Clean Energy Transition

Osaka Gas Co. of Japan announced that an energy-saving house in Saito Asagi, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture, equipped with a "double-generation system," which is made up of a co-generation system using a household-type polymer electrolyte fuel cell and a solar photovoltaic system, would be open to the public. The house will remain open until the end of May 2008.The fuel cell is rated at one kilowatt and simultaneously generates power and heat, with the heat being effectively utilized for heating water. The combination of the 4-kilowatt photovoltaic system and this fuel cell enables the average household to reduce primary energy consumption by about 55 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by about 70 percent over conventional systems.Moreover, although blinds are typically set inside of windows, the blinds in this house are set outside of windows in order to cut sunlight in the summer, while absorbing thermal energy from sunlight in the winter and transmitting it to the specially designed walls; thus, energy requirements for heating and cooling are reduced. With the latest gas facilities and home-security systems, visitors can enjoy experiencing the exceptional functionality this concept house offers.

If hydrogen is introduced into the energy system, the cost to reduce one unit of CO2 decreases by 4% in 2030 and 15% in 2050, implying that hydrogen is a cost-effective option for the reduction of CO2

On Friday 22nd February, I attended the above conference in Aberdeen. With presentations from the EU Commission, The European Parliament, Scottish politicians and leading academics, this was a high profile event. There follows an account of the key issues raised by the various speakers together with my own observations and opinions on these matters.

Photovoltaic (PV) technologies have shown remarkable progress recently in terms of annual production capacity and life cycle environmental performances, which necessitate timely updates of environmental indicators. Based on PV production data of 2004–2006, this study presents the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, criteria pollutant emissions, and heavy metal emissions from four types of major commercial PV systems: multicrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, ribbon silicon, and thin-film cadmium telluride. Life-cycle emissions were determined by employing average electricity mixtures in Europe and the United States during the materials and module production for each PV system. Among the current vintage of PV technologies, thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV emits the least amount of harmful air emissions as it requires the least amount of energy during the module production. However, the differences in the emissions between different PV technologies are very small in comparison to the emissions from conventional energy technologies that PV could displace. As a part of prospective analysis, the effect of PV breeder was investigated. Overall, all PV technologies generate far less life-cycle air emissions per GWh than conventional fossil-fuel-based electricity generation technologies. At least 89% of air emissions associated with electricity generation could be prevented if electricity from photovoltaics displaces electricity from the grid.

A new life-cycle assessment study from the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York examined the four most common types of photovoltaic (PV) solar power cells - multicrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, ribbon silicon and thin-film, if you were wondering - to find out how much energy and waste was involved in their creation.

It was estimated that the geothermal system would reduce electric consumption on campus by 25% and natural gas consumption by 70%. Stiles says, “Based on an extensive monitoring study, this turned out to be quite accurate.” He notes that savings were studied very carefully for the first three years of operation, but “it is impossible to know the savings now, since the operation of the buildings has been changed so significantly. But we are confident of the persistence of savings.”

In February 2008, the Mexican environment minister announced that 30,000 environmentally-friendly homes are to be built by 2011. The new housing is to be equipped with smart devices like solar water heating, low-energy lighting, high-efficiency appliances and low-flow plumbing fixtures. This pioneering project is to be rolled out in subsequent years as Mexico’s plan for 20 million new homes over the next 20 years starts to unfold, using new building standards to allow energy efficient construction to be applied consistently in each housing development.

While many people want to know when the lamp will be available, many others point out that it won't actually work. The criticism is that a great deal of weight – about two tons -- would be required and current LEDs are not sufficiently efficient. Designer Clay Mouton acknowledges that the current state of the art isn't sufficient to actually build the lamp. The news release should have said: “based on future developments in LED technology."

The proposed Illinois tariffs are virtually identical to those equivalent to the actual ones in Germany as well as the proposed ones in Michigan. Hydro less than 500 kW……………………………………………………………$0.10/kWh Biogas less than 150 kW…………………………………………………………….$0.145/kWh Geothermal less than 5 MW………………………………………………………$0.19/kWh Wind………………………………………………………………………………………….$0.105/kWh Wind energy from small wind turbines………………………………………$0.25/kWh Rooftop solar less than 30 kW……………………………………………………$0.65/kWh Solar façade cladding less than 30 kW………………………………………..$0.71/kWh

Solazyme, a startup based in South San Francisco, CA, has developed a new way to convert biomass into fuel using algae, and the method could lead to less expensive biofuels.

U.S. funding reversal for ITER suggests that fusion energy—"always just a few decades away from reality" as the joke goes—may have finally run out of decades

This year, the European Business Summit's theme is "Greening the Economy". However, instead of inviting companies that are pioneers in environmental technologies, the programme boasts some of the most polluting companies in the world and some of the worst performers in their sector. Instead of green leaders, the EBS presents dirty laggards. With an action and exhibition at the opening of the European Business Summit, Friends of the Earth Europe exposed the greenwashing practices of the businesses taking part.

The SBCI database for policy tools for energy efficiency in buildings presents a unique comparison and analysis of experiences from using different kinds of policy tools in over 50 countries on all continents.

They look like foil party balloons, but they are actually very efficient solar concentrators. These solar “balloons” were developed by a company called Cool Earth, based in California, and it has just received $21 million dollars in investor funding. The company is now planning to build a 10-megawatt plant of solar balloons in the next couple years. This power plant would be comprised of 10,000 balloons, and cover roughly 80 acres!

Alex recently posted a charming video snippet that he described as "solutions porn" - the video shows a man in a dusty, un-named country installing a photovoltaic panel on his roof and enjoying a lengthy hot shower when the evening sets in. His family are in the next room boiling water and doing homework under a lamp. The 90 second spot took first place in the 2007 Commonwealth Vision Awards.

There’s a full-blown fight in San Diego between common sense and enviro extremists over a new San Diego Gas & Electric power line called the Sunrise Powerlink… a project thats been winding its way through the state approval process for more than two years.

Mahmoud Qassem, a fishmonger, stores his wares on ice overnight in case the fridge shuts down. Suheil Shaban, 62, a diabetic with a bad knee, rarely leaves his ninth-floor apartment — he can't trust the elevator to function. A pediatric hospital director says the generator he relies on is almost out of fuel. ADVERTISEMENT Blackouts dictate the rhythm of life in Gaza these days.