New Poll: 9 out of 10 Americans Support Solar energy / electricity

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New Poll: 9 out of 10 Americans Support Solar

Survey by Kelton Research finds continued widespread public support for development of solar energy, federal incentives for solar, across political spectrum.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans overwhelmingly support the use and development of solar energy as well as federal incentives for solar, according to the 2011 SCHOTT Solar Barometer(TM), a nationally representative survey conducted annually by independent polling firm Kelton Research.

For the fourth consecutive year, the survey found that about nine out of 10 Americans (89 percent) think it is important for the United States to develop and use solar energy. Support for solar is strong across the political spectrum with 80 percent of Republicans, 90 percent of Independents and 94 percent of Democrats agreeing that it is important for the United States to develop and use solar.

The survey also found that more than eight out of 10 Americans (82 percent) support federal tax credits and grants for the solar industry similar to those that traditional sources of energy like oil, natural gas and coal have received for decades. Seventy-one percent of Republicans agree, as well as 82 percent of Independents and 87 percent of Democrats.

"It's clear that solar has the strong support of the American people," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.  "Now it needs the support of U.S. policymakers in extending job-creating policies like the 1603 Treasury Program to make sure solar continues to work for America."

Furthermore, when asked to select an energy source they would financially support if they were in charge of U.S. energy policy, 39 percent of Americans chose solar over other sources such as natural gas (21 percent), wind (12 percent), nuclear (9 percent) and coal (3 percent).

"The fourth annual Solar Barometer shows that Americans overwhelmingly understand the benefits of solar energy for our country," said Tom Hecht, President, Sales, Marketing and Business Development, SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc.

Eight out of 10 Americans (82 percent) think it is important for the federal government to support U.S. solar manufacturing, according to the poll.  Also, a majority of Americans (51 percent) said they would be more likely to purchase a product if they knew it was made using solar energy.

SEIA's Full Statement: http://seia.us/t9oFht

Key Survey Findings: http://seia.us/sERklb

Cold Fusion getting hot with 10kw heater prepping for market

The popular conception is that Cold Fusion was faux science from the 1980's, but it would appear to be a real thing and that gizmos can be built to exploit the Cold Fusion effect.

At a press conference held in Bologna, Professor Sergio Focardi and Eng. Andrea A. Rossi, both of the University of Bologna, demonstrated a cold fusion device capable of producing more than 10 kilowatts of heat power while only consuming a fraction of that energy.  This means quite an energy gain from the cold fusion effect.

At it's peak it generated 15,000 watts of heat requiring only 400 watts of heat input.

It wasn't just a technology demonstration, but a promise that they would be going into production making these devices.  The first units are supposed to ship in three months, with mass production commencing by the end of 2011.

They claim the device is highly reliable and that modules can be combined in both series and parallel arrangements to reach any power level.  They've used some of the devices continuously for the last 2 years to heat their factory.

 

 

 

See: Cold Fusion getting hot with 10kw heater prepping for market

Clean Energy Pathways develops biofuels to displace coal in electric plants

Burning coal adds various unwanted materials to the environment, carbon, mercury, etc.  Clean Energy Pathways develops various renewable energy resources, including biomass based fuels that can be used in coal plants to displace the use of coal.  They describe their biofuel products as a means to comply with multiple directives from Federal and State governments.

Their biofuel is developed from sources such as waste vegetable oils, animal fats, yard wastes, and industrial wastes.

They also describe their biofuel as a means for companies to avoid "falling prey to the perceived need to place expensive reduction technologies at their facilities" and that instead their "quality" biofuel will keep them in compliance until 2050.

Clean Energy Pathways Develops New Custom Blended Biofuels as Btu-Substitute for Coal in Utility and Commercial Boilers

Fuels Meet RFS2 Mandate, ASTM Specs, and Qualify for the Renewable Electric Production and Carbon Tax Credits

DOTHAN, Ala., Oct. 24, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new line of custom-blended biofuels is being introduced by Clean Energy Pathways, Inc. (Pink Sheets:CPWY) for use as a Btu-substitute in coal-fired utility and commercial boilers, or for use in diesel-powered equipment. Available as B20, B100 or other custom blends, the new fuels substantially reduce SOx, CO2 and fly ash, as well as the efficiency-robbing buildup of slag and soot that forms on boiler tubes at startup. The fuels meet the EPA's RFS2 mandate for use of renewable fuel, and create carbon tax credits. They also qualify for the Renewable Electric Producer Tax Credit at 2.2 cents per kilowatt, or 22 cents per gallon based on 10 kilowatts per gallon. Tested as a coal substitute in a circulating fluidized bed boiler, the new fuel reduced coal consumption by 10 percent, in turn reducing the sulfur dioxide and CO2 emissions from coal by 10 percent.

"Emissions from burning the fuel are acceptable under current regulations because it is a renewable energy source," said Greg Clemons, CEO of Clean Energy Pathways. "The emission reduction also mitigates risk from lawsuits by neighboring states over cross-border air pollution."

"Our fuels utilize the highest quality feedstocks and meet all ASTM specifications," he added. "We can provide various blends to meet a wide range of applications on power plant sites."

The water-soluble B100 fuel is environmentally friendly and reduces the risk of costly hazardous-material cleanup. With 50 percent higher Btu content per cubic foot than PRB coal, the new biofuels are space-efficient for storage. Biofuels are also not prone to moisture in the fuel, as happens with outdoor storage of coal, so the Btu content is consistent.

For additional information on Clean Energy Pathways biofuels, contact Gregory Clemons at:gclemons@cepathways.com.

The Clean Energy Pathways, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=9449

CONTACT: Gregory Clemons
         Clean Energy Pathways
         Tel:  906.370.8164 or 334-791-9418
         gclemons@cepathways.com

 

 

Peak Oil is about Price AND Supply

The Globe and Mail has run a piece by Jeff Rubin talking about how "the oil industry’s never ending ability to develop new extraction technologies and discover new sources of supply" has repeatedly confounded the Peak Oil community's ability to forecast the peak.  He goes on to suggest that the apparent peak of oil production is a matter of economics rather than actual fossil oil supply.  The article reads as if he's slamming the Peak Oil community, but I think he'd find most knowledgable Peak Oil people in agreement with what he suggests.  Additionally I think they'd say that it's a question of price AND supply, rather than simply a question of price.

As he says, the U.S. oil production (lower 48 states) peaked as predicted by M. King Hubbert in 1971ish.  One might suppose Hubbert made a lucky prediction, or one might suppose his theories were spot-on accurate.  I don't know enough to pronounce either way.  Rubin goes on to say

new sources of supply have been found in Alaska and under the Gulf of Mexico. And now oil sand production from Alberta and oil from the Bakken shale deposits may soon replace conventional oil in the mix of North American fuel.

Going further he references how the U.S. Energy Information Administration (and other energy information agencies) have stopped referring to fossil oil and instead have invented a new phrase, Energy Liquids, which

includes all kinds of energy sources we would not have previously called oil such as natural gas liquids, liquefied refinery gases, and even corn-based ethanol.

There are some slippery definitions here so let's be careful.

The phrase "Peak Oil" is generally defined in terms of fossil oil production.  As he points out there are various other sources of liquid fuels that are being developed.  We could have a peak of fossil oil production, and still have plenty of liquid fuels if there is development of enough production infrastructure for these other resources.

I've long felt the peak oil community was overly focused on fossil oil.  There's obviously a fixed size amount of fossil oil and of course there will be a peak of production from fossil oil resources.  When the doom and gloom end of the peak oil community declares that the peak of fossil production means "GAME OVER" and "IT'S MAD MAX TIME" they're saying they think other liquid fuel resources will not be able to replace the fossil oil resources we're accustomed to.

There's potential to replace fossil oil with other liquid fuel resources, but can we afford to do so?

To replace fossil oil production, new sources of liquid fuels must be developed.  That means infrastructure to extract fuels from various places.  Rubin mentions tar sands, shale oil, natural gas liquids, liquified methane, ethanol, and there are other potential sources.

Each requires investments of money and energy to extract liquid fuel.   An important concept is Energy Return on Investment - EROI - which is the energy content of a fuel, versus the energy content used to generate that fuel.  What was so attractive about fossil oil was that in its early days the EROI was 100:1, meaning 100 barrels of energy for each barrel of energy consumed in extracting that fuel.  The EROI on fossil oil has dropped considerably since the gusher days.  The closer EROI gets to 1:1 the less useful the energy resource is.

There's also the question of whether the money is available to pay for the machines and pipelines and whatnot that will be required to process, refine, extract, transport etc the fuels from these new resources.  As liquid fuels they might likely be transportable through oil pipelines, but other steps in the process require wholly new machines and factories to be built.  Where will the money come from in a time of global financial fracturing?

There's also the question of land use policies.  Some of the resources like ethanol or other biofuels will require land devoted to growing fuel crops rather than food crops.  Can we afford this?

For an interesting youtube presentation along these lines see: http://energy.7gen.com/2011/10/peak-oil-101-presentation-by-chris.html

 

Peak oil is about price, not supply

"Net Zero" manufacturing plant built in Casa Grande AZ by Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay has been making some nice moves towards environmental responsibility such as buying electric delivery trucks.  We should remember however that their main product lines aren't exactly environmentally friendly, especially not their typical packaging choices.  In this case they've built a new factory, in Casa Grande Arizona, they claim is "near net zero" .. meaning, nearly produces net zero waste given the inputs to the factory.  This is a sort of milestone some companies are trying to reach, to reduce the negative environmental impact of their businesses.

The summary is - massive reduction of greenhouse gasses, massive reduction in water use, massive reduction in natural gas use.  Nice.

So let's look at and ponder what they've done:-

Water recycling: using membranes and reverse osmosis whatever gizmos they're able to recycle their "process water" to where it meets EPA guidelines for primary and secondary drinking water.  Check.  Cool.  I hope.

Electricity production:  The press release below says "10 million kilowatt-hours" which has to be referring to expected total electricity production per year, and doesn't refer to the rated capacity of the installation.  They've covered "36 acres of the facilities agricultural property" with solar panels (what? converting farm land to other uses? uh?), solar panels over the parking lot, and sterling engine electricity production gizmos.  Sounds way cool.

Natural gas reduction: This is about replacing natural gas as the fuel to run the plants steam boilers, and instead burn "wood and agricultural waste" as biomass in a boiler.  They need to produce steam for whatever purpose, question is how.  It's nice to not burn natural gas for this purpose.  But is it good to divert biomass from other uses to do this?  I keep hoping that agriculture would return to proper organic principles and use the biomass for compost rather than see it as "agricultural waste" that's only fit for burning.  As compost it would help the ground to be rich and lively.  But treating it as agricultural waste it's part of the process that's stripping the ground of nutrients.

Zero landfill: It's cool that they're recycling so much that only 1% of their stuff gets sent to the landfill.  Extensive recycling is good.  But they say they're using "food waste" as "cattle feed" .. uh .. and those cattle they're feeding food waste become our hamburgers don't they?  Uh?  This is good?

LEED certified factory:  Cool.  I hope.

 

 

Frito-Lay Unveils "Near Net Zero" Manufacturing Facility

Casa Grande facility leveraging renewable energy and recycled water to reach company milestone

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division today celebrated the success of its most ambitious environmental sustainability project to-date by announcing that its Casa Grande, Arizona, facility has reached "near net zero."  The "near net zero" vision was to transform an existing facility so that it would be as far "off the grid" as possible and run primarily on renewable energy sources and recycled water, while producing nearly zero landfill waste.

"As a company that relies on key natural resources like water and fuel, Frito-Lay has developed strategies to ensure our business remains sustainable, even if there are constraints on those resources," explains Al Carey, past CEO and president, Frito-Lay North America. "Frito-Lay and its parent, PepsiCo, are committed to finding innovative solutions that are right for the business and right for the environment. The 'near net zero' project is an industry-leading example of how the two successfully intersect."

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption and 13% of water consumption, making environmental sustainability initiatives for new and existing buildings a significant opportunity. In fact, greater building efficiency can help meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy.

Frito-Lay invested in and implemented a combination of technologies to enable the Casa Grande plant to significantly reduce the use of key natural resources and reduce the site's overall environmental footprint. Using innovative technologies, the Casa Grande facility is generating 2/3 of all energy used from renewable sources and is working toward significant reductions:

• 50% reduction of greenhouse gases
• 75% of water is recycled
• 80% reduction of natural gas usage

"Frito-Lay set out to create an environmental learning lab in our Casa Grande plant that would try to make the plant 'near net zero,'" said Al Halvorsen, senior director of environmental sustainability, Frito-Lay North America.  "Our approach to significantly reduce the use of natural resources and the environmental impact of a manufacturing site has been cutting edge and today marks a major milestone for Frito-Lay and PepsiCo."

• Water Reduction: The Casa Grande facility installed a water recovery and reuse system that combines Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) and Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis (LPRO) technologies to recycle from 50% to 75% of water.  The recycled process water meets Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) primary and secondary drinking water standards.
• Electricity Reduction:  Five separate and distinct solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, installed throughout the property, produce nearly 10 million kilowatt-hours (KWHs) of electrical power. Two solar fields of single axis tracking PV systems with more than 18,000 solar panels were installed on 36 acres of the facility's agriculture property. The three additional PV fields installed by the plant include a dual axis tracking system, a single axis covered parking lot and 10 sterling engine dual axis tracking systems.
• Natural Gas Reduction: The newly installed 60,000 pounds per hour (lb/hr) biomass boiler, which uses wood and agricultural waste as its combustion energy source, will produce all the steam needed for the manufacturing plant and will reduce natural gas usage by over 80%.
• Zero Landfill: As of 2010, the Casa Grande facility sends less than 1% of its overall waste to landfill through extensive recycling and using food waste for cattle feed.
• LEED: During the course of implementation, the Casa Grande facility became the first existing food manufacturing site to achieve LEED® Existing Building (EB) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009.

Moving forward, Frito-Lay will leverage key learnings from the Casa Grande plant and apply them to other facilities where appropriate.  Every Frito-Lay plant is identifying projects and approaches to get closer to "near net zero" and to significantly reduce its environmental footprint.

For more than a decade, Frito-Lay North America has been committed to reducing the use of key major resources and the company's overall environmental footprint.  The company has nearly reached or exceeded its aggressive conservation goals, based on 1999 levels, to reduce water use by 50%; natural gas by 30%; and electricity by 25%.  In addition, the company created an environmental strategy for its fleet to reduce fuel use by 50% by 2020.

Frito-Lay Casa Grande has been part of the Pinal County community for more than 25 years. The nearly 188,000-square foot building sits on 202 acres of land. Frito-Lay Casa Grande's more than 350 associates make some of America's favorite snack chips, including Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Fritos corn chips, Tostitos and Doritos tortilla chips, and Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks.

About Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay North America is the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fritolay.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses -- Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola -- also make hundreds of other enjoyable foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE  Frito-Lay North America
CONTACT: Aurora Gonzalez, Frito-Lay North America, +1-972-334-3821
Web Site: http://www.pepsico.com

GloPak Corp. opening a Solar-Powered Plastics Manufacturing factory on October 7th, 2011

As I mentioned in an earlier post today, there's a question whether it's good/preferable to convert farming land into industrial use.  Here we have an example of newly built a factory with a significantly sized (500 kilowatt) solar panel array on the roof.  There was also news today of an automotive repair shop near San Diego who also installed a solar panel array on their roof.  Both of these are examples of already-industrialized land being given another use to house a solar photovoltaic electricity plant.

That is, industrial land serving two purposes:

• the primary purpose for the facility (factory, warehouse, auto repair shop, etc)
• it's rooftop space being used to generate electricity using solar panels on the roof

This is

• cleanly generated electricity
• generated close to its point of use
• whose peak of production (the daytime) corresponds to the overall peak demand period (daytime)
• that's installed on land that's already industrialized (doesn't remove wilderness or farm land from those purposes)
• earns a second income for the business which owns the roof

A couple years ago I posted a "wouldn't it be neat if.." piece about the potential of those self-storage businesses to house photovoltaic solar electricity production.  They, like factories and other business buildings, are well situated to be house solar panels because of the large amount of roof space.

How can we encourage more of this?

 

 

GloPak Corp. Announces Grand Opening of Solar-Powered Plastics Manufacturing Facility on October 7th, 2011

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GloPak Corp., a full-service plastics manufacturer of industrial and recyclable custom garbage bags, film and liners for restaurants, hotels, hospitals and consumers markets, today announced that it will celebrate the grand opening of its new 80,000 square foot facility and corporate headquarters on Friday, October 7, 2011 at 132 Case Drive, South Plainfield, N.J.

The commemoration of this new plant is significant as it is one of a handful of plastics manufacturing plants in New Jersey using green energy to power its production process. Elected officials, local businesses and civic leaders will join GloPak Corp. management for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, lunch and tour of the facility.

"As part of our commitment to the environment, focusing on green and sustainable solutions, the new South Plainfield facility will reduce its carbon footprint with the unveiling of our 500+ KW roof system and a three-acre solar energy field adjacent to the plant," stated GloPak's CEO, Harold Martin Sr. "GloPak's CO2 emission will be reduced by 690 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide every year. These efforts have improved core manufacturing processes without compromising product quality."

The new plant runs 24 hours, 7 days a week. The energy-efficiency effort of implementing solar technology is expected to save more than $90,000 in energy costs each year. The plant maintains a staff of over 20 full-time employees, and with the overall savings on energy, GloPak Corp. plans to hire additional workforce from the South Plainfield area within the next 18 months.

Additional media that would like to attend the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony are encouraged to make arrangement with GloPak Public Relations through glopakevents@gmail.com.

About GloPak Corp.

GloPak Corp. (http://www.glopakcorp.com) was founded in 1966 by Harold Martin Sr., and remains family owned and operated. GloPak produces polyethylene products, extrudes Grade A approved poly resins and is committed to providing the same high-quality products to end-users while promoting a healthy environment.

Media Contact:

Candace Sandy646.298.5506 or glopakevents@gmail.com

SOURCE  Glopak Corporation
Web Site: http://www.glopakcorp.com

Obama: Winning the Future with Clean Energy

President Obama travels to Penn State University and speaks about encouraging and investing in innovation and clean energy technologies to create new jobs, grow the economy, and win the future. February 3, 2011.

Department of Energy - DOE Announces Clean Energy Projects for Low-Carbon Communities of the Americas Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In support of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas announced by President Obama at the 2009 Summit of the Americas, Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy has selected three initial projects under the Low-Carbon Communities of the Americas (LCCA) - a program launched in June 2009 to assist countries in Latin America with sustainable energy market transformation initiatives.

“DOE is committed to advancing clean energy technology development and deployment globally,” said Secretary Chu. “The Low-Carbon Communities of the Americas initiative offers an opportunity for the Department to work closely with our neighbors to reduce energy use, increase energy security, and promote a low-carbon future across the Western Hemisphere.”

Through the LCCA program, DOE invited countries to submit proposals for collaboration in areas including renewable energy development and building and industrial energy efficiency. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with other National Laboratories, will provide technical assistance to countries receiving support under the initiative.

Later this year, Secretary Chu will host his counterparts from North and South America at the Energy Ministerial of the Americas to continue developing and expanding joint clean energy and climate efforts. The Energy Ministerial will be held from April 15-16 in Washington, D.C.
DOE and NREL have selected the following three projects under the LCCA:

Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica

The government of Costa Rica, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), will create an Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica that will train and certify professionals in energy efficient technology and auditing procedures, and help expand the technical knowledge base and capabilities of countries across Central America. Once established, the Center will partner with leading energy efficiency organizations to conduct its own research on efficiency programs and energy savings in tropical areas. The results of this research would benefit the Central American and Caribbean region as a whole, as well as provide important information for other nations with similar climates. The project will bring together DOE, Costa Rica’s electricity and telecommunications group ICE, the NRDC, and the University of Costa Rica to create the program and training materials, train the Center’s future instructors, and run two initial energy efficiency auditor training courses.
At an event earlier this week in San José, Costa Rica, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sánchez joined with DOE officials and representatives of Costa Rica’s Ministry of Energy and Environment, ICE, NRDC and the University of Costa Rica to launch the Center.

Building Low-Carbon Communities in the Caribbean

This proposal from the Organization of American States (OAS) and several Caribbean governments will enable participating countries to expand the development and use of renewable energy and energy efficiency systems, helping to increase the sustainability of their energy supplies while reducing carbon emissions. The project will target local training and technical programs on how to conduct energy efficiency audits and retrofits. There will also be a focus on strengthening communities’ capacity to review and evaluate resource assessments related to indigenous renewable natural resources. This project will engage St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, The Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

Dominica Wind Project

This project proposed by Dominica aims to prove the viability of smaller, distributed wind generation as an alternative to traditional, megawatt-class, utility-scale turbines. Efforts will take into consideration available technologies, economics, and constructability to identify and model appropriate turbine technologies under 250 kilowatts. The Dominica Wind Project will also model commercialization strategies and the impact on the electrical grid of small distributed wind generation, assess the impact on energy costs for consumers, purchase and install initial pilot turbines, and implement a public information campaign to expand the use of renewable energy.

Article Reference: 

Department of Energy - DOE Announces Clean Energy Projects for Low-Carbon Communities of the Americas Initiative