MORE NEWS, 10-27: BIGGEST U.S. SOLAR SHOW KICKS OFF; PRES SEZ NEW ENERGY WILL GET IT DONE; WIND AND SOLAR TOGETHER; BIG WIND TESTING ON

BIGGEST U.S. SOLAR SHOW KICKS OFF
Solar Power International 2009, Largest Ever U.S. Solar Energy Event, Begins in Anaheim, Calif.; Keynotes Include U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Ed Begley Jr.;
Organizers Expect Record Attendance of 20,000+ People from 90 Countries...
October 27, 2009 (SEIA ansd SEPA)

"Solar Power International 2009, the largest business-to-business solar energy conference and expo in North America, begins today at the Anaheim Convention Center and continues for three days October 27 – 29. Presented by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Solar Power International is the premier gateway to the U.S. solar market and a closely watched indicator of the industry’s growth. Besides expecting record attendance, the show more than doubled in size with 925 companies represented…Last year’s event had 425 exhibitors.

"Key themes at this year’s event include the potential of the U.S. as the biggest solar energy market in the world, the impact of solar jobs on the domestic economy, the central role of policy and participation of utilities in the solar industry’s expansion, falling costs for solar equipment, and innovative new technologies and business models driving market adoption of solar in the U.S. market. The conference encompasses all solar technologies including solar photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal (also called solar water heating), space heating and cooling, and utility-scale concentrating solar power, and concentrating PV plants."

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"The highly anticipated keynote speakers – U.S. Labor Secretary Solis, New Mexico Governor Richardson, Robert Kennedy Jr., and Ed Begley Jr. – will provide a broad perspective on transforming the U.S. energy landscape to a new clean energy economy, and on leveraging clean, renewable solar power to address the stark environmental concerns facing our planet. The General Sessions also include two CEO Panels at which captains of the utility and solar industries discuss critical and timely aspects of the solar marketplace…"

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"Solar Power International features more than 200 expert speakers in 65 break-out sessions, covering the latest developments in solar markets, policy, technology, finance and implementation. For those looking to build a career in the solar industry, the conference offers training workshops at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels…

"Although the focus of Solar Power International is business-to-business interaction, the conference once again presents the ever-popular “Public Night,” when show organizers open the expo floor and present free workshops to the public on Wednesday evening, Oct. 28, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Solar Power International’s Public Night has become a tradition and will be a major draw for members of the public eager to learn about the latest solar technology for their homes and businesses."


PRES SEZ NEW ENERGY WILL GET IT DONE
Obama hails state of innovation; President praises Mass., MIT during green energy speech
Erin Allworth, October 24, 2009 (Boston Globe)

"President Obama blasted critics of his administration’s environmental policies and praised Massachusetts officials for advancing technologies that will yield big benefits for the environment…"

From unenergy via YouTube

"According to the White House, Obama’s speech was designed to be a challenge to Americans to lead the global economy in green energy…A number of clean energy advocates say the United States lacks a national policy to guarantee long-term financial incentives for companies to build renewable power. The Senate is attempting to pass such legislation before a December meeting of 190 countries in Copenhagen to hash out a treaty to lower emissions from power plants, vehicles, and factories.

"Obama’s speech was received with enthusiasm by the crowd… The president also was in town to campaign for Governor Deval Patrick…Citing the forthcoming groundbreaking for the new Wind Technology Testing Center in Boston, which received $25 million in federal stimulus money, Obama said…the benefits of the project would extend beyond the jobs created here, [lead to more efficient and effective turbines and help build an estimated $2+ trillion market through 2030]…"

From unenergy via YouTube

"Clean energy has been a longstanding priority for Patrick, and many Massachusetts academic institutions and businesses are pursuing clean energy technologies, including MIT…[After] Patrick signed on to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative…[he] signed five pieces of environmental legislation…[and now] the state is on track to have roughly 30 megawatts of wind generating capacity, or enough to power nearly 7,900 homes, and 40 megawatts of solar generating capacity, enough to power from 6,000 to 8,000 homes…"


WIND AND SOLAR TOGETHER
UniSource Signs On for Power from Arizona Wind-Solar Plant
Carl Levesque, October 23, 2009 (Wind Energy Weekly)

"Western Wind Energy Corp. announced October 20 that it has entered into an 11-MW power purchase agreement (PPA) to provide Arizona investor-owned utility UniSource Energy Services with electricity to be generated at what the developer believes will be the first power contract connected with a fully integrated combined wind and solar facility in North America.

"The project, which is in the late stages of development, is located just outside Kingman, Ariz., in Mohave County. One relatively unique aspect of the project is that it is on fully zoned land owned by Western Wind, an early adopter of the land-ownership strategy…"

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"The PPA includes at least 300 kW of photovoltaic solar with the rest coming from wind. The project is expected to be complete by June 2011, although it could be finished sooner…

"…[The future of New Energy, project builders believe, is in] transmission systems that carry multiple forms of renewable energy that complement one another, creating efficiencies and playing to each renewable source’s strength (e.g., in some places, the wind resource is best at night, when the solar resource is dormant)."


BIG WIND TESTING ON
DOE, Siemens Begin Tests on Massive Wind Turbine
Katie Howell, October 22, 2009 (NY Times)

"The Energy Department and Siemens Energy Inc…launched a new multiyear wind energy test to study the performance and aerodynamics of large land-based turbines.

"The three-year test, which will be conducted at DOE's National Wind Technology Center near Boulder, Colo., [by DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers] will employ a 2.3-megawatt Siemens turbine and will verify basic turbine characteristics and new performance-enhancing features of the turbine, which has a 331-foot-diameter rotor…"

High level research. (click to enlarge)

"The planned tests will gauge structural and performance tests; modal, acoustics and power quality; aerodynamics; and turbine performance enhancements. The tests will include a range of real-world operating regimens and severe weather conditions…

"NREL researchers are also interested in studying the ground-support requirements for larger wind turbines, which can weigh 400 to 800 tons."

2.3 megawatts is just the beginning. The industry has its designs on 8 and 10 megawatt machines that could power a whole suburb by themselves. (click to enlarge)

"The Siemens turbine to be used in the tests is among the largest land-based turbines deployed in the United States…[T]he collaboration is the biggest government-industry research partnership for wind power generation ever undertaken in the United States.

"Siemens will contribute $9 million and NREL $5 million to the initial phase of the project…"