Reality Check

Solar energy is hot. It seems like I read about a new commercial project almost every time I scan my favorite econews sites, and there’s a lot of research money pouring into finding more efficient ways to harness the sun than the venerable photovoltaic cell.

So, you’d think that solar power would eventually be generating a significant chunk of our power, right? Well, apparently not.

The New York Times, in its usual comprehensive fashion, reports that solar energy is barely noticeable as a source of power today, and that’s not likely to change. According to a story today, solar power was used to create just 0.1% of all power used in 2005, and by the year 2030 it will still be 0.1% (though the total amount generated will increase from 900 million kilowatt-hours to 7 billion kilowatt-hours over the same period). That’s hardly even noticeable.

And a quick look at the government’s energy investments show that solar is clearly not a priority. R&D on solar technology in fiscal 2007 will be $159 million. Nuclear gets $303 million , and coal (?!) will merit $427 million. Biofuels are currently considered the darling of the alternative energy movement in Washington (though I’m sure that the huge farm lobby was a factor there).

There are two other interesting details in this chart. First, check out the huge surge in coal power. Worldwide, a new coal-burning power plant is coming on line every week.

Second, notice that petroleum is the only source of power that declines. Who says that the peak oil theory is a myth? Seems like a good reason to invest more in alternative energy.

Fuel from Garbage

I really did a double-take when I first heard that the massive meat-packing company Tyson Foods was jumping into the biofuels market, but the more I thought about it, the more I had to give them credit for creative thinking.

Meat and diesel – where’s the connection? Easy. One of the byproducts of butchering thousands of beasts every day is a huge amount of animal fats. And all that natural goop, that horrible-smelling, greasy, slimy fatty slop, can be converted into biodiesel.

Tyson is forming a joint venture operation called Dynamic Fuels, with Syntroleum, a company that specializes in producing fuel from a variety of organic materials, including animal fat. The beauty of this partnership is that it allows the chicken company to get rid of its waste material, stuff that often collects in huge ponds outside meat-packing plants. In other words, it turns garbage into gas, and allows the company to make money from its waste instead of paying someone to take it away. Oh, let’s not forget the potentially significant benefits to anyone who has to live within smelling range of the plant.

Tyson, which already has a well-established network of trucks and trains, will also handle transportation. Even better, Tyson wants to get other meat packers to provide their waste products as well. I’m not sure if Tyson will pay for it, or just offer to take it off their hands for a really attractive rate, but the economics of this arrangement are hard to ignore.

The two companies are expected to kick in $75 million each, and hope to start construction on a new refinery next year. They hope to produce 75 million gallons of fuel per year, starting in 2010.

The Solar Map

How much do you think you’ll cut from your monthly power bill with that fancy home solar system you’re planning to install?

It’s pretty hard to tell. Sure, the manufacturers can tell you how much power the solar cells are capable of putting out, but we know that’s always a best-case scenario, and life rarely follows the best-case script.

That’s why the San Francisco Solar Map is such a great idea. This interactive Web site has a map of the city, with dozens of color-coded dots representing residential and municipal solar projects. Click on a dot to open a window showing the size of the project, the company that installed it, and in many cases, the actual output and annual cost savings.

This is particularly useful in San Francisco, aka Fogtown, where the oh-so-moody fog can really cut into the efficiency of solar energy systems. If you live in the fogbelt of the city’s north-west corner (where I spent a large chunk of my youth – shout out to the Richmond and Sunset districts!), there’s probably a big difference between what a system is capable of putting out, and what it really does.

Well, according to this map, the 7 kW system at 36th Ave. and Geary, puts out 14,400 kilowatt hours per year, saving the owner $4,800. And the 2.3 kW project down the road at 23rd Ave. and California generates 1,900 kilowatt hours per year. The owner of that one includes the helpful note that “Every kW generated locally is one less kW produced by fossil fuels.”

Someone who is casually considering a home solar system could easily be put off by the up-front costs, which can easily reach $20,000 or more. But when the guy down the street says he’s saving close to $5,000 a year, it can make the expense seem much less daunting. Now that’s news you can use!