Sunday, May 25, 2008

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.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

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.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

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.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

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.