I first heard about space-based solar power (SBSP) when I worked with a gentleman named John Mankins back when I was doing consulting work for the Department of Energy. A former NASA employee, he is now CTO of Managed Energy Technologies, and was recently featured on the Discovery Channel for his work furthering wireless power transmission - a crucial element of SBSP. Like other proponents of SBSP, John was frustrated that the concept wasn’t receiving more attention.
So why look to space? Not only does the sun shine 24×7, it shines at a much stronger intensity (or insolation) - if it could be captured and transmitted back to earth, we’d have more energy than we could use. A 2007 Pentagon report that examined the topic put it this way:
“A single kilometer‐wide band of geosynchronous earth orbit experiences enough solar flux in one year (approximately 212 terawatt‐years) to nearly equal the amount of energy contained within all known recoverable conventional oil reserves on Earth today (approximately 250 TW‐yrs). The enormous potential of this resource demands an examination of mankind’s ability to successfully capture and utilize this energy within the context of today’s technology, economic, and policy realities, as well as the expected environment within the next 25 years. Study of space‐based solar power (SBSP) indicates that there is enormous potential for energy security, economic development, advancement of general space faring, improved environmental stewardship, and overall national security for those nations who construct and possess such a capability.”
Blogs are abuzz with news of the world’s biggest solar deal to date - that of Southern California Edison (SCE) and BrightSource Energy to build several solar thermal towers in the Mojave Desert, adding up to 1.3 gigawatts of energy - comparable to the biggest nuclear power plant in the US. And no wonder the cleantech world is excited - this could be one of the first utility-scale solar installations in California for 20 years, and surpasses in size last year’s PG&E and BrightSource deal for 900 MW. SCE is taking a major step towards reducing the carbon footprint of the power it delivers, and leading the way for the rest of California and the US.
The Boston Sunday Globe had a great article on an uptick in interest in community wind projects here in the Bay State — highlighted by a vignette on an abbey of nuns who are choosing to site a wind turbine on their land in order to harness a “gift of creation” to serve 75% of their electricity needs.
Public perception of wind’s acceptance in Massachusetts has been driven largely by the Cape Wind project, the hotly contested 130-turbine offshore farm that would sit between Cape Cod and Nantucket. But as this article points out - community wind might be just the ticket for this densely populated region with decent wind resources, a green-leaning populace, and high electricity prices.
Utilities seem to be damned if they do and damned if they don’t when it comes to solar.27 states plus DC now have renewable portfolio standards in place with mandates for an increasing portion of electricity to come from sources like wind and solar. Yet, when utilities Southern California Edison and Duke Energy Carolinas responded by launching aggressive utility-owned distributed rooftop solar programs recently, their ambitious plans were heavily criticized as being too expensive and unfriendly to competition. Duke has already chopped their planned program in half due to the critiques.
Just this week, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, announced their plans to have 10% of the city’s energy generated by solar by 2020. This aggressive and precedent-setting goal is already drawing criticism. That doesn’t seem quite right - shouldn’t we be praising utilities that are early-adopters and innovators?
The latest BusinessWeek has a brief article on femtocells - the toaster-sized device you’ll soon be able to buy from your cell phone provider to improve coverage in your house. A device that improves reception in homes should be especially appealing to those who want to join the 20% of homes that have already made the switch away from landlines. Political pollsters may not appreciate a shift en masse to cell phone-only households, but as one of the 20% that has already converted I can say I’ll never go back.
This article on femtocells got me thinking about the parallels between the growth of cell phones and the developing smart grid. There certainly are many similarities. In fact, femtocells are solving a very similar problem for cell phone companies that distributed rooftop solar panels will for electric utilities.
We usually only hear about fuel cells in relation to discussions about the perpetually around-the-bend hydrogen economy, but the technology is actually more than a century old. In fact, there are numerous types of fuel cells that can run on a variety of fuels - some are even being examined as alternatives to batteries in consumer electronics. What is true across all types of fuel cells is that they produce electricity from a chemical reaction, rather than through combustion. Well Bloom Energy, formerly Ion America, is reportedly ready to debut a fuel cell ready to run on any hydrocarbon, from coal-derived gas to natural gas to renewable fuels like ethanol. The company’s stealth operation has recently been “revealed” through a large expose on the company’s backers, Kleiner Perkins, in the NY Times Magazine.
One of the most exciting next-generation solar companies is Konarka, a spinoff from Umass Lowell which makes solar power from organic polymers that is printed on a roll, just like photographic film. But, until recently, Konarka had more of a concept than a product ready for mass manufacture. Well, the company now has 1 GW / yr manufacturing capacity after taking over a former Polaroid facility and re-tooling it to produce solar panels.
What does this mean? Well, if Konarka has its way, your roof won’t be the only thing generating electricity - your building’s awnings, blinds, and windows will too…
Like many other observers, I’ve long viewed thin-film solar technology with skepticism. While the technology promised lower costs and better performance in a range of conditions compared to traditional crystalline silicon, the greater efficiency of traditional PV, and the promise of high efficiency multi-junction cells, has made some wonder if the technology had missed its window – the industry is no longer losing sleep over silicon shortages, and costs have not fallen to the degree many have hoped. However, a stealthy start-up has just emerged with what may be a truly disruptive solar technology.
Solyndra, like many thin-film designs, uses CIGS technology. But that’s where the similarities with other designs ends. Whereas CIGS is usually deposited onto a flat, sometimes flexible, substrate, Solyndra deposits CIGS on a glass tube that looks like a fluorescent lightbulb you’d find in your office building.
The company claims these rows of PV tubes offer many advantages over traditional solar designs. Others certainly agree with the assertion – the company has raised in the neighborhood of $600 million in VC funding and claims it has contracts that total $1.2 billion. It has its eyes set on commercial customers with large, flat roofs, like big box stores and warehouses.
Welcome to EnerBlog. We’re here to cover the future of energy and the technologies and policies that will take us there, all through the prism of those within the energy industry. EnerBlog is managed and edited by Jim Hutton Johnson and Phil Martin, who also write for EnerBlog along with a team of our colleagues. We both work for EnerNOC, a leading demand response and energy management firm that is changing the energy landscape by producing and selling negawatts instead of megawatts. In our roles at EnerNOC, we work with utilities to deploy virtual power plants in place of traditional supply-side resources, giving us rare insights into the needs and desires of America’s electric utilities. We’re also familiar with electric market design and energy policy from our involvement in regulatory efforts around the country.
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