MORE NEWS, 1-20: TEXAS STILL LIKES WIND; STORAGE FOR SUN COMING SOON; ENERGY USE CUTTING IN INDIANA; GERMANS TRADE LAND FOR NEW ENERGY

TEXAS STILL LIKES WIND
Wind energy's future still strong in Texas
Editorial, January 17, 2010 (Dallas Morning News)

"Two years ago, wind energy seemed to be gusting in the right direction, especially in Texas.

"T. Boone Pickens had become the unlikely Pied Piper of wind power – a wealthy oilman… preaching the need for… wind energy. He backed up his words with a $2 billion order for 687 wind turbines…1,000 megawatts of capacity…But recently, Pickens sharply cut his order for the GE-built turbines…[and postponed his plans] to build the world's largest wind farm [in the Texas panhandle]."

click to enlarge

"Texas hasn't become less windy, nor has the legendary risk-taker gone weak in the knees. Our state produces more wind power than any other, but economic winds temporarily have blown cold air on this industry…Cheaper natural gas and difficulty securing loans for wind projects are part of the problem. And even if money were flowing, there aren't enough transmission lines to carry wind-generated electricity from remote sites such as the Panhandle to urban centers such as Dallas and Fort Worth.

"Pickens maintains that once those transmission lines are in place, he will renew his efforts to build the world's largest wind farm. Meanwhile, Austin has approved a process to speed transmission-line construction…two designated zones in the Panhandle…[T]he process is slower…[but] neither Texas nor Pickens has turned away from wind energy."

click to enlarge

"Support for wind energy is crucial for [Texas] – and the entire nation – as we pursue long-term cleaner-energy alternatives…[N]ew wind energy projects…could help wean this nation from its dangerous dependence on foreign sources of energy and keep America competitive as the world shifts toward cleaner fuels.

"China…is among the major players that are aggressively developing wind energy. For economic, environmental and national security reasons, the United States must not waver in its commitment to alternative energy sources…Texas is moving in the right direction on wind power and we hope will carry the nation with it."


STORAGE FOR SUN COMING SOON
Thermal storage in the US: Soon to be a given; Unlike their Spanish counterparts, most CSP projects in the US to date have opted against thermal storage. But recent developments suggest the business case for thermal storage in the US may soon be indisputable.
Emma Clarke, 18 December 2009 (CSP Today)

"…The ability to store the sun’s energy means concentrating solar plants can generate power 24 hours a day or when demand for electricity is highest. Conversely, solar PV and wind farms [have to cope with intermittency]…

"The benefits are clear. But the business case is not always as apparent given the high cost of thermal energy storage (TES) technologies. As a result, many of the CSP projects in the United States do not include TES. But this may change as the share of solar power in the grid increases and utilities demand a more stable, predictable power supply…Several existing large-scale storage systems already use molten salt, a mixture of sodium and potassium nitrate, to store solar energy…The first molten salt thermal storage system was installed in the Andasol 1 50MW parabolic trough plant in southern Spain, which came online at the end of 2008…Andasol 2 (in start-up phase) and Andasol 3 (currently in construction) also include thermal storage systems with 7.5 hours’ of thermal storage…"

click to enlarge

"The first commercial plant in the world with a central tower receiver using molten salt technology is the 17MW Gemasolar plant being developed by Torresol Energy. The storage will produce around 63 percent more hours of power than a conventional plant...Given the additional costs of the storage equipment (19 percent of the total project cost) and of building a larger solar field to accumulate the excess energy during the day (the solar field accounts for 43 percent of total costs), the cost-benefit is roughly even…In the US, Abengoa Solar plans to build Solana, a 280MW solar trough plant in Arizona with thermal storage using molten salts.

"Developer, SolarReserve has also filed an application to build a 150MW solar power tower plant with seven hours’ of salt storage in California. The proposed Rice Solar Energy Project will use technology built by Rocketdyne that was tested at the 10MW Solar Two demonstration project near Barstow, California in the 1990s…In this two-tank system, molten salt is used for both thermal transfer and storage…"

click to enlarge

"Most of the projects operating in the United States, however, do not have thermal storage. This is because to date, the economics haven’t added up…[T]he cost of electricity is more expensive if storage is included…[T]he costs can range from an additional US$50 (€35; £31) to US$125 (€87; £77) per kW-hr…Given these costs, storage only becomes viable when there is time-of-day pricing (where a premium is paid for power during peak-demand periods), or where utilities provide capacity credits (additional payment for guaranteeing generation during certain times of the day)…[T]he widespread use of storage in Spain [may be] driven by artificial market factors…

"The business case also depends on the quality of solar radiation and characteristics of electricity demand…[C]ompanies are building plants without storage in California because there is more reliable solar radiation than in Spain, and because utilities don’t need to stabilise power production 24-hours a day…But as the proportion of renewable energy in the grid increases…storage [will] become a critical factor…[and] a number of research projects are underway to reduce the costs…"


ENERGY USE CUTTING IN INDIANA
Hoosiers Compete To Cut Kilowatts; Participants Vie For $10,000 Solar Energy System
Maggie Loiselle, January 18, 2010 (CNN Indiana Channel 6)

"…[S]ome Hoosiers are hoping to lose big…when it comes to their energy bills.

"The Southern Indiana Renewable Energy Network, or SIREN [unable to link due to embedded malware], is challenging Monroe County residents to tighten their belts and see who can cut their kilowatts the most in 2010…30 households have signed up…[E]ach will track their month-to-month energy consumption, with prizes awarded at the end of each three-month period…The 10 families in the lead after the first nine months will compete for the grand prize -- a Grid-tied PV solar system worth about $10,000…"

The ideal retrofit. (click to enlarge)

"Will and Maggie Sullivan, of Bloomington, signed up for the challenge as part of an ongoing effort to live a greener life, a process they're detailing on their blog, GreenCouple.com…[They] have already taken care of the basics, like switching out incandescent light bulbs for energy-efficient compact fluorescents and winterizing their home. They also track the energy their appliances use, and recently installed a light tube to brighten up a dark kitchen without turning on the lights…

"Southern Indiana is one of the more ideal places in the state for solar energy systems, receiving nearly five hours of direct sunlight everyday day…[Of SIREN’s] more than 100 members, about 10 to 20 have some type of solar energy system [solar hot water heaters, solar air heating systems, etc.] at their homes… [But] advocacy groups face an uphill battle in convincing consumers to make the switch due to the initial high cost of materials and installation, which can run in the tens of thousands of dollars…"

Thses calculations are based on a proposed federal incentive for retrofitting. (click to enlarge)

"Hoosiers not quite ready to take the leap to installing their own solar panels can often buy energy generated by renewable sources through their utility companies…Duke Energy's GoGreen Indiana program allows customers to buy green blocks of power each month, generated from local renewable sources, while the South Central Indiana REMC EnviroWatts Program uses biomass power from the gases produced by landfills.

"Indiana Power and Light's Green Power program allows customers to choose a percentage of their monthly electric bill to be generated from renewable sources including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass…[A] typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours in a month and enrolled at the 100 percent level would pay an additional $4.20 on their electric bill…[But] Hoosiers should…reduce their consumption as well…[More on] incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency…[at] the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, or DSIRE."


GERMANS TRADE LAND FOR NEW ENERGY
Biofuel Crops, Solar Panels to Cover 11% of Germany by 2020
Jeremy Van Loon, January 18, 2010 (Bloomberg News_

"Efforts to boost production of renewable energy in Germany means the amount of land used to generate power and heat from corn, solar panels and wind turbines will more than double by 2020.

"Almost 4 million hectares will be needed for growing biofuel crops and operating windmills and solar parks within 10 years…That compares with 1.77 million hectares used for renewable energy now in a country of 35.7 million hectares."

Land use is one of the big reasons the biofuels community is becoming so interested in algae. (click to enlarge)

"Germany may be able to generate about half of its electricity using renewable sources at the end of the decade…Most of the land will be used to grow crops such as corn, sugar beets and rapeseed for products including biodiesel, ethanol and biogas that are used in transportation fuels and electric production…

"Fuels from distilling and converting plant material should be integrated into existing infrastructure such as natural gas pipelines…Bioenergy has the potential to provide as much as 15 percent of the country’s energy needs…"

Though some prominent Germans oppose it, the land use consideration is why others are interested in developing tranmission and solar power plants in North Africa. (click to enlarge)

"Much of the terrain used for the expected increase in renewable energy will be under-utilized agricultural, military or industrial land…

"Rising demand for fuels made from corn and other crops may contribute to increases of as much as 72 percent in food prices by 2020…"