QUICK NEWS, 5-5: GOOGLING NEW ENERGY; SENATE CLEAN ENERGY BLUEPRINT; BLM STREAMLINES NEW ENERGY; WIND FARM COMPUTER DESIGNER

GOOGLING NEW ENERGY
Google: renewable energy is long-term effort
Timothy Gardner (w/Sofina Mirza-Reid), April 28, 2011 (Reuters)

"Google Inc has not given up on its goal of making renewable energy cheaper than coal for consumers but it is not predicting victory soon…

"The Internet search giant said in late 2007 it would invest hundreds of millions of dollars in solar, wind and geothermal technologies to help make renewables cost competitive with coal, reviled by environmentalists for its emissions...Google's co-founder Larry Page, now the company's chief executive, said then the company was optimistic the goal could be met in years, not decades."

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"The pledge was made before 2008's financial crisis depleted the number of players willing to make big investments in renewable energy…[and on the hope] that Congress would pass a comprehensive energy bill that would have put a higher price on burning coal and other fossil fuels, an effort that died in the Senate last year.

"…[Google still sees] a lot of opportunities in renewables but it takes time to make an impact…Google investment in renewable energy technology companies has tapered off while it has ramped up investment in generating projects, including two this month…{all together, it] has made five major investments in renewable energy generation projects, worth more than a combined $350 million [and is exploring more opportunities]."

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"…[In April, it invested] about $100 million in the world's largest wind farm under construction in Oregon, a $2 billion project called Shepards Flat…[and] $168 million in BrightSource Energy Inc's $1.7 billion-plus Ivanpah solar thermal complex in the California desert, the company's largest investment in the clean energy sector to date…Both projects will produce power that is far more expensive than that from coal…But Google believes it can eventually help reduce the costs of renewables by spurring innovation and by showing other companies that renewables can be a good business opportunity…

"One reason Google invested in the Shepards Flat wind farm, for instance, is because the project will deploy 2.5 megawatt wind turbines, a size of equipment not used before in the United States…[S]uccess at the project could help deploy more of the turbines at other U.S. wind farms or lead to more research and development on large turbines, which could eventually make them cheaper."


SENATE CLEAN ENERGY BLUEPRINT
Baucus crafts oil tax break repeal plan amid high profit reports
Ben Geman, April 28, 2011 (The Hill)

"Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.)…vowed to shepherd a plan through the [his committee] that ends billions of dollars in tax breaks for the largest oil companies…

"Baucus released a short “blueprint” of the plan – which would expand investment in “clean” fuels and efficient vehicles – the same day that oil giants Exxon and Shell reported big gains in first-quarter profits…[and] a day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he planned to bring a tax break repeal measure to the floor. The White House and Democrats are targeting the subsidies in the wider political debate that has erupted over high gasoline prices."

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"The plan would prevent the five biggest oil companies from claiming a lucrative deduction on domestic manufacturing income, reduce the foreign tax credit for royalty payments to foreign governments and impose an excise tax on certain Gulf of Mexico leases…[T]he excise tax could be a revival of past Democratic efforts to target leases issued in the late 1990s that currently allow royalty-free production even when oil and natural gas prices are high…"

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[The Baucus Blueprint:] “[The plan will] encourage increased production of cleaner and more affordable domestically-produced fuel by making it easier for manufacturers to produce and for consumers to purchase…[and] “incentivize the infrastructure needed to support clean energy vehicles, such as alternative energy fueling stations, that will make the clean energy transportation of the future possible…”

"The plan would not add to the deficit because repealing the oil industry tax incentives would pay for the “clean” energy programs in the bill, according to the Senate Finance Committee…"


BLM STREAMLINES NEW ENERGY
BLM Facilitates Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands through Rules
April 25, 2011 (U.S. Dept of the Interior/Bureau of Land Management)

"In support of the [Obama] Administration’s work to develop environmentally-responsible renewable energy on public lands, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) [has] moved…to facilitate right-of-way (ROW) applications for lands with wind and solar energy development potential…

"…Under existing regulations, lands included in a renewable energy ROW application or within an area identified by the BLM for such ROWs differ from lands proposed for exchange or sale, which can be closed to the filing of mining claims. Lands included in a proposed ROW, however, remain open to appropriations such as the location and entry of mining claims while the BLM is considering the application."

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"Since 2006, the BLM has processed 24 solar and wind energy development ROW applications. In two proposed ROWs, mining claims were located after the applications were submitted but before the ROWs could be authorized. Over the past two years, 437 new mining claims were located within wind energy ROW application areas in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, while 216 new mining claims were located within solar energy ROW application areas."

There is no apparent need for conflict between mining and New Energy, so why is there conflict? (click to enlarge)

"The BLM published two rules…to help resolve such conflicts. The two rules grant the BLM authority to temporarily remove lands included in a renewable energy ROW application and lands offered for wind or solar energy lease from land appropriations like mining claims. Through temporary segregation of lands covered by a currently pending or future wind or solar ROW application, the BLM can ensure no new resource conflicts will arise with respect to mining claims.

"…Such segregations would only be authorized as needed and would not necessarily cover all lands where renewable energy ROW applications have been filed…The rules would also provide for termination of the segregation…The segregation would be effective for two years and can be extended for an additional two years if the appropriate BLM State Director determines that an extension is necessary…The proposed rule will be completed within two years."


WIND FARM COMPUTER DESIGNER
Designing wind farms for max output
April 11, 2011 (WindPower Engineering)

"Designing a wind farm requires…[maximizing] energy capture while minimizing wind loads on turbines, balance-of-plant costs, and maintaining all setback and avoidance criteria. This complicated task is most easily accomplished with assistance from specialized computer programs developed just for the wind industry. The most widely used program, WindPRO, developed by EMD in Denmark, has been used by the industry with continual improvements for over 20 years. In one computer model it combines all the information needed to efficiently design a wind farm.

"…A designer inputs digital background maps (topographic maps, orthographic imagery, or other graphics) digital elevation data, wind data, surface roughness information, GIS data such as property lines and road-center lines, along with wind-turbine power curves to create a 3D computer model. Changing alterable data allows optimizing…annual energy output, [calculating] noise emissions, shadow flicker, visual impacts…[and provides] photo-simulations…"

WindPRO's image of the factors on the landscape (click to enlarge)

"Turbine arrangement is one of the most important aspects of a wind farm’s design. A small change…can result in a significant difference in annual energy output…[and] translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in revenue…[D]esigners try to take advantage of the natural speed-up effects that occur on hill tops…[and minimize] wake-induced turbulence that results in energy loss (array loss) and increased mechanical loads on the turbines…

"…[D]esigners also must satisfy numerous setback and avoidance constraints, such as a safe distance from public roads and environmentally sensitive areas…[and] minimize the effects of noise emissions and shadow flicker on nearby residences…"

WindPRO's image of what the turbines will look like on the land (click to enlarge)

"…WindPRO easily factors in…[everything] and allows testing over [m]ultiple iterations…[t]o predict a wind farm’s annual energy output…[It predicts] the wind speeds at each turbine throughout the wind farm, as well as array losses…

"Even with all the tools available, it still takes experience, scientific knowledge and engineering judgment to properly design a wind farm and accurately predict an annual energy output. Today’s modern computer tools are helpful, but as with any computer modeling, it is the user’s responsibility to determine the quality and appropriateness of the inputs and the reasonableness and accuracy of the results."