QUICK NEWS, 5-20: OIL MAKES LANDFALL; UTILITIES USING SUN; SUN & WIND RECYLE WATER; TEST DRIVING VOLT, DETROIT’S 1ST PHEV

OIL MAKES LANDFALL
Heavy oil hits Louisiana shore, enters sea current
Matthew Bigg (w/Deborah Zabarenko, Jane Sutton, Pascal Fletcher, Anna Driver, Chris Baltimore, Jeff Mason, Ed Stoddard, Pascal Fletcher and Todd Eastham), May 19, 2010 (Reuters)

"The first heavy oil from a giant Gulf of Mexico spill [has] sloshed ashore in fragile Louisiana marshlands… and part of the mess entered a powerful current that could carry it to Florida and beyond.

"The developments underscored the gravity of the situation as British energy giant BP Plc raced to capture more crude gushing from a ruptured well a mile (1.6 km) beneath the surface. The spill is threatening an ecological and economic disaster along the U.S. Gulf Coast and beyond…"

From Oilism.com (click to enlarge)

"The marshes are the nurseries for shrimp, oysters, crabs and fish that make Louisiana the leading producer of commercial seafood in the continental United States and a top destination for recreational anglers. The United States has already imposed a large no-fishing zone…Meanwhile, the U.S. government's top weather forecaster said a ‘small portion’ of light sheen from the giant oil slick has already entered the Loop Current, which could carry the oil down to the Florida Keys, to Cuba and even up the U.S. East Coast.

"…[This] environmental disaster… could eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska…BP said it is now siphoning about 3,000 barrels (126,000 gallons/477,000 liters) a day of oil, out of what the company estimated was a 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons/795,000 liters) a day gusher [and outside estimates put much higher]…BP could begin injecting mud into the well as early as Sunday in a bid to permanently plug the leak…"

From DeepSeaNews,com (click to enlarge)

"Florida's tourism gained a respite when tar balls found on Keys beaches were shown not to come from the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, but officials said the $60 billion-a-year industry was already taking a beating from the month-old spill.

"To the relief of Florida officials, the Coast Guard said laboratory tests had shown that 50 tar balls found this week on the Lower Keys…were not from the Gulf spill…Local tourism authorities said damage had already been inflicted…The spill has also prompted rare talks between U.S. and Cuban officials in Havana, with forecasters predicting that oil could reach Cuban shores…Wildlife and environmental groups accused BP of holding back information on the real size and impact of the growing slick…"


UTILITIES USING SUN
2009 Top Ten Utility Solar Rankings
May 19, 2010 (Solar Electric Power Association)

"SEPA’s third annual Utility Solar Rankings report highlights the growing importance of utilities to diversification of the nation’s energy portfolio with more clean energy sources, including solar electricity. The Top Ten utilities’ solar megawatts grew 66% from 2008 to 2009, and they represented an estimated two-thirds of the nation’s solar installations in 2009. This growth can be partly attributed to the emerging trend of utility-scale and utility-owned projects…

"This growth has been fueled by significant price declines in solar installations – on the order of 40% or more in the last two years – and this change will continue to drive both customer solar market activity and spark or accelerate internal utility interest…"

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"…[1] The ten utilities with the most solar integrated into their grid…are still a focal point for the nation’s solar growth. The Top Ten Utilities’ solar megawatts grew from 192 megawatts (MW) added to the grid in 2008 to 279 MW in 2009, a 66% growth…[2] …The Top Ten Utilities’ share of the overall survey megawatts dropped from 88% in 2008 to 80% in 2009…showing a diversity of activity…[3]…2009 marked the beginning of change in market dynamics…[S]everal centralized or aggregated distributed solar projects…were built or began construction and several utilities…were directly involved in owning new solar projects. Installations on the utility side of the meter increased 267% from around 18 MW in 2008 to 65 MW in 2009 and made up 19% of the survey’s total, up from 9%…

"Once again, Pacific Gas & Electric (CA) topped the annual solar megawatts rankings with 85 MW installed in 2009, but was followed closely by Southern California Edison (CA) with 74 MW…an unprecedented 131% growth…Public Service Electric & Gas (NJ) moved up two spots to number three…Five of the Top Ten Utilities were from California…[Some of the utilities] were driven by distributed solar projects…[and others] can attribute their growth, in part, to the construction of new centralized PV plants. This trend that will continue in 2010…"

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"Solar megawatts integrated into each utility’s grid do not paint the entire picture. The rankings also reflect solar watts-per-customer to provide a measure of relative solar activity. Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (AZ) emerged as the number one solar utility per customer in 2009 with 56 watts/customer, followed by Maui Electric (HI), Hawaii Electric Light (HI), the City of Santa Clara (CA), and Consumers Energy (MI)… With one exception, these utilities’ portfolios were entirely driven by distributed projects and were customer based…[O]nly three of the Top Ten Utilities were from California…

"These rankings snapshots of the annual solar megawatts and solar watts-per-customer paint a picture of utilities’ increasing involvement in the expanding solar market. Utilities in these Top Ten rankings continue to have a strong national and/or regional influence in their respective solar markets. However, as the number of utilities influencing their local solar markets increases, through a combination of consumer-, industry-, and utility-driven projects, the focus may be moving outside of this list…"


SUN & WIND RECYLE WATER
Harnessing Sun and Wind Energy for Water Treatment
John Young, May 19, 2010 (Environmental Protection)

"…American Water set a goal to lower its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per volume of water produced by 16 percent by the year 2017…Considering that we treat, pump and deliver 1 billion gallons of water a day, the goal is significant…A large portion of the reduction will come from increasing pump efficiencies, but 6 percent (37 percent of emissions reduced) will be achieved by increasing the use of renewable energy sources – either generated onsite or purchased.

"In 2005, the company launched its use of alternative energy by investing in solar technology for the Canal Road Water Treatment Plant in Somerset, N.J., and enrolling in wind power for the Yardley Water Treatment Facility in Yardley, Pa…[B]oth have achieved ecological benefits and cost efficiencies beyond original projections."

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"…New Jersey American Water chose to invest in owning the [solar] system…[and] installed a ground-mounted dual-array photovoltaic (PV) system at its 80-million-gallon-per-day (mgd) Canal Road facility…The PV system, the second-largest ground-mounted system east of the Mississippi River, includes 3,718 solar modules, supporting steel structures, wiring, two 225 kWac inverters and one 100kWac inverter, revenue-grade metering and an Internet-based data-acquisition system…

"The first phase of the project was constructed for approximately $1.6 million, after a $1.9 million rebate from the Clean Energy Program. The solar panels make up about two-thirds of the overall capital cost. The balance is for other equipment — inverters, transformers, AC and DC disconnects, Internet data-acquisition system, and wiring and conduit — and includes engineering, installation labor, and overhead costs. Phases two and three cost $500,000 and $640,000 after rebates, respectively. New Jersey American Water recouped its investment in less than five years.

"The system, which supplements 20 percent of the peak usage power needed to run the plant, reduces energy usage by 817,000 kilowatt-hours of AC a year. This prevents 1,875 pounds of nitrogen oxide, 3,927 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 1,115,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the air…equivalent to planting 125 acres of tree seedlings or preserving 5.6 acres of land from deforestation…[T]he system allows New Jersey American Water to sell [$553,000 of] tradable, solar-specific Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) [in 2009]…thereby reducing their overall costs…"

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"Pennsylvania American Water committed to operate its 6-mgd Yardley Water Treatment Plant with 100 percent pollution-free electricity by enrolling in a wind power program…Offered by the local electricity service provider, PECO, the PECO WIND program provides electricity using state-of-the-art windmills, as supplied by wind energy developer, Community Energy, Inc…

"Through this program, the company purchases 1,603,200 kWh of green power annually to power the entire facility, which is the environmental equivalent of planting more than 119 thousand trees or not driving 1.5 million miles each year…[T]he commitment to wind power didn’t result in cost savings but did help the facility become more efficient. The company found additional cost savings to offset the $0.02 per kWh increase in the plant’s electric bill…[E]nrolling in a wind energy program is ideal for smaller utilities that want to commit to greener operations but can’t undertake the level of commitment required by solar installations…"


TEST DRIVING VOLT, DETROIT’S 1ST PHEV
Taking the Volt for a Test Drive; We took a pre-production Volt for a spin. Thumbs up
Mark Boslet, May 19, 2010 (Greentech Media)

"General Motors snuggled closer to Google… by announcing it will use Google Maps to add location-based features to its Chevy Volt mobile app…[W]ith the release of version 2.0 of the app running on Google's Android software, the smart-phone application will pinpoint the location of cars, even transmit voice-guided directions.

"…[The app] allows owners of the upcoming Volt electric hybrid to check battery charge levels, unlock doors and start engines…The joint development with Google is clearly a feather in the cap of GM's OnStar…But the real news [is] the Volt itself. GM has been guarding details of the car's feel and handling, and it cast aside the curtain to offer test-drives to a handful of San Francisco journalists. The verdict: largely favorable…"

From sboschert via YouTube

"The Volt is GM's first foray into the emerging electric car market, and instead of a tiny lightweight two seater, it is a roomy-enough mid-sized vehicle in keeping with the majority of cars on the road today…

"…It boasts respectable economy, with a 375-pound lithium ion battery from LG Chemicals capable of a 40 miles range. The 16 kilowatt hour battery has 220 cells and a GM designed heating and cooling system to preserve performance in cold and hot weather…[which] can rob a battery of its charge."

From sboschert via YouTube

"When it drains, a 1.4-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline powered generator kicks in…The car has a comfortable feel on the road. Its shocks are soft enough to absorb the ride and its steering is tight. Like many cars with high-efficiency electric motors, the vehicle has pep and is responsive…[GM says] it feels like a car, and it does, with the exception that it is quiet. The pleasure of leaving a parking spot with little to no noise is hard not to appreciate.

"GM created uncertainty about the Volt by warning the production model, expected before the end of the year, will differ from the prototypes it is showing off. But Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director, [said the proptotype is representative of the production vehicle]…Posawatz did not solve the biggest mystery: the price. GM has suggested the car could cost about $30,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. But late summer is when the sticker will be finalized…"