Tennessee engineers create hybrid ‘motor’

Invention could retrofit vehicles with plug-in for wheels

Nashville Business Journal

by Jeanne Naujeck, Staff Writer

As auto companies race to get viable electric cars to market, some local scholars are taking an express route to making the nation’s fleet more energy efficient.

An invention developed by professors at Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee Tech University doesn’t require Americans to replace their internal combustion powered vehicles.

The Plug-in Hybrid Retrofit Kit would allow car owners to convert their regular autos to hybrid vehicles by retrofitting them with a small electrical system that disappears into the extra space between the brake structure and inside diameter of the rear wheels of most cars. It delivers an extra 10 to 20 horsepower per wheel, kicking in when critical momentum is achieved, giving a “coasting” effect that relieves fuel usage.

“It gives you a virtual downgrade,” said inventor Charles Perry, a former IBM engineer who holds the Russell Chair of Manufacturing Excellence at MTSU. “The 15 horsepower that used to be provided by your engine is now provided by this.”

http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2009/10/12/story5.html

Solar Decathlon shows that homes can run on the sun

October 15th, 2009

By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

Tomorrow’s leaders are already working towards a cleaner future — that could be as bright as the sun.

The Solar Decathlon, an international competition hosted by the US Department of Energy (DOE), is showcasing solar-powered home designs created by students from around the world.

Students selected to participate were given two years to design and build the prototype solar homes, which must be carbon neutral and completely powered by the sun. The projects, many costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, are on display at the National Mall in Washington through Sunday (Oct. 18).

Two thousand students came together to form 20 teams, which are competing to win prizes in several categories, such as best architecture or engineering or “comfort zone”.

The Solar Decathlon Proposal Review Committee, which is made up of engineers, scientist, and other experts from the DOE and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, selected the teams that they thought had the ability to meet the strict structural and safety requirements. Once selected, each team was given $100,000 to get started. Projects often require more, so individual teams then raise any additional funds.

“The U.S. Department of Energy supports the Solar Decathlon to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. DOE also supports the event to help move solar energy technologies to the market place faster. The Solar Decathlon helps accelerate the research and development of energy-efficiency and energy production technologies,” said John Horst, spokesperson for the Department of Energy.

Read the entire article here: http://www.greenrightnow.com/kabc/2009/10/15/solar-decathlon-shows-that-homes-can-run-on-the-sun/

U.S. Army to build 500 MW solar power plant

* Project's first phase to be 500 megawatts, could be 1 GW

* ACCIONA Solar, Clark Energy to develop plant over 13 yrs

* Developers to fund project in exchange for land lease

LOS ANGELES, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is tackling a new mission in the field of alternative energy, moving to power up a 500-megawatt solar facility at Fort Irwin's sprawling desert complex in California.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tapped ACCIONA Solar Power, a unit of Spain's Acciona SA (ANA.MC), and Clark Energy Group to develop the project, which launched its first phase on Thursday.

The project, located at the Army's largest training range in California's Mojave Desert, could grow as large as 1 gigawatt in the future.

The companies will finance and build the plant in exchange for leasing of the military land. The project, planned for five sites over 13 years, could cost $2 billion.

The solar power plant is part of the Army's mission to meet a federal mandate that calls for it to cut its energy use by nearly a third by 2015 and get a quarter of its energy needs from renewable resources by 2025.

The facility at Fort Irwin will surpass the 14-MW solar plant at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada as the U.S. Department of Defense's largest solar power plant.

The new plant will have both photovoltaic solar panels and mirrors and turbines for concentrated solar power.

That approach takes advantage of solar thermal's low-cost and solar panels' fast installation, Laurence Greene, who directs development at ACCIONA Solar Power, told a conference call.

"We can tailor individual site development to the needs of the marketplace," Greene added.

Greene said they will be working with other companies on the project, but had not chosen any yet.

At most the military complex uses 28 MW of electricity, said Jerry Hansen, the Army's senior energy executive, leaving nearly 475 MW for developers to sell to regional utilities.

(Reporting by Laura Isensee; Editing by Richard Chang)

http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN1427059020091015

Consider impact first

Dr. Brugge is an expert in the field. He was a featured speaker in Danville, VA last fall re: dangers of uranium mining.


September 27, 2009

THERE ARE at least five strong arguments against nuclear power being more than a minor part of the response to climate change (“Nuclear must be part of energy equation,’’ Op-ed):

There is no current or imminent plan for permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste in the United States.

Addressing climate change through nuclear power means spreading nuclear technology worldwide. We already see how this leads to nuclear proliferation in places such as Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea. This also may heighten the risk of nuclear terrorism.

Unintended releases of radiation from nuclear power plants, while rare, can be catastrophic (witness Chernobyl), and may be more likely as nuclear spreads to countries with less experience with the technology than the United States.

Nuclear is not really carbon neutral. The mining and processing of uranium, the building of power plants, and their decommissioning release carbon. A full accounting must consider the complete life cycle.

Finally, but not least important, mining and processing uranium ore has had devastating consequences for workers and nearby communities, often indigenous peoples.

Before we jump on the nuclear bandwagon, we need to appraise all the impacts and consider other alternatives, such as solar and wind, that have substantially less downside.

Doug Brugge
Cambridge

The writer was co-editor of the book “The Navajo People and Uranium Mining.’’

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2009/09/27/consider_impact_first/

7 Drawbacks To Using Nuclear Power

by Brett Stephens on September 23, 2009

by Tim McDonald

People may argue that 25% of the world’s energy is produced through nuclear power, but what they do not understand is all the problems it brings:

1 – It costs a lot of money to setup:

Nuclear power plants are definitely not a cheap investment. At around six to twelve billion dollars each – just for installation – taxpayers have subsidized billions of dollars to keep the utilities afloat. This money could have been invested in cleaner renewable energies instead.

2 – It causes global warming:

Once seen as the solution to global climate change, nuclear power is far from it. Everywhere along the nuclear chain – from the mining of uranium to its transportation to the construction of the power plant – greenhouse gases are emitted.

What’s more is these reactors take years to be fully operational – wasting precious time in our fight against global warming. We could have used that time and money more wisely, such as improved research and development in solar and wind power.

3 – The bi-product is radioactive waste:

Each reactor creates a lot (twenty to thirty tonnes) of highly toxic radioactive waste per year. Not to mention the so-called “low” level radiation emitted in the rest of the supply chain – such as during the mining and milling process.

4 – It is a nuclear bomb just waiting to be detonated:

Nuclear power plants are not as safe as they are said to be. They could easily be attacked and even if an accident happened, there are no realistic evacuation measures in place. Furthermore, thanks to the Price-Anderson Act, a utility company is liable for only $10.8 billion as opposed to the real potential damage of $600 billion! Who will be picking up the rest of the bill? The working-class taxpayers – that’s who!

5 – Low-level radiation causes cancer:

The levels of radiation released in the air, water and soil are considered “safe”. However, this standard is based on how it impacts healthy, white males and does not take consideration for children that are sensitive to cancer-causing radiation.

We have also been misled about how safe it really is to “dispose” of all this radioactive waste. There is no scientific proof to show where the safest place to dump the waste is. And more nuclear plants would make the problem worse. There are only so many “safe” storage facilities. Any additional waste would have to be either burned or dumped in landfills – leading to air and water pollution.

6 – Nuclear development aids terrorism:

A country’s national security always feels at threat when extremist countries start harnessing nuclear power. Just think about Israel attacking Syria’s so-called nuclear site back in 2007, and how uneasy America was when Iran was developing its own nuclear program. Nuclear power sets the stage for the production of atomic bombs, so as long the number of reactors increases, the likelihood of terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weapons increases.

7 – There are better power options:

What frustrates us is that we we should rather be spending our time and money on the development of safer, cleaner, renewable energy solutions, such as erecting more solar plants and wind farms. Hopefully with Obama’s administration, nuclear energy will be phased out and largely replaced with the implementation of renewable energy.

But while we wait, it is possible to start harnessing renewable energy at home. What’s more is, it does not cost very much and is rather simple to implement. Various solar and wind power guides have already become available, which you can see in our reviews section.

About the Author:

So stop relying nuclear power and learn to make your own power at home. But before you get ripped off, have a look inside the best diy energy manual – Earth4Energy – for free NOW! You should also have a look at the in-depth Earth4Energy Review here.

http://thetechedition.com/7-drawbacks-to-using-nuclear-power/

NH's 'green power' law draws wind parks

By PAULA TRACY
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff

Monday, Aug. 10, 2009

The state's incentives for "green power" proved a draw for the company that plans to build a string of 410-foot wind turbines across remote ridge lines in Coos County.

Like 29 other states and the District of Columbia, New Hampshire is offering trade-able credits for renewable power through the state's new Renewable Portfolio Standard, known as RPS.

"Noble would not be building if they didn't have this scheme -- and I use scheme in the positive sense -- in place," Martin Murray, spokesman for Public Service Company of New Hampshire, said of the parent company for the Coos project.

"Just from the sale of energy alone, (the Coos project) would not have been able to be built because the costs are too high. But with this, (the law) they have two products, the energy itself and the credits," Murray explained.

The 2007 law requires utilities to buy certain percentages of power from renewable sources; Gov. John Lynch's goal is to have 25 percent of the electricity used in New Hampshire come from renewable resources by 2025.

The Granite Reliable Power Project received a state certificate July 15 to build a 99-megawatt wind park. Using a series of 33 towers from Dixville Peak south along Mount Kelsey in the Phillips Brook area, it is expected to produce enough emissions-free electricity to power 40,000 homes a year

Cost to consumers

On its Web site, Noble said it will spend $275 million to build the wind park here because of the Renewable Portfolio Standard.

In 2005, about 10 percent of the state's power came from renewable resources, but that is now increasing.

But it will cost consumers a pretty penny.

Murray acknowledged it costs more to buy the renewable power.

"Fossil fuel is comparatively cheap," he said.

On June 19, Iberdrola Renewables dedicated the state's first commercial wind operation in Lempster.

Paul Copleman, communications manager for Iberdrola Renewables, said RPS is "a positive factor" when determining where to locate, but ultimately wind and access to transmission are the primary drivers.

PSNH buys the wind and RPS credits or "RECs" and it also sells the power to New Hampshire Electric Coop.

Copleman said the company began plans for its 24 megawatt park before the state had enacted its RPS.

"It is an added positive factor because it provides an additional market," he said of the credits.

Attending the Lempster dedication the governor said, "We must push ahead in pursuit of a new energy future that will help to protect our environment, create new jobs and strengthen our energy independence."

The state's Site Evaluation Committee voted unanimously to issue a certificate with conditions for the 99-megawatt Granite Reliable Power within one year of its application.

Iberdrola Renewables dedicated the state's first commercial wind operation in Lempster in June. (COURTESY)

It is still subject to federal permitting, and would boost New Hampshire's wind production to 125 megawatts by 2011.

PSNH's Murray said the project simply would not have come here were it not for RPS credits.

Energy credits

One reason PSNH decided to convert a fossil fuel burning boiler at Schiller Station into a wood-chip burning plant was to get into the credit program to help pay down the debt on the project. The company also has new solar panels on its building in Manchester, which it can also get credits for.

The Northern Wood Project has sold its renewable energy credits to Massachusetts, while PSNH can also use it to make electricity for its customers. The Northern Wood Power boiler began operations in December 2006.

To date, it has produced about 800,000 megawatt hours of energy, thereby producing 800,000 credits, known as RECs.

"For the most part, we have sold these RECs to energy suppliers who need them, and used the income to pay down the capital costs of the Northern Wood Power project," said Murray.

The certificates are sold to utilities that did not buy the actual renewable power, but a certificate verifying that the renewable power was produced.

Wood chip plants across the state have reinvested in their equipment to be certified as REC producers; PSNH invested in a new turbine at Smith Hydro in Berlin for that same reason.

"The act establishing minimum renewable standards for energy portfolios recognized that such projects were in the long term beneficial to the state," Murray said.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=NH%27s+%27green+power%27+law+draws+wind+parks&articleId=60893836-af9b-48b9-97d4-7f0abcfe2136

Thompson says investment in clean energy means jobs for Southern Nevada

Aug. 10, 2009

By JENNIFER ROBISON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The Silver State will soon run out of major construction projects: The Strip’s massive CityCenter will be complete by the end of the year, and the Hoover Dam bypass bridge will conclude soon as well.

That’s why investment in clean energy is more important to the Silver State than ever, said Danny Thompson, head of the Nevada chapter of the AFL-CIO.

Thompson, who participated in a panel on renewable power at today’s National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 at UNLV, said construction unemployment in Southern Nevada is well over 20 percent, and once those big developments on the Strip and local roadway construction projects end, that jobless level is likely to worsen without new investments.

Thompson focused his remarks on the need for a national renewable-energy portfolio standard similar to the one Nevada has. The state’s standard requires utilities to derive 25 percent of their power from renewables by 2025. That mandate has sent a stream of dollars into alternative energy. The result: New jobs building solar power plants and other green developments. A national standard would pay even bigger dividends, Thompson said.

“There are opportunities for jobs not just in construction and operations, but manufacturing,” Thompson said.

Also, the public sector will lead the way on cultivating the green economy, he said.

“Public works offers the jobs of the future, because today, the private sector is in the toilet,” Thompson said.

But green jobs won’t truly bolster the economy unless they’re “good” jobs, said Terry O’Sullivan, general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. That means governments need to write policies that encourage companies in the green sector to offer living wages and benefits to employees.

“They should be able to end up retiring and living a middle-class way of life,” O’Sullivan said.

Nationally, 1.6 million construction workers lack jobs, O’Sullivan said.

One initiative could help: One program about to get under way would fund weatherizing for 1 million low-income housing units in the next 12 months to 18 months, up from an average of 140,000 units a year that receive weatherization today. Nearly 40 million homes are eligible for weatherizing programs, and 100 million homes nationwide need some weatherization, O’Sullivan said.

The country just doesn’t have the labor force to handle that volume of work, though. Training dollars from the departments of Labor and Energy would help contractors move toward a capacity of 5 million to 10 million residential weatherization projects a year, O’Sullivan said.

Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, also sat on the panel.

Horsford said Nevada is “truly at the center for renewable-energy development in the west, if not throughout the entire United States.”

Launching the green economy will start with training workers to weatherize homes and retrofit schools for energy conservation.

“Nevada is open and ready for business,” Horsford said.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/52908327.html

Develop hydrogen energy to bolster state's economy

By Bobby Harrell

Monday, August 10, 2009

In today's world, the status quo of energy is foreign oil. It is a powerful force that drives economies and enables them to grow. Yet, at the same time, a shortage or change in the price of this volatile commodity can bring economies to a screeching halt.

Oil has two absolutes. One, it is limited in supply. Obtainable oil will eventually run out. Two, it is almost exclusively controlled by tyrants who hate us and the hundreds of billions of dollars we send them fund many of the evil plots aimed at destroying our country.

In order for America to gain true energy independence and break the stranglehold Middle Eastern cartels have on our economy, we must develop alternative energy sources. As a nation, we are much too dependent on foreign oil. To address this, we must first make better use of that which we already have. As Ronald Reagan said, "What is a conservative after all but one who conserves?"

This issue of energy security is very important because of the effect it can have on the sustainability of our economy and the preservation of our way of life.

However, in the face of this energy inevitability, there are still those who refuse to address or even acknowledge its existence. For now, the energy status quo seems safe to them and they attack any alternative plan as liberal or big government.

I urge those clinging to the status quo to look back at the words of Russell Kirk, author of The Conservative Mind. Kirk said, "The spectacle of vanished forests and eroded lands, wasted petroleum and ruthless mining is evidence of what an age without veneration does to itself and its successors."

Getting our country off of oil and on to another energy source is a change that will not come overnight and will require real leadership and vision. While it may be easier to push back instead of offering solutions, we need conservative leaders who dare to take the steps that will secure our economic future. A self-described Republican with a Libertarian slant, former Congressman turned television news host Joe Scarborough, said, "American technology firms, research universities, and scientific laboratories are still the most powerful force for innovation in the world. If our leaders could wisely focus this R&D brainpower on developing a portfolio of oil-replacement technologies the same way the U.S. government teamed with universities during World War II and the space race, it would revolutionize our economy and foreign policy for the next generation."

Just imagine how our economy and way of life could change if the billions of petrodollars we send to unfriendly oil-controlling countries were instead pumped into our own domestic energy industries. A viable alternative energy — produced by Americans and controlled by Americans — will allow our economy to grow, take away the best weapon terrorists have, and protect American lives.

Prosperity follows energy, and we will need more energy in the future if we intend to grow our economy. But we have become a nation dependant on dwindling fossil fuels. This is partly because of a lack of energy alternatives, but in reality, it is because we have lacked the determination to develop them.

The good news is that in South Carolina, we are now actively pursuing this goal of energy independence. Along with nuclear, biomass, hydroelectric, solar and wind energy, hydrogen has emerged as a promising new energy source. Since the only byproduct of hydrogen energy is pure water, it is proving to be one of the cleanest energy sources being pursued. And right here in South Carolina, we are leading the country and the world in the race to develop hydrogen technology. Teaming up with private industries and our research universities, we are making substantial headway in developing this technology.

Industry is getting involved in this new opportunity and that is attracting more private interest and investments — investments that will create sorely needed jobs and grow our economy. Already, we are seeing real-world applications of hydrogen fuel cells in the market. Bridgestone Firestone Manufacturing in Aiken is converting its entire forklift fleet to run on more efficient and cost-effective hydrogen fuel cells. Television stations are using hydrogen to power some of their cameras. It is even being used to power the scoreboard at USC's baseball stadium.

This effort to move our country beyond foreign oil will take leadership and a willingness to break from the status quo ideas about energy. I am confident that the people of South Carolina have this ability and have the vision to see the thriving economic engine that rests just over the horizon.

Bobby Harrell is speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/aug/10/develop_hydrogen_energyto_bolster_states92024/

GOV. RITTER CONGRATULATES NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY FOR LANDING $20M GRANT

Written by Shrewsbury, Holly

Gov. Bill Ritter today congratulated the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden for winning a $20 million grant to advance solar energy research in an effort to forge new frontiers in achieving energy independence. The NREL grant is funded largely by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is part of a $377 million program targeting 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers across the country. The grants were announced today by Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "Congratulations to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for securing another Recovery Act grant that will support growth and advancements in the New Energy Economy," Gov. Ritter said. "NREL is a critical component of Colorado’s energy sector and this grant is the latest example of how the state is being recognized for its work to create jobs and advance energy technologies.” The new grant will go to NREL’s Center for Inverse Design and will be used to replace trial-and-error methods used in the development of materials for solar energy conversion with an inverse design approach powered by theory and computation. The Recovery Act devotes $154 billion to energy, infrastructure and science projects nationwide to help push the economy in a new direction and to support efforts to create a sustainable energy industry. The Governor’s Energy Office is implementing a series of programs to use Recovery Act dollars to create jobs, support business and advance the state’s New Energy Economy. For more information about the Recovery Act, go to www.colorado.gov/recovery . To view a complete list of grant recipients, go to http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/EFRC_Synopses.pdf . http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/5026/2/

Pittsylvania County planners to hear public input on manure converter

By Charles Wilborn

Published: August 5, 2009

CHATHAM — The Pittsylvania County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing tonight to determine whether to recommend that the Board of Supervisors amend the county’s ordinance to allow anaerobic digesters as a special use in an Agricultural District. The systems are used to convert manure into energy and other products.

The hearing will take place at 7 p.m. in the General District Courtroom in Chatham.

If the commission approves the idea, the proposal would then go before the Board of Supervisors for an-other public hearing.

The owners of Van Der Hyde Dairy plan to use an anaerobic digester to process manure from their 950 cows and expand use of its byproduct to make electricity. The digester, introduced in Wisconsin in 2001 and used at 40 sites in the United States, recovers methane from animal waste through anaerobic — or airless — digestion. The technology processes the waste to produce electricity, bedding and liquid fertilizer. It also produces waste heat, which can be put to use to replace hot-water production and used for in-floor heating.

Other benefits from the digester include production of higher-quality cow bedding, reduced nitrogen and phosphorous levels, waste-odor reduction and improved energy distribution in rural areas. The machine breaks down fatty-acid levels in waste to get rid of odor.

The Van Der Hydes are seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and hope federal stimulus money will help pay for it. Construction would take about nine months.

The anaerobic digester would be 200 feet long, 72 feet wide and 16 feet deep, and would process waste in 21-day cycles.

Van Der Hyde Dairy has 23 employees and includes 750 acres. It produces 8,400 gallons of milk per day.

http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/planners_to_hear_public_input_on_manure_converter/13008/

Turn energy into new Apollo project

Keith W. Cooley

Forty years ago this past month, Neil Armstrong took that "one small step for (a) man," inspiring wonder around the world. As we remember the many people who built this country's space program -- astronauts, engineers, production workers and business leaders -- we should also note the similarities to today's program to launch a 21st-century alternative energy economy and Michigan's contributions to both.

Early on at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ed White, a University of Michigan-trained aeronautical engineer, became the first American to walk in space during the Gemini 4 flight of 1965. His commander, James McDivitt, was a Kalamazoo native and a fellow U-M grad.

The crew members of the Apollo 15 moon landing -- perhaps the most successful space mission ever -- all have degrees from U-M. And Clarence "Kelly" Johnson of Ishpeming -- who earned degrees from Flint Junior College and U-M -- founded and directed Lockheed Martin's legendary "Skunk Works" engineering shop, designing the U-2 surveillance plane, the F-80 Shooting Star fighter jet and 40 other advanced military and commercial airplanes.

The roots of Michigan's national leadership run deep. During World War II, Detroit was known as the "Arsenal of Democracy" -- the city that temporarily stopped producing automobiles to supply the Allies with the tanks, planes and trucks needed to win. After the September 11 attacks, firefighters from around the state -- including 19 from Monroe alone -- traveled to New York City to assist the search for survivors in the rubble of the twin towers.

Where the great race of the 20th century was to reach the moon, the great race today is in alternative energy. Rising fossil fuel prices and climate change have driven most major countries around the world to adopt ambitious targets for generating power from wind, solar and other alternative energy sources. The country that leads the world in this emerging industry will lead the world in economic growth through the 21st century.

Scientists, engineers, workers and businesspeople in Michigan are again serving our national interest by developing and manufacturing alternative energy technologies here. With their leadership, we are building some of the world's most technologically advanced wind turbines, solar panels, biomass gasifiers and electric vehicles. Further, we are leveraging our already established automotive component supplier network to manufacture the thousands of parts and pieces that make up these complex systems.

To compete against China and other countries that are driving hard for these new technologies, we must build on our strengths. We have many research, engineering and manufacturing resources that can be galvanized to address this challenge, but to build a new, world-class alternative energy sector, we need a federal commitment to alternative energy on the scale of the Apollo program to reach the moon. This commitment is the objective sought by the Apollo Alliance -- a national coalition of industry, labor, environmental and community leaders working to catalyze the transition to alternative energy.

Our national leaders have begun addressing the energy challenge. With new federal legislation directed at these issues specifically -- including the American Clean Energy and Security Act passed by the House of Representatives, which is before the Senate -- they are calling for research and development programs, for funding to help manufacturers retool and retrain workers for the new economy, and for policies that will drive demand for wind, solar and other clean energy technologies.

As the recognized leader of the free world -- a position won through the hard work and the sacrifice of each successive generation -- we cannot afford to stay locked into 20th-century paradigms as the 21st century unfolds around us. So let's exert some leadership. Let's take hold of the alternative energy economy before China and others beat us to it.

And as we do, let's watch as Michigan's scientists, engineers, production workers and business leaders step up once again to lead the way.

Keith W. Cooley is the president and CEO of NextEnergy in Detroit, a technology and business accelerator for alternative and renewable energies.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090804/OPINION01/908040316/1008/opinion01/Turn-energy-into-new-Apollo-project

Clean Energy: U.S. Lags in Research and Development

When Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon 40 years ago, it was a triumph of American scientific skill. It was also the result of the government's willingness to spend over $125 billion, in today's dollars, to take the country to the moon.

The need to remake our energy economy and to replace fossil fuels with renewables like wind and solar is often referred to as the new Apollo Project, a challenge to our scientists — and to the federal checkbook — that will be even greater than the moon race. We're moving ahead on installing new clean energy — the U.S. was the fastest growing wind power market in the world in 2008 — and Congress, with the support of President Barack Obama, is on the road to establishing caps on carbon dioxide.

But according to many energy experts — including Steven Chu, Obama's Nobel Prize-winning Energy Secretary — the science isn't there yet. Significant basic research and development needs to happen before renewables can truly displace fossil fuels. And unlike the first Apollo Project, the U.S. seems far from ready to spend the money needed to create long-term solutions to global warming — which risks the country falling behind in this new scientific race, toward a clean energy economy. "If we are serious about delivering the real technological change needed to really reduce emissions, we need to scale up research in a massive way," says Mark Muro, a fellow at the Brookings Institute. "We need a paradigm shift, and we're falling behind."

Much of that research would be done under the auspices of the Department of Energy, but Secretary Chu has seen his requests for more funding rebuffed by Congress. Chu wants to spend $280 million to create eight new research and development labs, staffed by scientists from a variety of areas, to work on clean energy solutions. Called "energy innovation hubs," they would be patterned after AT&T Bell Laboratories, the famed research centers where Chu did much of the work that won him a Nobel Prize in physics. Each hub would have a different energy focus, but scientists from different disciplines could meet and interact, and hopefully speed scientific progress. For the Department of Energy, which generally focuses on nuclear weapons, the hubs would represent a chance to start anew with energy research. "This allows you to begin a process of major experimentation with new paradigms," says Muro.

But although Congress is willing to fund the Energy Department at roughly the levels Obama is demanding, the House would give Chu only $35 million for his innovation hubs — enough for one center. Meanwhile, Congress is pushing the Energy Department to spend over $200 million on hydrogen-based clean fuel technologies — an idea that was popular with President George W. Bush, but that many energy experts deride as a permanent pipe dream. Another House bill would have the Energy Department spend $30 million a year for five years on natural-gas vehicles, even though the Obama Administration hasn't sought the money and few experts believe natural gas is a smart fuel.

As Chu, a newcomer to the capital, fights for money in Congress, there's a bigger battle brewing over the carbon cap and trade bill. Co-sponsored by Democratic lawmakers Henry Waxman and Edward Markey, the bill barely passed the House last month and will soon be taken up by the Senate. The legislative fight has mostly centered on how tight the carbon caps should be, but some of the revenue created by the cap — which would require some companies to pay for carbon credits — will be directed to energy research and development.

As cap and trade was revised in Congress, though, that number has dwindled — the current bill would channel perhaps around $10 billion a year to energy research in its early stages — but not solely for clean energy. By contrast, on the campaign trail Obama promised to spend $150 billion over 10 years just on clean energy research. On July 16, an assortment of 34 Nobel Prize winners wrote a letter to President Obama, calling for more support for energy research and development in the climate bill. "We need a much larger investment than what we're getting," says Jesse Jenkins, director of energy and climate policy at the Breakthrough Institute.

In the government's defense, the stimulus bill has directed further billions toward clean energy, and the new levels of funding will be higher than anything the industry has ever known. But other nations, especially in Asia, are still beating us. China is reportedly investing up to $660 billion over the next decade in clean energy and research. South Korea is planning to invest close to 2% of its GDP each year, or about $85 billion over five years, in clean tech. And Japan is aiming for a 20-fold expansion in installed solar by 2020. Meanwhile executives in American clean energy companies, who visited Capitol Hill on July 28 to lobby for a stronger national renewable energy standard, worry that we could be falling behind. "This bill does nothing to drive the installation of new renewable energy for the next several years," says Craig Mataczynski, the president of Colorado-based clean energy company Res Americas. "If we don't do something to drive this industry here, we could end up in second place to a country like China."

Of course, the tiny renewable power industry has little weight in Washington. The major coal-powered utility American Electric Power spent $4.6 million to lobby Congress in the first six months of the year, $1.3 million more than it did over the same period last year. By contrast, "I don't think you can see the renewable energy lobby compete on a dollar-by-dollar basis with the fossil fuel and coal lobby," says Mataczynski.

The question now is whether Obama will throw his weight into the battle. "Which country will create these jobs and these industries?" he said in a speech on June 25. "I want that answer to be the United States of America." It can be — but only if we're willing to shoot for the moon.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1913781,00.html

Kulongoski signals intent to veto rollback of wind energy tax breaks

by Harry Esteve, The Oregonian

Friday July 31, 2009

Oregon lawmakers hoped to save millions of taxpayer dollars by trimming state subsidies for wind energy farms, but Gov. Ted Kulongoski said Friday he will veto that effort.

In doing so, the governor signaled a low tolerance for any retreat on his vision for the state as a national center for alternative energy -- recession or no.

"A rollback in these tax credits would be detrimental to Oregon's continued success in creating green jobs and new green technology in the state," the governor's office wrote in a news release announcing his veto intent.

Kulongoski also said he will veto a bill that would have allowed older biomass energy plants at lumber mills to contribute to the state's goal of generating 25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2025.

Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, who led the effort to rein in tax credits for wind farms, said she shares the governor's commitment to green energy but the tax breaks go too far and cost too much.

"At a time when families are sitting around the kitchen table telling their children they can't go to college because of tuition increases, is it really fair to take what amounts to a corporate subsidy and double it?" Burdick said.

The subsidies to wind farms are part of a program called the Business Energy Tax Credit. Anyone who builds a project that creates renewable energy qualifies for a tax credit worth half of the construction cost to a maximum of $20 million for some projects.

Over the past two years, the tax givebacks cost the state about $60 million. Over the next two years, the cost to the state is expected to rise to at least $144 million, according to the most recent estimates.

An investigation by The Oregonian this year showed that millions of dollars in tax credits were being handed to some risky startup companies, to projects with questionable environmental benefits and to projects that would have been built even without the state subsidy. Critics singled out wind energy farms as undeserving of such large tax breaks.

They don't employ very many people and they send most of their power to California, said Peggy Woolsey, treasurer of Tax Fairness Oregon, which studies the impact of state tax breaks. "The wind farms are oversubsidized," while schools, state police, prisons and programs that help the needy get short shrift, Woolsey said.

Supporters credit the subsidies for bringing hundreds of wind turbines to the eastern Oregon landscape and for enticing several big solar energy companies to Oregon.

Burdick successfully pushed for House Bill 2472, which cut the maximum tax credit for large wind farms from $11 million to $3.5 million. The reductions would save the state an estimated $10 million a year.

"If the governor decides to veto it, it will blow a $20 million hole in the budget," which covers two years, Burdick said. That could mean further cuts to education, which makes up more than half of state spending, she said.

Kulongoski spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor said the governor would have supported a smaller reduction. Burdick's bill went too far and would take away Oregon's competitive edge for recruiting more wind turbines to the state, Taylor said.

She said the veto won't throw the budget out of whack or take more money out of schools and other state programs because the governor plans to replace the estimated $20 million cost with money from the state's ending balance.

"It's a minimal amount when you look at the return on investment," Taylor said.

The Legislature also passed a bill that requires the state to study the "financial reality" of wind energy to determine whether subsidies are needed. Kulongoski supports that effort, Taylor said. "We should get the facts first."

Finish reading this story here: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/07/kulongoski_signals_intent_to_v.html

Alternative Energy Plant in Liberty Co. Up and Running

by Mary Scott Speigner

July 31, 2009

Liberty County, Fla:

One plant in Liberty County is making their carbon footprint smaller.

The Telogia Power plant started back up this week after an almost two year break. More than 10 people who were laid off now have their jobs back.

The biomass plant in Hosford burns wood waste rather than coal like most power plants do to make our electricity. It has little to no carbon emissions.

“Some use coal, some use nuclear, we use wood to make steam,” said plant manager Jay Moon.

It takes wood waste from plants in the area and burns it to make steam. The steam is used to make to power.

“These companies that are making it…they need something to do with it…so we burn it,” said Moon.

There is a precipitator that takes the smoke from the wood burning and separates the ash and carbon out of it. So there are no emissions. It’s much cleaner than regular smoke.

The plant is one of only two biomass plants in the panhandle, but plants like this one are popping up around the country.

“Everybody’s getting on the bandwagon,” he said.

That’s because it fits the requirements of the energy bill floating through congress.

This plant is an example of what the bill is talking about. The house’s version of the bill requires electricity manufacturers to make 20% of their electricity from renewable sources like wood in this case and reduce carbon emissions by 17% by 2020. Both of these are accomplished with this plant.

http://www.panhandleparade.com/index.php/mbb/article/alternative_energy_plant_in_liberty_co._up_and_running/mbb7718032/

Army Going Solar With 500 MW of Solar Power in Mojave Desert

The Army knows that extensive alternative energy installations are the best way to ensure continuous, reliable electricity production. That’s why the military organization is building the Department of Defense’s largest ever solar project at the Fort Irwin Base in California’s Mojave Desert.

Clark Energy Group and Acciona Solar Power are collaborating on the project, which will use 14,000 acres of land to develop at least 500 MW of solar power by 2022. The $2 billion PV and solar concentrator installation will ultimately produce 1,250 gigawatt hours per year to the base–enough to power over 100,000 homes. As part of the deal, the Army will lease land to Clark and Acciona for the project. In return, the companies will pay with services like paving airstrips and building roads.

This isn’t the military’s first foray into renewable energy. The Army is spending over $1 billion on other renewable energy projects. It also began calculating and reporting its carbon footprint earlier this year.

http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/01/army-going-solar-with-500-mw-of-solar-power-in-mojave-desert/

White Mill Building on Memorial Drive Sold

By Staff

Published: July 30, 2009

BY DENICE THIBODEAU

Register & Bee staff writer

Rumors and speculation about the fate of the White Mill property will be put to rest Friday when the city officially announces the sale of the property, which stretches from the King Memorial Bridge to the Union Street Bridge along Memorial Drive.

The announcement will be made Friday at 3 p.m. in Danville City Council chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building on Patton Street.

City Manager Lyle Lacy would not release the name of the purchaser prior to the official announcement, but said the development plan for the project would be part of the announcement.

Contact Denice Thibodeau at dthibodeau@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7985.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rumor has it that Gibbs International, Inc. out of Spartanburg, SC has bought the old White Mill. Looks like Gibbs has lots going on alternative-energy-wise, including wind-mills. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in Danville, assuming the rumor is true.

http://www.gibbsinternational.com/alternative_energy_solutions_opportunities.php

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HUD Advances Sustainable Communities Initiative

By Erika Morphy
July 27, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC-The Department of Housing and Urban Development has appointed Shelley Poticha as senior advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities--a new office that HUD is trying to create through Congressional legislation sponsored by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT). Poticha will direct the office if the bill becomes law.

Among other responsibilities, the office would oversee a $150-million sustainable communities fund as well as a $100-million energy innovation fund, a HUD spokesperson tells GlobeSt.com. The office’s creation was part of HUD’s 2010 budget, submitted in May. The budget also proposes eliminating or consolidating 27 programs and activities.

Its mission also includes providing technical and policy support for energy, green building, and integrated housing and transportation programs at HUD and managing HUD’s relationships with the departments of Transportation and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The new office is part of HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s push to create a paradigm shift in how the US thinks about community development, the spokesperson says. "It is why we are seeing more conversations between HUD, Transportation and Energy--it has been recognized there needs to be more focus on tomorrow’s communities."

Poticha currently serves as the president and CEO of Reconnecting America, an organization that studies land use and transportation planning and policy with the goal of creating more sustainable and equitable development. Another senior advisor to the office is James Lopez, senior advisor for sustainability issues to the Deputy Secretary and former Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Management for King County, Washington. HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims will spearhead the Sustainable Communities Initiative.

http://www.globest.com/news/1460_1460/washington/180058-1.html

Wind-generated jobs: Minnesota could see more than 3,000 renewable energy positions

By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM

Minnesota could generate at least 3,000 jobs by catering to industries involved in making and installing wind towers likely to result from the state’s ambitious renewable energy standard, advocates said Wednesday.

Minnesota 2020, an organization that promotes wind, said the state’s renewable energy standard – which obligates utilities to derive at least 25 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025 – can be an economic engine.

The group estimates 3,000 to 5,000 jobs could be created from attracting companies that make components for wind turbines or that erect them on the massive wind farms that are dotting the prairies.

Wind-related industries could also pump $8 billion into Minnesota’s economy over the next 20 years, according to the analysis by Minnesota 2020, a “think tank” based in St. Paul.

“I think my estimate is conservative,” said Nathan Paine, a research fellow with the organization, who used economic models developed by University of Minnesota economists.

Minnesota has a good base to build upon when it comes to developing industries involved in wind power, said Joe Sheeran, a Minnesota 2020 spokesman.

The state ranks fourth in terms of its installed wind-energy capacity, about 1,800 megawatts, or enough to power 450,000 homes, according to Minnesota 2020’s figures.

Also, the state has a highly skilled work force, including in welding and manufacturing, that could be put to work building components for wind turbines, Sheeran said.

Minnesota already produces parts for wind towers, including turbines, housings for the gearboxes and bolts for the towers.

The severe recession has taken a toll on jobs in Minnesota, which has shed 35,000 or more positions in the past year, Sheeran said.

Although state and federal subsidies, including the production tax credit, make wind power economically viable, renewable energy sources will become more affordable if fossil fuels are subject to a carbon tax, he said.

Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland said the city is working toward the goal of installing a third municipal wind turbine. The two towers, becalmed in the gentle breeze Wednesday morning, were visible in the background as the wind proponents spoke.

“We’ll use as much as we can,” the mayor said, noting that every kilowatt generated by wind turbines means the city’s customers don’t have to buy power elsewhere. More than half of Moorhead’s electricity comes from hydropower, but that does not count as a renewable source, he said.

As utilities scramble to meet the 25 percent renewable energy standard by 2025, more wind farms will be needed to meet the demand.

“I’d like to see a lot of these projects built in Minnesota,” Paine said.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/247562/

Navajo Nation Approves First Tribal 'Green Jobs' Legislation

by Laura Shin - Jul 22nd, 2009

While economists bemoan the rising U.S. unemployment rate, nearing 10 percent, there's a part of the country that has long struggled with unemployment many times higher – the Navajo Nation.

The unemployment rate across the sprawling region is 44 percent right now. But on Tuesday, its leaders approved groundbreaking legislation that they hope will bring change for their people.

The Navajo Nation became the first Native American tribe to pass green jobs legislation intended to grow thousands of jobs in ways that follow the Navajo traditions of respecting the Earth. The Navajo Nation Council voted to establish a Navajo Green Economy Commission that will draw on federal, state and foundation funding to pay for green initiatives ranging from farmers’ markets to small-scale energy projects.

“This is huge,” says Wahleah Johns, Field Organizer for Black Mesa Water Coalition, part of the Navajo Green Economy Coalition, which lobbied for the legislation.

“One of the largest indigenous nations in the U.S. is paving a pathway for green jobs development in Indian country. It could be a model for most Indian nations throughout the world.”

The Navajo Green Economy Coalition hopes the initiative will alleviate the area's high unemployment rate. Many employed members of the Navajo Nation, which spans 26,000 miles – about the size of West Virginia – have to travel far to jobs off the reservation. Some 77 cents of every dollar earned on the reservation ends up being spent off of it.

“I think this legislation is really important, because we have a lot of really smart, talented people who go to college and return and can’t find a job. I was one of them,”
says Nikke Alex, a member of the coalition and a recent University of Arizona graduate.

Many of the jobs that are on the reservation are with schools, hospitals and tribal government, or in industries like coal mining, oil drilling and, until a 2005 tribal ban, uranium mining.

The legislation defines "green businesses" as businesses and industries that contribute to the economy with little or no generation of greenhouse gases and/or can counteract the negative effects of greenhouse gases.

“With this green jobs program, we hope we will support existing sustainable practices, like local organic farming that already exists but just needs a good marketing mechanism, and ranching organic meats like sheep and cattle that a lot of folk raise on Navajo reservation that could be made into gourmet foods,” Johns says.

The commission also expects to fund weavers’ co-operatives and wool mills, since shepherding and weaving wool are part of traditional Navajo culture. Energy will be a focus in the form of weatherization, energy efficiency and small-scale solar and wind projects within homes and communities.

“Our government has been relying on dirty energy and it’s time that our tribal government turns to more energy efficient and sustainable jobs,” Alex says.

Johns touted the benefits of the reservation’s sunny location – surrounded by Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, it has more than 300 days of sunlight annually – and its proximity to California, a leader in renewable energy standards that could become buyer if the Navajo Nation produces and sells solar or wind energy.

Rural electrification and rainwater harvesting are also becoming priorities for the Navajo Nation; 50% of the reservation lacks electricity and running water. The legislation will also create green jobs training programs in collaboration with Diné College and Navajo Technical College.

The legislation aligns with Native American cultural values, Johns says:

“All indigenous nations have always had a philosophy of being caretakers of Mother Earth. It’s something our people have been practicing for countless generations and it’s nothing new for our people.”

The newly established Navajo Green Economy Commission will take two years to implement the legislation, spending the first year researching the community’s job needs and applying for funds. The Commission intends to seek funding from various federal initiatives, including the newly established Clean Energy Corps, from state agencies, and from large foundations. The commission will then assess and grant funds for green projects.

The impetus for the legislation came from a grassroots coalition, formed in the spring of 2008, of individuals and the Sierra Club, 1Sky New Mexico, Grand Canyon Trust, Diné CARE, New Energy Economy and New Mexico Youth Organized.

Other Native American groups are also pursuing green opportunities. In South Dakota, two tribes are working on wind power. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe launched the Sioux Wind company with the goal of building a wind farm on or near the tribe's reservation. The Oglala Sioux tribe approved the creation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Renewable Energy Development Authority in May to oversee renewable wind power development on the wind-swept Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

http://solveclimate.com/blog/20090722/navajo-nation-approves-first-tribal-green-jobs-legislation

NRC Director to Speak at Lynchburg Energy Conference

By Ray Reed

Published: July 21, 2009

An energy conference featuring the director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be held in Lynchburg on Monday [July 27. 2009].

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th District, is sponsoring the conference, which will bring NRC Director Kristine Svinicki and two other speakers to Central Virginia Community College for the 10 a.m. event.

“This conference will have a lot of useful information about energy needs, about legislation in Congress, and three guest speakers, all of whom should be interesting,” Goodlatte said.

It also promises information about alternatives to the energy bill the House of Representatives passed in June, over Goodlatte’s opposition.

Although he’s in favor of developing new energy sources in the Democrat-backed bill, Goodlatte said, “it’s far too expensive to replace nuclear, coal and gas-powered vehicles.”

“Those are the sources of energy we are heavily dependent on in this country,” and “we’re going to be heavily reliant on them for years to come,” he said.

“Where the Democratic bill went off track was by raising the cost of utilizing them before we had anything to replace them with” in the form of proven and renewable green-energy sources, Goodlatte said.

Speakers, in addition to Svinicki and Goodlatte, will be Ben Lieberman of the Heritage Foundation and Timothy Davidick, an executive with ADM Micro Inc., an energy management company in Roanoke.

Goodlatte said he expected several energy-related companies to set up display tables at the conference, including Areva nuclear company, American Electric Power, Dominion Virginia Power, Innovative Wireless Technologies, Babcock & Wilcox Co. and Virginia Uranium Inc. of Pittsylvania County. A Toyota energy-efficient car will be on display, Goodlatte said.

Svinicki has been commissioner of the NRC since March 2008. She is a nuclear engineer and was a policy adviser for the Senate Armed Services Committee under former Sen. John Warner, R-Va.

She worked on defense science and technology programs, including nuclear weapons, security and environmental management programs.

Lieberman, a specialist in energy and environmental issues, frequently comments on TV news channels and advocates free-market solutions to rising energy prices while supporting access to domestic energy supplies.

Davidick heads up an ADM Micro initiative to help commercial properties upgrade their electricity metering and sustainable energy programs such as power from solar, wind and biofuel sources. The company provides systems that manage electricity use in stores, restaurants and government buildings.

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/nrc_director_to_speak_at_city_energy_conference/17878/