MORE NEWS, 4-13 (HOMES COULD BE ENERGY GENERATORS; OCEAN ALGAE TO EAT CO2, BE BIOFUELS; WIND RISING OFF NEW YORK SHORES)

HOMES COULD BE ENERGY GENERATORS
New Calif. homes would have to be energy producers
Steve Lawrence, April 12, 2009 (AP via San Jose Mercury News)

"… [California Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Saldana] has introduced legislation that would require all homes built starting in about 2020 to be so-called zero net energy buildings. That means they would be extremely energy efficient and produce enough power to offset any electricity they draw from the grid.

"That homegrown power would probably come from solar panels. But it also could be generated by nearby wind or geothermal plants…[Clean energy advocacy group Environment California] supports the bill…"

A well-equipped future home. (click to enlarge)


"Saldana's legislation would require new homes to meet zero net energy requirements by Jan. 1, 2020, or when the California Energy Commission determines that use of solar systems is cost-effective, whichever comes later…

"[Environment California] expects that currently available state rebates and federal tax breaks will create enough of a mainstream market for solar systems over the next 10 years to cut their cost in half…"

The home of the future will be part of a bigger New Energy system. (click to enlarge)

"Tim Coyle, senior vice president of the California Building Industry Association, said new homes being built in California today already are highly energy efficient. He said Saldana should be looking for ways to reduce electricity use in older housing instead of targeting new construction…New solar-equipped homes are popular with buyers, he said, but including that equipment can add $15,000 to $50,000 to the cost of construction.

"Saldana said the additional cost could be recouped by cutting electricity bills over a period of years...She introduced essentially the same bill last year. It passed the Assembly but died in the Senate. She's hopeful that it will clear both houses this time…"


OCEAN ALGAE TO EAT CO2, BE BIOFUELS
Decoded algae could aid biofuel, climate work
David Perlman, April 10, 2009 (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Scientists…have decoded the genes of two widely varied species of ocean-dwelling algae, finding promising evidence of their ability to resist global climate change and clues to new sources of biofuels for an energy-short world.

"The algae are called Micromonas, and they are among the vast and varied tribe of microscopic ocean plants whose evolutionary ancestors were among the very first organisms that populated the Earth, more than 3 billion years ago…The California researchers and an international team of colleagues were led by Alexandra Z. Worden, a marine microbiologist and ecologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, and Igor V. Grigoriev, a geneticist at the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek…"

click to enlarge

"The algae came from the South Pacific Ocean off New Caledonia and the cold choppy waters of the English Channel. At first, the tiny one-celled plants were thought to be members of an identical species, but careful work found that the two widely separated varieties shared 90 percent of their genes - meaning they are in fact two distinct species…"

click to enlarge

"Marine algae are known for their ability to take up large quantities of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas in global warming, and release copious amounts of oxygen…But the Micromonas cells - each 50 times smaller than a human hair - appear to do it best of all, which makes understanding their gene structure particularly important to researchers.

"Studying the sequence of the 10,000 genes in the cells of these algae should help scientists learn just how evolution has made them so powerful in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and surviving the increasing acidity of the oceans due to global warming…And probing the genetic basis of the starches and fats contained in the bodies of the algae…could go a long way toward understanding their biology and their potential adaptation in developing new sources of biofuels to replace the fossil fuels that are now the major cause of climate change."


WIND RISING OFF NEW YORK SHORES
LIPA/Con Ed to continue N.Y. offshore wind study
Scott DiSavino (w/Marguerita Choy), March 23, 2009 (Reuters)

"The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and Consolidated Edison Inc…will move forward with plans for a new phase of study on a major offshore wind farm…[The first phase of the study] concluded the interconnection of up to 700 megawatts of wind power located at least 13 miles (21 km) off the Rockaway Peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean would be feasible with upgrades to their transmission systems.

"The companies expect to propose a wind farm of 350 MW, with the ability to expand it to 700 MW…The wind farm is consistent with New York Gov. David Paterson's "45 by 15" program, which establishes the goal for the state to meet 45 percent of its electricity needs through energy efficiency and renewable sources by 2015."

click to enlarge

"LIPA and Con Edison filed an application to interconnect the offshore wind project with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the operator of the state's power grid, for up to 1,400 MW by 2020, which would permit a future expansion beyond the 700 MW…"

click to enlarge

"Several years ago, LIPA proposed the construction of a 40-turbine wind farm that would have produced 140 MW of energy off the shore of Jones Beach on the south shore of Long Island…But LIPA shelved the project when costs substantially exceeded what was originally anticipated…If built, both companies have said they would share the cost of building the project and the energy it produces.

"The companies said they will work with interested parties, including the state, the New York Power Authority, New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority to see if there is demand for the off shore wind project…[and plan to] issue a request for proposals later this year…"