Alternative Energy Newswire

CLEAN ENERGY PATENTS HIT RECORD HIGH IN 2009 -Clean Energy Patent Growth Index

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:37:19 +0000

Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. is pleased to announce results for the fourth quarter of 2009 for the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) by the firm’s Cleantech Group, along with the year end 2009 results.

S4 Energy Solutions Announces Plasma Gasification Project

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:37:18 +0000

S4 Energy Solutions has recently announced plans to develop a plasma gasification facility at Waste Management’s Columbia Ridge Landfill in Arlington, Oregon. The facility will covert municipal solid waste into clean fuels and renewable energy. Construction is beginning in early summer and the plant will be online by the end of this year. During construction, 28 people will be employed with 16 being permanent once the facility is operational. S4 is a partnership between Waste Management and InEnTec, a deal that was solidified in May of 2009.

“Our goal is to extract as much value as possible from waste and this project will help us recover valuable resources to generate clean fuels, renewable energy and other beneficial products,” said Dean Kattler, area vice president for Waste Management Pacific Northwest. “This project strengthens our focus on renewable energy and new technologies that use waste as a resource. We are committed to growing our business in this region in innovative ways, bringing green jobs to communities where we already have operations and community relationships.”

Using S4’s PEM process, waste materials are prepared and fed into a phase gasification chamber that operates at nearly 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Once this phase is complete, the waste materials flow into a second closed chamber where they are superheated using plasma, an electricity-conducting gas. Ultimately, the intense heat rearranges the molecular structure of the waste converting it into syngas. From here, the syngas can be converted into ethanol or diesel or into industrial products like hydrogen or methanol.

This site also features a landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) facility which captures methane gas created during decomposition and to use for electricity which powers 5,000 homes in Seattle. Sixty-seven windmills also generate 100 MW of electricity at the landfill and the power is sold to PacifiCorp.

Jeff Surma, president and chief executive officer of S4 Energy Solutions, concluded, “Plasma gasification has garnered a lot of attention recently, as we look for new ways to sustainably manage waste while recovering valuable resources. We believe the project will demonstrate commercial viability of the new S4 integrated system, so that we can implement this technology at many other locations for a wide variety of applications.”

Worldwide Oil Subsidies Could Top $500 Billion

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:37:17 +0000

Last September, the G-20 leaders announced during an event in Pittsburgh, that they are committed to phasing out controversial fossil-fuel based subsidies. According to the Global Subsidies Initiative, the G-20 leaders blame subsidies for encouraging wasteful consumption and undermining efforts to combat climate change. Referencing studies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), the G-20 said that “eliminating fossil fuel subsidies by 2020 would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 by ten percent.”

Last month, the preliminary report was released, “Analysis of the Scope of Energy Subsidies and Implementation of Phasing Out” written by researchers from the International Energy Association (IEA), World Bank, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The report has found that the world could spend in excess of $500 billion each year to subsidize fossil fuels.

In response to this early draft, Tom Buis, with Growth Energy, an organization that represents the US ethanol industry said, “This study confirms what millions of Americans have known all along. Our addiction to oil has a devastating impact on our nation’s economy and energy security, as well as that of nations around the world. By increasing the production of domestic, renewable ethanol, we will not only enhance U.S. national security and green our environment but dramatically reduce the transfer of wealth that occurs today, keeping more money and jobs here at home at a time when it is needed most.”

Buis concluded, “Further, by learning many of the agricultural innovations that the U.S. uses today for farming and ethanol production, developing nations can benefit from both food and fuel production, helping them to become more energy independent and grow their economies.”

GTI to Develop Home Solar Thermal Products

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:37:16 +0000

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) recently announced the opening of its Combine Heat and Power (CHP) and Renewable Energy Laboratory located on an 18-acre site in Des Plaines, Illinois. Much of the focus of this lab will be to bring to market more capabilities for developing a wide variety of efficient, sustainable renewable energy technologies such as solar thermal products. The site features a multitude of different types of low-to-medium temperature solar thermal technologies including tankless natural gas water heaters, boilers, space conditioning equipment, and more.

In a press statement Bill Liss, Managing Director, End Use Solutions said, “The advancement of renewable energy is crucial to reducing the demand for conventional fossil fuels while also reducing carbon emissions. A key challenge, however, is integrating renewable energy solutions – such as solar thermal – in a cost-effective way for homes, commercial businesses, and manufacturing facilities. We’re addressing these challenges, with a goal of bringing practical, clean, high-efficiency hybrid solar thermal energy technologies to the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.”

According to GTI, their solar thermal R&D portfolio focuses on advancements of traditional lower-temperature solar thermal (less than 200°F) for hot water or space heating, and newer higher-temperature (over 200°F) systems that can be used for steam generation, absorption cooling, process heating, and other value-added uses.

“Solar thermal water heating technology has been around for more than a century,” said Liss. “However, innovative processes are breathing new life into this technology. When coupled with the most advanced natural gas water heating systems and the latest computer controls, new solar thermal energy solutions are creating a very dynamic and reliable renewable application.”

GTI also notes that advanced “hybrid systems,” which use solar thermal energy along with natural gas or propane, can reduce energy consumption by up to 40 percent including lower capital and installation costs. With sponsorship from Utilization Technology Development, they are developing a residential hybrid-gas solar hot water system that will reduce materials, manufacturing and installation costs. GTI hopes to bring these types of technologies to market soon at a cost-effective price.

Let’s Not Forget: Even Without CO2, Coal Would Still Be Very Dirty

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:36:47 +0000

“Orthographic aerial photograph of Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill, in Kingston, Tennessee, taken the day after the event.” Photo: Public domain

CO2 is Important, But Not the Only Thing
David Roberts over at Grist has a great rebuttal of Thom Friedman’s latest column in which he and investor… Read the full story on TreeHugger

LED Street-Lights are Greenest Choice, Life-Cycle Study Shows

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:36:45 +0000

Image: Knossos

Induction Lights Are Close, But No Cigar
Most people who have been following lighting tech seem to be convinced that light-emitting diode (LED) lights are the future, but it’s always good to see new research being done on them. The more sure we are that they’re the way to go, the better. It always sucks to invest a lot of time and money into something only to later realize that it’s not nearly as good as we were first led to believe (*cough* corn ethanol *cough*). Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have conducted the first cradle-to-grave assessment of LED streetlights, and the… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Beyond "Buy American": The U.S. Needs a Clean Energy Strategy

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:36:26 +0000

By Jesse Jenkins and Devon Swezey, Originally Posted at Breakthrough Institute

The introduction of “Buy American” legislation in the Senate in response to a report that more than three quarters of funds from a clean energy stimulus program went to foreign companies is understandable and probably good politics. Unfortunately it will do nothing to solve the root of the problem, which is that for 30 years Congress has done little to support the development of domestic clean energy industries. Given the decades-long absence of a national clean energy strategy in the United States, the fact that foreign companies are benefiting most from the stimulus grant program should come as no surprise.

The U.S. has always lacked a proactive, consistent clean energy technology strategy that provided support for clean tech companies through each stage of the technology value chain, from R&D and innovation, to manufacturing and commercial deployment at scale.

Instead, U.S. clean energy policy has historically been characterized by a disjointed collection of loosely associated, often inconsistent incentives. One example is the wind energy production tax credit (PTC), a demand incentive that has routinely been at perpetual risk of expiration, and actually lapsed on three separate occasions over the last decade. With the real possibility that the policy-driven demand for wind turbines would dry up in any given year, companies were understandably wary of investing in large manufacturing facilities in the United States.

While the United States was once a pioneer in developing and commercializing clean energy technologies, from solar cells to nuclear power, we now lag behind our competitors in Asia and Europe in the production of virtually all clean technologies.

Other nations have leapt ahead by implementing clean energy strategies that coordinate long-term investment in integrated research and development, low-cost financing for clean tech manufacturers, and stable policies to ensure domestic demand for clean energy.

Germany has become a leader in solar and wind through public-private financing mechanisms to finance energy innovation as well as strong demand side policies, such as the solar feed-in tariff policy adopted by the government in 1991. Likewise, the Chinese government supports the growth of its domestic industry through state funding for R&D, low-cost financing and free land for manufacturers, and targeted deployment incentives for different technologies. China is now the leading producer of solar cells and wind turbines in the world.

It’s worth noting what a historical anomaly it is for other nations to lead the world into a new technological revolution with the United States as spectator. We were once leading manufacturers in almost all clean energy technologies, but production has long since shifted overseas. Today U.S. companies can’t even supply the domestic market, let alone take full advantage of enormous clean tech export opportunities.

Beyond manufacturing, the United States is also giving away the greatest advantage it has in the clean energy race–innovation. For the United States to build a thriving domestic clean tech industry it will have to stay one step ahead of the competition, quickly developing and commercializing the next generation of clean energy technologies to make them cheaper and more reliable. Unfortunately, new innovative technologies are just as likely to originate in other nations as the United States, due to a chronic underinvestment in energy R&D.

Today, the energy industry invests only three tenths of one percent of revenues in the research and development of new technologies. This pitiful figure is one-hundredth the amount of private sector revenues that flow into R&D in priority industries like IT and pharmaceuticals. Public energy R&D funding is also shamefully low. While the United States government invests $30 billion per year in health research, energy R&D has stagnated for two decades at around $5 billion per year. Other nations have surged ahead in innovation investment–Japan and South Korea invest twice as much in energy R&D as the United States on a per-GDP basis.

How did we get here? As increasing global competition put pressure on the American industry, we became complacent, believing that our historical strengths in innovation would ensure that new clean energy technologies would continue to be invented here. This faith was fueled by a pervasive ideology advanced by both anti-government conservatives and neoliberal Democrats that argued that innovation–our “comparative advantage”– would carry us once again to economic prosperity. Unfortunately, as manufacturing has moved overseas, innovation has followed. An authoritative report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) shows that the United States has fallen to 6th out of 40 developed nations in innovation capacity and last out of the 40 in making the investments necessary to be innovative and competitive in the future.

Other rich nations like Germany and Japan didn’t make the same mistake we did–they continued to invest in the creation of high-tech manufacturing industries and their domestic innovative capacity as a foundation for future economic prosperity.

In the context of three decades of neglect and underinvestment in the domestic clean tech industry, there is no reason that we should expect either the short-term stimulus grants or a “buy American” policy to make the United States competitive in the clean tech race. Only a comprehensive clean energy competitiveness strategy built around long-term, coordinated investments in R&D, manufacturing, and markets can forestall further American decline in the global clean tech industry. As other nations bring their own competitiveness strategies to the table, the United States remains noticeably absent.

Steven Chu: “It Could Be Very, Very Bad”

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:36:25 +0000

“It’s not too late; we can minimize the alteration, or we can just plow on as usual … and if we plow on as usual … it could be very, very bad.” So says Nobel Prizewinner for Physics, Steven Chu, who is now Energy Secretary of the Obama administration Department of Energy – at Stanford University this week.

“Speaking to the choir” (peer reviewed scientists and the educated already understand the problem) but really addressing the Senate Republicans who need to pass climate legislation, Chu stressed the danger and risks of inaction.

Much of the outcome will depend on the Earth’s response to an anticipated temperature increase of five or six degrees centigrade, an effect that won’t take hold for another 100 to 150 years, he said.

That’s when the oceans, a vast storage sink for carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, are expected to reach capacity and begin expelling gases back into the air.

There are great uncertainties as to the outcome awaiting us if we continue business as usual by relying on a fossil-fuel-guzzling energy infrastructure to meet everyday needs, said Chu.
(more…)

Daimler sells its stake in Tata Motors

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:36:25 +0000

Buyers of the 5.34 percent stake included Tata Sons and Citigroup, though the Indian electric vehicle maker’s stock took a hit today on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

FINALLY! Solar Panel Kits That Anyone Can Afford

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:36:24 +0000

New innovations in the solar power industry are making solar more affordable than ever. Now nearly anyone can afford a small startup kit that will allow homeowners and business owners to start producing renewable energy and add more panels as their budget allows in the future.

Out With The Old
Just a couple years ago the minimum solar power kit you could find was about $8000. This was primarily because of the inverter, which changes the DC power from the panels to AC power for your home. The smallest grid-tie inverter that you could buy was about 1500W, and cost about $2000. Because of this, it only made sense to maximize the capacity of the inverter with the most solar panels. This would add to the cost of the system bringing it into the $8000-$10000 range.

Micro Inverters Have Changed Everything
Now, technology has advanced to the point where we can use a new device called a micro-inverter. About the size of an internet modem, these inverters cost about $200 each. They are designed to be connected to one panel with a wattage of 200 or higher. The inverter is then simply connected to the grid at your home or business. This means that you can just buy one inverter and one panel, with racking, wiring, and disconnects, for less than $1500 and start generating grid-tied renewable energy. This changes everything. Now almost anyone can afford a starter solar power system.

Expanding Is a Piece of Cake
Maybe the best part of this new development is that there is virtually no limit to how large or small your system could be. Many people are starting with a one panel system, and simply adding a panel every year as their budget allows. In 9-10 years they would have a system that could provide the majority of their power needs. Since the system is one inverter for one panel, you just add a system, or multiple systems, into your electrical feed and watch the power bill go down.

Same Rebates & Incentives
These systems are eligible for the same tax incentives and rebates that the larger systems are. As long as your local utility doesn’t have a minimum system size, which most don’t, you’ll get your rebate with just as you wold with a large system.

Production Readout
The new micro inverter systems also come with a digital readout capability that connects to the internet. This means you could see what each panel/inverter combination is producing at any given time, whether you have 1 or 100 panels. And you can track your production over time as well to see when you getting the most out of your solar system.

Better Production
Another added benefit of these kits is that can actually produce more than a traditional kit of the same wattage. This is because each panel/inverter combination is only limited by the amount of sun it receives. In the traditional systems, the panels were arranged into strings. If one panel in the string was shaded or malfunctioning, the entire string would be affected. With the new inverters, if one panel is shaded, it only affects that panel.

So these new systems truly are revolutionary. The time has never been better than now to get stared producing your own solar power.

Kriss Bergethon lives off grid with his wife in Colorado, for more information visit his site at Solar Panel Kits.