SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Legislature's Democratic leaders on Wednesday unveiled a package of proposed laws they said will position the state as the national leader in developing clean energy alternatives and green jobs, promising quick passage to help spur the state's lagging economy. The package includes a bill requiring utilities to get one-third of their power from alternative energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal by 2020. The state already gets 18 percent of its energy from renewable sources and is on track to reach 21 percent by year's end, said state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, citing California Public Utilities Commission estimates. The state's air pollution regulators set the 33 percent requirement in September, but a bill that would make the higher standard California law failed at the end of last year's legislative session. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, vetoed previous attempts to make the goal state law in 2009. Simitian, who is carrying the new version, SB2x, said it is important to include the standard in law to end the ambiguity and let investors know the state is serious about switching to renewable fuels. A landmark 2006 California law already requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Voters in November defeated Proposition 23, which would have suspended the reduction goals until California's unemployment rate, now 12.5 percent, drops to 5.5 percent and holds there for a year. That has occurred just three times in three decades. Thomas Steyer, a hedge fund manager who helped finance the campaign against Proposition 23, said seven of the nation's top 10 clean technology companies are in California, as is 60 percent of the venture capital — five times the amount invested in any other state. "Everyone is going to be watching us," said Steyer, founder of the investment firm Farallon Capital Management LLC. "We're going to be the test case, and in fact the kinds of policies these legislators are trying to pass are critical for us to be able to get the private sector going, to create the businesses, to create the jobs and to show the country and the world that this can be done." Another measure in the package would speed up permits for renewable energy projects, while a third would use a portion of utility ratepayer funds to guarantee loans for residents and small business owners to make energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements. The fourth bill would use $8 million annually in electricity surcharges for grants to schools to establish 90 "green partnership academies" statewide that would train students for clean technology jobs. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, who is carrying SB1x, the academy bill, said the package is California's effort to meet President Barack Obama's proposal last week to get 80 percent of the nation's electricity from clean energy sources by 2035. He and Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, said they hope to use their Democratic majorities to quickly send the bills to new Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, though both said the first priority is to pass a budget. The state faces a deficit estimated at $25.4 billion through June 2012. Brown spokesman Evan Westrup said in an e-mail that the bills are consistent with the governor's clean energy and jobs goals. Westrup said the governor will pursue those goals "after the state's fiscal house is in order."
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
Calif. lawmakers promote clean energy standards
Sunday, January 16, 2011
2010 REVIEW / 2011 OUTLOOK.
2010 REVIEW / 2011 OUTLOOK.
by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News
Three paragraphs can sum up the energy highlights, or low-lights, of 2010.
BP’s Macondo well blew up on April 20 killing 11 and spilling more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Herculean efforts cleaned up much, but not all. It will take years to determine the real damage. The catastrophe was also a missed opportunity: President Obama should have used the event to push his clean, less oil dependent energy agenda. He didn’t for political reasons. He had signed off on more offshore drilling shortly before the incident.
However, clean energy and the beginnings of permanent move away from oil started near year’s end. Deliveries began for Nissan’s all-electric Leaf and Chevy’s partly-electric Volt. Both cars mark a profound change in the auto industry: Electric vehicles are here and they’re here to stay. A purchase of 12000 Volts by General Electric for fleet use nearly guarantees the success of that car. GE will buy another 13000 electrically-driven vehicles by 2015.
Washington may not have been the shining star in the Macondo well/Deepwater Horizon disaster, but it did come through with cash to help new renewable energy projects get started and come online. There’s no doubt that the US Department of the Treasury’s 1603 Program: Payments for Specified Energy Property in Lieu of Tax Credits has really been helpful in building more renewable capacity in the U.S. that may not have been built otherwise. As part of the Stimulus Package of 2008 the program was set to expire at the end of the year. Thanks to the work of industry groups (aka lobbyists) the program was extended for a year in a last minute tax cut bill. Another year will do wonders for large scale renewable energy.
On to 2011.
I can’t predict the future, but I can look at trends in the news and offer some thoughts for the coming year.
As above, the 1603 Program will help build more renewable power plants than would have been built had the program been left to expire. With that thought I expect solar energy will be the beneficiary in the number of projects built, but not in power output. Wind is still cheaper and one turbine sticking in the air can generate the same amount of clean power as a solar plant that covers many acres. Still, solar photovoltaic power plants can be built quickly and in populated areas with little or no resistance from the public. Few complain about solar power plants since they are often out of sight on rooftops or carports.
2011 should be another good year for non-silicon photovoltaic solar power. There’s more factory production capacity being built that’s going online this year.
Generally, anything legitimately green energy should do well in the year in the US despite a lagging economy. It seems everybody is on the green bandwagon. Green energy may also get an additional boost this year with help from Big Oil.
Currently gasoline prices are on the rise. John Hofmeister, former president of Shell Oil says $5 a gallon is in the cards, but not until 2012. Between now and then gas would be rising in its usual saw-tooth, up-and-down but generally upward curve.
If this happens there will be the usual call for more drilling: Drill Baby Drill! The opposing message needs to be sent out loud and clear and simple: The price of oil is set on the global market. Drill all you want, but you won’t bring the down the price. It’s the global demand for oil that determines the cost and even though the U.S. is the single most oil guzzling nation in the world, the rest of the world guzzles more than we, thus we don’t control price.
(By the way the only way to dramatically bring the cost of oil down would be to nationalize the remaining domestic oil companies. But that’s not going to happen.)
High prices at the pump tend to help spur interest and investment in renewable and alternative energy technologies. So for those in the Green Energy Industry hope for $5 a gallon gas.
This time if petrol skyrockets as it did in 2008 (contributing to the recession) the U.S. is much better armed for battle: Electric cars are here as are a nice array of far more fuel efficient conventional cars. It’s a bit of a stretch, but the next time gas peaks the U.S. might actually benefit.
Monday, December 13, 2010
E-Waste Market Size Continues to Grow
E-waste or electronic waste is a term used for those electronic equipment that has reached its end of life in the hand of its current user. These devices when disassembled or destroyed are either taken for reuse or slated for hazardous disposal. Some of the electronic waste can be recycled and they are called as a "commodity" while those which cannot be reused is categorized as "waste".
E-Waste Market Size
The global market of electronic waste is estimated to be $7.2 billion in 2004 and it is predicted to increase at average annual growth rate of 8.8% till 2009 to $11 billion.
- Due to the rising demand of high value engineered plastics, the recycled plastics sector will register the maximum revenue growth. It will grow at 10.2% AAGR.
- The recycled metals market will continue to be dominated by the growth in metals mined from end of life electronic waste, growing at an AAGR of 8.1%.
- Recycled glass is low valued hence the recycled glass market continues to be stagnant. Glass cullets sold into the marketplace will continue to command modest prices.
- The cathode ray tube recovered from the old CRTs are vastly used in the new CRTs. The market demand for recovered cathode ray tube feedstock is growing and getting stronger. Due to this higher value glass-to-glass recycling the market will grow at an AAGR of 7.5%.
Due to the increasing areas of information society and the dependency of businesses on computer and Internet, the e-waste has been mounting. Perhaps e-waste is the fastest growing segment of the municipal solid waste stream. E-waste has been mounting rapidly with the rise of the information society. In developed countries, e-waste constitutes 1% of solid waste but it is expected to grow to 2% by 2010. In developing countries, the percentage of e-waste out of solid waste ranges from 0.01% to 1%. But in recent future, the developing countries including, China will be the fastest growing segment of the e-waste market. Over the next five years, the electronic waste in developing countries has the potential to triple the amount at current.
The rising mount of electronic waste isn't going to be cut recently. Computer sales are growing at a rate of 10% worldwide and sale of DVD players are doubling every year. Along with that the rate of obsolescence of electronic equipment is increasing. The life-cycle of the electrical and electronic equipment are shortening. The life period of a television set is reduced to 10 years while that of a computer remains only 2-3 years. All the above mentioned facts are equally responsible for the rising e-waste. In spite of such horrendous situation manufacturers and governments have not kept pace with electronic waste policy and practice. Eventually a high percentage of electronics are ending up in the waste stream releasing harmful toxins into the environment.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Solar Panel Kits: A Review
Solar power has a huge number of advantages over any form of conventional energy. This is one of the main reasons for it becoming more and more popular among people today. It provides almost free electricity and causes no pollution. As it is a renewable source of energy, it is eco-friendly and does not exhaust the earth’s natural resources. Let’s go through some information to see how you can get your home running on this free and green solar power.
Solar Panel Kits
Solar panels are used to generate electricity from the solar energy of the sun. These panels convert the sun’s radiant energy into useful electrical energy for us to use. However, solar panels can cost a fortune when bought from a store. Their price can head upwards of a few thousand dollars. A solar panel kit is a cheap option, costing around $200 to $300 and including the materials necessary for building the panels, as well as a detailed instruction manual.
Solar Panel Kit Contents
A solar panel kit contains each and every item you will need to set up a solar power unit in your home without the help of a technician. The contents of a typical kit are solar photovoltaic cells, sheet glass, copper wiring and structure and a wooden platform for the unit. An instruction manual provides all the required information for the task for setting the unit up. It contains a step-by-step guideline for referring to so that your job is as simple as possible.
The other material included in the kit includes a power inverter, mounting structures, switches, fuses and a grounding system. You can set everything up following the manual, and the setup can be installed on your roof or on the ground. Make sure there is enough clearance around the solar panels, so that it is exposed to maximum sunlight all the time, as it cannot generate any electricity without sunlight.
Solar Panel Operation
The solar power unit can start generating electricity as soon as you complete the installation. The solar cells are the fundamental components of this unit. They trap the photons present in the sunlight, and generate electricity by activating the electrons in the cells. This results in a DC voltage which is stored in a battery. The battery can provide a 12-volt DC current for your use. This DC current can be passed through an inverter and transformed into a 110-volt AC output. You can use all your normal electrical appliances on this AC power generated. Such solar panels can last up to 25 years. You can save a huge amount of money through this period by using solar power in your home.
Solar panel kits are much cheaper than the readymade versions available in retail stores, which can cost up to ten times more. Since you can install and set up a solar panel on your own, you can save the installation and setup costs as well. And the amount of money you can ultimately save with solar electricity is huge. When you compare all these points to the small initial cost of a solar panel kit, it definitely looks like the best option to choose.
Do you want to learn how to build solar panels and cut your energy bill by 80 percent or more?
To discover how to build your own solar panels in less than a day and start saving money on electricity, click here to visit the site now: http://www.SolarPanelForHome.org/solar.html
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Biodiesel Fuel Pros and Cons
Pros and Cons of Biodiesel
Like its other counterparts, biodiesel fuel also has its own advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage of biodiesel is that it can play a significant role in reducing the harmful carbon dioxide emissions. However, there do exist some drawbacks of biodiesel which may become a hindrance in the introduction of biodisel as an alternative to the harmful carbon emitting fossil fuels. Let's have a detailed look at the major biodiesel fuel pros and cons.
Biodiesel Fuel Pros
By far the biggest advantage of biodiesel fuel is that it is non toxic and biodegradable, which makes it one of the most environment friendly alternative of power generation. A study at the United States Department of Energy revealed that introduction of biodiesel fuel can reduce carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning fossil fuels by a whopping 75 percent. This fuel doesn't contain toxic chemicals, like sulfur, which are responsible for harmful emissions. In fact, hazards like acid rain can be eliminated forever by introducing biodiesel for our day to day use. You don't even have to modify the engine, as biodiesel fuel can easily operate a standard diesel engines. It can also double up as a lubricant, and help in lubricating the various parts of the engine, thus making it less vulnerable to wear and tear. It is much more safer than conventional diesel. More importantly, for a country like the United States, wherein a large part of oil required for power generation is imported, tapping the resources available within the country can help in boosting the economic strength of the nation to a great extent.
Biodiesel Fuel Cons
The energy content of biodiesel is 11 percent less than that of petroleum based diesel. This means the power generation capacity of the engine will decline considerably when biodiesel is used to power it. It is possible to modify the engine to eliminate this loss of power, but this modification goes against the EPA guidelines and hence cannot be executed. Owing to its poor oxidization qualities, bioldiesel can lead to some problems serious problems when stored. When stored for longer periods, biodiesel tends to turn to a gel like substance, which can lead to clogging of various engine parts. These biofuels may also lead to microbial growth, and thus cause some damage to the engine. As the use of biodiesel fuel will increase, more and more crops will have to be produced to satiate the requirement. This will lead to severe crisis wherein we will have to come up with one option, either food or fuel. The prices of various agricultural commodities will also soar. Due to over farming, the soil quality will also start depreciating and creating new areas to produce these crops will lead to destruction of natural habitat.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels
These were some of the major biodiesel fuel pros and cons, which should be taken into consideration before coming to any conclusion about the use of biodiesel as an alternative to fossil fuel. The pros and cons of biofuels are being scrutinized by the researchers all over the world, in order to make this fuel more efficient. As of now, we can just hope that their research yields results, and we get the best fuel, some time soon.
By Abhijit Naik
Cost to produce biodiesel
Blends of petroleum and biodiesel are assigned with letter “B,” then by the biodiesel volumetric percentage in the mixture, so that B20, which is the mixture most often assessed, contains 20% biodiesel then 80% petroleum diesel.
We're all now well aware of the beneficial effects of biodiesel but how much does it cost to produce biodiesel ?
By quite a few significant measures, biodiesel mixtures perform better compared to petroleum diesel, however its comparatively high cost of production and the restricted availability of a number of raw materials that is being utilized, biodiesel fuel production, which is about 3 times more as that of petroleum diesel, can not be applied commercially.
All companies that are at present producing biodiesel still employs a high temperature, high pressure, technique that is extremely costly and energy intensive.
Nevertheless, researchers are working constantly with the “biodiesel fuel” industry to decrease the production cost and be able to compete with petroleum diesel in next four to five years.
How much is the pump-up cost of biodiesel?
B100 (pure biodiesel) is two times higher compared to conventional diesel, whereas lower biodiesel mixtures show more reasonable increases. Biodiesel pump-up price varies from state to state and depends on the biodiesel source and its mixture percentage.
Most individuals who produce biodiesel regard their own biodiesel production as their hobby and only for their personal consumption.
How much can you save if you produce your own biodiesel?
Your instant savings for every gallon is about $1.50 which is the usual cost of petroleum diesel minus $0.70 which is the biodiesel production cost.
Biodiesel supplies cost
Used or waste cooking oil generally is widely available and for free from local restaurants, or may cost about 15 cents per pound.
Aside from the processing equipment initial cost, production of biodiesel costs also include chemical costs utilized in the process, electricity and expenses as well as your labor.
Lye costs about $5 a pound at hardware stores, but can be acquired for $3 per pound in bulk of 25 pounds a bag. You need will be needing approximately 1.5 pounds for every 40 gallons of biodiesel fuel.
Methanol (near pure) costs around $2.36 in bulk, a gallon, however, you need only 1/5 a gallon of methanol for each biodiesel gallon that you will produce or 8 gallons of methanol is required for 40 gallons of biodiesel.
Keep in mind however, that methanol cost varies considerably, depending where you obtain it. Methanol is considered a hazardous chemical, therefore shipping costs is expensive. In fact, 18 ounces of “sodium hydroxide” is can range from 7-8 dollars.
Reducing production costs of biodiesel
If you plan your biodiesel production volumes meticulously, you can acquire supplies such as lye and methanol in greater volumes so you can keep costs per-unit down.
Following a system to store and collect supplies in huge quantities will likewise lessen your transportation and labor time costs.
Biodiesel is growing in popularity and U.S. sales raised from 7,000,000 gallons in the year 2000, to 20,000,000 gallons in the year 2001. Currently, it is available in seven states.
By utilizing both waste grease and used “agricultural oils”, it is calculated that biodiesel production costs may be slashed down by 50 percent, thereby making biodiesel very reasonable and can compete with pure petroleum diesel.