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Tor Bejnar

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1500 on: January 17, 2017, 09:15:19 PM »
I've been in Chinese smog (but 1970's China has nothing on today) and I've driven past wind farms (in West Texas):  I'll dare to contradict you about the "exactly like". [Edit:  :P ::)]
« Last Edit: January 17, 2017, 10:41:03 PM by Tor Bejnar »
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magnamentis

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1501 on: January 17, 2017, 09:39:42 PM »
I've been in Chinese smog (but 1970's China has nothing on today) and I've driven past wind farms (in West Texas):  I'll dare to contradict you about the "exactly like".

ok, not "exactly like" in the meaning of identically. i just lack a better english term to say that smog is blocking sight as well and that i prefer windmills because the block less of the view and keep my lungs and my skin in peace. don't hesitate to send me a better english term than that via PM, i'm always trying to add to my learning curve, no matter the topic.

cheers

DrTskoul

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1502 on: January 17, 2017, 09:40:55 PM »
Also I need to ID my sarcasm...  :P

magnamentis

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1503 on: January 17, 2017, 09:53:58 PM »
Also I need to ID my sarcasm...  :P

 ;)

Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1504 on: January 18, 2017, 08:30:55 PM »
Not limited to renewables, but "hardening of the grid" is becoming a thing.

Three U.S. Utilities Order Ballistic Protection Transformer Solution
Quote
ABB has won orders from three major US utilities for its innovative AssetShield solution to deliver hardened and bullet resistant transformers, and facilitate the protection of critical grid assets, minimizing potential outages and enhancing the reliability of power networks. ...
http://m.tdworld.com/substations/three-us-utilities-order-ballistic-protection-transformer-solution
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1505 on: January 20, 2017, 09:03:54 PM »
Longread on different approaches to community solar.

Subscriptions or sales: Which community solar approach promises the best growth?
Private developers are getting ambitious and utilities are eyeing the opportunity
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/subscriptions-or-sales-which-community-solar-approach-promises-the-best-gr/434051/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1506 on: January 21, 2017, 03:44:37 PM »
In 1 second, the earth absorbs 1.22E17 Joules from sun. A fraction is enough to power civilization. ☀️

https://twitter.com/johnpalkovic/status/822812416568213504
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1507 on: January 21, 2017, 08:29:17 PM »
"U.S. solar employs more workers than any other energy industry, including coal, oil and natural gas combined, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's second annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report.

6.4 million Americans now work in the traditional energy and the energy efficiency sector, which added more than 300,000 net new jobs in 2016, or 14 percent of the nation's job growth."


Solar Employs More Workers Than Coal, Oil and Natural Gas Combined
http://www.ecowatch.com/solar-job-growth-2197574131.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1508 on: January 21, 2017, 09:54:59 PM »
World Bank launches online solar mapping tool
Quote
The World Bank, in partnership with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), launched the Global Solar Atlas at an ISA event at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

The free, online tool is designed to help investors and policymakers identify potential sites for generating solar energy virtually anywhere in the world.

The tool shows annual solar power potential and has the capacity to zoom into areas in great detail –with a spatial resolution of 1 kilometre (0.6 miles).

According to the World Bank, the tool can also provide access to high-resolution global and regional maps and geographical information system (GIS) data, allowing users to print poster maps and utilise the data in other applications. ...
http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/world_bank_launches_online_solar_mapping_tool
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1509 on: January 23, 2017, 09:47:25 PM »
For the military, anyway.

New Secretary of Defense James Mattis Supports Solar Military Microgrids To ‘Remove Tether of Fuel’
Quote
... Working with civilian organizations and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), Mattis has been “engaged with Science and Technology” for over ten years looking to diversify the energy used on military bases, and solar energy has been an obvious option.

“In many of these places, there is a lot of sunshine,” says Mattis.  “[We need to] get expeditionary capability to capture that and then basically recharge our batteries.” ...
http://microgridmedia.com/new-secretary-of-defense-james-mattis-supports-solar-microgrids-to-remove-tether-of-fuel/
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sidd

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1510 on: January 24, 2017, 12:06:17 AM »

Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1511 on: January 24, 2017, 01:56:07 AM »
Study shows more than twice as many Americans support alternative energy over fossil fuels, including two thirds of moderate republicans
Quote
Pew Research Center has released the most recent results of their yearly survey asking Americans their opinions on energy development.  In it, a large majority of Americans – 65% – give priority to developing alternative energy over fossil fuels.  Less than half as many – 27% – think that we should be expanding production of oil, coal and natural gas. The number of Americans supporting alternative energy in the survey has been consistently high since Pew started asking this question, and has been increasing since 2013.....
https://electrek.co/2017/01/23/study-shows-more-than-twice-as-many-americans-support-alternative-energy-over-fossil-fuels-including-two-thirds-of-moderate-republicans/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1512 on: January 24, 2017, 09:37:34 PM »
Off Long Island, Wind Power Tests the Waters
Quote
...The wind array would not be visible from Montauk Point, and difficult to see from Martha’s Vineyard, some 15 miles away, said Jeffrey Grybowski, Deepwater’s chief executive. That makes it unlikely to stir the kind of public opposition that all but sank Cape Wind, the ambitious development that would have positioned 130 wind machines just five miles off Cape Cod but stalled in a political storm over blighted vistas.
...
We’re a heavy industry that’s poised to build, employ and invest,” said Nancy Sopko, who manages advocacy and federal legislative affairs at the American Wind Industry Association.

That momentum may be difficult to slow, even if new federal policies put a stop to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s leasing activities for wind energy, its proponents say. The active leases alone, if developed, are enough to create an industry, they say. And the commitments of states like New York and Massachusetts, and experienced multinational developers, show that the struggle to harness Atlantic breezes is no longer the same as tilting at windmills.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/business/energy-environment/offshore-wind-energy-long-island.html

Image: Parcels identified for wind power development along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1513 on: January 27, 2017, 02:55:50 AM »
SunShot $1 per Watt Solar Cost Goal: Mission Accomplished, Years Ahead of Schedule
Quote
The SunShot initiative hoped to reduce the total costs of PV solar energy systems by about 75 percent so that they were cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies before 2020. Chu said that SunShot would work to bring down the cost of solar -- by focusing on four main pillars:

- Technologies for solar cells and arrays
- Power electronics to optimize the performance of the installation
- Improvements in solar manufacturing processes
- Installation, design and permitting for solar energy systems

In fact, steep reductions in system pricing have stemmed not just from modules, but also from price reductions in inverters, trackers and even labor costs. It's only stubborn soft costs such as customer acquisition that have actually risen....
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Sunshot-1-Per-Watt-Solar-Cost-Goal-Mission-Accomplished-Years-Ahead-of-S


Unfortunately, there was this news today:

Trump administration silences the Department of Energy’s Sunshot team
Quote
President Trump has told the United States Department of Energy Sunshot team that they are not allowed to communicate any information to the public until political appointments are made to review all of said communications per a report from Samantha Page at ThinkProgress.
...
From the Sunshot website,

The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a national effort to support solar energy adoption by making solar energy affordable for all Americans through research and development efforts in collaboration with public and private partners. SunShot funds cooperative research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects by private companies, universities, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity.
...
Any information released by the Sunshot group would be of a technical nature that communicates research advancements. The Sunshot team does not research climate change or pollution, which makes the move to silence them even more strange....
https://electrek.co/2017/01/26/trump-silences-the-department-of-energys-sunshot-team/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1514 on: January 29, 2017, 05:30:32 PM »
Marubeni to build 1.18GW solar plant
UAE sun farm to have more capacity than a nuclear reactor
Quote
TOKYO -- Japanese trading house Marubeni will build and manage what will become one of the world's largest mega solar power plants, with a capacity of 1.18 or so gigawatts -- more than a nuclear reactor.

The plant will be built in the United Arab Emirates. ...
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Marubeni-to-build-1.18GW-solar-plant


Electrek: 1.18GW & 2.3/kWh built at $.73/W – 73¢/W to install for a total price of $868M, 60% government funded – the water and power company specifically, 20% by panel manufacturer and 20% by construction company. The price per kWh was bid at 2.42¢ – and it was for a 25 year power purchase agreement. The solar panels at 36¢/W would be 49% of the total system price, and at 25¢/W would be 35% of the system price. Its interesting that in these uber sized projects, solar panels have once again become the largest price variable.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1515 on: January 29, 2017, 06:12:17 PM »
A look at a Chinese fishery with a giant integrated solar array – feeding a world hungry for clean energy
Quote
...The 200MW project will produce greater than 220GWh/year of electricity. The project cost 1.8B RMB (US$260M) and covers an area of 300 hectares. The power generated by the station will be connected to the state grid, yielding an annual income of 240 million RMB (US$34M). In addition, another 13 million RMB (US$2M) will be earned through the fishery. Roughly, the system will pay for itself in seven to eight years.
...
https://electrek.co/2017/01/29/a-look-at-a-chinese-fishery-with-a-giant-integrated-solar-array-feeding-a-world-hungry-for-clean-energy/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1516 on: January 31, 2017, 05:03:34 PM »
Wow!

Electrek says:
Quote
Is this 1GW array actually the largest in the world? – Recently, I’ve read of an Indian and a Chinese solar farm being proclaimed as the world’s largest. Now – I’ve got a 1GW in China saying it is the largest single solar plant in the world. My first thoughts move toward how to optimize operations and management – a plant of this size would definitely benefit from a robotic cleaning service. The approximately 300,000 individual solar panels are monitored remotely (and wirelessly) in groups of about 30-33 panels – this will help engineers focus their troubleshooting. I wouldn’t be surprised if each one of those hundreds of rows you see in the [image below] was a batch of 30-33.
https://electrek.co/2017/01/31/electrek-green-energy-brief-1gw-huawei-solar-plant-largest-in-world-why-utilities-have-already-lost-and-more/

http://www.modernpowersystems.com/features/feature1-gw-pv-array-the-worlds-largest-comes-on-line-5664138/

http://www.huawei.com/en/all-products/Solar/References/Yanchi
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1517 on: January 31, 2017, 08:08:39 PM »
“While North Sea oil and gas production is in decline as reserves run dry, the new strategy implies Scotland will need to accelerate its transition to a low-carbon economy faster than reserves run out to hit both targets.”

Scotland eyes 50% renewable energy by 2030 in shift away from North Sea oil
SNP unveils plan encouraging motorists, homeowners and businesses to use low- or zero-carbon sources for half their energy
Quote
The Scottish government has taken the first steps to heavily cutting the country’s reliance on North Sea oil and gas after calling for 50% of Scotland’s entire energy needs to come from renewables.

In a subtle but significant shift of emphasis for the Scottish National party after decades championing North Sea production, ministers unveiled a new energy strategy intended to push motorists, homeowners and businesses into using low- or zero-carbon green energy sources for half their energy needs by 2030....
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/24/scotland-renewable-energy-north-sea-oil
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jai mitchell

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1518 on: January 31, 2017, 08:33:32 PM »
Gargantuan offshore wind turbine crushes record for most (single turbine wind) energy produced in 24 hours

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/denmark-wind-turbine-breaks-records/

Quote
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind — a joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — showed off its 9 MW turbine prototype in December 2016, an upgrade to its V164-8.0 MW version. The Goliath of wind turbines generated nearly 216,000 kWh over 24 hours during its December test, breaking the previous record for energy generation record for a commercially available offshore wind turbine. To put the numbers in perspective, that’s enough energy to power the average American household for roughly 20 years.
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Neven

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1519 on: January 31, 2017, 09:21:54 PM »
Gargantuan offshore wind turbine crushes record for most (single turbine wind) energy produced in 24 hours

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/denmark-wind-turbine-breaks-records/

Quote
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind — a joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — showed off its 9 MW turbine prototype in December 2016, an upgrade to its V164-8.0 MW version. The Goliath of wind turbines generated nearly 216,000 kWh over 24 hours during its December test, breaking the previous record for energy generation record for a commercially available offshore wind turbine. To put the numbers in perspective, that’s enough energy to power the average American household for roughly 20 years.

216,000 kWh in just 24 hours?!?

My goodness, that's 30 times more than my solar panels produce in a whole year!
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Tor Bejnar

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1520 on: January 31, 2017, 09:32:38 PM »
...
216,000 kWh in just 24 hours?!?

My goodness, that's 30 times more than my solar panels produce in a whole year!
And a tad more than the ~400 kWh my panels produced each year (20 years ago).  (My array was sized to produce 1 kWh per sunny winter day.)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1521 on: February 01, 2017, 05:40:44 PM »
Shhhhh!  Soon everyone will be wanting a gigantic wind turbine in their backyard!  ;) ;D
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1522 on: February 01, 2017, 05:43:32 PM »
German electricity transmission CEO: ‘80% renewables is no problem’
Quote
Recently, you said that 70% renewable energy could be integrated. Is this realistic?

There are a certain number of myths in the energy industry. One of them is that we need more flexibility in the system to integrate renewables, like energy storage, interruptible loads or backup power plants. That’s a myth. We have a lot more flexibility than we need and a huge amount of potential.

What about demand management?

In case of a sudden high demand for energy, large consumers can decide, as an alternative, to scale back their industrial processes for half an hour, which they will be paid for. Technically, and from a marketing point of view, this was not possible a few years ago. So we can now offer greater flexibility, when there is a demand for it. Another less well-known fact is that when renewables were satisfying 40% of demand, for just a few hours in the year, when we were at our greatest flexibility, it was demand that was causing it, not the availability of the renewable sources. ...
https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/interview/german-electricity-transmission-ceo-80-renewables-is-no-problem/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1523 on: February 02, 2017, 04:35:24 PM »
SunShot Announces $30M For Solar Integration Projects
http://solarindustrymag.com/sunshot-announces-30m-for-solar-integration-projects


Electrek says:  With a goal of “Enabling Extreme Real-Time Grid Integration of Solar Energy” Sunshot announces $30M in grants for 13 programs – The goal is to get the electricity grid to handle solar power greater than 100% of the grid’s demand at any moment. The 13 tools in this round of awards focus on software to watch and analyze, plus hardware that focuses on strategic positions within the grid to route large volume of energy at key moments. Reading through each one you can visualize how solar power peaking at 12 noon could be better managed by each of these systems. It must be exciting to be the scientists within the SunShot team, looking down on this broad machine, and seeing how this software and hardware will fine tune the movement of electricity across the world.
https://electrek.co/2017/02/02/electrek-green-energy-brief-solar-to-2-centskwh-in-saudi-arabia-sunshot-30m-in-grants-more/


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Archimid

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1524 on: February 02, 2017, 05:03:01 PM »
Search for the Super Battery (Video, 53 minutes)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/super-battery.html

Program Description

Quote
We live in an age when technological innovation seems to be limitlessly soaring. But for all the satisfying speed with which our gadgets have improved, many of them share a frustrating weakness: the batteries. Though they have improved in last century, batteries remain finicky, bulky, expensive, toxic, and maddeningly short-lived. The quest is on for a “super battery,” and the stakes in this hunt are much higher than the phone in your pocket. With climate change looming, electric cars and renewable energy sources like wind and solar power could hold keys to a greener future...if we can engineer the perfect battery. Join host David Pogue as he explores the hidden world of energy storage, from the power—and danger—of the lithium-ion batteries we use today, to the bold innovations that could one day charge our world
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1525 on: February 02, 2017, 07:03:43 PM »
"Musk has positioned Tesla in the sweet spot of three emerging trillion-dollar industries—electric vehicles, solar power, and battery storage. If you count the race towards fully autonomous vehicles, which EVs are likely to dominate, Tesla hits four major growth sectors."
By Joe Romm

Tesla drops ‘Motors’ from name in bid for clean energy supremacy
https://thinkprogress.org/tesla-without-motors-ecc64486d532
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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1526 on: February 02, 2017, 07:36:05 PM »
Those of you who have not yet "discovered" RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute)......it is a GREAT resource of knowledge related to everything related to the energy markets.  Below is the link to a recent article of theirs:

http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2017_01_31_eight_areas_of_electricity_innovation_to_watch_in_2017

They have a mailing list.....and again, provide great insights as to what is "coming down the pike."

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1527 on: February 02, 2017, 09:03:09 PM »
New "sustainable home improvement store" opening in Dallas, Texas. 
And a Tesla Supercharger in the parking lot, naturally.

Tesla partners with new sustainable home improvement store to sell Powerwalls and deploy Powerpacks
Quote
The company doesn’t plan to have large inventories, but instead to have demonstrations of the products they are selling. It’s mostly about sustainable building products, home automation, and energy efficiency.
https://electrek.co/2017/02/02/tesla-partners-treehouse-sell-powerwall-powerpack/

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1528 on: February 04, 2017, 04:17:31 PM »
A conversation with Charlie Gay

The man chosen recently to lead the SunShot Initiative at the Department of Energy talks about the $30 million in grants SunShot awarded, future funding opportunities and why he’s more excited than ever about the future of solar energy in the United States.
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/02/03/pv-magazine-exclusive-a-conversation-with-charlie-gay/


Lisa Walker: Hard to keep up with the falling costs of solar real life outpacing all the models!
https://twitter.com/lisa13walker/status/827453523692548097
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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1529 on: February 04, 2017, 07:20:00 PM »
These massive solar array farms are impressive but they are not the best method of increasing the efficient use of solar generated electricity. The single biggest effect of our current electricity grid is transmission loss. We should be placing solar panels at point of use to reduce this waste and get a far bigger bang for our solar capital investment. 2/3 of the electricity generated in the U.S. is wasted and a huge portion of this is transmission loss, perhaps 10% to 15% in the U.S. and as high as 30% in India.

wehappyfew

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1530 on: February 04, 2017, 07:28:45 PM »
SH,

You are reading that chart incorrectly.

About 2/3rds of the total energy input into the electric generating industry is lost as waste heat in thermal power plants due to Carnot efficiency limits. Very little is lost in transmission.

See:

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=105&t=3

"How much electricity is lost in transmission and distribution in the United States?

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that electricity transmission and distribution losses average about 6% of the electricity that is transmitted and distributed annually in the United States."


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Shared Humanity

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1531 on: February 04, 2017, 07:35:27 PM »
The transmission and distribution losses on the grid are 6% but the losses in residences are not entirely understood but likely range between 2% and 4%. When you are calculating the ROI on a capital investment in solar generation, a 10% increase is enormous. I also believe having local generation also lowers the investment needed for smart grids as solar generation fluctuates. The model for efficient investment of solar should look a great deal like the phone companies in the U.S., prior to deregulation with the energy companies installing, owning and servicing the panels at residences and charging for the electricity consumed while benefiting from the over production that goes back into the grid. This model overcomes the inability of most households to afford the cost of installation of a rooftop solar panel system.

http://insideenergy.org/2015/11/06/lost-in-transmission-how-much-electricity-disappears-between-a-power-plant-and-your-plug/
« Last Edit: February 04, 2017, 07:43:54 PM by Shared Humanity »

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1532 on: February 05, 2017, 04:31:07 PM »
“The greater efficiency means using 1/16 the number of magnets and copper and cutting heat dissipation by half, allowing for a 2.5x smaller aluminum block for cooling. The size and weight – 17.7” x 14.6” x 6.8” and 25.3 pounds – make it half as big as comparable inverters and installable/replaceable by a single person instead of two.”

SolarEdge sets inverter efficiency record with new technology platform
Quote
SolarEdge’s HD-Wave inverter broke the California Energy Commission’s record for inverter efficiency.

The inverter, which was announced in September 2015 but is only now seeing wide-scale rollout, tested at 99% weighted efficiency while the competition clocks in between 96-98%. Arguably more important than the efficiency record is the new technology in the inverter – an “electronics based conversion topology.” SolarEdge says that because of their distributed switching and digital processing of the sine wave, they’re able to more efficiently convert electricity from DC to AC. With this new infrastructure, SolarEdge says inverters can evolve beyond mechanics to the speed of electronics. Think of televisions moving from cathode tubes with big magnets to flat screen electronic machines. ...
https://electrek.co/2017/02/05/solaredge-sets-inverter-efficiency-record-with-new-technology-platform/
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TerryM

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1533 on: February 05, 2017, 09:53:05 PM »
The transmission and distribution losses on the grid are 6% but the losses in residences are not entirely understood but likely range between 2% and 4%. When you are calculating the ROI on a capital investment in solar generation, a 10% increase is enormous. I also believe having local generation also lowers the investment needed for smart grids as solar generation fluctuates. The model for efficient investment of solar should look a great deal like the phone companies in the U.S., prior to deregulation with the energy companies installing, owning and servicing the panels at residences and charging for the electricity consumed while benefiting from the over production that goes back into the grid. This model overcomes the inability of most households to afford the cost of installation of a rooftop solar panel system.

http://insideenergy.org/2015/11/06/lost-in-transmission-how-much-electricity-disappears-between-a-power-plant-and-your-plug/


While I'd seriously doubt the residential losses postulated, how would moving the energy source from 1,000 km away into your back yard have any effect on the losses within your residence?


Terry

Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1534 on: February 08, 2017, 03:00:30 PM »
Kees van der Leun: Yesterday, wind energy produced half of all the electricity that Spain needed!
(the green band in the middle)
https://mobile.twitter.com/Sustainable2050/status/828727842703802368
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1535 on: February 08, 2017, 03:05:07 PM »
Cost scale on left, time scale on right.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262304928_Construction_Cost_Overruns_and_Electricity_Infrastructure_An_Unavoidable_Risk

Edit: I believe "T&D" is transmission & distribution.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2017, 03:16:35 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1536 on: February 09, 2017, 08:47:52 PM »
"North Dakota's House unanimously rejects proposed $1.50/MWh tax on #wind energy"
https://twitter.com/eqresearcheq/status/829338034554408961
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1537 on: February 10, 2017, 12:41:03 AM »
"From the Department of Energy funded website DSIRE, a nice map of all of the states that have a renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The numbers needed and the year to meet it by ranges state by state. Quite noticeable is the southeast USA gap…as a former Floridian for a few decades – not surprised."
https://electrek.co/2017/02/09/electrek-green-energy-brief-90-new-2016-eu-capacity-clean-australias-advanced-grid-korean-polysilicon-replacing-us-more/

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crandles

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1538 on: February 10, 2017, 12:31:52 PM »
Anglesey 'kite' energy scheme international hub plan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-38917697

Quote
Swedish firm Minesto is fixing underwater energy "kites" in the sea off Holyhead to power 8,000 households.
It now wants to boost the size of the scheme from 10 to 80 MW (megawatts) so it can halve the cost of energy produced.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1539 on: February 11, 2017, 07:46:33 PM »
Nation’s largest PV glass skylight now under construction in the remodeled Bell Labs in New Jersey
Quote
...“Where traditional opaque solar panels are designed solely to generate electricity, Bell Works’ newly installed PV skylight will be transparent, allowing for light to pass through the PV glass without compromising the building’s renowned day-lit atrium,” added Diego Cuevas, vice president of business development of Onyx Solar. “The photovoltaic glass will enhance Eero Saarinen’s unique aesthetic while maximizing energy efficiency in this expansive space.”...
http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/02/nations-largest-pv-glass-skylight-now-construction-new-jersey/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1540 on: February 11, 2017, 08:05:09 PM »
Efficiency and variety cited as solutions to Australia's power crisis.

Quote
So-called demand side management could, for instance, have avoided the need to cut supplies on Friday to Tomago Aluminium, putting at risk expensive potlines at the nation's biggest smelter. Those with more discretionary needs could have switched off instead.

"If we were more methodical about it, we would have a lot more capacity," Dr Dunstan said.

CEC's Thornton said falling costs of batteries would make renewables more flexible too.

They would also address the matter of rooftop panels pointed north rather than west. Mr Thornton notes, though, that solar panels were far from useless in NSW on Friday, generating as much as 480 MW at 5pm. (Large-scale solar plants can be built to track the sun.)

"If ever there was a time battery storage would have played an important role, this week was it," he said.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/renewable-energy-most-solar-panels-next-to-useless-at-key-times-expert-says-20170207-gu7vxr.html


About solar panel placement, Electrek says:
Quote
I’m glad that this ‘issue’ is being raised again, because soon it will be a challenge that it will make sense for solar power to attack – and attacking this issue will make solar power more powerful. Peak energy usage is at 6 PM for a lot of places – for others it is 12-2 PM during summer time. For the large chunk of the world that has a 6 PM bump – solar panels facing due west would be great. However, solar panels facing due west produce less energy than those facing due south. Economics will solve this challenge – the power companies will increase the price for energy at that time, and solar power will start following. In time – we’ll have a certain percentage of our panels within unique various load zones facing different directions to maximize energy needs.
https://electrek.co/2017/02/11/electrek-green-energy-brief-jimmy-carter-installing-solar-solarworld-laying-off-900-conservative-argument-for-solar-more/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1541 on: February 14, 2017, 12:08:52 AM »
U.S.:  For the First Time, Wind on the Plains Supplied More Than Half Region's Power
Quote
Wind turbines across the Great Plains states produced, for the first time, more than half the region’s electricity Sunday.

The power grid that supplies a corridor stretching from Montana to the Texas Panhandle was getting 52.1 percent of its power from wind at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, Little Rock, Arkansas-based Southwest Power Pool Inc. said in a statement Monday.

As more and more turbines are installed across the country, Southwest Power has become the first North American grid operator to get a majority of its supply from wind. That beats the grid’s prior record of 49.2 percent and the 48 percent that a Texas grid operator reached in March, Derek Wingfield, a spokesman, said in an e-mail.

“Ten years ago we thought hitting even a 25 percent wind-penetration level would be extremely challenging, and any more than that would pose serious threats to reliability,” Bruce Row, Southwest Power Pool’s vice president of operations, said in the statement. “Now we have the ability to reliably manage greater than 50 percent. It’s not even our ceiling.”

The power pool operates 60,000 miles of power grid across 14 states. Texas leads the U.S. wind industry with more than 20 gigawatts installed, followed by Iowa, Oklahoma, California and Kansas, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-13/wind-on-the-plains-supplied-more-than-half-region-s-power-needs
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1542 on: February 15, 2017, 09:07:10 PM »
 How's this for a tipping point?  :)

Trump voters expect the president to lead on clean energy
70 percent of Trump voters want clean energy to make America great again.
Quote
...According to a new report from Yale and George Mason universities, seven in 10 Trump voters support government research into clean energy and support tax rebates for consumers who buy solar panels and fuel-efficient cars. Slightly more than half of Trump voters want to end subsidies for fossil fuels.
...
According to Garcia, clean energy has gone mainstream, earning broad support across the political spectrum. Once the purview of tree-hugging coastal elites, cutting-edge clean-energy innovations like Tesla’s Model 3 are now seen by many as must-have consumer technology. ...
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-voters-expect-the-president-to-lead-on-clean-energy-56e6d1a7e025
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1543 on: February 21, 2017, 02:18:22 AM »
According to a new Department of Energy report, electric-sector clean energy jobs in the U.S. outnumber fossil fuel jobs 5 to 1.

U.S. Clean Energy Jobs Surpass Fossil Fuel Employment
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lara-ettenson/us-clean-energy-jobs-surpass-fossil-fuel-employment
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1544 on: February 21, 2017, 02:31:01 AM »
Ivanpah, NRG’s Massive California Solar Plant Finally Making Enough Power
Quote
The world’s biggest solar-thermal power plant is finally producing enough electricity.

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in Southern California initially failed to meet contractual obligations, and a yearlong forbearance deal with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. expired Wednesday. After fine-tuning the complex facility that uses 170,000 mirrors, output is up and it’s no longer at risk of defaulting on the deal, according to David Knox, a spokesman for operator and co-owner NRG Energy Inc.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-01/nrg-s-massive-california-solar-plant-finally-making-enough-power
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1545 on: February 21, 2017, 02:18:14 PM »
Solar electricity at 1.99¢/kWh? Saudi government offering ‘motivating terms,’ expecting ‘record bid’
Quote
Saudi Arabia has officially launched a request for proposals (RFP) for 300MW of solar power – the RFP sits at the front end of a 9.5 GW solar rollout by 2023. The proposed project’s site has gone through full pre-development work with those site assessments will be made available to qualified parties. Bid due date is March 20th.

Earlier this month, Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that “the terms on renewable contracts will be motivating so that the cost of generating power from these renewable sources will be the lowest in the world.” The previous lowest bid was by a Japanese-led group in Au Dhabi for 2.3¢/kWh as part of a ‘side bid’ of 1,170MW.

As we saw in India’s recent bids, government support and intelligently designed programs will lead toward record low prices when expectations scale to the multi-gigawatt level.

With the continued increases in solar panel efficiency, and falling solar module and utility-scale power plants, we expect that someone will bid 1.99¢/kWh or lower. ...
https://electrek.co/2017/02/21/solar-electricity-at-1-99¢kwh-saudi-ministry-offering-excellent-terms-expecting-record-bid/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1546 on: February 22, 2017, 06:38:07 PM »
Quote
A sober conversation is going to have to occur between the day we all have energy storage and today, when we are seeing higher levels of solar power penetration drive down average costs of energy across the board. We need to figure out how to make money off of solar power – and it is quite ironic that the problem of ‘too expensive’ solar power is now turning into ‘too cheap’ solar power.
https://electrek.co/2017/02/22/electrek-green-energy-brief-california-talking-about-100-mexico-at-2-69¢kwh-the-residential-electric-utility-more/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1547 on: February 25, 2017, 08:15:31 PM »
Quote of the Week
"I never thought that wind would pay more than oil. That noise they make – it’s kind of like a cash register.” -- Louis Brooks, a change-averse Texas rancher with 78 wind turbines on his family’s 18,000-acre property on the edge of a vast oil and gas deposit known as the Permian Basin.
(The Guardian)

Wind power saves Texas farms and ranches, Duke Energy to invest $25 billion in grid modernization.
http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=22b52c93d5&e=1aa4a51cb4
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1548 on: February 28, 2017, 12:27:33 AM »
South Carolina bill would require an 80% or better tax rate on all new solar installations, making agreements easier to reach.  But counties say they want to be able to make their own deals.

SC solar farms on hold, awaiting tax break
http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article134990214.html

Highlights from the article: 
1. ‘Landowners earn on average about $750 a year per acre in rental income,’
2. 91 potential solar farm projects in South Carolina are on hold pending legislation,
3. Those 91 projects on hold would generate about $217 million in one-time property taxes for hardware sales
4. and $12.6 million in annual property taxes, up from the roughly $21,000 that they now pay as agriculture properties,
5. Solar companies had invested $5.4 billion in northern neighbor North Carolina and $1.9 billion in the southern neighbor Georgia.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1549 on: February 28, 2017, 04:18:46 PM »
Solar Squabble Shows How a Trump Trade War With China Could Backfire
• REC Silicon lost 350 workers in the U.S. over three years
• Company to open $1 billion plant in China with 650 workers
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-26/u-s-china-already-in-trade-war-on-solar-and-everyone-is-losing

Electrek says:
Quote
USA losing jobs to South Korea/China in polysilicon manufacturing as a result of trade war – When the USA decided to tax solar panels and cells coming from China, they knew that somewhere China would respond. In 2013 the USA was proud of being a net exporter of solar power related technologies – led by polysilicon. That is no longer the case. Check out the chart of volume shifting from the USA. Taxing solar from China has led to a loss of jobs and production capability in the USA for polysilicon, increased the price of imported solar panels, lowered the number of installation jobs and slowed our progression toward cleaning this planet. Of course, I get that the purpose of the tax was because we wanted to protect American jobs manufacturing solar panels…how’d that work out in reality though? Much Chinese manufacturing is now building in Vietnam and Thailand to send to the USA anyway, skipping the tax.
https://electrek.co/2017/02/28/electrek-green-energy-brief-13/
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