General energy news

[ScienceRocks]

Lab reports big advance in laser fusion quest

The latest experimental run at the National Ignition Facility produced as many as one quarter of the neutrons needed to trigger sustained fusion.

By David Kramer

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory say they have tripled the number of neutrons produced by fusion in tiny capsules of deuterium and tritium and thus have moved the National Ignition Facility a step closer to its goal of sustained nuclear fusion. The 13 August firing of NIF's 192-beam laser yielded 3 × 1015 neutrons, whose total energy reached 8 kilojoules. That output was nearly twice the 5 kJ of energy that produced the plasma in the peppercorn-sized sphere of fusion fuel, says Ed Moses, the lab's principal associate director for NIF.

The result puts NIF a factor of four to five away from ignition, says Moses; last fall the Department of Energy reported that NIF was an order of magnitude away from its goal. Only a factor-of-two increase in plasma energy will be needed to attain alpha heating, an intermediate milestone at which alpha particles from fusion reactions contribute twice as much energy to the plasma as the laser does.

Lab reports big advance in laser fusion quest | Politics and Policy - Physics Today

 

[Mr. H.]

Fishing for electrons...

New battery uses microbes to turn sewage into energy

 

[Old Rocks]

Fishing for electrons...

New battery uses microbes to turn sewage into energy

Anytime you can address two problems at once, it is a plus. Cleaning waste water and generating electricity at the same time is an excellant twofer.

 

[Mr. H.]

The small scale is the beginning scale.

 

[Mr. H.]

Ladder up!

 

[ScienceRocks]

Ivanpah solar plant in California starts energy feed to grid

Sep 27, 2013 by Nancy Owano weblog

The world's largest solar thermal plant began to feed energy into the power grid on Tuesday, considered a solar energy milestone, in a project scheduled to be fully operational by the end of the year. The system delivered its first kilowatts of power Tuesday to Pacific Gas & Electric in California, from one of three central-tower units, with the remaining two to be activated next. Power generated from Ivanpah's initial sync testing to PG&E is under a power purchase agreement for energy produced out of the plant's Unit 1 station. Power generated from the Unit 3 station is also for PG&E. Unit 2 is under an agreement with Southern California Edison. Proof-of-concept testing will also be conducted at Units 2 and 3 in the coming months.

Read more at: Ivanpah solar plant in California starts energy feed to grid

 

[ScienceRocks]

1000MW Geothermal Plant in Ethiopia to Double Africa’s Electricity Access
1000MW Geothermal Plant in Ethiopia to Double Africa?s Electricity Access

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Reykjavik Geothermal have announced plans to develop a 1000MW geothermal plant in Ethiopia -one of the largest in the world.

US-Icelandic geothermal development company, Reykjavik Geothermal (RG) has agreed to develop one the world’s largest geothermal power projects in the Corbetti area in Ethiopia to help East African communities harness their own energy. Becoming Ethiopia’s first independent power project, and the largest in Africa, the plant would double energy supply in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.

 

[flacaltenn]

1000MW Geothermal Plant in Ethiopia to Double Africa’s Electricity Access
1000MW Geothermal Plant in Ethiopia to Double Africa?s Electricity Access

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Reykjavik Geothermal have announced plans to develop a 1000MW geothermal plant in Ethiopia -one of the largest in the world.

US-Icelandic geothermal development company, Reykjavik Geothermal (RG) has agreed to develop one the world’s largest geothermal power projects in the Corbetti area in Ethiopia to help East African communities harness their own energy. Becoming Ethiopia’s first independent power project, and the largest in Africa, the plant would double energy supply in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.

Well damn I'm proud to help... You're gonna end up paying for most of this one.. Just to keep Africa clean and US corporations fat..... ((Yes it IS a joint US Iceland corp))

First Power Africa Transaction Moves Forward with Landmark Agreement between Ethiopian Government and Reykjavik Geothermal | U.S. Agency for International Development

The Corbetti project is part of the Power Africa Initiative announced by President Obama this past summer which seeks to add more than 10,000 megawatts of cleaner, more efficient electricity in six priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa. A key thrust of the Power Africa strategy is to accelerate the development of the vast and renewable geothermal potential in the Rift Valley which extends through both Ethiopia and Kenya. Corbetti was identified early on by USAID as a priority transaction that could showcase the innovative Power Africa model: combining private sector expertise and investment with U.S. government tools to mitigate risk and build local government expertise. USAID technical advice at the transaction level has been instrumental in moving the Corbetti project towards agreement. At the same time, the USAID-sponsored Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility (GRMF), funded by KfW and managed by the African Union, will provide the Corbetti project with grant funding to defray the costs and risk of exploratory drilling. The Corbetti agreement is also a significant signal to the private sector and international investors that the Ethiopian energy sector is looking at new generation models beyond the dominant role that the public sector has played until now. This is also a critical objective of Power Africa: compelling African governments to institute appropriate reforms to create the right enabling environment for private sector activities.

Hope they translate the phrase "I'm from the Government and I'm here to help" before their part of the bills come due..

 

[Mr. H.]

Mass. approves building of gas-fired power plant - Yahoo Finance

BOSTON (AP) -- The Patrick administration has signed off on construction of a new 692-megawatt gas-fired power plant to be located the site of the existing Salem Harbor Station.

The facility is expected to be one of the most efficient and lowest-emitting large gas-fired power plants in New England, Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan said Thursday.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Oklahoma Utility Buys 600 MW Of Wind Power To ‘Provide Substantial Savings To Our Customers’

Oklahomans will soon be paying less for their electricity because their utility looked at the market and decided that wind power would be the most cost-effective option.

On Thursday, the 100-year-old Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) — a division of American Electric Power (AEP) — signed an agreement to buy 600 megawatts of power from wind farms being developed in the northwestern part of the state. Currently there is just one large-scale wind farm in the Panhandle and in almost two years, there will be three more.

“The Panhandle of Oklahoma truly is one of the mother lodes of wind in this country,” said Clean Line Energy Partners President Michael Skelly.

Oklahoma Utility Buys 600 MW Of Wind Power To 'Provide Substantial Savings To Our Customers' | ThinkProgress

 

[ScienceRocks]

Number of planned new onshore wind farms has doubled since 2011

Record numbers of onshore wind farms have been approved for construction this year as power companies cash in on hundreds of millions of pounds in subsidies.

The number of turbine projects granted planning permission has more than doubled over the last two years, according to the latest figures, prompting fears that hand-outs for energy firms are too high.
A growing public backlash against green energy levies on household bills, and the spread of wind turbines across the countryside, has led senior Tories to plot radical steps to protect the landscape and cut costs for customers.

Number of planned new onshore wind farms has doubled since 2011 - Telegraph

 

[Mr. H.]

Hydrocarbons. Kick. Ass.

Matthew take nap.

 

[ScienceRocks]

1.8 GW Of New Solar For Japan In Q2

Japan keeps strongly increasing solar capacity and racked up another 1.8 GW of projects completed in the second quarter of this year. Most of this (1.4 GW) was commercial installations. Residential PV solar for the same period was just 410 MW. For Q2 this ratio was a reversal of the prior period, which favored residential solar installations over commercial.

Read more at 1.8 GW Of New Solar For Japan In Q2 | CleanTechnica

 

[ScienceRocks]

Third Quarter 2013 Solar PV Installations Reach 9 GW

Third quarter global solar installations in 2013 reached 9 GW, according to a recent report. NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly said demand increased 6% compared to the second quarter, while advancing 20% above a year earlier.

Price stabilization provided some underlying support in the third quarter, analysts said. “The record levels of mid-year demand in 2013 have been critical to the overall recovery of the solar PV sector,” said NPD Solarbuzz senior analyst Michael Barker. “Restored confidence in end-market growth is allowing leading solar PV manufacturers to pursue aggressive shipment strategies within both established and emerging territories, despite earlier concerns that trade wars could dampen growth.”

Read more at Third Quarter 2013 Solar PV Installations Reach 9 GW | CleanTechnica

 

[ScienceRocks]

Ford To Partner With University Of Michigan On Electric-Car Battery Lab

To launch its Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, General Motors chose to build and expand its very own battery lab.

Crosstown rival Ford is taking a different route.

According to the Detroit News, it will partner with the University of Michigan by helping to fund a laboratory where car makers can test prototype battery cells for future plug-in electric cars.


The university is to announce the plan today. Total funding of $8 million will be split among the university's engineering department, Ford, and the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Ford now sells two types of plug-in vehicles: its Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids, with rated electric range of 21 miles, and its low-volume Focus Electric battery-electric vehicle.

Ford To Partner With University Of Michigan On Electric-Car Battery Lab

 

[ScienceRocks]

Lowering the cost of solar installation with robots and cleaning technology

California-based startup company, Alion Energy, has developed a new automated system that is seven times faster than conventional solar installation. In addition, its cleaning technology can boost the efficiency of the panels. It is hoped this new system could significantly lower costs, making solar more competitive with fossil fuels
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nIDks4A3GC8]Solar Robots Designed to Make Photovoltaics as Cheap as Fossil Fuels - YouTube[/ame]

 

[ScienceRocks]

Dubai inaugurates first phase of mega solar energy project

Dubai inaugurated the first phase of a solar energy park on Tuesday as the Gulf emirate seeks to diversify its energy sources, official Emirati news agency WAM reported.

The park, named the "Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Park" after the emirate's ruler, will produce 1,000 megawatts of electricity when completed, and will cost 12 billion dirhams ($3.3 billion), WAM said.

The first plant of the solar energy megaproject is 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the city of Dubai and can produce 10 megawatts of energy on its own.

Read more at: Dubai inaugurates first phase of mega solar energy project

 

[ScienceRocks]

Wireless Electric Buses Developed In Utah

It’s easy to understand why some people hate public transportation. Most city buses use large diesel engines that are are loud and smelly, but pure-electric buses are too expensive for most cash-strapped cities to afford. Utah-based electric bus company WAVE might have a solution for electric buses, using a clever wireless-charging system that drastically reduces battery size and cost.

Developed in conjunction with the University of Utah and commercialized first in Park City, Utah, WAVE got its start powering buses around the university campus. The technology uses inductive charging to wirelessly transfer energy between the charger and the bus. This is nothing exactly groundbreaking here, with other projects in places like South Korea displaying similar ideas.

Read more at Wireless Electric Buses Developed In Utah | CleanTechnica

 

[ScienceRocks]

New York Manhole Covers To Deliver Power to Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles are a pretty good solution for the very serious problem of particulate and carbon pollution that cars and trucks pour into the air. But adoption has been slow because drivers aren’t willing to risk running out of juice mid-trip. Until charging stations are nearly as easy to find as gasoline, the problem of vehicular pollution will remain stalled.

hevo-chargerNew York startup HEVO is offering one clever improvement, making it easier to recharge electric vehicles, or EVs, in cities. It’s offering reservable parking spots featuring what look like manholes in the pavement, but are in fact wireless charging devices that will give the trucks a little more juice while they sit.

Wireless charging eliminates the clumsiness of cords in a crowded city environment. And because the parking spaces can be reserved, they reduce the chances that delivery truck drivers will rack up costly parking tickets.

But, no, a few minutes of charging while the driver unloads a couple dollies of office supplies or soda will not fully charge a truck.

New York Manhole Covers To Deliver Power to Electric Vehicles | Singularity Hub

 

[ScienceRocks]

8 States Teaming Up to Support Electric Cars

WASHINGTON — In an effort to spur lackluster sales of electric cars, California, New York and six other states said on Thursday that they would work jointly to adopt a range of measures, including encouraging more charging stations and changing building codes, to make it easier to own an electric car.

The goal, they said, was to achieve sales of at least 3.3 million vehicles that did not have any emissions by 2025.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/b...-seeks-to-spur-use-of-electric-cars.html?_r=0