MORE NEWS, 12-28: W/HABITAT MELTING, POLAR BEARS EAT CUBS; NV SEES NEW ENERGY BOOM; INDEPENDENT ND LIKES SMALL WIND; ORE GETS WAVE ENERGY MANUFACTORY

W/HABITAT MELTING, POLAR BEARS EAT CUBS

Hungry polar bears resorting to cannibalism; But Inuit leader disputes starvation is cause
December 3, 2009 (CBC News)

"The late formation of Arctic sea ice may be forcing some hungry and desperate polar bears in northern Manitoba to resort to cannibalism…Eight cases of mature male polar bears eating bear cubs have been reported this year…

"Four cases were reported to Manitoba Conservation and four to Environment Canada.
Some tourists on a tundra buggy tour of the Churchill wildlife management area on Nov. 20 were shaken and started crying after witnessing a male bear eating a cub…In recent years, Manitoba Conservation has received one to two reports each year about bear cannibalism."

Dislike this image of a polar bear eating a cub? Demand that Congress support New Energy and Energy Efficiency. (click to enlarge)

"Retired Environment Canada biologist Ian Stirling, who has studied bears all over the arctic, said evidence suggests the cubs are being killed for food, not just so the male can mate with the sow. The Hudson Bay sea ice, which the bears use to get at the seals they need to fatten up for winter, isn't appearing until weeks later than it used to…[Jose Kusugak, President, Kivalliq Inuit Association] in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut said the incidents are non-events and that it's wrong to connect the bear's behaviour with starvation…[though] Kusugak admitted some communities are having polar bear problems because warmer than average temperatures means sea ice hasn't yet formed properly…[He does not think polar bear] numbers are dwindling or that polar bears are in other danger because of climate change.

"Infanticide occurs among all species of bears but can become accentuated among polar bears when they run low on fat reserves and become hungry enough to resort to cannibalism, according to Polar Bears International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of polar bears and their Arctic habitat."

Dislike this image of a polar bear eating a cub? Demand that Congress support New Energy and Energy Efficiency. (click to enlarge)

"Scientists predict that with later formation of ice in the fall and earlier breakup in the spring because of climate warming, polar bears in places like western Hudson Bay will have to survive on land for longer on their diminishing fat reserves instead of hunting seals… The average date of breakup of the sea ice in western Hudson Bay is about three weeks earlier than it was 30 years ago, although there is a lot of variation between years…In 2008, the breakup was later, in early August, so the bears came ashore in better condition than in most recent years…But that advantage has been lost due to the current delay in freeze-up…This year may be an even longer wait for the bears to return to the sea ice to hunt as the current long range forecast calls for above average temperatures in the region until the second week of December…Twenty years ago, the average date the bears returned to the ice was Nov. 8…"

[Stirling, biologist and 35-year Hudson Bay polar bear researcger, Environment Canada:] "At this time of year, polar bears are hungry because they have been surviving on their stored fat reserves since the ice cover of Hudson Bay broke up a few months ago. Thus, days they spend waiting for the sea ice to return, they are losing weight and eventually get quite hungry…During the summer and autumn, polar bears lose up to 30 per cent of their body mass because they burn up to one kilogram of stored body fat every day while they are waiting for the ice to freeze…We have observed that the average body condition of the western Hudson Bay polar bears has been declining for almost 30 years. By mid-to-late November, if they can't get on the sea ice to feed on seals, males may seek out alternate food sources."


NV EXPECTS NEW ENERGY BOOM
Energy office director: Renewable energy industry will see explosive growth
Jim Groth, December 27, 2009 (Las Vegas Sun)

"By 2020, solar and alternative-energy-related businesses will surpass gaming and mining as [Nevada’s] growth industries…[The state] currently produces 100 megawatts of solar energy. Over the next 10 years that will multiply by 1,000 percent.

"The state could come to resemble Detroit during its boom after World War II, when the auto industry took off. Developing solar, particularly in Southern Nevada, will attract equipment manufacturers. That will, in turn, attract other job-creating industries."

Nevada has some of the best solar assets in the nation. (click to enlarge)

"The state [which now imports 38% of its 8,000 megawatt power consumption] should begin to export some of its [New Energy] to California or Oregon…That could lead to more stable power bills for homeowners, who now face 3 percent to 4 percent increases in their energy bills.

"…Geothermal power generates 400 megawatts, most of it in Northern Nevada. By 2020, that should expand to 1,200 megawatts…Wind power will also develop…[but] winds in Nevada are gusty…"

Nevada's geothermal assets are so good they virtually obscure the state on this map. (click to enlarge)

"Traditional power plants will still be needed [through 2020 but efficiencies will streamline use]…Homes will have computer units that alert owners when lights are on and a person is not in the room. More existing and new homes and businesses will be retrofitted to use solar, geothermal and wind power. Most vehicles will be hybrid or electric…

"All this will cost money, and that’s the key question on whether this all happens…The $17.5 million solar power project that will produce energy for three National Guard bases…is one example of how to pay…The state isn’t putting up a dollar. The company, Sierra Solar LLC, is building the project using federal tax breaks and other incentives. The National Guard will pay 15 cents a kilowatt hour for 20 years, thus avoiding an expected rise in its power bills far beyond 2020."


INDEPENDENT ND LIKES SMALL WIND
Big plans for small wind
Christopher Bjorke, December 27, 2009 (Bismarck Rtribune)

"Wind power has been adding to North Dakota’s power generation capacity in multi-megawatt surges as turbine towers spring up across the landscape.

"But apart from major wind farms, individuals can pull a couple of kilowatts from the air on a smaller scale with “small wind,” a niche power source that grew by 78 percent in the United States last year, according to the American Wind Energy Association…[ Art Mariner, owner of ND’s GR-8 Country Wind Power] installs an $18,000 to $19,000 tower and turbine unit about every two months, and expects to sell more in the spring…[mostly] on farms and ranches…"

One thing North Dakota has is wind. (click to enlarge)

"…[P]ower generation capacities [of] around 2.4 kilowatts an hour…take out a chunk of electricity expenses…Government tax incentives also will take out a chunk of an investment in small wind. The federal government provides a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost, up to $4,000. North Dakota income tax offered credit for wind power installation until the ND-2 individual tax form was phased out this year, but it still offers an incentive for business filers [and]…Property owners in the state can get a five-year exemption for the value of a wind tower on tax assessments…

"Mariner, who also owns a construction company, said he became interested in wind power not so much out of an interest in green power, but in part because wind towers have become such common sights on the North Dakota horizon. He believes the same thing is driving customer interest…"

The small wind market is growing all over the country. (click to enlarge)

"Kay Fried and her husband Marv installed a turbine on their ranch north of Bismarck this past summer. She said she has had a fascination with wind turbines…[though they are not greens]…[The] turbine provides about 300 kilowatts a month, about a third of their electricity…[and] is quieter than the nearby road or the jets that fly overhead…

"…Height and lot-size requirements prevent construction on most [Bismarck] residential lots…but some of the rural subdivisions would allow towers…Generation capacity for [most GR-8 small wind towers is]…around 2 kilowatts…[They] vary from 33 to 45 feet…[and output] depends a lot on location. Homes can draw power from a turbine while the wind is blowing and switch to the regular energy grid when it is calm. If a turbine generates more power than a home can use, the excess is put back on the grid, and utility companies reimburse owners…[O]il billionaire Harold Hamm [recently] inquired about using portable turbines to power his oil wells in the Bakken Formation…"


ORE GETS WAVE ENERGY MANUFACTORY
Oregon Iron Works to build PowerBuoy for Reedsport
4 December 2009 (Wave and Tidal Energy News)

"The contract to build first commercial wave energy [Ocean Power Technologies] PowerBuoy® system in North America has been awarded to Oregon Iron Works…[This] represents Phase One of an expected 10-PowerBuoy Reedsport wave power station which will generate approximately 1.5 megawatts of electricity. The nine additional PowerBuoys will be constructed and installed under Phase Two of the project."

[Oregon Governor Kulongoski:] “The partnership that we are developing with OPT and other Oregon companies fits perfectly with our goal of providing jobs for Oregon’s green economy…It’s exciting to see that Oregon has the chance to play a leading role in the development of this global industry and help achieve our national goals of energy security and reduction of our dependence on fossil fuels.”

An OPT PowerBuoy. (click to enlarge)

[Mark Draper, CEO, OPT:] “OPT has identified the Oregon Coast as one of the world’s top sources for future wave energy development, and Governor Kulongoski’s leadership has helped to enable the realization of its potential to create green jobs and prosperous coastal communities. We are committed to responsible development of renewable energy resources, and look forward to playing our part in that positive future. ”

"… OPT is in the advanced stages of completing its first PB150 in the UK for deployment in the Orkneys, Scotland mid next year. The technology development for this device will also be applied for projects in North America."

A PowerBuoy on its side reveals there will be plenty of work for Oregon Iron Works. (click to enlarge)

[Terry Aarnio, Chair, Oregon Iron Works:] “Our workers are helping the Pacific Northwest become the center of excellence in green tech/clean tech manufacturing and we are proud to continue that tradition of leadership in American manufacturing by building the world’s best renewable ocean energy devices for OPT…This project demonstrates that Oregon intends to enhance its environmental reputation by building an economy on the leading edge of the green wave…”