Posts Tagged ‘alternative energy’

A Surprising Challenge to the Future of Solar and Wind Power

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

solar-panels-in-snow.jpeg
(credit: Mike Weston)

According to the International Energy Agency, cutting carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2050 will require almost half the world’s energy to come from sustainable sources (like sun and wind, instead of oil and coal).

These alternative energy sources are getting cheaper and more popular in the U.S., but the New York Times has just revealed a little-known fact about the solar and wind energy we’re learning to love: it’s backed up by coal power.

That’s right. Because the sun isn’t always shining and the wind isn’t always blowing, energy from clean sources can’t consistently meet the needs of our power-hungry populace. So when output dips on the wind farms, it has to be supplemented by old-fashioned power sources.

And the power plants of yesteryear just aren’t built for that kind of one-and-off output. The bottom line: Either alternative energy has to advance to the point of not needing supplementation, or traditional power plants need to spend a lot of money updating their equipment.

We wonder… could there be some financial incentive that would get the old energy companies to play nice with the new ones?

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U.S. To Build World’s Largest Solar-Power Plant

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

China may be in the lead when it comes to investing in renewable energy, but the U.S. is about to take a 1,000 megawatt leap.

  • The Obama administration just approved a permit allowing a $6 billion solar thermal plant to be built on federal land in a California desert.
  • Solar thermal energy production isn’t the same as photovoltaic solar panels. The plant works by using mirrors to direct sunlight into a tube, where its heat generates steam and moves turbines.
  • The company building the plant, Solar Trust of America, intends to start construction immediately to take advantage of government incentives for renewable energy projects before the year ends.

Facts & Figures

  • This plant, along with 8 others recently approved by the CA Energy Commission, will produce enough power to sustain 800,000 homes.
  • CA law requires all state utilities generate 1/3 of their power from renewable energy by 2020.
  • Solar Trust estimates that this project alone will create 7,600 jobs.

Alternative Energy Sources For Europe Are Found In Africa

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

For solar energy that could power the European continent why not look to the desserts of Africa?

  • The German physicist Dr. Gerhard Knies has developed a plan that could supply 15% of Europe’s energy by 2050.
  • He proposes building dozens of solar plants across the North African dessert and putting thousands of miles of power cables under the Mediterranean Sea to carry the electricity to Europe.
  • The idea is backed by some of Europe’s biggest corporate names, including Munich RE, Siemens AG and Deutsche Bank.

Facts & Figures

  • The plan would cost $529 billion.
  • For now, each company in the Desertec Industrial Initiative contributes €150,00 annually.

Best Quote

“I see a solution, so the problem is solved. Of course, to implement it is something else.” – Gerhard Knies, Physicist, Desertec Industrial Initiative

Solar Powered Plane Spends More Than A Day In The Air

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Solar power supporters are jumping for joy as a solar powered plane accomplishes the impossible…

  • On July 8, an experimental solar powered plane completed its first flight lasting more than 24 hours, marking a huge milestone in solar energy technology.
  • The plane, called the Solar Impulse, was piloted by André Borschberg. The plane gets its power from thousands of solar cells that absorb energy projected by the sun and store it so that the plane can continue its flight after dark.
  • The initial goal of the project was to prove that a plane of airliner-size could successfully stay aloft indefinitely by recharging its batteries each night. With the success of the Solar Impulse, the project’s founders hope to eventually create a plane that can circumnavigate the world using solar power.

Facts & Figures

  • The Solar Impulse weighs 3,500 pounds.
  • Total flight time was 26 hours and 9 minutes.
  • During the flight, the Solar Impulse reached a maximum speed of 78 miles per hour.

Best Quote

“I’ve been a pilot for 40 years now, but this flight has been the most incredible one of my flying career. Just sitting there and watching the battery charge level rise and rise thanks to the sun. I have just flown more than 26 hours without using a drop of fuel and without causing any pollution.” – André Bourschberg, Pilot

The Ups and Downs Of A Carbon Tax in Britain

Friday, June 25th, 2010

To tax or not to tax? Will imposing a carbon tax have enough advantages to not disgruntle the British population?

  • A British economic-modeling firm (Cambridge Econometrics) evaluated the effect a carbon tax would have on the country’s economy and environment.
  • The results were mixed. Experts found the tax would boost the overall economy by increasing gas-fired power stations and decreasing expensive wind power operations. However, Britain depends on gas already, and encouraging its use would only speed up the country’s dwindling supply.
  • A carbon tax would also be much simpler than then hodgepodge of environmental laws and tax breaks already in place. The tax would regulate the price of carbon so that if people pollute, they pay for it, encouraging greener technologies.

Facts & Figures

  • With a carbon tax, Britain would raise an extra 11 billion pounds by 2015.
  • Average fuel bills would also grow by 0.5 % by 2020.

Biofuels are…

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Biofuels are liquid fuels and blending components (i.e., a mixture of components used to produce motor gasoline) produced from biomass feedstock — organic matter used as a renewable energy source. Biofuels are used primarily for transportation purposes. Basically, these are fuels derived from an organic source that you can use to fuel your various vessels of transportation. Biofuels primarily serve as an alternative to other fuels, such as oil and its derivatives.

Destroy The Rainforest To Save The Environment?

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

This write-up demonstrates an important economic and life lesson: actions with even the best intentions can have unintended consequences, so we need to really think about all the consequences and the people whom we might affect.

  • Concerns about climate change have fueled a massive, global increase in demand for alternative fuels like biodiesel, which can be refined from the oil palm tree.
  • Although the use of biofuels itself releases way less carbon than fossil fuels, the destruction of rainforest necessary to produce the palm oil results in much more carbon dioxide being released than the use of petroleum-based fuels.
  • Even though there are laws in place to protect endangered forests, those laws are not being enforced and the majority of the forest is in danger of being irreparably destroyed and replaced by oil palm plantations.

Facts & Figures

  • U.S. subsidies for biofuels are set to total $92 billion between 2006 and 2012.
  • When the destruction of the rainforest is factored in, oil palms produce 10 times more carbon than petroleum.
  • 98% of Indonesia’s rainforest will be degraded or destroyed by 2022 if the current rate of destruction is kept up.

Best Quote

“For the permit certification, a guy just comes to your office and you just pay him off. This is how it works.” – Ong Kee Chau, former executive at Wilmar International Ltd.