QUICK NEWS, 4-8: KANSAS COUNTY OKS BIG WIND; GEOTHERMAL-SOLAR HYBRID IN HAWAII; SOLAR POWERED FLIGHT; INFORMED CONSUMERS ARE SMART CONSUMERS

KANSAS COUNTY OKS BIG WIND
Commission okays county's first wind farm
Laura Eastes, April 7, 2010 (The Southwest Times)

"…[T]he Seward County Commission …unanimously approved a conditional use permit allowing the Cimarron Wind Project LLC access to develop the county's first wind energy farm…

"The commission and the Meade County Commission have been working with two companies -- Tulsa-based Energy for Generations and California-based Sustainable Legacy -- for more than two years to build a wind energy farm to have a capacity of producing up to 1,000 megawatts. The majority of the farm will be built in Seward County with some towers crossing over into Meade County."

Kansas has wind. (click to enlarge)

"The two companies have joined together and named the Project. The 400 turbines will be installed on 59,000 acres. The turbines will be at a minimum of 900 feet apart and located at least 450 feet from public roads. Each individual turbine will produce 2.5 MW of power…[T]he wind power captured has the potential to generate enough power for 400,000 homes…

"The wind farm will be completed in several phases…Construction is set to begin in 2012. The two-year window will allow for proposed transmission lines to be completed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment…"

The Cimarron Wind Project will almost double Kansas' installed capacity. (click to enlarge)

"…[T]he Cimarron Wind Project has no company in contract to buy the wind energy, once the project is complete…[but expects] no trouble in selling the energy…[U]p to 50 full-time construction workers will be needed…[Plans call for the developer] to hire local workers…[Commissioners expect the project] will bring additional economic development to the county. Wind farms could bring in long-term wind industries and create jobs for county residents…

"Cimarron Wind Project…and property owners must enter into a Wind Energy Lease and Easement Agreement…before turbines can be placed… 26,000-to-27,000 of the 59,000 acres have reached a signed lease agreement. Property owners do receive monetary support for allowing use of their land…The commission's approval is just one of the many steps the Cimarron Wind Project must do before wind turbines begin turning…"


GEOTHERMAL-SOLAR HYBRID IN HAWAII
Geothermal and Solar Power to Get Married in Hawaii; How do you make solar thermal technology economical at a small scale?
Michael Kanellos, April 7, 2010 (Greentech Media)

"In Hawaii…Pacific Light & Power will build a 10-megawatt solar thermal plant that will combine a trough solar collector from Spain's Albiasa with a turbine traditionally used in geothermal systems.

"…Ten megawatts is unusually small for a solar thermal field. BrightSource Energy, by contrast, wants to build [a 396-megawatt] one in California…Most solar thermal systems, however, collect heat from the sun to turn water into steam [to drive turbines so]…solar thermal parks can only be built economically in places like North Africa or Arizona where the sun shines almost every day of the year, lots of empty land exists, and humidity remains almost nonexistent…[A] few clouds can depress the power output."

Schematic of the hybrid process. (click to enlarge)

"Geothermal turbines swap water and steam for organic fluids like butane, which turn to vapor at lower temperatures. Thus, geothermal turbines require less heat, which in turn allows for smaller solar fields in a wider range of climates and geographies. Like traditional solar thermal systems, excess heat can be stored and run through the system in the evening or when cloud cover descends…[The technology] may not be as efficient but it can generate energy in a wider variety of circumstances.

"When completed in 2011, the plant -- located on the island of Kauai -- will provide close to seven percent of the power needed on the island."

Schematic of the hybrid process when there is cloud cover. (click to enlarge)

"Alibasa and PLP describe it as a hybrid plant, but it's more of an unusual concatenation. Generally, hybrid plants are power plants that combine renewable energy generation -- like solar thermal systems or biogas burners -- with gas turbines to provide more baseline-like power. Florida Power and Light and Abengoa are currently building hybrid plants.

"Power from the [solar-geothermal] plant will [cost nearly the same as Hawaii’s costly grid power]…Electric power in Hawaii costs around 25.78 cents a kilowatt hour, the highest rate in the U.S…Hawaii generates most of its power from diesel generators. But Albiasa will study ways to bring the cost down to make these systems feasible elsewhere."


SOLAR POWERED FLIGHT
Solar plane prototype in first test flight
April 7, 2010 (BBC News)

"A prototype solar-powered plane has made its first full test flight - coming closer to the goal of using solar energy to fly around the world.

"The Solar Impulse, with a wingspan similar to that of a super-jumbo jet but weighing the same as a saloon car, took off from a Swiss airfield…The plane's wings are covered by solar cells which power four electric motors…Its designers hope a slightly larger production model will circumnavigate the globe in two years' time."

The Gossamer Penguin, designed by Dr. Paul McCready, became the first solar powered airplane to take off and fly on solar power carrying a human in 1979. (click to enlarge)

"The test flight was intended to verify that the plane's behaviour tallied with simulations…

"Round-the-world balloonist Bertrand Piccard is leading the project and intends to pilot the plane along with co-founder Andre Borschberg…Witnesses said both take-off and landing seemed to go smoothly."

The Solar Impulse prototype. (click to enlarge)

"The flight team have been conducting flea-hop tests since December, taking the plane no higher than 60cm (2ft) in altitude and 300m in distance…A night flight is planned later this year, and then a new plane will be built based on the results of those tests.

"The big take-off is planned for 2012, when the two pilots will try a transatlantic flight before attempting to circumnavigate the globe."


INFORMED CONSUMERS ARE SMART CONSUMERS
US firms urge Obama to offer consumer energy info; Move could unleash home and business innovation
Deborah Zabarenko, April 6, 2010 (Reuters)

"Almost 50 U.S. firms and organizations, including Google, General Electric and AT&T, urged President Barack Obama… to let consumers know how much energy they use so they can decide where to cut back.

"This could ‘unleash the forces of innovation in homes and businesses ... reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save consumers billions of dollars,’ the group of 47 companies and organizations [including Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard, Whirlpool, the Alliance to Save Energy, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Environmental Defense Fund] said in a letter to Obama."

Gridpoint and others have online products that allow consumers to monitor their homes' energy consumption (click to enlarge)

"Carol Browner, director of the White House office of energy and climate change, speaking at a forum at Google's Washington office, said the White House is committed to providing energy data for consumers…Browner said repeated studies during the 1990s, when she headed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, showed that ‘in each and every instance when we were able to give people access to information it changed behavior.’

"She said providing real-time feedback on how much energy costs will start to modify behavior and drive demand for more energy-efficient appliances."

Google's Powermeter is one of the newest entries in home power monitoring competition. (click to enlarge)

"The firms and organizations said technology already exists to let consumers see their power use. They also said consumers should have access to information about pricing plans and on the different ways electricity can be generated."

[From the coalition’s letter to the President:] "If all U.S. households saved 15 percent on their energy use by 2020, for example, the greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to taking 35 million cars off the road and would save consumers $46 billion on their energy bills, or $360 per customer each year…"