|
Home
Home
 |
Small electric car
sales could get a jolt
BERKELEY, Calif. — Here's a sticker shock that
feels good: 245 miles per gallon.
So reads the sign on the
two-seater Zenn electric car at a new dealership
here that peddles electric cars, scooters and bikes.
Green Motors is one of an increasing number of
electric-vehicle dealers aiming to tap distaste for
high gas prices and growing environmental concerns.
The Zenn, which began selling
in the USA a year ago, falls into the category of "neighborhood
electric vehicles" (NEVs) or "low-speed vehicles."
NEVs are legal only on roads marked for 35 miles per
hour or less. In most states, they can go up to 25
mph; in two states up to 35 mph. Depending on make,
NEVs will run 30 to 50 miles after a
four-to-eight-hour charge and plug in anywhere.
But unlike electric
golf-cart-like vehicles popular in retirement
communities, the Zenn looks like a regular car. It's
based on Europe's Microcar, which has been produced
as a gas or diesel-powered low-speed vehicle for
more than 20 years.
Former software salesman Marc
Korchin, who opened the Berkeley dealership in
October, says his goal isn't to get drivers to ditch
gas-fueled cars. He wants them to use those cars
less and drive electric on low-speed city streets.
His mantra? "Use the right tool for the job," he
says. "You wouldn't hang a picture with a
sledgehammer, and we're all driving sledgehammers."
Clean and quiet
The Zenn cars, short for Zero
Emission, No Noise, cost $12,750 to $17,600 and are
slightly smaller than the Mini Cooper. Korchin also
sells a four-seat sedan from Dynasty Electric Car
for $20,000, as well as the Dynasty mini-truck for
$25,000.
Both Zenn and Dynasty are
based in Canada. Zenn Motor gets car bodies from
Europe and adds electric components. Other NEV
providers include California companies Miles
Electric Vehicles and Zap and North Dakota-based
Global Electric Motorcars from Chrysler. The
10-year-old GEM, largely sold through Chrysler
dealers, has 34,000 NEVs on the road.
Big carmakers have long
dabbled in highway-speed electric cars but haven't
delivered and promoted a mass-market product. Tesla
Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, plans to deliver
a highway-capable roadster next year for about
$100,000. General Motors
(GM) is working on the Chevrolet Volt electric
car for 2010. Miles, which launched its first NEV in
2005 and has about 200 on the road, says it'll have
a highway-speed electric vehicle in 2009.
The neighborhood electric
vehicles, Korchin says, are here and now. And they
spin heads.
On a recent drive through
Berkeley, Korchin stopped at a stop sign, and a
motorist dropped his window to yell, "What kind of
car is that?"
"It's electric. Go to
gogreenmotors.com," Korchin yelled back.
Green Motors has sold 11 cars
— one Dynasty and 10 Zenns — about half to people
with solar-powered homes. Korchin expects low profit
margins in part because there'll be little service
revenue. Electric cars have a handful of major parts
compared with hundreds in a regular car. The
batteries, like those in regular cars and in boats,
make up half of the Zenn's 1,200-pounds, for
instance. Dealership technicians will make house
calls, if needed.
While Zenn looks like a
regular car, there are differences. Tires are on a
petite 13 inches. Drivers flip a switch to go
forward or backward. Because they are low-speed
vehicles, crash testing isn't required. Seat belts
are required but air bags aren't.
The 245 mpg claim, an
estimate, is based on the energy output of a gallon
of gas, which is about the same amount of energy
required to charge the Zenn seven times, the company
says.
Korchin, who has two children
ages 7 and 12, doesn't fear taking them in his
Dynasty, which, like the Zenn, has an aluminum
frame. The U.S. Department of Transportation, which
set safety rules for the vehicles in 1998, requires
they have seat belts, turn signals and rearview
mirrors. Zenn may make air bags optional, it says.
Playing to an eager market
Green Motors inhabits the
space of a former Cadillac dealership in one of the
USA's most liberal cities. For Korchin, it is a work
of love. A year ago, he bought his first electric
car, a Dynasty. Wherever he parked it, people
gathered. His wife, editor of an environmental
magazine, created a promotional flier. Korchin then
saw Who Killed the Electric Car?, a 2006
documentary that largely blames the oil and auto
industries, and vowed never to buy another
gas-powered car. His family also owns a 1989 Honda
(HMC) Accord. He gave up a regular job and
plunged into the electric motor dealership.
Instead of being a big
contributor to the greenhouse gas problem, "I'm part
of the solution," says Korchin, 52.
Kathleen Giustino of Berkeley
feels the same way. She and her husband bought a
Zenn last month to reduce the amount of carbon
dioxide they release into the atmosphere. Four years
ago, they converted their house to solar power.
NEVs have long attracted
enthusiastic supporters. A paper published in 1994by
an expert on transportation and energy at the
University of California, Davis, said the benefits
were "potentially so large … it would be
irresponsible not to pursue NEVs." The paper noted
that NEVs cut carbon dioxide emissions more than 60%
when compared with a subcompact gas car.
Like Korchin, the Giustinos
also have a gas car. Kathleen uses the Zenn to
commute to her teaching job and for errands. She
drives it about 7 miles a day. While she says she'd
feel more comfortable if it went 30 mph, "in case I
have to escape something," she's fine at 25 mph as
long as she's on streets where traffic is slow. She
and her husband, who is 6-foot-2, sit comfortably in
the car together.
The slower speeds aren't for
everyone. Glenn Nunez of Oakland recently test drove
the Zenn and "felt like I was slowing up traffic,"
he says. Still, he says, "It's a perfect city street
vehicle."
Curbed appeal?
The vehicles' limitations
will curb their appeal, says Bruce Harrison of
market researcher Global Insight. Because they're
not highway-capable, they'll attract consumers who
like the novelty and who can afford a second or
third car, he says.
Washington and Montana allow
the cars to go 35 mph. Electric-car supporters in
other states are pushing for the same, says Steve
Mayeda, co-owner of MC Electric Vehicles in Seattle.
NEVs aren't legal on public roads in Connecticut,
Delaware, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Wyoming. Canada
recently gave them the green light, but each
province must decide whether to let them on the
road.
Zenn has shipped about 200
cars to the USA. Zenn founder Ian Clifford says the
company hopes to launch a highway-capable electric
car next year, assuming advances in battery
technology.
Korchin says he's ready to
adapt. After all, he's already altered his bedtime
routine. He and his wife still ask each other
whether the doors are locked and whether the kids
are tucked in. Now they add a new question: "Honey,
did you plug in the car?"
NEW REPORT
DETAILS OFFSHORE WIND POTENTIAL IN MICHIGAN
East Lansing, MIMichigan has the potential to become
a big player in offshore wind energy, so says a
new report
released by the
Land Policy Institute (LPI)
at Michigan State University (MSU). The preliminary
analysis finds that Michigans portion of the Great
Lakes has the capacity to produce 321,936 Megawatts
of electricity from wind energy, a portion of which
could be developed once depth, technology, view and
environmental concerns are considered. Michigans
onshore wind potential was previously estimated at
approximately 16,500 megawatts. The information
provided by the new LPI report shows much more
substantial opportunities for offshore wind energy.
This result has the potential to elevate Michigans
wind energy profile nationally and internationally
because the resource available is significant, said
Dr Soji Adelaja, John A. Hannah Distinguished
Professor and director of the Land Policy Institute.
Michigan is one of few states with the opportunity
to generate wind power from its offshore areas.
The report, titled
Michigans Offshore Wind Potential,
prepared by the Institutes
Hannah Professor Research Program,
incorporates data released in 2008 by
AWS Truewind
on Great Lakes wind resources with data on turbine
spacing, potential turbine power generating
capacity, and depth and shoreline distance
scenarios. It also provides information on wind
turbine build-out scenarios based on these
parameters.
The report is intended to inform policy in the state
about Michigans additional wind power potential
offshore and the need for state policies to guide
offshore wind development.
Download the report, which is available on the Land
Policy Institute website at
Michigans Offshore Wind Potential.
Click on
Downloadable Research
for publications on Renewable Energy, Green
Infrastructure, New Economy, Viable Agriculture and
other studies, or learn more about the Land Policy
Institute at
www.landpolicy.msu.edu
.
JULIE STEENHUYSEN
Reuters -
October 7, 2008
CHICAGO
— U.S. researchers have found a way to make efficient
silicon-based solar cells that are flexible enough to be
rolled around a pencil and transparent enough to be used
to tint windows on buildings or cars.
The finding, reported on Sunday
in the journal Nature Materials, offers a new way to
process conventional silicon by slicing the brittle
wafers into ultrathin bits and carefully transferring
them onto a flexible surface.
"We can make it thin enough that
we can put it on plastic to make a rollable system. You
can make it grey in the form of a film that could be
added to architectural glass," said John Rogers of the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who led the
research.
"It opens up spaces on the
fronts of buildings as opportunities for solar energy,"
Prof. Rogers said in a telephone interview.
Solar cells, which convert solar
energy into electricity, are in high demand because of
higher oil prices and concerns over climate change.
Many companies, including
Japanese consumer electronics maker Sharp Corp and
Germany's Q-Cells are making thin-film solar cells, but
they typically are less efficient at converting solar
energy into electricity than conventional cells.
Prof. Rogers said his technology
uses conventional single crystal silicon.
"It's robust. It's highly
efficient. But in its current form, it's rigid and
fragile," he said.
His team uses a special etching
method that slices chips off the surface of a bulk
silicon wafer. The sliced chips are 1/10th to 1/100th
the width of the wafer, and the size can be adapted to
the application.
Once sliced, a device picks up
the bits of silicon chips "like a rubber stamp" and
transfers them to a new surface material, Prof. Rogers
said.
"These silicon solar cells
become like a solid ink pad for that rubber stamp. The
surface of the wafers after we've done this slicing
become almost like an inking pad," he said. "We just
print them down onto a target surface."
The final step is to connect
these cells electrically to get power out of them, he
said.
Adding flexibility to the
material would make the cells far easier to transport.
Prof. Rogers envisions the material being "rolled up
like a carpet and thrown on the truck."
He said the technology has be en
licensed to a startup company called Semprius Inc. in
Durham, N.C., which is in talks to license the
technology.
"It's just a way to use thing we
already know well," Prof. Rogers said.
Nick Kuhl - Peace
Country Sun - Aug 29-08
Promoting alternative and renewable energy sources
may not thrill workers in the oil and gas industry, but for residents in
a northeastern B.C. city, one project has been gaining steady
recognition.
Bear Mountain Wind Park, a project being developed by AltaGas and
Peace Energy Cooperative near Dawson Creek, B.C., will add 100 megawatts
of power into the B.C. electrical grid when it commences operation in
Nov. 2009.
“Our project will probably be the first operating wind farm in
British Columbia,” said Jim Bracken, senior vice president of major
projects at AltaGas.
“What wind does in a place like B.C. is it allows the operators of
hydro decks to hold back water when the wind is blowing and use more of
the electricity that’s generated off of wind farms.”
A construction update held by the Bear Mountain Wind Limited
Partnership Aug. 12 took select delegates to the site and provided new
details to the project’s current status.
“The stage were at now is that we completed all of our roads and
earthworks to prepare the site,” Bracken said. “That work got completed
in July. Since then, we’ve commenced work on the foundations.”
The on-going work involves about 55 tons of rebar and 50 cement
trucks per foundation.
“We actually toured the site where the foundations are under
construction up on the ridge,” Bracken explained. “We’ve now got three
of those foundations complete and a number of others at various stations
of completion.”
Total cost is estimated at $190 million and is currently on budget,
and on schedule.
“This is a huge investment in the area,” said Calvin Kruk, mayor of
Dawson Creek. “It sure looks impressive.”
Planning and design for the site, located about 15 km south of Dawson
Creek, started a couple years ago while actual construction started in
December 2007.
“There’s a buzz about Dawson Creek as far as renewable technologies
and what we’re doing as far as sustainability,” Kruk said. “We’re open
to as much investment as we possibly can. If we can have our own energy
self-sufficiency in the province and if a project like this contributes
to it, I think that’s really good.”
By contracting and sub-contracting local companies to complete the
required earthtwork and road building, the project is having a positive
financial impact to the area as well.
“There’s a fair bit of money that goes into the economy that way,”
Bracken said.
Additionally, an economic spin-off, employing future technicians and
maintenance workers, will help the city long-term, Kruk explained.
“We’ve encouraged Northern Lights College and apparently they’re
working right now on a curriculum for wind turbine maintenance,” he
said.
Bracken added a six-kilometre transmission line, which will transfer
power from the sub-station to the grid, still needs to be built and is
one of the biggest remaining steps. As for what makes Bear Mountain a
preferred wind harnessing location, that lies in its ideal north-south
positioning.
“The wind blows fairly consistently from the west in this region,” he
said. “That helps the layout and design of a wind farm to have that kind
of consistency in direction. Wind will never be able to provide all of
the electricity needs of any particular region or grid because of the
intermittent nature of wind, but it works very well in combination with
hydropower.”
EarthFirst Announces B.C.'s First Commercial Wind Turbine Delivery
CALGARY, July 21
http://www.ippbc.com/EN/members_in_the_news/earthfirst_announces_bc's_1st_commercial_wind_turbine_delivery/
- EarthFirst Canada Inc (EarthFirst) (TSX:EF, EF.WT) today announced
the delivery of British Columbia's first ever commercial wind turbines
to the 144 MW Dokie I wind project site, near the town of Chetwynd in
northeastern B.C.
Eight Vestas 3 MW turbines were delivered as the first phase of the
project, to be installed by the end of 2008. The remaining 40 turbines
are scheduled for installation in 2009. When completed the 144 MW Dokie
I wind project will generate enough renewable energy to power
approximately 34,000 B.C. homes.
"This is a significant milestone in renewable energy for the Province
of British Columbia," said Linda Chambers, President and CEO of
EarthFirst Canada Inc. "The turbines arrived exactly on time and overall
project construction is proceeding on schedule."
"This is the outcome of 6 years of work by a team of B.C.
stakeholders, governments and resource managers," said Ron Percival, a
founding director of EarthFirst. "We thank the communities of Chetwynd
and local First Nations for their leadership and support of the
project."
Duck River making
easy switch to green power
By Byron Hensley
TSI Staff Writer - Aug 7-2008 -
Manchester Independant Tennessee
USA
If you think alternative energy
sources like solar and wind
power are a good idea, and want
to more of the electricity you
use in your home to come from
these sources, TVA and its local
power suppliers like Duck River
Electric have an easy way for
you to make it happen. By
participating in TVA's Green
Power Switch program, electric
customers can help subsidize the
development of wind farms and
solar generators.
The Green Power Switch program
is a voluntary program started
by TVA which allows members of
local electric cooperatives to
purchase 150 kilowatt-hour
blocks of energy at a rate of $4
per block.
"These funds are used
exclusively by TVA in their
generation of power utilizing
renewable energy sources such as
wind, solar and methane gas,"
said Charles McDonald, spokesman
for Duck River Electric
Membership Cooperative.
"I think in the years to come,
we're all going to be faced with
the issue of making greener
choices," McDonald said. "As
everyone knows, it's more
expensive to bring these power
sources online, and the cost for
each killowatt hour is higher
than that for coal,
hydroelectric or nuclear.
Because of the added expense, it
is programs like these that
allow them to get involved in
solar, wind and methane gas."
Â
So far, Green Power Switch
customers have helped build 15
windmills on a mountain near Oak
Ridge which generate up 29
megawatts of power, enough to
power 3,780 homes. They have
also helped build 16
photovoltaic solar systems at
various locations in the
Tennessee Valley, which can
generate over 88,000 killowatts
when the sun is shining. And,
they have helped modify a
coal-fired steam plant to use
methane from the City of
Memphis' wastewater treatment
system, saving 20,000 tons of
coal a year.
And that's with just a tiny
fraction of eligible customers
taking part in the program. Duck
River Electric currently has 205
members participating in the
program, purchasing a total of
937 blocks of energy.
Of the 937 energy blocks
purchased, 404 blocks are being
purchased by 199 residential
members, 34 blocks purchased by
small commercial members and 499
blocks being purchased by 3
large commercial and industrial
members, including The
University of the South,
McDonald said.
It's easy to take part in the
Green Power Switch program. You
can get involved by contacting
your local electric provider and
asking them to sign you up. Or,
you can go online to www.tva.gov/greenpowerswitch and sign up online.
You will be asked how many 150
kilowatt-hour blocks per month
you want to purchase at $4 each.
150 killowatt hours is about 12
percent of a household's monthly
use.
Your blocks won't, of course, be
comprised solely of electricity
generated from one of the green
power sites; but the green power
sites you help subsidize will be
added to the total electricity
flowing into the power grid.
Alternatively, if you have a
solar system or wind generator
of your own, you can sell
electricity to TVA as a Green
Power Switch partner. TVA will
pay you 15 cents per
kilowatt-hour, and residential
power customers may qualify for
a $500 incentive to help with
the costs of starting up their
own wind or solar generation.
Solar's future looking
brighter
The Toronto Star - July 28, 2008 04:30 AM
Tyler Hamilton
Anew
rooftop solar-energy system
installed recently in Beijing
Olympic Village didn't come from
some hot new Silicon Valley
start-up, or an established
player in
Germany's
world-leading solar industry.
It came from the
Toronto
area, baby!
The
system is a hybrid design that
can generate both heat and
electricity for the building,
which will be a service centre
for athletes during the summer
games. It's one of the first
commercial systems of its kind,
manufactured in
Oakville,
and is a testament to the role
Ontario
companies can play in the
emerging market for solar
products.
"In
terms of the projects we've
done, when we compare our
systems to other systems on the
market it's very attractive,"
says John Hollick, president of
Conserval Engineering, which has
been making a solar heating
product — currently called
SolarWall — for nearly three
decades. More recently, the
company has added
power-producing solar
photovoltaic panels to the
system so customers can get both
heat and electricity.
It
makes a whole lot of sense, says
Hollick. On their own, solar PV
panels absorb a lot of heat from
the sun that ends up being
wasted. SolarWall, when placed
underneath the PV panels,
absorbs heat from the panel and
distributes it through building
ventilation. If you don't need
the heat, such as in the summer,
it can also be used to heat
water.
A
solar PV panel, depending on the
type of cells that are used, is
6 per cent to 20 per cent
efficient at converting sunlight
into electricity. Add SolarWall
underneath and energy conversion
efficiency climbs closer to 50
per cent, says Hollick. The
SolarWall product also acts as a
rack system that would normally
be required anyway with a PV
installation. This leads to
further cost savings.
Hollick
says the company is having a
difficult time keeping up with
demand, a nice place to be after
toiling away in relative
obscurity. When asked if he'll
be coming out with a residential
product, "Our people have just
been too busy on the commercial
and industrial side," he says,
adding that he'll turn his
attention to it early next year.
Solar
technologies, until recently,
have always been a work in
progress in Ontario, in Canada —
happening in a university lab
somewhere, or part of a dream by
a few small companies that
always seemed to be years away
from commercialization and
struggling to pay their bills. I
call them "forever emerging"
ventures.
But
times are changing. Hollick
points out new green building
standards have architects and
builders rushing to try out new
solar products. Consumer
interest is growing, and
government incentives and
financing programs are turning
window shoppers into buyers.
Export opportunities are huge,
and the move to accommodate
renewables such as solar on the
electricity grid is gathering
momentum, albeit slowly.
In
less than two years Scott
Nichol, founder of solar-grade
silicon producer 6N Silicon, has
taken his company from his
basement to a $50-million
production plant being
constructed in
Vaughan.
Last week the
Ontario
government contributed $8
million to the plant, which will
create 84 new jobs.
In
May, Ottawa-based Menova
Engineering began manufacturing
a system that combines solar
power, heating and lighting in a
single product. Wal-Mart plans
to test the system atop one of
its stores. Menova's system is
being manufactured in
Markham
at Woodbine Tool & Die, giving
workers hit by the automotive
downturn a chance to keep their
jobs.
Meanwhile,
solar PV maker Arise
Technologies is building a solar
silicon pilot plant near its
headquarters in
Waterloo,
with construction planned for
the fall. The aim, by 2010, is
to expand it to a full
commercial plant.
Shovels
are hitting the ground. People
are getting hired. Product is
being made, sold and deployed.
And it's happening in
Ontario.
"I
think
Ontario
has a golden opportunity here to
create a solar industry, and
create more high-tech type
jobs," says Hollick. "Not just
in manufacturing, but in the
design, installation, and
marketing. There are a lot of
good paying jobs that could be
created in this industry."
Still, as much as it's
encouraging to see a few points
of light, there's nothing to
brag about — yet. Given enough
support, hundreds of points of
light could emerge from this
province, creating a bright
future for an industry just
itching to prove itself at home
and abroad.
It
depends, I suppose, on how much
we want it.
by
Dale Jackson Report
on Business Television
http://magazine.globeinvestor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/story/GIGOLD/20080722/wjackson0722/GIGOLDMAG/news
Denmark-based Vestas
Wind Systems AG —
the world's biggest wind
turbine maker -- reported
earlier this month that
electricity generation from wind
has been growing at an average
annual rate of 25 per cent for
the past five years.
The gale-force popularity of a
limitless, clean and
inexpensive form of energy is
hardly surprising in a world of
forehead-slapping oil prices and
stricter emission standards.
Vestas
has a 23 per cent share of the
turbine market and
has installed over 35,000
devices in 63 countries. The
stock, which trades in
Copenhagen, has increased in
value by 62 per cent this year.
Part
of that boost comes from a
European Union goal to generate
20 per cent of Europe's power
from renewable
energy sources like wind and
solar by 2020. Government's
have backed up that target with
generous subsidies.
In 2004 wind power overtook
hydroelectricity as Germany's
top source of renewable energy.
According to the Global
Wind Energy Council the
world market for wind power
will grow by 155 per cent by
2012.
Vestas' main competition in
Europe is Nordex AG of
Germany which has climbed
ten per cent in the past year.
Other large companies including General
Electric and Siemans AG,
along with growing number of
small firms
have been sinking big dollars
into developing wind power and
wind power equipment. According
to the United Nations
Environment Program wind power
attracted $50-billion in
financing last year.
While wind power is coming on
like a hurricane in Europe it's
an accelerating breeze in North
American. Wind farms
have been sprouting up at an
increasing rate but at a cost
of up to $5-billion each,
startups can be costly.
Ironically, rising fuel prices
are pushing up costs for
developing wind power as an
alternative to rising fuel
prices.
With the help of tax
credits Canada currently has
close
to 2,000
megawatts of wind power
installed — enough
to supply more than half a
million homes. Still, that's
less than one per cent of total
demand.
At a production cost of less
than one cent per kilowatt
hour the financial appeal of
wind power seems obvious
but certain technical obstacles
have also hampered its
growth. For starters, wind is
not reliable and neither is
power demand. That makes it
difficult to supply power
during peak use.
Unlike conventional power
sources, wind turbines can not
be installed in a short period
of time to respond to
demand increases.
Canadian energy companies
including Suncor Energy Inc. and TransAlta
Corp. are dabbling
in wind power but there are few
publicly traded pure-play wind
power companies on the Canadian
market.
To address the flexibility
problem operators are working
on (1) better ways to predict
wind patterns and (2) power
storage technology, but
solutions are still a long way
off.
AIM PowerGen Corp., a
Toronto-based company owned by
U.K. listed Renewable Energy
Generation Ltd. has
forged partnerships with Ontario
farmers to operate wind farms
on the north shore of Lake Erie.
The electricity
generated is sold to the
province's power grid and the
farmers pocket a few thousand
dollars a year.
Here are some wind-related
stocks blowing around on the
Venture Exchange:
AAER
Inc (AAE) is a Quebec-based
producer of high capacity wind
turbines.
Western Wind Energy Corp. (WND)
of Vancouve plans, develops and
helps finance wind energy
facilities.
Naikun Wind Energy Group Inc.
(NKW) is developing an offshore
wind project in Northeastern
British Columbia in an area
known as the Haida Energy Field.
Greece will continue to utilize lignite
while, at least until 2020, it does not
plan to include nuclear energy in its
energy planning, declared Development
Minister Christos Folias after the first
informal meeting under the French
European Union Presidency of the council
of ministers of Environment and Energy.
To a question on Greece’s position
concerning nuclear energy and the
attempt on the part of France to promote
the advantages of constructing nuclear
power stations he responded "our
position is clear. Of course France has
a long tradition with nuclear power
stations and it is natural that it
should want to sell them. I want to make
clear yet again that nuclear power is
not included in Greek energy planning up
to the year 2020". According to the
Development Minister "the great strategy
that we have forged is the attempt to
develop renewable energy sources."
Solar thermal technology
heats up
http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209100185&cid=NL_eet
George Leopold EE
Times(07/15/2008 1:00 PM EDT)
SAN FRANCISCO — Solar
thermal technology that
attempts to harness the
efficient phase change from
water to steam is emerging
as the preferred alternative
energy technology in the
race to replace fossil fuels
with sustainable energy
sources, experts agree.
Along with cost per watt,
solar thermal's biggest
selling point is its ability
to store energy and deliver
electricity to consumers
during periods of peak power
demand. Experts at a solar
conference here this week
said "concentrating" solar
thermal power could allow
utilities and other emerging
operators to store steam
energy for up to six hours.
Super-heated steam is used
to drive turbines that
generate electricity.
Concentrating, or
sun-tracking, photovoltaics
and solar thermal power
collectors like parabolic
troughs follow the sun
across the sky at one of
more axis points, focusing
sunlight to improve the
efficiency of solar panels.
Experts here noted that
solar thermal's so-called "dispatchability"
means stored power could be
used to generate electricity
that could then be sold to
utilities during load peaks
on electric grids, usually
after 5 p.m. The approach
would make solar thermal
power far more valuable for
plant operators than, say,
photovoltaic energy that
must be used immediately.
"Thermal energy storage is
the killer app of
concentrating solar power
technology," Andrew McMahan,
vice president for
technology and projects at
SkyFuel
(Albuquerque, N.M.), told
the solar technology
conference held Monday (July
14) in conjunction with
Semicon West.
Solar thermal collector
technologies like parabolic
troughs have a good track
record after more than 20
years of use, McMahan added.
"The technology has steadily
improved and is being
demanded by utilities" when
negotiating power supply
agreements with solar
operators.
Industry analysts like Jim
Hines, Gartner Inc. research
director for semiconductors
and solar, agree that solar
thermal appears best suited
to large power projects
aimed at supplying
electricity to utilities.
Other technologies like
traditional photovoltaics
and concentrating PV systems
work best in residential and
commercial applications,
Hines said.
Among the solar thermal
projects discussed here were
several "power tower"
projects that use
concentrating solar
collectors to refocus
sunlight on "solar boilers."
For example, solar developer
Brightsource Energy
(Oakland, Calif.) is
building a 400-megawatt
solar thermal complex in
California's Mojave Desert,
a prime location for a
number of planned solar
thermal projects. Along with
other industry executives
here, Brightsource CEO John
Wo olard noted that the
primary challenge for solar
thermal is efficiently
transmitting power from
remote desert locations to
population centers.
Still, experts here agreed
that for large alternative
energy projects, solar
thermal for now appears to
be the best approach.
According to estimates
compiled by the
Prometheus Institute for
Sustainable Development,
solar thermal
power-generating costs could
drop from about $4.25 per
watt in 2008 to $2.5 per
watt by 2020.
Solar thermal "is an
extremely cost-effective
technology compared to other
[solar] technologies," said
Travis Bradford, founder of
the Prometheus Institute,
although costs may not drop
as fast as competing
technologies like
traditional and
concentrating photovoltaics.
Why is Germany's solar
future more sunny?
Province lags as other
places pay top dollar to
promote range of
renewable power.
TheTyee.ca
British Columbia has a
global reputation for
developing cheap, renewable
energy, thanks to its
dependence on
hydroelectricity.
But what about tapping
tides, wind and sun to
create power? In those
areas, say experts, B.C.
lags far behind other places
in the world because we
refuse to pay high enough
rates to foster those
alternative energy sectors.
Critics say that failure
to support a range of
renewable energy options is
a black mark on the green
reputation the province is
trying to build.
Germany, for example,
has literally hundreds of
thousands of roof top
photovoltaic systems,
generating 2,000 GW hours of
solar electricity per year.
That's nearly half the
generating capacity of BC
Hydro's proposed Site C dam.
"Germany is the world
leader on solar," says Guy
Dauncey, president of the
B.C. Renewable Energy
Association.
"And we get just as much
sunshine as they do."
And in 2006, Germany's
wind capacity was an
astounding 30,5000 GW hours,
six times the amount BC
Hydro is targeting in it's
most recent call for clean
power.
The power of
'feed-in tariff'
So why does B.C. have
zero solar capacity? Why are
we still the only province
in Canada without operating
wind turbines?
It comes down to what we
consider green, and what
we're willing to pay for it.
While it's true that
Germany still relies on coal
for the majority its energy,
the country is turning its
energy economy around very
quickly, thanks in part to
the participation of
individuals and communities.
Its success is credited
to the creation of a feed-in
tariff for renewables.
Anyone generating
electricity from hydro,
solar photovoltaic or wind
gets paid four times the
market rate, guaranteed, for
20 years. There are similar
tariffs in
Denmark, Spain, France,
Portugal and Japan, mostly
targeting solar.
"It's a massive incentive
to get a lot of power
produced," says Dauncey.
"In the early days, it
was mostly corporations
doing it, but now, in
Denmark for example, 50 per
cent of power projects are
cooperatively owned."
Tough bidding
process
BC Hydro has procured its
clean power, as mandated by
the provincial government's
energy plan, with
calls to the private
sector. It's a competitive
process, with potential
producers bidding to supply
a fixed amount.
The first, in 2002,
yielded 14 run-of-river
projects, one landfill gas
capture project and one wind
project (which was
terminated in 2005.)
The second, in 2006,
resulted in 29 hydro, three
wind, two biomass, two waste
heat and two coal/biomass
projects.
Right now, there is a
call for bioenergy,
targeting wood residue from
the forest industry,
including beetle-killed
wood, and a call for clean
power targeting 5,000 GW
hours of electricity per
year.
Steve Davis, president of
the
Independent Power Producers
of B.C., says he's aware
of 50 to 100 projects, with
a total generating capacity
of 20,000 GW, that have bid
on this latest clean power
call.
"In other words, it's a
highly competitive bid
situation for companies
wishing to sell energy,"
says Davis.
"Three out of four people
are going to be losers.
They're all going to have to
deal very sharply."
This kind of bidding
process may keep prices low,
but also keeps small
players, and higher-priced
technologies, out.
Cost
of renewable
technologies, per kWh:
- Wind energy: 8-9
cents, and falling
- Run of river:
7-9 cents
- Solar: 50 cents,
and falling
- Forest biomass:
approximately 12
cents
- Nuclear: 20
cents and rising
- Efficiency ("negawatts"):
1-5 cents
- Geothermal: 3-4
cents
Source: Guy Dauncey,
BCSEA
"In a competitive bid
process you can spend a
tremendous amount of money
up front and end up with
nothing," says Nicholas
Heap, a climate and energy
policy analyst with the
David Suzuki Foundation.
"If you're a large
corporation, that's a
calculated risk, but if
you're a small co-op or
municipality, the risk of
putting that much money in
to begin with can stop you
from even starting."
Revise pricing
structure: critics
These were some of the
issues the provincial
government professed to
address with its own version
of the feed-in tariff; a
standing offer
program developed to
encourage small renewable
projects around the
province.
But critics say this
program is "weak," and pales
in comparison to similar
policies in Europe. The
problem? It doesn't pay
enough, and doesn't
differentiate between the
varying costs of renewable
energy technologies.
The program offers 7.1 to
8.3 cents per kW hour for
projects that meet specific
criteria: they must use
renewable resources, proven
technology and be less than
10 MW. The price range is
based on region, not
technology.
Last summer, BC Hydro
held a public consultation
process on the design of its
standing offer program.
"We intervened early in
the process," says Heap.
"We had concerns that
there weren't different
prices for different
technologies. If the
point... is to build a
renewable energy sector in
B.C., that needs to be
achieved with different
prices to make different
technologies viable."
BC's reputation
on the line?
Paul Gipe, a renewable
energy advocate and one of
the principal architects
behind Ontario's version of
the renewable feed-in
tariff, says he was
unimpressed by the first
drafts of BC Hydro's
program.
"What was proposed was
pathetic, it was a farce,"
he says. "They [BC Hydro]
were barraged with criticism
of the proposal."
Gipe says BC Hydro senior
employees consulted him
during the development
stages.
"[I] laid out a case for
how, if B.C. really wanted
to stand out with the
upcoming Olympics, if the
Campbell government and BC
Hydro wanted to take a
prominent place in North
America with renewable
energy policy... these are
the things they would have
to do."
The number one priority,
says Gipe, should have been
raising the price for
renewable energy under the
standing offer program.
BC Hydro defends
approach
A public affairs officer
for BC Hydro said there were
some adjustments based on
the public feedback process,
but no major shifts from the
draft version to the one
that was officially launched
in April.
"The objective of the
program is not to subsidize
particular forms of
renewable energy
development," Ministry of
Energy, Mines and Petroleum
Resources spokesperson Jake
Jacobs told The Tyee in an
e-mail.
"It is to streamline the
process and reduce
administrative costs for
bringing on new small clean,
renewable or high efficiency
co-generation projects at a
competitive price."
Jacobs also stated that
the ministry and BC Hydro
are monitoring the program
to determine if it's
successful in meeting its
objectives.
"BC Hydro has the
prerogative to say, here's
our price point going out,
let's see what we get," says
Davis.
Davis points out that the
price offered in the
standing offer contract was
based on the average price
of the last call for power,
issued in 2006.
"Frankly... to issue a
standing offer program with
a similar price range
ignores the fact that since
2006, the cost of building
such things has gone up," he
says.
"And in the world of
natural resources, the
cheapest projects are
typically built first."
Chasing the sun
in Toronto
What are the implications
of having a policy that
builds the cheapest, most
cost-effective projects
first?
Some say we're missing
out on an important
consequence of feed-in
tariffs elsewhere: more
community, individual and
regional participation in
power production, using
resources that are available
locally.
Next Tuesday, we go
to Ontario, where that
province's feed-in tariff
has prompted a group of
Toronto homeowners to invest
in the sun.
Colleen Kimmett is a
reporter for The Tyee.
The answer to global warming is blowing in the wind.
The World Wind Energy
Conference was held in Kingston
last week, and I would like to
commend and thank Volker Thomsen
and the Ontario Sustainable
Energy Association for all their
hard work in bringing this
historic event to Kingston and
allowing delegates from around
the world to see our great city
up close.
I have been involved in the
environmental movement to some
extent for a number of years. It
was exciting to see first-hand
and hear directly from the
people in the renewable energy
fields from around the world how
close we are with the political
will to totally utilize only
renewable energies, whether they
be wind power, solar energy,
geothermal or tidal power, to
name a few.
The shocking thing at this
time is with these proven
renewable technologies working
extremely well in Germany and
many other progressive nations,
that we are even considering
putting more money into the pit
of nuclear energy even though it
may be "clean" greenhouse
gas-wise, nuclear energy has
severe environmental and health
consequences from the mining of
it, right through to the
disposal and, heaven forbid, any
nuclear incidents in between.
This technology is archaic
and very dangerous, and is
contributing to the
environmental damage occurring
on the one and only planet we
call home.
It is time that every single
citizen of the world demanded of
their leaders, true leadership
and stewardship of our
communities, nations and world.
Here in Ontario, it is
mind-boggling that $26 billion
is being thrown at the nuclear
industry, which, as we all know,
is heavily subsidized and a
money pit, and takes years to
even come on stream, while
contributing a paltry $3 million
to renewable energies.
It is further ironic that we
have in Canada a homemade
electric vehicle in the ZENN
automobile that could also
significantly help reduce our
greenhouse gas emissions.
Conference Proves Wind advocates
not full of hot air
by Rob Matheson, The Kingston
Whig-Standard - July 07, 2008
Allowing them on the roads of
Ontario would only help advance
the technology. In fact, the
improved technology is already
available. I highly recommend
everyone see the documentary Who
Killed the Electric Car? It is
shocking, disturbing and morally
outrageous what has been and is
being currently perpetrated.
However, it is also reassuring
to know that we have the
ability, if we choose, to stop
polluting and despoiling our air
quality the way we are.
The Ontario government has
not even bothered to answer the
call to allow these vehicles to
be sold and used in Ontario, nor
has it responded to Kingston's
and at least 20 other
communities' calls for a
moratorium on uranium mining and
for changes to the Mining Act.
Not even the courtesy of a
"thank you for your interest"
message has been sent on either
subject.
We currently have the
technologies to provide all our
energy needs renewably, what we
lack (at least thus far) is the
political will power to
implement these technologies,
programs, policies and changes.
Imagine if you will the $26
billion being planned to be
spent on nuclear, instead being
diverted to renewable energy of
all kinds local to each
community, with each feeding
into the grid any extra they are
producing, becoming not only
self-sustaining, but independent
providers and suppliers of
energy into the grid. Imagine
this money improving our
distribution network to allow
for this to happen with ease.
Imagine as well zero-interest
loans being provided to every
homeowner and landlord in
Ontario to make their own
dwellings as self-sufficient and
energy wise as possible, even
allowing them to be contributors
to the grid.
The results of any natural
catastrophe would be largely
diminished by making every
community and home
self-sufficient. Power outages
would become a thing of the
past, and our ability to put a
real dent in the causes of
climate change would be real.
Embracing the future and the
reality of this renewable
technological movement would
re-energize Ontario, resuscitate
our economy and provide a
guiding light to the world in
making our planet a better place
for all of us.
Above all, it would help our
environment and help better our
chances of survival as a species
on this third rock from the sun.
The solutions to climate
change are here: we must reduce,
reuse and recycle, we must
conserve and we must use
renewable energy sources. With
the price of gas the way it is,
the economic incentives for
doing the right thing are only
becoming greater. One of the
silver linings of peak oil is
being reached.
The answer to global warming
is no longer just blowing in the
wind, it is reality, and we must
utilize the answers provided in
everything we do moving forward.
Write your local members of
parliament, the premier and
prime minister. Make your voices
heard by the decision-makers,
and insist and vote in any
upcoming elections with hope not
fear in your hearts for a
better, greener future, and only
for individuals and parties that
embrace these ideals.
The good news is that a
number of MPPs, including our
own John Gerretsen and Energy
Minister George Smitherman, as
well as others, were present at
the World Wind Energy
Conference.
We can only hope that they
too heard the message blowing in
the wind and will be prepared to
be champions for our children's
future on this planet.
As David Suzuki indicated in
his opening remarks at this
historic event, we are in the
11th hour and 59th minute, and
in order to make any impact on
the suicidal course we are
currently on, we must make the
appropriate changes. It may be
too late to completely alter the
course we are on, but it may not
be too late to mitigate the
completely destructive
consequences.
Rob Matheson is the city
councillor for Loyalist-Cataraqui
district.
|