Tag Archive: SOLAR

Future of Power: Strategic Directions in the U.S. Electric Utility Industry

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June 14, 2012

The Nexus of Water and Energy

“The nexus – or crossroads – between water and energy has been with the industry since its founding a hundred years ago whether due to the use of hydro or the need for water to cool fossil generation. It continues today with the additional water needs for utility scale solar, solar water heating and tidal power advances.” Source: Mark Gabriel

Electric Utility Industry Report

The 2012 Black & Veatch Strategic Directions in the U.S. Electric Utility Industry Report shows significant changes are underway within the industry. The icons below link to key findings from this year’s report. Please download the report to view the full Black & Veatch analysis.

MARK GABRIEL | Senior Vice President Strategy and Business Process
B&V Management Consulting Division
Black & Veatch Corporation | 11401 Lamar, Overland Park, KS 66211
+ 1 303 838 2493 p | +1 415-860-0474 c | gabrielma@bv.com

What are the major disruptive challenges facing utilities?

“The single greatest threat is the unrealistic government expectations concerning coal generation in terms of timing and cost. The EPA assumes that only 15 megawatts of coal will close; the industry 65-80. This may have the perverse incentive for companies to close coal plants which will cause energy prices to rise, forcing out other critical investments.

What is the most important strategy for utilities preparing for the future?

The single most important strategy is for utilities to actually have a strategy. Hope is not a strategy, nor is waiting for regulations to be sorted out or policy to be clarified. To me the strategy for all parties should be aligned: Have great regulatory relations, operate best in class and invest in technology with no regrets.”

Source: energybiz.com

Image Source: livebettermagazine.com

Tags: Black, electric, energy, gabriel, grid, Mark Gabriel, power, SOLAR, tidal, Veatch, water

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Islands: Michele Puzzolante’s Solar Floating Resort

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June 6, 2012

Michele Puzzolante’s Solar Floating Resort

SOLAR FLOATING RESORT

By Michele Puzzolante Designer

The personal floating island is a fast growing market!

Tags: clean, design, Development, eco-yacht, effect, energy, floating, floating hotel, floating house, Future, future energy, gizmag, global, global warming, green, greenhouse, hotel resort, house, invention, island, italian, michele, photovoltaic, pollution, prefabricated, puzzolante, renewable, resort, SFR, SOLAR, solutions, WARMING

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Solar Spray of Nano Paint Solution Covers Worlds Windows with Abundant Green Energy

Filed under: Future News, Future Predictions, Grid, Solar by futurepredictions — 1 Comment

March 8, 2012

Transparent Spray Film Solar Nano Paint EnSol AS has developed a new method to generate green energy out of a thin layer. It doesn’t require any special panel anymore as SolarWindow is a transparent spray film that you can spray to any glass surface to generate electricity.

The benefits:

Paint-able solar cells will indeed bring a revolution in alternative energy arena. Today, we put relatively expensive and uncomfortable solar panels on roofs to produce alternative energy. The new spray-on solar cells will reduce the cost as well and increase the comfort in setting up solar power technology. It can be painted on all surfaces where sunlight is available. You can spray the ultra-thin solar cells on your wall, rooftop, vehicle’s body, aircraft and ships.

According to the researchers, nano-particle inks can generate more energy than traditional solar powers. The South Florida University scientists say such solar cells will be five times efficient than the conventional solar panels. Moreover, many more people will go for green power, thanks to the simplicity in establishment of solar cells. Electronic vehicles can reap the required power while moving.

[Source: Greendiary.com]

SOLAR PAINT TECHNOLOGY EXPLORED
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Sun Tornado Leaps Towards Earth, So is 2012 the Year To Worry? Solar Flare May Knock Out the Power Grid

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February 17, 2012

For a 30 hour spell (Feb, 2012) the Solar Dynamics Observatory captured plasma caught in a magnetic dance across the Sun’s surface. The results closely resemble extreme tornadic activity on Earth.

Haunting Images from the Sun

Comprehensive Look at Energy Consumption EIA Key Findings:

In 2035, China’s energy demand is 68 percent higher than U.S. energy demand.

Renewable energy is projected to be the fastest growing source of primary energy over the next 25 years, but fossil fuels remain the dominant source of energy.

Fossil fuels, however, continue to supply much of the energy used worldwide throughout the projection, and still account for 78 percent of world energy use in 2035.

Natural gas has the fastest growth rate among the fossil fuels over the 2008 to 2035 projection period. World natural gas consumption increases 1.6 percent per year, from 111 trillion cubic feet in 2008 to 169 trillion cubic feet in 2035.

U.S. Energy Information Administration
International Energy Outlook 2011 .pdf

Dr Fatih Birol, Chief Economist at the International Energy Agency, explains some of the key topics which feature in the 2011 World Energy Outlook, which will be launched on 9 November.

Dr. Henry Kissinger speaks about his role in the founding of the IEA and its future role. (interview conducted by Rebecca Gaghen, Head of the IEA Communications and Information Office)

Key Findings
Howard Gruenspecht
CSIS, September 19, 2011

•World energy consumption increases by 53% between 2008 and 2035 with half of the increase attributed to China and India

•Renewablesare the world’s fastest-growing energy source, at 2.8% per year; renewablesshare of world energy grows to roughly 15% in 2035

•Fossil fuels continue to supply almost 80% of world energy use in 2035

•Liquid fuels remain the largest energy source worldwide through 2035, but the oil share of total energy declines to 28% in 2035, as sustained high oil prices dampen demand and encourage fuel switching where possible and modest use of liquid biofuels

* Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Current OECD member countries (as of September 1, 2010) are the United States, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Israel became a member on September 7, 2010, and Estonia became a member on December 9, 2010, but neither country’s membership is reflected in IEO2011.

Natural gas World natural gas consumption increases by 52 percent in the Reference case, from 111 trillion cubic feet in 2008 to 169 trillion cubic feet in 2035. Although the global recession resulted in an estimated decline of 2.0 trillion cubic feet in natural gas use in 2009, robust demand returned in 2010, and consumption exceeded the level recorded before the downturn. Natural gas continues to be the fuel of choice for many regions of the world in the electric power and industrial sectors, in part because its relatively low carbon intensity compared with oil and coal makes it an attractive option for nations interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the power sector, low capital costs and fuel efficiency also favor natural gas.

Coal: In the absence of national policies and/or binding international agreements that would limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions, world coal consumption is projected to increase from 139 quadrillion Btu in 2008 to 209 quadrillion Btu in 2035, at an average annual rate of 1.5 percent. Regional growth rates are uneven, with little growth in coal consumption in OECD nations but robust growth in non-OECD nations, particularly among the Asian economies (Figure 5).

Electricity: World net electricity generation increases by 84 percent in the IEO2011 Reference case, from 19.1 trillion kilowatthours in 2008 to 25.5 trillion kilowatthours in 2020 and 35.2 trillion kilowatthours in 2035. Although the 2008-2009 global economic recession slowed the rate of growth in electricity use in 2008 and resulted in negligible change in electricity use in 2009, demand returned in 2010, led by strong recoveries in non-OECD economies. In general, in OECD countries, where electricity markets are well established and consumption patterns are mature, the growth of electricity demand is slower than in non-OECD countries, where a large amount of potential demand remains unmet. Total net electricity generation in non-OECD countries increases by an average of 3.3 percent per year in the Reference case, led by non-OECD Asia (including China and India), where annual increases average 4.0 percent from 2008 to 2035. In contrast, net generation among OECD nations grows by an average of 1.2 percent per year from 2008 to 2035.

World carbon dioxide emissions: World energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rise from 30.2 billion metric tons in 2008 to 35.2 billion metric tons in 2020 and 43.2 billion metric tons in 2035—an increase of 43 percent over the projection period. With strong economic growth and continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels expected for most non-OECD economies under current policies, much of the projected
increase in carbon dioxide emissions occurs among the developing non-OECD nations. In 2008, non-OECD emissions exceeded OECD emissions by 24 percent; in 2035, they are projected to exceed OECD emissions by more than 100 percent. Coal continues to account for the largest share of carbon dioxide emissions throughout the projection (Figure 10).