India Plans World’s Largest Solar Power Tender — 20 Gigawatts

14.11.2017

solar-panel-1393880__340 — Photo: Pixabay

It is perhaps the worry of missing the ambitious renewable energy target that the Indian government has floated the idea of launching the world’s largest solar power tender.

According to media reports, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy is planning to auction off 20 gigawatts of solar power capacity in one go. The final details of the proposed auction are still being deliberated upon, however, the aim is to spur domestic solar modules production as well as further reduce the cost of solar power.

Despite the ambitious targets and supportive policies, India has lagged in solar power capacity addition. The country plans to have an installed solar power capacity of 100 gigawatts by March 2022. The installed capacity as of 30 September 2017 was just over 14.7 gigawatts. So, it needs to add an additional 85 gigawatts in the remaining four years and six months.

While a substantial amount of capacity is already in the pipeline, a larger quantity has yet to be allocated. To achieve the 100 gigawatts target, India will have to add around 1.6 gigawatts every month between October 2017 and March 2022. India has never seen such growth in its solar, or any other renewable energy technology. Between April and September of 2017, India managed to add just 2.5 gigawatts of solar power capacity, or just 413 megawatts per month.

Initially, the government had planned to set up 40 gigawatts of the 100 gigawatts from rooftop solar power systems. Realizing that the rooftop market does not enjoy the penetration and financial benefits that the utility-scale projects have, the government circled back to utility-scale solar power projects. It increased the target for capacity addition through solar power parks from 20 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts.

The 20 gigawatt tender being talked about will likely be under this solar power parks scheme itself. Several state governments have already identified land to set up a cumulative 20 gigawatts of capacity and the Solar Energy Corporation of India will auction these projects in the near future. Work on the additional 20 gigawatts of solar power parks may soon come to fruition.

While details of the tender will emerge in the due course of time, the projects auctioned will likely be commissioned in phases. The largest solar power tender launched in India to date had a capacity of 2 gigawatts.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Study Links Osteoporosis to Air Pollution

14.11.2017

Exposure to air pollution is known to cause a vast array of respiratory health problems, but in a new study, researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health have determined that air pollution can also weaken bones.

The paper, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, is the first to document high rates of hospital admissions for bone fractures in communities with elevated levels of ambient particulate matter (PM2.5).

Unfortunately, as a press release for the study noted, risk of bone fracture admissions is greatest in low-income communities. In the U.S., air pollution is especially high in poorer communities.

For the study, researchers analyzed osteoporosis-related fracture hospital admissions among 9.2 million people between 2003 and 2010 and found that even a small increase in PM2.5 concentrations would lead to an increase in bone fractures in older adults.

A further eight-year followup of 692 middle-aged, low-income adults found that participants living in areas with higher levels of PM2.5 and black carbon (the soot that comes from gas and diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and other fossil fuel sources) had lower levels of parathyroid hormone (a key calcium and bone-related hormone) as well as greater decreases in bone mineral density than those exposed to lower levels of the two pollutants.

The study’s authors pointed out that the World Health Organization considers osteoporosis the second leading cause of disability globally after cardiovascular disease.

The researchers noted that particulate matter can cause systemic oxidative damage and inflammation, which could accelerate bone loss and increase risk of bone fractures in older individuals. Just think of smoking cigarettes as an example. Smoking contains several particulate matter components and has been identified as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fracture.

“Decades of careful research has documented the health risks of air pollution, from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, to cancer, and impaired cognition, and now osteoporosis,” said Andrea Baccarelli, MD, Ph.D., chair of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School and the study’s senior author.

Baccarelli said that the best way to prevent air-pollution-related diseases is through policies to improve air quality.

“Among the many benefits of clean air, our research suggests, are improved bone health and a way to prevent bone fractures,” he said.

Since genetic factors are not a major determinant of osteoporosis, the authors suggested that research on the disease should be broadened to examine the impact of environmental factors.

In recent weeks, the Indian capital of New Delhi has been blanketed by a thick cloud of smog. As EcoWatch reported, the air in New Deli has remained “hazardous” for days. Illegal crop burning, vehicle emissions, industrial pollution and dust from sprawling construction sites have contributed to the pollution emergency. By 11 am on Friday, the U.S. embassy air quality data for PM 2.5 showed levels had reached 550, while the safe limit is 50, according to U.S. embassy standards.

Source: ecowatch.com

Denver Becomes Latest City to Require Green Roofs

13.11.2017

Denver is the latest city to mandate rooftop gardens or solar installations on new, large buildings, joining San Francisco, New York, Paris, London and other cities around the world with similar green roof measures, the Associated Press reported.

The Colorado capital ranks third in the nation for highest heat island and eighth in the nation for worst ozone/particulate pollution, according to the Denver Green Roof Initiative, a grassroots group that advocated for the city’s green roof ordinance, Initiative 300.

Although the official tally is not in, the ballot initiative had 54 percent approval as of Thursday, signaling that the measure is headed towards victory. The vote will be certified on Nov. 24.

Initiative 300 creates a new building code that requires green roofs or solar panels for most buildings 25,000 square feet or larger that are constructed after Jan. 1, 2018.

The Associated Press noted that the measure is more stringent than other green roof mandates, as it requires many existing buildings to be retrofitted with green roofs when the old roof wears out. Older buildings that cannot support the load of a green roof can get an exemption.

“These required building improvements would significantly reduce long term operating costs by lowering energy consumption and increasing the longevity of a roof,” the Denver Green Roof Initiative stated on its campaign website. “A green roof lasts 2-3 times as long as a traditional roof because the waterproofing membrane is protected from damage by the elements and workers by covering it with a growing medium and plants.”

The measure did not have an easy road to passage. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock opposed the initiative over worries that it could drive up the costs of construction projects. Also, several Denver businesses spent $250,000 in an advertising push against the plan.

Department of Community Planning and Development spokeswoman Andrea Burns told the Denver Post in March that the department would prefer to give architects and engineers “the flexibility to design a roofing system that works best for their needs and their budgets.”

Following the vote, however, Burns conceded to CBS4 that “it will be a little bit of work in the next few weeks, but green roofs are already possible in Denver. It’s just a matter of making those agreements that are part of Initiative 300 work with our system now. We’re going to make this work for the people of Denver.”

The Denver Green Roof Initiative admits that green roofs cost about $15 more per square feet than a traditional black roof but pointed out that the green roof will pay for itself in about six years.

“Even though the extra cost would be offset in as soon as 6.2 years, most developers choose not to incorporate them because they build the building then sell it,” the group said. “They don’t see those energy and storm-water savings. They don’t save the money from roof longevity. Yet they are still able to sell the building for more money with these improvements!! We believe that the developers of Denver could be doing more to negate their footprint in our beautiful city. We believe green roofs are the answer.”

The initiative was endorsed by green builders and environmental groups.

“Initiative I-300 will contribute to improving Denver’s air quality, increasing the energy efficiency of its buildings, mitigating the urban heat island effect, managing storm water runoff, and creating habitat for pollinators and other insects,” said Lauren Petrie, Food & Water Watch’s Rocky Mountain Region Director. “We are dedicated to a more sustainable future in Denver and believe that passing this green roof initiative will be a vehicle for asserting our human desire for cleaner air and water, and cooler urban temperatures.

The Denver Green Roof Initiative stressed in a Facebook post Friday that even though Initiative 300 passed, there are still “tremendous hurdles to overcome due to push back from those in power.”

“This is a battle won against climate but the war doesn’t stop here,” the post stated. “We must all get active and fight for our values, because we are stronger together. Thanks again for the overwhelming support. The citizens of Denver have a healthier, more sustainable future because of YOU!”

Source: ecowatch.com

Global Carbon Emissions Set to Rise for First Time in Four Years

13.11.2017

Zagađenje, Elektrana, grejanje, Ekologija — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

After years of flat growth, global carbon dioxide emissions are set to rise again in 2017 to hit a record high, according to new data that seriously threatens international efforts to avert dangerous global warming.

The Global Carbon Project’s 12th annual report unveiled this morning at the UN climate summit in Bonn suggests an increase in coal use in China and sluggish progress by the US and EU to decarbonise was behind the emissions uptick.

The rise, after years of flat growth, has sparked fears the world could be moving backwards in the fight against climate change just at the period when emissions need to start coming down sharply.

Lead author Professor Corinne Le Quéré from the University of East Anglia admitted the results were “very disappointing”.

“With global CO2 emissions from human activities estimated at 41 billion tonnes for 2017, time is running out on our ability to keep warming well below two degrees let alone 1.5 degrees,” she warned.

“This year we have seen how climate change can amplify the impacts of hurricanes with more intense rainfall, higher sea levels and warmer ocean conditions favouring more powerful storms,” she added. “This is a window into the future. We need to reach a peak in global emissions in the next few years and drive emissions down rapidly afterwards to address climate change and limit its impacts.”

Although the figures are not final, they are agreed by more than 70 of the world’s leading climate experts from more than 50 institutions. The formal projections put the potential rise at between 0.8 per cent and three per cent.

The data follows hot on the heels of a concerning study released last month reporting that greenhouse gas emissions are at their highest atmospheric concentrations in at least 800,000 years. Meanwhile the World Meteorological Society has also already concluded that 2017 is set to be one of the three hottest years on record – with 2015, 2016 and 2017 all in the top three.

The news adds extra pressure to policymakers and diplomats gathered in Germany for the final week of talks at the annual UN climate summit. Negotiators need to hash out a global ‘rule book’ for the Paris Agreement, which countries signed in 2015 with the aim of limiting temperature rises to “well below” two degrees.

“The only way we are going to see these emission numbers go in the right direction is if the politicians spend less time talking about their Paris pledges and more time actually meeting them,” Christian Aid’s international climate lead Mohamed Adow warned. “They need to change the facts on the ground. Coal needs to be rapidly phased out of the global energy mix, while renewables must be ramped up far quicker.”

Source: businessgreen.com

3D-Printed Fractal Solar Receivers From Sandia May Lead To Small-Scale CSP Facilities

13.11.2017

Crescent_Dunes_Solar_December_2014 — Foto: en.wikipedia.org

Solar power is not a “one size fits all” proposition. What works for one part of the world may not work for another. India is a case in point. Rooftop solar power has been a challenge given India’s urban densities and inadequate roofs. Concentrated solar power plants could help meet India’s renewable energy goals, but most CSP plants are too large to fit conveniently on the land available.

Researchers at Sandia National Labs have figured out how to downsize CSP facilities so that they are economically viable without taking up as much space as traditional solar panel arrays. Much of rural India is powered by diesel generators, which cost a lot to install and operate. While small-scale CSP might be too expensive in some areas of the world, it could be just right for India.

The key to downsizing CSP facilities is making the solar energy absorbers that capture sunlight and redirect it to a central tower more efficient. That solar energy is then concentrated and used to heat a fluid or a gas that can be stored and used later to turn a generator. Experimenting with different designs for the solar receivers is a tedious, costly, and time consuming process. That’s where 3D printing comes in.

The researchers, led by engineer Cliff Ho, have pioneered the use of an additive manufacturing technique called powder-bed fusion to print their small-scale receiver designs from Iconel 718, a high-temperature nickel alloy. Ho says this 3D printing provides a cost effective way to create a small number of different fractal designs. Some of the designs tested are as much as 20% more efficient than conventional solar receivers.

In the future, production using 3D printing could be expanded to meet the needs of real-world CSP facilities. Previous attempts to boost the efficiency of the solar receivers focused on special coatings, but they proved to have a relatively short lifespan and need frequent and expensive replacement.

“Additive manufacturing enabled us to generate complex geometries for the receiver tubes in a small-scale prototype,” Ho says. “Fabricating these complex geometries using traditional methods such as extrusion, casting, or welding would have been difficult.”

Traditional designs use a flat panel design of tubes. “When light is reflected off of a flat surface, it’s gone,” said Ho. “On a flat receiver design, 5 percent or more of the concentrated sunlight reflects away. So we configured the panels of tubes in a radial or louvered pattern that traps the light at different scales. We wanted the light to reflect, and then reflect again toward the interior of the receiver and get absorbed, sort of like the walls of a sound-proof room.”

The objective of the research at Sandia Labs is to create small-scale CSP facilities of 1 megawatt or less that will be appropriate for use by small rural communities. The research is part of a Laboratory Directed Research and Development project conducted by the Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States. SERIIUS is a joint endeavor of the Indian Institute of Science and the National Renewable Energy. It is funded by the US Department of Energy and the government of India.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Enormous Solar Power Plant Proposal In UK Generates NIMBY Pushback

13.11.2017

An enormous solar power plant has been proposed for Cleve Hill in Kent on the east coast of England. The 350 megawatt facility would cover 900 acres of farmland and salt marshes near Faversham, known to Charles Dickens fans as the home of Pip in the novel Great Expectations. When completed in 2020, the project would be 5 times larger than any other solar power plant in the UK and would make enough electricity for 110,000 area homes. It would connect to the utility grid through the same substation utilized by the London Array offshore wind farm located nearby.

The size of the project has everything to do with a decision by the UK government to end subsidies for solar power 18 months ago. Since then, smaller systems have become uneconomical. Only larger installations are able to compete on price with other forms of energy.

The developers are Hive Energy of the UK and Wirsol Energy of Germany. “The Cleve Hill solar park is a pioneering scheme that aims to optimize the technological developments in solar energy,” says Hugh Brennan of Hive Energy. “Our ambition is to deliver the first non-subsidized renewables project of this scale, delivering low-cost, clean, homegrown energy to power UK households.”

Not everyone is thrilled with the proposal, as evidenced by this headline from the Daily Mail — “Giant solar farm’s threat to glorious Kent coastline: Site the size of 500 football pitches will cost £400m and power 110,000 homes.” Salt marshes are, of course, vital to the environment and often are home to migratory birds, including marsh harriers, lapwing, reed warblers, grey plovers, and black-tailed godwit.

Hilary Newport, director of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, tells the BBC, “If I was to think of the worst possible place to put a solar farm, it would be here. We absolutely support the principle of renewable energy, but [the panels] should be on roofs, not trashing landscapes in an astonishingly beautiful part of the Kent marshes,” she says in a perfect example of how NIMBY sentiments impact renewable energy considerations. In point of fact, Ms. Newport, rooftop solar has been neutered by the UK’s decision to end tax incentives for solar energy.

Speaking for 10:10, one of the UK’s leading climate advocacy groups, Max Wakefield says. “It’s a real ray of sunshine to see such ambitious clean energy projects emerging in the UK despite the policy obstacles. But the scale this project has had to adopt in order to be commercially viable is also a warning.” A spokesperson for the Solar Trade Association amplifies on that warning. “Government policy of excluding solar from clean power auctions is driving larger projects in a bid to get the economics to work.”

There will be much public discussion about how to build the new solar power plant so it satisfies the concerns of all interested parties. “We are still at the very early stages of developing our proposals, which is why we want to start talking now with local communities to understand their views and listen to their ideas,” says Hugh Brennan of Hive Energy. “I would encourage anyone with an interest in our plans to come along to meet us at one of our upcoming consultation events to find out more.”

The size of the proposed Cleve Hill facility is dictated by economic concerns, which in turn are dictated by government policies. The larger the project, the more likely it is to have negative impacts on the surrounding environment. It will be interesting to see how Hive Energy and Wirsol Energy resolve those issues and what impediments national and local governments put in their path. Forging a low carbon future often involves making hard choices.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Germany Could Shutter 20 Oldest Brown Coal Plants Without Creating Energy Shortages

13.11.2017

Termoelektrana, Ugalj, Zagađenje — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Following the most recent election, German chancellor Angela Merkel is faced with the task of forming a coalition government involving the CDU/CSU alliance, the pro-business FDP, and the environmentalist Green Party. The alliance has been dubbed the Jamaica Coalition, because the colors representing the three groups match those found in the Jamaican flag.

Coal power plant cc by x1klima on FLickrThat coalition will need to deal with Germany’s commitments under the COP21 Paris climate accords. Shutting down many of Germany’s coal power plants would do wonders for meeting those goals, but the Union and FDP political parties warn that doing so would (supposedly) endanger the country’s electrical supply and result in energy shortages.

Not so, claims a new report (available only in German) by Agora Energiewende. “The shutdown of coal power plants would not make Germany dependent on electricity imports. It would only have to reduce its electricity exports,” Agora director Patrick Graichen tells German newspaper Der Bild. He claims any suggestion that shuttering up to 20 of Germany’s lignite — or brown coal — power plants would not cause energy shortages even in the coldest weather or on days when the wind is not strong enough to drive wind turbines.

Shutting down the lignite facilities would get Germany halfway to its carbon reduction goals, according to Agora Energiewende. It would still need to find other ways to meet the other half of those goals.

Stanislaw Tillich, the outgoing prime minister of the state of Saxony, has called on the government to create a fund to compensate businesses adversely affected by the shutdowns and to pay for the structural changes to the country’s energy grid that such a shutdown would cause. Tillich is a member of the CDU party and is involved in the coalition talks. He suggests the fund may need to be €6 billion or more.

Whether any of this gets done is very much a matter of conjecture. According to Clean Energy Wire, the latest polls show support for the so-called Jamaica Coalition slipping significantly among German voters, particularly those who support the Green Party. Those voters apparently feel the party is giving up too much in order to help forge the support necessary for a coalition government.

Adding to the pressure building against burning brown coal, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine, the German government has agreed to accept stricter limits on emissions of mercury, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter proposed by the European Union. Those new restrictions are opposed by Poland and the Czech Republic. The heads of North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Brandenburg had urged the German government to sue to stop enforcement of the new rules, but the central government has rejected their suggestion.

Meeting the new requirements will require extensive retrofitting of existing plants and some will have to be shut down in any case as they are too old to be brought into compliance. Whether or not Germany elects to shutter 20 lignite facilities as the Green Party recommends, it appears at least two such installations — Jänschwalde in Brandenburg and Neurath in North Rhine-Westphalia — will need to be closed in any event. Brown coal is one of the dirtiest fuels available for making electricity. Any plan that hastens the day when such facilities are shut down will be big win for the environment.

Source: cleantechnica.com

A Major Florida Utility Company is Investing $6 Billion in Solar Instead of Nuclear

12.11.2017

Duke Energy Florida has decided to cease plans to construct a nuclear power plant in western Florida. Instead, they will be investing $6 billion in growing the region’s solar energy capacity.

A Florida utility, Duke Energy Florida, has decided to use funds from the building of nuclear power plants towards establishing a larger solar energy footprint in the Sunshine State. Nuclear energy generation sits in a unique place among other greenhouse gas-free power sources.

While nuclear power plants do produce clean energy, they also produce dangerous waste that we do not have the proper infrastructure to handle. Also, the plants themselves do pose a significant risk in the event of a disaster.

Duke Energy Florida has decided to stop working on building a nuclear power plant to service western Florida. Instead, they are investing $6 billion to install 700MW of solar capacity to service the region.

The formerly planned nuclear plant was set to deliver 2.2 GW of energy, so, unfortunately, the proposed solar project will not meet this energy goal. Even so, the Tampa Bay Times believes that this decision is a signal that Duke “is effectively giving up its long-held belief that nuclear power is a key component to its Florida future and, instead, making a dramatic shift toward more solar power.” Duke has set a goal to raise their solar power generation in Florida to about 8 percent of its 8,500-megawatt capacity.

Solar power can go a long way to make regional grids cleaner, yet, given various current limitations, it is impossible for every region to be solely powered by solar energy. A concerted effort is needed to employ the entire spectrum to renewable energy to ensure our freedom from fossil fuels, without having to rely upon nuclear energy.

Source: Futurism

The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio is a brutally fantastic EV supercar concept

12.11.2017

This car, the Terzo Millennio (“third millenium”), built in collaboration with MIT, is very much a Lamborghini approach to the EV performance car. To begin with, it is obviously nothing else but a Lamborghini.

There’s some advanced tech here, too, as you might imagine with MIT’s involvement. The most notable is the supercapacitor energy storage technology. But MIT and Lamborghini want to produce one that’ll work more like a main battery, but with greater ability to recharge and discharge quickly. That’s ideal for brutal, explosive acceleration. Of course, like most modern Lamborghinis there’s all-wheel drive, although it’s in-wheel electric motor-based rather than the conventional mechanical type.

Will you see a Terzo Millennio out on the road? Almost certainly not; this is a pure concept that shows the direction that Lamborghini will take in the future. At least we finally know where Sant’Agata’s head is at in terms of post-internal combustion powertrain tech.

Source: Engadget

What Will It Take to Kill Fossil Fuels Once and for All?

11.11.2017

Obnovljivi izvori energije — Foto: Pixabay

The increased investment in renewable energy in recent years has been extraordinary, and renewables are now cheaper and more efficient than ever before.

Wind is powering a record-breaking number of homes, massive hydroelectric plants are cropping up around the world, and solar is saving both dollars and lives. Several nations have announced plans to completely transition to renewable sources of energy within the next couple of decades, while others think they’ll be able to get there in the next few years.

However, most places in the world, the U.S. included, are still reliant on fossil fuels to some extent, and these traditional sources of energy are destroying our planet and our health. However, before renewables can truly supplant fossil fuels, we’ll need to overcome several hurdles.

The transition to renewables isn’t just about deploying greener forms of energy — fossil fuels must also be phased out. While some companies are starting to pivot toward the wave of the future, many would prefer to maintain the status quo.

A recent study by the Stockholm Environment Institute asserted that almost half of the oil production in the U.S. is reliant on subsidies. While subsidies are offered for renewables, too, Oil Change International’s data suggests that fossil fuels receive seven times as much money from the federal government when it comes to permanent tax breaks. This makes it difficult for companies dealing in renewables to make long-term plans for the future, while organizations selling fossil fuels can operate without these restrictions. Subsidies aren’t the only economic factor bearing down on renewables. The International Trade Commission recently recommended the U.S. impose tariffs on certain solar products.

Only once all the economic factors are addressed will fossil fuels be killed off for good. Lower prices have allowed renewables to make up ground over the last few years, but tax breaks and tariffs continue to play a vital role in keeping the coal and oil industries alive.

Source: Futurism

Tesla Powers Up Nantucket With Grid Storage Installation

10.11.2017

There are thousands of islands around the world that have no access to a conventional utility grid. Most of them rely on diesel generators for their electricity. Trendy Nantucket, once home to the world’s largest whaling fleet, is connected to the onshore grid by two undersea cables but it also relies on diesel generators for backup power in case one of those cables fails.

As more and more people choose Nantucket as a place to hobnob with the rich and famous during the summer months, the demand for electricity has grown. In addition, the backup generators are nearing the end of their useful life and will need to be replaced in the foreseeable future. National Grid, the utility company that supplies electricity to Nantucket, was faced with the cost of adding a third undersea transmission cable or buying two new generators. Instead, it has decided to invest its money in a grid-scale battery installation. It has struck a deal with Tesla to install 200 of its Powerpack batteries on the island with a total storage capacity of 48 MWh and one new generator.

“National Grid explored several options to address these infrastructure needs and the ever-increasing on-island demand for electricity, and came up with a unique solution: the [battery energy storage system] and a new diesel generator that together can supply the island in the event of a cable failure,” says National Grid in a press release. “National Grid expects that with the BESS, the need for a third cable can be delayed for 15 to 20 years beyond the current 12-year forecast. The BESS will be six megawatts with an eight-hour duration, which is also described as a 48 megawatt-hour system, and is being provided by Tesla.”

Rudy Wynter, president and COO of National Grid’s FERC-regulated Businesses, adds, “The BESS provides a very efficient and effective solution to two major energy challenges facing the island. Our customers, communities, and policymakers look to us to deliver innovative solutions like this to help advance our clean energy future.”

The installation on Nantucket will be funded in part by a $4.7 million grant from the Department of Energy Resources for companies that demonstrate innovation in peak electricity and gas demand reduction in Massachusetts. “Today’s grants will ensure that the Commonwealth remains at the forefront of energy innovation by utilizing emerging technologies to reduce peak energy usage,” Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said in June when the grants were announced.

$996,455 of that grant was awarded to Tesla. It called for a project that would increase energy storage in order to lower peak demand within a National Grid territory. “Tesla will work to quantify the benefits of the demonstrated peak demand reductions and evaluate the model’s viability at scale,” says the Energy Resources department.

Tesla is certainly on a roll when it comes to supplying offshore islands with electricity. It has completed installations on Kauai and in Samoa and is working overtime to help Puerto Rico recover after Hurricane Maria. Nantucket may be a small project in the grand scheme of things, but it points the way to a brighter, cleaner, low-carbon future for many island residents around the world.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Daytona International Speedway Making Solar Energy History

10.11.2017

Daytona International Speedway’s legendary race track may be home to NASCAR racing, but for nearly two years it has also been a live laboratory for solar energy research.

The Florida Power & Light Solar Circuit, built in February 2016, is made up of 7,000 solar panels set on top of three structures around the speedway property – located at the Midway, UNOH FANZONE and the Lot 10 parking area, each covered with solar panels.

According to FPL, it is considered one of the largest distributed-generation installations in Florida, “helping to power the Speedway’s operations and FPL’s 4.8 million customers.”

FPL spokesman Stephen Heiman told WKMG-TV News 6 the system is one of the largest solar power installations in U.S. professional sports.

“As long as the sun is out and shining bright,” said Heiman, “solar energy is being generated here.”

Heiman told News 6 the clean energy generated by the installation will prevent the emission of an estimated 2,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – “equivalent to an average vehicle driving more than 2 million laps around DIS.”

The FPL Solar Circuit is also equipped with high-tech data-gathering equipment that will be used as part of a multiyear research study the utility is conducting to improve the integration of solar energy and smart grid technologies.

FPL currently operates three solar power plants and numerous smaller solar installations for a total of more than 110 megawatts of solar generation in Florida today.

Heiman told News 6 FPL is also developing technology that will allow generated solar energy to be stored via batteries — something that could prove very valuable in times of hurricanes and major storms.

Source: clickorlando.com

Hive Energy, Wirsol Propose to Build 350-MW UK Solar Farm

10.11.2017

UK solar developer Hive Energy confirmed today it will join forces with Wirsol Energy Ltd to develop a 350-MW-plus, subsidy-free solar photovoltaic (PV) project on the north Kent coast in South East England.

The two firms have proposed to develop the Cleve Hill solar farm, which would span over 890 acres (360 ha) and have the capacity to produce enough power to meet the annual consumption of about 110,000 homes. As the plant is expected to be larger than 50 MW in size, the scheme is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). Moreover, the facility is expected to be the UK’s biggest solar PV power station.

Hive Energy and Wirsol’s joint venture, Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd, is expected to file a Development Consent Order (DCO) application in the summer of 2018. Prior to that, starting this December, the company will hold a number of community consultation events.

According to information on the project website, the solar park could bring an investment of about GBP 27.25 million (USD 35.8m/EUR 30.8m) to Swale and Kent over a minimum period of 25 years.

Source: renewablesnow.com

MGE’s Proposed Saratoga Wind Farm Wins PSC Nod

10.11.2017

wind-power-plant — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Madison Gas & Electric has the green light from state regulators to build a wind farm in northeastern Iowa in 2018 to serve its customers.

It is one of several wind projects on the drawing board, in the works, or recently completed, statewide.

MGE’s Saratoga wind farm is a $107 million project to be built near Saratoga, Iowa, about 200 miles west of Madison. It won unanimous approval from the three-member state Public Service Commission on Thursday.

“MGE is committed to increasing renewable energy and driving carbon out of our energy supply mix,” said president and CEO Jeff Keebler.

MGE’s new project involves erecting 33 wind turbines, each nearly 500 feet tall, able to produce a combined total of up to 66 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 47,000 homes during peak wind conditions, the utility said.

Construction is expected to start in spring 2018 and the Saratoga wind farm is expected to be operating by the end of 2018. It will be MGE’s largest wind farm. The utility also gets wind-generated power from five other farms in Wisconsin and Iowa.

Meanwhile, a separate wind project in southwestern Wisconsin was completed recently and began operating commercially in October. The Quilt Block wind farm, built for Dairyland Power Cooperative of La Crosse, will be dedicated on Friday.

Quilt Block has 49 wind turbines that can generate up to 98 megawatts of power.

Owned and operated by EDP Renewables, Quilt Block is about 20 miles southeast of Platteville and cost about $167 million to build.

With the addition of Quilt Block and Saratoga, about 8.4 percent of Wisconsin utilities’ power plant production will come from wind — more than half of that, 5.2 percent, from outside Wisconsin, said Tyler Huebner, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin.

Alliant Energy, of Madison, also has announced plans to add wind energy, but no project or site has been named yet.

Source: host.madison.com

Flexible Rollup Solar Panels Bring Electricity To Remote British Island

10.11.2017

Flat Holm island is an uninhabited rocky outcropping in the Bristol Channel that separates England from Wales. It is much admired for its rugged beauty and abundant avian population but like many islands in the world, a diesel generator is its only source of electricity. Somehow the melding of diesel fumes with the cries of the birds just doesn’t seem right to Cardiff Council, which has jurisdiction over the island. Various schemes have been considered to bring clean, renewable power to the island, including hydroelectric power and a permanent installation of conventional solar panels.

Gareth Harcombe, energy and sustainability manager for the council, says the hope was to find a portable option, one that could be removed if needed and reused elsewhere. Enter Renovagen, a UK startup founded 5 years ago by John Hingley. His company’s Rapid Roll Solar PV system can be unrolled like a carpet from a trailer and begin working immediately. One small panel can provide 11 kilowatts of power in just two minutes. A more extensive version, unrolled from a shipping container, can yield 300 kilowatts of electricity in less than an hour.

In addition to being easy to deploy, the rollup panels cost less to transport than ordinary solar panels. “Compared with traditional rigid panels, we can fit up to 10 times the power in this size container,” Hingley says. Since the Renovagen system was unrolled and placed in service in early October, it has successfully provided power to the lighthouse on the island and its one commercial enterprise, the Gull and Leek pub. The council also plans to use the system to recharge to the two Nissan e-NV200 electric vans it has in its fleet.

Hingley is hoping the exposure the Rapid Roll system gets from being used on Flat Holm island will tempt others to try it, especially since it is ideal in terms of cost and efficiency for use following any natural disaster that interrupts the electrical supply. Puerto Rico, where most residents have been without electricity for almost two months is one place that comes to mind.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Air Pollution Responsible For More Than 10.7 Million Kidney Disease Cases A Year, Analysis Shows

09.11.2017

Zagađenje, Auspuh, Automobil — Photo: Pixabay

Exposure to particulate matter air pollution is responsible for more than 10.7 million cases of the development of chronic kidney disease per year, according to a new study led by Benjamin Bowe, MPH, of Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System.

This new work builds on earlier work by Bowe and fellow researchers that found an association between exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate air pollution and the risk of developing chronic kidney disease.

The press release provides more:

“In their latest research, the investigators used the Global Burden of Disease study methodologies to estimate the burden of CKD attributable to air pollution. The estimated global burden of incident CKD attributable to fine particulate matter was more than 10.7 million cases per year. Epidemiologic measures of the burden of CKD attributable to air pollution including years living with disability (meaning years living with kidney disease), years of life lost (meaning early death attributable to kidney disease), and disability-adjusted life years (a measure that combines the burden of living with the disease and the early death caused by the disease) suggest that the burden varies greatly by geography, with higher values seen in Central America and South Asia.”

“Air pollution might at least partially explain the rise in incidence of CKD of unknown origin in many geographies around the world, and the rise in Mesoamerican nephropathy in Mexico and Central America,” explained Bowe.

Exposure to “elevated” levels of particulate matter air pollution is associated with a wide variety of other diseases and health problems as well, of course — so the likes of chronic kidney disease is simply joining a long list of reasons that a move away from petrol/gas and diesel cars, as well as coal-fired power plants, would benefit public health greatly.

Source: cleantechnica.com

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