QUICK NEWS, 9-27: BOOMING UK WIND; HAWAII’S SOLAR POWER; GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS – YES; COAL TO H2?

BOOMING UK WIND
Offshore Farm Pushes U.K. Wind Power Past 5 Gigawatts
Alex Morales and Marc Roca, September 26, 2010 (Bloomberg News)

"Britain’s capacity to generate electricity from the wind passed 5 gigawatts, enough for 2.7 million homes, as Vattenfall AB opened the world’s biggest offshore turbine farm southeast of England.

"The 300-megawatt farm near Thanet means the U.K. has 1,341 megawatts of installed offshore wind capacity, more than the rest of the world combined…Britain also has 3,715 megawatts of onshore wind…Wind power now accounts for 4 percent of U.K. electricity consumption. Offshore facilities play a ‘make-or-break’ role in the U.K.’s goal to derive 15 percent of energy from renewables by 2020…"

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"…[T]he growth of the offshore industry…[is expected to] create jobs as companies including General Electric Co., Siemens AG and Clipper Windpower Plc plan and build turbine plants in the U.K…[To advance such economic benefits, UK wind advocates want] the government to protect from spending cuts 60 million pounds ($94 million) earmarked to upgrade ports…[even though offshore] turbines are at present about three times more expensive to erect and connect to the grid per megawatt…"

The key to growth is having infrastrucutre in place; for offshore wind that means ports. (click to enlarge)


"The Vattenfall [offshore] farm was built at a cost of 900 million- pounds ($1.6 billion), and includes 100 Vestas Wind Systems A/S V90 wind turbines…

"…[T]he goal for onshore wind is to reach an installed capacity of 13 to 14 gigawatts by 2020. For offshore wind, farms with 4 gigawatts of capacity have planning permission or are being built and in January, the government awarded licenses for 32,200 megawatts…"


HAWAII’S SOLAR POWER
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Keahole Solar Power partner for 5 megawatt concentrating solar power project
September 16, 2010 (Keahole Solar Power)

"Keahole Solar Power, LLC signed a lease agreement with the State of Hawaii, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) for land in Kalaeloa. The land will be used as the home for Hawaii’s largest Concentrating Solar Power project the 5 Megawatt 'Kalaeloa Solar One.'"

[Kaulana H.R. Park, Chair, Hawaiian Homes Commission:] “This partnership…[is a result of the] Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative…Kalaeloa Solar One will incorporate the latest generation in solar technology, provide income revenue rent for the department, and a portion of the lease rent proceeds will fund an educational renewable energy program for native Hawaiians. This project will also support the Hawaii economy by creating local jobs…”

The Keahole Solar Power concentrators (click to enlarge)

"Concentrating Solar Power is a very unique approach to solar power generation. The technology uses mirrored reflectors and optics to intensify solar energy, which raises the system’s energy efficiency. The solar panels track the sun through-out the day which increases the amount of kilowatt hours the system produces annually and the field includes thermal storage which enables energy to be produced during clouds or at night."

[Edward Lui, Board of Directors member, Keahole Solar Power:] “KSP’s goals are to bring 30 megawatts of solar power to Hawaii by 2015…[W]e believe the low cost and thermal storage benefits found in Concentrating Solar Power technology are especially good for Hawaii’s ratepayers and the Smart Grid…”

Kalaeloa Solar One (click to enlarge)

"The project is expected to break ground late 2010 and is estimated for completion by 3rd quarter of 2011.

"In 2009, Keahole Solar Power inaugurated “Holaniku at Keahole Point,” Hawaii’s first Concentrating Solar Power. That facility, based on the Big Island of Hawaii, produces 2 megawatts of thermal energy and incorporates 2 hours of thermal energy storage. Energy from Holaniku is sold to the Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) grid under a Power Purchase Agreement approved by the Public Utilities Commission…"


GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS – YES
On the Level: Geothermal Heat Pumps and Energy Efficiency
Jim Rooney, September 26, 2010 (The Capital)

"…[It is wise to be wary [about the efficiency and reliability of geothermal heat pumps but] I have inspected these heat pumps as part of performing home inspections and have attended all-day seminars…[and] I can tell you that the simple answer is yes - they are mechanically reliable IF they are designed and installed properly…

"…The track record is good, but they tended not to have been installed in homes at any great rate due to simple parameters, mostly surrounding initial price and site conditions. When I first began looking at them they were most advisable for owner-operated buildings of 10,000 square feet or more…schools, municipal buildings, health facilities and the like…Ground zero for geothermal heating - also known as ground source heat - in the U.S. was out in the Midwest…"

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"The basic energy exchange mechanism [for geothermal heast pumps] is via buried lines, either through trenches dug to a specific depth or vertical wells into which sealed plastic pipes are filled with a liquid - like anti-freeze - running through them to affect the thermal exchange. In some instances the lines can be placed into a water source such as a large pond if the depth is enough…[S]ystem design is very dependent upon site conditions…

"The move toward energy efficiency at all levels has begun to make them more attractive to homeowners. I have read that geothermal systems have even been employed in some Habitat for Humanity homes…Ikea is installing a [130 500 ft. deep] geothermal system in a new 450,000 sq. ft. building in Colorado and claims of efficiency are nothing short of astounding over traditional heating and cooling…"

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"I have begun to see TV spots for geothermal installation…If we still see the ads after a long stretch of time then that's a good indication they are selling…[The spots also indicate] there is now a population of folks who know how to work on them…[but my] sense is the heart of the system, the heat pump, will last longer than a common air-medium employing system.

"I can't give you an exact payback period for a geothermal heating and cooling system over the traditional air exchange heat pump, but I know they use less energy so they'll lower electric bills and you can get tax credits for putting one in…I've seen claims by the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association that some payback periods are as short as three years. I [dubiously] considered the source of that claim…"


COAL TO H2?
A new idea for clean energy in Kern County; But some air activists object to projected pollution.
Mark Gross, September 18, 2010 (Fresno Bee)

"A $2 billion power plant in Kern County using notoriously dirty coal and petroleum coke conjures images of soot pouring into a brown skyline -- an idea seemingly dead on arrival in one of the nation's worst air basins…

"…Imagine 2,600-degree heat in a sealed chamber vaporizing coal and petroleum coke -- hard, black leftovers from refineries -- to extract a highly prized fuel: hydrogen…[T]his proposed project west of Bakersfield would be the state's first large, hydrogen-fired electricity project…[T]here is no similar project of this size anywhere in the nation."

The chemistry is sound...(click to enlarge)

"The main stumbling block: It would produce more ozone-making gas than comparable natural gas-fired plants, which would be a deal-breaker for many environmentalists…[P]roject owner Hydrogen Energy California of Long Beach says the problem would be cleared up in the first two years…{The] joint venture of global energy giants BP and Rio Tinto, put up nearly $700,000 to help reduce nearby farm and city pollution during that time. It hopes to open the plant in 2015...The California Energy Commission's initial report released this year was positive…Valley air quality officials think the company can control the ozone-making gas…

"Activists are not satisfied…[and] do they like the idea of the pollution coming from rail transportation of coal from Utah or trucking of the petroleum coke from Los Angeles or other areas…The nonprofit Association of Irritated Residents in Kern County is opposing the plant's state permit, which is the last major permitting hurdle…Kern is a good location, close to trucking and rail lines to bring in the coal and petroleum coke, Hydrogen Energy officials said. The established oil fields nearby provide a convenient and safe place to bury climate-warming carbon dioxide from the project…"

...the problem is that capturing the CO2 the process produces is too complicated and costly to make the chemistry worth doing. (click to enlarge)

"…The plant, proposed on 473 acres in an isolated place seven miles west of Bakersfield, would produce about 250 megawatts, funneled into California's electric grid. It could provide power for about 150,000 homes…The construction phase would create 1,500 jobs for three years…After construction, the plant would provide 100 to 150 skilled jobs…Hydrogen Energy also promises a lot of environmentally friendly features. Aside from extracting hydrogen cleanly from dirty fuels, it would capture 90% of the carbon dioxide produced in the process.

"The production of carbon dioxide is unavoidable, officials say. It occurs when the coal and petroleum coke are broken down with high heat in a process called "gasification" to harvest hydrogen…[It] is needed because hydrogen isn't readily available in pure form. It must be separated from such sources as coal and petroleum coke, both of which are rich in carbon…To dispose of carbon dioxide, industries around the globe have been injecting it into the ground. In the Kern project, the carbon dioxide will be converted to a liquid under high pressure and injected thousands of feet below the Valley floor."