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John Batteen

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1450 on: November 22, 2016, 06:52:06 PM »
I did some Googling and the original SolarCity press release has a bit more information.  Thanks for the heads-up Sigmetnow!

http://blog.solarcity.com/island-in-the-sun/

ghoti

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1451 on: November 23, 2016, 01:19:27 AM »
First power being fed to the grid in Nova Scotia from a giant tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy.

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/cape-sharp-tidal-generates-canadas-first-in-stream-tidal-energy-at-force-602465285.html


Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1452 on: November 23, 2016, 01:17:06 PM »
More on the tidal turbine, with photos and gifs:

Massive new tidal turbine has been deployed on the coast of Nova Scotia and now produces electricity- first in North America
https://electrek.co/2016/11/23/tidal-turbine-coast-nova-scotia/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1453 on: November 26, 2016, 07:32:40 PM »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1454 on: November 27, 2016, 03:14:32 PM »
Los Angeles to poor neighborhoods:  we will pay you to let us put solar on your roof.

The DWP is expanding its rooftop panel program to the 'solar desert' to meet its energy goals
Quote
Los Angeles utility commissioners want to pay homeowners in the city’s disadvantaged communities to generate electricity from the sun.

Residential customers who participate in the city’s Solar Rooftops Program will receive a $30 credit each month or $360 a year in exchange for allowing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to put city-owned solar panels on their property. The unusual pilot program aims to install solar panels on 400 rooftops over the next three years, beginning in early 2017.
...
The electricity from photovoltaic panels installed through the Solar Rooftops Programs will flow directly into the DWP grid rather than to the individual homes that lend their roofs to the operation. The wider distribution of solar energy production around the city will help balance out the grid and improve stability, utility officials said.

The DWP’s latest pilot program joins efforts across the country to make use of rooftop space by compensating the property owner while the solar system is owned by a utility or other solar developer.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dwp-solar-deserts-20161122-story.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1455 on: November 27, 2016, 06:57:32 PM »
U.S.:  The feds just gave batteries and rooftop solar panels access to big-time energy markets
Distributed energy will be able to play in wholesale energy markets. That’s a big deal.
http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/11/22/13703348/ferc-distributed-energy-wholesale-power-markets
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1456 on: November 30, 2016, 07:52:42 PM »
The world’s largest solar power plant is completed in India – 648 MW to power ~150,000 homes
Quote
India confirmed today that it completed its solar farm in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu, and it is taking the title of ‘the world’s largest solar power plant’ with a capacity of 648 MW – significantly more than the previous largest solar farm, the Topaz Solar Farm in California with a capacity of 550 MW.
...
The Adani Group invested $679m to build the solar farm in just 8 months with 2.5 million individual solar modules, according to Aljazeera. Autonomous cleaning robots installed on the solar arrays will be cleaning the solar panels in order to keep them at their most efficient.
https://electrek.co/2016/11/30/worlds-largest-solar-power-plant-india/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1457 on: December 04, 2016, 08:33:30 PM »
The trolling of Elon Musk: how US conservatives are attacking green tech
Electric-car evangelist is the target of concerted negative online campaign linked to influential rightwing network
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/04/elon-musk-trolling-us-conservatives-green-tech
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1458 on: December 06, 2016, 10:21:25 PM »
Not much of a "disguise," ;)  but an interesting early attempt.  The application of turbines directly to the building, as shown in the article, might also be promising.

Wind turbines disguised as trees and producing electricity from low wind speed are coming to the US
Quote
The leaves are small relative to your average wind turbine, but they’re actually 3-ft tall and there are 54 of them per tree.

At a peak power of 65-watt per leaf, each tree represents an installed capacity of 3.5 kW, or the equivalent of a small home solar array....
https://electrek.co/2016/12/06/newwind-wind-turbine-tree/
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SteveMDFP

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1459 on: December 10, 2016, 09:11:25 PM »
I thought this was a fascinating news article, about storing "energy" in the form of chilled and liquefied air:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37902773
Cryogenic storage offers hope for renewable energy

I was surprised that such an arrangement could have an acceptable efficiency of storage.  One key is that the system permits harnessing waste heat from other operations.  And it could be installed anywhere with access to surplus energy. 


Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1460 on: December 13, 2016, 02:51:24 AM »
Rhode Island: activating the first offshore wind farm in the United States.

Deepwater gets OK for full throttle at Block Island Wind Farm
Quote
PROVIDENCE -- When the Block Island Wind Farm starts today to ramp up to commercial operation, it won't be as simple as pressing a button or flipping a switch.

Instead, after Deepwater Wind managers determine the time is right, an engineer in the company's Providence offices will give the go-ahead to a counterpart with turbine manufacturer General Electric who, from a remote location, will execute software to fully activate the first offshore wind farm in the United States....
http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20161212/deepwater-gets-ok-for-full-throttle-at-block-island-wind-farm
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1461 on: December 13, 2016, 10:11:46 PM »
More on DeepwaterWind:

USA’s first offshore wind farm powers up in Rhode Island: DeepwaterWind will cut rates 40%, take island off diesel
https://electrek.co/2016/12/13/americas-first-offshore-wind-farm-powers-up-in-rhode-island-deepwaterwind-will-cut-rates-40-take-island-off-diesel/
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Tor Bejnar

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1462 on: December 14, 2016, 02:07:45 AM »
The island with 40% lower electric rates is Block Island (the 2010 population [winter time/permanent, I'd guess] was 1,050), not Rhode Island (the state that is not actually an island).  Block Island has used diesel generators for electricity and wasn't connected to the national (or state) grid before now.

Still, great news!
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1463 on: December 16, 2016, 01:55:26 PM »
OK, if you prefer: "turning point."  ;)

World Energy Hits a Turning Point: Solar That's Cheaper Than Wind
Emerging markets are leapfrogging the developed world thanks to cheap panels.
Quote
The overall shift to clean energy can be more expensive in wealthier nations, where electricity demand is flat or falling and new solar must compete with existing billion-dollar coal and gas plants.  But in countries that are adding new electricity capacity as quickly as possible, “renewable energy will beat any other technology in most of the world without subsidies,” said Liebreich.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-15/world-energy-hits-a-turning-point-solar-that-s-cheaper-than-wind
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1464 on: December 17, 2016, 05:40:06 PM »
Google operations to be 100% renewable powered in 2017. 

Quote
I’m thrilled to announce that in 2017 Google will reach 100% renewable energy for our global operations — including both our data centers and offices. We were one of the first corporations to create large-scale, long-term contracts to buy renewable energy directly; we signed our first agreement to purchase all the electricity from a 114-megawatt wind farm in Iowa, in 2010. Today, we are the world’s largest corporate buyer of renewable power, with commitments reaching 2.6 gigawatts (2,600 megawatts) of wind and solar energy. That’s bigger than many large utilities and more than twice as much as the 1.21 gigawatts it took to send Marty McFly back to the future.
https://blog.google/topics/environment/100-percent-renewable-energy/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1465 on: December 19, 2016, 04:11:55 PM »
If the federal government doesn't push renewables, the states can.  And if the states don't, cities and municipalities can.  North Carolina state legislature is having a particularly tumultuous time right now, making this announcement even more heartening.

Boone, NC Passes Historic Resolution: Ditch Fossil Fuels, Go 100% Clean Energy
Quote
With an incoming presidential administration seemingly hostile towards action on climate change, local solutions are now more important than ever. With or without Donald Trump's help, the North Carolina municipality of Boone is calling on the whole state—and the United States at large—to encourage green jobs and transition to 100 percent clean energy across all energy sectors.
http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy-solutions-project-2151130342.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1466 on: December 19, 2016, 10:24:25 PM »
Statoil wins U.S. government bid to build offshore windfarm on the East Coast
Quote
Norwegian company Statoil will lease from the U.S. government nearly 80,000 acres off the coast of New York for an offshore wind farm, the company announced in a news release on Friday.

Statoil secured the lease by submitting the top bid of more than $43 million during an auction for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Ocean Energy Management.

Power from the wind farm will go to New York City and Long Island. The area of the lease is between 14 and 30 miles off the coast of New York. The company did not give a timeline for when construction of the wind farm will begin.

In the U.S. there is currently only one operational wind farm, which started generating power last week off the coast of Rhode Island.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/12/16/statoil-wins-u-s-government-bid-to-build-offshore-windfarm-on-the-east-coast/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1467 on: December 20, 2016, 08:25:00 PM »
French energy company Engie SA Sees Pathway to $10 Oil
Quote
The oil industry must brace for five energy “tsunamis” that threaten to drag prices as low as $10 a barrel in less than a decade, according to Engie SA’s innovation chief.

The falling cost of solar power and battery storage, rising sales of electric vehicles, increasingly “smart” buildings and cheap hydrogen will all weigh on crude, Thierry Lepercq, head of research, technology and innovation at the French energy company, said in an interview.

“Even if oil demand continues to climb until 2025, its price could drop to $10 if markets anticipate a significant fall in demand,” Lepercq said at his office near Paris. Crude last slumped to that level in 1998.

“Solar, battery storage, electrical and hydrogen vehicles, and connected devices are in a ‘J’ curve,” he said. “Hydrogen is the missing link in a 100 percent renewable-energy system, but technological bricks already exist.”

The former French gas monopoly, which is now the world’s largest non-state power producer following a decade of acquisitions, is investing in renewables while selling coal-fired plants and exploration assets to shield itself from commodity-price swings. It plans to spend 1.5 billion euros ($1.57 billion) by 2018 on technologies including grid-scale battery storage, hydrogen output, “mini-grids” that serve small clusters of homes, and smart buildings that link up heating, lighting and IT systems to save energy and cut costs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-20/energy-tsunamis-threaten-to-drag-oil-down-to-10-engie-says
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1468 on: December 23, 2016, 09:36:27 PM »
UK hits clean energy milestone: 50% of electricity from low carbon sources
Quote
Half of the UK’s electricity came from wind turbines, solar panels, wood burning and nuclear reactors between July and September, in a milestone first.

Official figures published on Thursday show low carbon power, which has been supported by the government to meet climate change targets, accounted for 50% of electricity generation in the UK in the third quarter, up from 45.3% the year before.

The rise was largely driven by new windfarms and solar farms being connected to the grid, and several major coal power stations closing.
   
In Scotland, the share of low carbon power is even greater, and now stands at 77% of electricity generation. A record 29% of Scotland’s electricity was exported, with almost all of it going to England.

The renewables and nuclear industry said the figures for Scotland were “fantastic” and demonstrated how carbon emissions could be cut while maintaining security of supply.

Scotland’s last coal power station closed in the spring, and coal plants in West Yorkshire and Staffordshire were shuttered. That caused coal power’s share of generation to plummet by more than three quarters, down from 16.7% in Q3 2015 to just 3.6% in the same period this year. ...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/22/uk-hits-clean-energy-milestone-50-of-electricity-from-low-carbon-sources
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1469 on: December 27, 2016, 03:29:35 PM »
Tesla also reaffirms the start of production for “summer 2017.”

Tesla closes deal with Panasonic to start manufacturing solar products in Buffalo with $250 million investment
Quote
...
These high-efficiency PV cells and modules will be used to produce solar panels in the non-solar roof products. When production of the solar roof begins, Tesla will also incorporate Panasonic’s cells into the many kinds of solar glass tile roofs that Tesla will be manufacturing.

The company reaffirms the goal to ramp to 1 Gigawatt of module production by 2019, but it’s not clear if that’s just for the solar panels or for the solar products also.

Tesla announced that Panasonic agreed to cover the capital costs required in Buffalo against a long-term purchase agreement of the solar products Panasonic plans to manufacture at the plant. It’s again a deal similar to what the companies already have at the battery Gigafactory in Nevada. The investment will represent more than 30 billion yen ($256 million), according to Panasonic.
...
https://electrek.co/2016/12/27/tesla-panasonic-buffalo-solar/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1470 on: December 30, 2016, 07:47:16 PM »
Hawaiian electricity utilities predict 100% renewables 5 years early – and 48% in just 4 years
Quote
About a year and a half ago, the island state of Hawaii proclaimed a goal of getting to 100% renewable electricity by 2045 – the first US State to make such a proclamation. In the past week, the Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) delivered plans showing a progression to 100% renewable electricity before 2040.  In a maximum projected model – 100% was possible by 2030 when considering the excess energy generation of residential solar customers. The plan suggests that electricity rates will rise through the mid-2020s due to upgrade requirements, before they fall as the benefit of no fuel electricity pays itself off. Sometime in late 2017, HECO believes they will meet the 2020 goal of 30% renewables – and sets an agressive goal to maximize installations before the Federal Solar ITC phases out. Bravo Hawaii.
https://electrek.co/2016/12/30/hawaiian-electricity-utilities-predict-100-renewables-5-years-early-and-48-in-just-4-years/
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James Lovejoy

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1471 on: December 31, 2016, 05:54:33 AM »
The other Hawaiian electric utility (Kauai Island Utility Cooperative) is already above 35% renewable electricity, and is looking at 75% by 2025.  http://website.kiuc.coop/content/renewable-energy-projects

Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1472 on: December 31, 2016, 07:18:40 PM »
"There is no reason to ever build another coal plant in the United States"
Quote
For the second year in a row, wind and solar accounted for roughly two-thirds of new U.S. generating capacity, while natural gas and nuclear made up most of the rest.

That’s because right now, in much of the United States, wind and solar are the cheapest form of power available, according to a new report from investment bank Lazard.

Analysts found that new solar or wind installations are cheaper than a new coal-fired power installation just about everywhere — even without subsidies — while the cost of renewables continues to fall rapidly.
https://thinkprogress.org/renewable-cheaper-than-coal-589e43113faf

The map below shows by county which technologies are most cost-effective without subsidies.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1473 on: December 31, 2016, 09:01:17 PM »
'Swarm Electrification' in Bangladesh Lets Neighbours Swap Solar Electricity
Quote
More than four million homes in Bangladesh are already equipped with solar panels. But, starting with the Shakimali Matborkandi pilot project, ME SOLshare aims to go a step further. With the help of a black box called a SOLbox and a mobile phone connected to the largest mobile banking network in the country called bKash, each family can buy solar electricity from their neighbours when they need it, and sell when they have a surplus.

If anyone on the grid needs electricity, they add credit to their mobile wallet, switch their SOLbox to ‘buy’ mode, and trade the credit for power. Similarly, those who have excess power, or simply want to make some extra money, set the box to ‘sell’ mode. They can then use the credit on their mobile wallet to buy products at any local store.
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/mesolshare-rural-bangladesh-swarm-electrification-off-the-grid
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1474 on: January 02, 2017, 02:31:37 PM »
US Doubles Down On Wave Energy, $40 Mil For New Test Bed Off Oregon Coast
Quote
It looks like the US is about to get much, much more serious about developing its vast wave energy potential. Researchers have been working at several relatively modest sites in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, and now the Energy Department has announced funding for a new, $40 million utility scale test site in the waters of the continental US, off the coast of Oregon.
...
The site will be up and running in less than four years, by early 2020. That’s a pretty quick turnaround, and there’s a reason for that. OSU has already spent several years in talks with local stakeholders, including fishermen, and the permitting process has been completed.
...
The nation’s first offshore wind farm just went online off the coast of Rhode Island, and the Obama Administration has mapped out an ambitious plan to harvest wind energy all along the eastern seaboard. It looks like New York State’s Long Island is next in line for development.

The west coast is a different kettle of fish. The Continental Shelf drops off quickly, and the waters are too deep for conventional offshore wind turbines to be set on the ocean floor. ...
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/12/31/us-doubles-wave-energy-40-mil-new-test-bed/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1475 on: January 02, 2017, 03:27:01 PM »
A paper from IRENA:

Floating foundations: A game changer for offshore wind
Quote
Offshore wind turbines, rooted to the seabed by monopile or jacket foundations, are restricted to waters less than 50 metres deep. This rules out sites with the strongest winds and, often, access to big markets. Some of the largest electricity markets Japan and the United States possess few  shallow-water sites suitable for offshore wind development. Floating foundations could be game changers in this regard.

Floating foundations offer the offshore wind industry two decisive opportunities:
- They allow access to deep-water sites.
- They ease turbine set-up.

In addition, floating foundations tend to have lower environmental impact  than fixed-bottom designs.
http://www.irena.org/menu/index.aspx?mnu=Subcat&PriMenuID=36&CatID=141&SubcatID=3797
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1476 on: January 02, 2017, 10:01:50 PM »
"Yes, the timing was lucky, he adds. But that does not lessen the achievement of linking up hundreds of dispersed renewable power plants instead of taking the easier option of relying on production from one large thermal one."

'This is possible. We did it': the week Portugal ran on renewables
Campaigners say the 107 hours when the country was powered by wind, sun and water show they can replace fossil fuels
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/dec/26/this-is-possible-we-did-it-the-week-portugal-ran-on-renewables
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1477 on: January 03, 2017, 07:03:50 PM »
"On August 21st this year, the United States will be shaded by a solar eclipse, testing the current plan of action for solar providers."

SolarEdge first inverters to meet the UL 1741 Supplement A draft requirements – a building block of a smart, reactive electric grid
Quote
... Residential photovoltaic system systems now have a host of smart features available to grid operators, including monitoring individual solar panels by remotely adjusting production for a better fit into the broader dynamics of a power grid. The UL requirements for smart inverter functions are applicable to the main U.S. market, and will lead to an expanded role of smarter PV inverters with more ability to store, monitor and manage smart grid interaction, said Lior Handelsman, vice president of marketing at SolarEdge. ...
https://electrek.co/2017/01/03/solaredge-first-inverters-to-meet-the-ul-1741-supplement-a-draft-requirements-a-building-block-of-a-smart-reactive-electric-grid/

You may recall that Germany came through its solar eclipse in 2015 just fine.  See comments #899, 908, 916 in this thread. :)
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Archimid

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1478 on: January 08, 2017, 02:12:23 AM »


Infinite Solar Power Technology Could Completely Change Our Future

https://futurism.com/infinite-solar-power-technology-could-completely-change-our-future/


IN BRIEF:

Quote
According to an energy expert, the proliferation of solar energy is going to allow for cheap and effectively infinite energy, with prices plummeting to as little as a penny per kW.
Solar energy is slowly being integrated into major infrastructure projects, which will only help speed it along the path to energy dominance.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1479 on: January 08, 2017, 04:55:35 PM »
Costs of Renewables Drop as California Nears 2020 Renewable Energy Goal
Quote
The latest California Energy Commission report on renewable energy estimates that the state is on track to meeting its goal of sourcing electrical energy from renewables and its target for installing renewable distributed generation.

That report, an update to the Energy Commission’s tracking progress report on renewable energy, estimates that 27 percent of electricity retail sales in California came from renewable energy in 2016.

The progress report is a biannual snap shot of California’s progress in meeting its Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals as well as growth of renewable energy in the state. The RPS goals include the state deriving 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, such as solar, wind, biomass, and small hydro or geothermal, by 2020, and 50 percent by 2030.
http://calenergycommission.blogspot.com/2017/01/costs-of-renewables-drop-as-california.html
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crandles

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1480 on: January 09, 2017, 08:38:36 PM »
Obama now published in science!

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2017/01/06/science.aam6284.full

Sitting president with a science publication record - what a great example speaking of the importance of science

....

only to be ruined by Trump

or is he just playing the fool making everyone extremely nervous of what will happen in order to shake things up and make anyone who has to deal with him so nervous of the possible awful possibilities that Trump can negotiate good deals?

(perhaps a different policy thread would be better for that discussion?)

DrTskoul

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1481 on: January 10, 2017, 04:27:48 AM »
Obama now published in science!

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2017/01/06/science.aam6284.full

Sitting president with a science publication record - what a great example speaking of the importance of science

....

only to be ruined by Trump

or is he just playing the fool making everyone extremely nervous of what will happen in order to shake things up and make anyone who has to deal with him so nervous of the possible awful possibilities that Trump can negotiate good deals?

(perhaps a different policy thread would be better for that discussion?)

I'm all for it....

My only problem is that he does not correct for the CO2 emissions avoided due to the export of a certain amount of manufacturing to other countries (e.g. China, Mexico etc ). So the numbers appear better than they are.

budmantis

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1482 on: January 10, 2017, 07:45:19 AM »
I greatly admire Barack Obama for what he has accomplished during his Presidential term. Although he faced strong headwinds during his Presidency, I believe he could have done more. Regardless, I have been able to vote since 1968, and the only President that served two terms that I did not suffer incumbent fatigue from is Obama.

I think he may accomplish a lot more after his Presidency.

cesium62

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1483 on: January 10, 2017, 09:41:38 AM »
My only problem is that he does not correct for the CO2 emissions avoided due to the export of a certain amount of manufacturing to other countries (e.g. China, Mexico etc ). So the numbers appear better than they are.

Perhaps you could supply us with the numbers for what manufacturing has been exported to China and Mexico since 2008?

https://anticap.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/worldmfg.jpg
suggests that the U.S. has imported manufacturing jobs since 2008.


DrTskoul

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1484 on: January 10, 2017, 01:42:16 PM »
My only problem is that he does not correct for the CO2 emissions avoided due to the export of a certain amount of manufacturing to other countries (e.g. China, Mexico etc ). So the numbers appear better than they are.

Perhaps you could supply us with the numbers for what manufacturing has been exported to China and Mexico since 2008?

https://anticap.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/worldmfg.jpg
suggests that the U.S. has imported manufacturing jobs since 2008.

Jobs; jobs is the issue or CO2 emissions? A polyethylene bag produced in US with electricity provided by ng is much less CO2 intensive than that from China and coal based electricity. But much cheaper there.  No plastic bags are manufactured in US any more. And all other lowargin consumer products that are imported. Same CO2 footprint story. We consume, somebody else emits CO2. Our CO2 emissions reduce... Is it our efficiency or the export of manufacturing?

https://umdrightnow.umd.edu/news/outsourcing-manufacturing-china-results-high-co2-emissions
« Last Edit: January 10, 2017, 01:47:36 PM by DrTskoul »

Archimid

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1485 on: January 10, 2017, 10:18:34 PM »
Wind power now runs all electric passenger trains in the Netherlands

http://inhabitat.com/wind-power-now-runs-all-electric-passenger-trains-in-the-netherlands/

Extract:

Quote
All of the electric passenger trains running in the Netherlands are now powered entirely by wind. One year ahead of schedule, Dutch railway company NS announced its entire electric train fleet is running on 100-percent wind power as of January 1, 2017, ushering in a new era of green transportation. Renewable energy advocates hope the early success will inspire planners to incorporate wind-powered trains in other high-speed rail projects around the world, including some proposed in the United States.
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wehappyfew

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1486 on: January 13, 2017, 09:49:29 PM »
Response of oil and gas rich Wyoming to renewables?

Penalize it! (effectively a $10/MWh tax)

http://trib.com/business/energy/bill-would-penalize-utilities-for-wind-generated-electricity-for-wyoming/article_fa25328e-aa4b-561f-9955-0995b9118e23.html

It makes a list of "approved" electricity generation sources... and guess what?  ... solar and wind are not on it... hoocoodanode?

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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1487 on: January 13, 2017, 09:57:45 PM »
Response of oil and gas rich Wyoming to renewables?

Penalize it! (effectively a $10/MWh tax)

http://trib.com/business/energy/bill-would-penalize-utilities-for-wind-generated-electricity-for-wyoming/article_fa25328e-aa4b-561f-9955-0995b9118e23.html

It makes a list of "approved" electricity generation sources... and guess what?  ... solar and wind are not on it... hoocoodanode?

Desperate times for coal, call for desperate measures.  ::)
Many people seem to see the illogic of this proposed bill, thank goodness!
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1488 on: January 13, 2017, 10:11:54 PM »
Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) Gigafactory to Feature World’s Largest Solar Rooftop
The solar rooftop will be 70 MW
Quote
Tesla Motors Inc is planning to have a 70 MW solar rooftop on its gigafactory. The current largest solar rooftop in the world is located in India. It is 11.5 MW. The car company is planning to power the factory entirely off of renewable energy.
http://investorplace.com/2017/01/tesla-motors-inc-tsla-solar/
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Archimid

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1489 on: January 14, 2017, 06:31:48 PM »
Ordinary Citizens Help Drive Spread of Solar Power in Chile

http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/01/ordinary-citizens-help-drive-spread-of-solar-power-in-chile/

Extract:
Quote
Now ecologists have come up with the first project that incorporates citizens in the production and profits generated by NCRE, in particular solar power.

The small 10-KW photovoltaic plant will use solar power to generate electricity for the participating households and the surplus will go into the national power grid.

This will allow the “citizen shareholders“ taking part in the initiative to receive profits based on the annual inflation rate plus an additional two per cent.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1490 on: January 14, 2017, 08:10:36 PM »
New York is betting on renewables to replace a major nuclear power plant
The Indian Point nuclear power plant will be closed, but the state says emissions won’t go up.
Quote
... In the years following the Three Mile Island disaster, the United States stopped building nuclear power plants, in part because new projects were met with fierce local opposition. This left the door open for carbon-intensive coal and natural gas. Now, New York is trying to wean its way off nuclear without repeating the same mistake. ...
https://thinkprogress.org/indian-point-closure-bce1df0dc863
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1491 on: January 14, 2017, 08:28:23 PM »
“Vermont’s new Republican governor said Monday he would stick with his Democratic predecessor’s long-term goal of getting 90 percent of the energy needed in the state from renewable sources by 2050.”

Vermont’s new governor sticking with renewable energy goal
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/vermonts-new-governor-sticking-with-renewable-energy-goal/2017/01/09/10596e0a-d69b-11e6-a0e6-d502d6751bc8_story.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1492 on: January 16, 2017, 05:27:07 PM »
"... by 2020 there may not be another natural gas peaker plant built because of batteries. Natural Gas peaker plants run 1-3% of the time – and only when the power company needs a little extra electricity for a short time, filling in a gap so to say. This plant – in expensive Hawaii – is a forerunner of that evolution from natural gas to battery occurring. Expect to see 20MWh battery peaker (replacing 200MW gas plants) plants popping up all over the country . This is how batteries get their foothold and scale from a manufacturing standpoint – attacking the low capacity factor (1-5%) natural gas peaker plant market."  -Electrek

AES’ New Kauai Solar-Storage ‘Peaker’ Shows How Fast Battery Costs Are Falling
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/aes-puts-energy-heavy-battery-behind-new-kauai-solar-peaker
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1493 on: January 17, 2017, 06:17:30 PM »
"When I’m in a sales call with commercial-industrial companies it is rare for politics or environmental reasons to come up – it all comes down to pricing." - Electrek

Who installs more solar – Democrats or Republicans? We used AI to look at 1.5 Million houses to find out.
https://powerscout.com/site/who-installs-more-solar-democrats-or-republicans-we-used-ai-to-look-at-1-5-million-houses-to-find-out/
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Hefaistos

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1494 on: January 17, 2017, 06:56:45 PM »
Where the sun ALWAYS shines: Saudi Arabia goes renewable, with heavy investments in near time:

Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s biggest oil producer, is aiming for renewable energy installations, primarily of solar and wind, of 9.5 GW by 2023, but this is just the starting point, the country’s energy minister told.  By 2030, the country will generate 70 percent of its electricity from natural gas and 30 percent from renewables and other sources, promised Al-Falih.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/business/ksa-launch-30b-50b-renewable-energy-program/

DrTskoul

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1495 on: January 17, 2017, 06:58:59 PM »
That is because they have been using more and more their oil production for their energy needs leaving less and less for exports and income. Especially when thry have all that sun....

jai mitchell

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1496 on: January 17, 2017, 07:30:54 PM »
Map of Euro land-based wind farms.

note Germany!!!   ;)

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1497 on: January 17, 2017, 08:09:14 PM »
Map of Euro land-based wind farms.

note Germany!!!   ;)
I can't see Germany because of all those blue dots.  ;D
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DrTskoul

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1498 on: January 17, 2017, 08:45:21 PM »
You see... Wind turbines do obstruct the view....

magnamentis

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Re: Renewable Energy
« Reply #1499 on: January 17, 2017, 08:54:44 PM »
You see... Wind turbines do obstruct the view....

exactly like does smog ( see china these days )