The US may be better prepared for future oil spills thanks to Elastec/American Marine’s grooved disc skimmer technology.
The group won first place today in the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X Challenge and was awarded a $1.4 million prize. Created by Wendy Schmidt after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the contest invited entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists to compete in developing the most efficient method to capture crude oil from the ocean surface. Keep reading →
During the weeks of nasty congressional hearings and even nastier columns in the press since solar panel maker Solyndra declared bankruptcy, it’s been widely assumed that the debacle cost the government over half a billion dollars. That huge loss may not come to pass. As the guarantor of the loan the company received to build a state-of-the-art factory in Fremont, Calif., the government is on the hook for the $527 billion Solyndra ultimately borrowed.
Energy exchange operator CME Group named a new managing director for its global energy business.
Gary Morsches was named as Managing Director for its energy business today. With 30 years of experience in the energy industry, Morsches will lead the company’s global energy complex which specializes in price transparency for energy commodities and includes trade in the West Texas Intermediate oil futures contract. Keep reading →
Renewable energy developments seem to be sprouting up everywhere in recent months.
Last week, Western Wind Energy began operating its newest 10.5 MW wind-solar project in Arizona while on Tuesday Duke Energy announced plans to build its fifth wind power project in Texas. Duke Energy also recently announced plans to build its second wind farm in Pennsylvania this year. Read more: Duke Energy Adds Wind. Keep reading →
Despite all the recent solar hype, the wind industry has been slowly picking up nationwide.
Duke Energy Renewables plans to build and operate its second wind farm in Pennsylvania, named the Laurel Hill Windpower Project. The 69-megawatt wind farm will be located in Lycoming County and will consist of 30 Siemens wind turbines that will generate enough electricity to power more than 2000 homes.
As part of a 25-year power purchase agreement, all of the renewable electricity generated by this new plant will be sold to Delaware Municipal Electric Corp. (DEMEC). Construction for the plant began in August and the company predicts commercial operation to be achieved by September 2012.
“The remarkable growth we’ve seen in Duke Energy Renewables’ wind and solar business lines this year is a testament to customers like DEMEC that understand the long-term value of affordable renewable energy,” said Duke Energy Renewables President Greg Wolf.
“DEMEC is a leader in the development and support of renewable energy,” said DEMEC President and CEO Patrick E. McCullar. “We’ve been providing green energy products to our members since 2004, well before the Delaware Renewable Portfolio Standard became law. The Laurel Hill Windpower Project is the perfect addition to our expanding renewables portfolio. We look forward to our partnership with Duke Energy Renewables and value the experience they bring as wind farm developers and managers.”
The introduction of the new Laurel Hill plant will contribute to the industry’s total 42,432 MW of utility-scale wind power capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Assocation.
To read more about the Kansas wind farms read: A Second Wind.
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The upcoming football season is looking sunny for the Washington Redskins’ stadium. Keep reading →
With employment figures in the US remaining bleak, retraining workers for jobs in the renewable energy industry is becoming priority for many institutions.
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A controversy over regulation of coal ash disposal has reached fever pitch in Illinois, where a group opposing efforts to limit new regulations began briefing the public and the media on the current status of those efforts.
Eleven Illinois Representatives are voting to prevent the US Environmental Protection Agency from implementing safeguards to improve toxic coal ash waste dumps within the state. The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and the Prairie Rivers Network (PRN) hosted a live telephone conference this week, in which professionals and residents expressed their disbelief over a lack of action on coal ash dumps.
The public debate over pollution from coal is usually focused on air emissions. For more on that debate, as well as the reliability impacts from new emissions rules, read Energy’s Four Letter Word.
The act responsible for the chaos is the HR 2018 Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011 passed by the US House of Representatives on August 13. Referred to as the “Dirty Water Act” by opponents, this act puts restrictions on the EPA’s ability to monitor clean water supply. and received the support of ten state House representatives.
“Under the Obama Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency has been over-aggressive and over-regulating the rights of states to make their own decisions,” said Congressman Joe Walsh, who voted in favor of the Act. “I supported this bipartisan legislation because it ensures a balance in the federal-state partnership in implementing and enforcing the Clean Water Act.” said Congressman Joe Walsh, one who voted in favor of the Act.
In addition, the eleven total representatives voted in favor of H.R. 1 Amendment 217 which prohibited use of certain funds to regulate coal combustion residuals as hazardous waste or material. Although he voted against the HR 2018, Dold is the eleventh US representative to vote against EPA intervention with his support for Amendment 217.
What To Do With The Dump?
Illinois has the second highest concentration in the US of coal ash dump sites, according to the PRN. Groundwater sampling conducted by the Illinois EPA indicated that contamination has occurred at each of the 22 sites evaluated, sparking strong opposition to the elected officials’ votes.Additional legislative action proposed, including HR 2273, has added further complexity to the issue. HR 2273 is an amendment to the Solid Waste Disposal Act that would provide for proper management and disposal of materials generated by coal combustion. Only two of the eleven US representatives targeted by Illinois activists this week voted in favor of that bill, which focuses on what industry experts deem the beneficial aspect of the hazardous waste.
“We hope that it will be brought to the floor and will pass because rather than telling the EPA what it shouldn’t do, it is directing how coal ash should be regulated as a nonhazardous waste by the state,” said Utility Solid Waste Activities Group Executive Director Jim Roewer. “We think it offers a good solution to ensure that there will be a federal floor of regulation that the states could then build on and develop a permit program to ensure the environmentally protected management of coal ash.
“It incorporates standards for facility design, groundwater monitoring, groundwater protection programs for corrective action, closer, and financial assurance. It will assure that facilities are constructed and operated in a safe manner,” Roewer said of HR 2273
Local Voices
Participants in the conference call on Illinois’ coal waste dumps included PRN water resource scientist Traci Barkley, director of Coal Combustion Waste Initiative Jeff Stant, local minister Matthew Withers, resident Phil Marcy, and director of programs for Appalachian Voices Matt Wasson. The array of guests offered various perspectives on the situation, but all agreed that the representatives put their concern for the industry over the well-being of the citizens.
“We’d like them to step back and think about if their families lived around one of these ash ponds or dumps in the state and would they feel that it is okay to just let the status quo continue,” said Stant.
“Elected officials need to understand that they are supposed to represent all American citizens in their districts,” said Withers. “They are listening with unnecessary fervor to the coal and ash industry as opposed to the people that put them in office.”
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Developing biofuels for the military will help prompt uptake of advanced fuels for commercial use and promote rural investment, the White House said in announcing a new spending plan today.
President Obama announced today that the US Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy and the Navy will partner with the private sector in a joint plan to invest up to $510 million in biofuels that could power military and commercial transportation.
The plan aims to increase the production of advanced biofuels in efforts to help increase both energy and national security by decreasing dependence on foreign oil.
For an example of one company that claims to manufacture drop-in biofuels, see a profile of Wall Street favorite KiOR. Keep reading →
Wind capacity in Maine is picking up steam.
The US Department of Energy announced the completion of a $102 million loan guarantee to Record Hill Wind LLC for its 50.6 MW located near Roxbury, Maine. The Yale University Endowment will provide additional funding for the onshore project that will consist of 22 turbines and an eight mile transmission line. Keep reading →
