QUICK NEWS, 7-20: WIND FITS MOUNTAIN MAJESTY – STUDY; ABOUT ROOFTOP SOLAR; HOW GREEN THE WIND; 7-DAY SUN-POWERED FLIGHT

WIND FITS MOUNTAIN MAJESTY – STUDY
Environmental Study Finds: Projects wouldn't detract from high-desert beauty
Richard Cockle, July 19, 2010 (The Oregonian)

"A draft environmental study has found that four proposed wind energy projects on the north end of Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon would have little effect on its pristine high-desert beauty…

"Opponents, however, remain skeptical that roughly 200 wind turbines, some towering 415 feet above the juniper and sagebrush, wouldn't detract from the grandeur of the 9,733-foot fault-block mountain and its wildlife…More than 20 groups in Oregon have voiced concern about the plans…"

Devastating to the view, aren't they? 8-) (click to enlarge this computer simulation)

"…[T]he draft study was prepared by Entrix Environmental Solutions for the Bureau of Land Management…[It] says the proposed wind turbines and power lines would be visible from less than one-half of 1 percent of the 170,000-acre Steens Wilderness.

"Columbia Energy Partners hopes to erect wind turbines on or near the mountain in four projects each generating about 104 megawatts. Entrix evaluated the $300 million Echanis Wind Project, already approved by Harney County, plus the cumulative impacts of the so-called East and West Ridge projects and the Riddle Mountain Project, all on private land…All three unapproved projects are under study by the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council."

If they were visible at all, they probably would ruin the view. 8-) (click to enlarge this computer simulation)

"…[T]he four wind energy projects would cost about $1 billion, bring up to 150 new [construction] jobs…[and] about 12 permanent maintenance jobs per project…They would generate enough renewable energy to power more than 120,000 homes…The Echanis Wind Project alone would encompass about 10,000 acres and construction could begin early next year. The West and East Ridge projects each would be about the same size…[and start construction] in 2012 and 2013 if they get permits.

"The environmental study made no recommendations on which of two proposed power transmission lines should serve the wind projects. One proposed route is a 29-mile configuration that parallels an existing electrical transmission route crossing the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Steens Mountain. The other is a 46-mile configuration mostly on private land…"


ABOUT ROOFTOP SOLAR
Government incentives give solar energy a boost
Danielle Douglas, July 19, 2010 (Washington Post)

"…Astrum Solar, which is based in Annapolis Junction, [recently] completed the installation of an 11.96 kilowatt system on the [Cohen/Gala] 1,100-square-foot house -- the largest residential system in D.C. The company says the 52 photovoltaic panels should generate 13,754 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, meeting 75 to 85 percent of the home's electricity needs…[It] is one of 500 installations Astrum has slated for completion this year…

"About 72,939 photovoltaic systems have been installed in the United States in the past decade…[There was] a 37 percent increase in installations in 2009. Much of that expansion was attributed to an uptick in residential projects…Since its inception in 2007, Astrum has primarily installed residential and small commercial solar panel systems. To meet demand, Astrum has in the past year doubled its office and warehouse space in Maryland and upped its employee roster to include more than 75 engineers, project managers, sales consultants and installers…"

click to enlarge

"…Astrum walks its customers through every part of the installation process, from pricing estimates to filing permits. One of the company's more notable services is selling homeowners' solar renewable energy credits to utilities, which can use them to comply with municipal mandates on clean power… Trading the value of their credits upfront shaved 25 percent off of Cohen and Gala's installation bill. That deduction, coupled with a 30 percent federal tax credit and a District grant that covered another 35 percent, left the family with just 10 percent of the $65,000 bill."

click to enlarge

"All of the eight mid-Atlantic markets that Astrum operates in offer some form of tax incentives or rebates….[D.C.] has the most generous incentives on the East Coast. With the cost of solar installation averaging $20,000 to $40,000 depending on roof size, inducements are crucial to expanding the domestic solar industry…Stimulus funding, providing more than $271 million for solar energy investment, made it more cost-effective for homeowners to tap into the energy of the sun…[Federal grants increased business] in states like Pennsylvania and Virginia…

"While the United States has become an important player in the global solar industry, it pales in comparison to European countries with markets that have extensive government incentives. Analysts estimate that the United States accounts for about a 15 percent market share, while Germany, the largest consumer of solar technology, averages 50 percent…[The U.S. is expected to gain market share when] the cost of supplies declines and more U.S. state governments adopt programs like the enticement-laden California Solar Initiative…[and word of mouth spreads]…"


HOW GREEN THE WIND
Is Wind Power Green?
Cristen Conger, July 19, 2010 (Discovery News)

"…As the U.S. energy industry inches away from reliance on fossil fuels, experts have heralded various greener technologies…And while each of those alternatives holds marked environmental advantages over dirty oil and coal, none match wind power’s squeaky clean performance…

"Last year, [Mark Z. Jacobson, an engineer at Stanford University] and a colleague from the University of California, Davis, drafted a global blueprint for converting 100 percent of the world’s energy use to renewable sources. Wind power is leading the charge due to its minimal carbon footprint compared to energy output… [J]ust 15 percent of the land on Earth has enough wind speed capacity to meet global energy needs many times over, Jacobson said…"

click to enlarge

"…U.S. energy policy calls for 20 percent of the nation’s total energy use to come from wind power by 2030, which is a modest proposal in light of its impressive potential…The actual ground space required [to power the U.S. vehicle fleet, converted to electric, with ~100,000 5-megawatt wind turbines is]… less than 2 square kilometers…That doesn’t include the spacing between turbines, but well-designed wind power systems can preserve the integrity of green space surrounding turbines and minimize any disruptions to indigenous wildlife, especially compared to habitat destruction associated with coal mining and fossil fuel drilling…

"As wind energy technology improves, offshore turbines situated in the ocean could further reduce the total land space required for wind energy systems…Whether on land or in sea, once turbine and transmission systems are in place, wind harvesting relies on no other natural resources, such as water required to irrigate fields for ethanol manufacturing, and produces virtually zero carbon emissions…Even after wind turbines reach the end of their 30-year lifecycles, the materials can be recycled…"

click to enlarge

"…[W]ind technology developments over recent decades have drastically lowered the associated costs, which is why wind energy has been the second-largest new source of electric power after natural gas for the past four years…But due to still competition from other energy sectors and a lack of a cohesive government push toward wind energy development, the U.S. has a long way to go in order to meet that goal of 20 percent wind power by 2030…

"Meeting that marker demands a laundry list of additional efforts…including educating the public and legislators on the environmental value of wind energy, retraining manufacturers to facilitate wind energy capture and providing government incentives for building wind turbine systems…[C]onsidering wind energy’s bright green track record and power supply potential, [there is reason to be] hopeful that favorable political winds will blow in its direction…"


7-DAY SUN-POWERED FLIGHT
Solar drone stays aloft for record 7 days: company
July 17, 2010 (AFP)

"An ultra-light unmanned aircraft powered by solar energy and designed for military surveillance and other uses has stayed in the air a record seven days…"

Zephyr, readying for take-off. (click to enlarge)

"The British-based firm QinetiQ said its 22.5 meter (74-foot) long Zephyr, weighing just 50 kilos (110 pounds), continued to fly over a US military testing ground in Arizona, and could stay aloft for another week.

"The flight doubled the unofficial world record for the longest duration unmanned flight of 82 hours by the same aircraft in 2008. Zephyr's records will not become official until the aircraft is back on the ground…"

Solar Challenger, designed and built by Dr. Paul MacCready, was the first solar powered ariplane capable of long-distance flight. (click to enlarge)

"The latest model of the carbon-fiber Zephyr is around 50 percent bigger than earlier versions, giving it more space for batteries. The batteries are charged by the sun to allow it to continue flying at night."