Renewable Energy Markets 2011

Three weeks ago I attended the Renewable Energy Markets Conference in San Francisco.  It was a summit of renewable energy producers, brokers, purchasers and other interested stakeholders in the renewable energy marketplace.  I went there to find out what's out there in the renewable energy market these days.

The first thing that struck me is the ambitious goal of San Francisco to become a 100% renewable city, through the CleanPowerSF program. Other metro areas, like Austin and Portland, tout 100% renewably run government buildings but no large city has yet to get close to a total renewable goal.  Some of the avenues to reach this goal are Community Choice aggregation (CCA), near-shore oceanic generation, and distributed generation.  

Phase I of the CleanPowerSF , the CCA program in SF,  will begin in the spring/summer 2012.  This program offers local communities the option to buy their electricity directly from a power provider and ensure that the power is from a renewable source.  PG&E will still provide the transmission, power line maintenance and the billing but the energy used by the participating customers will be purchased directly from renewable energy producers, at little more than $4/month extra.  This is a movement that has taken off in other communities such as Marin and in other states like Illinois.

Another interesting idea that was highlighted is the potential benefit of electric vehicles (EV's) to help with the off peak energy load.  This is something that is inherent with EV already, but I'll explain.  In brief, energy production fluctuates during the day to meet demand, in the evening when industrial/commercial applications are low, energy is cheaper and due to an excess of energy generation without demand, energy is sometimes wasted.  Since, most people use there cars during the day and charge them at night there is a great potential for the "lost" energy to be captured at the fleet level. There are potential fleet level designs to turn municipal or industrial fleets into a "battery bank" to store wasted energy and create renewable energy credits (REC's), a win-win situation.

Another interesting thing I discovered was from a conversation with a few people regarding tidal power generation.  There was a feasibility study done in 2009 that looked at few different techniques of harvesting energy from the oceans and some promising findings came from it.  The findings indicate that under ideal wave conditions power can be produced at a cost that is close to solar production before subsidies and government rebates.  There have been pilot programs throughout the world and there is talk of an ocean power generation system for San Francisco in the not to distant future.

Many other panels talked about the dynamic approach to REC's and the renewable's market.  There were some great case studies of REC marketing, solar production and ways for businesses to enter the renewable energy market.  I am happy to report that even during the down economy over the last few years the voluntary renewable energy market has expanded and the future still looks bright for more expansion.  I recommend attending this conference next year, to anyone interested in keeping up to date or becoming a part of the renewable energy marketplace.

Steve's inspiration

Steve Jobs was a revolutionary.  He saw the potential for condensing and clarifying technology, while keeping it useful and affordable for the masses.  He was the poster child for the "What does this expensive piece of paper get me" college ideal.  With drive and focus in the face of adversity, he was incredibly successful.

I write this because I was inspired this morning listening to his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford.  He tells the story of his life and the motivation and perseverance that kept him going.  A rough paraphrasing of his inspirational point, " ...I lived everyday like it was going to be my last.  I would wake up every morning and ask myself. If today was my last day, would I be happy with what I was about to do today and if I said no too many times in a row then I knew something had to change."

I find this especially pertinent now, considering the state of the economy and that I am again back on the job hunt.  So, I will adopt this new way of addressing life when I wake up and assess what I am doing that day.  Hopefully this ideal will inspire me to make positive changes to reach positive ends.  I think all of us could use this ideal to invoke change in our daily lives.

With this being said, my first change is to revisit this blog and update frequently.  Feel free to give me ideas, feedback, and your perspective on energy/environmental/social issues.

Thanks

Hydrogen, the other white meat

Can a single electron spinning around a lonely proton be the answer for our energy independence?  This question has been bouncing around for many years.  Fuel cell cars, hydrogen gas vehicles and industrial applications make up the majority of the global hydrogen energy use.  I got the inspiration to delve into this topic from watching Oliver Stone's new Wall Street movie.  In the movie, the main character is an investment banker who is pushing funding for a"new" hydrogen energy plant.  So, I figured that I would look into the current state of hydrogen energy today.

The hydrogen atom is the most basic element in the universe.  It is the vehicle for many chemical reactions between substances, it is the power source for the sun, and is the most abundant elemental form in the universe.  Hydrogen as a power source is used in two applications.  Hydrogen gas (H2) is created and then used in a combustions engine or is used in fuel cell fusion. But is it the "silver bullet" for energy sustainability in the future?  There are many factors that come into play with the production and storage of hydrogen as a power source that may prevent it from being the perfect solution.

The majority of hydrogen gas is produced in two ways: natural gas reformation and water electrolysis.

Steam reformation takes a fossil fuel, primarily natural gas, and creates H2 and CO2.  This process is fairly easy but CO2 is a byproduct of the process which has environmental implications and by relying on fossil fuels it does not offer a sustainable avenue for the future.

Electrolysis a slightly better option. It is a process that uses electricity to "split" water into H2 and O2.  It is three times more expensive than steam reformation, on average, but the source and the byproducts can be as environmentally neutral as it comes, as long as the water source is not being negatively effected by production.  The largest downside for this method is that the source  of the electricity may be tied to fossil fuel use.  Some groups have developed solar or wind driven electrolysis which would be the least harmful way of producing H2 but there are economic barriers to mass production.

A third method using algae has been developed but is the development stage.

Hydrogen gas is not very dense.  Therefore it is difficult to contain and transport.  Today's technologies store H2 in two ways.  As a compressed gas and imbedded in metal hydrides (fancy battery type things).

Compressed gas tanks are the most typical H2 gas storage.  The limitations of tank size in automotive use means refueling  often and without an H2 infrastructure this type of storage limits uses to large fleet vehicles, buses ect.  Also, H2s is very flammable and when used on passenger vehicles safety design is critical, or boom goes the dynamite...

The metal hydride storage is a safe way to store H2.  The gas is trapped between layers of metal and would not be subject to explosion on impact.  This technology is limited by the sheer weight of the storage, the H2 "battery" is very heavy.  For automotive applications the addition of weight drastically reduces performance and efficiency.  Again, for shipping and mass transportation this technology is feasibly for application.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is developing carbon nanotube storage that is very similar to the metal storage at a fraction of the weight.

So a car using the NREL's carbon nanotube storage, fueled from a local solar electrolysis factory would be an ideal use hydrogen technology in automobiles.  There are many things to consider when developing an action plan for our energy future.  Hopefully H2 storage becomes more reasonable and production more cost effective, then the full potential of this clean energy can be harnessed.

D.I.E.T- Decreasing Individual Energy Thirst


This weeks installment is for adults or at least those people who can afford to buy appliances.  Thanks to government funding and research our good old friends at the D.O.E (department of energy) created the well known EnergyStar rating for appliances.  It is a simple stamp of approval showing that the attached product meets energy efficiency standards applicable for that line of devices.  So look for them when you're shopping for the fridge or washing machine.

There are also incentives for upgrading your appliances to EnergyStar qualified products.  Check out this link to find rebates in your area!  Save money when you buy, save money when you use, and help reduce your energy thirst!!

Distilling Plastics

Happy New Year!!! Although it is slightly late into the year for such types of well wishing it is indeed my first post of the new year. So happy 2011!  Hopefully your resolutions are in full effect, you've changed out your light bulbs and you are mindful of your own waste stream.  Waste stream?? No it is not your peepee silly, it is defined as: a waste production cycle for a given population.  The concept that the stuff you use or create becomes waste and moves along to the dump.  Typical Americans have a very large waste stream and those 3 R's (reduce, reuse, and recycle-in that order please!) are a great way to alter your waste stream.

I received an email the other day from a friend, Jimmy K, that showed a pretty ingenious little machine that takes your household plastics and converts it to a crude but usable oil. Click Here It is an inspirational video that shows how a tabletop version of this device can be set up in a school room and with the input of PP, PE,  and PS plastics (polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene respectively) it spits out a flammable oil that is said to be able to power generators, cars, ect.  This is an interesting way to reuse those grocery bags, bottles, ect. that are a terrible part of your waste stream.

At first glance it's great, a way to reduce the volume of household plastic wastes that end up buried for eons in landfills and put them to use.  It seems fairly easy to use and reportedly does not subject the operator to noxious fumes, via a vapor collection system.  The oil is crude but, as the videos points out,  it could be used to power a boiler or it can be refined for high performance engines.  But the price tag is high.

For a table top machine (1kg plastic conversion) it costs roughly 12k as of 2009.  This is cost prohibitive for personal home use. An industrial size machine (5-50kg oil/day) ranges between 100k-700k depending on the conversion rate.  Then to refine these oils you can also purchase a processing machine for roughly a quarter of what you paid for the converter.  If you factor in the financial offset of oil produced at optimal efficiency, then you could recover a fair amount at the commercial level of recycling, plus the great environmental value of reducing the landfill volume.

The Blest Co. plastic distilling rig is one of those simple ideas that has the potential for great environmental change and I hope that the cost is driven down so that it is available for more widespread use.

While this machine is great at reusing it is always better to reduce your use, so carry that box of cereal out of the store with your own two hands or just throw that head of lettuce in the cart without a bag, your going to wash it anyway.

Which brings me to your, eh, weekly, maybe monthly:

D.I.E.T.- Decreasing Individual Energy Thirst

This installment will focus on the small amount of energy that is used by all your appliances that are plugged in but not in use.  This is also known as " Phantom Load".  With the increase in personal electronics this phantom load has increased over time.  Some estimates place it at 7% of the total annual energy consumption in the US or 280 million MWh.  That's enough energy to power Los Angeles county with some MWh to spare.

This phantom load is the energy that is pulsing through your dvd player, computer, cable box, ect.  It is the energy that keeps the light on your "sleeping" computer on.  So its a simple fix right?

Just unplug your appliances when you're not using them.  You don't need to keep your computer on during the day when you're at work, just shut it down and unplug it.  Same goes with your other personal electronics.  A simple way to make this easier is to plug in to a power strip then you can just flip the power strip off.  There are also a few fancy power strips and home monitoring systems that do the turning off for your but these devices are pricey.

A typical single family residence can save up to $100 per year!  So manage your phantom load and do your part for the environment!

UNproductive?

This week the United Nations is meeting in Cancun, Mexico to discuss the impacts of climate change and how countries can reduce their contribution to the overall problem.  As some may remember, last years meeting yielded the Copenhagen accord.  Which was an agreement of some of the worlds largest economies to commit to reducing their CO2 emissions and to set aside funding to help reductions in developing nations.  One of the most impressive parts of the Copenhagen accord was China's agreement to partake in these reductions, China being the worlds largest CO2 producer.

This year's summit looks to ramp up implementation of the Kyoto protocol and the Copenhagen accord.  There are "undisclosed draft decisions on continued, strengthened support of developing countries efforts in climate change adaptation and mitigation, including concrete technology transfer projects", UNFCCC said in a statement.  This means countries are comparing notes and discussing techniques on how to actually implement reductions and foster these ideas in developing countries.  For updates, background and more info on the conference check http://unfccc.int/2860.php.

A large problem with an international agreement like this is that there is no real authority to enforce the agreement's rules and exact penalties or punishments for non compliance.  This, pared with a wide variety of national opinions on this topic, keeps progress to a snails pace, but progress is progress, none the less.

It is especially difficult during these current economic times for countries, industry and local businesses to consider spending money on managing and storing their CO2. Which involves increasing environmental regulations on polluters and altering the way of life we are all accustomed to.  Although some developed countries like China, Japan, and the US, have taken advantage of the renewable energy industry, most developing countries are far behind profiting off of reducing green house gases (GHG's).

I agree that by financing and fostering GHG awareness and profitability, through renewable energy industries, in developing countries is a great step towards reducing GHG's.  But more pressure needs to put on individual developed nations and in turn individual citizens of these nations, to really affect change on emissions.


As corny as it sounds, it does take all of us to really effect change on GHG emissions.  Therefore I will include a segment each week outlining a way for you to reduce your contribution of GHG's through energy efficiency and habit changes, highlighted at the end of each week's post under Decreasing Individual Energy Thirst or D.I.E.T.

Your Weekly D.I.E.T.
This week we will start off with an easy one that many of you may already know about:

Try switching out your old incandescent bulbs with new compact florescent or CFL's, they use around 20-40% less energy and usually have a longer lifespan than traditional incadescents.  It is a simple switch and the price has been steadily decreasing, so they usually realize a cost savings in the first year of service, depending on use.  

Food for thought
* CFL's do contain trace amounts of mercury so proper disposal is key, check your local recycle center or go on down to Home Depot when you need to dispose of them.  

* There is no need of concern for the toxicity of the bulbs if they break, unless you eat the tainted broken shards of glass, the glass shards will definitely be more hazardous if you eat them, trust me. Just simply sweep up the mess and wipe down the area with a paper towel, don't eat the paper towel either, FYI.


* A common complaint about CFL's is light quality.  Try using lamp shades or light filters to achieve a softer light quality.


* LED replacement bulbs are also available and the cost is coming down.  They are even more efficient then the CFL's, are beginning to have a tunable light frequency (better light quality) and are very small.  If you can afford them buy them, but due to current prices the energy savings payoff is longer.

Thanks again for reading and keep following for more news and notes on energy and the environment.  


!!!!!!Questions, opinions and comments appreciated!!!!!!!

Welcome

Hello world wide interweb,

I am starting this blog in hopes that it will encourage me to look into the current state of our energy policies and technologies and offer a forum for those who care (or want to argue, educate, or follow my super interesting life).  This will include pertinent articles, studies, and events that will be deconstructed and laid out in a palatable way for anyone to understand. There may (will) be tangents, rants, recipes and unrelated topics but maybe it will be enjoyable enough for one to read.

A lil' background---->

I am a 28yr old  married, puppy owning, trail hiking, basketballing, ultimate Frisbee tossing, guitar strumming, gourmet cooking, beer brewing, environmental conscious guy.  I bounced around from coast to coast as a kid.  Born in Santa Cruz, CA-"grew up" in Syracuse, NY- ran quickly back west to Oakland, CA- and now suffer in the smog in Pasadena, CA. I just recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor from the Energy and Resources Group after slogging through 2.5 years in community college on route to a college degree.

I was a non-traditional student, aka old man on campus, and worked in various bars and restaurants before being turned onto environmental consulting.  Not a glamorous profession by any means, it was more a semi-construction type job that involved going into buildings looking for mold, asbestos, and other hazardous building materials/conditions, categorizing it, and then overseeing work crews, that were potentially (most likely) undocs, perform back breaking/hazardous work, while I sat around reading the paper. Needless to say, it was lucrative and was a great job to have in school (got to study while on the clock sometimes) but it was brain numbing, slightly demoralizing and not for me.

Now like many, I am unemployed...

It is amazing how ego deflating and frustrating it is.  Cover letter this and resume that, it seems that you either have to know someone or somehow have manifested some experience in order to qualify (or get stuck working at Starbucks).  How does one acquire experience? Is it something that people are endowed with? Is it like a disease? Does it just grow on you? Guess I may have to get a masters...Anyway I digress.

So why am I doing a blog?

1) To keep sanity
2) To follow current events/technologies that develop
3) Reach out to folks
4) Find out if I can blog
5) Try to be an active member of the world wide web and not only a facebook junkie

So that is a impromptu bio/history of me, for those of you who made it this far, thanks! Please check back for an opinion, a bit of knowledge, and to witness my weird way of writing!