Energy Storage Options Growing

One of the problems with renewable energy sources such as waves, wind and solar is that they aren't constantly producing energy. The seas may be calm, the wind may not blow and the sun isn't always shining. We need to be able to store energy when it is being produced to use later when it isn't.

The New York Times is reporting on two new scientific advancements that have the potential to transform our energy storage and usage options. The advances apply to the process of converting electricity into hydrogen for storage and then converting the hydrogen back to electricity when needed

First is a new process that relies on the chemistry behind photosynthesis to produce hydrogen from water at ambient temperatures and pressures. Traditionally, the production of hydrogen involves high temp/pressure systems, which makes them expensive to run and more difficult to operate.

The second exciting news involves a new porous polymer material that replaces the platinum traditionally used in fuel cells that turn hydrogen into electricity. Platinum is the expensive component of current fuel cells, so this has the potential to drastically reduce prices.

Combine the two and you have a system to easily and cheaply turn electricity from renewable sources into hydrogen for storage and then back to electricity when needed.

Danish Island Becomes Energy Self-Sufficient in 8 Years

In the span of 8 short years, Samsø, a Danish island in the North Sea, has become entirely energy self-sufficient, by using a combination of wind energy, solar and other renewables. The transformation began in 1997 when the island won a grant to explore energy alternatives.

In the nineties, the island of 4,300 people imported all their energy, mostly in oil tankers, and paid little attention to where it came from. In a fascinating article in The New Yorker magazine, Elizabeth Kolbert reports that:

“Then, quite deliberately, the residents of the island set about changing this. They formed energy coöperatives and organized seminars on wind power. They removed their furnaces and replaced them with heat pumps. By 2001, fossil-fuel use on Samsø had been cut in half. By 2003, instead of importing electricity, the island was exporting it, and by 2005 it was producing from renewable sources more energy than it was using.”

This is a remarkable story of community. What was the process that transformed Samsø? Years of talking, educating and persuading, and the following:

• A leader who is motivated and knows the social relationships in the community
• Visits to every local meeting, no matter how small or on what issue, to discuss the project
• Willingness to make the project something that is fun and competitive with other communities (bringing free beer helps)
• Enlisting the support of the island’s opinion leaders

This is particularly relevant today, in light of Al Gore's call for American energy independence within ten years. The naysayers immediately declared the time-frame ridiculous and completely undoable. Samsø, proves them wrong. Think about it for one moment. A 50% reduction in fossil fuel use in just 5 years. What a different country -- and world -- we would be living in if we could achieve half of that.

Green Your Bulbs

Over at Lighter Footsteps, they have a great post about compact fluorescent bulbs. The talk about selecting the right bulb, where CFLs are appropriate and where they don't work so well (mostly in places that are cold, which we don't need to worry much about here in Houston), and how to dispose of them.

If you are new to CFLs, or just want to learn a few more things, head on over. I learned that CFLs are sensitive to vibration, so may not be a good choice for ceiling fans. Who knew?

VW's 235 MPG Bobsled

Volkswagen is moving closer to production of their 235 mpg diesel-electric hybrid with a release date of 2010.

The car seats two people, tandem style. At 11.4 feet long, 4.1 feet wide and 3.3 feet tall, it will send you bobsledding down the highway. With a carbon fiber body, airbags and crunch zones, VW claims the car is as safe as a GT racing car. Aerodynamics and a very light weight help to achieve the remarkable mileage. The concept car only weighs in at 640 pounds. At that, it would only take a couple of guys to pick this up and toss it in the back of their pick-up. Wonder if it comes with a titanium bicycle lock?

Personally, given the large number of SUV's on Houston's roadways, it could be a little disconcerting to be tooling around in something so small. On the other hand, how much longer can people afford to put gas in all those Hummers? So there is probably about to be lots of space freeing up on our highways. Most of my driving is done on local streets anyway, and this would be great for tooling around on errands and such.

The biggest drawback? The $31,000 to $47,000 estimated price tag. Ouch.

Cheap Solar For Your Window Panes

A new company created by scientists working at MIT is working to commercialize a new solar dye technology that turns ordinary windows into solar concentrators. Basically, low-cost readily available dyes are painted on glass or plastic panes. Some of the light is absorbed and redirected through the pane to the edges, where solar cells turn the light into electricity. The focused light increases by 40 times the electrical power obtained from each solar cell.

This works on the same principle as solar concentrator that rely on mirrors or magnifying glass to concentrate a large amout of light on a small area, which decreases the need for expensive solar cells.

There area a number of exciting things about his new technology:
Unlike traditional solar collectors, these flat panels require no sunlight tracking abilities to keep the light focused
Cheap materials. The dyes used are already common dyes used in auto paints
Avoids what some see as unsightly rooftop solar panels, which are banned by many homeowner associations.
Could potentially turn the facade of a large building into one large, inexpensive solar collector.

On the downside, no information on the quality of the light that passes through the window. Perhaps we will no longer need to put on rose-colored glasses. We can just pull the blinds and look out the window.

Check out this demonstration video.
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WalMart Rediscovers Local Produce

While our own federal government is erecting roadblocks to local products, the world's largest retailer says it is on a mission to stock its food aisles with local produce.

WalMart is a company that I love to hate, but I've got to admit that when they throw their considerable weight behind something, they can get results. In a hurry. Now WalMart is starting to play smart with food in ways that could benefit local agriculture.

During the last two years, partnerships between local farms and WalMart have jumped 50 percent, and the company anticipates it will source about $400 million in local produce this year, making it the country's largest buyer of produce that is grown and sold within a state's borders.

Why the sudden change? Fuel prices. For instance, instead of buying peaches from just two suppliers nationwide, WalMart can buy peaches from growers in 18 different states and save 100,000 gallons of dieself fuel. 70% of the produce that WalMart buys is produced in the US. WalMart says it plans to get aggressive, encouraging states to start growing a greater variety of crops to fill those produce department bins.

Negawatt

Another great article from The Economist about the elusive Negawatt, the idea of increasing available energy on the grid through conservation instead of generation. There's a new study out that shows conservation has an average ROE of 17% with a minimum of about 10%. If you look around at today's market, with such small returns on savings, that's a great return. So why don't we do more conservation? The article points out that conservation is increasingly popular with business, but not as much with invididuals and examines many of the reasons for that. Its a great, information dense article in typical Economist fashion. I'm stil digesting it all, because ultimately it left me depressed. As the article rightly points out, there are "a series of distortions and market failures that discourage investment in efficiency."

Aye, there's the rub. As I see it, basically we have a system where companies make money by selling energy but don't suffer the financial consequences (climate change) from their activities.

We need to change the system. I'm learning more about carbon tax proposals, and am leaning in that direction. But something needs to be done.

I wish I was more optimistic that it would.

Photo: Amazing and borrowed from The Economist article

Wind Power To The Rescue?

Via the great Jetson Green (check the EcoLinks list on the right) comes this tidbit:

Here's some interesting news: a new Department of Energy report claims wind turbines could generate 300 gigawatts of electricity -- roughly 20% of the US electrical grid -- by 2030. ... The report doesn't necessarily predict the future of the wind industry, but it paints a picture of what a particular 20% wind scenario could mean for the nation. The wind industry currently produces about 17 gigawatts of electricity, so we're talking about significant growth over the next twenty-something years. That said, wind industry growth has been fierce in recent years and is on track to meet these numbers if growth holds pace.

My guess is that it will be higher, but only because I don't believe the very optimistic DOE projections of the amount we will be getting from the depleting reserves of natural gas and oil. Still, nice to see that wind is getting a serious look from the muck-a-mucks in DC.

Photo: Keith Gillard

Blogs I Love: Down To Earth

Want to start sharing some of the blogs that I read on a regular basis that you'll find listed in my EcoLinks sidebar. One of my absolute favorites is Rhonda Jean's Down To Earth from Australia. Rhonda Jean writes about homesteading, food, simple living, household tips and experiencing life. I have far too many blogs and sites in my feed burner that get ignored, but this is one I never miss. The pic above is from one of her recent posts about her favorite easy and delicious spinach pie. Yum. And I love the photos of her garden and chooks (chickens for you citified folk).

She is a joy to read and has many ideas for living a more ecologically friendly life. Be sure to drop by when you have some time.

G8 Goes Begging for Oil

Seems as if the leading industrial countries are finally getting a bit worried about oil prices after the big $11 jump in last Friday's trading.

The Group of Eight rich nations met in northern Japan with representatives from China, India and South Korea to discuss oil and gas markets, energy investment, energy security and climate change amid deepening concerns about the world economy.

...

"The situation regarding energy prices is becoming extremely challenging," Akira Amari, Japan's trade and energy minister, warned his colleagues Sunday. "If left unaddressed, it may well cause a recession in the global economy."

Five top energy consumers -- the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and India -- urged oil producers on Saturday to boost output to meet growing demand, while pledging to develop clean energy alternatives and increase efficiency.

I've got to laugh at that last little bit about asking for producing nations to boost output while we increase efficiency and look for alternatives. Sure. The dirty little secret is that there really isn't any spare production capacity. And even if there were, there is no incentive for OPEC nations to comply to lower prices as they can sell as much as they can pump out at these already inflated amounts.

As for the industrialized countries promising to "really, really be good and increase efficiency this time and we really, really mean it" that is just a complete joke. Anyone remember Pres. Carter 30 years ago pledging that the US would launch a massive effort to make us energy independent in 25 years? That lasted for just a brief moment until Reagan moved into the White House, ripped the new solar panels off the roof, and promised an eternal supply of cheap imported oil.

The window of opportunity has closed to use the relative abundance of cheap petroleum to develop technology and infrastructure necessary for alternative and clean energy. Yes, there is some interesting technology out there but how will we keep our industrial energy-intensive world going in the meantime?

Sony Solar

Sony Corp today announced today the development of a dye sensitized solar cell that breaks the magic 10% efficiency barrier. Dye-sensitized solar cells use photosensitive dye and do not require costly and large-scale production equipment required for the production of traditional silicon-based solar cells.

Sony's new solar technology is still in the R&D stage and no decisions have yet been made about bringing the technology to market. Regardless, this is exciting news for two important reasons. First, 10% conversion efficiency is the minimum efficiency that energy analysts traditionally consider to be commercially viable (current silicon-based PV is around 14% efficient). Secondly, Sony brings its brand name, broad market reach, and deep pockets to the solar table.

Dye sensitized solar is an exciting new technology because of its potentially broad applications and dramatically lower costs. Current silicon-based PV cells require expensive sterile production facilities, like the ones required to produce silicon computer chips. Dye solar on the other hand requires no such facilities, can be incorporated into different media (paint, ink) and applied to a variety of substrates including flexible materials (as in the above photo). Think PV paint on the exterior of your car or house. Windows that allow for light to pass through and produce electricity at the same time.

I think that the traditional measures of efficiency and viability need to be rethought here. 10% efficiency requirements may make sense for expensive production controlled by big corporations, but much less so for cheap PV cells that will allow for decentralized energy production. If the paint on you car can help recharge the batteries while parked during the day at work, is efficiency that critical ? If the cost is minimal, the free energy is a plus, even with low efficiency. If we can cheaply turn most any surface into a power generator so much the better. For big corporation spending billions of dollars for centralized solar generators producing power to retail to consumers, a small gain in efficiency translates into millions of dollars, so efficiency becomes more critical. Also, the 10% efficiency figure is based on current energy prices, but given the increasing cost of petroleum-fueled power, renewable technologies with lower efficiencies become more and more economically viable.

Breaking News: Not Enough Oil!

This just in from the International Department of No Freaking Clue: "there may not be enough oil out there to slake the world's thirst."

Who knew?

And you've got to love that "may not" qualifier. No one is sure yet, you see, but it is just possible that oil is exactly the same as every other natural resource and is not, in fact, infinite in supply. Not positive about that. Studies must be done first. Someone will get back to us on that.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is preparing a new report that looks at depletion rates in about 400 oil fields in a "first of it's kind study".

First of it's kind? Really. M.K. Hubbert made his first predictions about peak oil and depletion rates in 1949 amd correctly predicted peak US oil production, which occured in 1970. Over four decades ago. And the IEA is just now realizing that depletion rates (they avoided the term peak oil) might be an issue?

The IEA predicts that we are "entering a new world energy order." Market analysts think that the IEA report could upset world oil markets and drive prices higher.

Hate to let the cat out of the bag, but we've already entered a new world energy order, and prices are going nowhere but up.

Welcome to reality everyone.

Notable Quotable

My father rode a camel. I drive a car. My son flies a jet airplane. His
son will ride a camel. -- Saudi saying

Texas Tax-Free Green

This Memorial Day Weekend, the State of Texas has declared Memoral Day Weekend a tax-free holiday for applicances and other items that have an Energy Star Logo. Items include:

• Air conditioners priced less than $6,000
• Ceiling fans
• Dehumidifiers
• Dishwashers
• Refrigerators priced less than $2,000
• Clothes washers (but not clothes dryers)
• Programmable thermostats
• Incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs

More information from the Houston Chronicle.

The Wind Atop My Office

Construction has began here in Houston on one of the most innovative office towers in the U.S. Located at 1501 McKinney Street, Discovery Tower is a 30 story office building that will cost upwards near $300 million to build. The building is capped with 10 electricity generating wind turbines. In addition, Discovery Tower will be built to achieve LEED Gold certification from the USGBC.

With construction set to finish in the second quarter of 2010, the Gensler-designed green skyscraper will have air filtration, water-efficient plumbing, and an energy efficient heating and cooling system, among other things.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the "mini wind farm should also make a huge design statement and help market the building, as more companies look for space where their employees can breathe cleaner air and feel that their bosses care about the environment by leasing energy-efficient digs."

Big Wind for Texas

Mesa Power, the sustainable energy company founded by Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, has just placed the largest order ever for a single-site wind turbine purchase. Mesa is ordering 667 wind turbines from General Electric, which will be capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 300,000 homes.

The deal is the first stage of the Pampa Wind Project, a proposed $2 billion wind farm in the Texas Panhandle. The area is known for strong, stable winds, low population and wide-open spaces, making it an attractive area for wind-generated energy.

When all four phases of the Pampa Wind Project is completed in 2014, the company says it will be the world's largest wind energy generator and five times bigger than the U.S.'s current largest wind power project, which produces 736 megawatts.

Earlier this spring, Mesa Power took landowners in the area on an organized tour and the company says it is starting the paperwork on signing leases with individual owners. A study commissioned by Mesa Power projected the wind farm would generate an estimate 1,495 jobs during the construction phase and 720 jobs a typical year once the site is up and operational.

About 1.3 million homes will be powered by the more than 4,000 megawatts of electricity the Mesa Power project will eventually generate. When finished, the Pampa Wind Project will be spread out over some 400,000 acres.

DOE Earmarks $60M For Solar Thermal Research

The Department of Energy has just earmarked $60 million over five years for research funding into developing low-cost solar thermal technology. Concentrating solar thermal technology (like the parabolic trough pictured from Schott Solar) is currently one of the most cost-effective solar power technologies available today. Unlike photovoltaics, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, solar thermal works by focusing sunlight to superheat a transfer medium (often a liquid salt mixture) that in turn is used to power conventional steam generators. One of the advantages of solar thermal over photovoltaics (PV) is that solar thermal systems can continue to generate electricity after sundown using the residual stored heat in the system. Also, unlike PV systems, solar thermal suffers no loss of efficiency at high ambient temperatures.

While EcoHouston applauds the DOE's newfound interest in a technology that is already established and generating power around the globe,$10.2 million a year for five years seems a rather paltry sum when compared to the billions of dollars in subsidies given to the oil and gas industry (particularly given the hundreds of billions in profit those companies are currently making).

UPS Orders Additional Hybrid Trucks

UPS just announced it has ordered 200 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) - the largest commercial order of such trucks by any company - in addition to another 300 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles for its U.S. delivery fleet. The purchase of the 500 additional vehicles means the UPS alternative fuel fleet - already the largest such private fleet in the United States - will grow 30 percent from 1,718 to 2,218 low-carbon vehicles. With the recent rise in fuel costs, UPS has a huge incentive to cut consumption.

Houston was one of the four cities (along with Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix) included in the initial testing of 50 HEVs that began in May 2007.

The Story of Stuff

This has been circulating for a bit, but is a great reminder of the current state of our world.

The Story of Stuff -- From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

I highly recommend watching it, or watching it again. I think it is particularly effective for kids because of the animated format and the relatively simple storytelling. Don't dismiss it as just something for the kiddies, however. It is a very powerful tool and is a great look at the big picture that we often miss as we focus on the issues in our own communities.