MORE NEWS, 12-1: NEW WIRES, RECORD WIND; A RIGHT TO SUN; MAKING WAVE ENERGY DURABLE; THE CAR’S FUTURE POSTPONED

NEW WIRES, RECORD WIND
Texas wind power sets record as congestion eases
Eileen O’Grady (w/Walter Bagley), November 30, 2009 (Reuters)

"…The amount of electricity produced from wind farms [in Texas, the U.S. state with the most capacity to turn wind into electricity,] on the evening of Oct. 28 set a record at 6,223 megawatts, nearly 70 percent of the 8,916 MW of installed wind capacity in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas [surprising even the power grid operator], ERCOT said…

"Electricity produced from wind turbines generally averages 30 to 40 percent of the nameplate capacity…In the pre-dawn hours that day, ERCOT recorded 5,667 MW of wind generation, 25 percent of the existing load at the time."

There's the east, the west and Texas-ERCOT. (click to enlarge)

"Wind generation, which has been steadily climbing in Texas since 2006, has outstripped the 4,000 MW of existing transmission capacity available to move the power from remote areas of West Texas, where wind farms are located, to large cities, like Dallas and San Antonio, that consume the power…So far this year, wind accounted for 6 percent of the electricity produced in ERCOT, up from 4.6 percent a year ago.

"Trip Doggett, ERCOT's interim chief executive, attributed October's wind record to a 200-mile private transmission line built by a unit of FPL Group and other unique factors…NextEra Energy Resources' new 345-kilovolt line, dubbed the "Texas Clean Energy Express," can move 950 MW of power from two NextEra wind farms in West Texas to ERCOT's South zone, effectively removing that generation from previously congested transmission paths…"

Texas is setting the standard in U.S. wind. (click to enlarge)

"While Doggett said the 6,200 MW of wind on the grid was "unusual," he predicted it's a sign of the future…Power output from wind turbines can rise and fall rapidly as weather fronts pass through, creating a challenge for the grid operator to keep electric supply and demand in balance…[But since a February 2007 disruption] ERCOT has improved its wind forecasts and West Texas wind farms' volatility has been somewhat offset by new wind farms built along the Texas coast.

"Texas is working to add more than 2,300 miles of transmission in a $5 billion plan to expand wind capacity to 18,500 MW by late 2013…Developers are seeking to add nearly 44,000 MW of wind, more than half the new generation seen in planning stages over the next few years…"


A RIGHT TO SUN
Solar panels causing some storms; Even as California and the federal government encourage solar power, homeowners often have to fight homeowners associations for their right to install the systems.
Catherine Saillant, November 30, 2009 (LA Times)

"…Camarillo resident Marc Weinberg last year asked his homeowners association for permission to put solar panels on his roof…When the Spanish Hills Homeowners Assn. said no, Weinberg sued the group. Under the state's Solar Rights Act, he argued, a homeowners association can't unreasonably block solar installations.

"Weinberg won, and the Spanish Hills Homeowners Assn. was ordered to not only permit the solar panels but to cover the tens of thousands of dollars that Weinberg had spent on legal fees. Since last fall, when he installed a double row of matte black panels, three other homes in the hilltop neighborhood of luxury estates have added panels…[S]imilar battles between homeowners groups and property owners are cropping up across the state as the installation of solar systems becomes more affordable and utility costs rise…Homeowners boards insist that they are protecting property values…[R]esidents say their right to invest in alternative energy trumps the sensibilities of neighbors who don't like how the panels look…"

click to enlarge

"Santa Clarita homeowner Marty Griffin put solar panels up anyway after his homeowners association rejected his application. The Tesoro Del Valle Homeowners Assn. sued him, and in early November a jury told Griffin the panels should be moved to a more discreet spot…Solar installer Bradley Bartz earlier this year threatened a Palos Verdes commun- ity group with legal action after it denied three clients…He filed a claim against the city of Torrance after it rejected another client's application. In all four cases, Bartz said, he prevailed.

"Homeowners' main defense is the Solar Rights Act, adopted by California in 1978 to protect consumers' right to install solar energy technology. The law makes it difficult for homeowners groups to reject solar energy equipment unless it creates a safety hazard or a modification can be made without great cost…Now, solar advocates are pushing for a federal version of the California law. Energy legislation that moved through the House…would make it illegal for HOA rules, leases or private contracts to prohibit the installation of solar systems…It's uncertain whether the Senate will keep the language…Industry officials say fewer regulatory hassles would speed the growth of jobs and move the nation closer to energy independence…Commun- ity Associations Institute…advises striking a balance between conservation and aesthetics…"

click to enlarge

"California two years ago launched a $3.3-billion effort to increase the use of solar statewide…Since then, the number of homes and businesses with installed solar has [grown] from 23,000 in 2006 to 52,700…The cost of small solar systems declined 9% in the last year and larger installations have fallen 13%…Still, the state is far from being on track to its goal of adding 3,000 megawatts in solar panels by 2016, sufficient to power 600,000 homes…

"The heightened activity has produced more battles, not just in California but across the nation. A Woodbury, Minn., man was reportedly denied permission to install solar panels on his roof because his homeowners association found them too obtrusive…In Somerset County, N.J., a homeowner was reportedly ordered to remove 28 installed panels. In Avondale, Ariz., retiree Hank Speak has been fighting for more than six years to keep his solar equipment. Arguing that the panels were ugly, his homeowners group imposed huge fines…But last year, an Arizona judge ruled that the association's restrictions were contrary to the state's support of solar power…Several states, including California, Arizona, Colorado and Florida, have laws that prevent homeowner groups from imposing too many restrictions. But…homeowners sometimes have to fight for their rights…"


MAKING WAVE ENERGY DURABLE
On the Crest of Wave Energy: An aerospace approach
November 19, 2009 (Scientific Computing)

"The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency and the need to be tethered to the seafloor. Now, a team of aerospace engineers is applying the principles that keep airplanes aloft to create a new wave-energy system that is durable, extremely efficient and can be placed anywhere in the ocean, regardless of depth.

"While still in early design stages, computer and scale-model tests of the system suggest higher efficiencies than wind turbines. The system is designed to effectively cancel incoming waves, capturing their energy while flattening them out, providing an added application as a storm-wave breaker… [lead researcher Stefan Siegel and his team from the U.S. Air Force Academy] developed a system that uses lift instead of drag to cause the propeller blades to move [with sensors and adjustable parts to control how fluids flow around airfoils like wings]…"

Blades turned vertically. (click to enlarge)

"Windmills have active controls that turn the blades to compensate for storm winds, eliminating lift when it is a risk, and preventing damage. The Air Force Academy researchers used the same approach with a hydrofoil (equivalent to an airfoil, but for water) and built it into a cycloidal propeller, a design that emerged in the 1930s and currently propels tugboats, ferries and other highly maneuverable ships.

"The researchers changed the propeller orientation from horizontal to vertical, allowing direct interaction with the cyclic, up and down motion of wave energy. The researchers also developed individual control systems for each propeller blade, allowing sophisticated manipulations that maximize (or minimize, in the case of storms) interaction with wave energy."

A look under wave energy's hood. (click to enlarge)

"…[T]he goal is to keep the flow direction and blade direction constant, cancelling the incoming wave and using standard gear-driven or direct-drive generators to convert the wave energy into electric energy. A propeller that is exactly out of phase with a wave will cancel that wave and maximize energy output…[and allow] the float-mounted devices to function without the need of mooring, important for deep-sea locations that hold tremendous wave energy potential and are currently out of reach for many existing wave energy designs.

"While the final device may be as large as 40 meters across, laboratory models are currently less than a meter in diameter. A larger version of the system will be tested next year at…Oregon State University…"


THE CAR’S FUTURE POSTPONED
Aptera’s High-Flying Plans Are Temporarily Grounded
Jerry Garrett, November 18, 2009 (NY Times)

"The money is nearly gone, and the same can be said of the co-founders, at the fledgling electric-vehicle manufacturer Aptera…[It will scale] down operations until more development money could be found. Aptera, which also stands for “wingless flight,” had been seeking government help to get its three-wheeled vehicle, the 2e, off the ground. Such funds have been restricted to four-wheeled vehicles…[The result:] No money, no car…Among [employees laid off] were the co-founders Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony…

"The Aptera 2e was to have gone on sale by the end of this year. [Aptera chief executive Paul Wilbur] said the first vehicles would [now] not be completed now until sometime in 2010. He said 4,000 fully refundable deposits have been received from eager would-be customers, even though the vehicle’s price still has not been disclosed."

From greentechmedia via YouTube

"The airplane-like Aptera 2e is touted as being capable of the equivalent fuel economy of more than 200 miles per gallon. Startup funding has come from companies such as Google and IdeaLab…"

[Paul Wilbur, chief executive, Aptera:] “Aptera management is being a prudent steward of all resources to ensure future viability for the company and strong returns for its stakeholders…Therefore, we’ll begin volume production vehicles once our current series of private funding has closed or when we secure financing through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle loan program, whichever comes first…I’m as disappointed as any of our depositors and loyal followers around the country that we’re delaying initial production. There’s no one who’s more anxious than we are to put the 2e on the road.”