QUICK NEWS, 3-1: REPUBLICANS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE; GETTING MORE WITH THE SAME SUN; WHY CANADA SHOULD BUILD GREAT LAKES WIND; BUY SUN ON THE NET

REPUBLICANS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
Republicans recycle an old idea: the foam plastic coffee cup; Polystyrene makes comeback in US Congress building after Republicans reverse green initiatives brought in by Democrats
Suzanne Goldenberg, 28 February 2011 (UK Guardian)

"A bit like the Republican party, they are white, seemingly indestructible and bad for the environment. But after an absence of four years, foam plastic coffee cups have made a comeback in the basement coffee shop of the United States Congress building after Republicans began reversing a series of in-house green initiatives undertaken by Democrats.

"The about-turn was announced by a press aide to John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives…When the Democrats held the house, the former speaker Nancy Pelosi put the cafeterias at the centre of a plan to hugely reduce the carbon footprint of Congress."

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"The ancient power plant in Washington DC a few blocks from the Capitol building, which provides heating and cooling for Congress and the supreme court, was converted from coal to natural gas. Compact fluorescent lighting and energy-efficient vending machines were introduced…In the cafeterias, polystyrene packaging was replaced with trays and utensils made of biodegradable corn starch…Four separate stations were installed for recycling and sorting. A healthier menu was also introduced…

"Items deemed compostable waste, such as coffee cups, were sent to a pulper in a lower basement, which squeezed out all the liquid before dispatching the material by truck to a commercial composting site…There, the waste was mixed with soil, which eventually returned to Capitol Hill to be used as fertiliser on the grounds. Hundreds of tonnes of waste was saved from landfills yearly…"

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"But the new green cafeteria was not universally popular – even when Democrats were in charge. Diners complained the cutlery would bend or break on the point of contact with solid food…Once Republicans were back in charge of the house, with their suspicion of environmental protection, the days of compostable coffee cups were numbered.

"Dan Lungren, chair of the house administration committee, said the $475,000 per year programme was too expensive and not even green…Next on the Republican agenda of environmental retro moves? Lightbulbs. House Republicans introduced a bill last week to repeal the government's decision to phase out the old energy-inefficient bulbs, which was due to start in 2012…Environmental organisations condemned the return to plastic…"


GETTING MORE WITH THE SAME SUN
Energy performance India vs. Spain: As the DNI values are similar, how is the energy yield?
February 24, 2011 (CSP Today)

"…With respect to the Global Horizontal Irradiation GHI, which is relevant for Photovoltaic (PV) projects, [India is superior to Spain]…In regard to Direct Normal Irradiation DNI, which is relevant for CSP projects, the annual sum of DNI is almost comparable, with values in the range of 1900-2100 kWh/m2a.

"…[T]wo regions favorable for CSP project locations…Spain, Andalusia…[and] India, Rajasthan…[a] year with an identical annual sum [of 1950 kWh/m2a] for DNI in both locations was used…A standard performance simulation tool for CSP plants was applied…[for an identical] parabolic trough CSP plant with 8 hours of storage…"

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"One would expect at first glance that the annual electricity yield of both plants would be approximately equal…The location in India, compared to the location in Spain, accumulates more hours with moderately high DNI values. While in Spain, only during summer some high DNI values are reached.

"…[T]he CSP-plant at the Indian location can deliver significantly more energy compared to a location in Spain with the same average DNI…[T]he low production during the cold seasons creates the disadvantage in Spain. The Indian production curve also shows the dip in energy production during the monsoon-summer month (Jun-Aug)…"

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"…As a conclusion, one can use as rule of thumb, that energy yield at a location in India could be >20% above a location in Spain with the same average DNI…

"…The performance of a parabolic trough plant is a function mainly of DNI, solar field size, and storage size. The plant configuration requires a project specific optimization to identify the feasible size of the plant (number of loops, capacity of thermal energy storage), which can only be optimized once the DNI is properly evaluated. Further optimization will then review the cost related to the technically optimized concepts."


WHY CANADA SHOULD BUILD GREAT LAKES WIND
Trillium CEO Questions Ontario's Offshore Decision
Angela Beniwal, 22 February 2011 (North American Windpower)

"Trillium Wind Power Corp. has spent the past 15 years working toward developing four offshore wind projects in the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. But a recent decision by the Ontario government to stop offshore wind development puts the developer's pipeline of up to 3,500 MW in jeopardy…Ontario's Ministry of Environment (MOE) took many in the wind industry by surprise when it announced that it was halting development of proposed offshore wind projects while further scientific research is conducted.

"John Kourtoff, Trillium's CEO, says there are no environmental issues with wind projects that are located 10 km out…But the MOE cited a lack of scientific studies regarding offshore wind development in freshwater…The MOE says it plans to monitor the recently installed Lake Vanern pilot project in Sweden….[and] observe a 20 MW pilot project proposed by the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force for Lake Erie in Ohio…Kourtoff says the MOE's decision is not a moratorium, but rather an outright cancellation of projects…"

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"In June 2010, the MOE and MNR posted separate policy proposals regarding offshore wind power development…[and] received many comments opposing offshore wind development. Concerns include potential impacts to fisheries and birds, changes to natural coastal processes, and impacts to commercial and recreational fishing.

"…[With the] 2008 decision…to lift an offshore wind moratorium…[a] press release [was] issued [that] said the moratorium was lifted…based on the best available information, including…Partnering with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory to evaluate offshore wind potential in the Great Lakes…Analyzing lakes Erie, Huron and Ontario, including depth, wind speed and other social and ecological values…Developing wind power guidance documents for birds and bats; and…Establishing a partnership with Bird Studies Canada, the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service to set up a common database for monitoring wind power’s impact on birds and bats."

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"Kourtoff speculates that lingering opposition to onshore wind projects influenced the MOE's decision…No one from the government has been in touch with Trillium to explain the decision or what will happen next…Trillium's four projects were expected to generate between 3,200 MW and 3,500 MW of wind power…

"According to a Conference Board of Canada report released in December 2010, 2,000 MW of offshore wind could be generated between now and 2026…[and] the development and operation of offshore wind in Ontario would create between 55,000 and 62,000 person-years of employment…Stopping offshore development in the Great Lakes will have dire consequences for the industry in Ontario…"


BUY SUN ON THE NET
Online Shopping Platform For PV Panels Debuts
18 February 2011 (Solar Industry)

"Technology marketing specialist HMG has announced the official preview of PanelPrice.com, a new online shopping platform dedicated to solar panel price comparison."

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"…PanelPrice.com…is intended for project developers and homeowners…[It] is designed to aid in the purchase of solar power modules for residential locations and commercial PV sites."

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"The site lists hundreds of solar panel prices for more than 300 different solar panels and automatically checks all price offers for validity. Technology used in the site is designed to solve the problem of outdated merchant offerings in online price comparison…"