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New Hampshire, USA -- What was once the largest landfill on the planet is being partly reinvented, and solar energy will be playing a big role in that.
New York City will convert roughly 47 acres of land at the Freshkills Park on Staten Island into a 10-MW solar installation, five times bigger than any other system in the city and boosting the city's renewable energy by 50 percent, according to officials. SunEdison, which won the public bidding process, will lease the land to design, build, and operate the facility, with construction reportedly beginning in late 2015 and online within a year.
Freshkills opened more than half a century ago and quickly became the largest landfill in the world; at its peak in the 1980s it took in tens of thousands of garbage per day as the city's primary solid waste landfill, with four landfill mounds amounting to 150 million tons of solid waste. At one point it was the largest man-made structure, taller than the Statue of Liberty and reportedly visible from space. It was officially closed in 2001, though it was brought back to temporary service to help sort through Sept. 11 material. A landfill gas recovery operation has been in place since then.
We have used up all of the affordable to obtain supply of fossil fuels.
Bullshit. Or, if you prefer, a comment that even the 3rd grade level understanding of resources peak oilers employ would be embarrassed to make, and they are REALLY stupid.
PMZ said:We are working down the back side of the supply curve while developing countries are driving demand to record levels every year.
To which supply curve do you refer?
PMZ said:I don't have that many years left but it is going to take 100+ years to completely retool the entire energy system to sustainable. I personally think much longer. It takes nearly 20 years to design, permit, construct and commission one nuke plant.
So doing more nothing will be catastrophic to civilization.
Whoever confuses the transition happening all around us Americans as "nothing"? A decade ago I was forced to buy mid sized sedans that only got only 30mpg. Nowadays I can buy multiple forms of transport from multiple manufacturers that don't even NEED liquid fuels to transport my butt around town, and my newest mid sized car is returning 38mpg and isn't even broken in yet.
It is difficult to see change while it is happening all around us, and I suppose those who haven't been to a car dealership to see the transition laid out before joe consumer, or who hasn't driven through Kansas to see the horizon to horizon windmill construction, could be fooled into thinking nothing is happening.
But that is it you are being fooled if you think a transition isn't already afoot, and some of us early adopters are quite happy with how much we can reduce our fossil fuel consumption without even a change in lifestyle, while saving money at the same time! And this is good! Please sir, don't throw me into the transition briar patch again!
New Solar Cell Is More Efficient, Less CostlyAmerican innovators still have some cards to play when it comes to squeezing more efficiency and lower costs out of silicon, the workhorse of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules worldwide.
A recent breakthrough — the product of a partnership between manufacturer TetraSun and the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) — could spark U.S. solar manufacturing when the approach hits the assembly line next year. The innovative design, simple architecture, and elegant process flow for fabricating the cells make the technology a prime candidate for large-scale production.
Solar industry leader First Solar acquired TetraSun in April 2013, about the time R&D Magazine honored TetraSun and NREL with one of its coveted R&D 100 Awards for the year's top innovations.
Potentially Disruptive Technology Attracted Attention of PV Incubator Program
Typically, silicon PV cell manufacturers add a grid of thin silver lines to the cell via a screen-printing process to form the front contacts.
The TetraSun cell instead loads 50-micron-wide copper electrodes on its front contacts in a way that prevents diffusion of the metal — which can degrade performance. The new process exceeds the performance of traditional heterojunction cells without the need of any special equipment, complicated module assembly, or costly transparent conductive oxides. That adds up to a significant cost advantage when it comes to high-volume manufacturing.
"It's a potentially disruptive technology, and that's why we decided to work with TetraSun," said NREL's Martha Symko-Davies, who headed the Energy Department's SunShot Initiative PV Incubator program when TetraSun received a grant from it back in 2010. "The Incubator program supports potentially disruptive innovations from small startups.
According to the latest NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly report, global solar demand reached a Q3 record of 9 GW in the third quarter of 2013.
That’s up 6 percent from Q2 2013, and almost 20 percent higher year-on-year, and when combined, demand from Q2 and Q3 exceeded 17 GW.
“The record levels of mid-year demand in 2013 have been critical to the overall recovery of the solar PV sector,” said Michael Barker, a senior analyst at NPD Solarbuzz.
“Restored confidence in end-market growth is allowing leading solar PV manufacturers to pursue aggressive shipment strategies within both established and emerging territories, despite previous concerns that trade wars could dampen growth,” he said, referring to the tariffs and countervailing duties that have been imposed across the U.S., Europe and China.
The report also noted that the price of PV is moderating after a solid decline over the past few years. Module prices fell 12 percent between Q2 and Q3 2012, compared to just a one percent decline over the same period in 2013.
Global solar PV revenue is forecast to be around $65 – $75 billion for 2013, compared to $68 billion in 2012, and $92 billion in 2011. In 2011, PV system prices were up to 50 percent higher than in 2013; the bounce back in revenue expected this year is testament to strong demand.
The research firm predicts that next year, global PV demand will reach around 45-55 GW, with over half coming from the Asia Pacific region, and ten percent from emerging regions.
NPD Solarbuzz also expects strong demand in the UK and Japan in the first quarter of 2014, with firms taking up advantageous policy incentives due to change in April 2014.
Read more at US Plug-in Electric Vehicle Sales Blow Past 150,000 | CleanTechnicaIn May, US plug-in electric vehicle sales hit the 100,000 marker, with an Alabama Mitsubishi i owner purchasing the 100,000 plug-in electric vehicle (more or less). Just about 6 months later, US plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales have passed the 150,000 marker, according to Plug In America’s PEV sales counter. No word on who bought the 150,000th PEV or what the model was — maybe we should check with Plug In America.
All in all, that’s pretty rapid growth, and it indicates that we’d be on track to double the number of plug-in electric vehicles in one year’s time. However, I’d bet all my savings that we will actually hit 200,000 in less than 6 months. Electric vehicles sales growth is… growing. Furthermore, new EV models are continuously being added. The BMW i3 (which I love) is getting ready for rollout in the US, as is the Volkswagen e-Golf and perhaps the Volkswagen e-Up!, and probably several other PEVs.
At the moment, though, we’re already seeing about 361% year-over-year sales growth of 100% electric vehicles and 34% year-over-year sales growth of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the US. Not too shabby, eh?
Things I'd like to see for my state Oregon
1. The last coal plant shut down
2. 1gw solar farm in eastern Oregon over the desert. We're failing in solar
3. Get to 5 gw wind by 2015
4. Start shutting down the natural gas plants as new power comes on board.
Things I'd like to see for my state Oregon
1. The last coal plant shut down
2. 1gw solar farm in eastern Oregon over the desert. We're failing in solar
3. Get to 5 gw wind by 2015
4. Start shutting down the natural gas plants as new power comes on board.
Things I'd like to see for my state Oregon
1. The last coal plant shut down
2. 1gw solar farm in eastern Oregon over the desert. We're failing in solar
3. Get to 5 gw wind by 2015
4. Start shutting down the natural gas plants as new power comes on board.
The basins in Eastern Oregon have hot aquifers under them. Hot water geo-thermal in conjunction with wind and solar would make that region a major power producer,.
Things I'd like to see for my state Oregon
1. The last coal plant shut down
2. 1gw solar farm in eastern Oregon over the desert. We're failing in solar
3. Get to 5 gw wind by 2015
4. Start shutting down the natural gas plants as new power comes on board.
The basins in Eastern Oregon have hot aquifers under them. Hot water geo-thermal in conjunction with wind and solar would make that region a major power producer,.
So many fuel-less and waste-less sources.
But that is it you are being fooled if you think a transition isn't already afoot, and some of us early adopters are quite happy with how much we can reduce our fossil fuel consumption without even a change in lifestyle, while saving money at the same time! And this is good! Please sir, don't throw me into the transition briar patch again!
I'm on your side. There is a lot of good stuff going on but also stiff resistance from those who have been recruited by big oil to help keep the status quo. There are still huge profits to be made on the dregs of fossil fuels but every sustainable energy generator and every energy efficient consumer is a threat to that money.
We can't let up on progress.
Solar is kicking ass and isn't going anywhere!
As we get new energy resources on line = shutting down coal and other co2 admitting sources.
China Coal-Fired Economy Dying of Thirst as Mines Lack Water - BloombergAt first glance, Daliuta in northern China appears to have a river running through it. A closer look reveals the stretch of water in the center is a pond, dammed at both ends. Beyond the barriers, the Wulanmulun’s bed is dry.
Daliuta in Shaanxi province sits on top of the world’s biggest underground coal mine, which requires millions of liters of water a day for extracting, washing and processing the fuel. The town is the epicenter of a looming collision between China’s increasingly scarce supplies of water and its plan to power economic growth with coal.
As we get new energy resources on line = shutting down coal and other co2 admitting sources.
As long as that isn't the excuse. Otherwise it just becomes yet another way to off the people we don't like you are as much a CO2 emitter as our power systems.
There isn't one damn thing good about coal. China should mandate all homes install solar energy....
There isn't one damn thing good about coal. China should mandate all homes install solar energy....
Advocating fascism as a solution to how people generate their power doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
After two and half years of debate, the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has finalized a decision that the state’s investor-owned utilities must begin buying a combined 200 megawatts of energy storage technology by 2014 and reaching 1.3 gigawatts (1,325 megawatts) by the end of 2020.
All 5 CPUC Commissioners approved the landmark decision. In her introductory comments, Commissioner Carla Peterman stated, “I believe energy storage has great potential to help us address grid reliability and renewables integration issues. This decision is an important and appropriate step, especially considering the leadership role California has and continues to play in advancing progressive energy policy.”
PG&E, SCE and SDG&E will soon be directed to file a procurement application on or before March 1, 2014 that would contain a proposal for the first energy storage procurement cycle, including the first competitive solicitation.
