Showing posts with label geothermal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label geothermal. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Senator Lugar Congratulates Ball State University on Dedication of Geothermal Project
Press Release of Senator Lugar
Senator Lugar Congratulates Ball State University on Dedication of Geothermal Project
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar today congratulated Ball State University on the dedication of the university’s geothermal project. Lugar, who was casting votes in the United States Senate, sent a taped greeting to be played at the dedication ceremony.
“On May 9, 2009, when we drilled the first hole of this project, I predicted the system would demonstrate to the world that large-scale, district geothermal heating and cooling is feasible. That vision has come to fruition. Other universities, municipalities, and businesses have noticed this project’s success.
“I firmly believe that we must take every step toward energy independence to increase our national security. The success of Ball State’s geothermal system is an important stride in that direction.
“I congratulate Ball State on the dedication of its geothermal project. I look forward to seeing what innovations this visionary university will develop in the future.”
The full video may be viewed on Youtube.
“On May 9, 2009, when we drilled the first hole of this project, I predicted the system would demonstrate to the world that large-scale, district geothermal heating and cooling is feasible. That vision has come to fruition. Other universities, municipalities, and businesses have noticed this project’s success.
“I firmly believe that we must take every step toward energy independence to increase our national security. The success of Ball State’s geothermal system is an important stride in that direction.
“I congratulate Ball State on the dedication of its geothermal project. I look forward to seeing what innovations this visionary university will develop in the future.”
The full video may be viewed on Youtube.
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Post from Dept. of Energy Blog
Taking a Tour of Wilmington's Energy-Efficient Spaces
February 28, 2012 - 11:30am
Roya Stanley (left) on a tour of the Snipes Academy of Arts and Design with the building's architect -- Thomas Hughes. Through interactive real-time energy data tools, Snipes students incorporate energy use data in their classroom projects and studies. | Photo Courtesy of the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance. I
n Wilmington, North Carolina, local institutions are leading the way in building efficiency and sustainability. From the WAVE Transit Forden Station to the Wilmington Convention Center to the city’s street sweeper complex, Wilmington is saving money by saving energy and supporting job growth in energy efficiency technologies.
Last week, I experienced first-hand how Wilmington public buildings are leveraging energy efficiency and clean energy technologies to save money and reduce energy waste. I joined Representative Mike McIntyre, Mayor Bill Saffo and Joy Allen, executive director of the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance, on a tour of the city’s energy efficient buildings.
At the Forden Station -- the first LEED Gold registered public building to break ground in the state of North Carolina -- on-site geothermal heating and cooling systems have helped reduce energy consumption by 45 percent. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design utilizes a water source heat pump system and outside air system for the school’s heating and cooling. Through interactive real-time energy data tools, Snipes students incorporate energy use data in their classroom projects and studies.
Reducing energy waste in buildings is an important element for a sustainable energy future. In the United States, buildings consume about 40 percent of all U.S. energy, contributing a significant amount to overall energy costs. In Wilmington, the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance is helping train local energy auditors and building analysts to conduct energy efficiency upgrades and capture the savings.
Nationally, through the Better Buildings Challenge, more than 60 companies, cities, universities, hospitals and other partners have committed to upgrading more than 1.6 billion square feet of building space across the country -- which will jobs, eliminate waste and help make our commercial and industrial buildings 20 percent more efficient by 2020.
Check out more on the Better Buildings Challenge HERE.
n Wilmington, North Carolina, local institutions are leading the way in building efficiency and sustainability. From the WAVE Transit Forden Station to the Wilmington Convention Center to the city’s street sweeper complex, Wilmington is saving money by saving energy and supporting job growth in energy efficiency technologies.
Last week, I experienced first-hand how Wilmington public buildings are leveraging energy efficiency and clean energy technologies to save money and reduce energy waste. I joined Representative Mike McIntyre, Mayor Bill Saffo and Joy Allen, executive director of the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance, on a tour of the city’s energy efficient buildings.
At the Forden Station -- the first LEED Gold registered public building to break ground in the state of North Carolina -- on-site geothermal heating and cooling systems have helped reduce energy consumption by 45 percent. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design utilizes a water source heat pump system and outside air system for the school’s heating and cooling. Through interactive real-time energy data tools, Snipes students incorporate energy use data in their classroom projects and studies.
Reducing energy waste in buildings is an important element for a sustainable energy future. In the United States, buildings consume about 40 percent of all U.S. energy, contributing a significant amount to overall energy costs. In Wilmington, the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance is helping train local energy auditors and building analysts to conduct energy efficiency upgrades and capture the savings.
Nationally, through the Better Buildings Challenge, more than 60 companies, cities, universities, hospitals and other partners have committed to upgrading more than 1.6 billion square feet of building space across the country -- which will jobs, eliminate waste and help make our commercial and industrial buildings 20 percent more efficient by 2020.
Check out more on the Better Buildings Challenge HERE.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Return to the Archives
There isn't much Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency news today, so I thought I would go back to the Archives to find something of interest. Below is a DOE article from September 2007 with some interesting links.
Hope you enjoy.
Researchers at DOE national laboratories and facilities contributed to 31 out of the 100 technology advancements that are being honored this year with R&D 100 Awards. As a top harbinger of innovative research and development, R&D Magazine has been recognizing the top 100 inventions of the year for the past 45 years. This year's awards include 18 that are related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, of which 7 are related to renewable energy. (The energy efficiency winners are covered in a separate article.) See the awards announcements on Beam/X-Ray Devices (PDF 99 KB
), Energy (PDF 150 KB), Materials & Metals (PDF 243 KB), and Thermal technologies (PDF 105 KB) in R&D Magazine. Download Adobe Reader.
Among renewable energy technologies, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Spectrolab, a Boeing subsidiary, earned an award for building the first solar cell to surpass 40% conversion efficiency. That is, the solar cell is able to convert more than 40% of the sunlight hitting it into electricity. Other solar cell technologies include an improved transparent conductor made out of carbon nanotubes. Transparent conductors often form the top layer of thin-film solar cells and related devices, such as flat panel displays. A German company also won for inventing a small high-vacuum pump used in solar cell manufacturing that consumes one-third less power than earlier pumps. See the NREL press release.
Thanks in part to support from DOE's Inventions & Innovations program, Phenotype Screening Corporation won an award for a non-invasive system to image and characterize plant roots, a technology that could be important for biomass crop development. In addition, DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) helped to develop a gas turbine that can run on biogas, hydrogen, and other fuels; UTC Power worked with a hot springs resort in Alaska to develop a device that generates power from low-temperature geothermal resources; and Battelle Memorial Institute invented a biobased polyol, a chemical that could replace up to 3 billion pounds of petroleum-based polyols that are used each year in the United States to produce foams, coatings, and adhesives. Other biobased polyols have been developed recently, but the Battelle invention is reactive enough to form polyurethane foams. The chemical is also generated from glycerine, a byproduct of the biodiesel industry. See the press releases from LBNL, UTC Power, and Battelle.
Hope you enjoy.
Renewable Energy, Bioproduct Inventions Win Seven R&D 100 Awards
September 26, 2007
Researchers at DOE national laboratories and facilities contributed to 31 out of the 100 technology advancements that are being honored this year with R&D 100 Awards. As a top harbinger of innovative research and development, R&D Magazine has been recognizing the top 100 inventions of the year for the past 45 years. This year's awards include 18 that are related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, of which 7 are related to renewable energy. (The energy efficiency winners are covered in a separate article.) See the awards announcements on Beam/X-Ray Devices (PDF 99 KB
), Energy (PDF 150 KB), Materials & Metals (PDF 243 KB), and Thermal technologies (PDF 105 KB) in R&D Magazine. Download Adobe Reader.Among renewable energy technologies, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Spectrolab, a Boeing subsidiary, earned an award for building the first solar cell to surpass 40% conversion efficiency. That is, the solar cell is able to convert more than 40% of the sunlight hitting it into electricity. Other solar cell technologies include an improved transparent conductor made out of carbon nanotubes. Transparent conductors often form the top layer of thin-film solar cells and related devices, such as flat panel displays. A German company also won for inventing a small high-vacuum pump used in solar cell manufacturing that consumes one-third less power than earlier pumps. See the NREL press release.
Thanks in part to support from DOE's Inventions & Innovations program, Phenotype Screening Corporation won an award for a non-invasive system to image and characterize plant roots, a technology that could be important for biomass crop development. In addition, DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) helped to develop a gas turbine that can run on biogas, hydrogen, and other fuels; UTC Power worked with a hot springs resort in Alaska to develop a device that generates power from low-temperature geothermal resources; and Battelle Memorial Institute invented a biobased polyol, a chemical that could replace up to 3 billion pounds of petroleum-based polyols that are used each year in the United States to produce foams, coatings, and adhesives. Other biobased polyols have been developed recently, but the Battelle invention is reactive enough to form polyurethane foams. The chemical is also generated from glycerine, a byproduct of the biodiesel industry. See the press releases from LBNL, UTC Power, and Battelle.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Meeting with USDA Officials to Discuss Renewable Energy Opportunities
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to facilitate a meeting with many rural energy stakeholders that USDA Rural Development works closely with here in Iowa.
Joining me in the discussion were representatives from the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, MidAmerican Energy, USDA Farm Service Agency, Community Vitality Center at Iowa State University, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and many more.
Also in attendance were representatives from Senator Tom Harkin’s and Congressman Leonard Boswell’s offices. Senator Harkin helped draft the original Energy Title in the 2002 Farm Bill.
During the conversation it was very clear that USDA Rural Development’s energy programs are making significant impacts on rural communities throughout Iowa. The business owners and farmers benefitting from this assistance are decreasing their energy footprint, converting renewable resources into cleaner energy, and creating and saving jobs.
Since 2002, USDA Rural Development has awarded $130 million in guaranteed loans and grants to help more than 700 small businesses and producers in Iowa reduce energy costs by making energy-efficiency improvements, as well as installing renewable energy systems such as wind turbines, geothermal and solar.
I was excited to hear from LaVon Griffieon, owner of Griffieon Farms and a past recipient of the agency’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). LaVon had tremendous praise for the program, as well as how helpful Rural Development staff was throughout the entire application and awarding process. Griffieon Farms’ fresh meat direct-market business is now using 34 percent less energy thanks to three new commercial freezers purchased with assistance from REAP.
Iowa Rural Development State Director Bill Menner (Standing, Left) addresses participants in a renewable energy meeting in Des Moines.
Mark Edelman with Iowa State University’s Community Vitality Center, and Jennifer Reutzel with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), both talked about the importance of energy audits for small businesses in rural America. This year REAP dollars are helping fund a pollution prevention program sponsored by the Iowa DNR that helps companies reduce water use and save energy, among other things.
Also during the meeting Andy Olsen with Environmental Law and Policy Center emphasized the important role solar technologies and small wind projects could play with producers and businesses looking to save energy costs.
USDA is currently accepting application for REAP funding. For more information please visitwww.rurdev.usda.gov or click here.
Friday, January 27, 2012
News release from the Congressional Budget Office:
January 25, 2012
Geothermal Production Expansion Act of 2011
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on December 15, 2011
S. 1149 would authorize the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to award leases for certain federal lands on a noncompetitive basis for the development of geothermal resources. Based on information provided by BLM, the Department of Energy (DOE), and individuals working in the geothermal industry, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have no significant impact on the federal budget over the 2012-2022
period. Enacting S. 1149 could affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct spending would not be significant in any year. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues.
S. 1149 would authorize BLM to offer noncompetitive leases of up to 640 acres for lands adjacent to known geothermal discoveries. Under the bill, a company that identified a geothermal resource that extended onto federal land adjacent to company-controlled lands could acquire the lease for a specified amount (bonus bid) determined by BLM to be equivalent to the fair market value rather than an amount determined through a competitive auction. In addition to paying fair market value for the parcel, the bill would require any company awarded such a noncompetitive lease to make annual rental payments equal to those required for lands that are leased competitively. Finally, a company could receive only one noncompetitive lease for each known geothermal discovery.
Under current law, 75 percent of all receipts from bonus bids, rents, and royalties related to the development of geothermal resources on federal lands is paid to the states and counties in which those lands are located. The remaining 25 percent is deposited in the U.S. Treasury. CBO estimates that awarding noncompetitive leases for lands adjacent to known geothermal discoveries could reduce bonus bids on those parcels; however, because the legislation would require the companies that are awarded those leases to pay fair market value for them, we estimate that implementing the bill would not reduce the amount of receipts deposited in the U.S. Treasury by more than $500,000 in any year. 2
In addition, based on information provided by DOE and individuals working in the geothermal industry, CBO expects that implementing S. 1149 could increase receipts from royalties paid on geothermal energy production by reducing the amount of time it takes to develop a known geothermal resource and by reducing the likelihood that lands containing geothermal resources would be acquired for speculative purposes. CBO estimates that any increase in the amount of royalty receipts that would be deposited in the U.S. Treasury
would not exceed $500,000 in any year. Those amounts would offset any reduction in receipts from issuing noncompetitive leases under the bill. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1149 would have no significant net impact on direct spending over the 2012-2022 period.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. This estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE
COST ESTIMATE
January 25, 2012
Geothermal Production Expansion Act of 2011
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on December 15, 2011
S. 1149 would authorize the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to award leases for certain federal lands on a noncompetitive basis for the development of geothermal resources. Based on information provided by BLM, the Department of Energy (DOE), and individuals working in the geothermal industry, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have no significant impact on the federal budget over the 2012-2022
period. Enacting S. 1149 could affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct spending would not be significant in any year. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues.
S. 1149 would authorize BLM to offer noncompetitive leases of up to 640 acres for lands adjacent to known geothermal discoveries. Under the bill, a company that identified a geothermal resource that extended onto federal land adjacent to company-controlled lands could acquire the lease for a specified amount (bonus bid) determined by BLM to be equivalent to the fair market value rather than an amount determined through a competitive auction. In addition to paying fair market value for the parcel, the bill would require any company awarded such a noncompetitive lease to make annual rental payments equal to those required for lands that are leased competitively. Finally, a company could receive only one noncompetitive lease for each known geothermal discovery.
Under current law, 75 percent of all receipts from bonus bids, rents, and royalties related to the development of geothermal resources on federal lands is paid to the states and counties in which those lands are located. The remaining 25 percent is deposited in the U.S. Treasury. CBO estimates that awarding noncompetitive leases for lands adjacent to known geothermal discoveries could reduce bonus bids on those parcels; however, because the legislation would require the companies that are awarded those leases to pay fair market value for them, we estimate that implementing the bill would not reduce the amount of receipts deposited in the U.S. Treasury by more than $500,000 in any year. 2
In addition, based on information provided by DOE and individuals working in the geothermal industry, CBO expects that implementing S. 1149 could increase receipts from royalties paid on geothermal energy production by reducing the amount of time it takes to develop a known geothermal resource and by reducing the likelihood that lands containing geothermal resources would be acquired for speculative purposes. CBO estimates that any increase in the amount of royalty receipts that would be deposited in the U.S. Treasury
would not exceed $500,000 in any year. Those amounts would offset any reduction in receipts from issuing noncompetitive leases under the bill. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1149 would have no significant net impact on direct spending over the 2012-2022 period.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. This estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Electronic Atlas Maps U.S. Renewable Energy Resources
News Release from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory:
A new geospatial application developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) allows users to easily and accurately map potential renewable energy resources in the United States.
The interactive tool, RE Atlas, is free to use and available online at http://maps.nrel.gov/re_atlas.
RE Atlas is designed to facilitate energy policy development, investment, and education by making high quality data accessible and easy to understand. The tool creates dynamic maps of renewable resources, including biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind. RE Atlas can display resources individually or in a composite fashion.
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
Electronic Atlas Maps U.S. Renewable Energy Resources
Friday, January 06, 2012
The interactive tool, RE Atlas, is free to use and available online at http://maps.nrel.gov/re_atlas.
"Ease of use and breadth of data make RE Atlas an excellent tool for policymakers, planners, energy developers, and others who need to better understand the renewable resources available in the United States," said Dan Getman, whose team in NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center developed the tool. "RE Atlas is an important addition to NREL's suite of geospatial tools, because it brings together so many renewable energy datasets in one easy-to-use tool."
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
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