More Chinese cities issue red alerts for heavy smog

Beijing authorities have already issued two red alerts for air pollution, the … Air filters are another way that can help the Chinese people battle the air …

More Chinese cities issue red alerts for heavy smog

To Unlock Wind, Build Transmission Lines Linking the Plains to the Cities

A vital factor affecting the economics of any energy source is transportation: where is the fuel extracted, where is it used, and how does it get from point A to point B?

An example is the case of Texas versus North Dakota, both of which have experienced a boom in oil and gas production from shale since the introduction of hydraulic fracturing.

Texas, with its long history of oil and gas development, is riddled with underground oil and gas pipelines connecting remote areas of the state with regional trading hubs.

Many U.S. oil (red) and gas (blue) pipelines are clustered in and around Texas, which not only produces but also refines much of the country’s petroleum supply. Unconventional shale regions like Pennsylvania and North Dakota have significantly less oil and gas infrastructure. (Source: ProPublica)

North Dakota, on the other hand, was not traditionally a major oil and gas producer, so it has far less pipeline infrastructure in place than Texas. The result: between May 2012 and May 2013, $1 billion worth of natural gas was flared at well sites in North Dakota—burned off essentially as a waste product. For the most part, drillers in North Dakota operate a well to extract higher priced oil, which can be shipped via rail, albeit sometimes with disastrous results.

Fossil fuels are not the only energy source that can fall victim to transportation constraints. In fact, in many ways these constraints are far more onerous for renewable energy.

Like oil and gas resources, renewable energy regions are often located far away from major population centers. A prominent example is the U.S. wind belt, which stretches through the Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas. While this region is one of the greatest wind energy resources on the planet, it also happens to lie in the very center of the continental U.S., far from the coasts, where most Americans live.

The U.S. wind belt, which runs from North Dakota to West Texas through the Great Plains, is one of the greatest wind resources on the planet. However, it is located far away from major U.S. population centers, so transmission lines are needed to ship wind from the plains to the cities. (Source: NREL)

What makes renewable energy different from oil and gas is that renewable “fuel” (in the form of wind, water, or sunlight) is converted into electricity on-site, and, to date, there is only one feasible way to move lots of electric energy across the country: high-voltage transmission lines. If the requisite transmission infrastructure is not in place, a wind farm’s electricity output might have to be voluntarily turned down to avoid overloading what transmission lines do exist. And unlike the case of oil, no train or truck can come to the rescue.

Simply put, without the adequate transmission infrastructure in place, there is no way to bring wind energy from the plains to the cities, and wind will not produce at its full potential.

It seems like a no brainer then—build transmission lines. Unfortunately, a new transmission line can cost over $1 million per mile, and that’s for the equipment alone, before any of the NIMBY (not in my backyard) related costs that tend to plague major transmission projects. Moreover, unlike oil and gas pipelines, it’s impossible to control whose electricity is flowing on whose power line. Electricity flows through the entire grid at close to the speed of light, going where it pleases based on the voltage and resistance between various nodes of the grid. For this reason, the cost of transmission lines is typically socialized, even where electricity market competition has been introduced. This is good for raising the capital required to build the transmission infrastructure we all need, but it can also introduce partisanship and bureaucracy, slowing the whole process down.

Nevertheless, experience shows us that if government and private industry get their act together and carve out a path for renewable energy transmission lines, the wind energy developers will follow. In 2008, Texas allocated $4.93 billion dollars for the CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zones) transmission project, which connects West Texas and the Panhandle to the population centers of Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin. While the final price tag of the project climbed to $6.8 billion, it has helped Texas maintain its decisive lead in total installed wind energy among the 50 states. And there’s plenty of room to spare. The 3,600 miles of new lines can deliver up to 18,500 megawatts of power from West Texas to the state’s cities, about 50 percent more than the amount of wind power installed in Texas today. In fact, Texas grid operators are currently reviewing 21,000 megawatts of new wind projects, including a planned 1,100-megawatt wind farm near Lubbock that will be the nation’s largest.

While new transmission lines may be costly, in many regions of the U.S. they are a required precursor to unlocking wind energy’s true potential. The example of Texas shows that if we build new lines, the wind developers will follow. States that wish to encourage renewable energy development should work to invest in the requisite transmission infrastructure, so that wind energy growth is not held back by external constraints.

Image credits: ProPublica, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), ERCOT

To Unlock Wind, Build Transmission Lines Linking the Plains to the Cities

New Report: San Jose Ranks 4th Among Major US Cities for Installed Solar

“Solar power is booming across the country and cities are at the forefront,” said Mac Farrell, global warming organizer at Environment California. “As one of the top ranking cities, San Jose is leading the way.”

With the cost of solar coming down, there’s growing awareness of solar power as a mainstream energy solution with widespread benefits for our health, our economy and the environment.

“Going solar isn’t just good for the planet, it’s also an excellent investment,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, who has solar panels installed on his own home. “San Jose is pleased to be recognized for its solar efforts. Since adopting our Green Vision in 2007, San Jose has become a national leader in solar installations, including putting solar on city buildings to save taxpayer dollars and energy.”

“I’m so proud of San Jose for being one of the national leaders in clean, renewable energy,” said Assemblymember Paul Fong (D-San Jose). “Solar power helps Californians meet its conservation goals. I’m looking forward to continue working with our community to reduce our carbon footprint.”

The report highlighted the benefits of solar energy, including:

Solar energy avoids pollution—Pollution-free energy from the sun reduces air pollution that contributes to urban smog and global warming. It also helps save the massive amount of water that’s normally consumed during the cooling of fossil-fuel-burning power plants.

Solar energy protects consumers—Since solar has no fuel costs, it can protect us from the rising cost of fossil fuels.

Solar energy helps the economy—California has over 47,000 solar jobs, accounting for approximately one-third of all solar jobs in the country.

The top 20 solar cities in this report have more solar power within their city limits than was installed in the entire U.S. just six years ago.

“Of course Silicon Valley has embraced solar power. High-tech embraces high-tech. California’s goal is to make rooftop solar power as commonplace as the PC, and forward-thinking cities like San Jose, along with strong public policies, are making that vision a reality,” says Kelsea Jones, Deputy Director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA).

The report pointed to policies that encourage investment in solar PV installations, which have been adopted by local leaders in solar cities:

* City leaders can set ambitious and achievable goals and citizens and businesses can work with local governments to meet them. Cities can lead by example by putting solar on public buildings.
* Cities can adopt policies to advance solar power in their communities, including tax incentives, low-interest loan programs and solar-friendly zoning and building codes. Cities can also run “Solarize” programs that use bulk purchasing and educational campaigns to help neighbors “go solar” together.
* City leaders can work with state governments to ensure that they have strong programs to expand solar, including renewable energy standards, solar carve-outs or feed-in tariffs, net metering and community solar programs.
* City leaders can also demand a strong partnership with the federal government to ensure that federal incentives such as tax credits are continued. And, that federal programs, such as the Solar America’s Cities and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant programs continue to provide support and technical assistance to cities seeking to expand solar.

“We are pleased that a significant number of San Jose home and business owners have adopted solar to generate clean energy, reduce their carbon footprint and lower their electricity bills,” said SunPower President and CEO Tom Werner. “As a San Jose-based solar company, and founded almost 30 years ago, we continue to support the City’s environmental goals and congratulate its leaders on this achievement.”

In 2008, SunPower installed a 185-kilowatt solar system atop the roof of the San Jose Tech Museum, the first commercial solar system on a downtown San Jose building.

“The partnership between The Tech, the city of San Jose, and SunPower is a great example of how communities can pave the way for clean, renewable energy,” said The Tech President Tim Ritchie. “The Tech is proud to be part of San Jose’s recognition and exhibit the benefits of solar power.”

“Clean Solar is the second largest residential installer in San Jose, where it was born, nurtured, and is now thriving,” added Randy Zechman, CEO of Clean Solar. “San Jose’s leadership in green building and infrastructure has been a key part of our success and happiness in this market. We are not surprised to see San Jose thriving as one of America’s top solar cities.”

“The sky’s the limit on solar energy. San Jose is a shining example of solar leadership,” said Farrell. “But, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the potential to capture this pollution-free energy source. By committing to bold goals and expanding on the good policies we’ve adopted, we can take solar to the next level.”

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Environment California Research & Policy Center is a statewide nonprofit environmental advocacy organization working to protect California’s air, water and open spaces. More information, including copies of today’s report, can be found at http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/center.

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/news/cae/new-report-san-jose-ranks-4th-among-major-us-cities-installed-solar

New Report: San Jose Ranks 4th Among Major US Cities for Installed Solar