Selective selection
January 30, 2009 | 3 Comments
By Scott
Cross-posted at GrodsCorp
Wind power is useless. It is! Andrew Bolt has, like, proved it beyond all doubt.
Victoria in this heat wave has been desperate for electricity, not least for all the airconditioning. So how have our green-dazed Labor Government’s new windfarms been helping out the state’s supplies?
Well, to start with, let’s check the winds at Wonthaggi over the past three days, and see if they’ve been strong enough to drive the six turbines that now despoil that coast:
28/1 3:00pm CALM
28/1 09:00am 4km/h
28/1 06:00am 4km/h
27/1 3:00pm 7km/h
27/1 09:00am 9km/h
27/1 06:00am 4km/h
26/1 03:00pm 15km/h
26/1 09:00am CALM
26/1 06:00am CALM
Hmm. Not enough breeze to even fan a face. Thanks (sic) heavens for coal.
Of course, Andy has selectively selected some days this week that show poor wind speeds, during a heatwave that features hot north winds and not the prevailing south-west winds for which the turbines were designed. He has also completely ignored wind data for the rest of January and previous months that show much more robust gusts of wind.
Thanks (sic) heavens for facts.
PSE&G Announces Energy System Upgrades & Conservation
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Jan 29, 2009 – PSE&G [NYSE: PEG] announced that in line with President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill it will spend $888 million to improve its energy infrastructure and advance energy conservation. It stated that its customers are switching to compact fluorescent light [CFL] bulbs and using its solar loan program. It said its program will create an estimated 1,700 jobs in addition to speeding up improvements to its gas and electric infrastructure. It will upgrade street lights with more efficient induction fluorescent technology and replace older equipment with “smart grid” components. They will also put programmable thermostats, CFLs and other energy-saving measures directly in customers’ homes.
NFL Buys Renewable Energy for Super Bowl
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
In addition to the basic recycling, the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida will include a green energy purchase and tree planting. The NFL is purchasing renewable energy from TECO (NYSE: TE), which gets its power from solar panels and from a biomass facility.
In 2008, The Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona was the first one powered completely with renewable energy.
$3 Million ‘Smart Grid’ Super Bowl Ad by GE
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
General Electric [NYSE: GE] will air a 30-second commercial called “Scarecrow” for $3,000,000 to publicize their Smart Grid energy technology project. The Super Bowl ad will focus on the challenge of transforming the aging electrical grid to meet the increasing power demands.
The company says that Smart Grid is a vision for a smarter, more efficient, and sustainable electrical energy grid that GE technology is helping to bring to life and that it can transform the entire energy sector.
GE believes the Smart Grid will do for the energy sector what the Internet did for the communications industry by transforming how consumers and businesses use energy. The company will offer customers a full range of Smart Grid products and technologies including cost-effective battery technology, wind turbines, and metering switches in the home.
Newest Energy Efficient Light Bulbs
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Embedded video from CNN Video
Energy News in the New York Times
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Jan 27, 2009 – It is a busy day in The New York Times today for energy news. John M. Broder has an article titled, “Geography Is Dividing Democrats Over Energy.” Oops. Isn’t it the Republicans that are going to oppose new initiatives on the energy front? It seems sparks are flying amongst the Democrats concerning President Obama’s environmental promises and plans, central campaign issues. Most of the policy makers in Congress and the administration are from California or East Coast states [Green States], but many Democratic Congressmen are from states in the Midwest and the Plains, which are heavily dependent on coal and manufacturing [Brown States]. For example, California produced 20.7% of its electricity from coal whereas Ohio produced 86% of its electricity from coal. [What happened to the red & blue states?] Stay tuned to GreenEnergyForEarth.com to see how this division of the Democrats will play out as far as timing, scope and cost of proposed legislation. Then, of course, the Republicans even though in the minority will want to make their voice heard.
Another article by Cornelia Dean titled, “Emissions Cut Won’t Bring Quick Relief, Scientists Say.” If we cut back on global emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat will the bad effects immediately reverse? No, according to a new report by Susan Solomon et al. in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. CO2 is currently at 385 ppm. At 450 ppm, the researchers say that the rising seas will threaten many coastal areas [think Florida] and rainfall will decrease by about 10% in Western Australia, Southwestern US, Southern Europe & North Africa. That amount can cause dust bowls. The warnings indicate that once we go over a certain limit we are not on the slippery slope, but off the cliff with little chance of reversal for a very long time. Please leave your comments here.
Future of Energy Without Oil at United Arab Emirates Energy Summit
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
The United Arab Emirates hosts an energy summit, as it tries to cope with falling demand for oil. CNN’s Stan Grant reports.
Embedded video from CNN Video
First Solar Applauds International Renewable Energy Initiative
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Jan 26, 2009 – First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq:FSLR) applauds the creation of the new International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as an important step in promoting investments in renewable energies worldwide. IRENA is an international organization created to promote renewable energy options on a global scale. This initiative will offer both industrialized and developing nations advice and support when seeking renewable energy solutions.
“The creation of IRENA sends a clear signal to markets worldwide that renewable energy will be a public policy priority for many years to come and shows that policy makers are serious about fighting global warming,” said Mike Ahearn, CEO of First Solar. “We encourage the United States and all other nations that have not yet committed to join IRENA and to actively support its vision of a more sustainable environment for future generations.”
It is IRENA’s goal to become the main driving force in promoting widespread sustainability. The agency plans to aid nations in accessing relevant information and reliable data on the renewable energy industry. IRENA will also help countries improve their regulatory frameworks and build their renewable energy capacity.
“The level of international support for IRENA shows that the need to invest in alternatives to fossil fuels is as important for developing countries as it is for developed countries,” Ahearn said. “We expect IRENA to become a powerful force in identifying and promoting best practices and thereby help governments and private investors optimize their investments in renewable energies.”
The agency plans to cooperate with other organizations that are already active in the renewable energy field in order to complement their initiatives. The Founding Conference for IRENA, where the Treaty will be signed, will be held today in Bonn, Germany.
BioSolar Prepared for Industry Growth Following Obama Inauguration Highlighting Dramatic ‘Green Energy’ Agenda
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Jan 26, 2009 – BioSolar, Inc. (OTC BB: BSRC), developer of a technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic [PV] solar modules, continues to sustain media attention for its cost-saving and environmentally-friendly BioBacksheetTM solar module component.
“With the new administration ready to push for legislation requiring the use of more alternative energy, solar energy companies, finishing a year of record growth in 2008, are expected to gain even more momentum,” said Dr. David Lee, CEO of BioSolar. “Companies like BioSolar are uniquely poised for growth in this climate.”
With growth and investment in the solar industry, manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to reduce solar module costs and increase efficiencies. Currently being readied for production, the BioBacksheet is 
expected to cost less than its petroleum-based counterpart used in solar panels. In addition, BioSolar recently developed a new material configuration and manufacturing technique to produce another patent-pending version of BioBacksheet that can potentially deliver a dramatic reduction in cost in the future.
“A Better Shade of Green” in The New York Times
January 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Jan 23, 2009 – J. Wayne Leonard, the CEO of the electric company Entergy, discusses renewable energy and carbon emissions in an op-ed piece in The New York Times. He explains how a national “renewable portfolio standard” using solar and wind power may be at cross purposes with attempting to reduce carbon emissions quickly because it may target replacement of more expensive natural gas that produces less carbon emissions than lower cost coal that produces more carbon emissions. He posits the question “And isn’t a maximum decrease in emissions the ultimate goal?” Well is it? It certainly isn’t the only goal. Energy independence for the US is also a goal for renewable energy. And does he have a biased view because as he points out Entergy produces less than 25% of its energy is produced from coal fired plants. Click on the link above to read the original piece and then add your comments here.