The No-Brainer of the Century: Solar on Old Landfills

Via WPRI.com

A new solar farm has gone up on the old town dump in Dartmouth in just five months:

The capped Russells Mills Road Landfill has a new lease on life after Borrego Solar Systems Inc. quietly topped the former dump with a solar farm, a venture that drew none of the complaints common to similar solar projects in town.

"It's the town of Dartmouth that showed leadership today," state Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Mark Sylvia said Wednesday during a ribbon cutting for the facility.

State and local officials including U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, state Rep. Chris Markey, Select Board Chairwoman Lara Stone and others attended Wednesday's ceremony celebrating the 5,300-panel, 1.4 megawatt solar farm slated to meet 20 percent of the town's energy needs.

If you have an old landfill and you don't have a solar farm on top of it, you're throwing money away. Even in March as the sun shines for hours less and at much lower intensity than it will in summer, the solar farm is already producing more than a megawatt.

But the article also has a reminder that to really reap the benefits of renewable energy, towns should consider properly-sited wind power:

The solar farm can produce 1.4 megawatts of power, slightly less than one of the two 1.5 megawatt wind turbines in Fairhaven, which stand 396 feet tall on land owned by the town.

Learn more at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Saudi Arabia Aims to be the Saudi Arabia of Solar Power

When an opponent of renewable energy claims North Dakota is the Saudi Arabia of oil shale, or Canada is the Saudi Arabia of tar sands, it's a dead giveaway they don't know what they're talking about.

You know who's the Saudi Arabia of oil? Saudi Arabia. And considering the United States has just 2% of the world's oil reserves while consuming 20% of the world's produced oil, we're stuck buying lots of oil from whoever will sell it to us at whatever price they demand.

Now here's the kicker: Saudi Arabia knows it won't be the Saudi Arabia of oil forever. That's why it's taking our oil money and spending it on becoming the Saudi Arabia of solar power.

Meanwhile, Republicans like Mitt Romney, George Allen and Scott Brown are trying to cut renewable energy subsidies and count on that 2% to meet our energy needs. It's a plan to drill to nowhere.

Going Solar is About Savings & Security, Not Organically Pickling Stuff

A solar power company called SunRun has unveiled these brilliant new ads. The company will put solar panels on your home for little or no up-front payment, take care of all the maintenance, and sell you the energy at a rate that's not just competitive with or lower than energy produced by huge, expensive, centralized power plants, but locked in no matter how high non-renewable resource prices spike.

The service is available in 10 states, but not Virginia, because if anyone tries to help Virginians lower their energy rates, cut their carbon footprints and gain independence from giant polluting power corporations, they can expect to get dragged into court by Dominion Virginia Power with the tacit approval of Virginia's elected officials.

Dominion Says It's Moving Forward With Wind Farm Off Virginia

On the same day the Obama administration announced streamlined permitting process for offshore wind energy, possible turbines off the Virginia coast took a big step forward:

Dominion Virginia Power is interested in building up to 400 wind turbines in Atlantic waters in what could be a powerful message for a slowly emerging domestic source of clean energy.

"If everything aligns and it makes good sense and we have our regulators on board, yes, we would be moving forward on a wind farm," Mary Doswell, Dominion's senior vice president for alternative energy solutions, said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.

The article doesn't say how much electricity will be produced, but Cape Wind only has 130 wind turbines and will produce up to 420 megawatts, so we could be looking at several coal-fired power plants worth of electricity. That power will come with none of the millions of tons of deadly air pollution the equivalent coal plants would produce each year. Additionally, Cape Wind is expected to create up to 1,000 construction jobs and support 150 permanent jobs. While Doswell said offshore wind energy costs 28 cents per kilowatt hour, Cape Wind is set to be sold for less than 19 cents per kilowatt hour and I'm not sure why there's such a wide disparity in Dominion's estimate.

Down the road, conservationists will need to get behind the plan to tell regulators they're happy to pay a little more on their power bills to keep our air & water clean and preserve Virginia's mountains for future generations to enjoy. For now, email Gov. Bob McDonnell to let him know you want wind turbines - not oil drilling rigs - off Virginia's beaches.

How Many Virginia Jobs Could Strong Solar Incentives Create?

According to One Block Off the Grid, strong incentives for solar power could create more jobs in Virginia (7,675) than the coal industry employs (5,262):

Navy Testing Cool New Compact Solar Enegy System at Virginia's Fort Story

It's a story we're hearing more and more often - the military is increasingly turning to renewable energy solutions because they simply work better than dirty energy sources. Testing is underway on the latest innovation at Virginia's Fort Story:

The Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit 2 in Virginia has been testing five prototype lightweight field power kits that include solar cells as a key component. The kits replace fifty pounds of equipment with a compact system that weighs only about nine pounds.

The heart of the kit is a one-pound device called a Soldier Power Manager. The Power Manager functions like a smart micro-mini-grid. In contrast to a portable generator that runs only on diesel fuel, the Power Manager can receive energy from various sources including solar panels and fuel cells. It recharges other devices by cable attachments, eliminating the need for individual battery chargers.

The idea is just one of several developed thanks to suggestions given to the Office of Naval Research's TechSolutions program:

Though the concept is basically the same as an old fashioned employee suggestion box, a single request can have a profound effect on operations. In one recent example, TechSolutions has been testing high efficiency LED bunk lights in response to a sailor's complaint about noisy, outdated fluorescent fixtures. Aside from improving readiness and health the new lighting system has already yielded significant savings in energy, maintenance, storage and disposal logistics, and it may soon go fleetwide.

For the military, clean energy isn't about politics - it's about saving lives with fewer fuel convoys & more mobile soldiers. And as nice added benefits, clean energy also saves money and cuts the oil dependence & carbon pollution that threaten our national security.

Washington & Lee U. to Install Virginia's Largest Solar Project

Great news from Virginia's Washington & Lee University:

Washington and Lee signed an agreement with Secure Futures L.L.C., a solar-energy developer based in Staunton, Va., today to install two solar photovoltaic arrays, totaling approximately 450 kilowatts, at two separate locations on the University's campus.

The first solar array, with a capacity of 120 kilowatts, will be installed on a canopy to be constructed over the upper deck of the University's parking structure. Lewis Hall, home of the Washington and Lee School of Law, will host the second array, a rooftop installation with a capacity of 330 kilowatts. Scheduled for completion by the end of the year, the two arrays combined will become the largest solar project in Virginia, with enough power to supply the total average annual electricity needs for the equivalent of 44 homes in Lexington.

As the Washington Post recently reported, demand for on-site solar power is heating up in our region.

No Thanks, We'll Keep Blowing Up Mountains

While Virginia keeps getting its power from blown up mountains, Cory Nealon of the Newport News Daily Press reports:

Offshore wind power could exceed Virginia's current electricity demand and create up to 26,660 in-state jobs, according to a report issued Tuesday.

Written by Oceana, an ocean-oriented environmental group, the report examines the East Coast. It found that wind farms could supply nearly half the region's current electricity generation and provide up to 212,000 jobs.

The report looked at water that averages at least 12.5 mph winds, is three to 24 miles off the coast, and is no deeper than 100 feet. It excluded 67 percent of these areas due to potential military, environmental and shipping conflicts.

Check out Cory's blog, The Deadrise, featuring some of Virginia's best (and let's face it, these days only) local environmental journalism. You can also follow him on Twitter.

The Daily Show on Cape Wind

UPDATE: Cape Wind has been approved! Congratulations to the clean energy activists who've been working for years to make this happen & to the Obama administration for making the right call.

I first posted this when it aired waaaay back in 2007. Doesn't seem like that long ago, but it was before The Daily Show had its own fancy-schmancy video site. The YouTube version of this clip has since been removed, but considering we're expecting a final decision on Cape Wind today, I thought I'd dig up the fancy-schmancied archive clip from The Daily Show's site & re-post it.

As Jason Jones reports, there's only one reason Cape Wind wasn't approved long ago -- because the people who live nearby are really, really rich:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jason Jones 180 - Nantucket
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

No One Plugs a Lamp Into a Windmill.

Virginia tourism is very unreliable. Summer & weekends? Extremely busy! Winter & weekdays? Extremely slow!

A ridiculous premise? Of course! But that's the argument you often hear people make against wind power. When it's not windy, it doesn't produce as much power! You are correct, Mr. Wizard. I can't wait to hear your analysis of how much power solar produces on cloudy winter days. (Spoiler alert: Not as much!)

Here's the thing -- just as no one plugs their television directly into a nuclear reactor, no one plugs their television directly into a windmill. It's just one element of a massive electric grid.

But that doesn't stop people from acting like they've cracked some major conspiracy every time they point that out. Just look at a recent public hearing on the proposal by Dominion Power & BP Wind Energy to install wind turbines on top of East River Mountain in Tazewell County:

“It produces very little energy and it’s very unreliable,” said Charlie Stacy.

A power plant produces very little power? Really? I made many arguments against Dominion's Wise County coal fired power plants in the last few years, but "it produces very little energy" is one that never crossed my mind. Probably because it's beyond batty. Why bother building a reservoir? It produces very little water!

As for reliability, just as with tourism, you have to look at the big picture. A wind farm is part of a grid, which includes a mix of energy from an array of sources like coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydroelectric, solar & other sources.

Good day for wind? A nuclear plant can throttle back for the day. Bad day for wind? If demand's low on a given day, the grid may not miss it. If demand is high, a natural gas plant could work closer to capacity to make up the difference. (There's a misconception that all existing coal/gas/nuke plants work at 100% day & night. Not true except on a few of the hottest summer days.)

Or better yet, a smart grid could manage it. On good days, it could direct the excess electricity to other parts of the country where it was in demand. On bad days, it could pull more power from a part of the country where the wind was blowing strong. The bottom line is, customers wouldn't notice a thing.

If you've found all this energy nitty gritty fascinating, buy Al Gore's new book, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis.

Photo courtesy Flickr's floyduk

New Poll: Plurality of Perriello Constituents Want Climate Action Now

The Beltway conventional wisdom is wrong. I know, shocking, right?

From Greg Sargent at The Plumline:

I’ve obtained a new poll done for the Environmental Defense Fund which found that in three conserva-Dem districts, backing cap and trade vote may not be a huge risk, after all. [...]

“We went into three districts where conventional wisdom held that Demorats took a tough vote on cap and trade,” Allan Rivlin, a partner with Garin Hart Yang, told me. “The poll shows that it didn’t hurt these members in these districts. It actually helps them. Even in districts that are represented by moderate or conservative Democrats, supporting action on climate change is the popular position to take.”

Environmental Defense Fund specifically polled Rep. Tom Perriello’s 5th Congressional district. Even in that district, seen as center-right, cap and trade is supported by 42% of voters. Only 25% oppose it. You can see the full results at EnviroKnow.

For Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb, the message is clear. The political risk isn't supporting clean energy & climate action -- it's in continuing our energy status quo.

Deeds Slams Obama's Clean Energy Plan

The lowlight of today's Virginia gubernatorial debate -- Creigh Deeds attacking President Obama's clean energy plan:



Clearly, Creigh Deeds is trying to pander to environmentalists by claiming he supports climate action as a concept, while slamming the only existing plan to address climate change. Shameful.

We Can't Afford Clean Energy, We Spent All Our Money on Coal!

Life in coal country is hard. Jobs aren't easy to come by. People have been told for generations now that the only way they'll get by, the only way their very way of life can survive, is to hitch their wagons to Big Coal.

But coal's always been a losing bet. Maps of mountaintop removal overlap almost perfectly with poverty rates. In the face of that hard evidence, people in coal country who can start to sound like they're stuck in a dead-end relationship. No one else can ever love us but Big Coal! I know it's wrong, but it's all we have! And politicians of both parties have been convinced to look the other way by the coal money lining their pockets.

People trapped in dead-end relationships tend to rationalize it with statements that don't make any sense. Like this editorial from the Bluefield Daily Telegraph:

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the federal cap-and-trade legislation will eventually cost the average household an extra $175 per year. Sadly, folks in our region — who have been bombarded with one rate increase after another in recent years — simply can’t afford to pay another nickel, dime or penny for electricity.

How can we possibly afford to leave coal -- we're getting soaked by coal! It's like a friend saying, "I can't possibly afford a new car -- it takes every dollar I have to keep my clunker on the road!"

It's not clean energy that's a risky financial bet -- it's staying hooked on increasingly expensive coal-fired power. And here in Virginia, we know what a lousy partner coal can be. We felt the pinch of coal's rising rates three times in the last year:

• An 18% rate hike last year, primarily to cover higher coal costs
• An average fee of $1.84 per customer in January to pay for the new coal-fired power plant in Wise County
• A 6.1% hike in September to pay for the Wise County plant and new transmission lines to carry coal-fired power from the Midwest to East Coast cities

Look, Coal Country. We're not saying you didn't love Big Coal with all your heart. But maybe they're just not the ones for you.

In fact, maybe you can find someone better. A shift to clean energy would create millions more jobs than staying addicted to coal.

And admit it -- wouldn't it feel good to finally kick that no-good, dirty Big Coal to the curb?

Cross-posted from Blue Virginia

SCC Votes More Cash for Virginia's Clunker of an Energy System

Last week, Virginia's State Corporation Commission issued a ruling on Appalachian Power's request to raise rates. It granted a partial rate increase to "recover fuel costs" (translation: higher cost of dirty coal), but rejected a rate increase for renewable energy:

The SCC also denied recovery at this time of the costs to purchase power from two wind projects that were not included in APCo's renewable energy program, which the SCC approved last year, because of the high cost of the purchased power.

According to the Roanoke Times, the recession played a major role for the commission:

The SCC attributed the fuel rate reduction to "several legal and factual findings" related to Appalachian's application and associated testimony. But it also referenced economic struggles of the utility's customers.

America's energy policies are a seesaw:

• We can't get off fossil fuels when the economy is bad, because even though energy prices tend to be low, we're told already-stressed consumers can't possibly bear even another cent of short-term transition cost to clean energy.
• But when the economy is good, we're told we can't get off fossil fuels because energy prices are so high, already-stressed consumers can't possibly bear any risk of even another cent of short-term transition cost to clean energy.

Of course, we don't stay on the seesaw by accident. It's a choice. As the Roanoke Times reports, there's a subjective decision here from the SCC commissioners, two of whom were appointed by Gov. Tim Kaine:

By Virginia law, Appalachian, a subsidiary of Ohio-based American Electric Power, is entitled to recover, dollar for dollar, "prudently incurred fuel costs." Coal is Appalachian's primary fuel. The fuel factor formula also includes costs for purchasing power from other utilities.

So even though the price of coal keeps spiking, even though coal employment keeps plummeting, even though burning coal pollutes our air and is one of the main drivers of global warming, even though mountaintop removal is literally changing the face of southwest Virginia forever, the costs of coal-fired power are "prudent." And even though the price of wind power keeps dropping, even though wind power promises sustainable jobs, even though wind power is pollution-free and protects Virginia's natural resources, wind power is apparently of limited prudence in the eyes of Virginia's SCC.

Are there going to be some transition costs to clean energy? Of course. If you have a broken-down car, there are going to be transition costs to buy a new one. At some point, you have to stop throwing good money after bad in repairing your old car and decide to make a fresh start. If we don't, we'll be handing our kids the keys to what's basically the same jalopy we've been driving since the 19th century. But instead of investing in a new direction, Virginia's SCC has voted to give more cash to our clunker of an energy system.

I asked an Appalachian Power spokesman about the decision:

The SCC denied recovery "at this time" of the costs to purchase power from our wind projects in the current fuel factor that will be in place through August 2010. This does not preclude Appalachian from seeking recovery of these projects through other means in the future.

The wind projects were Beech Ridge, in West Virginia, and Grand Ridge Illinois. A portion of the wind from Camp Grove in Illinois and Fowler Ridge in Indiana are being recovered.

Let's hope Appalachian Power continues their push for more wind power projects. They certainly didn't get any encouragement in their effort this month from Gov. Kaine's SCC.

Cross-posted from Blue Virginia

Roanoke Times Rips "McDonnell's Single-Minded Focus on Coal, Oil and Other Fossil Fuels"

Via Lowell's Blue Virginia, the Roanoke Times editorial board blasts presumptive GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell's "1950s" energy plan:

McDonnell needs to realize that if Virginia wants to become the energy capital of America, the commonwealth must look to the future of renewable energy. The state simply doesn't have huge reserves of fossil fuels.

Take coal, for example. The National Mining Association estimates that Virginia has about 770 million tons of recoverable coal. Compare that to the 17.6 billion tons in West Virginia, or the 75 billion tons in Wyoming.

Oil is perhaps worse. In an online chart of proven reserves published by the U.S. Department of Energy, Virginia doesn't even merit an entry. Even if the most optimistic estimates of offshore reserves prove accurate, Virginia would be a minor player.

Check out the coal and oil reserve maps at ShowUSA. Even states like Iowa and Alabama have better shot at being the "coal capital" than Virginia. And forget about oil -- Virginia vanishes from the top 25 altogether.

Now look at the renewable energy map. The first thing you notice is that renewable resources are much more equitably spread among the states than fossil fuel deposits. The next thing is that while Virginia ranks 18th on the list, it's not a distant 18th -- and as a tech leader, Virginia is in much better position to take full advantage of the resources we have than other states ahead of us on the list. And if we do take advantage of Virginia's clean energy resources, we can create jobs, lower consumers' energy bills and preserve our planet.

Every Democratic candidate -- Creigh Deeds, Terry McAuliffe, and Brian Moran -- understands this. Bob McDonnell doesn't get it. We need to make sure voters know that in November.

Moran's Renewables & Efficiency Plan: Raising the Bar

Brian Moran, running against Creigh Deeds and Terry McAuliffe for the Democratic nominaton for governor in Virginia, unveiled his plan for a renewable energy and efficiency standard today:

“I have proposed a bold step, which will make Virginia a leader in renewable energy,” Moran said. “The next governor needs to be looking toward the future and creating an environment which will attract good high-paying green jobs, and help Virginia grow in the green economy. My commitment to our environment and our economy is too strong to do anything less.”

Under Moran's plan, Virginia would need to get at least 25 percent of its power by 2025 (and 20 percent by 2020) through renewable energy or increases in energy efficiency.

Some quick takes:

• Lumping renewable energy and efficiency together is a bit clumsy. It also makes the campaign's claims the plan would "put Virginia in the top ten states nationally" pretty dubious since most of those states don't allow utilities to use efficiency to meet the goal. Ideally, Moran wouldn't include efficiency in his 25 percent by 2025. If he does, he needs to specify how much of the 25 percent can come from efficiency improvements.
  
  
• Moran's plan puts him far ahead of McAuliffe, at least for now. Terry has been talking about taking Virginia's voluntary 12 percent by 2022 renewables & efficiency standard and making it mandatory. He'll need to come up with a much stronger plan if he wants to hold the mantle of the boldest candidate on clean energy.
  
  
• In such a tight race, Creigh Deeds risks fading into the rear view mirror if he doesn't at least match Moran's plan.

What are your initial thoughts on Moran's renewables and efficiency plan?

Mother Goose & Grimm on the Energy Crisis

Full archive here.

Gore Calls for Clean Energy "Moon Shot"

Congress has so far refused to set a mandatory national renewable electricity goal. Al Gore would like to make a suggestion - 100 percent:

To meet his 10-year goal, Gore said nuclear energy output would continue at current levels while the nation dramatically increases its use of solar, wind, geothermal and so-called clean coal energy. Huge investments must also be made in technologies that reduce energy waste and link existing grids, he said.

If the nation fails to act, the cost of oil will continue to rise as fast-growing China and India increase demand, Gore said. Sustained addiction to oil also will place the nation at the mercy of oil-producing regimes, he said, and the globe would suffer irreparable harm.

One weird part of the article - the AP's Ron Fournier oddly references "ozone-killing" coal plants and never mentions carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas pollutant. Does Fournier think ozone depletion is what causes global warming? Strange. Fournier was recently in the news when his sycophantic, pro-war, overtly-religious emails with Karl Rove were revealed.

As The Hill reports, Republican leaders are already responding to Gore's call for bold leadership by ... pandering on gas prices. Way to step up, guys. But who comes to Gore's defense? Virginia's own Rep. Rick Boucher, who says, “Those who oppose a climate control measure will make the argument that it should not be considered at a time of high energy prices, but that is a bogus argument.” Nice job, Rick!

Cross-posted from RK

How Many Cops Does It Take To Monitor a Clean Energy Rally?

Here's a great video of a clean energy rally in Richmond that The Green Miles attended recently:



Digg users can vote this up here!

Earth-Shaking Clean Energy Deal: Investor Bets $2 Billion on Wind

Huge news in the renewable energy sector today:

Oil investor T. Boone Pickens' Mesa Power LLP said on Thursday it ordered 667 wind turbines from General Electric Co as part of the $2 billion first phase of a planned Texas wind farm.

It said the turbine order was the world's largest for a single-site wind power development.

The 667 turbines are capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 300,000 average U.S. homes, Mesa said in a release.

The four-phase Pampa Wind Project would be the world's largest wind energy generator, with more than 4,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for 1.3 million homes, when completed in 2014, Mesa said.

OK, so let's compare the planned energy investments for Virginia and Texas:

Virginia: $1.8 billion for a 585 megawatt coal-fired facility in Wise County. Short-term jobs during construction: 800. Long-term jobs during operation: 75. Estimated increase in operation costs if carbon capture and storage becomes viable: 30-60%. Without CCS, estimated annual cost of carbon permits in 2030 for 5.4 million tons of C02: $108 million.

Texas: $2 billion for a 1,000 megawatt wind power facility. For full 4,000 megawatt facility, short-term jobs during construction: 1,500 jobs. Long-term jobs during operation: 720. Added cost of operation under climate legislation limiting carbon emissions: $0.

It's not too late to make the smart investment. Tell Gov. Kaine to make thoughtful appointments to the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board as it reviews permits for polluting facilities such as the proposed Wise County plant and the Mirant plant in Alexandria.

Cross-posted from Raising Kaine