Prologis installation courtesy PGE
Northwest Solar Solutions (a division of Snyder Roofing) was installer for the project and estimated that about 60,000 hours of work (electrical and roofing) was created by (more…)
I got a high-quality rowing machine (Concept2) on Craig’s list yesterday, and have committed to daily use. It’s really the perfect tool for strength building and cardio simultaneously. But the reason I bring this up is that it will essentially force me to watch a bit of television, enabling me to keep up better with the coverage that the mainstream media affords various subjects of national and international importance.
Cooling down after my workout just now, I ask myself what I learned from 20 minutes or so in front of the Chris Matthews Show. Essentially, it’s that Obama has not done a good job in explaining himself and the actions he’s taken. While he was waiting for the stimulus package to take effect, he spent the majority of his political capital pushing through healthcare reform – a bill of dubious priority. The majority of Americans are angry with government, and the last think they want to see is more of it – in healthcare – or anyplace else. With the mid-term elections now only two months away, the Democrats are floundering to regain the trust of the electorate.
What does this mean in terms of renewable energy in the US? To me, it means this: don’t hold your breath. There are so many obvious actions related to energy policy that you or I would do if we were in charge, not one of which is anywhere close to happening. Anyone of conscience acting independent of corruptive influence would start, I think, with these three:
1) Create a level playing field, removing the imbalance of subsidies that favors fossil fuels by a factor of 12:1, and accounting for externalities
2) Develop some version of federal renewable portfolio standard (RPS), probably looking at the country by region, and targeting specific adoption of solar, wind, geothermal, hydrokinetics, etc. accordingly
3) Be fair and honest in the allocation of stimulus money and other grants to businesses that actually can make a difference, vs. corporate behemoths that make huge campaign contributions
But let’s be realistic. The world of “what is right” and the world of political reality are galaxies apart. What can I infer from the fact that 20 minutes of analysis came and went in front of me – without a mention of the word “energy” even once? I think it’s pretty clear. If you’re looking for reform here, we have a lot of work in front of us if we’re going to elevate this issue to the position of prominence it needs to be.
Recently, I read a report about solar power in USA. I feel it’s very interesting. So I select a part of the reports for our readers.
Solar Electric power also called photovoltaic, is the term used to describe the conversion of sunlight directly to electricity. The solar cells available today use semiconductor materials. To create useful amount of power, they are wired together in varying numbers to create solar modules (or solar panels). Because the electric grid provides AC power, the systems also include inverters that convert the DC electricity to AC electricity. Then the solar powered could be used for solar lighting, water heater and many other applications. Currently, over 2000 MW of modules are being manufactured annually worldwide.
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Parking lots for shopping malls, big box stores, warehouses and office buildings are all subject to the local planning departments. The planning departments have a standard set of rules for the design of buildings and also parking lots. The typical parking lot is required to have landscaping for aesthetics and safety. This often requires trees, hedges and flower areas which require an irrigation system and maintenance in the form of gardening and repairs.
The trees usually take several years before they grow into shade trees, the hedges a few years to develop and the flowers usually need to be replanted every year. This all requires water which is becoming an ever more precious commodity. (more…)
The National Hydropower Association (NHA) released a statement on July 13th 2010 praising introduction of a bipartisan bill by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mike Crapo )R-ID) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The statement thanked the Senators who “…show great vision in turning to hydropower to provide clean, reliable, domestic energy generation, while also creating jobs in every state in the country – in fact, the measure will help create 1.4 million cumulative jobs over the next 14 years.”
The NHA hopes that the bill will help hydropower in the upcoming Energy Bill and in policymaking, which should include long-term incentives for project development.
A reader commented that she loved the quote of Henry Kissinger that I used in a recent post: “If it weren’t for the wrath of the American people about our presence in Vietnam, we’d STILL BE THERE.” (emphasis added) I used that to illustrate that we DO, despite all indications to the contrary, have an important voice in determining the outcome of our civilization.
I happened to run across this one from Noam Chomsky just now:
All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume.
It seems that affection for renewable energy often breaks down across political (conservative vs. liberal) lines. I’m not sure I understand how this can be. Obviously, everyone cares about the quality of the planet we live on and leave to our descendents. So I’m guessing the fundamental issue is the cost of renewables.
But, as Tom Rooney points out in his recent article Why Conservatives Are Bad on Energy, the financial analysis of clean energy is largely based on misconceptions. A recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal referred to photovoltaic solar energy as a “speculative and immature technology that costs far more than ordinary power.” The author went on to point out that the only thing holding the industry together were subsidies. Didn’t this guy get the memo? A few weeks ago, the International Energy Agency said worldwide, fossil fuels receive $550 billion in subsidies a year — 12 times what alternatives such as wind and solar get. (more…)
A group of fuel advocates is pushing the Senate to include their Autogas in the tax break provisions of the upcoming Energy Bill expected for natural gas vehicles and infrastructure. Propane Autogas is derived from the refining of natural gas. Autogas is an alternative fuel used by private fleet vehicles and some public vehicles.
The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) and Autogas for America have asked their members and industry to flood Senator Reid’s offices with letters in favor of Autogas for the Energy Bill. “Senator Reid is moving this [Energy Bill] along so quickly that we’re afraid they may not include Autogas,” said Rick Roidan, president of NPGA. “It will be a tremendous oversight by the Senate…”
I just got off the phone with the John Gotthold, the Chief Technology Officer of HySolGenics, Inc., a San Jose CA start-up that is developing low cost electrolyzers and portable hydrogen refueling stations – largely for rural, off-grid applications. They’re looking for angel funding, and, although this is not the kind of thing the investors I know try to cultivate, it sounds like an interesting opportunity.
Readers here know that I generally refrain from taking cheap shots at the oil and gas industry. I try to keep in mind that, whether we like it or not, fossil fuels make up the vast majority of the world’s energy supply, and that until we can come together as a civilization and make them obsolete, we rely on them every days of our lives.
Having said that, I think it’s imperative to ensure we never lose sight of the dangers. To that end, I call attention to the fact that the federal government is warning residents in a small Wyoming town with extensive natural gas development not to drink their water, and to use fans and ventilation when showering or washing clothes in order to avoid the risk of an explosion. It seems that EPA researchers found benzene, metals, naphthalene, phenols and methane in wells and in groundwater.
