QUICK NEWS, January 20: FEDS FUND SOLAR PLUS STORAGE; KNOWING THE WIND; FINDING THE EARTH’S HEAT

FEDS FUND SOLAR PLUS STORAGE Energy Department Announces $18 Million to Develop Solar Energy Storage Solutions, Boost Grid Resiliency

January 19, 2016 (U.S. Department of Energy)

“…[T]o improve the resiliency, reliability and security of the nation’s electrical power grid, DOE…[will invest] $18 million in funding for six new projects across the United States…[to develop and demonstrate] integrated, scalable, and cost-effective solar technologies that incorporate energy storage…[Solutions] will be developed as part of the Department's Grid Modernization Initiative under the SunShot Initiative. These efforts will dramatically increase [the affordable] solar-generated electricity that can be dispatched at any time - day or night - to meet consumer electricity needs while ensuring the reliability of the nation's electricity grid…[They] will utilize internet capable inverters and will work in conjunction with smart buildings, smart appliances, and utility communication and control systems. These projects are either led by a utility company or include a utility company as a key partner, and the teams will conduct at least a one-year field demonstration of their technologies…” click here for more

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KNOWING THE WIND Natural Power Touts Accuracy Of N.A. Wind Energy Yield Predictions

January 12, 2016 (North American Windpower)

“…[The latest Natural Power validation study shows] the company’s energy yield predictions for North American wind projects have demonstrated 99.1% accuracy…[It evaluated] North American pre-construction wind energy yield predictions by comparison to operational production. It covers 1,262 wind turbines at 18 projects totaling over 2.26 GW…[Such energy yield] estimates are the cornerstone of wind power plant financial models…[Natural Power concluded that the wind industry] must demonstrate continuous improvement and continue to develop an understanding of underlying issues behind energy yield prediction discrepancies [and that the new results confirmed its increasing accuracy]…” click here for more

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FINDING THE EARTH’S HEAT Scientists are using satellites to find untapped sources of geothermal energy under cities; Hot in the city.

Pete Dockrill, 15 January 2016 (ScienceAlert)

“…[Scientists] have developed a means of estimating groundwater temperature hidden under the surface of our cities, based on surface temperatures and the density of buildings as measured by satellites…A range of factors, including population density, vegetation levels, surface sealing, industrial structures, and transport all contribute to [the phenomenon of urban heat islands…

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“To better understand how thermal conduction operates between the surface and underground heat islands (aka subsurface urban heat islands, or SUHI), the researchers compared above-ground and underground temperatures in four German cities…They found that the older a city is, the more pronounced its underground heat…Approximately 95 percent of the areas studied were found to have a higher groundwater temperature than surface temperature, which the researchers attribute to a greater abundance of underground anthropogenic heat sources, such as cellars of buildings and sewers…It's this higher temperature in groundwater that could be used as a source of sustainable energy, for heating in winter and cooling in summer, with the help of geothermal or groundwater heat pumps…” click here for more

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