Solar Beats Soy by Miles as Top Energy Source

Below are the results of a study conducted by Ken Regelson of Five Star Consultants that looks at the "yield in miles driven per acre of land per year," in comparing sources of alternative fuels/energy.

2,400 miles per acre = Soy BioDiesel

18,000 miles per acre = Corn Ethanol

31,000 miles per acre = Palm Oil BioDiesel

32,000 miles per acre = Swithgrass Ethanol

180,000 miles per acre = Wind

370,000 miles per acre = Algae Biodiesel

2,250,000 miles per acre = Solar Photovoltaics

See the Source:

EV World

Google Goes Green

Search engine behemoth Google and El Solutions, a California provider of solar power systems have joined forces to complete the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the United States. Recently completed at Google’s Mountain View, CA headquarters, the system has a total capacity of 1.6 megawatts or the equivalent to supply 1,000 average California homes with electricity. The two companies will present a behind-the-scenes explanation of the solar project at the West Coast Energy Management Congress to be held June 6th at the Long Beach Convention Center.

See the Source:
Business Wire

Google Blog

energy
environment

Super Solar: SunEdison Breaks Ground

Colorado has broken ground on what will soon be one of the largest photovoltaic power plants in the United States. The 82-acre tract in the San Luis Valley located in south central Colorado is rated as having the best solar power conditions in the state. Upon completion the plant will create enough clean energy to power approximately 1,500 homes a year, thereby removing from the atmosphere carbon emissions equivalent to 2,840 cars driving 12,500 annually.

The solar plant will be financed, built and maintained by SunEdison. Xcel Energy will buy the power generated by the plant, which will help meet the 2020 Colorado deadline for utilities to generate 20 percent of their power from renewable energy sources.

“With wind farms across the plains, new bio-diesel and ethanol plants, the National Renewable Energy Lab, innovative businesses like SunEdison and Xcel Energy and this solar energy project, Colorado really is the renewable energy capital of the Nation,” said U.S. Senator Ken Salazar. “Combined with responsible development of fossil fuels and new technologies, renewable energy resources will help to secure our energy independence, strengthen our national and economic security and conserve our natural resources. And, solar energy will play an ever increasing role in that independence movement. This solar plant project, near my home in the San Luis Valley, will help bring new investments and new jobs to Colorado and I am proud to participate in this groundbreaking event.”

See the Source:
SunEdison

energy

ENDESA Starts up Its First Wind Farm in France

New York -- March 14, 2007--Today, Jesús Olmos, General Manager for Endesa Europe (subsidiary of ENDESA, NYSE:ELE) officially opened the Lehaucourt wind farm in France. This is the first of five wind power facilities that Endesa is starting up in the country. Among those representing national and regional authorities at the event were Evelyne Ratte, Prefect of the l’Aisne region, Pascale Gruny, local Member of Parliament, and Raymond Froment, Mayor of Lehaucourt.

The Lehaucourt wind farm is located in the Picardy region, in the department of l’Aisne and has entailed an investment of approximately Euro 10 million.

This wind farm is an example of Endesa France’s commitment to renewable energies and underscores the Group’s decision to choose the French market as one of its priority geographical areas in terms of European expansion.

Endesa France chose cutting-edge technology for this first wind power project: Nordex N90 turbines. Standing 125 metres high (the mast measures 80 metres and the blades span 45 metres) and with net capacity of 2.5MW, this model combines maximum power with minimum impact on the surrounding landscape. The facility comprises four turbines, with total installed capacity of 10MW, which will generate energy equivalent to the electricity consumption of 22,000 inhabitants.

This facility's launch follows the recent award of the tender for the Cernon I and Cernon II wind farms, which will have a total installed capacity of 17.5MW and that of the Ambon wind farm at the end of last year which has 10MW in installed capacity.

These facilities form part of Endesa France’s Industrial Plan, whose goals include constructing 200 MW of wind power capacity.

These initiatives demonstrate Endesa France’s determination to meet peaks in demand by giving priority to technologies with low CO2 emissions and to contribute to the French government’s goal of generating 21% of electricity from renewable energies by 2010.
Endesa France

Since becoming its majority shareholder in 2004, Endesa has transformed this company significantly. The initiatives undertaken to improve efficiency, availability and safety at its four coal plants, along with the investments made to reduce the environmental impact will serve to guarantee these plants’ competitiveness beyond 2020.

As well as progress at the coal plants and in wind power development, the Endesa France Industrial Plan envisages installing two CCGTs in France, each with installed capacity of 400MW. The two plants, in which Euro 400 million will be invested, will be built in the north-east of France, on land at the Emile Huchet plant (Lorraine). Work will commence in mid-May 2007.

Furthermore, Endesa France sold a total of 19TWh in 2006, 4.5TWh of which were for 153 "eligible customers".

See the Source:
Endesa

UC Berkeley Energy Symposium Showcases Cutting-Edge Research on Sustainable Energy

The first annual University of California, Berkeley, Energy Symposium – "Challenges, Opportunities, and the Role of UC Berkeley in Creating a Sustainable Energy Future." The event will bring together 150 of UC Berkeley’s leading researchers in energy technology, economics, and policy with the nation’s top “cleantech” investors, industry experts, business leaders, and entrepreneurs.

Keynote speakers will include UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, among others.

The symposium will highlight clean energy innovations emerging from several segments of the UC Berkeley community and include discussions about energy-efficiency, transportation fuels, solar technologies, carbon regulation and innovation, energy storage, and energy economics. A student poster session will display more than 50 research projects of UC Berkeley’s top graduate students.

WHEN:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 21

WHERE:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union, on Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue. A campus map is online at http://berc.berkeley.edu/symposium-directions.html.

WHO:
Additional keynote speakers will include:William Banholzer, chief technology officer of Dow Chemical CompanyDavid Crane, special jobs and economic growth advisor to Gov. SchwarzeneggerIra Ehrenpreis, general partner of Technology PartnersChris Somerville, director of plant biology with the Carnegie InstitutionArt Rosenfeld, a commissioner with the California Energy Commission

DETAILS:
The Energy Symposium is being organized by the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative. BERC, an interdisciplinary, student-run organization, was founded in 2005 to enhance interdepartmental collaboration on energy issues and to serve as a bridge between the university and the private sector.

Innovations will be highlighted at the symposium from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Haas School of Business, Energy and Resources Group, UC Energy Institute; School of Law (Boalt Hall), College of Engineering, College of Chemistry, Goldman School of Public Policy, Institute of Transportation Studies, College of Natural Resources, and Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS).

See the Source:
University of Berkeley

DOE Selects 13 Solar Energy Projects for up to $168 Million in Funding

First funding awards for Solar America Initiative to make solar technology cost-competitive by 2015

LOWELL, MA - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced the selection of 13 industry-led solar technology development projects for negotiation for up to $168 million (FY’07-’09) in funding, subject to appropriation from Congress. These projects will help significantly reduce the cost of producing and distributing solar energy. As part of the cost-shared agreements, the industry-led teams will contribute more than 50 percent of the funding for these projects for a total value of up to $357 million over three years. These cooperative agreements, to be negotiated, will be the first made available as part of President Bush’s Solar America Initiative (SAI), a component of his Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI), announced in his 2006 State of the Union Address. Secretary Bodman made today’s announcement while visiting Konarka Global Headquarters in Lowell, Massachusetts, one of the selected solar energy project sponsors.

“Solar technology can play a crucial role in moving toward affordable net zero energy homes and businesses – which combine energy efficiency and renewable energy produced on-site. Efficient buildings with solar power generation can help reduce peak demand and ease the need for expensive new generating capacity, transmission, and distributions lines as our economy grows,” Secretary Bodman said.

President Bush’s AEI challenges Americans to change the way we power our nation. As an integral part of the AEI, the Solar America Initiative aims to bring down the cost of solar energy to make it competitive with conventional electricity sources in the U.S. by 2015. The SAI is also part of the President’s commitment to diversify our energy resources through grants, incentives and tax credits and; aims to spur widespread commercialization and deployment of clean solar energy technologies across America, which would provide long-term economic, environmental, and security benefits to our nation.

The teams selected for negotiation have formed Technology Pathway Partnerships (TPP), which include companies, laboratories, universities, and non-profit organizations to accelerate the drive towards commercialization of U.S.-produced solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. These partnerships are comprised of more than 50 companies, 14 universities, 3 non-profit organizations, and 2 national laboratories. DOE funding is expected to begin in FY’07, with $51.6 million going to the TPPs.

In addition, the projects announced today will enable the projected expansion of the annual U.S. manufacturing capacity of PV systems from 240 MW in 2005 to as much as 2,850 MW by 2010, representing more than a ten-fold increase. Such capacity would also put the U.S. industry on track to reduce the cost of electricity produced by PV from current levels of $0.18-$0.23 per kWh to $0.05 - $0.10 per kWh by 2015 – a price that is competitive in markets nationwide.

As part of a broader effort to highlight the Bush Administration’s bold energy initiatives, today, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Andy Karsner traveled to United Solar Ovonic in Auburn Hills, Michigan to highlight these selections and the Solar America Initiative. Tomorrow, Under Secretary for Science Dr. Raymond L. Orbach will travel to Boeing in Sylmar, California to discuss today’s selections and meet with representatives from the solar industry.

Solar energy is a clean, abundant, widespread, and renewable energy source that can be used to increase electricity generating capacity while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions as compared to other energy conversion pathways. Photovoltaic-based solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. They are made of semiconductor materials similar to those used in computer chips. When sunlight is absorbed by these materials, the solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. The process of converting light to electricity is called the photovoltaic effect.

Teams Selected For Negotiations under the Solar America Initiative:
Amonix, Boeing, BP Solar, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Greenray, Konarka, Miasole, Nanosolar, Powerlight, Practical Instruments, SunPower, United Solar Ovonic

For more information on the solicitation and facts about the Solar America Initiative, visit: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america/.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), signed by the President in August of 2005, provides incentives for purchasing and using solar equipment. Now extended through 2008, these incentives could provide a credit equal to 30 percent of qualifying expenditures for purchase of commercial solar installations, with no cap on the total credit allowed. EPAct also provides a 30 percent tax credit for qualified PV property and solar water heating property used exclusively for purposes other than heating swimming pools and hot tubs. Private property owners of qualified property could be eligible for a credit up to $2,000 for either property, with a maximum of $4,000 allowed, if both photovoltaic and solar hot water qualified properties are installed. More information on available incentives for solar installations is available at:http://energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits.

See the Source:
DOE

Solar Energy Conversion Offers a Solution to Help Mitigate Global Warming

Solar energy has the power to reduce greenhouse gases and provide increased energy efficiency, says a scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, in a report (view it online) published in the March issue of Physics Today.

Last month, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations released a report confirming global warming is upon us and attributing the growing threat to the man-made burning of fossil fuels.

Opportunities to increase solar energy conversion as an alternative to fossil fuels are addressed in the Physics Today article, co-authored by George Crabtree, senior scientist and director of Argonne's Materials Science Division, and Nathan Lewis, professor of Chemistry at Caltech and director of its Molecular Materials Research Center.

Currently, between 80 percent and 85 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuels. However, fossil fuel resources are of finite extent and are distributed unevenly beneath Earth's surface. When fossil fuel is turned into useful energy through combustion, it often produces environmental pollutants that are harmful to human health and greenhouse gases that threaten the global climate. In contrast, solar resources are widely available and have a benign effect on the environment and climate, making it an appealing alternative energy source.

“Sunlight is not only the most plentiful energy resource on earth, it is also one of the most versatile, converting readily to electricity, fuel and heat,” said Crabtree. “The challenge is to raise its conversion efficiency by factors of five or ten. That requires understanding the fundamental conversion phenomena at the nanoscale. We are just scratching the surface of this rich research field.”

Argonne carries out forefront basic research on all three solar conversion routes. The laboratory is creating next-generation nanostructured solar cells using sophisticated atomic layer deposition techniques that replace expensive silicon with inexpensive titanium dioxide and chemical dyes. Its artificial photosynthesis program imitates nature using simple chemical components to convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide directly into fuels like hydrogen, methane and ethanol. Its program on thermoelectric materials takes heat from the sun and converts it directly to electricity.

The Physics Today article is based on the conclusions contained in the report of the Basic Energy Sciences Workshop on Solar Energy Utilization sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Crabtree and Lewis served as co-chairs of the workshop and principal editors of the report. The key conclusions of the report identified opportunities for higher solar energy efficiencies in the areas of:

• Electricity – important research developments lie in the development of new, less expensive materials for solar cells, including organics, thin films, dyes and shuttle ions, and in understanding the dynamics of charge transfer across nanostructured interfaces.

• Fuel – solar photons can be converted into chemical fuel more resourcefully by breeding or genetically engineering designer plants, connecting natural photosynthetic pathways in novel configurations and using artificial bio-inspired nanoscale systems.

• Heat – controlling the size, density and distribution of nanodot inclusions during bulk synthesis could enhance thermoelectric performance and achieve more reliable and inexpensive electricity production from the sun's heat.

The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory conducts basic and applied scientific research across a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from high-energy physics to climatology and biotechnology. Since 1990, Argonne has worked with more than 600 companies and numerous federal agencies and other organizations to help advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for the future. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

See the Source:
Argonne National Laboratory