The Limits of Renewable Energy: A Call for Research and Development

Despite these trends, conventional wisdom holds that a “clean-energy future” is not only possible but looming. Through a combination of energy efficiency and renewable technologies, some argue, we can “solve” the problem of climate change.

The case for “we’ve got all the renewables we need” recently received a boost from aNational Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study, which concluded: “Renewable electricity generation from technologies that are commercially available today, in combination with a more flexible electric system, is more than adequate to supply 80% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2050 while meeting electricity demand on an hourly basis in every region of the country.” Physicist Amory Lovins, a leading advocate of green energy, was among those praising the study. It showed “how to produce 80 to 90 percent of America’s electricity from proven, reliable and increasingly competitive renewable sources like the sun and wind,” he said.

Yet on close reading, the study not only doesn’t support these optimistic claims, it also reveals the need for a more diverse technology strategy and aggressive investments in innovation.

For starters, the study doesn’t find that wind and solar can, even theoretically, supply 80 to 90 percent of U.S. power by 2050. In the best case, less than half would come from wind and sun. The remaining balance of renewable power would come from newhydropower, equivalent to adding 50 Hoover-size dams and building biomass plants equal in capacity to the U.S. nuclear fleet; the biomass plants are unlikely to be carbon-neutral.

Even achieving the goal of 50 percent of the U.S. power supply from solar and wind assumes that 100 to 150 gigawatts of energy storage, or roughly half the size of the country’s coal capacity, will emerge to provide power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. While pumped hydro-storage is available in some locations today, other technology options, such as very large batteries and compressed air, require significantly more innovation to become cost- effective at commercial scale.

In fact, the study’s storage estimate may be low, because it assumes that the number of residences and businesses that will go offline at peak times when wind and solar aren’t available are equivalent to 1? New York states. It also assumes no growth in U.S. electric consumption for the next 40 years, thanks to improvement in energy efficiency. Consider that California’s energy-efficiency efforts lead the world — but demand has still increased 25 percent in the Golden State in the past 20 years.

Furthermore, to meet the goal of having 50?percent of the U.S. power supply come from solar and wind sources, the study presumes a doubling of the U.S. transmission system that is simply not feasible. Nearly every mile of new U.S. transmission lines is fought over by the localities they run through. And the report is mum on what happens to electricity reliability or consumer costs if more than one of these assumptions fails to materialize.

Simply put: Far from a realistic plan, the NREL study suggests what might be possible in an ideal world. The authors even admit that although their analysis suggests “a high renewable generation future is possible, a transformation of the electricity system would need to occur.?.?. involving every element of the grid.”

Certainly, better efficiency and increased wind and solar power will be among the ways to address global warming. But placing all of our bets on today’s renewable technologies is unwise. A more sensible approach would be to invest in improving the performance and cost of a broad range of zero-carbon technologies through innovation, including better and cheaper wind and solar power as well as energy storage.

We must also be realistic about fossil fuels, which provide 87 percent of the planet’s energy and aren’t disappearing anytime soon. The United States needs to bring commercially proven carbon capture and storage to scale and reduce its cost. It also would be prudent to explore cheaper next-generation nuclear technologies that offer better safety, waste and security options than the Fukushima-type light-water designs that were locked in during the Eisenhower administration.

The real lesson of the NREL study is that much more innovation is necessary to achieve deep and affordable carbon reductions. Yet almost all of the policy and funding today focuses on deploying current technologies. U.S. investment in energy innovation is less than 5 percent of federal spending on defense research and demonstration. That has to change. We need better, cheaper options if the grid is to produce less carbon.

Matthew Stepp is a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Information Technology & Innovation Foundation.

This article was originally published on the Washington Post and was republished with permission.

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In the domestic and abroad, is key to the development of renewable energy energy storage

"We this technology need, if we want to change Germany's energy, to make a success," said Center for solar energy and hydrogen research Specht, a head of the Department on the ZSW last month on a tour of the plant, where the energy storage unit is based. "The question is not, it will be provided, but when."
Woodpecker is one of an army of researchers to the technological challenges of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel decision to abandon to overcome nuclear power and shift to renewable energies in the largest energy infrastructure revision since the second world war. Your task is to fill the energy gap if within a decade Atomic plants which makes 20 percent of the German early last year were offline.

As executives from EON AG, Siemens AG to go join government officials, discussing impact of energy today at a Conference in Berlin, the challenge for Merkel, who burn lights and energy is affordable to keep. There is a risk that its energy policy is a second crisis fuels, such as with turbulence from Greece is that rages in the euro region.
"The energy overhaul an epic project that will cover many decades", said Claudia Kemfert, Chief energy expert at the Berlin DIW economic Institute. Estimates at least 200 billion euro ($250 billion) of public and private investment needed nuclear are more than 10 years to compensate. If Merkel manages smart it put "economic advantages, to increase competiveness and to create jobs," Kemfert said.

Election year

The alternative is Europe's largest economy and higher prices for energy disorder. With the plans for the accelerated construction of the unpopular power lines and consumers warned to expect to pay an election year for renewable energy in 2013 steeper bills energy policy sees the euro crisis as theme campaign between Merkel State to join and a third term in Office.

The opposition Social Democrats and the Green Party, which the nuclear phase out in 2002, when working in coalition together, accuse commitment lack their Government for the project after his sudden conversion to renewable energy after the tsunami and the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in Japan. They say, Merkel not far or fast is enough, and give their blessing for some new coal-fired plants, she preferred utilities interests of the consumer and the renewable energy industry.

'Follow'

Peter Altmaier, the Minister for the overhaul is getting open right there on the high-stakes. Failure to deliver "Significant consequences for prosperity, growth and employment would have," he said in a Aug. 16-statement.

Almost 18 months after Merkel announced, that she was Germany's nuclear plants 2022, shuttering financed if its energy policy head, the Government research boom to ensure that that power outages in Germany not through Indian-style. EON and RWE AG, Germany's two largest utilities are the companies on board, after a combined 26.80 billion wiped their share value in the last year as they were forced, overhaul its measures to reduce the losses from reactors early close.

Research focuses on a large disadvantage of renewable energies: in contrast to nuclear energy, solar panels and wind turbines make consumers without electricity when the wind is not blowing or the Sun not shine. This makes key for their use to store energy.
Sixty energy storage have awarded projects for a total of EUR 200 million in research grants by 2014. The Government is also mobilizing the State-owned bank KfW banking group, to provide low-interest loans for memory projects.

'No way round'

"Current memory really the Holy Grail for the German energy transformation", said Dieter Manz, Chief Executive Officer of Manz AG, a German company interested in battery system, in an interview. "There is no way around it around if we want to make things work."

This is where comes the Woodpecker box in Stuttgart, Germany. It consumes a greenhouse gas, which then can the blame for global warming, to convert water into methane stored in underground caves for days or weeks in gas plants if carbon dioxide and electricity burned.

Volkswagen AG luxury car Division builds Audi 6 megawatt industrial medium-sized plant based on the technology, which is due to start from next year. EON has invested at least EUR 5 million in the electricity-gas approach and started with the construction of a pilot plant on the 21 August.
Other government-funded research projects include a test system renewable generators with storage facilities and consumers on the North Sea Island of Pellworm and the study of chemical batteries combine with computer technology, which are larger and have a longer lifetime than the lithium-ion batteries.

Flexible plates

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute in Freiburg work on longer-term projects, of flexible solar panels to high-speed charging stations for electric cars, one day as a battery for the national grid could act.

The overhaul is growing markets for domestic manufacturers including the Solarworld AG, as well as for their foreign counterparts such as Vestas Wind systems a / s, the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines.

All amounts to "A significant innovation wave within the German economy, strengthening our position on the world market for the next 20 or 30 years can," Altmaier said last month.
Altmaier, 54, a practice familiar and former parliamentary whip for Merkel's, appointed Environment Minister in may after his predecessor, Merkel Norbert Rottgen, in the midst of reports that he was not listening party industry concerns and opposition claims that were targets to slip.

Green objections

Forged the Greens and Social Democrats, whose original Plan give up nuclear power under Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was removed by Merkel in 2010, then again six months later after Fukushima, they accuse of mismanaging the task. Juergen Trittin, co-leader who has green, calls Chancellor push ambitious renewable energy instead of cutting subsidies, say that the entire project "in danger."

The average German budget may numbers 175 euro next year, renewable energy, an increase of 40 percent, according to Stephan Kohler, to subsidize joint venture by the Government Director of the Energy Agency Dena, a researcher. Which prompts, "one heck of a current price debate," said Kohler reporters Aug. 22.
The share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources to at least 35 per cent is now to Germany until the end of the Decade by at least 25 percent. United Kingdom aims about 30 percent by 2020, while Sweden, Austria, and Spain, of which resources have any richer hydroelectric power station, have promised to improve Germany's share. The United States have no orders from the Confederation for renewable energy.

Merkel, whose constituency on the Baltic Sea coast, an offshore wind farm consisting of from 21 looks Siemens turbines EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG, the energy transition "a Herculean task." says
But it said "can be an example for other Nations show them that you can be successful," she June 25 in a speech. "It is possible to go the way to a sustainable energy supply."

Copyright 2012 Bloomberg.
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Administration Maps Solar Energy Development on Public Lands

The solar PEIS planning effort has focused on identifying locations on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands that are most suitable for solar energy development. The solar PEIS will serve as a roadmap for solar energy development by establishing solar energy zones, which have access to existing or planned transmission and minimal resource conflicts, and incentives for development within those zones. The blueprint’s comprehensive analysis will make for faster, better permitting of large-scale solar projects on public lands.

These areas are characterized by excellent solar resources, good energy transmission potential, and relatively low conflict with biological, cultural, and historic resources. The final PEIS identifies 17 Solar Energy Zones (SEZs), totaling about 285,000 acres of public lands, as priority areas for utility-scale solar development, with the potential for creating additional zones through ongoing and future regional planning processes. The blueprint also allows for utility-scale solar development on approximately 19 million acres in "variance" areas lying outside of identified SEZs. It also excludes 78 million acres from solar energy development to protect cultural or natural resources. In total, the final PEIS estimates that 23,700 megawatts could be developed from the 17 zones and the variance areas, enough renewable energy to power 7 million U.S. homes.

The July 27 Federal Register Notice of Availability for the Final PEIS will begin a 30-day protest period, after which DOI may consider adopting the document through a Record of Decision. The BLM released the draft solar PEIS in December 2010, and in response to the over 80,000 comments received from cooperating agencies and key stakeholders, issued a supplement to the draft solar PEIS in October 2011. See the Energy Department press release and the solar PEIS.

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China's Guangdong Province is driving the development of EV

According to the plan, province is Guangdong all registers of their electric vehicle drag industry and boost annual production capacity to develop more than 200,000 units by 2015. The focus is on the development of plug-in electric hybrid, pure and hybrid buses and vans, while the development of special purpose electrical, next will be promoted also generation purely electric light and LNG vehicles. In addition the province will support new energy vehicle manufacturers and related projects for obtaining the national approvals and meet standards for inclusion in relevant sectors.

In addition Guangdong will accelerate while exploring new business models such as e.g. leasing construction and maintenance of the infrastructure. The province works also on the establishment of local energy efficiency and emission standards.

To support the development of the electric vehicle industry, is the province of RMB15. 3 billion invest (approx. US$ 2.4 billion) 12 specific initiatives, carried out especially in the Pearl River Delta region. The biggest investment is in Zhuhai from energy project billion of high performance lithium iron-phosphate and lithium-titanate batteries, 10,000 new energy buses (e.g. pure electric and hybrid and LNG) and produce 100,000 drives per year by 2015.

Guangdong production of electric vehicle batteries currently represent 40 percent of China's. Some hybrid, purely electrically and LNG buses already in mass production in the province.

The map clearly shows that the province will encourage industrial cluster development. The city of Shenzhen is planning base to create an electric vehicle R & D and industrialization; Guangzhou will create a national energy new vehicle base; and Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan and Meizhou of provincial new energy set up vehicle bases.

In the year 2012, Shenzhen, 2,000 electric vehicles, plans to add 1,000 electric buses, 500 purely electric taxis, and 500 electric service vehicles including. The city has registered first in China with more than 3,000 electric vehicles on the roads. By 2015, the city will replace more than half of its gas-powered buses with electric vehicles. Leading manufacturer of electric vehicle in the city, including BYD and Shenzhen Wuzhoulong engines, continue to focus on the development of electric vehicles this year. In addition, Shenzhen will expand the supporting infrastructure for electric vehicles by adding more than 40 charging points, the existing 57 this year. The city is investigating the two or three charging stations for electric-powered taxis.

BLM progress Arizona renewable energy development project

Department of the Interior Bureau of land management (BLM) released the US on 16 February on the draft of the plan for the restoration design energy project. The initiative tries lands in Arizona for wind and solar energy projects, with a focus on areas which previously disturbed or small natural and cultural resource contention is best suited. The project to "renewable energy development areas" on the lands, the former landfills, contaminated sites, mines, BLM land and isolated channel carried, the part of the central Arizona project are included.

The design of an environmental impact study (EIS) beats placed a baseline for environmental protection measures for investment in these areas. She could be used for wind or solar projects, both utility-scale projects with more than 20 megawatts of capacity and smaller distributed-scale development. The preferred alternative draft called EIS for the determination of land within five miles utility corridors and existing transmission lines or close to a point identifies the power demand, such as a city or industrial sector. And the design of the EIS to avoid addresses in the water sector through the introduction of design features, negative impact on the watersheds, ground water supply and quality of water. The BLM manages approximately 237.100 acres in Arizona, that meet these criteria. Public comments will be accepted until 17 may 2012. See the press release of the Interior Department and the restoration design energy project website.

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Total launches Hild field development

Total, operator of the Hild license, launched the development of the field located in the Norwegian North Sea.

"The Hild field development is an important milestone for Total in Norway, made possible thanks to significant technological progress," said Patrice de Vivies, Senior Vice President Northern Europe, Exploration-Production.

"Innovation has opened up new opportunities for Total offshore Norway, where we will continue to invest annually an average of US$2 billion within the next five years. Norway will remain in the coming years as one of the largest contributors to Group production."

The development will represent an investment of US$4.2 billion (NOK 25.6 billion) and is subject to the approval of the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and Norwegian Parliament (Storting).

Total holds a 51 % interest together with its partners Petoro (30 %) and Statoil (19 %). Hild’s reserves amount to approximately 190 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). Production is expected to start end of 2016 and will reach 100,000 boe per day at peak.

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Repsol begins development of Perla field, Venezuela

Repsol Chairman, Antonio Brufau, Eni Chairman, Paolo Scaroni, and the Venezuelan Minister of Popular Power for Oil and Mining Rafael Ramirez signed the natural gas supply agreement for the Perla field development.

The Perla super-giant field, which contains over 16.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in place, equivalent to approximately 3 billion barrels of oil, was discovered by Repsol and Eni in 2009 in the Cardon IV block, and is located 50 miles offshore in shallow water of the Gulf of Venezuela.

Since the discovery, a total of five gas wells have been drilled, which will now be put into production using offshore platforms and underwater connections which will carry the gas onshore, where it will be processed and sent through the Venezuelan distribution network.

The project will be developed in phases, with the first phase entailing an estimated investment of $1.5 billion, including the exploration and evaluation phase in which 300 million cubic feet/day of gas is expected to be produced. In the next two phases, production is set to rise fourfold to 1.2 billion cubic feet/day, which will be maintained until the end of the contract in 2036.

The supply contract, signed until 2036, with a mutual commitment to supply and purchase over 8 TCF of natural gas, will be one of the supply sources for the domestic gas demand in Venezuela, which is expected to grow along with industrial, petrochemical and power generation consumption in the coming years. Given its large size, the field also offers new opportunities for natural gas exports, which Repsol and Eni will analyze with PDVSA and the Ministry of Popular Power for Oil and Mining.

The license for the Cardon IV block was awarded to Repsol and Eni at 50% each. Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, will participate with a 35% share in the development of the project, with Repsol and Eni's shares at 32.5% each.

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NOAA approves plan for offshore energy development, job creation and ocean stewardship Rhode Iceland

22 July 2011

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, PhD. joined Rhode Iceland Governor Lincoln Chafee, U.S. Ocean today Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and other national and State leaders to the groundbreaking Rhode Iceland special area management plan (Ocean SAMP) recognize. This new, innovative ocean management plan improved State reviewed and guidelines for the development of offshore projects facilitate, which could result in that the creation of hundreds of wind energy jobs and balance energy development with transport, fisheries, recreation and environmental responsibility along State coast and adjacent waters of the Federal Republic.

"Through the development of this plan, Rhode Iceland as a national leader in the management of coastal and ocean management arose", said Lubchenco, recognize the leaders at the coast of Narragansett Bay today State of plan approval joined. "This plan all ocean account used for the growth of commercial, recreational and ecological objectives." "This plan is presented to President Obama what in the national policy in the ocean, and it is a good example for other coastal States."

Ocean SAMP area extends over some 1,467 square miles across parts of block Iceland Sund, Rhode Iceland sound and the Atlantic Ocean. It was developed grant program coastal resources management Council in the course of two years of Rhode Iceland with support from the University of Rhode Iceland, Rhode Iceland sea and Roger Williams University, along with significant input from many other State, federal, tribal, and local agencies, and other interested parties and the public.

NOAA consent of State Ocean SAMP on coastal zone management will Rhode Iceland the first State to a comprehensive ocean special area management plan included in its coastal zone management program. This approval means that enforceable policy in the ocean of SAMP for the protection of existing activities such as fishing, important habitats and archaeological resources and identify areas for energy projects, Federal Republic can be applied to actions in federal waters.

"Once again, the ocean State leads that help to create nation in establishing a plan for the use of marine resources and preserve jobs, renewable energy, build our State and continue to preserve historic fishing, transport, recreation and other uses of the ocean, Rhode Islanders so treasure", Governor Chafee said. "This plan is our state its 15 percent reach renewable energy target and this drive tourism protect our continue to assist coastal regions."

By using the best available science, Ocean SAMP offers a comprehensive understanding of Rhode Iceland complex and rich ecosystems. It covers topics including renewable energy and other offshore development, marine transport and infrastructure, cultural and historical resources and global climate change. To view the ocean SAMP, please visit: http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/oceansamp/.

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth environment from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the Sun, and that conservation and management of our coastal and resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

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SPI solar begins construction of the 8 megawatt utility scale development in Palm Springs, California

ROSEVILLE, Kalifornien-(BUSINESS WIRE) - SPI solar ("SPI") (OTCBB: SOPW) a leading developer of ("PV") solar energy photovoltaic systems today announced that it entered into an EPC contract with North Palm Springs investments, LLC and is building on a 8-megawatt DC-utility-scale development is located in nearby Palm Springs, California has begun. A power purchase agreement ("PPA") with Southern California Edison ("SCE") makes the exclusive buyer SCE the current through the SPI system for a period of 20 years. During this term SPI monitoring services offer PowerView monitoring system monitoring and optimal system performance and maximum power generation on the company's own solar.

"We are very pleased to have this project." "SCE is partner a great to work with and our largest utility-scale project, and our biggest project with SCE is to this day," said Steve Kircher, CEO for SPI. "Utility-scale projects as well as an increasing number of distributed generation track projects in the United States we are," added Mr Kircher. "This week we are the Intersolar North America Conference in San Francisco, where we will meet with several perspectives to develop strategic partnerships with us like the we recently, announced with KDC solar visited." We are excited about our pipeline development and "Mr. KIRCHER Castle the possibilities that it represents for our company."

The Palm Springs development use about 33,880 solar modules on a single Tracker System a total of 36.5 hectares on two separate parcels of LDK for SPI made. The SPI-single-tracking systems can the array, the strings of the panels to follow the course of the Sun, maintaining an optimal angle relative to the position of the Sun from sunrise to sunset and hence to the increase in the power production capabilities of the system to mechanically. SPI includes innovative and environmentally friendly installation practices in his design process as a result minimal disturbance of native conditions. (Video installation by the SPI Tracker systems can be found under: http://www.spisolar.com/Page.aspx?)(Page 44)

If you have finished, created the system a estimated 8,000 kilowatt hours electricity in the first year, to remove the equivalent 10,912 miles of cars with the highway and opposing 6 tons of CO2 from the environment operated.

About solar power, Inc. (OTCBB: SOPW):

(SPI) is a vertically integrated photovoltaic solar developer solar power, Inc. offers an own brand for high-quality, low-cost distributed generation and utility-scale solar energy development of building services. By the company close relationship with LDK Solar expands SPI the range of the vertical integration of Silicon system. Project development offers from project funding and temporary asset management, SPI turnkey world-class photovoltaic solar energy facilities for their business, Government and utility customers. For more information, please visit: www.spisolar.com.

Safe Harbor statement:

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the activity of solar power, Inc., its subsidiaries and the solar industry, by the use of forward looking words such as "believes, expects" or similar expressions be identified can. The forward looking statements contained in this press release include statements for the company running ability, their growth plans and revenue and sales give estimates, in formal market long-term supply agreements and acceptance of products and services. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, general terms and conditions, management of growth and political and other business risks. All forward-looking statements are qualified expressly submitted in the reports of the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission in their entirety by this cautionary statement and of the risks and other factors that in detail. The company assumes no obligation, publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether to a new information, future events or otherwise, except may be required under securities law.

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