Alternative Energy Newswire

NV Energy & WM Sign 3-MW PPA

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:08:11 +0000

NV Energy and Waste Management (WM) have signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for the sale of renewable energy produced from a 3-megawatt (MW) landfill gas-powered project to be located southeast of Reno at WM’s Lockwood Landfill. The facility is expected to be generating renewable energy by late 2011.

Big Oil Behind Yet Another Biofuels Research Paper

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:50 +0000

When discussing indirect land use it brings a popular saying to mind: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Only in this situation the saying should be modified as follows: If a tree is cut down in a rainforest in Brazil to sell wood, should corn ethanol’s carbon footprint go up? Anyone with an ounce of commonsense would say no.

And here’s why: when a tree is cut down in Brazil, it is not to plant crops for biofuels, it is to sell the wood because the tree is of greater value as wood, then as part of the rainforest. Only then is the land converted to pasture and then to land for crops like soybeans. Sugarcane is rarely grown in the rainforest and Brazil doesn’t produce biofuels from corn. So what I just can’t seem to wrap my head around is what exactly does that tree have to do with corn ethanol?

So what has caused today’s diatribe on indirect land use? A new paper published this month in Bioscience Magazine titled, “Effects of US Maize Ethanol on Global Land Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Estimating Market-mediated Responses.” The paper was authored by Thomas W. Hertel of Purdue University and five co-authors. In a nutshell, the authors argue that the greenhouse gas emission reductions from corn-based ethanol are canceled out when factoring in the increased carbon output from indirect land use change. Therefore, their contribution to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard is negligible, even when compared to conventional petroleum based fuels.

There are so many things wrong with this paper that I had a hard time deciding where to begin. I’ll dive right in with the authors’ assessment of the number of acres used to produce corn in our country (they use yield numbers from 2001 when yield numbers for 2009 are already available).

They argue that land is going to need to be converted to crops and that this land will come from virgin land such as tearing down a forest. They also assume that current cropland will be converted to produce corn (most commonly away from soybeans). What they don’t factor is is this: In 2009, American farmers produced 13.2 billion bushels of corn, similar to the production numbers reported in 2007. The difference –this yield was produced using 7 million, yes million, less acres of land.

The ethanol industry was quick to respond. Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy commented, “The truth is, indirect land use is a heavily disputed theory in the scientific community that has yet to be proven. The theory of ILUC employs no empirical evidence and it is unfair to single out one industry – corn ethanol – as the culprit behind poor environmental practices in other countries.”

Buis continued, “Even when ILUC is included in lifecycle analysis for corn ethanol, the Environmental Protection Agency qualifies it as a low carbon fuel that is 20 percent cleaner than gasoline. Excluding ILUC, ethanol from corn is 59 percent cleaner and can play a significant role in cleaning the air, creating U.S. jobs and securing our national and economic defense.”

What Growth Energy failed to mention is that the paper was written with the help of several organizations including California Air Resources Board and The Energy Biosciences Institute, which was funded by $500 million from oil company BP in 2007 and at the time the largest single research “contribution” in the record books. Also participating were our “best friends forever” Timothy Searchinger and Thomas Darlington (Searchinger is a lawyer by trade and is no more qualified to conduct a study on indirect land use than I, a blogger). So what we really have here is yet another biofuels “study” funded by Big Oil. (And have I mentioned lately that Big Oil is still funding a campaign to discredit global climate change?)

The authors do cede that the concept of indirect land use is largely “uncertain and clearly requires additional analysis,” which brings me to the million dollar question, If indirect land use is so uncertain, then why are we creating policy based on unsound science? Oh, I forgot, our country doens’t make policy decisions on sound science. And that my friends is one reason why our country is in this big energy mess.

The Wärtsilä design selected by NRG Bluewater Wind for turbine and foundation installation

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:31 +0000

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The Wärtsilä design selected by NRG Bluewater Wind for turbine and foundation installation

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:30 +0000

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Blue H's prototype Submerged Deepwater Platform, installed 21.3km off the south coast of Italy at a depth of 113m.

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:30 +0000

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NRG Bluewater Wind: Turning adversity to its advantage

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:29 +0000

Does the US Jones Maritime Act present yet another hurdle for offshore wind developers, who already face an acute global shortage of vessels? Or is it a golden opportunity to be seized with both hands? NRG Bluewater Wind sees prospect in the silver lining.

Joos Solar Charger Tested In A Tub of Water In The Shade, Still Charges (Video)

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:20 +0000

Photo via press release

The Joos Solar Charger makes some bold claims. First, the company states that it generates 20 times the charge of other personal solar chargers on the market. There is no data on their website showing exactly what numbers they’re measuring, so we can only assume they’re talking about chargers with similar sized solar cells, and not personal solar chargers in general. The Joos can deliver 2.5 hours of talk time on your cell phone for every one hour of sunlight it sucks up…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

Utilities Poised to Blow It When Smart Grid Rolls Out

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:18 +0000

Photo via FeatheredTar

According to new research from IDC Energy Insights, utilities are not even remotely ready for the smart grid particularly when it comes to one vital piece of the puzzle – customer interaction. So far, utilities have been this big, lumbering entity to which you send money every month in order to have your lights stay on, your refrigerator keep cold, your heater to keep you warm. You don’t think about it daily, nor do you call up your utility for a chat often – or at all other than when you’re moving. But with real time pricing and new inte… Read the full story on TreeHugger

World Crude Oil Production Projected to Peak a Decade Sooner

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:17 +0000

Source: iStock Photo via American Chemical Society.

Guest blogger Cara Smusiak is a journalist and regular contributor to NaturallySavvy.com’s Naturally Green section.

Alternative energy efforts received a bit of a boon this week from a study published in the American Chemical Society’s journal Energy & Fuels, which revealed conventional crude oil production might peak in 2014–… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Solar Power For Your House – Install Solar Power at Home One Step at a Time!

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:15 +0000

Franck Silvestre asked:

Does the idea of installing homemade solar power scares you?

When you know that energy sources are depleting at an alarming rate, and that more and more people move to green electricity to save money on their utility bills, you may want to think twice before deciding that green power isn’t for you.

Well, while thousands of home owners in the U.S. and all over the world choose to get rid of electricity to install their own solar panels, I understand that many of you are still skeptical about those alternative power forms. The solution for those who are still hesitant to install solar power at home is to start with smaller options. Instead of installing a complete solar panel kit, you can start with solar cookers or a simple solar heating system.

You can start with a solar home lighting system for example. It just take the power of the sun, and turn it in electricity. This is a simple way to start saving money and do more of the things you enjoy.

A question that you may ask yourself is will you have enough electricity during the night?

Don’t worry, you will have more than enough electricity for you and your family. In fact, your system will gather enough energy for your needs. Women can learn how to cook without electricity. I know it sounds crazy, but hundreds of people are already doing it. They use solar cookers. It is another way to start small and progressively go off the grid.

Once you get those small utensils and get used to them, you can think about installing solar power for house and create your own energy (without any bill).

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