By Gary Harmon
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A project to study the potential of carbon sequestration in northwest Colorado received a $5 million boost from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Colorado state geologist said.
The project, which could show the way for other sequestration projects on the Colorado Plateau, was being funded with $4.8 million from various participants.
The Energy Department last week, though, agreed to inject $5 million into the project, state Geologist Vince Matthews told the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.
The three-year project will evaluate the potential of carbon-dioxide sequestration near Craig and a reservoir that could contain an estimated 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide, Matthews said.
The site itself is typical, suggesting it might be the prototype for similar sequestration sites in Colorado and Utah, Matthews said. If successful, the site could attract carbon-emitting industries such as power plants, gas processing plants, oil shale production and other industries that are a significant part of western Colorado’s economy.
“It could conceivably be an economic boon for northwest Colorado,” Matthews said.
The study has additional beneficial implications in that otherwise proprietary data held by energy companies will be made public, Matthews said.
The University of Utah and the Colorado Geological Survey are leading the project, which brings together scientists from the Colorado and Utah geological surveys, in collaboration with other states’ geological surveys, to assess sequestration opportunities in the Rocky Mountain region.
Other participants in the project include Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, the University of Utah, Colorado Geological Survey, Shell Exploration and Production, and Schlumberger Carbon Services.
The original project began with $3.8 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $1 million from Schlumberger.
The project is one of 11 nationwide for which the Energy Department awarded a total of $75.5 million to examine promising geologic formations for carbon-dioxide storage.
Friday, 27 August 2010
Nation Still Largely in the Dark Over Energy Efficiency
Siseko Njobeni
26 August 2010
Johannesburg — AS THINGS stand, SA will be caught napping when the economy recovers and demand for electricity increases, because the country seems to have put energy efficiency on the back burner.
Eskom has said that SA's electricity supply will be tight in the period between next year and 2012 and after 2017.
These time-lines are linked to the commissioning of Eskom's two 4800MW coal-fired power stations, Medupi and Kusile.
When the government introduced the energy efficiency strategy in 2005, it said the solution to the electricity supply-demand imbalance should not always entail the commissioning of new power. The strategy must include demand reduction .
In fact, the argument is that reducing electricity demand is a cheaper and quicker solution to the imbalance that Eskom is warning us about.
Some have even called it "the low-hanging fruit".
If it is so important, what is stopping SA from realising the potential of energy efficiency?
In her foreword to the energy efficiency strategy, former m inerals and e nergy m inister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said awareness of the costs and benefits of energy efficiency was "a neglected area".
She made the comments in 2005, a few years before the January 2008 electricity crisis.
Because memories of the near calamity of 2008 are still vivid, the lack of enthusiasm on energy efficiency is strange.
Perhaps the introduction of ISO 50001 - a new standard for energy management that will establish an international framework for industrial plants or entire companies to manage all aspects of energy - will encourage firms to embark on energy efficiency with vigour.
Ian Langridge, principle electrical engineer at Anglo American, says ISO 50001 will be ready next year. The standard will enable businesses to systematically set and reach energy-use goals, and realise cost savings.
Mr Langridge says ISO 50001 will make measuring and monitoring energy usage easier.
Anglo American spent about 1bn on energy last year.
Since the 2008 electricity crisis, the mining sector has been at the forefront of energy savings. In fact, according to Eskom's industrial sector project manager, Jethro More, mining accounts for more than 90% of the 278MW verified savings from industrial customers in the 2008- 09 financial year.
Eskom's senior manager in the integrated demand management division, Dhevan Pillay, says that, as a measure to ensure power supply, the utility wants its large industrial customers to implement energy efficiency initiatives to reduce their consumption up to 15%.
The utility is in an energy efficiency partnership with BHP Billiton 's Hillside plant, one of its key customers.
The partnership entails introducing changes at the company's plant. These include "real time" monitoring of electricity consumption, solar water heating, energy efficient lighting and energy audits, Mr Pillay says.
The partnership also extends beyond the plant, as it includes the roll-out of compact fluorescent light bulbs and geyser blankets to employees .
"The savings achieved (through) employees is counted on the company's savings. We have to think out of the box," Mr Pillay says.
He says Eskom has introduced an energy management programme to identify energy efficiency opportunities.
The pillars of the energy management programme include electricity efficiency, water efficiency, renewable energy and alternative energy, he says.
Mr More says Eskom's demand-side management programmes assist customers with project funding "to make projects feasible in terms of payback and sustainability".
"Funds are available with immediate effect on a first come basis," he says.
Eskom has approximately R5,3bn available to spend on various demand-side management programmes in the next three years.
Carbon and Energy Africa GM Denis Es says the potential of energy has not been fully realised. Mr Es points to the lack of sufficient return on investment as one of the barriers to energy efficiency projects.
But the trade in carbon credits could be the answer to this problem.
Mr Es says the environmental benefit of energy efficiency projects can be converted into a financial commodity.
The United Nations' clean development mechanism makes investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries feasible by providing an extra source of income through the sale of carbon credits.
26 August 2010
Johannesburg — AS THINGS stand, SA will be caught napping when the economy recovers and demand for electricity increases, because the country seems to have put energy efficiency on the back burner.
Eskom has said that SA's electricity supply will be tight in the period between next year and 2012 and after 2017.
These time-lines are linked to the commissioning of Eskom's two 4800MW coal-fired power stations, Medupi and Kusile.
When the government introduced the energy efficiency strategy in 2005, it said the solution to the electricity supply-demand imbalance should not always entail the commissioning of new power. The strategy must include demand reduction .
In fact, the argument is that reducing electricity demand is a cheaper and quicker solution to the imbalance that Eskom is warning us about.
Some have even called it "the low-hanging fruit".
If it is so important, what is stopping SA from realising the potential of energy efficiency?
In her foreword to the energy efficiency strategy, former m inerals and e nergy m inister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said awareness of the costs and benefits of energy efficiency was "a neglected area".
She made the comments in 2005, a few years before the January 2008 electricity crisis.
Because memories of the near calamity of 2008 are still vivid, the lack of enthusiasm on energy efficiency is strange.
Perhaps the introduction of ISO 50001 - a new standard for energy management that will establish an international framework for industrial plants or entire companies to manage all aspects of energy - will encourage firms to embark on energy efficiency with vigour.
Ian Langridge, principle electrical engineer at Anglo American, says ISO 50001 will be ready next year. The standard will enable businesses to systematically set and reach energy-use goals, and realise cost savings.
Mr Langridge says ISO 50001 will make measuring and monitoring energy usage easier.
Anglo American spent about 1bn on energy last year.
Since the 2008 electricity crisis, the mining sector has been at the forefront of energy savings. In fact, according to Eskom's industrial sector project manager, Jethro More, mining accounts for more than 90% of the 278MW verified savings from industrial customers in the 2008- 09 financial year.
Eskom's senior manager in the integrated demand management division, Dhevan Pillay, says that, as a measure to ensure power supply, the utility wants its large industrial customers to implement energy efficiency initiatives to reduce their consumption up to 15%.
The utility is in an energy efficiency partnership with BHP Billiton 's Hillside plant, one of its key customers.
The partnership entails introducing changes at the company's plant. These include "real time" monitoring of electricity consumption, solar water heating, energy efficient lighting and energy audits, Mr Pillay says.
The partnership also extends beyond the plant, as it includes the roll-out of compact fluorescent light bulbs and geyser blankets to employees .
"The savings achieved (through) employees is counted on the company's savings. We have to think out of the box," Mr Pillay says.
He says Eskom has introduced an energy management programme to identify energy efficiency opportunities.
The pillars of the energy management programme include electricity efficiency, water efficiency, renewable energy and alternative energy, he says.
Mr More says Eskom's demand-side management programmes assist customers with project funding "to make projects feasible in terms of payback and sustainability".
"Funds are available with immediate effect on a first come basis," he says.
Eskom has approximately R5,3bn available to spend on various demand-side management programmes in the next three years.
Carbon and Energy Africa GM Denis Es says the potential of energy has not been fully realised. Mr Es points to the lack of sufficient return on investment as one of the barriers to energy efficiency projects.
But the trade in carbon credits could be the answer to this problem.
Mr Es says the environmental benefit of energy efficiency projects can be converted into a financial commodity.
The United Nations' clean development mechanism makes investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries feasible by providing an extra source of income through the sale of carbon credits.
Making sure we get it right on biofuels
By Patricia Monahan | 08/26/10 12:00 AM PST
This year we’ve had no shortage of examples of why we need to move away from fossil fuels, from the oil disaster in the Gulf and continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil to the record-hot temperatures in the Midwest that speak to the ever-increasing threat of climate change. A big piece of America’s effort to wean ourselves off oil is the development of biofuels, which hold the promise of a domestic fuel supply and a reduction in global warming pollution – if we get it right. But as we’re beginning to see, just because a fuel is made from a plant doesn’t make it smart policy.
California has long been a leader in forward-thinking policies that safeguard our air and water and the natural resources we depend on. The state’s latest effort is to address our climate problem with a broad range of policies designed to reduce our carbon emissions 20 percent by 2020. One important element of that effort is the low carbon fuel standard, which mandates gradual emissions reductions from California's transportation fuels.
Last year the California Air Resources Board (CARB) finalized the regulations governing this fuel standard, which include assessments of the emissions from all the different fuels in use in California. One element of those regulations that received a lot of attention was determining emissions from something called “Indirect Land Use Change.” These emissions account for the changes in land use that result when land that used to grow food grows fuel instead, leading farmers somewhere else to pick up the slack. There is no doubt this is a tricky thing to evaluate, but without it the analysis is incomplete.
While numerous efforts are underway to bring biofuels made from non-food sources into the marketplace, today America’s principle biofuel crop is corn. And as Purdue economist and author of a recent study on land use emissions Wally Tyner says: “With almost a third of the U.S. corn crop today going to ethanol, it is simply not credible to argue that there are no land use change implications of corn ethanol.”
What he means is that, when corn grown here is used to fill a gas tank rather than feed a person or animal, land somewhere else has to be converted to farmland to meet the need for food. Finding a method for quantifying that impact is tough, and certainly a work in progress for CARB and the panel of experts they’ve assembled to advise them. But without doing this analysis, our accounting of crop-based biofuels would not be credible. It’s that simple. To meet the challenge, CARB is seeking out further expert council and research to aid the search for a solution.
In this area, as in so many others, California leads the way. Just after CARB finalized their regulations, the EPA came to broadly similar conclusions, especially on the need for a formal accounting of land use change, as part of the federal rulemaking on biofuels. The EPA similarly recognized the need for more expert input to refine their analysis, and plans to ask the National Academy of Sciences to take up the same questions.
We can’t afford to take shortcuts that erode the credibility of the system for evaluating fuel performance. Our biofuels industry, with the exception of corn ethanol, is still in the fledgling state of its development. These innovators and startups are the engine that will drive us towards a clean energy economy, and in order to secure the capital investment to get their industries off the ground, they need the stability of a reputable system. That stability comes from public support, built over the long term, that the benefits of biofuels are real. And that is a belief which must ultimately be anchored on sound science and transparent government.
CARB is moving quickly and deliberately to ensure their regulations are based on up-to-date analysis that has been carefully reviewed. With a sound, science-based standard for California’s transportation fuels, we’ll have taken a great step forward in securing the global warming pollution reductions we need to safeguard our environmental and economic health.
This year we’ve had no shortage of examples of why we need to move away from fossil fuels, from the oil disaster in the Gulf and continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil to the record-hot temperatures in the Midwest that speak to the ever-increasing threat of climate change. A big piece of America’s effort to wean ourselves off oil is the development of biofuels, which hold the promise of a domestic fuel supply and a reduction in global warming pollution – if we get it right. But as we’re beginning to see, just because a fuel is made from a plant doesn’t make it smart policy.
California has long been a leader in forward-thinking policies that safeguard our air and water and the natural resources we depend on. The state’s latest effort is to address our climate problem with a broad range of policies designed to reduce our carbon emissions 20 percent by 2020. One important element of that effort is the low carbon fuel standard, which mandates gradual emissions reductions from California's transportation fuels.
Last year the California Air Resources Board (CARB) finalized the regulations governing this fuel standard, which include assessments of the emissions from all the different fuels in use in California. One element of those regulations that received a lot of attention was determining emissions from something called “Indirect Land Use Change.” These emissions account for the changes in land use that result when land that used to grow food grows fuel instead, leading farmers somewhere else to pick up the slack. There is no doubt this is a tricky thing to evaluate, but without it the analysis is incomplete.
While numerous efforts are underway to bring biofuels made from non-food sources into the marketplace, today America’s principle biofuel crop is corn. And as Purdue economist and author of a recent study on land use emissions Wally Tyner says: “With almost a third of the U.S. corn crop today going to ethanol, it is simply not credible to argue that there are no land use change implications of corn ethanol.”
What he means is that, when corn grown here is used to fill a gas tank rather than feed a person or animal, land somewhere else has to be converted to farmland to meet the need for food. Finding a method for quantifying that impact is tough, and certainly a work in progress for CARB and the panel of experts they’ve assembled to advise them. But without doing this analysis, our accounting of crop-based biofuels would not be credible. It’s that simple. To meet the challenge, CARB is seeking out further expert council and research to aid the search for a solution.
In this area, as in so many others, California leads the way. Just after CARB finalized their regulations, the EPA came to broadly similar conclusions, especially on the need for a formal accounting of land use change, as part of the federal rulemaking on biofuels. The EPA similarly recognized the need for more expert input to refine their analysis, and plans to ask the National Academy of Sciences to take up the same questions.
We can’t afford to take shortcuts that erode the credibility of the system for evaluating fuel performance. Our biofuels industry, with the exception of corn ethanol, is still in the fledgling state of its development. These innovators and startups are the engine that will drive us towards a clean energy economy, and in order to secure the capital investment to get their industries off the ground, they need the stability of a reputable system. That stability comes from public support, built over the long term, that the benefits of biofuels are real. And that is a belief which must ultimately be anchored on sound science and transparent government.
CARB is moving quickly and deliberately to ensure their regulations are based on up-to-date analysis that has been carefully reviewed. With a sound, science-based standard for California’s transportation fuels, we’ll have taken a great step forward in securing the global warming pollution reductions we need to safeguard our environmental and economic health.
Euro Multivision starts production of solar photovoltaic cell
Source: IRIS (24-AUG-10)
Euro Multivision has commenced the commercial production of solar photovoltaic cell project of 40MW capacity from today.
Euro Multivision is the second largest Indian company in the business of manufacturing CDs and DVDs.
The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till Aug. 23, 2010, rising 6.92% compared with the Sensex`s 1.54% rise. It outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 47.83% as against 11.94% rise in the Sensex.
Shares of the company declined Rs 0.05, or 0.15%, to settle at Rs 33.95. The total volume of shares traded was 38,989 at the BSE (Tuesday).
Euro Multivision has commenced the commercial production of solar photovoltaic cell project of 40MW capacity from today.
Euro Multivision is the second largest Indian company in the business of manufacturing CDs and DVDs.
The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till Aug. 23, 2010, rising 6.92% compared with the Sensex`s 1.54% rise. It outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 47.83% as against 11.94% rise in the Sensex.
Shares of the company declined Rs 0.05, or 0.15%, to settle at Rs 33.95. The total volume of shares traded was 38,989 at the BSE (Tuesday).
Solar panels approved for Charles residence
By Emily Beament, PA
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
The Prince of Wales was granted permission today to install dozens of solar panels on his home at Clarence House in the latest move to cut his carbon footprint.
The 32 solar photovoltaic panels, which produce electricity, can now be installed on the south-east roof of the central London residence, which has been a home to royalty for 170 years.
The panels are expected to produce around 4,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity a year - equivalent to the electricity used by the average household in the capital.
According to the planning application, approved by Westminster Council, the solar panels will be hidden from view by the high parapet balustrade on the Grade I listed building.
An environmental assessment of the scheme said it would be the latest in a line of renewable energy projects by the Prince's household which aim to cut carbon emissions and raise the profile of green technology.
The news that the scheme had been approved came as energy regulator Ofgem revealed that a record number of homeowners had solar panels installed this month.
The boost to the technology, which has seen solar panels fitted to 2,257 homes so far this month, up from 1,700 in July and 1,400 in June, stems from the Government's "feed-in tariff" scheme which now pays people for the green energy they generate.
A spokesman for Westminster City Council said: "We have approved the planning application from Clarence House.
"There were no objections and the application was not considered contentious.
"We trust it will make a positive contribution to the Prince of Wales's efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of Clarence House."
Clarence House has already had energy efficient boilers and lights installed, while other royal properties have wood chip boilers and his cars run on cooking oil or even, in the case of his Aston Martin, on bioethanol from surplus wine.
A Clarence House spokeswoman said of the granting of the application: "This is good news, particularly as next month Clarence House Gardens will be hosting the 'Start garden party to make a difference', which will showcase various measures people could take to live a more sustainable lifestyle."
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
The Prince of Wales was granted permission today to install dozens of solar panels on his home at Clarence House in the latest move to cut his carbon footprint.
The 32 solar photovoltaic panels, which produce electricity, can now be installed on the south-east roof of the central London residence, which has been a home to royalty for 170 years.
The panels are expected to produce around 4,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity a year - equivalent to the electricity used by the average household in the capital.
According to the planning application, approved by Westminster Council, the solar panels will be hidden from view by the high parapet balustrade on the Grade I listed building.
An environmental assessment of the scheme said it would be the latest in a line of renewable energy projects by the Prince's household which aim to cut carbon emissions and raise the profile of green technology.
The news that the scheme had been approved came as energy regulator Ofgem revealed that a record number of homeowners had solar panels installed this month.
The boost to the technology, which has seen solar panels fitted to 2,257 homes so far this month, up from 1,700 in July and 1,400 in June, stems from the Government's "feed-in tariff" scheme which now pays people for the green energy they generate.
A spokesman for Westminster City Council said: "We have approved the planning application from Clarence House.
"There were no objections and the application was not considered contentious.
"We trust it will make a positive contribution to the Prince of Wales's efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of Clarence House."
Clarence House has already had energy efficient boilers and lights installed, while other royal properties have wood chip boilers and his cars run on cooking oil or even, in the case of his Aston Martin, on bioethanol from surplus wine.
A Clarence House spokeswoman said of the granting of the application: "This is good news, particularly as next month Clarence House Gardens will be hosting the 'Start garden party to make a difference', which will showcase various measures people could take to live a more sustainable lifestyle."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
