QUICK NEWS, 8-24: UTILITY BUILDING WIND; EV CHARGING WILL GET BIG; AUTO-CLEANING SOLAR FROM MARS; GEOTHERMAL TURNS 50

UTILITY BUILDING WIND
Consumers Energy quietly enters the wind farm business
Dave Alexander, August 22, 2010 (Muskegon Chronicle via Mlive)

"…Unlike the loud and contentious public argument over a proposal for wind turbines in Lake Michigan, hardly an objection has been raised to [public utility] Consumers Energy's development of its $250 million Lake Winds Energy Park in southern Mason County.

"…[Consumers Energy recently] signed a contract with Vestas American Wind Technology Inc. to supply [56 1.8-megawatt Vestas wind turbines that will produce enough electricity to power 25,000 homes. The turbines will be manufactured in the United States]…[It] hopes to have construction under way in 2011 and electricity being generated by the end of 2012…Lake Winds Energy Park would be the second wind farm in western Michigan. A Traverse City energy company is developing the Stoney Corners Wind Park…"

The wind offshore may be more expensive but there sure is a lot of it. (click to enlarge)

"Consumers Energy is moving headlong into large-scale electrical generation from wind turbines to satisfy Michigan's 2008 energy reform law that calls for utilities to create 10 percent of [their] electrical production through renewable sources…[T]he Lake Winds Energy Park has progressed with little public notice. The company quietly began working on it…in early 2007…

"Consumers Energy spokesman Dan Bishop said his company still needs final site plan approval from Mason County, which handles zoning issues for the affected townships...[and] final approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration…[The utility will] move forward with its plans this fall by awarding a contract for engineering, procurement and construction services. There are eight bidding companies…"

An industry with enormous job potential for a state with an enormous need for jobs(click to enlarge)

"In contrast, the Scandia Wind Offshore proposal for wind farms in Lake Michigan off Pentwater and Grand Haven has caused a nine-month controversy as opponents have put up an organized and well-funded fight…Usually, even land-based wind farms have local residents concerned about such issues as killing of birds and bats, "light flicker" from the turning blades on sunny days, ice thrown from the blades in the winter; and noise issues…[but property owners] who have leased land to Consumers Energy for the wind farm have received "lucrative" payments to have turbines, transformer facilities and electrical lines on their properties…

"Consumers Energy has focused on land-based turbines rather than offshore because it makes more economic sense…[especially because] offshore wind farm developments are years away and would not be generating electricity by 2015, when the renewable energy standards become state law…The Lake Winds Energy Park is part of Consumers Energy's 20-year plan to meet the power needs of its 1.8 million electric customers in Michigan…The $6 billion plan over the next five years also includes improving customers' energy efficiency and development of a "smart grid"…[and] development of the [250-megawatt] Cross Winds Energy Park…"


EV CHARGING WILL GET BIG
Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment; Charging Stations, Grid Interconnection Issues, EV Charging Business Models, and Vehicle-to-Grid Technology: Market Analysis and Forecasts
John Gartner and Clint Wheelock, 2Q 2010 (Pike Research)

"It is likely that 2010 will be remembered as a turning point in history…For the first time, electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging equipment are being manufactured for a mass market of consumers…Concerns about transportation's contribution to climate change has brought…electrifying transportation to the attention of local and national government officials worldwide…EVs can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 34% if the power comes from coal-fired power plants and by 60% if the plant runs on natural gas…

"…In the United States, EVs will cost approximately 75 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent when driving on electric power…[or less] depending on advancements in battery technology…The price of gasoline is expected to rise by approximately 65% between 2009 and 2015, while the price of electricity is likely to remain stable…[D]emand for EVs…[and charging stations] could increase dramatically…In other parts of the world…the economics for EVs and charging infrastructure are even better."

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"…The market for EVs (including plug-in hybrids) will grow to nearly 285,000 units by 2015. Globally, more than 3.1 million EVs will be sold between 2010 and 2015. These vehicles will spur the sale of 4.7 million units of charging equipment including residential equipment and standalone charging stations during the period from 2010 to 2015. Pike Research forecasts that annual revenue from EV charging equipment will reach $1.8 billion in 2015.

"…[T]he Asia Pacific region will be the world’s largest market for EVs and charging equipment…China, which in 2009 became the world’s largest automotive market, will represent more than one-third of the global market for charging equipment…[I]n North America, residential EV equipment sales will represent more than two-thirds of sales. In Europe and Asia…standalone charging equipment will represent the majority of sales…[U.S.] charging equipment sales during the first few years will be dominated by government purchased or subsidized sales…EV owners will predominantly charge at home where electricity costs approximately $1-$2 for a full charge. Government support around the globe is critical…"

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"The initial manufacturers of EV charging equipment have been mostly startup companies or companies involved in industrial EV charging…such as Coulomb Technologies, Better Place, and Optimization Technologies…The market for EV charging equipment is likely to become very crowded by the end of 2011 as large technology companies, such as General Electric, Panasonic, Samsung, Siemens, and Sanyo, are all developing EV charging products…EV charging will be a miniscule portion of electricity demand, even by 2015 (representing less than 0.05% of the grid load)…The electrification of transportation has the potential to accelerate the implementation of smart grid technologies and to modify consumer attitudes…

"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) paves the way for more than 12,000 EV charging stations to be installed in five states…(Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington)…In Europe and Asia, energy services companies including RWE in Germany, Dong Energy in Denmark, Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), and the Tokyo Electric Power Company are taking a much more active role in EV charging…The EV charging industry will evolve…Vehicle–to-Grid (V2G) services are now being studied…EVs that can be charged in a wide variety of public and residential charging locations are likely to be…about 2.5% of all vehicle sales by 2015…"


AUTO-CLEANING SOLAR FROM MARS
Self-Cleaning Panel Tech Could Up Solar Power Yeilds by 40 Percent
Jason Mick, August 23, 2010 (Daily Tech)

"…[M]any of the world's sunniest regions (near the equator) are also home to large deserts...[that] would seem to be an ideal place to deploy solar installations…[because they have] intense sunlight…[are] relatively foliage-free…[and fewer environmental impacts]…[but desert] dust clings to panels, dramatically reducing their output.

"…[A] team of researchers led by MIT professor Malay K. Mazumder, Ph.D…[want to] use automated cleaning technology developed for missions to Mars…[A] transparent, electrically sensitive material [would be] deposited on glass or a transparent plastic sheet covering the panels. Sensors [would] monitor the levels of deposited dust on the panel. When the dust levels get too high, a charge is applied to the coating and the dust is physically moved across the panel via the charge and dumped off the edges."

The technology was proved on the Mars rovers. (click to enlarge)

"The procedure uses a minimal amount of energy, making it a viable cleaning solution. It removes 90 percent of dust, greatly improving power output…[It does not require water and] the technology has already been stress tested by NASA space probes and rovers under the harsh Martian climate…United States, Spain, Germany, the Middle East, Australia, and India all are home to large scale solar installations. Many of these installations are in regions where water is scarce, making water-based cleaning problematic…"

[Professor Mazumder;] "A dust layer of one-seventh of an ounce per square yard decreases solar power conversion by 40 percent. In Arizona, dust is deposited each month at about 4 times that amount. Deposition rates are even higher in the Middle East, Australia, and India."

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"The technology already has a huge potential market…[in today’s $24B USD [soalr panel] market…[It] may prove the catalyst to help convince nations to go ahead with [solar] installations, as it should help to substantially reduce the per kilowatt-hour cost of solar power…"

[Professor Mazumder;] "Less than 0.04 percent of global energy production is derived from solar panels, but if only four percent of the world's deserts were dedicated to solar power harvesting, our energy needs could be completely met worldwide. This self-cleaning technology can play an important role."


GEOTHERMAL TURNS 50
Geothermal’s Golden Year; After 50 Years, Geothermal Energy Still Growing
August 23, 2010 (Geothermal Energy Association)

"…Half a century ago, just north of San Francisco, construction began on The Geysers, the nation’s first commercial [utility-scale] geothermal site…

"Now an extensive complex of geothermal energy production, the Geysers has come a long way from its beginnings as a single 11-megawatt power plant. It set both the state of California and the nation on a path toward strong and steady geothermal growth during the ensuing five decades, and now produces enough electricity to power a city the size of San Francisco…"

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"…Since the Geysers began operation, the United States has become the world leader in geothermal energy production and geothermal energy is the largest renewable source of energy in the state of California, providing 5% of the state's electric power…


"And California is no longer alone in geothermal production. Approximately 3,086 Megawatts of installed capacity is produced by 77 plants in nine states. Just last year, seven new plants were brought online. Currently 188 projects in 15 different states are in consideration or in development. Those developing projects could triple geothermal capacity over the next decade…[Geothermal has] the potential to create thousands of jobs and satisfy the energy needs of 10 million people in the coming years…"

The Geysers (click to enlarge)

[Mike Rogers, senior vice president, Geysers operator Calpine Corporation:] “As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Geysers, we are working to ensure that it remains a viable and valuable power source for generations to come…In addition to piping treated wastewater from nearby communities to replenish the geothermal resource, we have completed eight new exploratory wells and are evaluating the feasibility of adding at least 40 megawatts of capacity to help meet California’s trendsetting goals for renewable energy production.”

[Karl Gawell, Executive Director, GEA:] “After what is headed to be the hottest summer on record and in the wake of the Gulf oil spill disaster, the world has been shown that we must re-examine our reliance on traditional sources of power and commit to increasing renewable energy’s role in powering our communities…There is the potential to power millions of homes, businesses and schools from the heat of the earth. The success of geothermal power over the past 50 years gives us an incredible foundation to build a green future over the next 50 years.”