MORE NEWS, 8-17 (EVERY STATE SHOULD BE LIKE MICHIGAN; DRILLING AND EARTHQUAKES; MASS. UTILITY IN 6 MW SUN LANDFILL BUILD; GEOTHERMAL COOLING)

EVERY STATE SHOULD BE LIKE MICHIGAN
Michigan’s future needs can be solved by alternative energy, report claims
Jay Greene, August 11, 2009 (Crain’s Detroit Business)

["energy future; A Green Energy Alternative for Michigan] from…[Synapse Energy Economic and] Natural Resources Defense Council contends that Michigan’s power needs can be solved by aggressively moving to wind power, biomass, solar and other renewable energy sources along with implementing energy efficiency programs.

The Michigan Public Service Commission is scheduled to make recommendations later this month to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on the need for power and availability of a cleaner alternative to coal…"

click to enlarge

"The report concludes that by displacing fossil fuels, the energy efficiency program alone could save Michigan $3 billion in electricity costs over the next 20 years.

Efficiency savings combined with the potential of 27,000 gigawatt hours of power from clean energy technologies can fulfill the state’s power needs."

click to enlarge

"Michigan’s last energy plan was developed in 2007 and relies on inadequate use [of] renewable energy supplies and energy efficiency technologists, according to the report.

Jobs also could be created in Michigan’s economy by manufacturing and installing wind turbines, solar cells and adding efficiency improvements to homes, businesses
and other buildings, the report said…"


DRILLING AND EARTHQUAKES
Chesapeake shuts 2 wells amid Texas quake study
Jay F. Marks, August 15, 2009 (The Oklahoman)

"Chesapeak Energy Corp has shut down two saltwater disposal wells as research continues into whether such wells are to blame for recent earthquakes in North Texas.

"The tremors that began on Halloween barely have been perceptible to people and not nearly powerful enough to cause significant property damage, but they still have drawn the attention of scientists from the University of Texas and Southern Methodist University."

Drilling deep can have powerful impacts. (click to enlarge)

"Preliminary tests did not yield any concrete results, but Chesapeake opted to shut down a disposal well near a fault line at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport…Chesapeake also ceased operation of another disposal well near Cleburne, site of additional earthquakes in June.

"Company officials indicated they would continue working with researchers to determine whether there is any correlation between oil and gas activities and the Texas earthquakes."

There oughtta be a law... (click to enlarge)

"The Oklahoma Geological Survey does not know of any correlation between Oklahoma earthquakes and oil field activity, officials said…Texas researchers placed portable seismometers around the Dallas airport to collect data on earthquakes in that area, a developing natural gas production region.

"The proximity of Chesapeake’s saltwater disposal well suggests it may have something to do with the earthquakes…[but] SMU seismology professor Brian Stump said it is too soon to conclude whether the well is responsible for the quakes…"


MASS. UTILITY IN 6 MW SUN LANDFILL BUILD
Western Mass. Electric gets OK for solar plan
Sean Sposito, August 13, 2009 (Boston Globe)

"The state has approved a utility company’s proposal to build solar energy facilities in Western Massachusetts under year-old state regulations designed to promote renewable energy and conservation.

"Western Massachusetts Electric Co...plans to construct enough photovoltaic solar cells to produce 6 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 6,000 homes, by 2012. The first of the outdoor devices [planned as low-mounted arrays on landfills] will be built by 2010…[T]he utility will spend the remainder of this year finding suitable sites for the rows of solar panels…"

An ideal use for otherwise unuseable land. (click to enlarge)

"The Green Communities Act, which was signed last year by Governor Deval Patrick, gives utility companies the ability to own and operate solar installations generating up to 50 megawatts. Western Mass. Electric now serves roughly 210,000 customers in 59 communities…[C]onsumers won’t notice a big difference in their electric bills - the average customer should be charged only about 60 cents extra a month.

"Western Mass. Electric was the first of three utilities that filed proposals for solar installations with the Department of Public Utilities…[The goal is to increase volume and make solar energy less costly]…"


GEOTHERMAL COOLING
ACT Lands First LEED-Platinum Rating for Data Center in U.S.
GreenerComputing Staff, August 12, 2009 (GreenBiz via Reuters)

"ACT, the nonprofit that established the American College Testing Program 50 years ago, has attained LEED-Platinum green building certification for the organization's data center -- the first in the country to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's highest rating.

"The company, which now provides services for lifelong learning, opened the data center in February 2008 and received its certification in July…The new 8,000-square-foot operations center building includes a 4,000-square-foot raised floor data center and a geothermal system that serves as a cooling source and contributes to energy efficiency…"

Unlike traditional geothermal energy, geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the difference in temprature above and below the earth to cut cooling and heating costs. (click to enlarge)

"Geothermal systems generally are not the first choice for cooling a data center because they tend to reject heat and in doing so allow it to swiftly saturate the ground…But project engineers designed a system that works for the ACT facility…The system is considered well suited for the location: With its heat loops buried underground, the system is shielded from the area's tornadoes and snowstorms…

"Other environmentally friendly attributes include a high performance HVAC system with pressure vessels that are isolated from the rest of the building and exterior dry coolers that are located in a protected courtyard. The equipment backs up the geothermal system and its design supports the security and reliability of the facility."

The same concept can be used on a large scale for large cooling and heating needs. (click to enlarge)

"In addition to energy efficiency, the design provides improved indoor air quality with ventilation rates that are 30 percent greater than code requirement…In construction of the operations center, building materials contained more than 30 percent recycled content; native prairie landscaping, which does not require watering, was restored on 90 percent of the site; and cork flooring, cotton-wall insulation, aspen fiber ceiling panels, agrifiber wood doors and other products made from renewable material were used in interior design.

"Certification of ACT's facilities follows that of the world's first LEED-Platinum data center, Citi Group's data center in Frankfurt, Germany… Advanced Data Centers facility going up at McClellan Business Park, the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif., received LEED-Platinum pre-certification last summer…[and] is in line for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's highest rating…"