Cooler Planet

The same day the Bureau of Land Management reversed its decision to freeze applications for solar power development projects (July 2); the United Nations issued a report commending the expediential rise in global investments for all types of renewable energy projects.

According to the new UN Environment Programme report, in 2007, investors raised over $148 billion, a 60 percent increase over 2006.  Moreover, despite market downturns from the credit crisis, investments into clean energy have continued to remain strong during the first half of 2008.

That’s good news for the renewable energy industry.  As the UNEP report points out, robust growth in clean energy projects is imperative if UN targets for greenhouse gas reductions and energy efficiencies are to be met. 

The bulk of the investment continues to target wind energy, however, new investment in solar energy projects boomed.  Over $28 billion poured into solar energy in 2007, a three-fold increase compared to 2004.

Much of the investment in solar energy originated in Germany, which continues to lead the world in its investments into solar.  Chinese manufacturers also contributed significantly to solar companies that target the US market.

Here’s the link to the full report: http://sefi.unep.org/fileadmin/media/sefi/docs/publications/Exec_summary.pdf

Home Depot may not be the largest retailer in the USA (Wal-Mart gets that notoriety) but it does have 1,973 stores across the country.   Moreover, those stores are located within 10-miles from more than 75% of US households.  That’s good news for recyclers and the energy-conscience because starting in July 2008 The Home Depot will take back defunct compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Customers can bring any expired and unbroken compact fluorescent lights (CFL) to their nearest Home Depot return’s desk.  The Home Depot will collect the used bulbs and a recycling company will properly recycle and dispose of the bulbs’ components.

The Home Depot’s offer to collect used CFLs from the public makes it the first (and of course) largest retailer to offer such a service.  In its press release announcing the service, Hope Depot said that it sold over 75 million CFLs in 2007, which translated into roughly $4.8 billion saved in energy costs and avoided 51.8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over the lifespan of the bulbs.  

Clean Edge, a research and publishing company focused on renewable technologies and the non-profit organization Co-op America released a report that states the cost of electricity derived from solar power will be on par with electricity derived from fossil fuels by 2015.

The report predicts “as solar prices decline and the capital and fuel costs for coal, natural gas, and nuclear plants rise, the U.S. will reach a crossover point by around 2015.”   It also asserts that the U.S. can grow its overall contribution of electricity generated from the sun to 10 percent by 2025.  Currently, less than a tenth of one percent of total electricity comes from the sun.

The report’s authors cite the great leaps forward already made in solar installations.  In the past five years solar installations – both solar photovoltaic and concentrated solar – have expanded from 600 megawatts in 2003 to almost 3,000 megawatts in 2008, equivalent to three conventional power plants.

From a utility standpoint, solar offers distinct advantages over conventional fuel sources, such as coal and natural gas, making its competitive edge apparent within the next ten years:

• Once a solar installation is in place, utilities need minimal, if any, fossil fuel to operate the site, offsetting both the price of those resources and the cost to transport them to the site.
• Compared to nuclear, coal, and natural gas power plants, solar has low maintenance costs and provides carbon-credits, in a cap-and-trade carbon emissions economy.
• Solar-derived electricity has proven itself a cost-effective resource, particularly during periods of peak demand.

Similar to the recent report analyzing the wind power industry in the USA, government and market forces will have to continue to propel the industry forward.  However, reaching 10 percent solar capacity is within reach using current technology available today.  

Once again the sun is proving its worth.

Someone asked Cooler Planet to profile Amory Lovins.  Not an easy task given the prolific number of supporters and critics out there.  Here’s our humble attempt:

Amory Lovins is considered by many alternative-energy-enthusiasts one of our country’s leading spokesperson’s regarding energy efficiency.  His quirky style, practice-what-he-preaches approach, penchant for numbers, and compelling lectures and writings have earned Lovins numerous accolades.  Texas Instruments, Wal-Mart, and other corporate giants have enlisted Lovins and his Rocky Mountain Institute to analyze and devise strategies to maximize their energy efficiency and profitability.  Lovins is often asked to testify before Congress and weigh in on energy policy. 

Amory Lovins has long been a proponent of solar energy.  The sun powers Lovins’ home (which also served as the original Rocky Mountain Institute headquarters) in Colorado.  Passive solar design, the use of photovoltaic arrays and solar hot water panels generate enough energy to grow at least 28 banana crops and support other tropical vegetation.  Not bad for a building that has no centralized heating or cooling system and is located up high at 7,100 feet in the Rocky Mountains.  

Lovins’ opinion regarding energy policy is once again being sought.  His answers often seem prescient regardless to whether he said them in 1976 or 2008.  In 1976, Lovins published an article, Energy Strategy:  The Road Not Taken?, that laid out his vision and rationale for pursuing “a soft energy path.”  Lovins argued that developing soft energies, such as solar, wind, and geothermal and creating technologies that capitalize on truly using energy efficiently would create a strong and energy-independent USA.  Even then, Lovins disputed the pursuit of nuclear energy development as a costly and economically non-viable choice.  That article and the subsequent 1970s Energy Crisis catapulted Lovins into the energy policy spotlight.

Today Lovins continues to make his case.  On March 12, 2008, Lovins in his invited testimony to the US House of Representatives’ Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming explained that nuclear energy does not make sense from an economic perspective.  The plants are too costly to build and private markets are not interested in financing nuclear power because of the perceived financial risk.  Furthermore, true nuclear power emits less carbon dioxide once in operation, it is so expensive to install and maintain that its cost far exceed the expense to develop other alternative energy infrastructures such as wind, solar, geothermal, or biofuel.

For those of you interested in hearing Amory Lovins explain his positions, there is a great video clip on You Tube from a Charlie Rose interview with Lovins on November 28, 2006.  

There’s an adage advertisers refer to when explaining why advertisements and messages are repeated.  According to marketers, it takes at least 11 times before your audience “takes in” your message.   Lovins and his cohorts at the Rocky Mountain Institute have certainly talked about energy policy and energy efficiency more than 11 times; this time people are listening.  For as Lovins points out in his conversation with Charlie Rose, “what people are finally figuring out is that it doesn’t matter how low the price of oil goes, energy efficiency is still a great deal.”

Summer is almost here.  The longer days and, hopefully, sunny weather makes it a good time to test some of the solar gadgets out there.  All you bikers (bicycle or motor), runners, and beach-goers might want to try the HYmini or miniSOLAR panel.  These devices use the wind or sun to charge your cell phone and other handheld products.  So while you’re biking, you can capture the wind; or capture the sun while you lie on the beach and keep your Nintendo DX or iPod working all day long. 

At Cooler Planet some of us went sailing over Memorial Day weekend and came upon a midway channel buoy powered by the sun.  The Coast Guard has long known the cost effectiveness of installing solar panels on its buoys.  Makes sense of course, it would be silly to try to wire a buoy to the electric grid.  The buoy marks the channel for vessel traffic in Puget Sound. 

Queen Elizabeth, Great Britian’s royal icon, has directed her managers to purchase one of the world’s largest offshore wind turbines from a California energy company, Clipper Windpower.  The turbine will be placed offshore in Scottish waters on Crown property.

The 7.5-megawatt MBE turbine will start in 2010 and the electricity it generates will be sold to the nation’s grid.  The Queen’s property company estimates that the turbine will generate the comparable amount of electricity from one million barrels of oil during its 30-year life span.  

Evidently, the Crown Estate owns the waters 12 nautical miles around the United Kingdom.  It has already invested in wind power and has leased areas to companies that specialize in offshore wind turbines.

The Crown’s support is part of a larger effort by the European Union to increase its renewable energy sources by 2020.  Couched under the goal to reduce carbon emissions, the EU set a goal to cut overall emissions 20 percent by 2020, of which the UK should reduce its share by 16 percent.  For the UK, that translates into generating 33,000 megawatts of power by 2020.  Currently, the country produces roughly 500 – 600 megawatts of power.  

That’s quite a tall order.  Still, by 2020, according to Chris Goodall, author of How to Live a Low Carbon Life, the UK will need approximately 148 gigawatts of electricity.   So by then, the nation’s wind farms will likely supply roughly 22 percent of the UK’s total electricity needs.  

Twenty-two percent is not shabby.  The Crown stands to benefit from substantial revenue and the country gains a significant wind resource. 

Baseball fans have probably already heard that Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox, is going solar.  Great fanfare occurred as officials showed off the 28 new solar thermal panels on the roof to heat water. In addition to the roof top panels, the Sox have distributed solar-powered trash compactor bins throughout the stadium for fans to deposit their non-recyclable waste.  

According to the Red Sox’s press release the 28 solar hot water panels will reduce the amount of natural gas the stadium currently uses to heat water by 37 percent.  The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which worked with the Red Sox to plan the system, calculates that the solar panels will offset 18 tons of CO2 emissions each year, the equivalent of “planting 4.86 acres of trees, not driving a car for 43,611 miles, or off-setting the CO2 produced through natural gas use from approximately 4 average U.S. homes annually.”

This summer Berkeley, California will begin an innovative financing program for solar electricity.  

Essentially, the City will front the costs for a solar photovoltaic system for residents (and businesses) who would otherwise not be able to afford the upfront financing.   In return for covering the initial costs, Berkeley will levy a 20-year tax assessment on the property to pay for the loan.  The tax will apply to the building, not the property owner.  Thus, if the owner sells the home, the assessment will stay put.  The next owner will inherit the remainder of the loan – and the solar photovoltaic system.    

Berkeley City Council passed its initiative last November.  Since then, officials have worked to set up the program including initiating low-interest municipal bonds to finance the system and establishing a network of city-approved solar installation companies.

When the program launches, property owners who wish to participate will contact a city-approved solar installer.  The City will pay the installer, then apply an additional tax assessment to the property that covers the installation costs and associated administration fees, less any rebates or tax incentives that may apply.

Berkeley expects that extra property tax payment will amount to roughly $65 per month depending on the size of roof top system.  In general, most residential solar installations within the city range from $15,000 to $20,000.   Over time, however, the increased tax should be offset from decreased electricity bills.

We just found out Pizza Fusion is coming to Cooler Planet’s hometown of Seattle.  They are aiming to be the first LEED certified restaurant in Seattle.  The restaurant is focused on being environmentally friendly by using eco-friendly delivery vehicles, recycled church pews, hardwood floors from a local high school, and old doors from a local health club.  This will be the 2nd Pizza Fusion on the west coast and is planning on opening in July.