Here’s an important lesson for anybody trying to develop a major alt-power project: work with your neighbors.
Cape Wind, the proposed offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound, appears to be sinking after years of controversy. Last week a federal panel recommended that the government reject the project; interior secretary Ken Salazar is expected to make a final ruling this month.
Among other missteps, Cape Wind developers failed to win over the powerful Kennedy clan, which reportedly was concerned about the environmental impact of the turbines. (Also, big windmills might mess up the view from the Kennedy compound.) When a green project gets the thumbs-down from the famously pro-environment Kennedys, that’s a bad sign. Fishermen were also reportedly concerned the turbines would interfere with their nets, and Native Americans said the project would intrude upon culturally significant areas and rituals.
And in New York, NIMBY politics also scuttled in 2007 an offshore wind proposal that would have been visible from one of Long Island’s most popular beaches, though Long Island Power Authority is currently working on another proposal that might address these concerns by planting the turbines farther out in the Atlantic.
But in Rhode Island, another windy Northeast state, wind-power advocates are taking a different approach. Instead of letting developers take the lead, that state is trying to do its homework first. The state is expected to finish in August a three-year study of potential offshore wind sites. It’s evaluated bird migration, fish populations, local fishermen and Native Americans’ concerns. That seems like it should cover all, or at least most, of their bases.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Peas - More than Just Good Food
I’ve always thought photosynthesis was cool.
Yes, photovoltaic solar power is cool too, but converting light energy into electricity doesn’t seem like such a huge transformation. Light – a type of energy we can’t see or touch – being converted into electricity – another form of energy we can’t see or touch.
But photosynthesis, now that’s something. Plants convert light into… well, I always thought it came close to creating life. Using the energy of the sun to help plants grow, to literally form living organic mass.
The news today is that researchers at Tel Aviv University have managed to harness the engine of photosynthesis to create electricity, using nanotechnology.
In a plant, solar energy energizes electrons, triggering a biochemical reaction that leads to sugar production. The mechanism is something called Photosystem 1, a very sophisticated nano-scale arrangement that converts solar energy into chemical energy.
The Tel Aviv researchers managed to isolate tiny crystalline elements of the PS1 from a common pea plant, and tweaked them to generate not chemical energy, but electrical energy. In fact, they created an array of these crystals on top of a layer of gold (an excellent conductor) and laid it out in the sun. The result: 10 volts of juice.
The message: peas are good tasting, good for you, and may be an important part of a balanced energy diet as well.
Yes, photovoltaic solar power is cool too, but converting light energy into electricity doesn’t seem like such a huge transformation. Light – a type of energy we can’t see or touch – being converted into electricity – another form of energy we can’t see or touch.
But photosynthesis, now that’s something. Plants convert light into… well, I always thought it came close to creating life. Using the energy of the sun to help plants grow, to literally form living organic mass.
The news today is that researchers at Tel Aviv University have managed to harness the engine of photosynthesis to create electricity, using nanotechnology.
In a plant, solar energy energizes electrons, triggering a biochemical reaction that leads to sugar production. The mechanism is something called Photosystem 1, a very sophisticated nano-scale arrangement that converts solar energy into chemical energy.
The Tel Aviv researchers managed to isolate tiny crystalline elements of the PS1 from a common pea plant, and tweaked them to generate not chemical energy, but electrical energy. In fact, they created an array of these crystals on top of a layer of gold (an excellent conductor) and laid it out in the sun. The result: 10 volts of juice.
The message: peas are good tasting, good for you, and may be an important part of a balanced energy diet as well.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
A Power Source Blooms
Who is Bloom Energy
This Silicon Valley startup emerged from stealth mode last week promising to solve the word’s energy crisis and make sure everybody gets double portions of ice cream for dessert.
Well, actually, they announced a solid oxide fuel cell that the company claims will enable homes and businesses to generate their own electricity. They call it the Bloom Box, which I admit is a catchy name, but I wish they provided more details about how it works.
Here’s what we do know: the company has raised boatloads of VC money, somewhere around $400 million, from some very well-known names. Ebay, Fed-Ex and Googleare said to be testing Bloom Boxes now to power their corporate campuses.
Here’s what we need to know: how it works and what it will cost. Fuel cells aren’t a new concept; they generate power through a chemical reaction, but Bloom isn’t revealing what’s in its secret sauce. Sure, the boxes can put out juice, but it’s hard to tell now if they’re affordable. And with an up-front cost of more than a half-million dollars, Bloom Box power will need to be substantially cheaper than other options to make this a viable product.
We would be thrilled if our initial skepticism was proven unfounded, but then we also fell, briefly, for cold fusion.
This Silicon Valley startup emerged from stealth mode last week promising to solve the word’s energy crisis and make sure everybody gets double portions of ice cream for dessert.
Well, actually, they announced a solid oxide fuel cell that the company claims will enable homes and businesses to generate their own electricity. They call it the Bloom Box, which I admit is a catchy name, but I wish they provided more details about how it works.
Here’s what we do know: the company has raised boatloads of VC money, somewhere around $400 million, from some very well-known names. Ebay, Fed-Ex and Googleare said to be testing Bloom Boxes now to power their corporate campuses.
Here’s what we need to know: how it works and what it will cost. Fuel cells aren’t a new concept; they generate power through a chemical reaction, but Bloom isn’t revealing what’s in its secret sauce. Sure, the boxes can put out juice, but it’s hard to tell now if they’re affordable. And with an up-front cost of more than a half-million dollars, Bloom Box power will need to be substantially cheaper than other options to make this a viable product.
We would be thrilled if our initial skepticism was proven unfounded, but then we also fell, briefly, for cold fusion.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Nuclear Power, No Cold War Flavor
Thorium – will this be the future or nuclear energy?
I admit, I had never heard about the stuff until I saw this article in Wired recently, but the idea of thorium-based reactors has been kicking around for decades. In fact, back in the 1950s, when nuclear energy was just getting off the ground, thorium was a leading candidate to become the basic fuel of reactors around the world. In the end, uranium won out (you’ll see why shortly), but some researchers are taking another look at thorium
Here’s what’s cool about it. First, it’s really abundant. There’s lots of it out there. Uranium, by contrast, is less common, especially the U-235 isotope that’s used in reactors.
Also, thorium leaves behind very little waste material. We all know that nuclear waste is a pretty major issue with current reactors. And, the byproducts of thorium reactors are only dangerous for a few hundred years, compared with uranium’s leftovers, that are harmful for thousands of years.
And here’s the kicker: when thorium breaks down, none of the resulting materials can be used to produce nuclear weapons. Uranium, of course, begets plutonium, the key ingredient to bombs.
Obviously, this was seen as a perk during the Cold War – hey, we get electricity and explosives! That’s a win-win.
But our priorities have changed now, and maybe that means the world is ready for a nuclear power plant that doesn’t have much to offer the Pentagon.
I admit, I had never heard about the stuff until I saw this article in Wired recently, but the idea of thorium-based reactors has been kicking around for decades. In fact, back in the 1950s, when nuclear energy was just getting off the ground, thorium was a leading candidate to become the basic fuel of reactors around the world. In the end, uranium won out (you’ll see why shortly), but some researchers are taking another look at thorium
Here’s what’s cool about it. First, it’s really abundant. There’s lots of it out there. Uranium, by contrast, is less common, especially the U-235 isotope that’s used in reactors.
Also, thorium leaves behind very little waste material. We all know that nuclear waste is a pretty major issue with current reactors. And, the byproducts of thorium reactors are only dangerous for a few hundred years, compared with uranium’s leftovers, that are harmful for thousands of years.
And here’s the kicker: when thorium breaks down, none of the resulting materials can be used to produce nuclear weapons. Uranium, of course, begets plutonium, the key ingredient to bombs.
Obviously, this was seen as a perk during the Cold War – hey, we get electricity and explosives! That’s a win-win.
But our priorities have changed now, and maybe that means the world is ready for a nuclear power plant that doesn’t have much to offer the Pentagon.
Algae - A Reality Check
Algae biofuel companies are up in arms this week over a new study that cast serious doubts about the environmental benefits of what many had seen as a promising technology.
Yes, there are plenty of advantages to algae over other biofuel source-crops: it generates more power than other commonly used plants, and because it grows in water instead of soil it doesn’t compete with farmland that can be used for food.
But the report, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, focuses on other factors. The main problem isn’t the algae, it’s the fertilizer needed to grow it. More specifically, it’s the energy used producing fertilizer and the carbon dioxide emitted by the trucks that haul it to the ponds where algae is raised.
While producing biofuels from crops such as corn and canola can ultimately cut down on carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the report concluded that the algae production could actually increase greenhouse gases.
This is an important point – everything is connected. Even if algae delivers more energy than fuels from other sources, it’s not necessarily a gain if the entire process, start to finish, is less efficient than other source crops.
But don’t rule out algae just because of this report. It’s still a promising concept, and it’s hard to imagine that smart people can’t develop new manufacturing processes that are more efficient than what we’re using now.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Team Effort: Supergrid
When the government really gets behind a project, sometimes it can pull off some pretty impressive work.
In this case, a continent-spanning, green “supergrid” in Europe. Nine countries are collaborating on a massive energy project that would link wind turbines, tidal energy systems, solar farms and hyrdro power sites all across the North Sea region.
The nine nations – Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom – are expected to formally approve the project this month, and hope to have firm plans in place by Fall. Various estimates have pegged the cost at close to 30 billion euro.
The vision is to connect wind farms in Scotland, solar facilities and Germany and tidal power systems in Belgium and Denmark through a vast network of high-capacity, undersea DC cables. Direct current transmission lines cost more than AC, organizers say, but lose less energy over long distances.
The project has one more component that seems especially clever: all these alt-energy systems will be linked to a network of hydroelectric plants in Norway. When the wind is a’blowin’ and the waves are a’crashin’ and the sun is a’shinin’ there’s going to be plenty of juice, and the excess power can be diverted to Norway, to push water uphill. Then, when the weather is less cooperative, the water can flow downhill to power the hydro plants.
The EU has pledged to generate 20% of its power from renewable sources by 2020; that’s an ambitious target, but projects like this one could certainly help them get there.
In this case, a continent-spanning, green “supergrid” in Europe. Nine countries are collaborating on a massive energy project that would link wind turbines, tidal energy systems, solar farms and hyrdro power sites all across the North Sea region.
The nine nations – Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom – are expected to formally approve the project this month, and hope to have firm plans in place by Fall. Various estimates have pegged the cost at close to 30 billion euro.
The vision is to connect wind farms in Scotland, solar facilities and Germany and tidal power systems in Belgium and Denmark through a vast network of high-capacity, undersea DC cables. Direct current transmission lines cost more than AC, organizers say, but lose less energy over long distances.
The project has one more component that seems especially clever: all these alt-energy systems will be linked to a network of hydroelectric plants in Norway. When the wind is a’blowin’ and the waves are a’crashin’ and the sun is a’shinin’ there’s going to be plenty of juice, and the excess power can be diverted to Norway, to push water uphill. Then, when the weather is less cooperative, the water can flow downhill to power the hydro plants.
The EU has pledged to generate 20% of its power from renewable sources by 2020; that’s an ambitious target, but projects like this one could certainly help them get there.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
3 Gorges X 5
Amazing article in The New Yorker last month, about China’s green energy programs, and more importantly, how they absolutely dwarf anything we’re trying to do here in the U.S.
I had known that China was a big force in renewables – that the country was a major supplier of wind turbines and solar systems, and that their manufacturing capacity was huge, and growing. But I hadn’t really appreciated the scale, not of what they are able to do now nor of what they are going to be able to do in the near future.
In fact, Chinese researchers have been pushing hard to develop green energy for decades, through an initiative called the 863 Program – so-named because it was the result of a scientific call to action in March of 1986. 1986! That was more than three decades ago.
With such a big head start, it’s no surprise that China has moved into such a leadership position. Here’s my favorite stat about the country’s impressive progress: in the next decade, China is expected to install enough wind power equipment to generate FIVE times energy of the Three Gorges Dam, which is already the world’s biggest electricity producer.
Chinese scientists have also garnered respect for other advanced systems, including clean-coal gasification, batteries for electric cars, thin-film solar cells and more.
And it’s not just scientific progress that’s boosting the country’s green progress; Chinese policy shifts have allowed the price of coal to increase, giving the billion-plus consumers there incentive to seek an alternative for what has long been one of the most common sources of household energy.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., the Reagan and Bush administrations moved in the opposite direction, dismantling green research projects and developing policies that encourage the use of oil and other sources of greenhouse gases.
I had known that China was a big force in renewables – that the country was a major supplier of wind turbines and solar systems, and that their manufacturing capacity was huge, and growing. But I hadn’t really appreciated the scale, not of what they are able to do now nor of what they are going to be able to do in the near future.
In fact, Chinese researchers have been pushing hard to develop green energy for decades, through an initiative called the 863 Program – so-named because it was the result of a scientific call to action in March of 1986. 1986! That was more than three decades ago.
With such a big head start, it’s no surprise that China has moved into such a leadership position. Here’s my favorite stat about the country’s impressive progress: in the next decade, China is expected to install enough wind power equipment to generate FIVE times energy of the Three Gorges Dam, which is already the world’s biggest electricity producer.
Chinese scientists have also garnered respect for other advanced systems, including clean-coal gasification, batteries for electric cars, thin-film solar cells and more.
And it’s not just scientific progress that’s boosting the country’s green progress; Chinese policy shifts have allowed the price of coal to increase, giving the billion-plus consumers there incentive to seek an alternative for what has long been one of the most common sources of household energy.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., the Reagan and Bush administrations moved in the opposite direction, dismantling green research projects and developing policies that encourage the use of oil and other sources of greenhouse gases.
This was a powerful reminder of what can result from far-sighted leadership.
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