Green Options

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New trends spotted at the American Solar Energy Society conference last week in San Diego (courtesy of Illinois Solar Energy Association President Mark Burger, who attended):

From Bosch, a new generation of solar flat plate collectors (used in solar thermal water heating applications) that can be mounted on the roof at a lower angle, addressing some peoples’ aesthetic concerns. The panels are also lighter-weight and easier to mount even on high roofs. Low-profile collectors were also […]

AWS TrueWind has completed the first high-resolution wind map for the United States. This is more than a graphic arts story because, in a variation of “if a tree falls in the forest”, if wind energy isn’t measured, it isn’t captured. In fact, for years states like Illinois, where I live, were ignored because available wind maps showed that it had only Class 2 winds — not strong enough […]

“Negawatts”, a termed coined by Amory Lovins in 1989 to describe savings created by using less energy, are becoming a reality. The fact that saving energy is much cheaper than building new power generation capacity has motivated the markets to create financial and other incentives to monetize that savings. According to an article in Renewable Energy World, several market mechanisms have emerged:

Demand response: enrolling large users of […]

BuildingGreen.com features a story on the value that renewable energy can add to a home. Amy Levin, a realtor who completed a LEED platinum registered gut rehab in Washington, DC, had her home appraised at 10% higher value than comparable properties. Interested buyers made offers that exceeded her green investment costs, even though the house wasn’t listed. People wanted to rent her house, even though she built it for her own residence.

The solar panels on the roof heat the water (and they seem positioned to shade the air conditioner, another energy-saver). An article in Kiplinger.com summarizes “sunshine economics”:

Here’s a chance to support a great group making a direct, positive impact on the global community: Northwestern University’s chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World has done rural electrification work in the isolated community of Santo Domingo, Panama. In the words of the Northwestern students:

“We collaborate with the village to provide families with electricity generated by solar panels. We will train and equip community members to install and

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Wind Energy Systems Technology (WEST) will use old oil platforms to support new wind turbines. Herman Schellstede, CEO of WEST, holds sixty-seven U.S. patents and ten international patents, and is a naval architect and marine engineer. His partner, Harold Schoeffler, is a longtime Louisiana environmentalist, having co-founded Save Our Coast. The company is presently engaging in wind monitoring activities, shown in the picture […]

After a cold winter and rising fuel prices, Vermont and other Northeastern states are warming to the idea of using local biomass to heat their homes. According to Renewable Energy World, pellet stoves, which burn pellets made from wood shavings and sawdust and whose emissions are nearly zero, are becoming more attractive heating options. One of the most efficient use of the stoves is as a heating supplement.

“In New Hampshire, New England Wood Pellet has been

[…]

I had read in Grist on April 15 that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway had cancelled six proposed coal plants, but now it seems that opposition to building new coal plants is spreading, among Wall Street investors and the American public. Back in August 2007, 1600 Utahans signed a petition asking Buffett to cut Rocky Mountain Power’s dependence on coal, with the added message that Utahans want their utilities to investigate cleaner energy sources.

The most recent issue of Solar Today includes an article by Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute about the public outcry all across American which, in addition to the cost of the plants, has led to the cancellation of hundreds of coal plant construction projects. And a survey conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation, published yesterday, shows that “79% of respondents would prefer to try and meet demand through greater energy-efficiency and conservation before building more coal-fired plants. Only 19% say they disagree.” With that kind of public opposition, it’s not surprising that Wall Street is cooling on coal plants, too.

Some have noted that the renewable energy industry needs branding to confront the misconceptions surrounding it. Certainly marketing helped consumption of beef, milk, and pork increase dramatically. Imagine “Got Milk?” or “Milk: it does a body good” or “Pork: the other white meat” translated to renewable energy. Help may be on the way from the Renewable Energy Marketers Association (REMA), which will officially launch on Wednesday, April 23, at the […]

We have featured Concentrated Solar Power several times in this space, so it was nice to see that the Science section of the New York Times is finally starting to cover large-scale solar thermal plants used for generating electricity. (An article on SkyStream wind turbines is in the same section!)

The great news about solar thermal “Power Towers” is that they are able to store solar energy, which has always been a problem before. How does a solar “Power Tower” work?