facilities together will produce only about 47 (forty-seven) megawatts (MW) of power. This amounts to about 13 (thirteen) percent of the power now being generated, for example, by the 354-megawatt (three hundred fifty-four MW) concentrating solar thermal power (CSTP or CSP) facilities at Kramer Junction, Harper Lake and Daggett, California.

The facilities at Daggett, Kramer Junction, and Harper Lake, CA were built from 1984 through 1990 and are known as Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) I through IX. The nine SEGS concentrating solar power plants generate from 14 (fourteen) to 80 (eighty) megawatts (MW) of power. The SEGS solar thermal power plants have operated continuously and have been commercially successful for the past 20 to 25 years.

The Solar Electric Industries Association (SEIA) in its US Solar Industry Year in Review 2008 report notes that no new concentrating solar thermal power (CSTP or CSP) plants came online in the USA in 2008. However, CSTP/CSP projects in the planning or construction stages currently total more than six gigawatts (GW; 6 GW = 6,000 megawatts).

Among these are projects planned for California's Mojave Desert, Arizona and Florida. The Arizona projects include the Abengoa 280-megawatt (MW) solar CSTP/CSP plant near Gila Bend, AZ, and the Albasia 200-MW Solar CSTP/CSP plant near Kingman, AZ.

Xcel Energy also issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on January 9, 2009 for installing 600 (six hundred) megawatts (MW) of solar CSTP/CSP in southern Colorado.

The Xcel/SunPower and Tri-State/First Solar PV power plants and other similar plants of relatively small electrical output produce power appropriate for a portion of local demand. The Tri-State/First Solar PV plant output is estimated to serve about 9,000 residences, for example. Such plants could serve as models for distributed generation (DG) solar PV power with short transmission distances that could be installed almost anywhere in the USA or the world where the sun shines.

Reegle Launches A Map Of The Clean Energy World

The Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) announced on April 27, 2009 that it now provides a global map to assist researchers with information on clean energy topics by country.

The “Reegle Maps” application provides a visual entry point to clean energy news and projects by countries and regions. The map allows searches by sectors under the major headings of:

• Climate Protection
• Cogeneration
• District Heating Systems
• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable Energy
• Rural Electrification,
  
• ...and many subheadings under these major headings.

“Reegle acts as a unique state-of-the-art search engine, targeting specific stakeholders including governments, project developers, businesses, financiers, NGOs, academia, international organizations and civil society.”

“Reegle’s information gateway provides information and data on all the various sub-sectors within sustainable energy at a global level including:

• Jurisdiction and laws
• News and announcements
• Political declarations and discussion papers
• Project activity and financial reports
• Statistical data
• Studies, manuals and reports
• Tenders, grants and bids”

The REEEP was launched at the Johannesburg, South Africa World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002. The REEEP’s goal is to accelerate the global marketplace for energy efficiency and renewable energy. The partner organizations actively facilitate financing mechanisms for sustainable energy projects, and structure policy initiatives for clean energy markets.

The REEEP lists of partners, international organizations, MOU organizations, governments, and international processes offers an impressive overview of global attention to creating a new energy economy.

Climate Literacy Guide Available

The U.S. Global Change Research Program/U.S. Climate Change Science Program in March 2009 released the 17-page report, "Climate Literacy -- The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences," with the subheadings "A Climate-Oriented Approach for Learners of All Ages" and "A Guide for Individuals and Communities."




"The Essential Principles of Climate Science presents information that is deemed important for individuals and communities to know and understand about Earth climate, impacts of climate change, and approaches to adaptation or mitigation. Principles in the guide can serve as discussion starters or launching points for scientific inquiry. The guide aims to promote greater climate science literacy by providing this educational framework of principles and concepts. The guide can also serve educators who teach climate science as a way to meet content standards in their science curricula."

"Development of the guide began at a workshop sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Multiple science agencies, non-governmental organizations, and numerous individuals also contributed through extensive review and comment periods. Discussion at the National Science Foundation (NSF)- and NOAA-sponsored Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Literacy workshop contributed substantially to the refinement of the document."



Earth photographed by Astronaut Ron Evans, USA Apollo 17 Mission, December 7, 1972. In this image, now known as "The Blue Marble," Antarctica is at the top. Other prominent features include the eastern coastline of Africa, the Island of Madagascar, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Peninsula.

USA National Science Board Wants Your Input On A Sustainable Energy Future

NSB Task Force on Sustainable Energy Public Review and Comment Opportunity

The USA National Science Board released for public review and comments the 61-page draft report, Building a Sustainable Energy Future (NSB-09-35) and dated April 10, 2009.

The report contains a wealth of information on USA energy science, technology, economics and policy by way of tight summaries based on an extensive reference list.

The public invitation for review and comments says:

"The fundamental transformation of the current extractive U.S. fossil fuel energy economy to a sustainable energy economy is a critical grand challenge facing the Nation today."

"Transforming toward a sustainable energy economy requires national leadership and coordination, a new U.S. energy policy framework, and robust support for sustainable energy research, development, demonstration, deployment, and education (RD3E). In its report, the Board makes a number of recommendations to the U.S. Government and offers guidance to the National Science Foundation."

"Given the importance to promote national security through increasing U.S. energy independence, ensure environmental stewardship and reduce energy and carbon intensity, and generate continued economic growth through innovation in energy technologies and increases in green jobs, we hope that you will take this opportunity to express your views on the draft report."

"Submit comments by Friday, May 1, 2009, to Tami Tamashiro, Executive Secretary, Task Force on Sustainable Energy, at NSBenergy@nsf.gov. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Tamashiro at (703) 292-7000."

From the report:

U.S. Energy Supply (p. 9-10):

Today, 85 percent of the U.S. energy supply comes from the combustion of fossil fuels (e.g., oil, natural gas, and coal), and nuclear electric power provides 8 percent. Sustainable energy sources derived from water (hydroelectric), geothermal, wind, sun (solar), and biomass account for the remaining 7 percent of the U.S. energy supply. Dramatic advances and investment in the production, storage, and distribution of U.S. sustainable energy sources are needed to increase the level of sustainable energy supplies.

U.S. Energy Consumption (p. 10):

U.S. energy consumption varies by economic sector and by energy source. About one-third of energy delivered in the United States is consumed by the industrial sector, and one-half of that is consumed by three industries (bulk chemicals, petroleum refining, and paper products). The transportation sector accounts for the second highest share of total end-use consumption at 29 percent, followed by the residential sector at 21 percent and the commercial sector at 18 percent.

Across all sectors, petroleum is the highest energy source at around 40 percent, followed by natural gas (23 percent), coal (22 percent), nuclear electric power (8 percent), and renewable energy (7 percent). The transportation sector has historically consumed the most petroleum, with its petroleum consumption dramatically increasing over the past few decades. In 2007, petroleum accounted for 95 percent of the transportation sector’s energy consumption.

Recommendation 2: Boost R&D Investment (p. 16-17): Increase Federal investment in sustainable energy R&D

• Support a range of sustainable energy alternatives, their enabling infrastructure, and their effective demonstration and deployment. Funding should support investigation into a wide range of sustainable energy RD3E topics, including, but not limited to:

Advanced, sustainable nuclear power;

Alternative vehicles and transportation technologies;

Basic S&E research that feeds into applied energy technologies;

Behavioral sciences as it relates to energy consumption;

Carbon capture and sequestration;

Economic models and assessments related to sustainable energy;

Energy efficiency technologies at all levels of generation, transmission, distribution and consumption;

Energy storage;

Information and communications technologies that can help conserve energy and/or use it more efficiently, such as broadband cyberinfrastructure;

Renewable energy supply technologies (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal,
hydroelectric, biomass/biofuels, kinetic, tidal, wave, ocean thermal technologies);

Smart grid;

“Systems” approach to large-scale sustainability solutions, including full life-cycle analyses of energy systems (e.g., advanced fossil-fuel technologies andbiomass-derived fuels); and

Zero-energy buildings.


Recommendation 3: Facilitate Essential Policies (p. 17):

Consider stable policies that facilitate discovery, development, deployment, and
commercialization of sustainable energy technologies to reflect advances in basic and applied
research

• Understand the explicit and implicit subsidies of current energy sources that impede conversion to the use of sustainable energy sources, and actively work to establish research-based strategies that encourage greater market deployment of sustainable energy technologies.

Conclusion (p. 22):

This report marks a concerted effort by the Board to join with colleagues and stakeholders throughout the Federal, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors to address the challenges and opportunities for sustainable energy in the 21st century. The recommendations made herein to the U.S. Government strive to promote leadership of harmonized efforts in moving toward a sustainable energy economy. In addition, the Board offers guidance for NSF that aims to prioritize innovation in sustainable energy, by supporting sustainable energy RD3E that leads to the development and deployment of viable sustainable energy technologies. With resolve and invigorated initiative, the United States is positioned to successfully build and support a sustainable energy future.

Appendix A: History and Context of Sustainable Energy (p.25-44):

Provides interesting reading on the topics listed under Recommendation 2 above, the current state of USA energy supply and consumption, and a USA legislative timeline from President Truman's signing of the Atomic Energy Act (McMahon Act) in 1946 to President Obama's signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.