Plans have been drawn up for a giant wind turbine in Caernarfon of nearly 50m tall.
The planned 48m wind turbine in Pant Eithinog is being put forward by a farmer who intends to use it to generate his own electricity.
The structure would be bigger than the Marquess of Anglesey’s column, towering 21 metres above it.
Farmer Huw Jones agents’ Roger Parry & Partners said: “Pant Eithinog is a farm business run by Mr Huw Jones.
“The farm boundaries are extensive and include large areas of hillside above the main farmstead, where higher winds are generated.
“The wind turbine is located in the open countryside within a pasture field.
“The proposed use of the wind turbine is for the generation of electricity from a renewable source, the wind.
“The applicant intends to reduce reliance on imported electricity through the on-site generation of wind energy, which in turn will reduce costs to the farming operation and support the diversification activities of the business.”
The report added the proposal would not warrant the submission of an environmental statement as it “does not prevent unusually complex and potentially hazardous environmental effects.”
Last month, an application for a 45m wind turbine in Tanybryn, near Pwllheli, was withdrawn at the request of the applicant.
A report to Gwynedd Council’s planning committee recommended refusing the application as officials believed putting up the turbine would have a detrimental effect on the historic character of the landscape and on views across the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
A full application has also been made for a third 50kw wind turbine, at Derwin Fawr, Garndolbenmaen.
There are already two wind turbines which have been there since 2012.
From a renewable energy program at Baxter International in Deerfield that saves hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to plans for a butterfly garden at Grayslake North High School, large and small environmental successes were shared earlier this week at College of Lake County’s fifth annual green conference.
Held Wednesday at CLC’s Grayslake campus, the conference brought together local businesses, educators and the public to celebrate the county’s environmental achievements as well as to gain ideas and inspiration on promoting sustainability.
Libertyville resident Dave Wilms, an energy and sustainability consultant and former high school science teacher, defined sustainability as, “Enough for all, forever.”
The phrase inspired conference attendees including registered nurse Elsa Jenels, who serves as the green liaison for the Lake County Health Department’s North Chicago medical building.
“It just keeps getting put on the back burner,” she said of creating a sustainability plan where she works.
“There is so much waste in the medical field and there are so many avenues we can look at to use things more efficiently,” Jenels explained. “I feel we all have a responsibility as a citizen of the planet to lessen our footprint. It all ties together — health and the environment.”
Jenels said she learned at the conference “it’s possible to have a waste-free event. I’d like to see if that’s cost-effective where I work.” Plates and cups were made of biodegradable products that were recycled at the event, plus lunch included locally-grown greens.
At the conference, Ronald Meissen, senior director of sustainability at Baxter, showed how the company has saved $41 million due to its environmental efforts. One of the company’s priorities among 16 other goals is to reduce its carbon footprint, he said. Carbon emissions are linked to global climate change, and come from sources such energy-production plants and vehicle emissions.
Baxter is working to decrease its fossil fuel usage by 22 percent this year, he said. The company has switched to low carbon fuels in Ireland and other places in the world where it has plants, he added. In addition, in India, instead of using oil for energy production, it uses bio mass, which saves $350,000 a year, he said.
Baxter is a company network member of Boston-based Ceres, a nonprofit that helps investors and businesses build a sustainable global economy.
Ceres’ senior manager John Weiss, who was the green conference’s keynote speaker, said committing to a sustainable business model requires sacrifice, but has become part of the culture of many major corporations.
Businesses understand they need to make changes to stall global climate change, which could negatively affect their bottom line as well as people’s health, he said.
CLC President Jerry Weber told the audience that nearly three-quarters of people surveyed say they believe global warming is happening and it can be slowed, but aren’t sure people are willing to make the sacrifice to do what it takes.
“And that was from an oil and gas industry survey,” he said.
CLC has created a major sustainability plan, which includes adding solar energy, building a geothermal field that will provide much of the heating and cooling needs of the Grayslake campus, designing buildings that are certified as being made with sustainable products, among many others.
“We have an ongoing commitment to decrease our energy consumption. We look at the campus as a living laboratory,” Weber said.
Conference participant Erika Koesling, an environmental science teacher at Lake Forest High School, said she was excited to learn that ComEd will provide jobs for her students when they enter the work force.
“I like knowing ComEd needs more power engineers. It’s eye-opening. I can tell the kids about it and it gives them a purpose while learning in the classroom,” she said.
Nicole Riggs of North Chicago-based AbbVie, Inc., which also presented its environmental initiatives at the event, talked to ComEd about its free program to help customers reduce energy consumption and costs.
“We have an annual event at AbbVie to educate people about environmental impact, and I’d like to have ComEd come to it,” Riggs said.
ComEd is working on what’s called a smart grid, which allows customers to program when to reduce energy consumption, said Joseph E. Svachula, vice president of smart grid and technology at ComEd.
“We used to encourage customers for more usage. But now, it’s less usage. We’ve got to earn the public’s trust,” he said.
Tracey Landry, a curriculum director at Grayslake High School District 127, who also spoke at the event, said the district is taking baby steps, from using new carpets made of recycled materials, having an energy audit, and using nontoxic paints.
“We also have ‘turn it off’ days in our school to remind kids to turn off the lights when not needed, refillable water stations, so kids won’t buy plastic bottles of water. We’ve planted trees and are planning a community garden,” Landry said.
A recent $5,000 grant allowed students to create an outdoor classroom, which includes a butterfly garden, she said.
Weiss encouraged attendees to “keep the conversation going,” and that small steps are as important as big ones.
Florida has been far behind in the solar power revolution. Finding better direction, Duke Energy news shares that the company’s efforts towards pursuing clean energy solutions through university research will also involve storing energy from the sun. A solar battery project is bringing together Duke Energy Florida and the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg (USFSP).
The USFSP research project is seeking to learn more about renewable solutions and how to store and use energy from the sun. The project comes from a $1 million grant from Duke Energy.
Take a look at the top of USF, St. Petersburg’s 5th Avenue South parking garage. Installed on the roof is a 100-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system. A freestanding canopy of solar panels of this size with space beneath for parking can produce enough energy to power an electric car for half a million miles. The 100-kW solar array at USF, St. Petersburg, measures approximately 7,100 square feet. It has 318 individual panels.
Duke Energy’s press release continues with Alex Glenn, state president of Duke Energy Florida, stating: “This partnership gives Duke Energy and the University of South Florida additional firsthand experience in solar battery storage systems. The innovative and cutting-edge research also provides students a real-world learning environment as we develop alternative energy solutions for our customers.”
The 5th Avenue site system uses solar energy in the garage for lights, elevators, and electric-vehicle charging stations, and the rest is stored in battery systems or put on the electric grid for immediate use. Displayed on the USFSP campus is the high-resolution data collected on the PV installation. Thus, students can follow and learn from the energy storage system. The data are displayed on an online dashboard and several kiosks on the St. Petersburg campus.
As noted in the headline, the batteries used for the Duke Energy & USF project are reportedly coming from Tesla Energy. The press release doesn’t mention that, but Mark Shreiner of WUSF actually has a pic of Tesla Energy mechanical engineer Chad Conway explaining the battery system to Duke Energy Florida President Alex Glenn.
Being at the “utility-scale” level, Tesla “Powerblocks,” as we’re calling them for now, will be the battery systems used in this pilot project — rather than the more widely discussed Powerwalls. According to Tesla CEO and Product Architect Elon Musk, these utility-scale batteries come at a super-low price of $250/kWh and are competitive with any other battery storage systems on the market. Some much larger flow batteries come very close in the lifetime per-kWh price if you estimate a 30-year life and unlimited cycling for them. But note that the warranty period for the Imergy batteries is just 5–10 years, despite claims of unlimited cycling and long life. Another top competitor is the Eos Aurora 1000 | 6000 from Eos Energy Storage. It’s actually much cheaper according to company specs, but it’s not actually on the market yet. All in all, this makes Tesla’s batteries, based on widely used lithium-ion chemistry that has proven itself in many industries, an attractive option for those looking to inch their way into the use of energy storage. I’m curious to see what results we get from the Duke Energy and USF pilot project.
The funding for the new, larger energy storage system generates an opportunity to build upon existing battery technology. At the same time, operating in conjunction with two smaller, existing USF energy storage systems, a growing system evolves.
The Duke Energy Press release continues: “This is an opportunity to manage energy costs while promoting sustainability on campus,” said USFSP Regional Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska. “We are pleased and proud to have been awarded this grant, and to provide faculty and students with a chance to help build something of lasting impact. USFSP has long enjoyed a strong partnership with Duke Energy and we look forward to future collaborations.”
A few more details from the press release:
“USFSP has an existing 2.0-kW solar energy system located at its Central Facilities Plant constructed in partnership with Duke Energy and the USF Tampa School of Engineering. Additionally, a series of solar panels provides power for decorative lights on campus.”
In other efforts, Duke Energy has a number of battery storage projects underway:
Duke Energy Florida’s SEEDS (Sustainable Electrical Energy Delivery Systems) program, which includes two battery storage projects at the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg and the Albert Whitted Park, also in St. Petersburg. The two units combine energy storage systems with small solar arrays.
Twenty-four K-12 schools in the Duke Energy Florida service territory have received 25-kilowatt-hour battery backup systems funded by the company that are integrated with their solar PV installations. As with other battery storage projects at Duke Energy, there is performance monitoring of these systems to learn more about combining intermittent energy resources with storage. The installations also help foster educational opportunities for students at the schools.
The company’s Notrees Battery Storage Project in West Texas is North American’s largest battery storage installation project at a wind farm. Duke Energy matched a $22 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to install 36-megawatt (MW) large-scale batteries capable of storing electricity produced by its 153-MW Notrees wind farm.
In other hopeful news, CleanTechnica reports that a fair number of workers will have work from by Duke Energy via solar energy construction projects in North Carolina in the next few months: Duke Energy 900 Workers In North Carolina During Peak Solar Construction This Summer. The largest is at the Warsaw Solar Facility being constructed in Duplin County — a 65 MW project, but there’s also “the 40 MW Elm City Solar Facility being built in Wilson County and the 23 MW Fayetteville Solar project being constructed in Bladen County.”
It has not been so long since Florida’s Duke Energy announced plans to expand the company’s solar footprint. Its plan is to add up to 500 MW of utility-scale solar in Florida by 2024.
Cynthia Shahan is an Organic Farmer, Licensed Acupuncturist, Anthropologist, and mother of four unconditionally loving spirits, teachers, and environmentally conscious beings who have lit the way for me for decades.
Interaction occurring between atoms and molecules that constitute air, and the carbon surface used in battery electrodes and air filters has been measured at the most precise level yet by University of Washington physicists. The resulting data could be key information for improving technologies including batteries, electrodes and air filters.
The team used a carbon nanotube as a transistor to study what happens when gas atoms come into contact with the nanotube’s surface. Carbon nanotubes are seamless, hollow graphite structure a million times thinner than a drinking straw
Team leader David Cobden, UW professor of physics, said the researchers found that when an atom or molecule sticks to the nanotube, a tiny portion of the charge of one electron is transferred to its surface. A measurable change in electrical resistance results:
“This aspect of atoms interacting with surfaces has never been detected unambiguously before. When many atoms are stuck to the miniscule tube at the same time, the measurements reveal their collective dances, including big fluctuations that occur on warming analogous to the boiling of water.
Various forms of carbon, including nanotubes, are considered for hydrogen or other fuel storage because they have a huge internal surface area for the fuel molecules to stick to. However, these technological situations are extremely complex and difficult to do precise, clear-cut measurements on.”
Lithium batteries are concerned with lithium atoms sticking and transferring charges to carbon electrodes. In activated charcoal filters, molecules stick to the carbon surface to be removed.
The findings, Cobden said, are the most precise and controlled measurements of these interactions ever made, and will allow scientists to learn new things about the interplay of atoms and molecules with a carbon surface.
Illustration: atoms sticking to a carbon nanotube, affecting the electrons in its surface. Credit: David Cobden and students at the University of Washington
Westar Energy Inc. said Tuesday that it plans to expand its use of wind-powered energy.
The company said in a news release that the addition will grow Westar’s renewable energy commitment to nearly 1,300 megawatts.
Westar will purchase energy from a 200-megawatt wind farm to be constructed on its behalf in Pratt County by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources.
“Kansas wind provides the best economic fit to make renewable energy available and affordable for all our customers,” Mark Ruelle, Westar Energy president and chief executive officer said in a statement. “Westar is the state’s largest supporter of renewables, and we are excited to add more clean Kansas wind energy to our energy supply.”
The Ninnescah wind farm in Pratt County will be built beginning late this year or early 2016 and will begin providing energy by the end of 2016.
Westar said the project is expected to bring to nearby communities about $300 million in capital investment and about 200 temporary, construction jobs.
Micro Air Clean Air Systems recently introduced the new FORCE™ line of dust collectors, featuring the exclusive Roto-Pulse® cartridge-cleaning system.
The Roto-Pulse system is an automatic, incrementally rotating filter cleaning system that uniformly cleans 100% of the cartridges’ surfaces, 30% – 40% more filter surface than conventional reverse pulse (backflush) systems. Roto-Pulse® cleaning is quieter, typically 15 dBA quieter than reverse pulse cleaning systems and requires less compressed air, thus extending the life of the filters and compressor.
Cartridge filters are cleaned by pulsing air into a specially designed stainless steel rotating tube with pre-drilled holes. As air enters the tube it incrementally rotates a number of degrees, distributing the pulse of air across the length of the inside surface of the cartridge, dislodging clogged dirt from the cartridge. Time between pulses and duration of each pulse are factory pre-set for optimal cleaning, but can also be adjusted for various applications or processes. This allows for long-term savings by further reducing compressor and replacement filter cost.
Summer is right around the corner. This means sunshine, deck parties, and — best of all — vacation.
A lot of folks will pack their cars to the brim and head to the lake, or to the forest for some camping, or even plan a long road trip to see the wonders of the world. The last thing you want is unexpected car trouble leaving you stranded at the side of the road or stuck in car rental place, ruining your plans.
A pre-trip vehicle check should be on your list of things to do before leaving the house. Along with making sure all the lights are off and underwear is packed, also make sure your car is ready to get you to your destination.
Kevin Roth, owner of Kevin’s Auto Repair Service in Forty Fort, Pa., said most repair shops will do a routine checkup for free to make sure there is nothing out of the ordinary with your car. “We will look over everything to make sure it is OK, but if you keep on top of your basic maintenance, you should be fine.”
According to Roth, some of the basic things to check are:
Filters and fluids: This includes engine oil, and power steering, brake and transmission fluid. Also, don’t forget about windshield washer solvent and antifreeze/coolant. “Newer cars have caps and air filters,” Roth said. “If you turn on your air conditioning and it has a musty smell, those would need to be changed.”
Air conditioning: No one will have fun on a road trip if the car is a sauna. “If the vents are blowing out hot air, then obviously something is wrong,” Roth said.
Windshield wipers: According to Roth, keep an eye on the condition of the rubber on your wipers. If it is ripped or you hear or see scratching when the wipers are on, it is time to get new ones.
Brakes: If you hear any grinding or squeaking, take your care to a shop right away. Brakes are an essential part of your trip.
Battery: A battery check will be included in a basic maintenance check, according to Roth.
Tires: “Make sure they are in good condition,” Roth said. “Inflate them to the recommended pressure and make sure there is plenty of tread and no bulges.”
And, pack your emergency kit: “You want to make sure there is air in your spare tire,” Roth said. “Also make sure you have all the necessary tools to change a flat tire, as well as the safety triangles or road flares if you are on the side of the road.”
An emergency kit should also include jumper cables, gloves, some snacks, water and extra windshield wiper fluids and motor oil. Items not related to the car include a map/GPS, phone charger, insurance and registration information, flashlight and a first aid kit.
Page 2 of 2 – Lastly, enjoy the open road: Put down the phone, open your windows and cruise into relaxation.
LAS VEGAS — There’s a solar battle brewing between lawmakers in Carson City over whether solar customers are getting too much of a good deal when it comes to selling electricity back to the grid.
Senate Bill 374 could dictate which agency will be in charge of deciding if there will or won’t be a cap on the solar energy generation. NV Energy and solar companies have been lobbying the legislature for months trying to get lawmakers to swing the vote their way.
At times, the two groups have even targeted each other through radio and TV ads.
One ad released by the solar industry said, “People like having the choice to go solar, no matter what NV Energy says. Politicians in Carson City are caving to pressure, and will force this industry to shut down at the end of the month.”
The war of words between NV Energy and the Alliance for Solar Choice stems from the debate about what the state should do with it’s net metering policy for electric customers with solar panels.
“Net metering says if there’s excess and you want to push it back to the grid. You will get a credit for that on your electric bill,” said Paul Thomson, Director for the Governor’s Office of Energy.
Thomson says solar customers may hit the net metering limit of 3 percent by this summer. When that happens, there won’t be any more credits for new solar installations on rooftops.
A spokesperson for NV Energy said the actual cost of electricity is about five cents per kilowatt-hour. The retail cost to customers is 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. The remaining seven cents pays for infrastructure and distribution.
“Raising the net metering cap increases costs to all customers, and we oppose putting upward pressure on rates,” said Jennifer Schurict, NV Energy Spokesperson. “We continue to work with all stakeholders to advance solar development in our state while creating long-term rate stability for all customers.”
The credit for solar customers means they’re getting a pass on paying for costs associated with delivering electricity which means millions of dollars could be shifted to non-solar customers, according to the utility companies.
However, Bryan Miller with the Alliance for Solar Choice said that’s not true.
“The only problem with that statement is that the commission extensively studied those claims for a year, and completely debunked them,” Miller said.
If SB 374 passes, the Public Utilities Commission will get to decide what to do with the solar cap, but the commission hasn’t released any details about what it will do.
The Pentagon just announced a contract with a big-time defense contract that good-government and energy-efficiency types should cheer.
Illustration by Sofya Levina. Images by alienant/Shutterstock and Melissa Held/Shutterstock.
Big defense contracts awarded to big defense contractors are usually a big cause for concern. They tend to go over budget, often for things we don’t really need (like a certain type of fighter plane). But a couple weeks ago, the Pentagon announced a contract with a big-time defense contractor that good-government and energy-efficiency types should cheer—and demand grow more common. Honeywell Building Solutions, a unit of the conglomerate Honeywell, got a $22.4 million contract to overhaul the energy system at Rock Island Arsenal—an ancient military outpost on an island in the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois.
A tad boring? Maybe. But it’s an example of how the private sector can easily and cheaply be harnessed to work for the public interest, all while saving energy and cutting emissions.
Because they own so much property and consume so much energy, government agencies have a great deal to gain from upgrading their equipment with renewable technology. But in this era of sequesters, the Pentagon and its sister agencies can’t afford to buy new boilers, air conditioners, efficient light bulbs, and hybrid trucks—even though they would pay off relatively quickly in the form of lower operating costs.
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Under a type of contracting that is growing increasingly popular, however, companies offer to install the new equipment while guaranteeing energy and monetary savings—all for no money down. The trend toward what’s known as guaranteed performance contracting started more than 30 years ago, propelled in part by Shirley Hansen’s book Schoolhouse in the Red, about maintenance issues in the educational sector. In this model, a financial institution fronts the money to do the upgrades. The contractor guarantees the work it does will produce a certain amount of savings, thus capping or even reducing the government entity’s annual energy bill. The government repays the bill for the upgrades over time (10 years, 15 years, 20 years) simply by making payments that are the same—or lower—than its existing energy bills.
Efforts to make the federal government run more and more on sustainable energy have intensified in the last few years. A 2007 executive order by President George W. Bush called for federal facilities to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015. And in 2011, President Obama announced a $2 billion commitment to help federal buildings pursue energy savings through so-called Energy Savings Performance Contracts, a form of guaranteed performance contracting. (Here’s a good Energy Department primer on ESPCs.) In response, many agencies, including the Defense Department, set up programs to qualify private-sector firms to carry out projects. “A tremendous boost in the market came when Obama put out [the] executive challenge,” says Kevin Madden, the vice president of worldwide sales at Honeywell Buildings Systems. His company is one of 16 firms that have qualified for Energy Department work and one of 14 that has done so for Army contracts.
You can think of these efforts like a commercial version of Extreme Home Makeover. “We’re going to come in and replace all that old equipment with new, updated technology that will be more efficient and effective; provide maintenance system that keeps the uptime; and provide a better outcome around improved quality of life,” says Madden. “All for what you’re billing today.” Honeywell submits proposals for specific projects, conduct audits, and negotiates the scope of the contract. Once the work is completed, if the savings meet or exceed what has been guaranteed, the government pays the third party that financed the upgrades. “If we miss the targets, we have to make up the difference,” Madden says. Honeywell Building Systems has a high degree of confidence in the proposals it makes because it’s completed more than 5,700 such programs. (In all, according to a 2013 Department of Energy report, energy service companies like Honeywell Building Systems had estimated combined revenues of $6.4 billion.)
ESPCs can be a great way to upgrade old infrastructure. And there’s not much public infrastructure in the U.S. that is older than the Rock Island Arsenal, which has produced ammunition and guns since the 19th century. (It also housed Confederate prisoners during the Civil War and is where Ashley Wilkes was held in Gone With the Wind.) Today, Rock Island continues to function as a garrison, and as a vital cog in the manufacturing of war material, with more than 7,500 employees.
While Rock Island’s power systems don’t date to the 19th century, they are quite old and inefficient. So in May, Honeywell and the U.S. Army announced their deal, under which Honeywell will dismantle the garrison’s mid-20th-century coal-fired steam plant and install new natural gas boilers in more than two dozen buildings. In addition to cutting water use by 12 percent and slashing energy consumption by 11 percent, the move will help the installation comply with stricter emissions regulations by swapping coal for cleaner-burning natural gas. “With this project, we’ll reduce our operating costs significantly while also lowering our environmental impact by eliminating our reliance on coal as a heating source,” Col. Elmer Speights Jr., commander of the Rock Island Arsenal Garrison, said in a press release. Honeywell will get $22.4 million from a lender to do the work, and the government will pay back those funds over a 15-year period by making payments that are equal to or lower than what it costs to run the steam plant.
That’s not the only work Honeywell is doing for the Army on Rock Island. Last year, in January, the two parties agreed a $61 million deal to upgrade the systems at Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing Technology Center, the arms factory that accounts for about two-thirds of Rock Island’s overall energy use. Under a 20-year ESPC, Honeywell will install new heating and air-conditioning systems, as well as put in equipment that will make the painting systems more efficient. Says Madden: “When we combine all the work we’re doing, electricity use at Rock Island will be down 35 percent, and water consumption will be down 30 percent.” The parties say the work could result in savings of up to $5.3 million per year.
Yes, some people are making money off these arrangements. And in theory, the U.S. government, which borrows money for close to nothing, could engage in such efforts for even cheaper if it were to finance the projects itself.
But to paraphrase a former defense secretary: You go to war against energy inefficiency with the contracting procedures you have, not with the ones you wish you had.
Chipmaker installs wind turbines to power its headquarters in Silicon Valley.
Intel has deployed 58 JLM Energy’s Zefr micro-turbines on the roof of its Santa Clara, US, headquarters.
On top of generating power for its building, Intel will use the project to understand the feasibility of small-scale wind application for power generation and how to optimise future installations.
The company added that it will share the data extracted from the turbines with local companies to enhance green energy adoption across the region.
The six to seven ft tall turbines, installed at the Robert Noyce Building, are expected to generate power 65% of the time, “most likely during the often-breezy afternoon hours”.
Brian Krzanich, Intel’s CEO said: “Intel is proud of this [micro-turbine project]. We want people to see this, and to know that we’re thinking about new ways to do things.”
Since 2008, Intel has invested $118 million in energy conservation and completed over 2,300 projects.
The company added that these investments generated cumulative energy cost savings of $249 million through the end of 2014.
eCompressedair.com announces the expansion of their filter line that will improve choice and selection on their leading compressor parts and accessories website.
(PRWEB) May 20, 2015
eCompressedair.com (ECA) understands the ultimate taxing job that a compressor performs daily. The team at ECA considers it to be the heart of an operation. “Similar to eating heart healthy, a compressor needs to be maintained with the highest quality products and parts. Just one down day because of something preventable could potentially cost you thousands of dollars,” adds Brian Bronner (Technical Applications Specialist with ECA). With this in mind, eCompressedair.com has partnered with the world’s leading filter manufacturer, Mann & Hummel and their recent acquisition Purolator. They promise to offer nearly 10,000 new compressor air filters, oil filters, and separators, to name a few that MANN & Hummel can provide.
ECA will be fully introducing this line of filters in the coming months for customers requiring the highest quality filtration on their compressor equipment. From Atlas Copco to Zeks, eCompressedair.com already carries thousands of aftermarket parts for one’s compressed air needs. Every aftermarket product eCompressedair offers either meets or exceeds OEM specifications. Quality and safety are the top priorities when deciding what products ECA will offer their customers.
Increasing the MANN Filter product line assures eCompressedair is meeting their mission statement by offering the right air compressor parts. “Mann & Hummel offers extensive research and development that is unparalleled in the industry. Other competitors simply do not have these resources, or do not come close,” adds Bronner.
“When we first set out to offer compressor parts online, we declared that no matter the part it would be of the highest quality with the best price for our clients”, says Dave Matyseck, General Manager.
Some facts about ECA:
ECA has been offering compressor parts online for over a decade. They were one of the first to do so, and have now become the largest aftermarket quality air compressor parts supplier in the world. This allows ECA to keep thousands in stock, offering their clients the fastest shipping, most competitive prices, and the quality assurance customers need to keep their compressed air system running efficiently.
ECA website is very user friendly. Their site is simple to use. Just type in the OEM part number in the site’s search bar and add the filter/separator into the cart to checkout. Site users can explore their huge selections of various compressor parts and accessories.
LAS VEGAS, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Sol-Up USA, a solar company at the forefront of the fight between Nevada solar companies and NV Energy, is expanding their efforts to fight against the restrictions NV Energy is attempting to put on the residents of Nevada.
“We’ve taken multiple steps to address this issue and make our state government do the right thing,” said Frank Rieger, CEO of Sol-Up USA. “I doesn’t make sense for the government to back something that literally takes thousands of jobs out of our economy.”
This issue concerns net-metering and a cap that NV Energy is fighting to keep as low as possible. Net-metering refers to the process in which solar customers receive credits for the energy being put back into the grid whenever the customer produces more than they use. NV Energy then sells this back to its clients. If the net-metering cap is reached, NV Energy will stop buying solar energy, removing the incentive for solar customers and causing potentially thousands to lose their jobs.
“Without net-metering, it’s more difficult for a customer to decide to go solar,” said Tu Anh Tran, CTO at Sol-Up USA. “There’s no reason for NV Energy to stop buying solar energy from customers, they still make a profit from selling it back to Nevada’s residents. This is a clear case of a corporation trying to kill competition.”
So far, Sol-Up USA has taken the following steps in an attempt to persuade the state government to side with solar companies as opposed to NV Energy:
Sol-Up USA went to meet with state legislators in early April and ask for their support for Pace financing and Green Bank, which are instrumental tools to solar contractors.
They were a large part of the rally outside of NV Energy’s headquarters on April 22.
They wrote a letter to John Ellison, Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly, and received a response in which states he has no opinion on the matter, which is unacceptable in Rieger’s eyes.
“How can the Speaker of the State Assembly not have an opinion on the direction energy is going in his state?” said Rieger. “This affects thousands of people, it is very strange that he has put no thought into this issue. If he doesn’t have an opinion, we need to tell him to.”
Nevada residents who are looking for more information, or to let their politicians know the way they feel about this issue can visit: http://bit.ly/SaveNevadaSolar
Sol-Up USA is a solar company in Las Vegas. They specialize in residential and commercial solar installation, and use the most advanced solar technology on the market. For more information on Sol-Up USA and to get updates on this issue, people can visit: http://www.solup.com
Leading Australian supplier of dust collection and fume extraction equipment, Ezi-Duct will launch the new Polex eMission Control mobile dust collectors and fume extractors at the upcoming NMW 2015 exhibition.
Offering both performance and features, the Australian designed Polex eMission Control range of mobile dust collectors and fume extraction units is available in a choice of three models: eMission Control 1500, eMission Control 2200 and eMission Control 4000.
The eMission Control 1500 dust and fume collector is rated at 1500m³/h @ 1500 pa, Key features include a primary spark filter and a spun bonded polyester pleated air filter cartridge that is cleaned with a manual compressed air lever. Perfect for the removal of welding fumes from fabrication or construction sites, the eMission Control 1500 can be fitted with a single 3m Ezi-Arm fume arm.
The larger eMission Control dust collector/ fume extractor units include the eMission Control 2200 rated at 2200m³/h @ 1500 pa and the eMission Control 4000 rated at 4000m³/h @ 1500 pa. The eMission Control 2200 and 4000 units are suitable for fitting two 3m Ezi-Arm fume arms and have fully automatic PLC controlled reserve pulse cleaning of the spun bonded polyester pleated air filter cartridges. Model 2200 has two filters while Model 4000 has four filters.
All eMission Control units are mounted on quality casters for mobility and can fit through standard doorways.
The new Polex eMission Control dust and fume collector ranges are available ex-stock from Ezi-Duct’s branches in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Lewis County is the leader in wind energy in New York. Beginning with the 195-tower Maple Ridge Wind Farm commissioned in 2005, our community has been open for wind development. There are two new projects in process in Lewis County that would add 150 megawatts of renewable energy to New York state, enough to power an average of 50,000 homes. Our county, towns and school districts are active in the permitting process to make sure that tax agreements are in place to benefit the entire community.
The Maple Ridge Wind Farm has brought very significant economic benefits to Lewis County. The tax agreements have brought millions of dollars of revenue to four towns, three school districts and the county. The farm employs about 35 full-time staff and regularly brings contractors into the community. The initial construction period injected millions of dollars into local businesses for building supplies. And with hundreds of construction workers, thousands of additional dollars were spent at our local small businesses. The towns and school districts that are home to this project are economically healthy at a time when many small rural communities are not in that position. Wind power has helped our schools, our towns and our taxpayers.
Wind development didn’t come to Lewis County without state action. A statewide policy known as the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, created in 2006, attracted wind companies by providing market demand for clean energy and enough certainty to get projects financed and built. This 10-year policy expires at the end of this year.
With new wind projects proposed for Lewis County, an effective RPS policy would continue to attract investment and create jobs in our county and state. Our county strongly supports these projects to create additional green energy. We welcome the opportunity to partner with well-sited wind projects in Lewis County. The beautiful Tug Hill Plateau is an area where agriculture is challenging and recreation and energy development have become the primary economic accelerators.
As the RPS comes to an end, so may these innovative, clean and profitable energy projects unless it is reauthorized. It is important to reinvest energy dollars into new, green energy projects. We believe Gov. Andrew Cuomo should strengthen and extend the RPS for New York because we know clean energy can be a solution that transforms our energy production and helps places like Lewis County.
Michael Tabolt
Lowville
The writer is chairman of the Lewis County Board of Legislators.
Dyson’s brand has considerable weight: there’s no shortage of Dyson-envy if you hear someone you know has one of their bagless vacuums.
And while brands can wane over time (hi Bose!), Dyson continue to plough money into R&D, creating not only things you might want, but things that are much better than the stuff you have.
Dyson changed the whole vacuum industry just a decade and a half ago by inventing the bagless vacuum, as well as the transparent dirt bin (which seemed like madness at the time), the cordless handstick vacuum, and much more.
We’re talking about Dyson’s fanless fans, hand-dryers that just dry faster, and today, battery-powered, rechargeable handheld vacuum cleaners.
The Dyson V6 Absolute is one of these.
The vaccum itself
The entire body you hold in one hand, carrying the motor, filter and dustbin. It lasts around 20 minutes while turned on, and there’s no cords – you squeeze a trigger and away it goes.
Dyson V6 Absolute body
Dyson V6 Absolute trigger
To get from your hands to the dirt in the carpet, you snap on an attractive red tube, to which you can attach a variety of heads. More on that later.
HEPA filters: why they matter
Dyson’s put in dual-HEPA filters for air that travels through the vacuum, with the brochure explaining that the filters mean the air is cleaner after it passes through the vacuum. The filters are easily cleaned or changed out.
Dyson V6 Absolute filter
So what are HEPA filters?
HEPA (high-efficiency particulate arrestance) filters are air filters that cut out 99.97 per cent of stuff in the air smaller than 0.3 micrometers. How big is that? Well, you’d need to stitch together around 100 of these to get close to the thickness of a human hair.
And where did HEPA filters come from? Ahem, well, the Manhattan Project, actually. To cut out radioactive particles. That’s how you know they work well.
Put to work: How it was to vacuum with
Well, vacuuming was about as fun as a chore can get. Pieces snap together intuitively. Being lightweight and manoeuvrable, it’s easy to use. It’s perfect for quickly moving from a full set of stairs, to cobwebs you haven’t considered getting for months, and back to the floor as usual.
You don’t have to move furniture. You don’t have to change powerpoints. You’re not pulling around a cumbersome wheeled vacuum.
The V6 easily delivers enough suction to rip through anything from heavier debris to fine dirt. The dirt-bin was simple (and just about hands-free) to empty.
Comparing to a Miele vacuum that was corded and bagged, it performed at a high level while it lasted and it’s far more easy to do odd jobs. You can pull it out just to vacuum a dirty corner – it’s not a chore to quickly use and put back.
That’s not to say it’s the perfect vacuum though.
You have around about a 20 minute cleaning time. And that’s it. The V6 Absolute doesn’t fade out – it just comes to a complete stop. There is a low-battery light, but you can’t see it while using the vacuum. Chances are you won’t charge it every time you use it, so there’s no real way of knowing how much longer it has.
Dyson V6 Absolute battery charging
It takes around three-and-a-half hours to charge fully before it’s ready to go again. Of course, that’s what you get with a battery-powered cord-free device. That’s what makes it portable.
One other mild complaint: the fact you have to squeeze the trigger to make it work makes sense, and the trigger offers little resistance, but when gripping the trigger and the body while vacuuming, the odd hold hurts your finger after a bit. Yes, it hurts the finger of a grown man at peak fitness who, just quietly, has the grip-strength of an orangutan.
For others not as lucky – think an arthritic 60-year-old lawn bowler – it might not be possible to use for too long.
A few people asked if this was just a high-powered dust buster. Well, it is, if you ignore that it’s about 1000 times the suction, isn’t just blowing out allergy-laden dusty air, and is truly fun to use.
One other thing – Dyson include a wall mount to help you click the vacuum in and store it out of the way. Perfect for small houses, right? Well, if you are in a small townhouse or apartment, there’s a very good chance you’re renting. And in that case, you can’t do your own home improvements and drill the mount into a spare surface. That means it’s wasted on a fair percentage of renters, who would probably love to use it but can’t!
Dyson V6 Absolute attachment
Where Dyson gets complicated
Dyson have a range of V6 handstick vacuums. And for people trying to figure out which one is for them, there are too many.
There’s the Fluffy (for hard floors), the Animal (for houses with pets) and the Motorhead (for carpets). There’s even just a straight V6.
Dyson V6 Absolute soft head
The only real difference between all of these is the cleaner heads. And the price tag.
The Absolute includes two heads – the Fluffy and the Motorhead, to target all debris. It’s the all-in-one, and it’s the most expensive, at RRP $899. (Shopping around, we can find it for $854 online.) The others are $100 or $200 cheaper.
Dyson V6 Absolute swivelhead
If you want to save money, it’s hard to know which one you should get, particularly if you have different floors, and a pet that sheds some hair but not a lot.
That $899 asking price for the Absolute makes it a significant investment. And while the knock-offs are unlikely to match Dyson across the board, it’s easy to justify saving a couple of hundred dollars for a tradeoff.
Dyson are firmly in the space that Apple play in. There are cheap knock-offs, but they aren’t Dysons.
Overall
So, what did we think, and should you get one?
The V6 Absolute is for a small house only. That’s partly down to the battery life you get, as well as the dirt-bin size. It is light enough that carrying it around isn’t a problem, and there’s a stack of different attachments for all your needs.
It has incredible suction and power for the tiny motor it packs. There’s a deeply satisfying feel when you first turn it on as the motor whistles into operating at 110,000 RPM.
We see three real problems with the vacuum, and none of them are related to performance.
1. You have to squeeze the trigger to keep it on, which for longer jobs will eventually hurt your finger. 2. It doesn’t run out of battery gracefully – just stops working all of a sudden. You get a low-battery warning light, but it’s not noticeable when in use. 3. There are so many attachments you have to have somewhere to keep them. And if you have a small house, you probably don’t have much storage room.
There’s also price. A Dyson is not a bargain; they’re premium, and come at a premium price. It’s up to you to decide if that’s worth it. Miele are the other real competitor at the high-end of the market.
However a Dyson does come with a five-year warranty, with a lifetime warranty on the filters. That makes it something you’ll own for as long as you need it.
The new Dyson V6 Absolute is available via Dyson.com.au for RRP $899.00 and cheaper if you shop around.
We give it 4/5. Longer battery life, and $150 cheaper across the Dyson range would make it almost perfect.
ZF wind turbine gearbox. Source: ZF Friedrichshafen AG. License: All rights reserved
May 14 (SeeNews) – German driveline and chassis technology firm ZF Friedrichshafen AG said on Wednesday it will acquire the industrial gears and wind turbine gearbox operations of Bosch Rexroth AG.
ZF announced in a statement it has inked the deal yesterday, but did not disclose its financial terms. The transaction involves the purchase of Bosch Rexroth’s two production locations in Witten, Germany and Beijing, China and the transfer of over 1,200 employees in total. Also, ZF will take over Bosch Rexroth’s service location in Lake Zurich, the US.
While the deal allows ZF to enter the industrial gears market, it also bolsters the company’s existing wind turbine gearbox activities. ZF noted that the factory being acquired in Beijing is focused exclusively on the production of wind turbine gearboxes.
“The acquisition of the industrial gears and wind turbine gearbox segments of Bosch Rexroth AG is an excellent supplement to our Industrial Technology portfolio and opens up new customer groups,” commented ZF CEO Stefan Sommer.
Bosch Rexroth’s large gearbox business generated about EUR 300 million (USD 340.9m) in sales last year. The company will retain its small gearbox production operations.
The takeover needs to be cleared by the antitrust authorities.
Ivan Shumkov is the mergers and acquisitions expert in SeeNews Renewables with a passion for big deals and ambitious capacity plans. He is a big fan of wave and tidal energy, too.
ZF to take over Bosch Rexroth’s wind turbine gearbox business
ZF wind turbine gearbox. Source: ZF Friedrichshafen AG. License: All rights reserved
May 14 (SeeNews) – German driveline and chassis technology firm ZF Friedrichshafen AG said on Wednesday it will acquire the industrial gears and wind turbine gearbox operations of Bosch Rexroth AG.
ZF announced in a statement it has inked the deal yesterday, but did not disclose its financial terms. The transaction involves the purchase of Bosch Rexroth’s two production locations in Witten, Germany and Beijing, China and the transfer of over 1,200 employees in total. Also, ZF will take over Bosch Rexroth’s service location in Lake Zurich, the US.
While the deal allows ZF to enter the industrial gears market, it also bolsters the company’s existing wind turbine gearbox activities. ZF noted that the factory being acquired in Beijing is focused exclusively on the production of wind turbine gearboxes.
“The acquisition of the industrial gears and wind turbine gearbox segments of Bosch Rexroth AG is an excellent supplement to our Industrial Technology portfolio and opens up new customer groups,” commented ZF CEO Stefan Sommer.
Bosch Rexroth’s large gearbox business generated about EUR 300 million (USD 340.9m) in sales last year. The company will retain its small gearbox production operations.
The takeover needs to be cleared by the antitrust authorities.
Ivan Shumkov is the mergers and acquisitions expert in SeeNews Renewables with a passion for big deals and ambitious capacity plans. He is a big fan of wave and tidal energy, too.
Apple’s upcoming Campus 2 is basically a big monument to its energy policy. Photo: Apple
A new report from environmental organization Greenpeace has given Apple top marks for its policies and movement toward renewable energy.
The 72-page document by senior policy analyst Gary Cook and media officer David Pomerantz serves as an evaluation of current corporate activities, a summary of the state of renewable tech and progress, and a roadmap for how to institute less wasteful programs moving forward.
Greenpeace also lauded Google and Facebook’s performances, but Apple was the only one to receive a perfect grade-point average in the four evaluated areas (Transparency, Policy, Efficiency, and Advocacy). According to the report card, “Apple’s commitment to renewable energy has helped set a new bar for the industry, illustrating in very concrete terms that a 100 percent renewable Internet is within its reach and providing several models of intervention for other companies that want to build a sustainable Internet.”
Lower scorers include auction site eBay (which “must look to move from ‘cleaner’ sources of electricity toward securing greater amounts of renewable electricity that are actually clean,” according to the report) and data-center manager Dupont Fabros Technology.
(Des Moines) — The move to more renewable sources of energy is proving to be a breeze locally, with a new study showing that Iowa leads the nation for wind power.
Mike Prior is executive director of Iowa Wind Energy Association, which issued the report. He says more than 28 percent of the energy produced in Iowa now comes from wind generation, the highest percentage of any state.
“And by the end of 2015, our expected megawatt total will be 6,300, which will be over about 30 percent of our entire generation for the state of Iowa that will come from wind energy,” he adds.
In addition to good wind resources, Prior credits the utilities in the state in helping to lead the way to more wind generation, along with supportive state lawmakers and policies.
Prior notes that wind energy is affordable energy, as electricity rates in Iowa have remained below the national average as the amount of wind generation has grown steadily over the past decade.
“For example, Iowa’s electricity rates are 30 percent lower than Wisconsin electric rates, and Wisconsin only gets about 2 percent of its energy from wind power, compared to our 28.5 percent,” he points out.
Prior also says wind energy is good for the local economy, with about 6,000 Iowans employed in the industry, and landowners receiving more than $16 million annually in wind turbine land lease payments.
Manhattan, NY- May 09, 2015 – (Techsonian) –Yingli Green Energy (NYSE:YGE), one of the world’s prominent solar panel manufacturers, known as “Yingli Solar,” proclaimed that it reached more than 13 gigawatts (GW) of cumulative global solar panel deliveries by the end of the first quarter of 2015.
Yingli Green Energy (NYSE:YGE) started its trading session with the price of $1.73 and closed at $1.70 by scoring +1.80%. YGE’s stocks traded with total volume of 2.50 million shares, while the average trading volume remained 1.78 million shares. The beta of YGE stands at 2.20. Day range of the stock was $1.59 -$1.73.
To receive alerts before the crowd, text the word “PICKS” to “33733”
Invesco Ltd (NYSE:IVZ) is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to retail clients, institutional clients, high-net worth clients, public entities, corporations, unions, non-profit organizations, endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions, and sovereign wealth funds. It manages separate client focused equity, balanced, and fixed income portfolios.
Invesco Ltd (NYSE:IVZ) finished last trade at $41.43, gaining +1.02%. Trading volume recorded for this company was about 2.50 million shares as compared to its average volume of 2.41 million shares. The company has the total of 430.71 million outstanding shares while its market capitalization is now about $17.66 billion.
Goodrich Petroleum (NYSE:GDP) publicized the Company’s management team will present at Iberia Capital Partner’s Oil & Gas Day at the Omni Berkshire Place Hotel located at 21 East 52nd Street at Madison Avenue in New York, New York on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 3:20 PM ET.
Goodrich Petroleum (NYSE:GDP) reported the gain of +5.56% and closed at $3.61 with the total traded volume of 2.49 million shares versus average trading volume of 2.67 million shares. Its market capitalization is $195.51 million. The stock has a 52-week high price of $30.52 and its 52-week low was recorded at $2.35.
AmerisourceBergen Corp (NYSE:ABC) sources and distributes pharmaceutical products to healthcare providers, pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers, and specialty drug patients in the United States and internationally. Its Pharmaceutical Distribution segment distributes brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to various healthcare providers, counting acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and other alternate site pharmacies, and other consumers.
AmerisourceBergen Corp (NYSE:ABC) reported the increase of +1.08% to close at $115.30 with the overall traded volume of 2.49 million shares. Its market capitalization on last close reached to $25.05 billion. Its intraday-low price was $114.53 and its hit its day’s highest price at $116.00.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner and spending for the holiday is on the rise.
A recent survey by the National Retail Federation found that families will spend a record $173 on mom this year. And aside from greeting cards, flowers are the most popular gift. Choose a moth (phalaenopsis) orchid that will flower for months and even years to come.
Orchids are highly coveted ornamental plants. Delicate orchids symbolize a mother’s love, beauty and strength. They look and feel luxurious but are actually very affordable.
“Orchids are the perfect gift for Mother’s Day because they’re so chic and easy to grow,” says Justin Hancock, garden expert at Costa Farms. “These exquisite plants reward with fabulous blooms for months and months.”
Here are Hancock’s tips to grow beautiful moth (phalaenopsis) orchids that will bloom for years and years:
Six Steps to Orchid Success
1. Selection: Pick an orchid with as many buds as you can to prolong the display. “Many homeowners buy the orchid that has the most open flowers, but that’s usually the first one to go out of bloom,” says Hancock.
2. Water: Water once a week or when bark or moss is almost completely dry. Allow orchids to dry out before re-watering and never leave orchids in standing water.
3. Location: Place orchids in a well-lit area, but not in direct sun. Moth orchids grow under trees and get sunburned in direct sunlight. Help orchids to thrive by placing them near east- or west-facing windows. If the plant receives too little light, it will not bloom. The larger the leaves of an orchid variety, the less light it needs.
4. Humidity: Orchids need humidity. Pair orchids with other plants that release moisture as they breathe or sit a humidifier next to the orchid.
5. Temperature: Keep them warm. Moth orchids love temperatures between 70 and 80F and about 10 degrees cooler at night.
6. Feed: Moth orchids bloom once a year, usually in winter when nights are cool. Fertilizing regularly in the spring and summer months will help it to grow, too.
Remind mom that just like her, orchids are more than just a pretty face. They provide oxygen and are great natural air filters that clean indoor air of carbon dioxide and other toxins. Learn more about growing orchids at CostaFarms.com.
About Costa Farms: Costa Farm s is one of the nation’s largest growers of ornamental plants. Founded in 1961 by Jose Costa, Costa Farms is a third-generation, family-owned business that globally stretches over 3,500 acres and employs 4,000 people. Along with thriving indoor and bedding plant divisions, Costa Farms operates merchandising and young-plant production divisions as part of its infrastructure, with operations domestically in South Florida and North and South Carolina, and abroad in the Dominican Republic and Far East.
EASTON — A greener Easton is planned for the future.
Easton Utilities is in the planning and permitting stage to build a facility that aims to reduce the town’s dependency on purchasing electricity from the power grid.
The rough plans were presented to the Easton Town Council on Monday, May 4, in what Easton Utilities’ Vice President of Operations Geoff Oxnam said is a “very early introduction.”
It is named the Easton Sustainability Complex, a renewable energy micro-grid that is planned for construction at the Easton wastewater treatment facility off Barkers Landing Road.
The facility is going to combine innovative energy technology with Easton’s state-of-the-art wastewater treatment technology, Oxnam said.
“We have already the state’s most environmentally friendly wastewater treatment facility that does a fantastic job keeping pollution out of the Chesapeake Bay,” Oxnam said. “We are planning to bolt onto that a series of renewable energy generation strategies that will help offset the power that we have to buy from the grid and the needs of that facility.”
The first element of the facility will be landfill gas generation, he said. The wastewater treatment facility is located next to the Mid-shore Regional Landfill, which creates methane gas that can be used to make electricity.
“Currently, it’s just being flared into the atmosphere. We’re going to take that gas and make some of the electricity that the wastewater treatment facility needs to run,” Oxnam said.
He said Easton Utilities is also looking add a solar energy array on about 4 acres to help offset some of the facility’s needs.
There are other technologies Easton Utilities could potentially add, though nothing is definite as of yet as it depends on the ongoing analysis of how all these technologies will fit together, Oxnam said. Those other sustainable technologies being considered include battery storage technology — “the size of a shipping container,” Oxnam said — and possibly wind energy.
The benefits of the Easton Sustainability Complex to Easton Utilities customers, as well as the Easton community and the environment are significant, Oxnam said.
There would be a reduction in pollution. Over half the electricity that comes across the grid is generated from coal plants in the region, Oxnam said.
“Anything that we can generate local using renewables means that we don’t have to buy off the grid,” he said. “This has the potential to save our customers money. Instead of buying grid energy when it’s at a high price, we can generate some of our own.”
The Easton Sustainability Complex would also increase Easton’s resilience in the event of a power outage, he said.
It could also support education, Oxnam said, “most specifically to train the workforce of the future in the operation, maintenance, installation of these green energy facilities.”
In Maryland, electric utility companies are required to provide a percentage of their overall energy portfolio from renewable energy sources. If they don’t have those sources, then the companies have to buy renewable energy credits.
Oxnam said the number of renewable energy credits increases each year, and it’s a significant cost to purchase those credits.
“So if we’re generating renewable energy credits ourselves, we offset a portion of that cost, also saving our customers money,” he said.
Oxnam stressed that Easton Utilities is only in the permitting and design stages of the project, but added that it plans to pursue the landfill gas component first — possibly “up, constructed and ready to operate early in 2016” — “and then we’ll follow that with the solar as we look at the others,” although it depends on the permitting process and construction times.
The landfill gas and solar ideas go back a couple years, Oxnam said. The two technologies were previously considered for construction in Easton by the utility company, but it wasn’t economically feasible at the time, he said.
But, the price of materials for solar arrays has been considerably reduced, Oxnam said.
Easton Utilities is pursuing grant funding to help pay for the project.
ZF wind turbine gearbox. Source: ZF Friedrichshafen AG. License: All rights reserved
