Large Scale Battery Storage of Electricity

This is a highly desirable approach to making solar and wind power generation key players in low carbon emissions power generation. When the sun sets, or when the wind does not blow, these two forms of power generation are of little or no value. But if the electricity generated when the sun shines, or the wind blows, could be stored and used later, then we have a means of consistent wind and solar power supply.

Large efficient batteries can achieve this, and some are being built for just such a purpose...... And still more efficient batteries are being developed. For details on what is in the works, read Gates, Pritzkers Take on Musk in $5 Billion Race for Battery Storage

What's Possible - a film on climate solutions presented to the UN

What's Possible is a 3 minute film created to inspire delegates to the UN Climate Meeting in NY September 23, of this year.

After watching the film, if you wish to learn more about the interesting background behind it, read this Huffington Post article by the film's producer, Lyn Davis Lear.

How bad is wind power for birds?

A controversial subject, with few very definitive answers, except in extreme cases, like Altamonte, CA.

The good news is that when wind turbines are sited AFTER doing a thorough bird study, especially of migratory bird pathways, the harm to birds is lessened greatly...BUT can still be significant.

For an in-depth article from the American Bird Conservancy, see top ten myths about wind power and birds.

What I missed in this very thorough article was a comparison of wind turbine bird kills to kills by cats and window impacts. I recall that the later two are orders of magnitude worse... and Mother Jones confirms my recollection in regard to cats.

And if you prefer Bloomberg to Mother Jones, read THIS.

Polar Vortex, high winds, and wind turbines step up to the plate

It is an obvious connection once you think about it, but it took this article from Renewable Energy News to make me realize that wind power can have its moment in a crisis.

UK Offshore Wind Capacity Rises 80 Percent in One Year

This article from Renewable Energy News is encouraging about the growth of renewable energy, in this case wind energy. For perspective, an average coal-fired power plant's capacity is 500 Megawatts (MW). So the UK just added the equivalent of 3 coal fired power plants in wind turbines in one year.

Seems like a good achievement to me. I hope you will read the article, and make your own conclusions. The other key question is: What is the status in the US and in Delaware? More on that in the future.

US Gov Takes Concrete Steps to Expand Renewable Energy

Secretary Sally Jewell outlines on This Week at Interior an upcoming offering of offshore leases to develop wind energy which could supply electricity to 1 million homes. She also highlights some western US developments of solar and geothermal renewable energy which can supply energy needs of 200,000 homes. The video is certainly worth the 3+ minutes it takes. (Note: the renewable energy segment comes after a 1 min segment on recreational fishing, and before a segment about healthy foods to be served in National Parks).

For more details on the offshore wind farm lease, see Renewable Energy News.

University of Delaware Wind Power Programs

Today we had an outstanding presentation by Professor Jeremy Firestone from the University of Delaware (UDEL). His talk was too detailed to present here, but he did provide the following links to stay up to date on wind energy programs at UDEL, most of which are run through the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment (CEOE).

Home page of the CEOE

Lewes Turbine page of CEOE

Grid sized batteries - New technology from MIT

Why do we need grid sized batteries? To store intermittent wind and solar energy, so that when the winds don't blow, or it is nighttime, these huge electrical storage devices, can supply electricity to the grid saved from times when the wind was blowing, or the sun was shining.

This is a must watch link on TED pointed out to me by Bo French in our class. It is not just about an apparent great invention, it is also about people truly dedicating themselves to saving our world, and many of these people are inspired young students.
Thanks so much, Bo.

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.

Wave power scheduled to go on grid in US

From the NY Times, Project Aims to Harness the Power of Waves, a large wave power buoy will be installed off the coast of Oregon this October, and will be the first wave powered generator connected to an electrical grid. The Federal Permit allows for 10 wave generators, enough to power about 1,000 homes.

Wave power has been researched for many years, and a variety of designs have been tested. This buoy by Ocean Power Technologies of NJ is a large version of autonomous power buoys they have built and deployed for several years to power remote ocean going devices.

Wave energy is really an accumulation of wind energy, and in certain parts of the world, like Oregon, is a very consistent form of sustainable energy. One of the big challenges is designing the installation to survive major storms.

Thanks to John Hoyt for pointing out this article.

Kite Wind Power

Do you wonder what the title refers to? I initially thought my reference article, The Power Above: Kite Power Seeks High Altitude Power, was going to describe assisted propulsion for ships, as I have read that this being developed.....But No, kite wind power is a unique, and new to me, concept of generating electrical power.

The potential is amazing! Just a few short quotes hopefully will entice you to read the whole article:

Higher altitude winds blow more constantly than those at ground level. According to Ippolito, the winds he’s targeting are available for 6,000 hours a year, compared to what he says can average 1,500 hours for conventional ground wind turbines.

And any increase in wind speed yields an even greater increase in wind power, as wind power is the cube of its speed so even small increases in speed can lead to big boosts in power. If wind is streaming at 20 mph on the ground while traveling double that, or 40 mph, at 3,000 feet, its power at altitude would be 8 times the power on ground.

And for the wind equivalent of nuclear fusion, harness jet stream energy:

“It’s the highest energy density of renewable power source available on Earth,” says climate scientist Ken Caldeira at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University. He notes that the raw power of the jet stream can reach 30,000 watts per square meter and can typically be 10,000 watts per square meter, compared to an average of 300 watts per square meters for solar on the Earth’s surface.

This kind of thinking gives me hope for Earth and mankind......IF we can also more effectively deal with all our other major problems, like population growth, destruction of habitat, insufficient jobs, terrorism, inhumane treatment of others, etc.

The roles of wind and natural gas in US energy

On Ezra Klein's Wonkblog in the Washington Post, Brad Plummer writes, The rise-and possible fall-of wind power, a very concise summary of wind power growth in the US, and a cautious prediction of reduced future growth due to incentives being eliminated.

Also from Wonkblog Brad Plummer presents an excellent summary of how cheap natural gas is displacing coal for electricity generation, which in turn is reducing CO2 emissions, BUT is not necessarily reducing global warming significantly. Why? Two main reasons - one, natural gas production releases methane to the atmosphere, and methane is 23 times more potent as a greenhouse gas, and two, cheap electricity from natural gas reduces incentives to convert to wind, solar and other forms of renewable power generation.

Improved electrical grids can be a major factor

There is nothing especially glamorous about an electrical grid, but when done right, the beneficial results can be surprising, especially for improving utilization of renewable energy, like wind and solar. For example, what an extensive electrical grid can do is move power from where the wind is blowing, to where the wind is not blowing, or to where the sun is not shining.

Europe is in the process of constructing a very extensive grid system as explained in The Deal: European Supergrid Sets High Expectations

Wind Turbines Can Be Beautiful

New concept, but certainly very eye opening, are the winning photos from a new Wind Turbine photography contest REV/MODO.com:

"Who knew wind turbines could be so beautiful? With the right eye, these tall workhorses look more like pieces of art than components of renewable energy technology. The Global Wind Day “Wind in Mind” photo competition was launched in May 2012 by the European Wind Energy Association and over 50 partner organizations. They received a startling 2,300 entries, but the competition jury–made up of professional photographers and art directors–managed to pick six winners based on geographic location." (see top link for the 5 winning photos)

Deep Water Wind Turbines

In many coastal areas of the world, the best winds for power generation are over water too deep to place a bottom mounted wind turbine. To address this potential, the US and the UK are jointly developing wind turbines on floating platforms. They will be anchored with cables and can be placed in 60 to 100 meters of water...water too deep for bottom mounted turbines.

Wind Power Makes a Big Advance

First, Happy Holidays to all.

And to keep things cheerful, this post is full of positive information. Basically, by improved precision in forecasting winds near wind turbine sites, utilities are able to save millions of dollars per year in total power generation costs. This is because they can now match coal and gas fired generator needs to the predicted output from associated wind turbines, which allows them to shut down coal and gas generation units as long as wind generation units are forecast to be more productive with more wind. Neat science, and a benefit to all.

Wave Energy

 E.ON Pelamis P2, Orkney

I just received a Christmas Newsletter from Pelamis, a company that makes wave powered generators. Their good news is the recent one year anniversary of their first commercial wave generator off the coast of Scotland. The title link goes to the Pelamis site and will open on the page explaining the benefits of wave energy, such as it can be forecast up to 5 days in advance (unlike solar and wind), and it has a very low visual impact. The rest of the site explains how their device works to extract wave energy, what their history is, and what their plans are.

Eagles, Wind and Solar

The linked article is about the Philadelphia Eagles, and how they plan to spend $30 million on wind and solar power for their stadium, and that they expect this will save them $60 million in energy costs over the next 20 years. Presumably this savings includes their plans to sell excess energy back to the grid. It almost seems to good to be true. Still an admirable undertaking.