NG Power & Energy US

Can molecular Venus Flytrap save nuclear power?

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:03:00 +0000

Nuclear power is the Catch 22 of the energy industry. On the one hand it presents a great opportunity for meeting consumption needs whilst emitting no harmful substance like sulphur and carbon dioxide, but the other nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste that can remain harmful for thousands of years.

Environmentalists are never likely to warm to nuclear power for this reason, but its importance as a transition fuel cannot be ignored and it remains a highly valuable source of power for many countries, the US in particular: "I believe in nuclear power as a central part of our energy mix," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said last year.

That's why recent developments at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois could prove extremely significant for the future of the US energy industry.

Captures water-borne nuclear waste

Researchers have discovered that the molecular equivalent of a Venus flytrap could capture water-borne nuclear waste.

Northwestern University scientists say they've created a material that can trap 100 percent of the radioactive ion cesium, while ignoring harmless ions such as sodium. Researchers led by Professor Mercouri Kanatzidis said their synthetic material is made from layers of a gallium, sulfur and antimony compound.

They said it has been extremely successful in removing cesium - found in nuclear waste, but very difficult to get rid of - from a sodium-heavy solution that consisted of concentrations similar to those found in real liquid nuclear waste.

"Ideally we want to concentrate the radioactive material so it can be dealt with properly and the non-radioactive water thrown away," Kanatzidis said, adding the new material could lead to a much-needed breakthrough in nuclear waste remediation.

The "Venus flytrap molecule"

The "Venus Flytrap Molecule" is triggered only by its desired prey, cesium, causing it to snap shut its pores thus trapping the cesium ions like an unsuspecting fly in the Venus plant itself.

Capturing cesium in large quantities makes it far easier to clean up. Dr Kanatzidis says that once caesium is collected in this new material, it can be processed very easily because it is highly concentrated and is transportable, "usually the next step is vitrification," he said.

"You melt everything, convert everything into a glass which can be disposed of properly according to the guidelines set by the government."

Unfortunately one of the process's key ingredients is extremely expensive making it very difficult at present to put the newly developed material into production, but Dr Kanatzidis believes it won't be too long before his team develop a more cost-effective alternative.

The results are published online by the journal Nature Chemistry.

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US wind power grows 39% in 2009

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:34:00 +0000

2009 could and maybe should have been a terrible year for the wind power industry after the economic crisis led to huge job losses as many other industries, far more established than the renewable energy sector, felt the pinch badly.

But President Obama's financial stimulus funds effectively rescued the wind industry as people began to realise the renewable energy sector's capacity to generate new jobs.

The combined power generating capacity of new US wind turbines installed last year hit more than 9,900MW, up from a gain of over 8,400 MW in the previous year. Total capacity hit more than 35,000MW, or about enough to power 9.7 million homes, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said.

Nationwide, Texas led the way with 9,410MW of installed wind power, with 2,292 put in place in 2009. An impressive 6 percent of Texas' energy was produced by wind last year.

Private investments crashed

However, jobs associated with wind energy stalled at 85,000 - the same number as a year ago after it gained 13,000 manufacturing jobs in 2008, according to Denise Bode, CEO of the AWEA. However it still lost a number of highly sought-after manufacturing jobs.

After private investments in wind-farm projects crash early last year, many industry experts were forecasting wind-power development to drop 50 percent in year-end levels compared with 2008.

But 2009 federal stimulus dollars, reaching $2.25 billion for dozens of wind projects and wind turbine-component manufacturers, buffeted the recession's impact, Bode says.

"The stimulus was a real spur to development," she says. "We saved half an industry."

"Things could have ground to a halt"

2000 manufacturing jobs lost

Even though the industry lost around 2000 manufacturing jobs, it was thought to have gained at least equal that amount in wind farm construction and maintenance.

Without the stimulus funds, "things would've ground to a halt," says Gary Hardke, president of the San Diego-based Cannon Power Group. It has installed 400 megawatts of wind power in Washington state in the past 18 months and secured $19 million in stimulus funds. Without the funds, the project "would've stalled out," Hardke says.

Wind energy still only accounts for around 1 percent of America's total power consumption, but with plans to upgrade the ancient and antiquated national electricity grid over the next two decades renewable energy will have a far more important role to play as the country tries to move away from foreign energy imports and cut carbon emissions.

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Grain used to feed more cars than people

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:49:00 +0000

In the US last year enough grain to feed 330 million people for one year, at average world consumption levels, was instead turned into ethanol to fuel cars, according to new data from the US Department of Agriculture.

This figure accounts for 25 percent of the total US grain crop and with 200 ethanol distilleries in the country set up to transform food into fuel, the amount of grain processed has tripled since 2004.

The new data has led to accusations that the biofuel revolution that began under the Bush administration in 2007 is starting to damage world food supplies. Under President Bush, ethanol production was increased through farm subsidies and laws as he challenged farmers to increase production by 500 percent by 2017 to cut oil imports and reduce carbon emissions.

But in a globalized food economy, increased demand for food to fuel American vehicles puts additional pressure on world food supplies.

America looms large

Whereas the development of biofuels is important as we try and move away from traditional energy sources, America looms so large in the world food economy that the fact it comes at the expense of food production makes it relatively dangerous. The US is far and away the world's leading grain exporter, exporting more than Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Russia combined.

One of the most worrying findings is that because the wheels of this revolution are so ferociously in motion, it is almost impossible to wind down biofuel production. Since 2007, 80 new ethanol plants have been built with more expected by 2015, by which time the US will need to produce a further 5 billion gallons of ethanol if it is to meet its renewable fuel standard.

Also, even if the entire US grain crop were converted to ethanol (leaving no domestic crop to make bread, rice, pasta, or feed the animals from which we get meat, milk, and eggs), it would satisfy at the very most 18 percent of US automotive fuel needs, as reported by Environmental-Expert.com.

World grain prices at record highs

According to Lester Brown, the director of the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington think tank that conducted the analysis, the growing demand for corn for ethanol helped to push world grain prices to record highs between late 2006 and 2008, people in low-income grain-importing countries were hit the hardest.

This unprecedented spike in food prices drove up the number of hungry people in the world to over 1 billion for the first time in 2009.

"Continuing to divert more food to fuel, as is now mandated by the US federal government in its renewable fuel standard, will likely only reinforce the disturbing rise in world hunger. By subsidising the production of ethanol to the tune of some $6 billion each year, US taxpayers are in effect subsidising rising food bills at home and around the world," said Brown.

Choosing between food and fuel

Even thought the global recession helped to drive food prices back down, they still remain well above their long-term average levels.

Ethanol producers deny that their record production means less food, arguing that innovations and development in technology mean they no longer have to a "false choice between food and fuel", so says Tom Buis, the chief executive of industry group Growth Energy.

The US taxpayer is still funding the subsidization of ethanol production to the tune of $6 billion every year, so the transformation of food to fuel under the federal government's Renewable Fuel Standard will continuing to increase. But at a time when pressures on the earth's land, water and food resources is at record levels we may have to realign our priorities in order to avoid putting large numbers of people at risk and to also avoid potential sources of conflict.

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20% of eastern energy to come from wind by 2024

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:29:00 +0000

Wind power could meet 20 percent or more of electricity demand in the eastern United States by 2024, if the effort includes sufficient planning and billions in spending for transmission lines and other needs, a government study has concluded.

The Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy worked together on the report that highlighted the potential for thousands of wind farms across the East, this includes more than 4,400 megawatts worth of wind turbine capacity off the coast of Delaware, and even greater supplies from Maryland, New Jersey and other shoreline states.

"Twenty percent wind is an ambitious goal, but this study shows that there are multiple scenarios through which it can be achieved," David Corbus, project manager for the laboratory, said in a written statement.

"Whether we're talking about using land-based wind in the Midwest, offshore wind in the East or any combination of wind power resources, any plausible scenario requires transmission infrastructure upgrades and we need to start planning for that immediately," he added.

"Very rich renewable energy resource"

Two years ago the first US offshore wind power purchase agreement was signed between Bluewater Wind (now owned by NRG) and Delmarva Power. The deal will run for 25 years and assumes at least 79 wind turbines capable of powering 55,000 homes, but there is a potential for this capacity to be increased.

"Delaware happens to have a very rich renewable energy resource in the form of its offshore wind," Tolman said.

He also highlighted the necessity of making the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources "as rapidly as possible". The need is particularly urgent is places such as Delaware where its location makes it far more vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels.

Wind power has experienced a soar in popularity as a result of increasing climate change awareness, and whereas the technology is not free of critics once constructed the turbines are zero-carbon-emitters.

Aggressive offshore developments

So far the US has 30,000MW of wind energy installed, but pushing to 20 percent of eastern electricity needs "is unlikely to be realized with a business-as-usual approach," the report said.

Aggressive offshore developments would be needed to meet the target of producing 20 percent of the East's power via wind energy and would require 231,000MW, including about 79,000MW in the PJM electricity grid.

One thing that must be done in order for the ambitious target to be hit is updating the antiquated US national grid, currently incapable of harnessing large amounts of power from renewable sources. Without those new lines in the East, transmission bottlenecks would force "substantial" shutdowns of some wind generation.

The much anticipated smart grid cannot come soon enough.

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Solar energy powering recovery efforts in Haiti

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:21:00 +0000

Aside from the horrific human casualties from the earthquake that struck the small island of Haiti 11 days ago, there has been a tremendous amount of damage caused to the island's infrastructure.

Last week's quake cut electricity to most of Haiti's capital. Without power, residents and aid workers are struggling to maintain basic communication, lighting and water purification systems.

What little power there is comes from antiquated gas powered generators, but diesel supplies have already started to dry up.

The humanitarian emergency has almost completely drained Haiti of its power infrastructure, but now a number of companies and aid agencies are using the most plentiful resource on the planet to begin powering this giant reconstruction effort - solar power.

Quick, easy and relatively inexpensive

The beauty of solar energy is that setups are quick, easy and relatively inexpensive when compared to the price of rebuilding a city's (or small country's) electricity grid. Alan Doyle, a science editor at MSNBC, recently reported how can solar be incredibly robust. He says that a single solar water purification system, recovered from the rubble by the Red Cross, is now purifying 30,000 gallons (over 110,000 liters) of water a day, as reported by WorldChanging.com.

Everything from solar powered lights to solar powered ovens are being deployed to the country. In Croix-des-Bouquets, a solar installation from Worldwater and Solar Technologies is now providing power to a school working as an aid center, as told by InHabitat.com.

In the spirit of the recovery efforts companies such as Solarworld are donating donating solar equipment. Solarworld itself has donated between 10 and 20 water purification systems which should be enough to produce clean, safe drinking water for almost 200,000 people.

Renewable energy not new to Haiti

This absolutely vital for both hydrating the survivors and those helping with the recover, but also for preventing the spread of water-bourne disease.

Sol Inc, a US-based solar street lighting company, has sent a first shipment of lights for roadways, food distribution, and triage sites. This has also become crucial as hospitals move outside with doctors performers surgical procedures under street lights, and search and rescue missions are being carried out day and night.

Renewable energy is far from a new idea in Haiti but unfortunately its true value has revealed itself in the aftermath of such a damaging natural disaster.

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Water wars

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:55:00 +0000

In the 20th century, the world's wars were predominately defined by political conflicts and clashes over ideology. However, in the 21st century, something else threatens to define our struggles - resources. While one can argue the first decade of the 21st century was defined by combating terrorism and controlling oil supplies, there is something far more important to the survival of mankind that could be the cause of the next major global conflict, something that is actually surpassing oil as the world's scarcest critical resource - water.

The world's supply of fresh water is running out, accounting for only 2.5 percent of the planet's entire water supply. An explosion in global population growth has put a huge strain on resources of usable water, and already one person in five has no access to safe drinking water.

Astonishingly, over the past century world water use has increased twice as fast as the global population. Hydration is perhaps the most important use for water, but it is by far the only use. It is the lifeblood of all society with the agricultural and infrastructure industries all relying on water to operate.

"Water could trigger or exacerbate conflict"

On September 15 last year, the UK's Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth delivered a speech at King's College London. His speech focused on defence strategies of the future and some of the major challenges facing British defence in the face of conflicts around the globe.

In what came as a surprise to many attending this speech, this is what he said:

"We can conclude that current trends of resource use are unsustainable particularly in the context of the growth of global population and growing social aspirations. Competition for resources such as water, arable land and strategic minerals may trigger or exacerbate conflict."

Also, little over a year and a half ago at the Goldman Sachs "Top Five Risks" conference in June 2008, global experts also insisted that a catastrophic water shortage could prove an even bigger threat to mankind this century than soaring food prices and the relentless exhaustion of energy reserves.

Aquifers could run dry

At the conference they warned that, on the economics of climate change, underground aquifers could run dry at the same time as melting glaciers, playing havoc with fresh supplies of usable water.

As fresh water reserves start to dwindle, a frightening amount of power will fall into the hands of a very small number of people, and the opportunities for water companies across the globe are obvious. Analysts and experts argue that governments have handed too much power over to private water companies, with some even suggesting these firms want to create a "water cartel".

A history of underinvestment across the globe means that a huge windfall is on its way for water companies. In the US alone, the shortfall between actual investment and the industry's real needs is estimated to be $122 billion for waste water treatment and $100 billion for drinking water over the next 12 years, according to Michael Dean of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Considering the dangers

There is a real danger that one day, every single drop of fresh water left in the world will be privately owned and controlled. The potential for conflict is clear.

If we reach a time where the world is divided into water haves and have-nots, desperation could spawn drastic reaction. China, India and Pakistan are just three countries facing critical water issues in the 21st century, failing to mention almost the entire continent of Africa.

Consider the dangers of water-distressed, over-populated, nuclear-armed nations with a history of terrorist activity who are left with an ultimatum - gain access to water any way they can or let their population become ravaged by starvation and dehydration.

This could become a genuine problem for world leaders to deal with in the 21st century.

Curbing water use

However there are steps governments can take to stave off this most devastating of shortages. The United States has made significant progress in curbing its water use, thanks to market forces and legislation such as the Clean Water Act. Technology for desalination and recycling must also come in to play an increasing role in the industry.

Banks around the world need to become more creative in matching the financing of capital outlays in the industry with the long lives of water treatment facilities.

Even focusing on the more mundane tasks of controlling leaking pipes can make a huge difference on a global scale. Either way, something simply must be done if we are to prevent these wars over water.

There are ways we can live without crude oil, it would be difficult, but populations would survive. Without water there is no argument, societies cannot survive and a severe global shortage will make conflict inevitable.

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Power & Energy Events 2010

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:42:00 +0000

2010 promises to be an exciting year for the global power and energy industry. With climate change at the front of people's minds focus will fall heavily on clean, sustainable and renewable energy sources with utilities also looking to educate consumers on how to become more energy efficient.

Smartgrids will undoubtedly become THE buzz word of 2010 as the Obama administration looks to revolutionize the way we perceive and use our energy.

This year will perhaps bring some of the biggest changes ever seen in the industry, and here's where you can keep track of some of the most important energy events going on in North America.

February:

1st - 3rd: Photovoltaic Projects for Utilities in San Francisco, California

2nd - 3rd: Grid ComForum in Santa Clara, California

7th - 10th: ACEEE Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture in Madison, Wisconsin

23rd - 25th: Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America in Austin, Texas

24th - 25th: Asset Management for Energy & Utilities in Toronto, Canada

March:

5th - 6th: MIT Energy Conference in Boston, Massachusetts

17th - 19th: Solar Power Finance & Investment Summit 2010 in San Diego

18th: Smart Grid Virtual Summit 2010 (This is a virtual event)

April:

25th - 29th: GITA's Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference in Phoenix, Arizona

18th - 21st: CIO Utilities Summit in Phoenix, Arizona

May:

2nd - 4th: Moving Ahead 2010: Sustainable Transportation for the 21st Century in Columbus, Ohio

10th - 12th: GDS NG Utilities Summit US at Four Seasons Dallas

23rd - 26th: AWEA WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition in Dallas, Texas

23rd - 3rd June: Interlinks of energy, water, and climate change in San Diego, California

June:

8th - 10th: GDS NG Utilities Summit in Panama

20th - 23rd: Urban Environmental Pollution 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts

July:

28th: ICEST 2010: International Conference on Energy Science and Technology in Toronto, Canada

September:

27th - 28th: 2010 IEEE Conference on Innovative Technologies for an Efficient and Reliable Electricity Supply in Waltham, Massachusetts

October:

5th - 7th: North American Offshore Wind Conference & Exhibition in Atlantic City, New Jersey

China looks to US for solar thermal development

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:42:00 +0000

One of the very few good things to come out of the furore surrounding the UN climate summit in Copenhagen was the pledge from China, the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases (GHGs), to severely cut its carbon emissions.

Even though there have been rumours China have opted to postpone its cut backs after the Copenhagen conference descended into farce, over the weekend news from Beijing pointed towards plans that would help to decrease China's heavy reliance on coal, imported gas and oil.

It has been announced that US-based solar power company eSolar Inc. will provide Shandong Penglai Electric Power Equipment Manufacturing Co. with the technology and information needed to construct solar thermal power plants capable of generating more than 2,000MW of electricity.

$5 billion investment

Government goals issued in 2005 call for at least 15 percent of China's power to come from wind, solar and hydro-power by 2020, up from 9 percent now. Officials say that this target may be raised to 20 percent because the industry is developing so quickly.

MSNBC reports that the $5 billion investment would be the largest such project in China, though the companies didn't say who would be investing how much.

Deborah Seligsohn, director of the China climate program for the US-based World Resources Institute described the development as a "huge jump" for China considering the deal would mean a number of commercial plants being built.

For some time the communist state has been a leader in solar panel manufacturing due to its ability to produce solar products far cheaper than foreign competitors, with some Chinese companies even opening manufacturing plants in the US in order to bring the competition to America's doorstep.

China's solar energy potential

However, in this rather ironic turnaround US firms are now looking to cash in on China's lucrative solar energy market potential. The government is realising how important it is to find alternatives to coal and by looking to the more experienced utilities from states such as California, China hope to drive forward innovation in the solar sector.

The eSolar deal is for concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) - which essentially involves mirrors focusing the sun's rays onto a tower to heat water thus creating steam to power a generator.

But there are still plans to develop more traditional solar fields in China because even though the country is moving much faster than the US in solar power development, they will need both systems to help meet tough emissions targets.

Strict global agreements

The importing of oil and gas from overseas is seen as an unnecessary weakness by the communist government in place, and legislative changes made in late 2009 mean that Chinese utilities will now be required to buy all the power produced by wind farms and other renewable sources.

Because China is still regarded as a "developing" country it is not bound by more strict global agreements on carbon cutting. Nonetheless the government has promised to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide for each unit of economic output by 40 percent to 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

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The threat of a global water shortage

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:07:00 +0000

The UN summit on climate change that took place in Copenhagen last month was never going to be a roaring success, but the outcome was below even Barack Obama's slim hopes for the conference.

In the lead up to COP15 The US President repeatedly said he did not expect a comprehensive global deal to be reached, but world leaders left the Danish capital with perhaps even more obstacles than existed before the talks began. At the top of the agenda was global cooperation in developing renewable energy sources that could help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, with negotiations focused on financing this development. However, water provides a thread which connects the different impacts of climate change.

Global pressure on freshwater resources

As argued for some time by the WWF global pressure on freshwater resources is increasing, mainly through changes in global population and income levels, which have led to an increase in demand for water intensive products such as meat, sugar and cotton.

It's easy to take for granted how much water it takes to produce some of the world's most consumed products. For example, for just a kilogram of rice over 3000 litres of water must be used and for one litre of milk it takes almost 1000 litres.

The world's apparent warming climate has caused fresh water reserves to fall across the globe consequently waking people up to the importance of our "water footprint".

The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business, as described by WaterFootPrint.org.

60% of the world in danger

The science behind climate change remains complex and confusing to much of the global population, but what cannot be argued is that increasing population, industry, economic growth and urbanisation put additional stress on the provision of clean water from dwindling reserves.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that by the year 2050 around 60 percent of the world's population will experience severe water shortages, with 33 percent thought to be already under water stress.

But a lack of access to water is likely to change the economic environment irreparably and also has a vital role to play in the power and energy sector as water is required for many of the power sources vital to both our present and our future. Boiling water can be used to drive turbines, supply coolant for nuclear power and even in oil production.

The socio-economic implications of a severe global water shortage are huge and are closer than ever to becoming a reality. Never mind peak oil, peak water could prove even more devastating to the world and conflicts over resources could even lead to wars being fought.

The accompanying infographic gives a breakdown of the peril the world is facing as a result of the global water shortage.

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Progress in China highlights US dithering

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:12:00 +0000

The US and China have shown unprecedented levels of togetherness over their renewable energy ambitions as the world strives to meet carbon cutting targets.

But over the Christmas period Beijing edged ahead of Washington in the green stakes as the government passed a new law requiring power grid operators to buy all the electricity produced by renewable energy generators, in a move that will significantly increase the proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources in a nation still heavily dependent on coal-fired power stations.

China's target is for renewable energy sources to make up 15 percent of its power generation by 2020, up from about nine percent currently.

China's National People's Congress convened on 22 December, three days later it passed the law which means energy companies must buy electricity produced only by wind, solar power, hydropower, biomass, geothermal and ocean energy.

Shift to clean power

One can't help but wonder why the US has been so much slower in making similar changes in an effort to drive forward its own shift to clean power. Because whereas the Chinese government appear eager to make the necessary changes for renewable energy to replace traditional energy sources, the Obama Administration is struggling to squeeze a market-based cap-and-trade bill laden with incentives for business through a stubborn Senate.

Even with the support of major energy companies such as Exelon, Duke and Con Ed Washington are splitting hairs over what type of cap-and-trade bill will appear out of the other end, and, whereas socialism and communism are evoked to discredit the Obama Administration's agenda, it has been successful in rapidly pushing through carbon reducing policies.

Energy companies in China have simply been told they should be prepared to pay twice as much in fines if they refuse to purchase occasionally expensive clean electricity, and that improvements to the grid are now an absolute necessity.

In China, a boom in wind-power plants thanks to government subsidies has resulted in a large amount of wind capacity that is not always properly connected to the grid. In some cases, the wind farms are not located at the optimal spot for wind.

Controlling people's lives

In the US, Republicans are still bearing the scars of the healthcare battle as they continue to withhold support, even with Obama's attempts to sweeten the deal with more allowances for offshore oil drilling, coal, and nuclear plants.

Many people are critical of the bill, accusing it of being an attempt to further control people's lives.

"Instead of rewarding innovation, this bill punishes Americans into living lives that the government wants them to live," is how America politician and former House speaker Newt Gingrich sees it.

China's latest law change is a response to criticism that it obstructed the Copenhagen Climate Summit as it tries to repair its damaged reputation, only time will tell if its method of changing legislation without giving energy firms any time to adjust will work.

At present just over 7 percent of US energy comes from renewable sources, and if Obama is truly determined to make America a world leader in renewable energy technology, his administration may have to be more aggressive in pushing through policy. The US political system has been essential to the US becoming "leaders of the free world", but it may actually prove more of a hindrance when it comes to creating a green world.

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Save the world with Google PowerMeter

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:42:00 +0000

Smart grids are the future. They allow us to monitor our electricity usage to great detail and are even smart enough to turn household electric appliances on or off, to coincide with peak energy times.

But what if we were suddenly given access to real-time information about the energy we're using in our home? By showing us exactly how much energy we are using and how it is being used, it would surely become easier to start making reductions. And by using less energy we are producing less CO2, which means we are helping to save the planet from the disastrous effects of global warming.

Philanthropic Google

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the internet monster, have developed the Google PowerMeter that gives us the opportunity to do just that. The company, as part of an effort with the Climate Group, Natural Resources Defense Council and GE urged governments to provide real-time access to home energy information, in a message at leaders attending climate talks in Copenhagen, as reported by Industry.bnet.com.

Other participants in the pro-consumer energy information group includes appliance maker Whirlpool, venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, chipmaker Intel and the US Green Building Council.

Jens Redmer, the Director for Business Development at Google, says that the company are aiming to "empower users to get more access to information" through their technology. Google PowerMeter is a free electricity usage monitoring tool that provides energy users with information on how much energy your home is consuming, the application receives information from utility smart meters and in-house energy management devices and then displays this information on a personalized Google homepage.

Engage deeper with customers

Google have established a number of pilot agreements with utility companies and device manufacturers, and it is these as well as the consumer that can benefit from working with Google on this project. In an interview with MeetTheBoss.tv Editor-in-Chief Adam Burns, Redmer insists that, through working with Google, utilities are able to engage much deeper with their customers.

So far Google have managed to sign up eight large utilities and smart meter manufacturer Itron.

Although Redmer admits it's still too early to draw any significant conclusions from the pilot scheme, he did say that so far the external and internal pilots carried our had produced positive results.

Click here to check out the full interview between Adam Burns and Google Director of Business Development Jens Redmer, along with many other excellent and insightful industry based interviews at MeetTheBoss.com.

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Keeping our head above water

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:51:00 +0000

World leaders are meeting in Copenhagen in what could be our last chance to reverse the effects of climate change as we approach our "point of no return" deadline of 2020. Unfortunately it's looking more unlikely by the day that any kind of comprehensive deal will be reached.

But in a stark warning from environmental experts, humans have been told they must follow the example set by nature - adapt or die.

Even a small rise in the world's sea levels, predicted as a result of global warming, could make environmental refugees of some 56 million people in developing countries. But 70 percent of the world's population live on coastal plains, including 11 of the world's 15 largest cities.

Whereas poorer countries, in particular places like Bangladesh and Mozambique, receive the majority of press on the threat rising sea levels pose to human settlements, there are plenty of people living in large, developed cities that are also in danger.

Click to enlarge

New York in danger

For example, New York faces a greater flood risk over the next century as weaker Atlantic currents raise sea levels on the US East Coast by more than in London or Tokyo.

Low-lying nations such as Bangladesh are far from being alone in facing risks posed by rising seas, the research indicated. US centers of economy, politics and education in the northeast also have to face up to the threat.

"This important region will experience some of the fastest and largest sea level rises this century," Jianjun Yin, the author of the Florida State University report, said in a phone interview to Bloomberg. That will also put Boston and Washington more at risk from flooding and storm surges, he said.

Adapting to rising seas and higher temperatures is expected to be a big topic at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen next week, along with the projected cost - likely to be hundreds of billions of dollars, much of which going to countries that can ill afford it.

Investing in protection

And whereas this fact is well documented, it is perhaps less well know that major cities in the developed world are also investing huge amounts in protecting themselves from rising waters.

In London, England half a billion dollars are being spent on strengthening the Thames Barrier. California is redesigning the gates that move water around the agriculturally vital Sacramento River Delta so that they can work when the sea level rises dramatically there.

Singapore plans to cut its flood-prone areas in half by 2011 by widening and deepening drains and canals and completing a $226 million dam at the mouth of the city's main river.

Rising sea levels are a real concern for a huge chunk of the global population, and there are as many if not more people in danger of flooding in developed nations as there are in developing nations. The problem is, developing countries have far less resources available to them to try and keep their heads above water.

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Power & Energy in 2009

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:56:00 +0000

2009 has been an eventful year in the US power and energy industry. Climate change became an even hotter topic this year and with it came the renewable energy sector as everybody began to see the benefits of developing clean energy technology.

But 2009 was also an important year for green business as the economic incentives of joining the renewable revolution became clearer.

But also with the cap-and-trade bill, and its various forms, stumbling through Congress every single industry in America has now been forced to sit up and take notice of the carbon consequences of its actions.

A greener President

Barack Obama came to office off the back of an election campaign that promised a cleaner, greener future for America's energy. The new President inherited a government in the midst of a deep recession of its own making, and in February President Obama, along with his trusty green sidekick Steven Chu, signed into law the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 with billions set aside to promote the build-out of new renewable energy capacity and make the US more energy efficient.

As part of the $787 billion stimulus fund, around $61 billion was allocated to the energy sector.

There were two primary aims behind the Obama administration's stimulus package: to increase the development of renewables across the US, and to create more energy efficiency measures to help conserve energy. Obama vow to make America a "world leader in renewable energy" also had the responsibility of dragging America out of recession by creating new "green jobs" at a time when traditional industries were shedding workers like an oak does its leaves in autumn.

For example, in September this year the US Energy and Treasury Departments have announced that $503 million of government cash grants were handed out to companies developing projects on renewable energy.

How were the green-greenbacks spent?

The renewable sectors that saw most of the cash were wind and solar power. The world's largest wind farm was completed in Texas this year, along with energy giant GE announcing it has won the contract to construct the turbines for what will become the largest wind farm ever built in Oregon in the next few years.

As the oil and gas industry took a hit from the recession, renewables seemed to thrive as green investments became the "savior" of our ailing economy. Solar power projects were stepped up in states across the US, California in particular, with exciting developments in things like optical fibres that promise to make the technology even more efficient. One company even resorted to using a supermodel to sell its solar panels.

However, the US remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels and it will be some time before renewable technology is in a position to change this. But more worryingly, the US still remains very dependent on foreign fuel with around 60 percent coming from overseas. In terms oil alone, here in America we produce only 7.5 millions barrels a day domestically but we consume over 20 million.

So if renewable energy sources can't fight the polluting fossil fuels on their own, then what else can help?

Clean-coal, biofuels, geoengineering, the smart grid and nuclear power were all given adequate attention but widely varied funding as Washington looked to improve the use of "transitional" methods of reducing our emissions until we can rely more on renewable sources.

The future

Energy security for the US is an absolute priority for the Obama administration. If we really are approaching peak oil, we need to be sure we have enough energy sources to keep at the forefront of global progress, whether that involves developing domestic production of oil and gas or becoming the world's largest producer renewable energy. I predict the former will happen before the latter, but at some point renewable energy will make serious moves to take over. The IEA estimate it will take $3.2 trillion to generate 12 percent of electricity from wind power by the year 2050, helping meet carbon cutting targets currently being discussed at this month's UN summit on climate change.

So you can expect further developments in wind power, and look for solar panel manufacturing to shoot skywards as the US competes with China to become the world's primary exporter of the technology.

Obama is also very keen on smartening up America's antiquated electricity grid - vital to becoming more energy efficient and absolutely crucial if we are to fully harness our developing renewable power. President Obama this year announced plans for a stimulus grant worth $3 billion, but the utility industry estimates it would cost about $50 billion to equip every home in the country with a smart meter on top of the billions it would cost to upgrade the current power grid.

The controversial couple of nuclear power and clean-coal technology will also have a part to play as we look to curb our emissions before trying to eradicate them completely. But both are costly and have more than their fair share of environmental downsides.

Energy efficiency and renewable energy technology are the future, the cap-and-trade system - ready to come into force early-ish next year - will force both onto pretty much every industry as we approach the "point of not return" deadline of 2020.

The future simply must be green, and Obama is the right man to get us there. Let's hope the Washington pockets are deep enough.

Greenbacks for green projects

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:02:00 +0000

The Obama administration has announced its new program to draw funds from international partners to spend $350 million over five years to supply the developing world with clean energy technology.

As the UN summit on climate change hits the rocks with the poorer nations, led by Africa, threaten to walk out of the talks as if they do not progress in a way they see fit. Developing countries are concerned that US and other rich nations will look to move away from the Kyoto Protocol, leaving poor countries without the benefits gained from the deal when it was signed in 1997.

But the US program will try and alleviate these fears by contributing to the distribution of solar power alternatives for homes, including sun-powered lanterns, supply of cleaner equipment and appliances and a push to fund and put in place renewable energy systems in the world's poorer nations.

"Suite of technology action plans"

As ADN.com reports, the funding plan grew out of the Major Economies Forum (MEF) established among the world's top economies earlier this year, with a decision to produce detail plans and spending at the July summit meeting in L'Aquila, Italy.

$85 million of the program will come from the US with the remainder coming from Australia, Britain, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland, the White House said in a statement by spokesman Robert Gibbs.

In a statement the White House said: "The US and it's partners have been working to develop a suite of technology action plans, which lay out options for ambitious government action on 10 key clean energy technologies: advanced vehicles; bio-energy; building energy efficiency; carbon capture, use and storage; high-efficiency, low-emissions coal; industrial energy efficiency; marine energy; smart grid; solar energy; and wind energy."

Unlikely to improve relations

However, in the grand scheme of things $350 million is not a great deal of money, and threatens to make even less of an impact when spread over five years. The figure is unlikely to improve relations between the rich and the poor in Copenhagen, and unfortunately it looks like the distinct lack of optimism surrounding this UN climate change summit will be with good reason.

Come on Washington, and the rest of the developed world for that matter, surely you can do better than $350 million?

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The largest wind farm ever

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:37:00 +0000

Energy giant GE announced this week that it has been awarded the $1.4 billion contract to supply wind turbines and provide services for an 845MW wind farm project in Oregon, that will become the largest ever constructed.

Independent power producer Caithness Energy will oversee the development of the project, called Shepherds Flat, and has received the majority of the necessary government permits to operate and is all set to be built.

Its power production will exceed that of the current world's largest wind farm located in Texas.

Les Gelber, a partner at Caithness Energy, said of the deal: "This project underscores our commitment to harness the power of wind to meet present and future energy needs while reducing greenhouse emissions. The Shepherds Flat project will add more renewable energy to the west coast’s energy mix and help the region meet its demand for clean energy."

845MW project

The project will cover 30 square miles in north-central Oregon, near the town of Arlington. And the 845MW Shepherds Flat project marks the US debut and largest single global order of GE’s 2.5xl wind turbines (pictured), to be assembled at GE’s site in Pensacola, Florida. A total of 338 turbines will be installed in 2011 and 2012, as reported by advfn.com.

In announcing the partnership, Gelber added: "GE wind turbines have a strong track record of performance that has been proven in nearly every form of climate worldwide. Their ability to continually advance wind turbine technology will help us to provide our customer, Southern California Edison, with the reliability they expect.

President and CEO of GE Power and Water said how the project highlighted GE's ability to deliver "integrated solutions in the clean energy space", while supporting the company's overarching focus to provide "first in class technology to our customers."

2.5MW wind turbine

GE's 2.5xl wind turbine is much used across Europe and Asia but the Caithness project is the first to use them in North America. But they will also provide 10 years of operational and maintenance services to the project.

"The 2.5MW wind turbine is the latest evolution of GE's wind turbine technology and provides customers with greater efficiency, reliability and grid connection capabilities.

"The 2.5MW builds upon the success of GE's 1.5-MW wind turbine, the world's most widely deployed wind turbine with more than 12,000 installed," said Bolze.

The $2 billion project is expected to rake in $16 million annually for the state of Oregon, employing 400 workers during its construction and 35 during operation. The project's construction stretches far beyond wind turbines, with 85 miles of road and 90 miles of power connection to the grid also being built.

Under three 20-year power purchase agreements, the Shepherds Flat wind farm will supply renewable energy to Southern California Edison, an Edison International company. Marc Ulrich, Southern California Edison Vice President, Renewable and Alternative Power, said: “Wind power is an essential component to creating a clean, green energy future for California and the rest of the nation.”

The project will help California meet both its capacity needs and renewable energy goals. With the capacity to generate two billion kilowatt-hours per year of renewable energy - enough to power 235,000 average Californian households - the wind farm will represent more than one-tenth of Southern California Edison's overall renewable energy portfolio.

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Viable alternatives "decades away"

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:50:00 +0000

For the next few weeks, Copenhagen will host the United Nations conference on climate change, where world leaders and delegates from 192 countries will attempt to reach a comprehensive global deal on reversing the effects of global warming.

At the forefront of their discussions will be the development of alternative fuels - like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal - as we try and cut our reliance on the polluting fossil fuels such as crude oil and coal. But, many experts still believe it will be a long time before any of these energy sources will be a large-scale alternative to fossil fuels.

At present renewable energy sources are merely an addition to traditional sources, and even though their global development is expanding rapidly, they still only represent less than one percent of our energy needs.

Technologies are growing

As reported by voanews.com, at a recent talk at the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston, Ambassador Richard Jones, Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, assessed future energy supplies and demand.

He said: "Modern renewable energy technologies are growing. In fact, they see the fastest rate of increase. But their share of total energy use is so small today that even by 2030, they are only taking about [providing] two percent [of the energy consumed worldwide]."

But, there are certain cases in parts of the world that contradict these figures.

On the Danish island of Samso for example, the community there has recently become the first energy self-sufficient place on the planet where renewable sources like wind and solar have made traditional fuels obsolete.

Also, in Austin, Texas, renewable technologies are also having a significant impact. This fast-growing city gets about a tenth of its electrical power from wind turbines in the western part of the state.

Roger Duncan, General Manager of the electrical utility, Austin Energy, explains: "We get somewhere between 10 and 12 percent of our energy from renewable energy and the remainder from coal, nuclear and gas. We have plans going forward to get 30 percent of our energy from renewables by the year 2020."

And whereas it will be decades before towns like Austin will achieve what the island of Samso has achieved, the future for green power technology looks ever brighter as fossil fuels become scarcer and more expensive.

Development of alternatives

Government subsidies for renewable energy technology are growing year on year, but people must realise that the development of alternative energy through government programs is not free.

So until wholly clean renewable energy reaches a point where it can replace traditional fuels, governments need to focus on immediately cutting carbon emissions through the use of transitional fuels, such as abundant natural gas that burns 50 percent cleaner than coal.

Alternatively, retrofitting clean-coal technology onto existing coal-burning power plants and nuclear energy can also contribute to cutting emissions until we are weaned of fossil fuels for good.

But there are also ways to be more eco-friendly that don't involve fossil fuels or renewables - the conservation of energy through more efficient vehicles, better constructed homes and office buildings, and better methods for monitoring energy use. These are things we can all get involved in.

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$200bn in green investments for 2010

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:45:00 +0000

The UN summit on climate change kicks off in Copenhagen today, but there haven't been too many people coming forward to express their optimism over a comprehensive global deal on global warming being reached.

However, it is expected that renewable energy investments will rise to $200 billion globally in 2010 for projects that do not rely a any new climate change treaty.

As reported by Bloomberg, private and public spending on technology such as solar panels and wind turbines will rise about 50 percent from $130 billion this year and top the previous high of $155 billion in 2008, according to Michael Liebreich, chairman of London-based New Energy Finance, a consulting firm whose data is used by the United Nations and Deutsche Bank AG.

As world leaders meet in Denmark to discuss the goal of limiting carbon-dioxide emissions and develop global clean energy production, companies across the world are increasing spending in spite of the UN conference.

A significant rise in government spending

Michael Morris, chief executive officer of American Electric, the biggest US producer of electricity from coal, said in an interview: "Most of us are moving in that direction and it really isn't dependent on Copenhagen."

It is fully expected that next year will also see a significant rise in government spending on green projects, climbing to $60 billion in 2010. This is in addition to the estimated $177 billion that governments including the US and China have invested via stimulus funds over several years.

"It's been a convergence of a number of drivers that are creating what we consider to be the renaissance time in the clean-tech sector," said Ira Ehrenpreis, general partner with Technology Partners, a Palo Alto, California-based clean energy investment fund with about $700 million under management.

"A clean-tech company has the world as its customer base," she added.

Companies can see the economic benefits of investing in green technology are unprepared to sit around and wait for the UN to reach a deal. For example, CLP, Hong Kong's biggest electricity supplier, is aiming to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 75 percent by 2050. The company is building a $903 million offshore wind farm.

Rate of renewable energy investment is imbalanced

Elsewhere, in Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric said this year it will buy 2000MW of wind power by the end of 2011, double its original goal, to meet state renewable-energy requirements and company targets, according to Bruce Braine, a vice president with the utility (one megawatt is enough to power about 800 US homes).

The rate of investment and risks involved in the renewable energy sector is somewhat imbalanced as you travel the world. Investment risks are higher in the US, for example, than in China and France where stronger incentives are offered.

As a result US firms are falling a little behind those in nations such as China, most notably in the PV solar sector, largely because America lacks a binding limit on CO2 emissions - something that would be required under a global climate change treaty.

It is encouraging that companies across the world are planning to continue with renewable energy investments that do not depend on the Copenhagen summit being a successful because, as US President Barack Obama and other leaders said at a conference in Singapore last month, completion of an accord at the meeting is likely to remain out of reach for now.

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The super wind turbine

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Wind turbines have been a triumph of renewable energy technology. That's a fact. But their design leaves plenty of room for improvement.

The three blade system means that more wind power passes around its blades than through its motor, and their rigid structure prevent turbines from capturing the super-strong winds that blow thousands of feet in the air. Some experts insist the total energy within these winds is 100 times the amount needed by everyone of the planet.

The trick is how to catch this power.

Some research groups have developed advances on the humble kite to try and harness wind's immense power, but there is another way.

"Flying wind turbine"

Selsam, the self proclaimed alternative energy innovator (check their website here, complete with plenty of photos and videos), have developed a "flying wind turbine" that is capable of stretching beyond the reach of the traditional turbines and turning these high winds into high voltage.

These "Superturbines" are also far more efficient that the old-fashioned windmill as it eliminates all components that do not directly contribute to power generation, resulting in a low-cost wind turbine.

The Selsam Superturbine is equipped with multiple, synchronous, small rotors and with a universal joint that enables it to tilt - but not rotate - like a reed bending in the wind. Selsam's prototypes produce 6000 watts in 32.5 mph winds - six times more power than a similarly sized seven foot single-rotor turbine can produce. The turbines can be easily deployed by land and by sea, and their effectiveness can be amplified even further via an air-born blimp.

The company website describes the turbines as so: "Like a flock of geese, each rotor favorably affects the next in line. Like a set of louvres, the tilted rotors pull in fresh wind from above, deflecting their wakes downward to insure fresh wind for succeeding rotors and, like a stack of kites, to add overall lift which helps support the driveshaft against gravity and downwind thrust forces.

Wind turbine industry reaching a tipping point

"The rotors act as gyroscopes or spinning tops, stabilizing the driveshaft where they are attached."

Since the turbines rotate at higher rpms than traditional turbines, a small and light direct-drive generator can be used instead of a hulking gearbox.

The traditional wind turbine industry is reaching a tipping point as companies, such as energy giant GE, admitting they unable to make turbines fast enough to meet demand. No surprise when you consider the huge manufacturing process involved.

The stripped down Superturbine is more efficient, and cheaper and easier to produce than than large lumbering windmills, and also extremely versatile.

The Superturbine can been attached to the top of skyscrapers or placed offshore, where it is capable of withstanding harsh weather and storms while at the same time harnessing their power. When necessary, it can lay itself down or submerge completely using its flooding chambers. It also poses no risk to passing vessels, since it is relatively lightweight and mobile.

Aside from having the potential of being mid-air blenders for gormless birds, Selsam's innovative Superturbine has the potential to truly be the future of, not just wind energy, but renewable power in general.

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IEA release global wind power roadmap

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:17:00 +0000

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) the world will need to invest $3.2 trillion if it is to generate 12 percent of electricity from wind power by the year 2050, but the agency also insisted that there are "no fundamental barriers" to achieving or even exceeding this target.

According to the IEA's global wind energy technology roadmap - prepared to respond to the G8 request for more detailed analysis on the growth pathway for wind energy as a key GHG mitigation strategy - 47GW of wind power will need to be added every year between 2010 and 2050. This will require a 75 percent rise in annual investment, taking it to $81 billion from the $51.8 billion spent in 2008.

To achieve the target of 12 percent, a total of 2016GW of installed wind capacity by 2050.

Investment costs are expected to decrease by 23 percent

One of the most important factors to the wind energy industry becoming more widely accessible to private investors, as well as national governments, is the cost. But this is changing.

"Investment costs are expected to decrease further as a result of technology development, deployment and economies of scale, by 23 percent by 2050," the report states.

"Transitional support is needed to encourage deployment until full competition is achieved."

Along side solar power, wind energy is the world's leading light in renewable energy with both Europe and the US investing heavily in the technology. But there are many market leaders among OECD nations along with China and India, while non-OECD economies by 2030 will generate 17 percent of global wind energy, rising to 57 percent in 2050.

Reductions in offshore wind of 38 percent

Much of the world's wind energy has so far come from land-based farms as offshore technology investments can cost almost twice as much, but the return in energy can be as much as 50 percent higher. The IEA roadmap forecasts cost reductions in offshore wind of almost 38 percent by 2050.

The report added: "Flexibility is a function of access to flexible generation, storage, and demand response, and is greatly enhanced by larger, faster power markets, smart grid technology, and the use of output forecasting in system scheduling."

The report also gives guidelines by which governments can set their renewable energy targets, in particular wind power. Over the next decade, the IEA advises national authorities and decision-makers to set long-term targets that are supported by predictable market-based mechanisms in order to drive investment.

In regards to other obstacles that lie in the path of wind power, governments are advised to stimulate social acceptance of wind power through increasing public awareness of its benefits.

If we are to achieve the carbon cutting goals set by our world leaders, wind energy technology will be vital and reports such as this will prove extremely important in educating people as to how they can contribute to the global fight against climate change.

You can access the full IEA report by clicking here.

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Small businesses join RE revolution

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:03:00 +0000

It was announced last week that small businesses in the US will receive $18 million in renewable energy funding from the Department of Energy (DoE).

The money will has been awarded to support innovation research, development and deployment of clean and renewable energy technologies, including projects to advance wave and current energy technologies, ocean thermal energy conversion systems and concentrating solar power (CSP) for distributed applications.

Part of Barack Obama's American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the funding's initial phase will involve 125 small grants worth $150,000, and will be given to 107 small advanced technology firms across the US. As reported by RenewableEnergyFocus.com, the companies were selected from a pool of 950 applicants through a special fast-track process with an emphasis on near-term commercialisation and job creation.

Greater innovation and progress

In an attempt to inspire greater innovation and progress, the government are offering a second round of grants next summer worth $60 million for those companies that produce clean energy technologies with the most potential to meet market needs.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said of the scheme: "Small businesses are drivers of innovation and are crucial to the development of a competitive clean energy US economy.

"These investments will help ensure small businesses are able to compete in the clean energy economy, creating jobs and developing new technologies to help decrease carbon pollution and increase energy efficiency."

The companies eligible for funding were divided into 10 categories:

* Advanced Solar Technologies
* Advanced Water Power Technology Development
* Water Usage in Electric Power Production
* Advanced Building Air Conditioning and Cool Roofs
* Power Plant Cooling
* Smart Controllers for Smart Grid Applications
* Advanced Industrial Technologies Development
* Advanced Manufacturing Processes
* Advanced Gas Turbines and Materials
* Sensors, Controls, and Wireless Networks

Cost and performance improvements

12 projects in the Advanced Solar Technologies area received $2.8 million, where businesses will focus on achieving significant cost and performance improvements over current technologies, solar-powered systems that produce fuels, and concentrated solar power systems for distributed applications.

The idea is to broaden the appeal of renewable energy technology by making it more accessible and most importantly, more cost effective.

Much like any industry, small businesses will prove to be the life-blood of the renewable energy sector and its crucial they receive backing from Washington to keep innovating and giving the larger green tech firms the inspiration to drive America's clean energy future forward.

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