QUICK NEWS, 4-22: THE COMING CSP ROADMAP; WIND, RADAR AND SOLUTIONS; REBATES FOR EFFICIENT TOYS; AN EV DISTANCE RECORD

THE COMING CSP ROADMAP
International Energy Agency: Triggering the CSP revolution
Rikki Stancich, 16 April 2010 (CSP Today)

"…[I]n 2008, the International Energy Agency identified 17 key technologies that could be deployed for climate change mitigation, which it hoped would trigger a sea change in the global energy mix by 2050…The G8 leaders subsequently tasked the IEA with researching and compiling a collection of ‘road maps’ outlining key technologies and the policy recommendations for achieving emissions reductions by transitioning to an alternative energy mix…So far, four of the 17 roadmaps have been published for the CCS, wind energy, electric vehicles and cement sectors, with solar PV and CSP roadmaps to be published imminently…"

[Cédric Philibert, senior analyst, IEA’s Renewable Energy Division:] "We have demonstrated that CSP can provide 11 percent of global electricity by 2050 – of which 9.5 percent will be purely derived from solar and the rest from biogas or natural gas burnt as a back-up or in hybrid plants. CSP could also provide solar fuels substituting to a few percent of the global consumption of natural gas and liquid fuels for transport…We also looked at the possibility of non-concentrating solar power technology…which can be used in global irradiation but which do not require perfect direct normal irradiance…"

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[Cédric Philibert, senior analyst, IEA’s Renewable Energy Division:] "The CSP roadmap examines the four families of technologies – troughs, dishes, Fresnel and towers, and the options of storage systems, thermal fluids, power cycles available now and in the future…[W]e see a future for all the technologies…[S]ome options will be better for certain market segments…In this decade, the bulk of the market will be on peak and shoulder loads…[T]hermal storage or backup fuel from 2-4 hours are needed…Over the longer-term, we will need to extend the storage capacity in order to provide base load…during spring, summer and fall…Currently, the cost difference and the need for incentives for CSP are smaller on peak and intermediate loads, but once investment costs are down, CO2 is priced and storage becomes more stable, CSP will be able to compete with coal as a baseload energy…"

[Cédric Philibert, senior analyst, IEA’s Renewable Energy Division:] "Mass production, economies of scale and learning process will drive costs down…The optimal size of a solar field is between 100-350MW and several parks are being erected in proximity of one another to reduce plant costs…[A] 500MW CSP park is planned [for Morocco]…In other places, it is easier to start with relatively smaller plants – the permitting is easier, the height of the tower is lower and it is generally easier to get smaller plants connected to the existing grid…We are going to see both large scale and smaller scale CSP plants, and…increasing [CSP] market share…After 2020, the CSP markets could be operating without support mechanisms in most places…[I]n regions with low [Direct Normal Irradiance, DNI], it will take more time…"

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[Cédric Philibert, senior analyst, IEA’s Renewable Energy Division:] "The technological potential is unlimited. Technically, we can provide 100 percent of the electricity requirement, but this would require massive transport…A portfolio approach is definitely needed…[The] ultimate share of CSP technology to 35 to 40 percent in the sunniest regions, including southwest USA, Mexico, Latin America, North of Chile, Peru, North Africa, Australia, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Gujarat and Rajasthan provinces in India, Australia, South Africa…Much less in other places, such as the rest of the USA, Europe, and other areas of Latin America…We have been more cautious for China, there is not a good knowledge of the DNI…In some other countries, the prospect are rather bleak…"

[Cédric Philibert, senior analyst, IEA’s Renewable Energy Division:] "Support needs to be developed for public and private R&D. CSP R&D is very small compared to other energies such as CCS, nuclear, even other renewables…We need to develop research on all aspects of the life cycle as well as the manufacturing of fuels such as hydrogen and liquid fuels…[ R&D] is absolutely underfunded…We need to establish a set of incentives in each and every region where it possible to develop CSP…Incentives should be given to each solar kilowatt hour and to promote hybrid plants of every kind. There should not be any limit on the share of fossil fuel back-up, because as long as solar (CSP) is being brought into the mix, it is pushing the energy industry in the right direction…The support policy needs to reward the solar part, but leave the market decide which energy mix best meets the requirements of the utilities."


WIND, RADAR AND SOLUTIONS
Fears of Radar Interference Threaten Oregon Wind Farm, but Solutions Exist; Software and Hardware Upgrades Can Eliminate the Problems
Dave Levitan, April 19, 2010 (SolveClimate)

"…In a rehashing of a continuing concern, the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration are threatening to block the construction of what would be the country’s largest wind farm because of a potential for the turbines to interfere with nearby radar systems’ ability to track airplanes.

"Caithness Energy is ready to start construction on the Shepherds Flat wind farm along the Columbia River Gorge in northeastern Oregon; it would have a capacity of up 909 megawatts. In spite of the project having been in development for several years, objections have been raised only now regarding a radar system used by the Air Force in Fossil, Ore., about 70 miles from the wind farm site…"

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"…Radar systems are designed to distinguish between things that move and things that don’t…[An] airplane might disappear in the “clutter” created by the turbines’ radar signature…The conflict between wind turbines and radar is not a new one. The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in 2006 arguing that the holds on wind farms due to military radar concerns were in effect halting the entire industry…American Wind Energy Association data [indicates] that more than 9,000 MW of wind power have been held up, deferred or abandoned due to radar issues…[W]ind turbines can in fact interfere with radar’s ability to see planes…[But there is a question of] whether small gaps in a radar’s vision are really all that important…[and if] the military needs no gaps at all in its radar systems, solutions to the problem are plentiful.

"First, newer radar systems, such as the Lockheed Martin TPS-77 recently purchased by the wind-friendly British government, have the ability to see through the turbine clutter…[M]uch cheaper fixes also are available…There are software upgrades using what are known as clutter erasure algorithms that could help the older systems see through the turbines…Also, short range radar systems placed inside or directly adjacent to the wind farm could work in tandem with the long range system and fill in the gaps…"

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"The Shepherds Flat wind farm is the only one in the windy Columbia River Gorge area that has been asked to halt construction as of yet, but other developers are worried…[T]hree {Iberdrola] projects totaling 400 MW in the eastern Columbia River Gorge…are currently awaiting final approval from the FAA…[I]n the past when radar concerns have been raised in other areas of the country, [Iberdrola] has received some help from members of Congress who were hopeful that the wind projects could bring jobs to the area…

"…In the case of the Shepherd’s Flat project by Caithness Energy…Oregon’s two senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, placed holds on three defense department nominees as a negotiating tactic for speeding the resolution of the radar concerns. Caithness has said that any significant delay would scuttle the project completely, as federal stimulus funds will only go to the project if it is completed by the end of 2012…[but] it is unlikely that this issue will go away any time soon."


REBATES FOR EFFICIENT TOYS
Cash for appliances program starts Thursday; The government is offering rebates on energy-saving appliances: $200 for refrigerators, $100 for clothes washers and $50 for air conditioners. Some stores will open early Thursday.
Tiffany Hsu, April 21, 2010 (LA Times)

"…Last summer's federal [cash-for-clunkers ] program fueled vehicle sales and jump-started the sputtering auto industry by enticing customers to trade in their gas guzzlers. Now retailers are hoping for a similar boost from another government program…Starting Thursday, which happens to be Earth Day, consumers will be able to vie for rebates on Energy Star-rated [energy-efficient] appliances: $200 for refrigerators, $100 for clothes washers and $50 for air conditioners. The program applies only to those appliances.

"Coupled with tax credits, buyback recycling programs and other incentives offered by stores, utilities and manufacturers, some savvy buyers could end up spending less than half the sticker price for appliances…[S]tores are bracing for a swarm of shoppers…"

From EPAENERGYSTAR via YouTube

"Howard's Appliances Inc., which has 11 stores throughout the Southland, has stocked up to three times more products than it normally carries and has sent out letters to its customers…The company is planning to pull staff from its corporate offices, warehouse and service center…[and] open three hours early…

"But the rebates are limited. California was allocated $35.3 million for the program, and state officials expect to issue about 300,000 rebates. Other states that offered the [federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] program ran out of money quickly. Florida's $17.6-million program ran out of funds a day after it was launched, while the $2.9 million set aside in Iowa was depleted within hours…[I]n California, however…[b]uyers may be in less of a rush because the state demands that the products meet higher energy standards than in many other states, making eligible appliances more expensive…"

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"The California Energy Commission is administering the program…The mail-in rebate will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis based on the postmark date on the claim form, which can be downloaded from the energy commission's website Thursday…The website will also feature a countdown that will track the amount of money remaining in the state pot. Sales will officially run through May 23, and buyers must mail in their claim form within 30 days of purchase.

"…[S]avings can be substantial…On top of the $200 rebate, both Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power offer up to $100 to customers who buy an Energy Star-certified refrigerator and then recycle an older one…Edison also has a $50 rebate for energy-efficient air conditioner, and customers can get $35 from Southern California Gas Co. for an environmentally friendly clothes washer…Some Energy Star-certified appliances, such as certain air conditioning units, are also eligible for federal tax credits…"


AN EV DISTANCE RECORD
SANYO Lithium-ion Battery Systems Contribute to Achieve Guinness World Record for the Longest Journey by Mira EV; EV powered by SANYO's batteries traveled a distance of 555.6 km without recharging!
April 21, 2010 (Sanyo)

"SANYO Electric Co., Ltd…[announced] that the travel distance of 555.6 km by Mira EV powered by SANYO lithium-ion battery systems has been officially recognized as the longest journey by electric vehicle without recharging by the Guinness World Records."

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"This trial run was provided by Japan Electric Vehicle Club (Japan EV Club) and implemented by driving the Mira EV from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan on November 17, 2009. The SANYO lithium-ion battery systems housed in the Mira EV were designed by assembling 8320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries (18650-type) which are normally used in laptops etc…　While continuing to improve its lithium-ion battery technology, SANYO is contributing towards the realization of a low carbon society."