QUICK NEWS, 4-27: SAFE OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING?; THE ABUNDANCE OF OFFSHORE WIND; THE INEVITABLE POWER OF WAVES; NEW JERSEY STREAMLINES SOLAR GROWTH

SAFE OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING?
Halting Oil Flow Likely to Take Months
Russell Gold and Guy Chazan (w/Angel Gonzalez and Jeffrey Ball), April 27, 2010 (Wall Street Journal)

"Capping the leaking oil well a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico is increasingly likely to take months, government and industry officials warned…[A]bout 1,000 barrels of oil a day are still flowing into the Gulf, feeding a slick that has spread across hundreds of miles. Clean-up efforts gained momentum as calmer seas made work easier for 17 ships, some equipped with booms to corral the oil so it can be skimmed up.

"Federal officials said they didn't know when the slick, which was about 30 miles off Venice, La., was likely to reach the coast but didn't expect landfall in the next three days…[E]quipment was in place to protect coastlines."

Environmentally safe - untill it isn't. (click to enlarge)

"…[R]emote-controlled submarines had failed as of Monday afternoon to activate equipment on the ocean floor that is meant to shut off flow from the well… BP PLC…is continuing with back-up plans, bringing in two drilling vessels that might be able to stem the flow by injecting special heavy liquids into the well…[This] would take two to three months.

"Vast swaths of reddish brown were visible Monday afternoon from a Coast Guard helicopter hovering 400 feet above the drilling site, where the small armada of ships hired by BP worked to collect the oil. A few miles away, a C-130 airplane released chemicals to disperse the long column of oil. A lighter sheen seemed to stretch to the horizon."

Drifting toward shore. (click to enlarge)

"Wildlife is already starting to be affected…Among the threatened sea life are whales, sea turtles, and the larvae of fish and shellfish that compose an economically important industry along the Gulf…Investors are growing worried about the rising costs associated with shutting off the well and cleaning up the spill. BP's American depositary shares fell 3.3%…

"The drama in the Gulf began April 20…[Oil] pushed its way up the well and caught fire. The crew of 126 had to evacuate the rig; 11 are missing and presumed dead…The rig sank 36 hours later, severely bending the pipe that connected it with equipment on the seafloor…Shutting the well down will probably be a slow process…[L]ast year, it took 10 weeks and four attempts to shut down a similarly out-of-control well in the Timor Sea off Australia…BP is also looking into lowering a dome over the leak…[Engineers are] studying how to use a dome in 5,000 feet of water."


THE ABUNDANCE OF OFFSHORE WIND
Reaping Power From Ocean Breezes
Tom Zeller Jr., April 26, 2010 (NY Times)

"More than 800 giant wind turbines spin off the coasts of Denmark, Britain and seven other European countries, generating enough electricity from strong ocean breezes to power hundreds of thousands of homes. China’s first offshore wind farm, a 102-megawatt venture near Shanghai, goes online this month, with more in the pipeline.

"But despite a decade of efforts, not a single offshore turbine has been built in the United States…[P]rogress has been slowed by a variety of factors, including poor economics, an uncertain regulatory framework and local opposition…When the Obama administration announces a decision this week on the most prominent project — Cape Wind, off the coast of Massachusetts — it could have implications from Long Island to Lake Erie…[Rejection] could gut America’s [incipient] offshore wind industry…"

EU offshore wind. (click to enlarge)

"At least half a dozen offshore wind projects that could provide electricity for hundreds of thousands of customers have already been proposed in the shallow waters off the East Coast and the Great Lakes. Even more are in the paper-napkin stage, including a project that would place a bank of turbines about 13 miles off the Rockaway peninsula in New York.

"…[O]ffshore wind farms are roughly twice as expensive as land-based ones…[but] have several advantages. Sea and lake breezes are typically stronger, steadier and more reliable than wind on land. Offshore turbines can also be located close to the power-hungry populations along the coasts, eliminating the need for new overland transmission lines. And if the turbines are built far enough from shore, they do not significantly alter the view — a major objection from many local opponents."

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"The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated that about 90,000 megawatts of electricity could be extracted from offshore winds in United States coastal waters less than 100 feet deep, the easiest and most cost-effective depths. Most of that potential lies in New England, the mid-Atlantic and the Great Lakes…[Planned projects] would produce some 2,500 megawatts…about as much as two midsize nuclear power plants…The Cape Wind project would place 130 turbines, each 440 feet tall, over 24 square miles of Nantucket Sound at a likely cost of more than $1 billion…

"…[P]roponents of the project, which include major environmental organizations like the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, point to a February study…suggesting that the project could save New England ratepayers $4.6 billion in energy costs over 25 years. They also say that the project has undergone two separate environmental impact analyses, neither of which found significant downsides…The governors of six East Coast states…called on Mr. Salazar to approve the project…Despite the upfront costs, proponents say offshore wind power is worth it if it can reduce the reliance on carbon-intensive sources of electricity like coal…"


THE INEVITABLE POWER OF WAVES
Marine Power: Once Cast Away, Now Here to Stay
James Tulloch, April 26, 2010 (Allianz)

[Stephen Salter, 1970s marine energy research pioneer, Institute for Energy Systems/Edinburgh University:] “…Lots of people had thought about wave energy before but had not actually measured the energy in waves. I started working on this at Edinburgh University about two weeks before the Yom Kippur War in 1973—the trigger for the first major oil crisis…We had proper UK government backing from 1974 to 1982."

[Stephen Salter, 1970s marine energy research pioneer, Institute for Energy Systems/Edinburgh University:] “…The average 3-meter high Atlantic wave…[has] enough electricity for 180 UK residents. Four hundred kilometers of the Scottish Atlantic sea front could contribute 20 to 40 Gigawatts…A 1981 Department of Energy report said it would cost five pence (7-8 cents) per kilowatt hour, very close to economic viability…[but the UK government] wanted nuclear power…The official who did most damage to us was then put in charge of public relations for the Dounreay nuclear reactor…"

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[Stephen Salter, 1970s marine energy research pioneer, Institute for Energy Systems/Edinburgh University:] "Slowly and painfully marine energy is making progress. It is certainly one of the harder renewables to get going because you have to get quite big to make it attractive economically…There is a long way to go before it gets to the stage of the wind industry. But one advantage is that people don’t care as much about what you do at sea as they do about having their views spoiled…"

[Stephen Salter, 1970s marine energy research pioneer, Institute for Energy Systems/Edinburgh University:] “…Tidal is very predictable and so it is more market friendly than other renewables…In winter, when there are strong westerly winds, you can convert wave power into electricity steadily for several weeks. If you have got good knowledge of the wind conditions then you can make good wave energy forecasts. That means you can manage the dispatch of energy and bid in the power markets.”

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[Stephen Salter, 1970s marine energy research pioneer, Institute for Energy Systems/Edinburgh University:] “…In Scotland, there are serious practical problems feeding large amounts of power from the coast to population centers because the national grid is designed the other way around. We need a major rethink of the grid…”

[Stephen Salter, 1970s marine energy research pioneer, Institute for Energy Systems/Edinburgh University:] “One issue for wave power devices is heavy storms. It’s better to dodge these forces—like an agile boxer—than stand and fight them so we need flexible machine parts and controls. We don’t always understand how strong the seabed rock is. We need to know that to design seabed attachments to withstand storms…We also need much better ways of deploying these devices. Our installation is very cumbersome and expensive.”


NEW JERSEY STREAMLINES SOLAR GROWTH
New Jersey cuts red tape to boost solar efforts
James Cartledge, April 26, 2010 (Brighter Energy)

"New Jersey has scrapped rules that limit the development of solar panels in the state based on their definition as ‘impervious surfaces’…[A new law] amends restrictions on the amount of land on which impervious surfaces can be built.

"The new measure amends the definition of ‘impervious surface’ in land use and coast development laws so that it applies only to the base of a solar panel system, rather than the entire panel as well…The bill, S-921, had bi-partisan backing and sponsorship, and received unanimous support in the New Jersey Legislature…"

New Jersey - second in the U.S. in installed solar capacity - has, like Germany, built its success on smart policies that drive growth. (click to enlarge)

[New Jersey Governor Chris Christie:] “There is a balance to be struck between responsible land-use law and well-intended but burdensome restrictions that do more harm than good…This legislation removes the regulatory burden, serves our environment by expanding renewable energy assets and serves the economy by creating demand for solar panel production.”

"The bill signed last week eliminates a “significant impediment” to green energy projects…[and recognizes] that solar energy developments [are] an “important land use”…Governor Christie [also] unveiled a plan to encourage growth in New Jersey’s renewable energy industry."

One of New Jersey's key policies is a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) with a solar carve out. (click to enlarge)

"The Energy Master Plan includes an energy efficiency program to cut the cost of energy in the state and moves to promote domestic generation of renewable energy including solar, wind and “particularly” offshore wind projects in the state as well as energy storage projects.

"Governor Christie also said more would be done to promote New Jersey as a site for renewable energy manufacturing companies…"