I was asked, recently, about renewable energy credits, and the person asking was embarrassed to have to admit that they really knew nothing at all about them. So, I put together this list of things that you may find useful to know about renewable energy credits.

1. Definition. A Renewable Energy Credit, generally referred to as an REC or by various other acronyms, is a certificate showing that one megawatt of electrical power has been produced by an eligible, renewable energy source.
2. Purpose of an REC. The certificates created are tradable commodities that hold value in markets where companies or consumers have incentive to claim that they are purchasing power generated by renewable resources.
3. What is the market for RECs? There are two types of markets in which RECs hold value, compliance markets, and voluntary markets.
4. Compliance markets. In twenty-nine states, plus the District of Columbia, companies are required to purchase a certain percentage of their electrical power from renewable resources. For instance, California law requires that, by the year 2020 thirty-three percent of electrical power must be produced by renewable resources. Energy companies can meet this criteria by producing power produced by renewable resources.
5. How do RECs help companies in compliance markets? Companies in states with compliant markets, may find it is too expensive to convert their energy production facilities, or to build new production facilities that comply with the renewable resource requirements in their market. These companies can purchase RECs to meet the minimum requirements in their markets.
6. Voluntary markets. In voluntary markets, customers or companies may wish, for their own reasons, to purchase electric power that is produced by renewable resources. They may do so by purchasing power and credits from companies that produce electricity from renewable resources. RECs generally sell at lower dollar values in voluntary markets than is the case in compliance markets.
7. Who certifies RECs? The United States currently has no national registry for certifying Renewable Energy Credits. The Center for Resource Solutions is a nonprofit organization that administers a voluntary program attempting to provide accountability for Renewable Energy Credit claims. Their website is here: http://www.resource-solutions.org/index.php
8. State REC related policies, incentives, and information. The US Department of Energy provides a database of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. It can be found here: http://www.dsireusa.org/
9. EPA. The US Environmental Protection Agency also provides information on regional tracking systems that have been set up for compliance markets, on its website. That information can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/gpmarket/tracking.htm
10. What are the benefits, to us as consumers and citizens, of Renewable Energy Credits? RECs can provide us with some assurance that electric power production is using fewer non-renewable, carbon-based resources. This helps to reduce the amount of oil that needs to be imported for electric power production, and also helps us to reduce the amount of pollution produced to supply the electricity that we need in our homes and businesses.

Having done this research, I conclude that Renewable Energy Credits are one of the pieces that help in our ability to provide for our growing needs for electricity, while limiting the amount of pollution we produce in doing so, and are a small part of reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources.

source

Moving can be a stressful time for anyone. Whether you have planned your move for weeks (or even months), or are moving with little to no notice, it is always difficult to pack your entire life into boxes and transport it to your next abode. For those who are environmentally-responsible, minimizing your carbon footprint – the effect that your activities have on the environment – is an important consideration to make. Here are some suggestions on planning an effective, eco-friendly move:

Plan ahead. By taking the time to plan your move, and mapping out your exit strategy, you can solve problems before they arise. Plan your route with fuel-efficiency in mind, and if you have time, calculate your anticipated carbon footprint. If you find that you will be creating too large of a carbon footprint, it may be a good idea to rent a moving truck so you can get everything in one trip, rather than making repeated trips that waste fuel and increase your carbon dioxide output.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! I have moved several times, and I have never bought boxes or packing materials. Free boxes can be found at most stores, or on websites like Craig’s List. Packing peanuts and foam wrap can be replaced with old newspapers, towels, or old t-shirts, which can be used to wrap delicate objects, and wadded up and stuffed into boxes to protect your valuables. Finally, don’t cover your boxes with tape. Securely tape the bottom, fold the flaps together at the top, and the box will be secure for your move. This will not only save money, but help the environment, as well.

Pack carefully. While you don’t want to cram everything into one box, it is a good idea to be as efficient as you can be, in order to have smaller loads and fewer trips whenever possible. If you will be moving from state-to-state or have a lot of belongings, I suggest hiring professional movers. They know how to pack boxes and a truck properly, which will reduce wasted fuel.

Idle hands – and idle cars – are not good. Sitting in traffic is not only frustrating, but a waste of fuel, as well. I have always made an effort to move during late morning and early afternoon hours in order to avoid traffic congestion. Additionally, when you arrive at your destination, turn your engine off. Vehicles waste more fuel when idling than any other time.

Waste not, want not. Move during day hours so you don’t need to turn lights on. Unless temperatures are dangerously high, try to avoid using air conditioning, both in your vehicle and in your old and new residences. While this may cause some minor discomfort, you will be reducing your carbon dioxide emissions, which will be worth it in the long run. Finally, pass your boxes and packing materials onto a future mover if possible, in order to continue the recycling chain.

While these may seem like commonsense suggestions to some, not everyone is aware of the effect that such small details can have on our environment. By being knowledgeable about your carbon footprint and being proactive whenever possible, you can make the world a slightly better place one day and action at a time. Good luck, and happy moving!

A large amount of people are starting to realize it’s feasible to continue enjoying all the modern amenities they became used to while also experiencing the independence of off grid living. Off grid living means exactly that – living off the grid. You can enjoy freedom from power lines, electrical bills and the sky-rocketing rates being charged by resources corporations for being hooked up to the electrical grid. Almost every homeowner can experience this environmentally friendly and cost effective lifestyle . The rules of living this way can be applied to any home anywhere in the world, including those currently connected to the electrical supply grid.

More and more folk are showing an interest in breaking free from their reliance on carbon-based fuel burning power plants through the utilizing of alternative power generation strategies such as solar panels, windmills, hydro-electric generators and even magnetic power generators. Technology has advanced and costs have been reduced at the same time. It is very feasible to make off grid living a do it yourself project with the help of the many kits, resources and guides that are accessible these days. While global energy costs are soaring, those that have made the switch to off grid living are secure in the knowledge that their bills are continuously getting less.

The thought of giving up all of their electronic and electrical luxuries shocks a lot of people away from off grid living. This couldn’t be farther from the actual facts. Learning to control your energy use is all that is really required for off grid living. When you leave a room, turn the lights off. You might purchase appliances that don’t use power when not in use like the clocks on microwaves and stoves. Appliances with indicators lights that are always on, like computers, printers and some telephone chargers, are leeching power and adding to your bills. Your luxuries don’t need to be sacrificed when your are trying off grid living, you simply need to learn how to be smarter when using them.

The enlarging recognition of off grid living has led to the production of high potency, modular and portable homes to cater for the demand. Identical in layout to conventional mobile homes, these one or two person units employ passive solar design, solar energy panels and natural gas to make allowance for off grid living wherever they are moved to.

If you’re interested in off grid living, but are unsure where to begin or you need some more success stories to persuade you, use the Internet for your research. Besides the various guides and resources available to get you moving with off grid living, there are many folk who can not wait to share their own experiences and success stories. Probably the better part of off grid living is when there is a blackout in your area and you do not want to break out the candles. You can also experience the freedom of off grid living regardless of where you live as this approach to life is inside close range of any person.

By Congressman Jerry McNerney Ph.D.,
Co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels

I make it a point to meet with as many people as possible to learn from the experiences of others and stay connected. It’s important to represent my constituents effectively. In the last year, the tone of the conversations has changed. People are afraid for their future. They fear losing their jobs and homes, everything they’ve worked so hard to accomplish.

There are simply not enough family wage jobs to go around. The American dream that has inspired generations to work hard and pursue innovative ideas seems to be slipping away.

We must create a new generation of jobs to give parents the confidence that their children will do better than they have, and we must assure our country’s national and economic security. To make great strides on this path, look no further than the clean energy and energy efficiency industries, the next great frontier for Americans to explore.

As a clean energy engineer and small businessman with over two decades of experience in wind energy, I know the rewards and challenges of the clean energy industry firsthand. During my time as an engineer, I often climbed 200 foot windmills to conduct tests and make repairs. From the top of the windmills, I looked out over the landscape and saw what our innovative spirit can achieve — capturing energy from the wind for our homes and businesses. Energy produced right here in the USA.

I worked for a quarter century developing wind energy technology only to see that same technology go overseas and create jobs in other countries. Much to my disgust, technology that was born of American innovation was outsourced to Germany, which had more favorable utility and energy policies. Jobs were created in Germany that should have been created in America. Today, Germany builds and exports wind turbines back to the United States.

Pursuing a more energy independent future for America will not only lay the foundation for the next generation of good paying manufacturing jobs but will also make us safer and more secure. We are heavily dependent on imported oil from the Middle East. Oil produced overseas fuels our cars, the trucks that ship goods around the country, and perhaps most critically, our military airplanes, tanks, ships and defense equipment. It’s dangerous to be so heavily dependent on oil from unstable regions.

We’re also confronted with the devastating threat of global warming, which is impacting people’s lives across the globe with unprecedented heat waves, freakish storms, increasing acidity of the oceans, droughts, animal migrations, and melting arctic ice. Already, island communities in the Marshall Islands and the Maldives are facing the impending threat of rising ocean levels. These trends will only grow as the effects of global warming continue to accelerate and manifest themselves in our weather.

Fortunately, we have within our grasp the means to address the challenges of a struggling economy, our risky dependence on foreign oil, and the threat of climate change. America has the know-how and innovative spirit to be the world’s manufacturer and exporter of clean energy technology. But this opportunity is rapidly vanishing as other countries, especially China, experience a surge in their clean energy development. We must act quickly or — just like when the wind energy I worked on in the 1980s went overseas to Germany — we’ll miss the boat and soon be forced to buy all of our clean energy technology from other countries.

Our nation needs a directed energy policy that gives businesses the security and predictability to invest in developing and manufacturing here in America. Enacting smart policies like a renewable energy standard and providing the right financial incentives will help us unleash the American innovative spirit.
More on Clean Energy Nation

Renewable energy supplied an estimated 16% of global final energy consumption; Emerging and developing economies show rising share of renewables policies, investment, supply, and use

Washington, D.C.—-The newly released REN21 Renewables 2011 Global Status Report shows that the renewable energy sector continues to perform well despite continuing economic recession, incentive cuts, and low natural gas prices.

Authored by Worldwatch Institute Senior Fellow Janet Sawin in collaboration with a global network of research partners, the report shows that in 2010, renewable energy supplied an estimated 16% of global final energy consumption and delivered close to 20% of global electricity production. Renewable capacity now comprises about a quarter of total global power-generating capacity. Including large and small hydropower (an estimated 30 GW added in 2010), renewable energy accounted for approximately 50% of total added power-generating capacity in 2010. In 2010, existing solar water and space heating capacity increased by an estimated 25 gigawatts-thermal (GWth), or about 16%.

The report was commissioned by the Paris-based Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, or REN21 (www.ren21.net). Sawin was the lead author of the report, which in recent years has become the industry standard for information on the global renewable energy industry. Worldwatch staff Matthias Kimmel and Will Bierbower, Senior Editor Lisa Mastny, Senior Fellow Eric Martinot, and Director of Climate & Energy Alexander Ochs also contributed to the coordination, research, writing, and editing of the report.

“The Global Status Report shows that despite the recession, renewables are growing at an enormous rate,” said Ochs. “Still, there are 1.5 billion people who don’t have any access to energy, and 3 billion people relying on traditional biomass sources and coal. If we want to prevent climate change from spinning out of control, we need to scale up our efforts to accelerate renewable energy development and deployment at all levels. Worldwatch will continue to provide guidance as to how this can be done.”

Renewable energy policies continue to be the main driver behind renewables growth. By early 2011, at least 119 countries had some type of policy target or renewable support policy at the national level, more than doubling from 55 countries in early 2005. More than half of these countries are in the developing world. At least 95 countries now have some type of policy to support renewable power generation. Of all the policies employed by governments, feed-in tariffs remain the most common. Last year, investment in renewables reached a record $211 billion-about one-third more than the $160 billion invested in 2009 and more than five times the amount invested in 2004.
More on Renewable Energy Continued Growth in 2010 Despite Recession

A Balanced Look at Technologies with the Potential to Power America

By Congressman Jerry McNerney Ph.D. and Martin Cheek,

Authors of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels
Which sustainable energy sources hold the most promise to free America from the tyranny of fossil fuels? In their new book, CLEAN ENERGY NATION Congressman Jerry McNerney, a renewable energy expert, and technology writer Martin Cheek assess the positive and negative aspects of various alternatives. Here’s an overview:

SUN POWER
The sunshine striking the surface of our planet annually provides more than 10,000 times the amount of energy that all of humanity can use in a year. Harvesting only a fraction of the sun’s power would easily end our dependence on fossil fuels. Currently, solar-produced electricity makes up less than 1 percent of the world’s production of power.

Exciting innovations: * A thermal technology that collects sunshine, through the strategic arrangement of hundred of flat mirrors, and re-directs it to a central receiver linked to a large solar power plant. * Commonplace applications of a technology originally developed for space exploration satellites: photovoltaic cells that absorb direct sunlight to generate electricity.

Drawbacks: The power of the sun depends on the seasonal climate and weather of a location. There’s also the obvious fact that sun power can be produced only during daylight hours. Although sunshine is free, solar energy is not yet cost competitive with fossil-fuel energy.

Outlook: To maximize the potential of sun power, scientists must develop more efficient and cost-effective energy storage systems and ways to transport power in a specific region.

WIND POWER
About 2 percent of the sun’s energy received by our planet is converted into air motion. Today, the U.S. gets a little over 1 percent of its electric power supplied by wind energy.

Exciting innovations: * State-of-the-art windmills, featuring aerodynamic turbine blades inspired by modern airplane design.

Drawbacks: Aside from the inconsistent delivery of wind, ideal wind farm sites are often far from urban areas where demand is greater, thus requiring substantial money to construct transmission lines and substations to bring the wind-generated electricity to customers. Power harvested from the wind must also overcome common misperceptions: wind turbines are noisy (not modern models) and wind turbines massacre birds that get caught in the path of the spinning blades (more birds are killed by farming pesticides and free-roaming house cats).

Outlook: As turbine technology improves and mass production reaches a critical cost-effective level, wind as an energy resource will continue to see major growth opportunities.

WATER POWER
Nearly three-quarters of our globe is covered by this versatile liquid substance. About 24 percent of the world’s electric power is currently produced by hydropower, the force of water. In America, hydropower makes up 12 percent of the generated electricity.

Drawbacks: The massive dam structures necessary to hold back water are expensive and time-consuming to build. They also require continuous maintenance to make sure they are safe from a calamitous failure that could kill people living downstream. What’s more, dams have a severe impact on the environment, often disrupting the local plant and animal ecology.

Exciting innovations: *An invention for an ocean-powered energy source applying the gravitational energy from the rise and fall of the tides. * A novel technology called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), working on the principle that the sea collects most of the sun’s energy that shines on it.

Outlook: Innovative approaches to harvesting ocean energy are still in their pioneering stages. With enough research and development, however, they might provide an important energy resource during the coming decades.

LIFE POWER
Consider a battery that collects energy from the sun and stores it in a system that creates no pollution, costs zero dollars to build, and recharges itself. This “battery” is green vegetation, the source of all biofuels, which power human beings. Americans are increasingly looking at the biofuels ethanol (an alcohol made from crops such as sugarcane and corn) and biodiesel (a vegetable oil made from crops including canola and soybeans) to power vehicles.

Exciting innovations: * Finding energy gold in America’s garbage: landfill sites featuring a buried web of perforated pipes that collect the methane released from decomposed vegetable matter and carry it to a power station, where it is burned to generate electricity.

Drawbacks: Many farmers are not yet using cost-effective techniques to grow biofuel crops. Money for water, fertilizer, and diesel fuel for harvesting equipment adds to the price of production and makes biofuels — especially corn-based ethanol — less competitive than fossil fuels. Also, critics warn that using fertile land to grow biofuel crops will lead to food shortages and raise prices at the supermarket.

Outlook: Overall, much more research and development needs to be done to implement the large-scale production of biofuels for our nation’s transportation needs. Yet, in the next few decades, life power will almost certainly help America gain its energy independence from fossil fuels while strengthening our nation’s agricultural economy.

NUCLEAR POWER
Uranium, the element at the foundation of nuclear power, can be found extensively throughout the planet. It is 500 times more plentiful than gold. A modern nuclear plant produces about 1,000 megawatts of power to supply electricity to 400,000 homes. The U.S. has 104 operating reactors, more than any other country, and they produce about 20 percent of our nation’s electricity.

Drawbacks: Nuclear energy is expensive to produce commercially. Nuclear reactors typically cost between $2.5 and $3 billion to construct. Then, there’s the public worry over radiation leaks and the dilemma of how to dispose of radioactive waste without hazard to public safety or the environment. Another problem has to do with the threats to national security we face in the post-9/11 world. A nuclear power plant could be an attractive target for a terrorist strike.

Exciting innovations: * A special type of nuclear energy plant called a fusion reactor, which would generate power by fusing the nuclei of hydrogen atoms. If researchers can find a way to do this, safely and economically, we would have access to massive reservoirs of energy.

Future outlook: Although it holds tremendous promise for humankind, fusion power appears to be decades away. In the meantime, policymakers will continue to weigh the benefits of nuclear power against the costs and the dangers.

EARTH ENERGY
Natural hot springs, geysers, and erupting volcanoes give evidence to the tremendous energy supply kept deep within the Earth. Today, the world annually produces about 8,000 megawatts of electrical power from geothermal energy, out of which the U.S. taps 2,800 megawatts.

Exciting innovations: * Geothermal power stations. Usually small, these plants produce low cost steam energy without any toll on the natural world.

Drawbacks: Power plants can be built only in specific regions of our planet where molten rock is near enough to the surface to heat water. What’s more, these stations might trigger seismic activity along earthquake fault lines.

Outlook: With technological advances in geothermal systems, Americans might one day soon safely and economically tap into the energy of the tremendous heat in the heart of our planet.

HYDROGEN
The most abundant element, hydrogen makes up about 75 percent of the universe’s elemental mass. In a gaseous state, hydrogen can be combusted to run turbines to generate electricity.

Exciting innovations: * Technologies using the simplest life forms — algae and anaerobic bacteria — to split water molecules, thus releasing the hydrogen atoms from the oxygen, and to release the hydrogen contained in carbohydrates in the waste at food-manufacturing plants.

Drawbacks: A great deal of money will be needed to construct hydrogen-production plants and also to equip the world’s vehicles with fuel cells or hydrogen-burning engines. Another challenge is public concern about hydrogen’s potential volatility — fueled by horrific newsreel images of the hydrogen-filled passenger airship Hindenburg bursting into a fireball. However, hydrogen is significantly less flammable than either gasoline or natural gas.

Outlook: Despite its many benefits as natural, plentiful, nonpolluting energy medium, hydrogen has to overcome daunting financial hurdles in order to compete with fossil fuels.

Adapted with permission from CLEAN ENERGY NATION: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels by Congressman Jerry McNerney, Ph.D., and Martin Cheek (AMACOM; August 2011; $27.95; ISBN: 978-0-8144-1372-2).

Author Bios
Congressman Jerry McNerney, Ph.D., co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels, was elected to California’s 11th congressional district in November 2006. Reelected in 2008 and 2010, he is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology; the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment; and the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. Prior to his time in Congress, he served as an energy consultant for Pacific Gas and Electric, FlowWind, and the Electric Power Research Institute. He lives in Pleasanton, California.

Martin Cheek, co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels, has been a journalist for more than two decades specializing articles on the latest developments in science and the high-tech industry. He lives in Morgan Hill, California.

For more information please visit http://cleanenergynationbook.com/

Guest posting today from one of our friends in alternative energy. This is kind of fun out of the box stuff today. So we had humor on Friday and Monday we have fresh look at some other ideas. Maybe a trend? Give me a shout if you want more of this type of thing on Mondays.

We have known, for quite some time, that the fossil fuels we use today are a finite source of energy; we only seem to disagree on when those sources will run dry. Alternative sources have been around for quite some time, including electric power and solar power, but none has yet supplanted dead dinosaurs. Presented here are some other fuels,some strange, some downright weird.

1. Trick-or-Treat – University students in England tested a Formula racing car that ran on fuel made in part from waste chocolate from a Cadbury plant. No word on whether-or-not the car was eaten after testing was completed.

2. Gobble Gobble – For turkey-lovers (Ben Franklin suggested, tongue-only-partly-in-cheek, that the turkey would make a more noble national bird than the eagle), the idea of putting a Tom into the gas tank might seem anathema, but viable fuel can be made from virtually all parts of the bird.

3. Starbucks In the Tank – Coffee grounds, which contain a lot of oils, make a bio-fuel that is relatively cheap and clean to produce, comes from an abundant source, and, of course, makes the morning commute a much more aromatic experience.

4. Paper or Plastic? – Both paper and plastic can be made into fuel, and each comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, though the future may show us many new ways to recycle waste products in a green manner.

5. Blow Me Down – Wind turbines have been mounted on vehicles, and they have been used to charge batteries that then power the vehicle. This system works best for those who live in tunnel-free expanses of windy salt-flats.

6. Mulch for the Minivan – Not as strange as it sounds, wood chips and sawdust are prime ingredients of what are called “bio-mass” fuels, which are foreseen by some as the most likely replacements for petroleum-based fuels.

7. Styrofoam – With as many styrofoam cups as we see littering our highways, it would be a nice thing to see if economically feasible methods of converting those cups into useful fuels can be developed.

8. Dung Beetles? – Methane gas, available in all your friendly neighborhood cow-patties, can be rendered into fuels that can run an automobile.

9. Beans, Beans, They’re Good for Your Car – Beans, soybeans in particular, are used to make bio-fuels, and are among the few sources that show real universal promise.

10. Lend Me Your Ears – Ears of corn, that is; ethanol is a fuel already in wide use around the globe, and can be made from crops such as corn, potatoes,sugar cane and the ever-popular manioc (known more commonly as “cassava”, one of the most-eaten sources of carbohydrates on the planet). Henry Ford was using ethanol in his Model T’s as early as 1908.

You won’t be able to run your car on tap water any time soon, but hydrogen (the “H” in H2O) is seen as a leading candidate to replace world dependency on fossil fuels. Stay tuned.

Do you have any other thoughts or ideas that would compliment this list? Comment below if you do!

Source

Marianne Lavelle
For National Geographic News
Published June 22, 2011

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

One of Indonesia’s most ardent rain forest protection activists is in what may seem an unlikely position: Spearheading a project to produce biofuel from trees.

But tropical forest scientist Willie Smits, ­­after 30 years studying fragile ecosystems in these Southeast Asian islands, wants to draw world attention to a powerhouse of a tree—the Arenga sugar palm. Smits says it can be tapped for energy and safeguard the environment while enhancing local food security.

Smits says that the deep-rooted feather palm Arenga pinnata could serve as the core of a waste-free system that produces a premium organic sugar as well as the fuel alcohol, ethanol, providing food products and jobs to villagers while it helps preserve the existing native rain forest. And scientists who have studied the unique harvesting and production process developed by Smits and his company, Tapergie, agree the system would protect the atmosphere rather than add to the Earth’s growing carbon dioxide burden.

“The palm juice chiefly consists of water and sugar—made from rain, sunshine, carbon dioxide and nothing else,” says Smits. “You are basically only harvesting sunshine.”

The project, being funded in part by a 73,160 euro grant (U.S. $105,000) from National Geographic’s Great Energy Challenge initiative, has potential to disrupt a cycle of poverty and environmental devastation that has gripped one of the most vulnerable and remote areas of the planet, while providing a new source of sustainable fuel.

The Fuel Threat to Forests

Tapergie’s sugar palm production facility that opened last year in Tomohon (map), in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, and the microscale facilities called Village Hubs that Smits aims to launch on nearby islands, are a far cry from the oil palm biofuel operations that have devastated the rain forest.

Demand for oil made from the pulp and seeds of oil palm trees in Southeast Asia soared when European countries sought to displace petroleum fuels with biofuel in the past decade. It was a move that governments hoped would reduce carbon emissions, but the impact was the reverse. Tracts of rain forest were cleared, and peat land was drained and burned on a massive scale to make way for oil palm monoculture. Because of the carbon emissions caused by rainforest destruction, Indonesia leapt to the top tier of world greenhouse gas emitters, just behind giant energy consumers China and the United States.

Smits, who had been knighted in his native Netherlands, was among the forest advocates who sounded the warning around the world about the impact of large-scale biofuel production from oil palm in his adopted home of Indonesia.

Smits already had gained recognition as one of the world’s most prominent protectors of Asia’s great apes and their habitat, as founder of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. He laid out the biofuel problem, and the rain forest restoration efforts he had spearheaded, in talks around the world, including in the popular online series sponsored by the nonprofit TED.

But Smits felt he could take those restoration efforts much further, and the secret was a tree with a value that was first impressed upon him 31 years ago, when he was courting a native Indonesian woman of a mountain tribe of Sulawesi who would become his wife. (She was later elected a female tribal leader for her good deeds.)

By custom, before the marriage, he was required to pay his dowry in the form of six sugar palms. It seemed a meager offering, until Smits realized each tree’s potential yield.

The fruit can be harvested and sold as a delicacy. A starch, sago, can be extracted from the stems. The wood is stronger than oak. Most important of all, the tree has a distinctive sap, which can be tapped the way a sugar maple is tapped for maple syrup, but year-round and in vast quantities. The high-carbohydrate juice can be used to make a palm sugar that is a healthier substitute for white cane sugar. Smits estimated that there are at least 60 different products that can come from the Arenga sugar palm, making it a wholly appropriate marriage gift.

“This was enough to support a young family,” he said. “That got me interested in studying the sugar palm in more detail.”

“The Most Amazing Tree”

He found that the Arenga sugar palm had numerous qualities that made it a virtual sentry of the forest. Its deep roots mean it can be grown on steep, almost vertical, slopes—offering protection against erosion. It needs little water and is drought- and fire-resistant, important on volcanic islands. It is resistant to pests and needs no fertilizer; its presence in a forest actually enhances the soil.

Because of these qualities, Smits found that the Arenga sugar palm could be a key species in his efforts to restore Indonesian rain forests that had been brutally logged and burned for decades.

“It’s the anti-particle of oil palm . . . the most amazing tree I’ve ever run into,” says energy expert Amory Lovins, chairman and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colorado, and member of National Geographic’s Great Energy Challenge advisory board. Lovins recommended Smits’ project as the first grantee in the society’s three-year energy initiative when he learned of his idea for furthering his rainforest restoration and protection efforts by tapping the sugar palm for fuel.

Smits knew the sugary juice tapped from sugar palms typically was fermented to produce a traditional alcoholic beverage. That meant it also could be used to produce the alcohol fuel, ethanol.

read more

As more and more states pass laws mandating that up to one-third of their power come from renewable sources by 2020, utility companies are wrestling with how to make the energy mix work.

A persistent problem for wind and solar power is intermittency – the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine when power is needed most. And batteries large enough to store massive amounts of power for these down times are too expensive to deploy.

Now, an emerging consensus holds that wind and solar coupled with natural gas-powered turbines could be the best way to balance green energy with reliable power supply.

Turbines fire up rapidly

When electricity from wind and solar aren’t available, natural gas turbines are ideal for bringing backup power online quickly, according to a recent study by the Center for Strategic International Studies (pdf), a bipartisan policy center.

The 7FA turbine can reach 75 percent of its peak output in 10 minutes. Photo/Courtesy GE

Bryan Sixberry, a product manager for 7FA gas turbines at General Electric, this magazine’s sponsor, said natural gas turbines can fire up rapidly and provide power to the grid when renewable energy falls short.

“Just like a stock portfolio, you have to have a diverse energy mix,” Sixberry said.

The 7FA turbine working in simple cycle – which means there is no steam turbine attached to catch waste heat – can reach 75 percent or more of its peak output within 10 minutes of being switched on, Sixberry said.

Power without interruption

Over the years, GE engineers have increased not only the turbines’ energy output – a new generation 7FA gas turbine can generate 211 megawatts of power – but also their ability to start and stop rapidly.

A gas turbine in the GE manufacturing center in Greenville, South Carolina. Photo/Courtesy GE

By comparison, coal-fired electricity generation cannot adjust output as rapidly and its considerable environmental impacts would effectively negate the benefits from the wind and solar that it backs up.

Sixberry said that about 60 percent of GE’s 7FA natural gas turbines in use are already operating on stop-and-start cycles, while the balance of turbines run almost constantly.

So if wind power can’t meet demand on a hot summer day, when consumers have their air conditioners blasting, the gas turbine can come online quickly and supply the additional power without any noticeable interruption.

“An essential partner to renewables”

This capability is often referred to as “wind firming,” which is necessary because a world powered only by renewables is not feasible right now.

Perhaps just as important for a renewable energy backup system, natural gas turbines have become increasingly efficient and clean, Sixberry said. The turbines emit just 9 parts per million of both nitrous oxide, which is produced by combustion at high temperatures, and carbon dioxide.

With low emissions and quick start ups, natural gas for electricity generation could be, as the report by the Center for Strategic International Studies called it, “an essential partner to the development of renewables.”

source

Global technology giant Siemens is holding a worldwide contest to identify five top sustainable business or technology proposals to help the world become a better place.

Siemens will award $21,000 and a trip to Berlin, Germany to meet with Siemens Smart Grid experts to the five contestants with the best ideas. Siemens has also committed to providing more than over $1.5 million to translate the participants’ best ideas into reality.

The contest is accepting proposals through June 15, 2011. The ideas are posted online where people can review and comment openly. Proposals can cover any topic or aspect of energy use and management including creation, distribution, transmission, storage or utilization. Candidates get the opportunity to receive feedback and exposure from people all over the world.

For more information visit www.smartgridcontest.com

Leading the Nation, California Signs 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard into Law

By Dian Grueneich and Theresa Cho, Morrison & Foerster

Reaffirming California’s strong commitment to the development and utilization of renewable energy sources, Governor Jerry Brown recently signed Senate Bill X1 2, which requires all California utilities to generate 33% of their electricity from renewables by 2020. The new 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS)—the most ambitious RPS in the country—sends a strong message to renewable energy developers that California will continue to support both short-term and long-term investment in renewable energy sources in the state.

HOW DOES THE LAW WORK?

While SB X1 2 revises a number of details in the existing California RPS statutes, the bulk of its impact for developers will derive from a few key provisions. The bill

• Sets a three-stage compliance period requiring all California utilities—including independently owned utilities (IOUs), energy service providers, and community choice aggregators (CCAs)—to generate 33% of their electricity from renewables by 2020

o 20% by December 31, 2013
o 25% by December 31, 2016
o 33% by December 31, 2020

• Requires the RPS to be met increasingly with renewable energy that is supplied to the California grid and is located within or directly proximate to California. SB X1 2 mandates that renewables from this category make up

o At least 50% for the 2011-2013 compliance period
o At least 65% for the 2014-2016 compliance period
o At least 75% for 2016 and beyond

• Sets rules for the use of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)
o Establishes a cap of no more than 25% unbundled RECs going towards the RPS between 2011 and 2013, 15% from 2014 to 2016, and 10% thereafter
o Does not allow for the grandfathering of Tradable REC contracts executed before 2010, unless the contract was (or is) approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
o Allows banking of RECs for three years only
o Allows Energy Service Providers, CCAs, and IOUs with less than 60,000 or fewer customers to use 100% RECs to meet the RPS

• Eliminates the Market Price Referent (MPR), which was a benchmark to assess the above-market costs of RPS contracts based on the long-term ownership, operating, and fixed-price fuel costs for a new 500 MW natural gas-fired combined cycle gas turbine. Using the MPR, the CPUC would provide above-market funds to cover contract costs that exceeded the MPR

o Requires the CPUC to establish a cost limit for each IOU, and authorizes IOUs to stop procuring renewable energy beyond the cost limit

• Requires the CPUC to adopt a standard tariff for renewable projects up to 3 MW in size with a 750 MW statewide cap on eligibility for the tariff.

NEW CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The signing of SB X1 2 is good news for renewable energy developers. The previous RPS, which required a 20% renewable portfolio by 2010, has proven to be a powerful driver of investment in renewable energy. Since 2003, the RPS has led to the development of 45 new renewable energy projects and 1,702 MW of new capacity. During that time, the CPUC has approved 181 contracts for about 14,000 MW of new and existing eligible renewable energy capacity.

And the trend shows no sign of slowing down. On the contrary, the past few years have seen a dramatic increase in the participation of larger and more experienced developers submitting bids, which has resulted in 100,000 GWh of bids in 2009 alone. The signing of SB X1 2 should provide further momentum to this already fast-developing market.

On the other hand, by eliminating the MPR—a cost-control method—and replacing it with a cost cap, SB X1 2 will compel developers to fit their projects within an IOU’s overall fixed budget for implementing the RPS. This may produce a rush by developers to get their projects on the table before there is any danger of the IOU reaching the cap. In addition, the new law requires IOUs to compare the costs of each proposed project against the costs of the others, which will force more competition in the market.

The new 33% RPS will interconnect with California’s recent substantial investment in transmission infrastructure, which allows for the efficient conveyance of electricity from renewable energy developments. In the past five years, under the leadership of the CPUC, California has streamlined the process of siting transmission lines, and has successfully permitted three major new transmission projects, resulting in more than $6 billion of new energy infrastructure to carry renewable power.

While these transmission lines will deliver much of the renewable power California needs, they are not sufficient to meet the magnitude of the increase in demand caused by the move to a 33% RPS. There is still an opportunity to develop additional interconnection lines that will facilitate the next generation of renewable energy needed to fulfill the mandate of SB X1 2.

As the price of oil, diesel, and gasoline skyrockets, many shipping companies have been looking to alternative fuels to power their fleets of vehicles. In addition, by using electric vehicles, the environment is not directly damaged as much; this is because electricity can be derived from sustainable sources, which limits the amounts of carbon, sulfur oxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions that are released into the atmosphere. Gasoline and diesel burning engines now have huge environmental as well as the rising ecological costs. As a consequence, many companies that specialize in shipping containers, freight, and so on are looking into electric vehicles.

For instance, in the summer of 2010 FedEx released its first all-electric FedEx parcel delivery trucks in the United States. (http://news.van.fedex.com/node/16470) Four purpose-built electric trucks hit the road in the Los Angeles, joining more than 1,800 alternative-energy vehicles already in service for FedEx around the world.

In the United Kingdom, another private shipping company is adding fully electric vehicles to supplement their vehicle fleet, cutting down drastically on emissions and are advertised as zero carbon emission vehicles. However, this is only true if the energy used to run these vehicles is derived from sustainable energy; much electricity is still derived from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and even oil. But, on the surface level, the United Kingdom is now using zero emission vehicles.

Still other private shipping companies have begun using electric vehicles in Germany and other places in continental Europe. The effects of this has been to, once again, drastically cut the amount of emissions.

Outside of postal service related shipping, there are several other companies going electric. However, so far there have been very modest changes. A handful of prototype electric trains are operating on the East Coast of the United States. By changing to electric trains, freight is able to be shipped with far fewer carbon emissions. Furthermore, the trains can start faster and slow faster. Plus, there is no fueling time. On top of these already formidable bonuses, it is also possible to derive electricity from the act of braking.

Outside of the United States, there are many electric trains that can be used for freight. Europe especially uses a large amount of electric trains for shipping; however, European countries spent many years to make this transition. Unfortunately, the United States is having to make this transition right now and it will be many years until a sizable proportion of shipping companies use a large amount of electric vehicles and trains.

Even in more environmentally conscious countries like the United Kingdom and Germany, the vast majority of delivery vehicles are still diesel or gasoline powered. While a noticeable transition has occurred in many countries, the vast majority of vehicles remain non-electric. Nonetheless, the shift has begun and, because of this shift, it can be said that shipping companies are indeed going electric.

Engineer Explains Why We Need to Explore Alternatives NOW

Time is running out on cheap petroleum fuels. Recent research states that we have little more than 40 years of steadily decreasing supplies of that type of energy while concurrently its price grows prohibitively high. Then it’s no more cheap oil. Then what?

That’s the question being asked and answered – by Howard Johnson, an engineer and author of the book Energy, Convenient Solutions: How Americans Can Solve the Energy Crisis in Just Ten Years (www.senesisword.com).

“We are running out of oil, period,” Johnson said. “That being said, it’s time to get down to the business of seriously developing alternatives. It is paramount that we develop realistic solutions to the energy crisis from among the multitude of products and systems that are in use, under development, or even latent ideas in the minds of America’s creative genius. We must collect and examine descriptions of fuels and energy systems — past, present, and future — and the many possible and practical ways to replace fossil fuels with renewable fuels or energy systems.”

According to Johnson, new combinations of old and emerging technologies promise amazing new ways to generate, distribute, and use energy of many kinds. The large variety of proven technologies and systems is astounding. There is no single right answer. The astonishing thing is the variety. In the long run, some will flourish while others will fall by the wayside.”

He thinks the U.S. should select new energy solutions based on some or all of the following criteria:

· be comparatively inexpensive to use.
· be developed using environmentally sound, sensitive principles.
· be far easier, simpler and less expensive to implement than systems like the hydrogen fuel cell system.
· be aaptable to our existing infrastructure with minor changes.
· use raw materials we already have or that can be developed here, locally.
· be applicable to existing vehicles with upgrades or conversions.
· be useable with existing IC (Internal Combustion) engines of all types.
· be developed using existing, evolving technology able to be essentially complete within ten years.
· create a system that is a net zero contributor of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
· use evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary changes — a good start to becoming constantly improvable, adaptable systems that drive numerous growing and improving technologies.
· be developed by America-based industry with the many resulting substantial benefits to our nation—social, political, and economic.

“It matters not to a driver what powers his vehicle when he presses down on the accelerator pedal.” Johnson added. “Any power system that provides adequate mobile power economically when that pedal is pressed will satisfy his needs. All of the new systems could replace fossil fuels as the prime energy source for our nation and even the world. We need to develop an entirely new and more efficient means of generating, transporting, storing and using energy that will generate profitable domestic business, good jobs and stop the hemorrhaging of billions of American dollars to nations that hate us.”

GAS HOLE

In remembrance of Earth Day (April 22) and the One Year Anniversary of the Horizon Oil Spill

COMING TO DVD ON APRIL 19, 2011

LOS ANGELES (March 23 2011) – With the ongoing crises in the Middle East coupled with the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, oil prices are on the rise again after a short lull. Although this spike in oil pricing is being directly tied to the coalition-led attack on Libya, has the world’s oil supply been affected by either of these crises? Or, is it really a result of the machinations by the oil companies, who have a long history of profiting from crises economics? Gas Hole, a new documentary film by Scott D. Roberts and Jeremy Wagener takes on the oil industry and its manipulation of markets and technology, when it streets on DVD nationwide and in Canada on April 19, 2011 timed with the one year anniversary of Gulf of Mexico’s Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Oil Spill, the worst environmental disaster in the U.S., which came to light on Earth Day in 2010.

Gas Hole, narrated by Peter Gallagher (Covert Affairs, Californication) and featuring Joshua Jackson (Fringe), played extensively on the festival circuit, charts the course of oil companies’ manipulations of the market since the days of John D. Rockefeller. Using clever graphics and a wealth of archival footage, the filmmakers show how the oil companies have repeatedly squelched any viable alternatives to petroleum by killing patents, buying out the competition, manipulating supply and reaping record profits following a natural disaster.

The film features footage from a congressional testimony by the presidents of the oil companies as well as candid interviews with Congressional leaders such as Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Rep. Anna E. Eschoo (D- CA ), Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R –New York), Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R – MD) and Senator Mark Kirk (R – IL) as well as energy experts, ConsumerWatchdog.org’s Jamie Court and Doane College Professor Les Manns, with solutions presented by Alternative Fuel Producers, Alternative Fuel Consumers and more.

The film has already experienced backlash from the oil companies as well as an executive from General Motors Alternative Fuel Vehicles Division, says co-director Scott D. Roberts. “In 2008, a screening tour was planned with sponsorship from the Clean Cities of America program, a federally funded initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy. When Rich Gunther from GM’s Alternative Fuel Vehicles division saw the film at a private screening for Clean Cities reps, he threatened to cut GM’s funding for their programs if they supported the film. As a result, the tour with Clean Cities’ support was cancelled.” Why would GM’s Alternative Fuel Vehicles Division not want people to see a film that promotes the use of alternative fuel vehicles?

Synopsis:

Gas Hole, narrated by Peter Gallagher and featuring Joshua Jackson, is an eye-opening documentary about the history of oil prices and sheds light on a secret that the big oil companies don’t want you to know – that there are viable and affordable alternatives to petroleum fuel!

It also provides a detailed examination of our continued dependence on foreign oil and examines various potential solutions — starting with claims of buried technology that dramatically improves gas mileage, to navigating bureaucratic governmental roadblocks, to evaluating different alternative fuels that are technologically available now, to questioning the American Consumers’ reluctance to embrace alternatives.

Hear from a wide range of opinions from representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy Officials, Congressional leaders both Democrat and Republican, Alternative Fuel Producers, Alternative Fuel Consumers, Professors of Economics and Psychology and more.

www.gasholemovie.com

Well we are always on the look out for new energy technologies to tell you about. Today we want you to check out this car that is powered by compressed air. Yes that is right compressed air! Watch the videos (one from CNN) and then give us your thoughts below on whether you think something like this could catch on and be a viable alternative energy source for cars.

The advantages for this air powered car technology that we see include…

* Low cost for the car and to run it
* About 117 MPG
* Low Emissions (or zero emissions)
* No need for batteries – that’s the biggest problem with electric vehicles

More comprehensive from Wiki:

Advantages

The principal advantages of an air powered vehicle are:

* Refueling can be done at home using an air compressor[3] or at service stations. The energy required for compressing air is produced at large centralized plants, making it less costly and more effective to manage carbon emissions than from individual vehicles.
* Compressed air engines reduce the cost of vehicle production, because there is no need to build a cooling system, spark plugs, starter motor, or mufflers.[4]
* The rate of self-discharge is very low opposed to batteries that deplete their charge slowly over time. Therefore, the vehicle may be left unused for longer periods of time than electric cars.
* Expansion of the compressed air lowers its temperature; this may be exploited for use as air conditioning.
* Reduction or elimination of hazardous chemicals such as gasoline or battery acids/metals
* Some mechanical configurations may allow energy recovery during braking by compressing and storing air.
* Recent findings from Southwest Research Institute indicate that air-hybrids would allow for up to 50 percent better fuel economy and an 80 percent reduction in emitted toxins compared to conventional engines[citation needed]. Sweden’s Lund University also reports that buses could see an improvement in fuel efficiency of up to 60 percent using an air-hybrid system[5]

Disadvantages

The principal disadvantage is the indirect use of energy. Energy is used to compress air, which – in turn – provides the energy to run the motor. Any conversion of energy between forms results in loss. For conventional combustion motor cars, the energy is lost when chemical energy in fossil fuels is converted to heat energy, most of which goes to waste. For compressed-air cars, energy is lost when chemical energy is converted to electrical energy, and then when electrical energy is converted to compressed air.

* When air expands in the engine it cools dramatically (Charles’s law) and must be heated to ambient temperature using a heat exchanger. The heating is necessary in order to obtain a significant fraction of the theoretical energy output. The heat exchanger can be problematic: while it performs a similar task to an intercooler for an internal combustion engine, the temperature difference between the incoming air and the working gas is smaller. In heating the stored air, the device gets very cold and may ice up in cool, moist climates.
* Conversely, when air is compressed to fill the tank it heats up: as the stored air cools, its pressure decreases and available energy decreases. It is difficult to cool the tank efficiently while charging and thus it would either take a long time to fill the tank, or less energy is stored.
* Refueling the compressed air container using a home or low-end conventional air compressor may take as long as 4 hours, though specialized equipment at service stations may fill the tanks in only 3 minutes.[3] To store 14.3 kWh @300 bar in 300 l (90 m3 @ 1 bar) reservoirs, you need at least 93 kWh on the compressor side (with an optimum single stage compressor working on the ideal adiabatic limit), or approx. 65kWh with an industrial standard multistage unit. That means, a compressor power of over 1 Megawatt (1000 kW) is needed to fill the reservoirs in 5 minutes from a single stage unit, or several hundred horsepower for a multistage one.[6][citation needed]
* The overall efficiency of a vehicle using compressed air energy storage, using the above refueling figures, cannot exceed 14%, even with a 100% efficient engine—and practical engines are closer to 10-20%.[7] For comparison, well to wheel efficiency using a modern internal-combustion drivetrain is about 20%,[8] Therefore, if powered by air compressed using a compressor driven by an engine using fossil fuels technology, a compressed air car would have a larger carbon footprint than a car powered directly by an engine using fossil fuels technology.
* Early tests have demonstrated the limited storage capacity of the tanks; the only published test of a vehicle running on compressed air alone was limited to a range of 7.22 km.[9]
* A 2005 study demonstrated that cars running on lithium-ion batteries out-perform both compressed air and fuel cell vehicles more than threefold at the same speeds.[10] MDI has recently claimed that an air car will be able to travel 140 km in urban driving, and have a range of 80 km with a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph) on highways,[11] when operating on compressed air alone, but in as late as mid 2009, MDI has still not produced any proof to that effect.
* A 2009 University of Berkeley Research Letter found that “Even under highly optimistic assumptions the compressed-air car is significantly less efficient than a battery electric vehicle and produces more greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional gas-powered car with a coal intensive power mix.” however they also suggested, “a pneumatic–combustion hybrid is technologically feasible, inexpensive and could eventually compete with hybrid electric vehicles.”[12]

If you’ve been trying to cut expenses and have been disappointed by the prices set from the utility companies, you might want to consider the Tesla secret generator. This device has been a government kept secret for almost a century, but is now being released to anybody who can follow directions and put together a few simple and readily available parts from the local hardware or electronics store. Even those with limited technological abilities can put together the Tesla free energy generator in a few hours.

Information in the Tesla secret book could not have come at a better time. People are trying to reduce on expenses. Also, decreasing dependence upon carbon fuels is crucial to those trying to help the planet. Prices for electric power continues to creep upward. Fuel prices are also climbing and are expected to hit record prices soon. Whatever you can do to cut your payments to the utility business is going to mean a better life style for you and your family.

The advantages of alternative energy have been preached for a very long time, but few people have the cash available to setup and keep a solar or wind power system that is big enough to a provide great portion of the energy usage typical of the standard home. Retrofitting houses to utilize less energy is a sensible move, but still accounts for only a portion of the normal bill from the utility company.

To provide power when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing, you need backup power. This could be in the form of batteries or through a generator that still needs maintenance and normally diesel fuel to operate. While these alternative energy forms do eventually pay for themselves, it sometimes needs years of usage before reaching break even point.

Solar panels once installed need to be maintained. Normal placement is on a south facing roof. As a result it difficult and even risky for the regular homeowner to reach and service. Employing maintenance people can be another hit on your budget.

The Tesla electric generator isn’t capital substantial. The parts could be purchased locally at an electronics store. The instructions that can be found in the Tesla secret book are simple to follow, in order that even a non-technology-minded could put together the device in several hours. The generator could be used day and night, thus you don’t need a bank of costly batteries. It works when there is cloud cover or even rain.

If you wish to take a look at green systems the Tesla generator doesn’t emit fumes, radiation or harmful emissions. You can’t smell it working and it doesn’t use petroleum products to operate. In short, you could use the device with confidence that you are doing your part to save the planet.

The Tesla secret generator plans could be in your hands in just minutes. You could be cutting down your utility bills by 10%, 20%, 90% even 100% percent in a matter of hours. The power generation is definitely free of cost and succeeds around the clock. The quantity of capital cost is only about 1% of what a solar or wind energy system could cost you.

American fuel cell manufacturer ClearEdge Power first of its kind to receive internationally recognized Korean Gas Safety certification

HILLSBORO, Ore. – March 29, 2011 – Today ClearEdge Power has become the first fuel cell maker in history to be awarded the Korean Gas Safety Corporation’s (KGS) internationally recognized safety certification for its 5-kilowatt high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Achieving this certification is mandatory to market fuel cells in Korea, and KGS officials say their certification is recognized throughout Asia, including China, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Russia, and parts of Europe. The certification follows a $40 million distribution agreement with LS Industrial Systems, a $1.5 billion (USD) Korea-based company focused on electric power generation, distribution and automation worldwide.

“KGS has a significant amount of influence throughout Asia and the Pacific, not just in the Korean gas and fuel cell industry alone,” said Key Lee, ClearEdge Power managing director, Asia and Pacific. “We are pleased to have achieved this important milestone, and to have received KGS’s support with international certifications, gas safety consulting and joint projects in an effort to promote our fuel cell system throughout Korea, Asia and the Pacific region.”

The ClearEdge Power five-kilowatt combined heat and power stationary fuel cell uses a chemical process to cleanly convert natural gas into electricity and heat around theclock, regardless of weather conditions. Unlike power sources that use combustion technology, fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical process that produces only negligible or undetectable levels of nitrogen and sulfur oxides. A significant percentage of heat produced by fuel cells can be captured and used to provide heat and hot water. In fact, the ClearEdge5 combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell reduces carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 35 to 40 percent compared to traditional combustion technology and other typical pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds, ash and particulates, to trace levels. When installed in homes or businesses, it can also reduce utility bills by up to 50 percent by creating power at the point of use.

For more information, please visit us online at ClearEdgePower.com

–OnGreen – World’s Largest Online Cleantech Marketplace Launches–

Los Angeles, Calif. – March 23, 2011 – OnGreen, the world’s largest cleantech marketplace announced today the launch of its website, OnGreen.com, out of a successful beta. The website is a comprehensive destination for cleantech professionals, connecting cleantech businesses and entrepreneurs with investors, expertise and resources.

The beta site attracted 250 start-ups from more than 35 countries, representing $1.9B in funding opportunities. More than half of those entrepreneurs received investor inquiries, according to OnGreen’s latest surveys. The company is using its recent series A funding to provide investors with deal vetting and to expand its China marketplace.

OnGreen is backed by China Southern Hong Kong Investment Ltd. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles and has satellite offices in Shanghai and Mumbai, with plans to open offices in other locations during 2011.

“The nature of today’s global cleantech market is that innovation doesn’t always occur where capital is available,” says OnGreen CEO Nikhil R. Jain. “As a global platform, OnGreen overcomes the physical separation between innovation, capital and expertise and helps speed the time from idea to commercialization.”

The OnGreen platform is divided into three key areas:
Deal Marketplace – Where entrepreneurs seek funding for their cleantech businesses and investors make use of the search and filter capabilities to streamline dealflow. The site already hosts some 250 companies from 35 countries seeking a combined $1.9 billion.

Patent Exchange – Where inventors and companies post their intellectual property for sale or licensing and allow outside investors and enabling service providers to review them. The site already hosts more than 150 cleantech related patents from sources including USC.

Expert Community – Where business and technology experts promote their expertise, collaborate with their peers, engage in opportunity evaluations, share due diligence and make themselves available for mentoring, contract work or even employment.

As part of the company’s strategy to bridge cleantech professionals and investors from around the world, OnGreen has partnered with the University of Michigan and Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy (JUCCCE). The project OnGreen is spearheading will entail working with Chinese companies to invest in University R&D and patents in exchange for which they would acquire joint rights to the associated intellectual property.

According to JUCCCE’s Co-Founder Peggy Liu, “China has a gap between their desire to save energy and reduce pollution, and their capability to go green as fast as they are building.” She adds, “This joint research project would not only bring positive trade flow into the U .S. from China and create jobs, but also potentially help the U.S. bypass historic patent infringement issues in China.”

To kick off the official launch, OnGreen hosted a VIP launch event in Los Angeles featuring private equity firms, media, non-profits, utilities, policy makers, venture capitalists and members of academia.

Connect with the world’s leading cleantech investors at www.ongreen.com.

.

There is so much happening in the technology of new energy sources these days but connecti8ng them all together to function is a key element that is being researched these days. This excerpt from research being done in the Northwest is one example. Another is a big wind project slated for development down in Australia has gotten derailed because the plan for interconnecting it the the power grid was deemed flimsy.

Future batteries used by the energy grid to store power from the wind and sun must be reliable, durable and safe, but affordability is really the key to widespread deployment, according to a new report published online March 4 in the journal Chemical Reviews. The report is one of the most comprehensive reviews of electrochemical energy storage to date.

In the report, researchers from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory say that successful electrochemical energy storage, or EES, systems will need to evolve — in some cases, considerably — if they are going to compete financially with the cost of natural gas production. And besides technical improvements, the systems will need to be built to last, using materials that are safe and durable so that batteries could operate more than 15 years and require very little maintenance over their lifetime.

The report provides a comprehensive review of four stationary storage systems — ones considered the most promising candidates for EES: vanadium redox flow, sodium-beta alumina membrane, lithium-ion and lead-carbon batteries. In their study, the PNNL researchers note the potential of each technology but, more importantly, explain what advances must occur with each if they’re ultimately to be deployed.

read more here