News

Saturday, September 4, 2010: TVA will double nuclear power and reduce coal use. Good news or bad?

The Tennessee Valley Authority will almost double its nuclear power production by 2020, completing the long-dormant Bellefonte Nuclear Plant north of Scottsboro. Is this good news or bad? Well, some of both.

About 60 percent of TVAs power now comes from coal and about 20 to 25 percent from nuclear. The new plan would drop coal below 50 percent and raise nuclear to about 45 percent. Gas and hydroelectric energy would still be more minimal sources of power, and renewable energy, such as wind and solar, is not mentioned.

TVA considers nuclear energy to be more efficient and less harmful to the environment than coal. McCollum said TVAs goal is to become the Southeast leader in energy efficiency by 2015. McCollum also said TVA is working to become cleaner in its disposal of its wastes from coal energy. TVA is in the process of converting coal ash and gypsum from wet handling to dry.

TVA Chief Operating Officer Bill McCollum says TVA plans no rate increases despite the multibillion dollar undertaking, but rate raises may come later.

While we welcome the reduction in coal use, we would much rather see more emphasis on renewable energy, especially solar. We need to better educate Alabamians on the potential of solar and on TVA’s “Green Power Switch” (www.tva.gov/greenpowerswitch) and “Generation Partners” www.tva.gov/greenpowerswitch/partners/ programs. If we can get a good participation in North Alabama, the rest of the state will demand more of Alabama Power Company and local co-ops.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010: Largest Solar Rooftop Solar Project in U.S. Planned For Salt Palace

The Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace Convention Center could be getting the largest rooftop solar facility in the United States.

NexGen Energy and Bella Energy will develop a photovoltaic installation on the roof of the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City. They plan to install up to 2.6 megawatts of solar modules on the roof. This would be the largest U.S. rooftop solar facility, generating more than 3,330,000 kilowatt hours of electricity every year while reducing the building’s consumption by 25%.

NexGen Energy will own and operate the facility and sell the power to Salt Lake County at a 20-year fixed rate. Bella Energy will design and install the project. Construction is expected to begin later this year. The final contract will include an option for the county to purchase the system in the eighth year. NexGen Energy has retained the renewable energy credits associated with the project.

Thursday, August 26, 2010: Many seeing us at the Birmingham Green Expo yesterday were vey excited about the September 21^st class, "The Solar Energy Course for Architects, Engineers and Contractors".

People saw "Green" or renewable energy sources as an important way to the future. They were asking questions requiring too detailed of answers for me to give at the booth. Many expressed an interest in the six-hour class.

HalfMoon Seminars, who is conducting the class, promises "Knowledge gets you there." Students who took the class in Birmingham last year agree. It is an excellent primer for those not sure why or how to get started in solar.

The instruction will be technical in nature, i.e., not ideal for home or business owners, but appropriate for engineers, architects, builders, and equipment suppliers wanting to catch the leading edge of the "green wave." Subjects will include:

• Why do we need solar now?
• How solar energy travels 93 million miles to earth
• Energy economics
• Solar hot water
• Solar heating and cooling
• All things photovoltaic
• How you can help shape our future

Discussions will include theory, scientific limits, design, equipment selection, permiting, installation, testing, and operation.

While the scope is quite broad, this will be an introductory level course. We could easily spend weeks or even a college semester on any of the above subjects and still not cover everything. The seminar will, however, give attendees an excellent background and help them choose where to go next.

Check out details on the HalfMoon Seminars webpage. We hope to see you there.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010: Come see us at the Birmingham Green Expo in Booth 223 today and Thursday.

The Alabama Solar Association is near Booth # 223 in the North Exhibition Hall of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. They moved us acros the aisle and a little south of #223, but we are close. The booth is still in the second row in behind Room D (Alagasco) and Room A (The KPS Group). Look for the photovoltaic solar array.

If you have trouble locating us, call Morton at cell phone 256-658-5189. Come learn more about renewable energy.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010: The Alabama Solar Association supports the Tennessee Valley Regional Consortium for Sustainable Communities grant proposal.

Your Board of Directors today passed a resolution fully supporting a grant proposal to prepare a Sustainability Plan for the Huntsville Metropolitan Area (HMA). Experience has shown ASA that successful implementation of any program, process or idea is more readily achieved when efforts are based on a coherent and thoughtful plan. We believe that this grant will provide the necessary funding to assist our community in creating such a plan around the key elements of sustainability.

It is our understanding that this effort will result in a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development that will promote the vitality of the surrounding communities within our HMA region. By engaging and empowering the people of our communities, we can create a plan that strategically manages the challenges of economic competitiveness and revitalization; social equity, energy consumption, public health, over all environmental impact and climate change.

Kay Detter is the ASA point of contact.

Monday, August 16, 2010: The Norwegian firm EnSol AS is developing a solar thin-film technology to be used on windows. It has a potential to reach over 20% efficiency and be commercially available by 2016.

EnSol is working with the UK University of Leicester Department of Physics and Astronomy to develop a solar cell material that could be coated as thin-film on windows. The solar thin-film material is composed of nanoparticles with diameters of ~10nm, embedded in a transparent composite matrix.

“The basic cell concept has been demonstrated, and it will be the objective of this research and development project to systematically refine this PV cell technology to achieve a cell efficiency of 20% or greater,” reports a company official.

A solar thin-film deposition system with nanoparticle source, will be designed and constructed together with the University of Leicester for the fabrication of prototype cells based on the design. The facility will be able to produce solar thin=film cells with an active area of more than 16 cm² (40 mm x 40 mm) deposited on standard glass substrates.

“EnSol’s next generation PV cell technology has tremendous potential for industrial scale, low environmental impact, cost effective production via standard ‘spray on’ techniques,” EnSol says.

Professor of Nanotechnology at the University of Leicester, Chris Binns, explains that the solar thin-film coating on windows would require a slight tinting. The technology is not only restricted to windows, but could also be used on structural material of a building. “…since it is a thin-film that can be coated onto large areas, it could become very much cheaper than conventional devices,” Binns says.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010: The organization 25 x '25 has released a progress report toward meeting the goal of 25% of our energy from renewable sources by 2025.

From the organization's home page, "25x'25 Vision: By 2025, America's farms, forests and ranches will provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States, while continuing to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed and fiber."

Renewable energy produced in the United States between 2004 and 2009 grew by about 23 percent, according to a report issued today by the leaders of the 25x'25 Alliance. Meeting the 25x'25 Goal: A Progress Report, is a 32-page analysis that details the advances made by the renewable energy sector since the Alliance was formed in 2004 toward meeting 25 percent of the nation's energy needs with renewable resources from the land by 2025.

With all the bad news on Energy lately, crude oil that will choke the life out of our Gulf Coast for years to come, dependence on foreign oil continuing, coal still producing half our electricity, the report is some refreshingly good news. Perhaps Alabama citizens reading it will encourage other citizens and perhaps even a few of our legislators to begin taking small steps to reverse the dead-end trip down a dirt road that fossil fuels are now taking us.

Wake up, Alabama! Read the 25 x '25 report and start moving Alabama toward the future. Our children and grandchildren are counting on us.

Thursday, August 5, 2010: The National Solar Tour 2010 is already more than double from last year. People are interested in renewable energy.

The ASES National Solar Tour is the world's largest grassroots solar event. This free event offers you the opportunity to tour innovative green homes and buildings in Alabama to see how you can use solar energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainable technologies to reduce monthly utility bills and help tackle climate change. More than 160,000 participants will visit some 5,500 buildings across the United States and now in Mexico.

People attending these tours usuall want to ask their neighbors three questions:

1. Does this stuff really work? Ues, it does work surprisingly well even in Alabama.
2. What does it cost? Solar and other renewable energy technologies are life-cycle cost effective in almost all cases. The paybnack is much shorter in North Alabama where users are connected to TVA. The Return on the Investment (ROI) is much more attractive than the local bank wll offer you on a CD but less than you can make in the stock market. Of course, you would be much less likely to lose money like you might in the stock market.
3. How do I get started? Contact an ASA Solarite (professional member).

Don't take my word for it. Come out October 2^nd and 3^rdsee what your neighbors have done to make solar work for them. If you have intalled solar, geothermal, wind, or other renewable energy projects, of if you have jest sealed your building envelope to conserve fossil fuels, sign up to present your project with the 508 tours already scheduled.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010: The Georgia Solar Energy Society hosts their Solar Summit 2010 in Atlanta August 19^th.

The Georgia Solar Energy Association "Solar Summit 2010" will bring together an outstanding group of industry leaders to move Georgia towards a more sustainable future, incorporating solar energy. Four panels will each focus on the separate challenges and opportunities for economic and job growth in the solar-rich south. Nationally, Georgia ranks 11^th in the nation for the amount of sunshine it gets per day, yet they rank 39^th for solar power generation, far behind New Jersey and North Carolina but ahead of Alabama.

The summit will feature a host of public policy and utilities experts from around the southeast to discuss the growth of solar, the obstacles to adoption and how businesses and consumers can lead Georgia towards greater energy security and independence. This sounds like a program the Alabama Solar Association should replicate in coming years.

Saturday, July 31, 2010: IBM is collaborating with a Honeywell to help companies improve building energy efficiency.

The partnership will combine software to enable the integration and control of nearly any device or system in a facility including HVAC equipment, lighting, generators, gas pumps, ovens, and medical devices. The software delivers real-time information, asset intelligence and analysis from virtually any device and sensor in the network. Managers can then adjust buildings’ systems to maximum operating performance.

IBM will partner with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to create the IBM Smarter Infrastructure Lab to help cities, governments and industries develop smarter infrastructures. The lab should be operational this fall.

Researchers will study physical condition and energy efficiency of buildings, water pipelines, etc. They will use data to make operation of such facilities more efficient and cost effective.

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Monday, July 26, 2010: ASA PR Director Kay Detter of HSVgreen LLC is now an accredited, LEED Green Associate.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. She passed her exam with an excellent score of 191 out of a possible 200, way-to-go. Now that milestone has been accomplished. Look for Kay's renewed activity at HSVgreen.com as she sets forth applying her new knowledge to promote sustainability here in Huntsville and Madison county.

Thursday, July 22, 2010: Cap and Trade Bill appears doomed.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, today proposed a narrow, limited energy bill that contains no cap and trade plan.

Reid outlined a four-pronged plan that increases the liability cap for damage incurred from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, adds new oil rig safety regulations; converts the diesel fleet to natural gas; legislates a home energy efficiency program with financial incentives to purchase energy efficient products; and invests in the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

There has been a lot of opposition against the Waxman-Markey “Cap-and-Trade” bill, and indeed it had some highly questionable provisions. Something does need to be done, however, to prevent the brown skies I saw in China in 2003—the same skies that hampered Olympic athletes in Beijing in 2008. If not Waxman-Markey, then what can we do to stop choking on our own pollution.

Thursday, July 8, 2010: The 6^th National 25x’25 Summit in Arlington, Virginia, focused on the four “E’s” of energy:

• Energy and National Security;
• Economics and Jobs;
• Environmental Enhancements;
• and, Energy Efficiency and the Growing Role of Electricity.

The Alabama Solar Association supports the 25x’25 vision of getting 25 percent of US energy from renewable sources by 2025. We believe this is an achievable goal, but we need to keep moving slowly and steadily toward renewable energy. The oil spill now washing ashore on our beaches and into our wildlife habitats emphasizes the need to find alternatives for crude oil and natural gas.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack advocated a comprehensive, long-range energy policy now, a view shared by ASA for years. You can read the secretary’s comments at Time is Now for Comprehensive Energy Policy.

What can you do to keep Alabama moving to the 25x'25 goal? Remember, little things add up to make a big difference.

July 7, 2010: Europe is going for green power big time!

The European Union (EU) Joint Research Centre's Institute for Energy (IE) finds that 62 percent of new electricity generation built there in 2009 uses renewable energy sources. The percentage is up from 57 percent in 2008. “Green” energy produced almost 20 percent of the electricity used in Europe last year.

The EU has a goal of 20 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020. If current trends continue, renewable sources could produce up to 1,400 terawatts (1,400,000 megawatts) of electricity by then. This would represent 30 to 40 percent of total electrical usage. Electricity plays a bigger role in the urban settings of Europe—transportation is largely powered by electric trains and trams, so generating clean electricity is a huge advance there.

The EU faces some of the same of the same “green” energy challenges as do we. They will need extensive public R&D, better grid access, and the ability to adapt current grids to accept renewable energy. Volume, not time, will decide cost reduction.

The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is leading to Federal regulations requiring Professional Engineers to approve drilling safety measures.

Registered Professional Engineers (PEs) will have to approve and stamp plans whenever undersea rigs use a blow-out preventer. This safety device is one of the pieces of equipment that engineers believe failed when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20^th off the Louisiana Gulg Coast and sank the next day. PEs are now urged to make sure that at least two independent, tested barriers exist for each well and that those barriers adhere to new installation guidelines.

"State engineering licensing laws have long been in place throughout the U.S. as a means to protect the public health, safety, and welfare against many of the risks and dangers to which we as a society are exposed," says the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel Arthur Schwartz. "This decision is a very positive step and another clear recognition by the federal government of the crucial public safety role that PEs play in the design and construction of engineered systems."

Both Federal and State government agencies have been somewhat lax by allowing individuals who are not PEs to design and inspect government projects. The new rules bring public works more in line with projects designed by private engineering firms.

"We are following an orderly, responsible process for implementing stronger safety and environmental requirements of offshore drilling," Bob Abbey, Director of the Bureau of Land Management, said in a statement. "We need to make sure that drilling is done right, that it is done safely, and that oil and gas operators are following the law."

The current six-month moratorium prohibits deep-water drilling in U.S. waters, but drilling in waters less than 500 feet is still allowed.

As much as we would like to replace all petroleum with renewable fuels right now, this is simply not going to happen overnight. We are going to have to depend on oil for many years to come, and it is better to get it off our own shore than to buy it from people who don’t like us very much. Offshore drilling is acceptable provided that:

1. we do it safely, and
2. we begin now taking small steps to replace oil and natural gas with renewable fuels.

Let’s use this Independence Day to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Thursday, July 1, 2010: National Semiconductor Corporation offers new “smart” PV panels.

Residential solar panels often underperform. Sun position, shading, age of collectors, and mismatched panels vary PV output across the array. Controllers usually compensate by limiting the output of all panels to that of the lowest performer in the chain. This provides a stable input to the string inverter, but it also wastes potential electricity.

The SolarMagic smart panel chipset provides junction box and module manufacturers with the “smarts” to ensure the highest efficiency and return on investment for solar system owners.

“By introducing the first in-panel smart electronics to the solar market, we are keeping with a five decades long tradition of developing the category-defining products that shape an industry," claims Mike Polacek, senior vice president of National’s Key Market Segments Group. "National Semiconductor has been embedded in the solar industry since its inception. Already, our power management electronics are used in nearly two-thirds of the inverter and junction box market and we currently have more than 100 MW of solar systems under SolarMagic monitoring and management. The development of smart panels builds on what National does best – smart power management electronics – to enable higher efficiency, more robust solar systems."

Using micro-inverters instead of traditional string inverters in the panels further improves efficiency and safety. One important benefit of having an inverter for each panel is that, when you series connect panels, the total voltage increases for every panel added. “This string ends up typically carrying about 700-1600 Volts, which means it is really dangerous,” one manufacturer says. “It is enough to seriously electrocute someone.”

As we get cheaper panels and better performing controllers, we get that much closer to grid parity with coal. Look for more improvements to come.

Monday, June 28, 2010: Alabama Solar Association and the Sierra Club are hosting a our nation beyond oil in Madison Wednesday.

The Sierra Club partnered with Brave New Foundation and award-winning filmmaker Robert Greenwald - producer of Outfoxed and Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price - to produce a short documentary about the true effects that the BP oil disaster is having on the Gulf Coast, and why we need to end our addiction to oil.

Kay Detter is the Public Relations Director of Alabama Solar Association (ASA), a strong supporter of alternative energy and energy conservation. Kay is opening her home for the viewing and discussion of this short film. Snacks will be provided.

The week of June 28th, hundreds of house parties will happen all over the country as citizens come together to discuss options and brainstorm what we can do to help the Gulf Coast and move our nation beyond oil.

You can help by attending Kay’s house party! Click here for the invitation page

Contact kay@hsvgreen.com for more information.

Saturday, June 26, 2010: Caribbean tropical storm threatens to spread oil BP spilled in the Gulf.

A tropical storm formed in the Caribbean Sea and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm, cross the Yucatan Peninsula, and enter the Gulf of Mexico. The eye should pass west of the spilled oil, but cyclonic storms in the Northern Hemisphere rotate counterclockwise packing the biggest punch east of the eye.

The threat of a storm surge pushing crude oil deep into our lovely LA (Lower Alabama) should remind all of us that we need to move toward renewable energy sources. In the meantime, slow down and drive more conservatively to reduce demand for oil. Take baby steps, but so something small to move toward renewable energy today.

Thursday, June 24, 2010:The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to test biofuel blends in a 90-MW steam turbine generating unit.

The Kahe Power Plant west of Honolulu now runs on low sulfur fuel oil (LSFO). The commission gave the utility permission to spend up to US $4.7 million on new equipment.

"This test will determine how much biofuel we can mix with petroleum in existing steam turbines that provide power on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island. If successful, using biofuel will reduce our dependence on imported oil, help meet our 40% renewable energy goal by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Accomplishing these goals by fuel switching in our existing generating units rather than building new facilities will save our customers billions of dollars," said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president.

The test will use crude palm oil blended with palm stearin, a by-product of palm oil refining usually used to make candles and soap. The new equipment will add a one-time cost of about $4 to the typical Oahu residential bill.

The commission earlier approved two other biofuel contracts, including two projects on Maui and supply of 3 to 7 million gallons of renewable biodiesel annually from used cooking oil (known as yellow grease) and waste animal fat.

Having lived on an island where all electricity was generated from fuel oil imported from more than 4,000 miles away, I can only imagine the value of this project. Palm trees grow well in the lush tropical environment of Hawaii, and cattle grow fat on discarded pineapple tops and skins. The milk from Hawaiian dairies sure tastes great, though.

What can Alabama learn from this island experiment?

Monday, June 21, 2010: Nations are rethinking offshore drilling in the wake of the Gulf oil spill.

Britain has doubled rig inspections, Bulgaria scrapped plans for a new oil pipeline, as Chinese and French oil giants are upgrading equipment and procedures designed to prevent spills. As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico for the 62^nd straight day, nations around the globe are taking a cue from this cautionary tale and ratcheting up their oversight of the petroleum industry.

And yet increasing petroleum flow is essential to our current economy. We must change that.

As much as we need to stop offshore drilling, we need to first develop a reliable system of renewable energy. The potential is there, renewables are lifetime-cost-effective, but we just need a national policy to make it happen.

Contact your Senator or Representative today and challenge them to make Congress develop a realistic comprehensive energy plan replacing fossil fuels with renewables.

Saturday, June 19, 2010: International SolarDay hit Huntsville with a display of hydropower instead of photovoltaics.

International SolarDay is the Saturday closest to the summer solstice when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most inclined toward the Sun, causing the Sun's apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost extreme. It is a day of recognition of solar energy, clean technology, energy independence, sustainability and protection of the planet.

International SolarDay 2010 hit Huntsville with a display of hydropower instead of photovoltaics. A brief thundershower hit mid morning helping to clean local solar panels and provide water for plant growth. The sun came out brightly in the afternoon, and currents again flowed through the PV systems and heat built up in the solar hot water collectors.

The SolarDay Mission is:

• To create a national and international day of awareness and celebration of SolarDay, including the many benefits of solar energy and energy independence,
• To create more sustainable lifestyles and businesses,
• To adopt green and clean-technology that does not adversely affect the planet and the atmosphere,
• To inspire hundreds of millions of people and governments with the objectives of 40 nations participating by 2014.
• To gain official recognition of SolarDay by the U.S. government as an annual day of recognition of solar energy and the goal of energy independence as a fundamental part of citizen and business sustainability objectives for the country.

Start research now as how you can join SolarDay 2011 and help to make a difference.

Thursday, June 10, 2010 The US Senate voted today to keep allowing the EPA to regulate greenhouse gasses under the Federal Clean Air Act.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., predicted the vote would "increase momentum to adopt comprehensive energy and climate legislation this year."

While there is much debate on how excess carbon in our air affects climate change, there can be no debate on how it affects breathing. Stricter carbon rules would help promote both conservation and renewable energy production.

Renewable Energy is Homeland Security!

Wedneday, June 9, 2010: "Twinkle-toes," the engineer formerly known as "Morton," fell and is out of action for a while. He has a broken foot and may have a torn quad tendon in his knee.

Your president is having a very hard time moving about and climbing stairs right now. It is even hard to reach the computer and type. Can anyone help take up some slack?