At least that’s the headline circulating around frenzied eco news outlets and in social media. But watch the video from the Financial Times to understand the more complete picture behind the headline.
Here is an idea. Let’s give solar companies the use of eminent domain to appropriate all the south-facing rooftops around the country because it’s in the ‘best interest of the public’. No way, not even for solar, you say? I didn’t think so.
You’re right of course. Eminent domain (derived from the term dominium eminens – Latin for supreme lordship) as a tool to entitle or enrich Kings or corporations (some of the latter confuse themselves with the former) is morally bankrupt and more generally, at least in my view, if you need the backstop of eminent domain to get your way, you’re probably not going about your business right.
Case in point: The Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline (NED) that Kinder Morgan (KM)/Tennessee Gas Pipeline seeks to build in New England (including my home state of New Hampshire), New York, and Pennsylvania. This pipeline (just like its more famous cousin – the KeystoneXL) is just a terrible idea.
It serves one purpose only; enriching Kinder Morgan, a Houston company, run by a billionaire CEO who apparently could care less about the hard earned real estate assets of the other 99% and about the many lives that will be disrupted by this ill thought out project. Disruptions like the creation of ‘incineration zones’ that include residential homes, elementary schools, small businesses and farms, plus 70+ acre buffers around the massive compressor stations to reduce the sound levels to that of a lawn mower running 24x7x365 (for the unfortunate neighbors).
And here is the kicker. One reason that this project will be so profitable for KM, is because they can invoke eminent domain, even if it’s just as a threat, to get their right of way and easements.
Haven’t the too-big-to-fail financial institutions done enough damage in the past 7 years?
The need for the NED project is at the heart of the fight between proponents & opponents. Proponents claim there is a need for more natural gas supply and that electricity price fluctuations in New England are the result of a lack of natural gas pipeline capacity. This pipeline is being touted as filling in a ’shortfall’ in fuel needed for electricity generation.
Opponents argue that the need for natural gas is only during peak demand which exist for only a few hours of each of 10-20 of the coldest winter days. The “shortfall” in energy has occurred only during very cold snaps when more of the current gas supply is used for heating instead of electricity. This occasional “shortfall” could be cut by 1/3 by simply fixing the leaks in the current gas infrastructure. The remaining 2/3 could easily be made up by expanding current renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation programs.
We currently have among the highest energy prices in the continental U.S. (although Hawaiians would be happy to only pay $0.13 per kWh). Even with the meager state incentives for solar this means Solar City, the country’s largest installer, is setting up an office and hiring 100 people to start installing solar around New Hampshire. That appears to be a way better option for us to reduce the reliance on imported energy, and a much better economic proposition overall. A gas pipeline will never create close to that many local jobs.
Why would anybody want a project that would instantly lower New England property values, making it nearly impossible to sell real estate in the affected areas, only to increase profits of a private company from Texas? Still boggles my mind.
I believe, now is the time to reject ill thought out pipelines transporting natural gas mainly for export purposes; instead let’s focus on better resource management, investing in efficiency and quickly building out locally beneficial renewable energy projects.
As most Alaskans can attest, energy in The Last Frontier is expensive. The average residential electricity rate of more than 18 cents per kWh is a full 50 percent higher than the national average, ranking among the highest in the country. That’s in part because outside the 50 hydro plants throughout the state, most of Alaska’s rural communities rely on imported diesel for their electricity. But the folks of Kodiak Island (pop. 15,000) in southern Alaska—powered almost 100 percent with renewable energy—have a different story to tell.
Although Kodiak Island, the second-largest island in the United States, relied on hydropower for 80 percent of the electricity production, it was also burning 2.8 million gallons of diesel per year, at an annual cost of $7 million. In the face of climate change and high electricity costs, the board and managers at Kodiak Electric Association (KEA) set a goal of producing 95 percent of the community’s electrical needs with renewable energy by 2020. They actually arrived there well ahead of time, and are now 99.7 percent renewably powered by wind and hydro.
MAKING THE TRANSITION
The State of Alaska has a renewable energy fund created in 2008 by the Alaska Energy Authority to help finance renewable energy projects and reduce and stabilize the cost of energy. KEA received $16 million in grant money through the fund, and $39.6 million through clean renewable energy bonds (CREBs). The CREB funds gave KEA a near-zero-interest loan for the project.
The first step was to purchase three General Electric (GE) 1.5 MW wind turbines. The turbines were installed in 2009, which was challenging according to Kodiak Electric Association CEO Darron Scott. “There was not a lot of information back then on how to keep the grid frequency and voltage steady with an influx of variable wind power,” Scott told RMI. “It was uncharted territory.” But after a grid integration study, which assessed the technical and economic impacts on the grid, the first three wind turbines were installed.
UPGRADED HYDRO FOR GRID STABILITY
A second modeling study was performed with real data from the first phase, and a second phase of three more wind turbines was proposed. But before installing the second phase of wind turbines, KEA wanted to upgrade the existing hydropower system. KEA felt that to ensure grid stability, the amount of wind power being put onto the grid had reached its maximum. The 20-MW, two-turbine Terror Lake hydroelectric plant was built in 1984, and forward-thinking engineers left an empty bay for a third turbine in case Kodiak’s load grew. In 2011, Kodiak’s peak load grew to over 26 MW, and the increased load, along with a desire to rely on more renewables, led to the installation of a third 10-MW turbine.
Besides covering peak loads, this turbine provided the necessary capacity and enhanced grid stability to allow more variable renewable power, like the three new proposed wind turbines, to come online. The new turbine also provided system redundancy, as the 30-year-old turbines require maintenance, which can now be done during low load seasons without switching to diesel.
A ROLE FOR STORAGE
For smaller electricity grids with quickly fluctuating demand and variable renewable energy inputs, a way to store the energy can be a great asset. In 2012, the three additional 1.5-MW wind turbines were installed, along with 3 MW of battery storage. The battery storage systems provide 30–90 seconds of bridging power when the wind output decreases, in order to ramp up the hydro system. Now, the Kodiak port wants to install a new 2-MW crane, potentially causing destabilizing power fluctuations leading to undesirable cycle of the batteries and the potential for consumption of more diesel to provide spinning reserve. Instead, KEA plans to add an additional flywheel energy storage system in about two or three months that will help compensate for the peaking crane loads. The PowerStore flywheel units from ABB will provide voltage and frequency support, will help manage the variable wind power, and will mean fewer cycles through the batteries, extending the life of the battery systems.
ECONOMIC STABILITY
The financial rewards of the project have been great. According to Scott, the community is saving. Electricity rates have gone down, and are now 2.5 percent lower than in 2001. “The stable electricity rates have also brought in more construction, expanded the fishing industry, and brought in more jobs and tax revenue,” Scott told RMI. And, at least one seafood company is capitalizing on the renewable energy to promote its sustainable salmon, as its salmon production plant is powered by wind energy.
The State of Alaska has a goal of reaching 50 percent renewable energy by 2025. Kodiak Island is providing a great example of how to reach and even go beyond that goal. “There are many communities in Alaska with significant microgrid achievement,” George Roe, Research Professor with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, told RMI, “and there is local, national, and global potential for building on Alaskan hard-won experience such as that in Kodiak.” In fact, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Kodiak Electric Association won the 2014 State Leadership in Clean Energy Award for their renewable energy programs. “Both the Alaska Energy Authority and the Kodiak Electric Association are putting into practice five principles that I believe are in our national interest,” said Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski in a congratulatory speech. “And those are to make energy abundant, affordable, clean, diverse, and secure.” Kodiak went beyond its reliance on hydropower, adding different renewable resources and storage, making its electrical system more reliable, secure, and a model for other communities looking to add variable renewable sources to their grid.
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This article first appeared on RMI Outlet and is republished with the author’s permission.
I’m usually not a big fan of liquid renewable fuels. I’m more of a “let’s keep it simple and use electricity” kind of guy, but the news from German startup Sunfire is intriguing.
According to the company, it has built a plant in cooperation with Audi that produces high-grade diesel using only renewable electricity, CO2, and water. Using electrolysis, Sunfire first splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Then it takes CO2 and combines it with hydrogen to create a hydrocarbon (the fuel). Each step is powered by renewables, such as solar or wind. Watch the video for a better explanation.
According to the team, the fuel carries no sulfur emissions and burns more efficiently than conventional diesel. Plus, you can use it both as a blend with existing fuel, or on its own, making it a plausible carbon neutral drop-in replacement for fossil fuels.
Next of course, Sunfire will have to build a much bigger plant, to drive down costs. According to reports, currently each liter costs between $1.15 and $1.70 or $6.37 a gallon to produce.
Given that it’s carbon neutral and could fuel a huge fleet of existing diesel vehicles already on the road, I’m making some allowances here and giving it a conditional thumbs up.
It’s Friday and you know what that means. That’s right. Time to browse the internet for some fun clean tech videos, sit back, relax and enjoy.
The first one is all American. A head to head comparison of the 2015 Tesla Model S P85D and the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. The Tesla is described as the ‘greatest vegetarian meal on the planet – it tastes great and is good for you’. While it wins the 1/4 mile drag race, it does not win the overall badass award which goes to the downright nasty Charger Hellcat. Overall, I just find it interesting that pretty much all performance cars are now starting to compare themselves to the Tesla, not the other way around.
This second video, while it has a lot lower production value is actually pretty fun to watch. Norwegian Tesla fan and driver Bjørn Nyland, takes us on a great ride on the German autobahn in his Model S P85. The best part of the video is just seeing him fly past all those Audis, BMWs and Daimlers.
Well, you’ve done it again. Wasted another perfectly good 35 minutes on Tesla videos. But, wasn’t it fun?
Want to see how quickly we can add megawatts of wind power to the grid. This wonderful time-lapse video by MidAmerican Energy shows just how rapidly we can deploy new wind turbines, generating well paying construction jobs and clean energy for years to come.
While the surrounding European Union is sticking to its guns with 40 percent greenhouse gases emissions reductions by 2030, Switzerland is showing some leadership by targeting 50 percent cuts by 2030. This is a bold move that deserves to inspire people and countries alike.
Having searched the Internet, I found that Swiss electricity comes almost entirely from low carbon sources with 56 percent of hydro and 39 percent of nuclear. The five remaining percent comes from thermal and renewables alike.
The electricity produced in Switzerland emits a tiny 14 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kiloWatt-hour as the local newspaper Le Temps reports. This has to be compared to an average of 353 grams per kWh of average in the European Union and over 600 grams in the United States (source)
As a result, Swiss citizens emits very low level of carbon dioxide per capita, a mere 6.4 tonnes per capita per year, compared to 8.1 tonnnes for the average EU citizen and a massive 17 tonnes for a US one.
This is why the Swiss decision to halve their emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 is a bold, ambitious move. The country is already at levels that would make others dream. Of course, the fact that Switzerland is a rich country surrounded by mountains makes it easy to have massive hydro capacity. The same Alps mountains are seeing their glaciers decrease each year by rapidly warming temperatures.
The Swiss government plans to reach these goals by concentrating its efforts on the transportation and housing sectors. Industry will also have a role to play.
The official statement stresses the point that the decision is in line with the recommendations from the IPCC climate scientists and is made ahead of the Paris climate talks that will take place in December this year.
As Nepal continues laying to rest her thousands of dead, many westerners like myself who have spent time there are feeling helpless, wanting to do more than sending prayers and financial support in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. This is not to say financial aid and humanitarian relief efforts aren’t essential during the immediate, and ongoing recovery. They are critical.
Simply put, healing and rebuilding this magnificent country full of wonderful people, many of whom struggled to survive against the elements below the Himalayas prior to the earthquake, will take years. It’s currently estimated that 75% of the buildings in Kathmandu alone have been destroyed or are uninhabitable.
As Nepal recovers, people, countries and companies that can contribute to this base infrastructure redevelopment should begin planning now to implement and lead a concentrated charge to place renewable energy on the ground.
For example, in the immediate aftermath of the quake, in addition to rescue, cell phone charging was one of the most urgent needs, especially for first responders and families trying to locate one another. While the cell phone networks was fairly resilient, the main grid was not and this made recharging phones nearly impossible.
Solar charging stations would have been, and would still be a viable solution in this kind of crisis. Cleantech and renewable energy options like these not only provide immediate access to clean affordable energy, but also build up resilience and preparedness for future disasters.
In the mid 1990s, when I was in my twenties, I spent nearly two years living in Nepal as part of a college requirement. My field of study was international development, with a focus on rural energy delivery. I saw first hand the vast difference in wealth between villages powered by renewable energy, such as a small micro grid hydro or solar panels – and those that weren’t.
At one point I lived for several months in the tiny village of Thulo Besi in Lamjung district. The village was just over the hill from a well traveled trekking route, about a half day walk from the nearest road head. It was a village of subsistence farmers, working from dawn until dusk to grow their crops like millet, rice and a few vegetables. They also raised chickens and goats for meat and a few families had water buffalo for plowing the fields and milk.
The women worked hardest of all. They made the meals, cleaned their homes, did the laundry (by hand of course) and raised the children, until they were able to take care of themselves and help with the little ones. They cooked the family meals over fires inside the house, without any kind of chimney, the smoke burning their eyes and filling their lungs. All this, in addition to hours spent in the fields, bent over, with a child on the back, doing the backbreaking work of planting, weeding or harvesting by hand.
Women are also responsible for collecting all the fuel for their families, which consisted of firewood, and sometimes dung. In addition to wood for the fires, the villagers used batteries for flashlights and radios and some kerosene for lights.
The total ‘cost’ of their energy was staggering. Kerosene and batteries had to be bought and were incredibly expensive. Wood fuel took huge amounts of time to gather every day.
In comparison, a village not too distant from Thulo Besi had access to electric energy from a micro hydro power station. The difference in wealth was instantly evident. They had modern electric lights in their homes, which were much better built and had improved cook stoves that did not fill their homes with smoke. In addition they were able to use electricity to run a grist mill to process their grains, giving them the ability to earn extra income.
Other homes in the area used solar panels to charge a few batteries used to run lights, a radio and possibly even a TV.
It was my first introduction to renewable energy and what people can do to lift themselves out of poverty given access to low cost, reliable energy. It made a powerful impact on me. Abundant, clean, reliable and affordable energy is the foundation of a sustainable and resilient society.
As Nepal begins to rebuild I sincerely hope that people dedicated to solving humanity’s myriad of problems with sustainable solutions, will be at the forefront of lending a hand. CleanTech solutions like solar, small hydro and energy efficiency can and should be a key component in rebuilding after disasters.
Every village not currently connected to the grid, every police station, school, hospital, fire station needs a solar system for lights, battery charging and more in order to be prepared for the next disaster, and also to simply have access to this abundant energy in everyday life.
This is literally an outrage. According to several sources, oil giant company Shell bought the European energy policy to be as low as possible on renewable energy sources.
As a close examiner for the past decade of energy and climate policies for the European Union, I have been wondering why, oh, why did the EU backed up recently from its previously ambitious policies on climate change.
Now, we just know. The Guardian and many other sources have published this week article on how an oil company spent around four million euros (and as much in US Dollars given the current parity) per year to water down renewable energy goals for 2030.
One single company with a few millions euros was favored by our elected representatives over the wellbeing of its citizens and of our economies. We have seen previously that the ambitious 2020 goals have already been partially reached and that as a result, hundreds of thousands of green jobs have been created in the past few years.
Yes, the European Union still has somewhat ambitious goals for 2030. Cutting by 40 percent total greenhouse gases emissions by that date compared to 1990 levels is ambitious, but it could and should be much more.
I just hope that now this has been exposed new targets will be voted. Shell or any other fossil fuel giant conglomerated should have the last world when we determine our future.
Image credits : Flickr.
OK, it’s a simple concept. Leveraging the same battery technology used in their awesome vehicles, Tesla is getting ready to enter the home energy space. But what’s really interesting about this, in my mind, is that it’s positioning Tesla as a different type of company. It’s not just a car company anymore. Not that Tesla ever really thought of itself as a car company.
Elon Musk and his team see the future very clearly. They understand that we have a real problem (let’s call it climate change) and what they’re doing is addressing our problems with real solutions. We will still drive, use energy, etc. We will simply power our modern lives with the help of our sun.
They have also identified electricity as the best carrier of energy going forward because it is so flexible, easy to use and transmit. They’re not getting into other forms of fuels or complicating the way energy will be generated. Why should they. Tesla already understands that our future will be solar powered. In their view (and mine) solar is the best way forward. It’s clean, it’s easy to install, understand and maintain, plus it’s getting cheaper all the time. In fact in many cases it’s already on parity with or cheaper than power from the grid.
To get a glimpse of the Tesla vision just watch the video and see their tweets below. It’s all starting to make sense. Isn’t it.
Harness the energy with Powerwall, Tesla’s Home Battery. #TeslaEnergy http://t.co/N4yjJ1HETU pic.twitter.com/kaTgcAS3zd
— Tesla (@Tesla) May 1, 2015
Introducing #TeslaEnergy, a suite of batteries for homes, businesses, and utilities. pic.twitter.com/HD7DbGRZPW
— Tesla (@Tesla) May 1, 2015
Need a little inspiration this Friday. Check out this new kickstarter campaign for a new home automation/energy efficiency device: OttoBox.
Everybody knows a significant amount of energy is wasted by appliances in standby mode. According to information provided, Ottobox tracks the habits of its users, learning when appliances tend to be in use and turning them off when they are not. Ottobox automatically turns off standby appliances, allowing consumers to achieve considerable savings on their electric bills.
Ottobox is the brainchild of Ameer Sami, the Founder & Chief Engineer of Ottomate. Ameer, after being continually scolded by his mother for failing to turn off his devices when not using them, decided that there must be a more convenient way to save energy. So, at only 16 years old, he developed the first prototype of the Ottobox. Now, through Kickstarter, 18 year old Ameer and his team of five are working to bring the Ottobox to mass production.
If it lives up to the presentation, it’s cool and, importantly, super simple to use. Plus you gotta feel good when it’s invented by a teenager and supported by a company and a team that look not much older.
So check it out!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ottomate/ottobox-smart-self-programming-home-automation-sys
It’s not always just about the technology. Clearly we have a lot of great cleantech to choose from these days, be it in energy generation (solar), energy efficiency (LED lighting), clean transportation (electric vehicles), etc. but sometimes it’s the business model behind the technology and how we apply it that makes all the difference and drives acceptance.
A great recent example of this is a new collaboration between the Schiphol Group, Cofely and Royal Philips who have entered into an agreement to offer light as a service in the terminal buildings at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Providing light as a service means that Schiphol pays for the light it uses, while Philips remains the owner of all fixtures and installations. Philips and Cofely will be jointly responsible for the performance and durability of the system and ultimately its re-use and recycling at end of life. By using energy-efficient LED lamps, a 50% reduction in electricity consumption will be achieved over conventional lighting systems.
By applying circular economy principles, Schiphol Group, Cofely and Philips have created a new standard in the transition towards sustainable lighting. The innovative light design also provides a better lighting experience and is part of an extensive renovation of the terminal intended to increase passenger comfort and capacity at Schiphol.
In association with architects Kossmann.dejong and Philips Design, lighting fixtures were specially developed for the airport that will last 75% longer than other conventional fixtures as the design of the fixtures improved the serviceability and therefore improved the lifetime. In addition, the fixture components can be individually replaced. This will reduce maintenance costs and means that the entire fixture does not have to be recycled, resulting in the greatest possible reduction in raw material consumption.
Jos Nijhuis, CEO and president of Schiphol Group, said, “It is Schiphol’s ambition to become one of the most sustainable airports in the world. We believe in a circular economy and want to play an active role in its realization. The collaboration with Philips and Cofely marks a good step in this direction. Together we left the beaten path to develop an innovative, out-of-the-box solution. We set a new standard that matches the ambition level of the airport.”
Frank van der Vloed, General Manager, Philips Lighting Benelux, said, “We are pleased to make an important contribution to Schiphol’s ambitious sustainability targets. We believe that more and more forward-thinking businesses will move to a Light as a Service model. After all, most of us are used to this kind of model – for example I drink water but I don’t have a reservoir in my basement. Many people are used to pay-as-you-go models. Add to this considerable energy savings from LED technology and the sustainability of the overall system and the proposition is compelling.
Hans van Happen, COO Cofely Nederland NV: “As the main contractor, Cofely is always on the look-out for innovative, energy-saving solutions that contribute to Schiphol’s business objectives. This innovative partnership with Schiphol and Philips matches perfectly with Cofely’s ambition to play a leading role in the energy transition.”
Philips will retain ownership of all the equipment, Schiphol Group will lease it for the duration of the contract. At the end of the contract, fixtures will be re-used elsewhere after upgrading, resulting in maximum resource reduction.
Supported by Cofely’s round-the-clock presence at Schiphol, Philips and Cofely can provide real-time management of the lighting system to generate an optimal lighting experience and sustainability. At the same time they will also be responsible for the intensity and reliability of the lighting, based on a KPI model.
It’s common sense that energy efficiency and solar make a great team, the former making the latter even more financially attractive. So it’s nice to see SolarCity, America’s largest solar power provider, embrace that concept and run with it via an exciting new partnership with Nest Labs.
On Monday, the company announced that it would start installing one Nest Learning Thermostat™ with each new solar installation in California for it’s next 10,000 customers – at no additional cost. To qualify, customers must simply have a compatible air conditioning system and agree to connect their Nest Thermostat to SolarCity as part of the Works with Nest program.
SolarCity makes it possible for homeowners to install a solar system at no upfront cost and pay a lower rate for solar electricity than they pay for utility power. The Nest Thermostat can program itself – it remembers what temperatures homeowners like, creates a custom schedule for the home and automatically turns itself down when homeowners are away.
A typical SolarCity residential solar PV installation.
Results from three recent energy-savings studies show that on average, Nest can save customers about 10 to 12 percent on their heating bills and 15 percent on their cooling bills. This translates to an estimated average savings of $131 to $145 a year with the Nest Thermostat alone, and combined with affordable solar power from SolarCity, customers can save hundreds more each year.
As an owner and fan of the Nest Learning Thermostat myself, I can wholeheartedly say that it works as advertised, saving me hundreds of dollars every year on heating bills. Plus I love the ability to check my family’s energy history, usage and energy-saving stats, and control our Nest Thermostat using a smartphone, tablet or computer, from anywhere.
With this new partnership SolarCity will offer its customers access to Nest energy services – such as Seasonal Savings – that were previously only available through utilities and government energy programs. Additionally, SolarCity is building connections with the Nest Learning Thermostat that can deepen solar integration capabilities and help homeowners further optimize their savings and comfort.
These Works with Nest integrations will be available to SolarCity customers this summer.
To celebrate this beautiful marriage of Solar & Efficiency, we’re giving away a Nest Thermostat to one lucky winner in a giveaway.
Just enter below. One limitation: you must be a U.S. resident 18 years or older to be eligible to win.
In this news segment PBS explores why in parts of Hawaii, where many homeowners have installed rooftop panels to capitalize on federal and state tax credits for using solar energy, the local utility company has slowed down approvals of new solar systems, saying that abundant users may threaten the safety and reliability of the power grid. As the popularity of rooftop solar spreads, many Americans could soon enter the same gridlock.