Articles Posted in Renewables

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman, Colombia’s Minister of Energy and Mines Amylkar Acosta, Mayor of Santiago de Calí Rodrigo Guerrero, and Director of Planning of Colombia Tatyana Orozco have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “to collaborate in the development of a Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean competition.” Under the MOU, both countries will, among other things, “exchange information regarding rules, scoring, judging, safety, and site and team selection for a Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean event.” It was further announced that the first Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean is expected to take place in Santiago de Cali in late 2015. This marks the first step towards a Solar Decathlon competition in Latin America.

Since 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy has helped launch four international Solar Decathlon competitions, including two in Madrid, Spain in 2010 and 2012; one in Datong, China in 2013; and one planned for Versailles, France in July 2014.

Additional Sources: U.S. Solar Decathlon 2015: Teams Announced; 2014 Solar Decathlon Europe – Solar Home Stretch For Participants; Vienna University of Technology Shines at US Solar Decathlon 2013; Countdown to U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 and XPO; Congratulations Solar Decathlon China 2013 Award Winners ; U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced that the following 20 collegiate teams have been selected to compete in the U.S. Solar Decathlon 2015 that will be held at the Orange County Great Park, located between Los Angeles and San Diego, in Irvine, California:

• California Polytechnic State University
• California State University, Sacramento
• Clemson University (South Carolina)

• Crowder College (Missouri) and Drury University (Missouri)
• Lansing Community College and Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (Michigan)
• Missouri University of Science and Technology
• New York City College of Technology (New York)
• Oregon Institute of Technology and Portland State University
• Stanford University (California)
• State University of New York at Alfred College of Technology and Alfred University (New York)
• Stevens Institute of Technology (New Jersey)
• University of Florida, National University of Singapore, and Santa Fe College
• The University of Texas at Austin and Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany)
• University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine; Saddleback College; Chapman University; and Irvine Valley College (California)
• Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University
• West Virginia University and University of Roma Tor Vergata (Italy)
• Western New England University, Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, and Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (Honduras)
• Yale University (Connecticut)

The teams will now begin the nearly two year process of building solar-powered houses that are affordable, innovative and highly energy-efficient. In the fall of 2015, the 20 teams will showcase their solar-powered houses, providing free public tours of renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies, products, and appliances being showcased.

Additional Source. U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon; Vienna University of Technology Shines at US Solar Decathlon 2013

Photo: Rob Tossberg, Taken Jul. 16, 2010 – Creative Commons

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System — the largest concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in the world — officially opened on February 13, 2014. According to its website, “[l]ocated in the Mojave Desert, Ivanpah has 347,000 garage door-sized mirrors distributed across 173,500 heliostats. The heliostats track with the sun so that the mirrors can efficiently reflect its rays up to boilers that sit on top of the facility’s three towers.” In turn, the U.S. Department of Energy Department (DOE) boasts that Ivanpah has the ability to generate 392 MWs of electricity — enough to power 94,400 average American homes — most of which will be sold under long-term power purchase agreements to Pacific Gas & Electric Company and Southern California Edison Company. The project is a joint effort between NRG Energy Inc., Google, and BrightSource Energy, Inc.

The DOE reported that Ivanpah is one of five CSP projects that received loan guarantees from the DOE’s Loan Program Office (LPO). As the first commercial deployment of innovative power tower CSP technology in the U.S., the Ivanpah project was the recipient of a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the LPO. When the five projects are completed, they will provide a combined 1.26 GWs of electric capacity. The DOE also reported that the LPO loan guarantees are helping to finance the first solar thermal storage project and the first power tower with solar thermal storage in the U.S., as well as some of the world’s largest parabolic trough CSP plants.

Additional Sources: U.S. Department of Energy; Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System; San Jose Mercury News; BrightSource Energy, Inc.; Bechtel Corporation; NRG Energy, Inc.

Photo: Craig Dietrich, Taken Sep. 27, 2013 – Creative Commons

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) recently posted its list of Major Solar Projects in the United States Operating, Under Construction, or Under Development (updated Feb. 3, 2014), which includes ground-mounted solar projects, 1 MW and above, compiled from company press releases, news releases and, in some cases, conversations with developers. Although SEIA includes the disclaimer that it is not a comprehensive list of all utility-scale projects under development, the list is quite extensive.

According to SEIA, there are over 550 major solar projects currently in SEIA’s database, totaling over 32 GW of capacity. Although reportedly there is over 5.7 GW of major solar projects currently in operation in the U.S., there is over 26 GW of photovoltaics and concentrated solar projects either under construction or under development. Under the Obama Administration, more construction of solar projects will be built – 16 projects have been permitted on federal lands, providing the potential for 6,058 MW of generating capacity. Not all that surprising, California appears to be leading the pack with 2,926 operating projects, 2,503 projects under construction, and 13,449 projects under development.

Additional Resources: Solar Energy Industries Association ; 10 MW Solar Installation To Be Built At Freshkills Park In Staten Island; Energy Secretary Moniz Announces $60 Million in Support of Innovative Solar Energy Research and Development; BLM Approves 19th Solar Energy Zone in California’s Imperial Valley; Ygrene and Johnson Controls Celebrate Nation’s Largest PACE Energy Upgrade Project; Innovative Solar Solution for Deteriorated Exterior Marble Façade

Photo: Living Off Grid, Taken Ap. 6, 2008 – Creative Commons

On January 27, 2014, The Solar Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission “is to increase understanding of solar energy through strategic research that educates the public and transforms markets,” released its fourth annual National Solar Jobs Census 2013. Their Census, which reports on the “current employment and projected growth in the United States solar industry,” confirms that 142,698 Americans were employed by the U.S. solar industry as of November 2013.

In its Executive Summary, the Census reports that “research shows that solar industry employment has grown by an astonishing 53% – or nearly 50,000 new solar jobs – since [it] first started tracking them in 2010.” A “solar worker” is defined as “an employee who spends at least 50% of work time supporting solar-related activities.” The Census, Table 1 reflects the following data:

• • Installation Sector:
    2010-43,934 jobs 2011-48,656 jobs
    2012-57,177 jobs 2013-69,658 jobs

• • Manufacturing Sector:
    2010-24,916 jobs 2011-37,941 jobs 2012-29,742 jobs 2013-29,851 jobs

• • Sales and Distribution Sector:
    2010-11,744 jobs 2011-13,000 jobs 2012-16,005 jobs 2013-19,771 jobs

• • Project Development Sector:
    2010-N/A 2011-N/A 2012-7,988 jobs 2013-12,169 jobs

• Other Sectors (solar workers at non-profits, government and academia):
  2010-12,908 jobs 2011-5,548 jobs 2012-8,105 jobs 2013-11,248 jobs

The leading growth sector is “the installation sector, in which solar employment has grown by nearly 60% over the four-year period covered by the Census series, representing more than 25,000 jobs.” It also reports that “Solar employment is expected to grow by 15.6% over the next year, representing the addition of approximately 22,240 new solar workers. Forty-five percent of all solar establishments expect to have added solar employees by November 2014.”

The Solar Foundation also reported that its findings from its National Solar Jobs Census 2013 were used in by the White House in their “enhanced,” online State of the Union stream.

Additional Resources: U.S. Department of Energy; The White House; Solar Energies Industries Association (SEIA); San Francisco Chronicle, Solar industry job growth jumped 20% in 2013 (Jan. 27, 2014); Los Angeles Times, Solar jobs climb almost 20% in 2013 (Jan. 27, 2014); U-T San Diego, Solar industry employment up 20% in 2013 (Jan. 27, 2014)

Photos: U.S. Army Environmental Command, Taken Aug. 25, 2009 – Creative Commons; University of Salford Press Office, Taken Apr. 16, 2013 – Creative Commons; Bradley Gordon, Taken Jun. 29, 2009; Tafe Sa Tonsley, Taken May, 19, 2010 – Creative Commons; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Taken May 4, 2011 – Creative Commons

On January 29, 2014, Pillsbury attorney Osama E. Hamdy published their alert titled DC Circuit Affirms Crucial FAA No Hazard Determination for Cape Wind Project discussing the DC Circuit’s recent decision upholding the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) 2012 determination of no hazard, clearing the final FAA hurdle to construction of the 130-wind turbine Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound.

UPDATE: SolarCoin reports First US SolarCoin grant given to SolarCity customer in Arizona (Mar. 11, 2014)

Renewable energy and crypto-currency are hardly two concepts one would expect to be mentioned in the same blog or article. We are all familiar with renewable energy – wind, solar, etc. Crypto-currency, on the other hand, is still a mystery to many of us, or at least I thought it was. Crypto-currency is a digital medium of exchange — a digital or virtual currency — that uses cryptography for security. Most people have heard of Bitcoin, the first crypto-currency to begin trading. Now there are numerous crypto-currencies available, often referred to as altcoins or alternative coins. On January 27, 2014, it was announced that owners of solar power systems in Australia may be rewarded in SolarCoin for energy produced.

According to Energy Matters, solar power system owners may earn SolarCoin by producing electricity and submitting a proof of solar electricity generation in the form of a verifiable renewable energy certificate. For example, one Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) represents 1 MW of electricity generation. One STC would entitle the holder to one SLR coin. However, “before Australian system owners get too excited the STC’s [sic] associated with the systems were likely cashed in for point of sale discounts on their system purchase as STC’s [sic] form the basis of solar subsidization in Australia,” Energy Matters warns. “For those who didn’t cash in their STC’s [sic] for whatever reason, SolarCoin could provide an unexpected windfall; although the process for certificate holders being issued with SLR [coins] is still being established.”

98.10 billion SolarCoins can be generated and the Open Currency Association has set a target value for each SolarCoin of $20-30. Like Bitcoin, people will also be able to mine for SolarCoin or purchase it from an exchange. It may also be used to make purchases of goods and services from participating merchants. Businesses should be able to accept SolarCoin by downloading a wallet and displaying the wallet or QR code.

Additional Sources: Energy Matters; IndiaSolarMarket.com; Pillsbury’s Social Media & Games Law Blog

Photo: BTC Keychain, Taken October 12, 2013 – Creative Commons

UPDATES: Stanford engineers develop state-by-state plan to convert U.S. to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050; Energy Department Offers Conditional Commitment to Cape Wind Offshore Wind Generation Project (Jul. 1, 2014); Energy Department Announces $10 million for Wave Energy Demonstration at Navy’s Hawaii Test Site (Apr. 28, 2014)

On December 12, 2013, in its article titled For Major Cities, Offshore Wind Farms Could Provide Both Electricity And Hurricane Protection, The Huffington Post reported on Stanford University’s recent presentation at the American Geophysical Union fall meeting on the feasibility of building “tens of thousands of wind power turbines off the shores of some of America’s cities most vulnerable to extreme weather to reduce wind speeds and lessening sever storm surges.” Reportedly, Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Z. Jacobson and his research team “concluded that the wind turbines could have sapped Katrina of so much energy that wind speeds would have been reduced by up to 50 percent at landfall and the hurricane’s storm surge could have been reduced by about 72 percent.” In addition, it “would have generated 0.45 terawatts of wind power.”

Jacobson isn’t just garnering the media attention of the likes of The Huffington Post for his and Stanford’s ambitious wind, water and solar-related renewable energy initiative. Just months earlier, on October 9, 2013, Jacobson talked about this ambitious renewable energy initiative with David Letterman (part 1) and (part 2). Stanford’s website confirms that “Jacobson and his co-authors have published studies on how to switch to all solar, wind and water energy sources for the world, the United States and New York state. They will soon publish a study for California, and they have plans to do studies for all 50 U.S. states.” It further confirms that there is “confidence in U.S. ability to attain all-renewable energy by 2050.”

Additional Sources: Wind Energy Symposium, University of Delaware, Taming Hurricanes With Arrays of Offshore Wind Turbines, Mark Z. Jacobson, Cristina Archer, Willet Kempton (Feb. 27, 2013); Stanford University; Scientific American, A Path To Sustainable Energy By 2030, Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark A. Delucchi (Nov. 2009); The Huffington Post, For Major Cities, Offshore Wind Farms Could Provide Both Electricity And Hurricane Protection (Dec. 12, 2013); RenewEconomy, Offshore wind farms could protect against hurricanes (Dec. 11, 2013); Climate Central, Offshore Wind Farms Could Protect Cities from Hurricanes (Dec. 9, 2013); Wikipedia; Pillsbury, The Yin and Yang of offshore wind power
(Mar. 21, 2012)

Photo: CGP Grey, Taken Jul. 12, 2009 – Creative Commons