USPS Goes Green
In strict adherence to guidelines released by the Department of Energy, the United States Postal Service gets on a fast track to reach the goal for energy reduction. Green roofs, green buildings and an optimally efficient management system of energy consumption form part of the energy-reduction strategy.
Power Guzzlers:
Use of air conditioning is one of the main reasons for the ever increasing power consumption. The heat-island effect also plays a part. Concentration of black or dark roofs and paved surfaces raise the ambient temperature increasing the demand for air-conditioning. The air quality also is certainly poorer because of the ever increasing carbon emissions.
Going green:
The agency is aggressively marching on to reduce power consumption. The plan is to economize energy consumption by 30% by 2015. It is using various approaches to reach the goal. Already 70% target completed, only about one third of the goal is all left to achieve by the USPS.
Cool roof initiatives:
One of the remarkable initiatives in combating power consumption is the cool green roof initiatives as per Energy Department guidelines. In Manhattan Midtown, the USPS has converted the roof of Morgan Mail Processing Facility to green roof topping. This 2.5-acre wide green roof is the largest green roof topping in New York City.
Advantages of Green roof:
Not merely meeting the early performance estimates, this green roof has actually exceeded all expectations since the time it was constructed. The advantages are:
Cool green roofs reflect sunlight and reduce heat gain.
Reduction of polluted storm water run-off-– 75% in summer and 40% in winter.
Reduction in annual energy consumption – 40% per month
Additional reduction in energy expenses – 15% – because of energy-saving measures like replacing some 1600 windows.
Longer lasting – lasting for some 50 years – twice as much as the previous one.
Energy saving spree:
The implementation of Enterprise Energy Management System has been a boon to USPS saving some $400 million since 2007. Instead of the estimated $30,000 savings in Morgan Facility alone, more than $1 million was saved as the direct results of the green roofing and other energy-efficient measures.
Success of EEMS:
With measures like green roofing and LEED certifications, the USPS has achieved energy cut of some 21% since 2003 and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and thereby controlling carbon emission by 20%. Now USPS is on the go implementing new measures to make its entire fleet of buildings energy efficient and to use more green environmentally friendly alternative fuels.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
New photovoltaic (PV) cell module that has an output of 200W
New photovoltaic (PV) cell module that has an output of 200W
Mitsubishi has developed a new photovoltaic (PV) cell module that has an output of 200W and unlike conventional ones it uses monocrystalline silicon (Si) PV cells. For the moment, the PV cell module is targeted at residents of Japan, but the company plans to start offshore shipments from Oct 20, 2010.
The output of the new module is about 5% higher than Mitsubishi Electric’s PV cell module that uses polycrystalline Si PV cells. Besides the fact that the new monocrystalline Si PV cell increases power generation efficiency, it also boosts the current value, early prototypes suffered from greater energy loss. This happens because the electric resistance inside the cell increases.
The company has solved this problem by increasing the number of bus bar electrodes from two to four to shorten the travel distance of electrons. So, the researchers have got a positive result. The electric resistance inside the cell decreased, enhancing the output performance of the monocrystalline Si PV cell.
According to Mitsubishi Electric Corp., the new PV cell module will be available in three shapes: a normal type (rectangular type), a trapezoidal type (1,297 x 858mm, 100W) and a square type (843 x 858mm, 100W), thus, having the possibility to be installed on various types of roofs. In only one year, the company is planning to sell about 100,000 units at a price of US$1,561 for three types.
Mitsubishi has developed a new photovoltaic (PV) cell module that has an output of 200W and unlike conventional ones it uses monocrystalline silicon (Si) PV cells. For the moment, the PV cell module is targeted at residents of Japan, but the company plans to start offshore shipments from Oct 20, 2010.
The output of the new module is about 5% higher than Mitsubishi Electric’s PV cell module that uses polycrystalline Si PV cells. Besides the fact that the new monocrystalline Si PV cell increases power generation efficiency, it also boosts the current value, early prototypes suffered from greater energy loss. This happens because the electric resistance inside the cell increases.
The company has solved this problem by increasing the number of bus bar electrodes from two to four to shorten the travel distance of electrons. So, the researchers have got a positive result. The electric resistance inside the cell decreased, enhancing the output performance of the monocrystalline Si PV cell.
According to Mitsubishi Electric Corp., the new PV cell module will be available in three shapes: a normal type (rectangular type), a trapezoidal type (1,297 x 858mm, 100W) and a square type (843 x 858mm, 100W), thus, having the possibility to be installed on various types of roofs. In only one year, the company is planning to sell about 100,000 units at a price of US$1,561 for three types.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Dubbed “Bio-Bug”, this green vehicle runs reliably on biogas.
A group of British engineers has created a car powered by methane gas. Dubbed “Bio-Bug”, this green vehicle runs reliably on biogas, which is produced from human waste at sewage works across the country.
The team modified a 2 litre VW Beetle convertible to run on both compressed methane gas and conventional fuel. It can also travel 10,000 miles by the power produced from sewage collected from just 70 homes.
According to the team, Bio-Bug is Britain’s first vehicle to run on methane gas without its performance being reduced. Normally, the car uses unleaded petrol but when the engine becomes “hot”, it automatically switches to methane. If the methane tank empties, the vehicle reverts back to petrol.
This poo-powered car is capable to reach a top speed of 114mph, running 5.3 miles on a cubic meter of biogas, which means that just one sewage works could save 19,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The gas is produced through anaerobic digestion, where bugs starved of oxygen break down biodegradable material to generate methane. ‘Biomethane cars could be just as important as electric cars, and the water regulator Ofwat should promote the generation of as much biogas as possible through sewage works in the fight against climate change,’ said Lord Rupert Redesdale, chairman of The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association.
The team modified a 2 litre VW Beetle convertible to run on both compressed methane gas and conventional fuel. It can also travel 10,000 miles by the power produced from sewage collected from just 70 homes.
According to the team, Bio-Bug is Britain’s first vehicle to run on methane gas without its performance being reduced. Normally, the car uses unleaded petrol but when the engine becomes “hot”, it automatically switches to methane. If the methane tank empties, the vehicle reverts back to petrol.
This poo-powered car is capable to reach a top speed of 114mph, running 5.3 miles on a cubic meter of biogas, which means that just one sewage works could save 19,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The gas is produced through anaerobic digestion, where bugs starved of oxygen break down biodegradable material to generate methane. ‘Biomethane cars could be just as important as electric cars, and the water regulator Ofwat should promote the generation of as much biogas as possible through sewage works in the fight against climate change,’ said Lord Rupert Redesdale, chairman of The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
On-Board Solar Panel Powers Bike
On-Board Solar Panel Powers Bike
Dubbed “Solar Bike Fujin”, the solar-powered electric bike has an assisted travel range of 220km on a single charge and it can be used on public roads.
A Japanese company called Hama Zero has recently developed a new electric bike, powered by the electricity produced using an on-board solar panel.
Reaching a top speed of about 72km/h, the bike is powered by a 940W/h lithium-ion battery which stores the energy and has a weight of just 42kgs (including the solar panel placed in a box at the back).
On rainy or cloudy days, Fujin has the possibility to charge its batteries from a home power socket and according to the company one charge costs around $0.02.
Dubbed “Solar Bike Fujin”, the solar-powered electric bike has an assisted travel range of 220km on a single charge and it can be used on public roads.
A Japanese company called Hama Zero has recently developed a new electric bike, powered by the electricity produced using an on-board solar panel.
Reaching a top speed of about 72km/h, the bike is powered by a 940W/h lithium-ion battery which stores the energy and has a weight of just 42kgs (including the solar panel placed in a box at the back).
On rainy or cloudy days, Fujin has the possibility to charge its batteries from a home power socket and according to the company one charge costs around $0.02.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Solar Power Production and "PETE"
Solar Power Production and "PETE"
Researchers at Stanford University found a new way to make solar power production more than twice as efficient compared to conventional methods.
According to the researchers, the new process excels at higher temperatures, compared to existing photovoltaic technology which becomes less efficient for that case. The process is dubbed ‘PETE’ (photon enhanced thermionic emission).
“This is really a conceptual breakthrough, a new energy conversion process, not just a new material or a slightly different tweak.It is actually something fundamentally different about how you can harvest energy,” said Nick Melosh, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, who led the research group.
Generally speaking, photovoltaic cells such as those used in rooftop solar panels convert the energy from photons to electricity by using a semiconducting material – silicon. The cells are capable to use a little portion of the light spectrum, with the rest just absorbing heat. This heat from unused sunlight and inefficiencies in the cells themselves account for a loss of more than 50 percent of the initial solar energy that reaches the cell.
The idea is to harvest this wasted heat energy so the solar cells could become much more efficient. To power heat-based conversion systems high temperatures are needed, but at higher temperatures, the solar cell’s efficiency rapidly decreases. Until today, nobody had come up with a method to combine photovoltaic and thermal conversion technologies.
The team of researchers have figured out how to made a semiconducting material able to use both heat and light to produce electricity. This thing is possible by coating a piece of that material with a thin layer of cesium – a metal.
“What we’ve demonstrated is a new physical process that is not based on standard photovoltaic mechanisms, but can give you a photovoltaic-like response at very high temperatures. In fact, it works better at higher temperatures. The higher the better.” Melosh said.
The high temperatures at which PETE performs (over 200 degrees C) are perfect for producing usable high temperature waste heat. The team also said that if PETE would be combined with a thermal conversion cycle, it could make solar cells reach even a 60% efficiency .
Researchers at Stanford University found a new way to make solar power production more than twice as efficient compared to conventional methods.
According to the researchers, the new process excels at higher temperatures, compared to existing photovoltaic technology which becomes less efficient for that case. The process is dubbed ‘PETE’ (photon enhanced thermionic emission).
“This is really a conceptual breakthrough, a new energy conversion process, not just a new material or a slightly different tweak.It is actually something fundamentally different about how you can harvest energy,” said Nick Melosh, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, who led the research group.
Generally speaking, photovoltaic cells such as those used in rooftop solar panels convert the energy from photons to electricity by using a semiconducting material – silicon. The cells are capable to use a little portion of the light spectrum, with the rest just absorbing heat. This heat from unused sunlight and inefficiencies in the cells themselves account for a loss of more than 50 percent of the initial solar energy that reaches the cell.
The idea is to harvest this wasted heat energy so the solar cells could become much more efficient. To power heat-based conversion systems high temperatures are needed, but at higher temperatures, the solar cell’s efficiency rapidly decreases. Until today, nobody had come up with a method to combine photovoltaic and thermal conversion technologies.
The team of researchers have figured out how to made a semiconducting material able to use both heat and light to produce electricity. This thing is possible by coating a piece of that material with a thin layer of cesium – a metal.
“What we’ve demonstrated is a new physical process that is not based on standard photovoltaic mechanisms, but can give you a photovoltaic-like response at very high temperatures. In fact, it works better at higher temperatures. The higher the better.” Melosh said.
The high temperatures at which PETE performs (over 200 degrees C) are perfect for producing usable high temperature waste heat. The team also said that if PETE would be combined with a thermal conversion cycle, it could make solar cells reach even a 60% efficiency .
NASCAR’s “Tricky Triangle” Adds a New Trick: Solar Power
NASCAR’s “Tricky Triangle” Adds a New Trick: Solar Power
Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway, known to NASCAR fans as the “Tricky Triangle” for its unusual layout, is now home to a gigantic 40,000 panel solar power installation. The new solar array broke ground last year and just went online this week. It is expected to generate about 72 million kilowatt hours of clean power over a 20-year lifespan, and it is believed to be the largest solar installation at a sports facility in the world.
The new solar array will offset more electricity than the raceway uses, leaving enough left over to power about 1,000 homes. The track’s owner, Dr. Joseph Mattioli, sees the $18 million investment in solar energy as a potential profit center for the facility, and he foresees the potential for future expansion. If he can make it work, don’t be surprised to see solar panels sprouting up at other points on the NASCAR circuit in the near future.
Sports and Renewable Energy in the Pocono Mountains
The Pocono Mountains region is a sports paradise, and the high profile of Pocono Raceway’s solar installation may touch off a surge of interest in renewable energy by other recreation facilities in the area. The owner of one ski resort, Camelback Mountain Resort, has already taken steps to push wind power front and center as a renewable power source, anticipating demand not only from his resort but as an industrywide trend. With Pennsylvanians facing an ever-mounting pile of damage caused to the state’s natural resources by fossil fuel harvesting, including the decades-old Centralia coal mine fire and the impacts of natural gas drilling, sports facility owners may be betting on sustainable energy as a selling point that attracts and keeps loyal customers.
NASCAR and Sustainability
As for NASCAR, the organization is out to prove that even an industry that burns fuel as its raison d’etre can take some steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions, conserve resources and reduce its use of toxic chemicals. Some of the measures include using LEED standards in new construction, developing alternative fuels, and introducing hybrid vehicles. In April NASCAR launched a tie-in with Office Depot, which purchased EarthEra renewable energy credits to offset a race at the Phoenix International Raceway, and it has introduced a tree planting program. NASCAR is also working with the U.S. EPA to reach out to fans and is encouraging top drivers like Jeff Gordon speak out on behalf of hybrid cars (yes, he drives one) and other sustainability issues.
Written by Tina Casey
Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway, known to NASCAR fans as the “Tricky Triangle” for its unusual layout, is now home to a gigantic 40,000 panel solar power installation. The new solar array broke ground last year and just went online this week. It is expected to generate about 72 million kilowatt hours of clean power over a 20-year lifespan, and it is believed to be the largest solar installation at a sports facility in the world.
The new solar array will offset more electricity than the raceway uses, leaving enough left over to power about 1,000 homes. The track’s owner, Dr. Joseph Mattioli, sees the $18 million investment in solar energy as a potential profit center for the facility, and he foresees the potential for future expansion. If he can make it work, don’t be surprised to see solar panels sprouting up at other points on the NASCAR circuit in the near future.
Sports and Renewable Energy in the Pocono Mountains
The Pocono Mountains region is a sports paradise, and the high profile of Pocono Raceway’s solar installation may touch off a surge of interest in renewable energy by other recreation facilities in the area. The owner of one ski resort, Camelback Mountain Resort, has already taken steps to push wind power front and center as a renewable power source, anticipating demand not only from his resort but as an industrywide trend. With Pennsylvanians facing an ever-mounting pile of damage caused to the state’s natural resources by fossil fuel harvesting, including the decades-old Centralia coal mine fire and the impacts of natural gas drilling, sports facility owners may be betting on sustainable energy as a selling point that attracts and keeps loyal customers.
NASCAR and Sustainability
As for NASCAR, the organization is out to prove that even an industry that burns fuel as its raison d’etre can take some steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions, conserve resources and reduce its use of toxic chemicals. Some of the measures include using LEED standards in new construction, developing alternative fuels, and introducing hybrid vehicles. In April NASCAR launched a tie-in with Office Depot, which purchased EarthEra renewable energy credits to offset a race at the Phoenix International Raceway, and it has introduced a tree planting program. NASCAR is also working with the U.S. EPA to reach out to fans and is encouraging top drivers like Jeff Gordon speak out on behalf of hybrid cars (yes, he drives one) and other sustainability issues.
Written by Tina Casey
IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME FOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY.
IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME FOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY.
How many ordinary people, do you suppose, know what the troposphere is? How many voters could describe in detail the composition of the air we breathe? How many politicians could speak at length – without the help of office researchers – about the hydrologic cycle? How many good, hard-working Americans could discuss the dangers of persistent trade deficits, even if they knew what a deficit was?
Senate Democrats have decided against an effort to pass major energy and climate legislation this year. The votes weren’t in their favor they said. They’d offer energy-lite instead, which as I write this is legislation in limbo.
One of the problems of trying to pass an energy and climate bill is that, very likely, many people – from citizens to politicians – don’t get it. They don’t understand the core, simple principles behind global warming science or the economic problems of energy dependency. They're uneducated as well about basic earth sciences and some very simple economic mechanisms.
Obviously, politicians, advocacy, industry groups and industry itself wanting to move the nation to a low carbon, energy independent future, will have to regroup and try again. The trouble with passing significant climate and energy legislation – as well as getting people to voluntarily control their energy and emissions habits – may be caused by poor continuous education. By “continuous education” I mean the process of continuously reminding people of things they don’t know or may have known in the past but have forgotten.
How many know how thin the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere where we live, and where most greenhouse gases are accumulating, actually is? (At the most 10 miles.) How many people understand how emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are removed from the air? How many people appreciate the importance of trees in this regard? On energy, how many understand that spending more money on imported goods (like oil) rather than receiving money from the sale of exported goods (of any kind) means that the dollars earned here are leaving the nation at a greater rate than they are coming in. (Our trade deficit is a drainpipe for dollars. Most of that drainpipe is filled with dollars for oil.)
Most people probably learned a great deal about earth sciences and the environment in the 8th grade but may have forgotten. Many probably learned about economics in college but have forgotten as well. Continuously educating people – reminding people of things they many have already learned before as well as educating people who never had the opportunity to learn those things – may be the best way to overcome the resistance to efforts to change the nation’s (and the world’s) emissions and energy habits.
Most people should be able to answer some simple questions. Where does the exhaust of power plants, cars, factories, even ourselves, go? If we remove nature’s ability to extract carbon dioxide from air, such as by cutting down too many trees, won’t that seemly harmless gas build up over time? If we’ve changed the composition of the atmosphere can’t we expect some changes in the climate as well? Where does our oil, coal and natural gas come from? How many dollars per day are leaving the country never to return?
Perhaps in the next push to get climate and energy legislation passed, politicians and supporting groups should be more teachers than leaders and advocates. The process of education shouldn’t be a one time effort. On climate and energy, as well as a host of other subjects, education has to be continuous and made easy to understand. What we learned in 8th grade needs to revisited from time to time.
HostGator review
by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News
How many ordinary people, do you suppose, know what the troposphere is? How many voters could describe in detail the composition of the air we breathe? How many politicians could speak at length – without the help of office researchers – about the hydrologic cycle? How many good, hard-working Americans could discuss the dangers of persistent trade deficits, even if they knew what a deficit was?
Senate Democrats have decided against an effort to pass major energy and climate legislation this year. The votes weren’t in their favor they said. They’d offer energy-lite instead, which as I write this is legislation in limbo.
One of the problems of trying to pass an energy and climate bill is that, very likely, many people – from citizens to politicians – don’t get it. They don’t understand the core, simple principles behind global warming science or the economic problems of energy dependency. They're uneducated as well about basic earth sciences and some very simple economic mechanisms.
Obviously, politicians, advocacy, industry groups and industry itself wanting to move the nation to a low carbon, energy independent future, will have to regroup and try again. The trouble with passing significant climate and energy legislation – as well as getting people to voluntarily control their energy and emissions habits – may be caused by poor continuous education. By “continuous education” I mean the process of continuously reminding people of things they don’t know or may have known in the past but have forgotten.
How many know how thin the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere where we live, and where most greenhouse gases are accumulating, actually is? (At the most 10 miles.) How many people understand how emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are removed from the air? How many people appreciate the importance of trees in this regard? On energy, how many understand that spending more money on imported goods (like oil) rather than receiving money from the sale of exported goods (of any kind) means that the dollars earned here are leaving the nation at a greater rate than they are coming in. (Our trade deficit is a drainpipe for dollars. Most of that drainpipe is filled with dollars for oil.)
Most people probably learned a great deal about earth sciences and the environment in the 8th grade but may have forgotten. Many probably learned about economics in college but have forgotten as well. Continuously educating people – reminding people of things they many have already learned before as well as educating people who never had the opportunity to learn those things – may be the best way to overcome the resistance to efforts to change the nation’s (and the world’s) emissions and energy habits.
Most people should be able to answer some simple questions. Where does the exhaust of power plants, cars, factories, even ourselves, go? If we remove nature’s ability to extract carbon dioxide from air, such as by cutting down too many trees, won’t that seemly harmless gas build up over time? If we’ve changed the composition of the atmosphere can’t we expect some changes in the climate as well? Where does our oil, coal and natural gas come from? How many dollars per day are leaving the country never to return?
Perhaps in the next push to get climate and energy legislation passed, politicians and supporting groups should be more teachers than leaders and advocates. The process of education shouldn’t be a one time effort. On climate and energy, as well as a host of other subjects, education has to be continuous and made easy to understand. What we learned in 8th grade needs to revisited from time to time.
HostGator review
by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News
Monday, August 2, 2010
World’s largest wind energy center breaks ground in California
World’s largest wind energy center breaks ground in California
The largest wind energy project will soon rise in Kern County, California as Terra-Gen Power began construction of the 3,000-megawatt Alta Wind Energy Center.
Comprising of a portfolio of wind energy facilities, the wind center will dwarf the 781.5 MW Roscoe Wind Farm in Texas, which currently holds the record for the largest wind generating capacity in the world.
A project under the Alta wind center is the 800-MW Alta-Oak Creek Mojave project, which consists of 320 wind turbines. The wind farm is expected to be completed in early 2011.
The Alta wind center will generate enough wind energy to sustain the electricity needs of 1.1 million people, which is roughly the equivalent of 275,000 Californian homes. Southern California Edison already purchased 1,550 MW of the energy generated by the wind center under a power purchase agreement signed in 2006.
Upon completion, the project will also increase California’s installed wind energy capacity by 25 percent and will represent 10 percent of the renewable power purchases required for the state’s regulated utilities. The state’s renewable portfolio standard mandates utilities to source 33 percent of their energy supply from renewable by 2020.
Terra-Gen expects the Alta project to offset more than 52 million metric tons of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of removing 446,000 vehicles from the road – and conserve over 888 million gallons of water annually.
More than 3,000 jobs will be created during the manufacturing, construction and operational stages of the project, increasing California’s wind industry-related jobs by 20 percent. The project will also inject $1.2 billion in Kern County’s local economy.
“[Alta Wind Energy Center] will create a record-breaking amount of domestic wind energy, securing America’s energy independence while protecting our natural resources for future generations,” said Jim Pagano, chief executive of Terra-Gen Power.
"Having the world's largest wind project break ground in our state is tangible evidence that our pioneering policies are drawing investment, improving the economy and creating jobs now when we need them most,” added Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California.
The Alta Wind Energy Center will be equipped with nearly 600 wind turbines, 190 of which will be provided by Vestas-American Wind Technology. Amounting to 570 MW of wind energy, this is the largest wind turbine order that Vestas received for a single site.
Terra-Gen already secured over $1.5 billion in financing for the wind project through a variety of funding efforts, including a construction financing round, a construction bridge loan facility, and ancillary credit facilities.
By Nuel Navarrete
The largest wind energy project will soon rise in Kern County, California as Terra-Gen Power began construction of the 3,000-megawatt Alta Wind Energy Center.
Comprising of a portfolio of wind energy facilities, the wind center will dwarf the 781.5 MW Roscoe Wind Farm in Texas, which currently holds the record for the largest wind generating capacity in the world.
A project under the Alta wind center is the 800-MW Alta-Oak Creek Mojave project, which consists of 320 wind turbines. The wind farm is expected to be completed in early 2011.
The Alta wind center will generate enough wind energy to sustain the electricity needs of 1.1 million people, which is roughly the equivalent of 275,000 Californian homes. Southern California Edison already purchased 1,550 MW of the energy generated by the wind center under a power purchase agreement signed in 2006.
Upon completion, the project will also increase California’s installed wind energy capacity by 25 percent and will represent 10 percent of the renewable power purchases required for the state’s regulated utilities. The state’s renewable portfolio standard mandates utilities to source 33 percent of their energy supply from renewable by 2020.
Terra-Gen expects the Alta project to offset more than 52 million metric tons of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of removing 446,000 vehicles from the road – and conserve over 888 million gallons of water annually.
More than 3,000 jobs will be created during the manufacturing, construction and operational stages of the project, increasing California’s wind industry-related jobs by 20 percent. The project will also inject $1.2 billion in Kern County’s local economy.
“[Alta Wind Energy Center] will create a record-breaking amount of domestic wind energy, securing America’s energy independence while protecting our natural resources for future generations,” said Jim Pagano, chief executive of Terra-Gen Power.
"Having the world's largest wind project break ground in our state is tangible evidence that our pioneering policies are drawing investment, improving the economy and creating jobs now when we need them most,” added Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California.
The Alta Wind Energy Center will be equipped with nearly 600 wind turbines, 190 of which will be provided by Vestas-American Wind Technology. Amounting to 570 MW of wind energy, this is the largest wind turbine order that Vestas received for a single site.
Terra-Gen already secured over $1.5 billion in financing for the wind project through a variety of funding efforts, including a construction financing round, a construction bridge loan facility, and ancillary credit facilities.
By Nuel Navarrete
U.S. wind industry continues poor market performance in 2010
U.S. wind industry continues poor market performance in 2010
The wind industry in the United States has remained in a slump with only 700 megawatts of new generating capacity installed during this year’s second quarter, the American Wind Energy Association reported.
Total wind power installations in 2010 only totaled 1,239 MW – a drop of 57 percent from 2008 levels and 71 percent from 2009 levels.
Texas was the most active state during this trying time, as Iberdrola Renewables installed the 201.6 MW Penascal II wind project in Kenedy County. The state also plans to add an additional 200 MW in its wind generation portfolio from the E.ON Climate and Renewables’ Papalote Creek II wind project.
Aside from wind installations, new manufacturing activity also dropped from the past couple of years, with only two new manufacturing facilities online in the first half of 2010, compared with seven in 2008 and five in 2009.
The wind industry’s struggle began in the start of the year when it only saw 539 MW of new wind installations in the first quarter – its lowest figure since 2007.
The association pinpointed the continued lack of long-term market signals, as well as low power demand and price, as culprits for the industry’s decline. It revealed that even with more than 5,500 MW of wind projects under construction and more in the pipeline for the second half of 2010, wind installations will still fall to 25 percent to 45 percent below 2009 installations.
A strong national renewable energy standard is now a must to attract investors and stabilize the wind industry, the association said.
“A [renewable energy standard] would stimulate utilities to buy wind power and conclude power purchase agreements, get the demand locomotive going again, and work in tandem with Recovery Act funding to produce spectacular results as seen in 2009,” it added.
“Without strong, supportive policy like a [renewable energy standard] to spur demand, investment, and jobs, manufacturing facilities will go idle and lay off workers if Congress doesn’t act now - before time runs out this session," Denise Bode, chief executive of the association, stressed.
The wind industry almost matched natural gas in new installations as compared with the previous two years. Furthermore, the two sectors make up approximately 90 percent of all new annual generating capacity installed over the past five years.
More coal and natural gas facilities have been established than wind farms and other renewable sources to date.
By Nuel Navarrete
The wind industry in the United States has remained in a slump with only 700 megawatts of new generating capacity installed during this year’s second quarter, the American Wind Energy Association reported.
Total wind power installations in 2010 only totaled 1,239 MW – a drop of 57 percent from 2008 levels and 71 percent from 2009 levels.
Texas was the most active state during this trying time, as Iberdrola Renewables installed the 201.6 MW Penascal II wind project in Kenedy County. The state also plans to add an additional 200 MW in its wind generation portfolio from the E.ON Climate and Renewables’ Papalote Creek II wind project.
Aside from wind installations, new manufacturing activity also dropped from the past couple of years, with only two new manufacturing facilities online in the first half of 2010, compared with seven in 2008 and five in 2009.
The wind industry’s struggle began in the start of the year when it only saw 539 MW of new wind installations in the first quarter – its lowest figure since 2007.
The association pinpointed the continued lack of long-term market signals, as well as low power demand and price, as culprits for the industry’s decline. It revealed that even with more than 5,500 MW of wind projects under construction and more in the pipeline for the second half of 2010, wind installations will still fall to 25 percent to 45 percent below 2009 installations.
A strong national renewable energy standard is now a must to attract investors and stabilize the wind industry, the association said.
“A [renewable energy standard] would stimulate utilities to buy wind power and conclude power purchase agreements, get the demand locomotive going again, and work in tandem with Recovery Act funding to produce spectacular results as seen in 2009,” it added.
“Without strong, supportive policy like a [renewable energy standard] to spur demand, investment, and jobs, manufacturing facilities will go idle and lay off workers if Congress doesn’t act now - before time runs out this session," Denise Bode, chief executive of the association, stressed.
The wind industry almost matched natural gas in new installations as compared with the previous two years. Furthermore, the two sectors make up approximately 90 percent of all new annual generating capacity installed over the past five years.
More coal and natural gas facilities have been established than wind farms and other renewable sources to date.
By Nuel Navarrete
Penn State scientists use insect eyes for better solar cells
Penn State scientists use insect eyes for better solar cells
Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have taken inspiration from the eyes of a blowfly to enhance the efficiency of next generation solar cells.
The team is looking into the corneas of blowflies to manufacture biomimetic surfaces, or surfaces that imitate the properties of biological tissues. These surfaces can be used for a variety of applications, including solar cells.
According to the researchers, blowfly eyes can be used in the manufacture of solar cells. The flies have compound eyes that are roughly hemispherical, but within that half sphere, the surface is covered with individual macroscale, hexagonal eyes with nanoscale features.
“These eyes are perfect for making solar cells because they would collect more sunlight from a larger area rather than just light that falls directly on a flat surface,” said Akhlesha Lakhtakia, Godfrey Binder professor of engineering science and mechanics.
However, the surface must retain the overall design in sufficient detail in order to work successfully in a manufactured product. Thus, Mr. Lakhtakia and his colleagues developed a method to create macroscale molds or dies that retain nanoscale features.
The researchers used arrays of nine blowfly eyes coated with 250 nanometers of nickel. They fixed the corneas on a glass substrate and filled the back with polydimethylsiloxane, a silicon-based organic polymer, so that the nickel they apply will not seep behind the eyes.
They then deposited nickel on the surface by thermally evaporating the material that forms the coating in a vacuum chamber. The object receiving the coating is attached to a holder and rotated about once every two seconds.
This process created a master template half a millimeter thick, which can be used either as a mold or as a die to stamp the pattern. The scientists aim to use the master template to create other dies and molds, as well as tile the templates to imprint large areas.
The team intends to expand their template to include 30 blowfly corneas. Once they have enough templates, they can tile them together and create much larger surfaces, which can be used to build solar cells.
By Katrice R. Jalbuena
Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have taken inspiration from the eyes of a blowfly to enhance the efficiency of next generation solar cells.
According to the researchers, blowfly eyes can be used in the manufacture of solar cells. The flies have compound eyes that are roughly hemispherical, but within that half sphere, the surface is covered with individual macroscale, hexagonal eyes with nanoscale features.
“These eyes are perfect for making solar cells because they would collect more sunlight from a larger area rather than just light that falls directly on a flat surface,” said Akhlesha Lakhtakia, Godfrey Binder professor of engineering science and mechanics.
However, the surface must retain the overall design in sufficient detail in order to work successfully in a manufactured product. Thus, Mr. Lakhtakia and his colleagues developed a method to create macroscale molds or dies that retain nanoscale features.
The researchers used arrays of nine blowfly eyes coated with 250 nanometers of nickel. They fixed the corneas on a glass substrate and filled the back with polydimethylsiloxane, a silicon-based organic polymer, so that the nickel they apply will not seep behind the eyes.
They then deposited nickel on the surface by thermally evaporating the material that forms the coating in a vacuum chamber. The object receiving the coating is attached to a holder and rotated about once every two seconds.
This process created a master template half a millimeter thick, which can be used either as a mold or as a die to stamp the pattern. The scientists aim to use the master template to create other dies and molds, as well as tile the templates to imprint large areas.
The team intends to expand their template to include 30 blowfly corneas. Once they have enough templates, they can tile them together and create much larger surfaces, which can be used to build solar cells.
By Katrice R. Jalbuena
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