Energy for Development: Lessons from energy-poor communities around the world

Curt Davis and Solar Cooker

This presentation will provide an overview of effective solar cookers, biogas digesters and improved cookstoves as well as alternative energy options for electricity that have proven effective for off-grid living around the world. It will also include photos and explanations from Curts' travels in addition to several short high-quality video clips of successful international projects.

Curt Davis is an international development professional and current graduate student at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware. Curt has lived off the grid for over 2 years as a Peace Corps volunteer serving in rural Paraguay and has interned with a small non-governmental organization (NGO) in the Indian Himalayas. While earning a master's degree in Sustainable International Development at Brandeis University, Curt built relationships with NGOs in Latin America, Asia and Africa that are committed to providing reliable sustainable energy, empowering local stakeholders while at the same time providing positive externalities, such as the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

While in India Curt devoted his research to the development of alternative energy options to the traditional three-stone fire used commonly throughout energy-poor regions of the world. It was through these experiences that he became familiar with solar cookers and biogas digesters used for cooking.

Offshore Wind Program, Nov 19, 2012

Our program with guest speaker Professor Jeremy Firestone from the University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean and the Environment, originally scheduled for Oct 29, has been moved to Nov 19 because of Hurricane Sandy. Time 9 am.

 

"Professor Firestone will provide background information on the offshore wind power resource and the wind power technology before examining the near-term (by 2020) prospects for offshore wind power in the United States, with emphasis on the Atlantic coast.  He will discuss market and nonmarket (social, environmental and regulatory) barriers to and opportunities for offshore wind."

Interior Announces Commercial Lease for Renewable Energy Offshore Delaware

Historic for Delaware, the US, and perhaps for the World, here is the first part of today's press release:

WASHINGTON —As part of the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy P. Beaudreau today announced that BOEM has reached agreement on a lease for commercial wind energy development in federal waters that covers 96,430 acres approximately 11 nautical miles off the coast of Delaware.

“Delaware has remarkable offshore wind potential, and harnessing this clean, domestic energy resource will create jobs, increase our energy security and strengthen our nation’s economic competitiveness,” said Salazar.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)

If all fits in our next Monday class schedule, we'll be wrapping up with this topic. So if you want to be prepared with some 2012 summary information, visit Ezra Klein's Wonkblog on the Washington Post.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, CCS is going very slowly.

DSIRE - Database for State Renewables and Efficiency

Bob Seamans' freestanding PV system in Ocean View, as described in class on Oct 15.

Incentives for DE includes information on SREC's.

"As of August 2012, sales of Delaware-sourced SRECs tracked on the PJM-EIS Generation Attributes Tracking System (GATS) averaged $189 per MWh, down from $260 MWh average for June 2010-August 2011."

This sounds different from what I heard in our last class, so maybe someone can add some up-to-date details. Thanks to Keith Kiernan for providing the Wall Street Journal article with these links, and to Brandon Case for the photo of his father-in-law's PV system.

Solar estimator

Find-Solar.org is a free public service of the solar and wind communities with the mission of helping others estimate their energy cost savings when installing solar and wind systems. In trying it for Lewes, DE, the results almost seem too good to be true, like a 6 year breakeven. See what you think, and be sure to check out the many links, including Solar Pro recommended installers.

And if you want to understand Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SREC's) so you can explain them to our class, go to SRECTrade, where there is also a Delaware page.

Utility-scale Solar Energy on Public Lands

Just in from the US Dept of the Interior: Obama Administration Approves Roadmap for Utility-Scale Solar Energy Development on Public Lands.

Today’s action builds on the Administration’s historic progress to facilitate renewable energy development....“Energy from sources like wind and solar have doubled since the President took office, and with today’s milestone, we are laying a sustainable foundation to keep expanding our nation’s domestic energy resources,” said Secretary Salazar, who signed today’s Record of Decision at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada with Senator Harry Reid. “This historic initiative provides a roadmap for landscape-level planning that will lead to faster, smarter utility-scale solar development on public lands and reflects President Obama’s commitment to grow American made energy and create jobs.” 

Okay, there may some politics involved in the announcement timing, but my initial interpretation is this is a good step forward. For the full press release click here and select the top link.

 MSNBC link published 10/12/12 at 4:59 pm.

Sustainable Energy class schedule, fall 2012

Sustainable Energy – can we make it happen?

OLLI Fall 2012, 9:00 to 10:30 am

Instructor: Bill Fintel

Oct 15 – David MacKay’s book, Sustainable Energy – without the hot air, Part 1. Comparing energy consumption with the maximum foreseeable energy generation from renewable sources, like wind, solar, waves, tide, biofuels, hydroelectric, and geothermal.

Oct 22 – Sustainable Energy, Chapter 27, “Five Energy Plans for Britain”. Discussion is encouraged in this class, because there is no obvious good combination of renewable approaches. Near the end of this class we will select a topic or topics for our last class on Nov 19.

Oct 29 – Guest speaker, Professor Jeremy Firestone from the U of Delaware. Dr. Firestone will discuss wind energy potential, research activities with the U of DE wind turbine, and studies on wildlife impacts of wind turbines. A complete description of his presentation and background will be posted on this blog.

Nov 5 – Guest speaker Curt Davis, a grad student at the U of Delaware. Curt will describe some of his fascinating work building cookstoves and documenting biogas generators for cooking in India and Nicaragua, and he will give his forward looking views on how this technology should be expanded. A complete description of his presentation and background will be posted on this blog.

Nov 12 – No class. School closed for Veterans Day.

Nov 19 – Topic or topics selected by class on Oct 22.

Eating to help save the world

I am jumping ahead on this class topic, but I thought you would like to be updated now, and in a very clear way, on how the foods we eat are grown AND LABELLED.

My view? Accurate labeling is only being honest. Why would an honest business not want to be truthful about what is in its products? 

PS - I also believe eating more plants, plus animals low on the food chain, is a key ingredient to our Earth being able to sustain the population here now and on the way.

David MacKay's Blog

So much great stuff here...ok some rather technical, but just pick and choose, and be amazed.
David's Blog

Sustainable Energy - Can We Mke It Happen

This is a reminder that our first class meets Oct 15, at 9 am in Lewes. From the catalog:

"This workshop style class will address: “Can we supply the World’s energy needs in a sustainable way... one key aspect being zero net carbon emissions?” A primary reference will be David MacKay’s book, Sustainable Energy - without the hot air. In this book MacKay does the math (so we don’t have to) in addressing the feasibility of our many sustainable energy options. MacKay’s book is free on-line at http://www.withouthotair.com/ .  We will also stay tuned to recent activities in areas such as solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, etc. See this blog for an ongoing review of sustainable energy technology, and related topics."

I am very much looking forward to your thoughts and ideas. At the first class I will hand out a schedule of upcoming specific class topics. Bill