Google pledged to invest in the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in
Kenya. You
can find more about this project
here.
Low Gas Prices No Problem for
Solar
Low gas prices didn’t last long around here (at least they didn’t stay
less than $2 per gallon for long). Either way,
Tony
Randall discusses why low oil prices are not a problem for the continued
growth of solar power in
Bloomberg.
Renewables Generators Face
Distribution Problems
As the U.S. develops
renewable
energy resources, it is facing a problem: the places where we most want to
use the energy are some distance from the places where we are best able to
generate it.
States in
the middle of the country are becoming involved in conflicts between clean
energy proponents and landowners, sometimes turning environmental and energy
groups into uncomfortable allies.
Environmental groups have been supportive of the Missouri project.
Missouri’s chapter of the
Sierra
Club has acknowledged that the Clean Line route avoids many environmentally
sensitive areas, and expressed hope that it will help in the move away from
coal. The Sierra Club also supported a Clean Line project in part of Arkansas
where it was opposing an oil pipeline project.
The
Supreme
Court has been hearing arguments in a case related to demand response.
Demand response refers to methods large
energy
user adjust their use to reduced demand during normally high use times when
energy is expensive. Demand response reduces peak demand, evens out energy use,
and reduces cost of energy production.
Companies have created markets to trade these reductions in demand
(sometimes called negawatts) as if they were power being supplied to the
market. When major users reduce shift use or move use to off-peak times, they
reduce the need to ramp up additional generating units, and save money for
generators. The
Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has enshrined this in regulations that
require energy wholesalers to pay for these commitments to reduce demand the
same amount they pay for a commitment to generate electricity.
The crux of the argument before the court is the regulatory authority
of FERC. FERC has authority related to wholesale energy markets, where
commitments to generate might be traded (and FERC rules say a commitment to
reduce demand should get an equal price). The utility customers who are making
the commitments to reduce demand are buying energy in the retail market, which
is regulated by states. Opponents of the
FERC rules say that it is getting into retail markets in which it has not
authority. FERC argues that it is the only agency that can effective regulate
this kind of trading, and that there is a public good in the demand reductions
and efficiencies provided by demand response.
You can find more about this case
here,
along with a description of how it may become important to small retail
electricity users (i.e. almost all of us).
Infrastructure
John Oliver Thinks Infrastructure
Sexy
Comedian John Oliver featured America’s infrastructure in a segment on
his show
Last Week Tonight.
Obviously, Oliver’s tone is humorous and mocking, but he presents a thoughtful
essay on the issue. You can
see it
on YouTube.
States Take Lead on Infrastructure Funding
Washington
senate leaders have proposed to raise the state gas
tax to 11.7
cents per gallon over the next three years. The proposal would also redirect a
portion of the state’s sales tax to its transportation fund (
more
here).
Oregon
will experiment with a program of fees based on miles driven rather than a gas
tax beginning this summer (
more
here). Many think this is a more rational way to fund highways.
The radio program Marketplace featured the
Baltimore,
MD,
sewer
system and the issues associated with a large, aging infrastructure (
listen
to or read the story here). Baltimore is not unique; these problems are
plaguing cities across the nation.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission opened the New Irvington
Tunnel. The 3.5-mile, 9-ft diameter tunnel will carry 265 million gallons a
day. It is part of the Hetch Hetchy system, which brings water from reservoirs
as far away as Yosemite National Park, 167 miles. (Read more about the project
at
KQED.)
Real-Time Sensor for Bacteria in
Water
A device has been developed in Denmark that can detect bacteria in
water. Of course, not all bacteria is harmful, so it seems the usefulness of
the tool may be limited to screening for now. However, it continuous, real-time
monitoring could be a useful screen to determine when additional testing is
should be performed or when a contamination event started. If commercial
versions of the sensor are affordable, multiple sensors could be placed in a
drinking water distribution system to continuously monitor water quality,
disinfection effectiveness, and potential contamination. You can find out more about the sensor
here.
Water and Art
Adres Jacque will build a temporary structure that uses plants to
purify water in the courtyard of MoMA PS1. Organisms in the structure will glow
in the dark to provide light. See this
Fast
Company article for more information.
