Green Energy

Some are working hard to clean up the power industry via solar co-ops. Some are doing so through solar nonprofits that bring safer energy and lower, fairer energy rates. Some are working in giant corporate offices to bring about solar gigawatts at a time. In the following story, you have an interesting mix.

New York City is seeing good progress towards community-centered, decentralized, renewable energy sources. It is also see more interest in larger solar projects. Changes in New York City show signs of a city that continues to impress, with the transition toward cleaner energy and cleaner transit continuing its pragmatic as well as visionary reputation. Cleantech simply makes sense.

As one example, the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) recently granted consent to a solar project on one of the most famous airports in the world (maybe the most famous). Up to 13 megawatts (MW) of solar panels will be installed at John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport.

Renewables Now provides more details: “The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said on Thursday it will work on the project together with the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The scheme calls for the installation of an on-site photovoltaic (PV) array of between 5 MW and 8 MW, to be used for the Port Authority’s own consumption, as well as a 5-MW plant that will sell electricity to low-income neighborhoods at reduced rates.”

“The community solar project is likely to be developed through a lease agreement with a solar developer. The selected developer will be in charge of designing and building the PV plant over a portion of JFK’s parking space, and will also be its owner and operator.

“The PV project is in line with the Port Authority’s long-term goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.”

Intelligent humans of New York, give us hope that the green transition will continue in New York City. The human element brings about one more solar panel, one more electric bus, and one more protected bicycle lane at a time.

Chinese scientists have revealed plans to build and launch in orbit a space solar station that could capture the Sun’s rays 24/7, Chinese media report.

China has already started to build an early experimental space power plant in the city of Chongqing, The Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing an article in China’s Science and Technology Daily.

The space solar station, planned to orbit the Earth at 36,000 kilometers (22,370 miles) could provide “an inexhaustible source of clean energy for humans,” according to Pang Zhihao, a researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology Corporation.

Such solar power technology could supply reliable energy 99 percent of the time and have six times the intensity of the solar farms that work on the earth, the scientist says.

China will start by launching small solar stations between 2021 and 2025, while a possible next step would be a Megawatt-level station planned to be built in 2030.

The energy from the space solar station would be converted into a microwave or laser beam that would be sent to the earth.

However, the project has two major hurdles to overcome in order to become a practical solution. One is the weight of a space solar station, expected to be more than two times the weight of the International Space Station. The other is the safety impact of laser or microwave beams sent to the earth.

China is not the only country studying the potential of harnessing the power of the Sun in space.

Caltech for example has its Space Solar Power Project, which has researched the use of ultralight, foldable, 2D integrated elements, Caltech has developed a prototype which collects sunlight, converts it to RF electrical power, then wirelessly transmit that power in a steerable beam.

According to Caltech’s research, “Collecting solar power in space and transmitting the energy wirelessly to Earth through microwaves enables terrestrial power availability unaffected by weather or time of day. Solar power could be continuously available anywhere on earth.”

What do you do if you want solar panels to help power your business but all your assets are round with curved tops? If you are Sprague Energy, you allow Picktricity, a Massachusetts-based installer of flexible thin film solar panels to glue them to the top of your storage tanks. The first panels were installed in 2017 and the results have been so positive that Sprague Energy has signed up for more.

“We put the panels on a typical storage tank to see if we could use our existing assets to generate energy savings while enhancing our sustainability efforts,” Jay Leduc, director of sustainability at Sprague, tells Renewable Energy magazine. “With the pilot project generating annual savings, we are excited to roll this out on many more of our tanks, and take advantage of greater savings and possible revenue generation.”

The thin film panels weigh significantly less than conventional solar panels and do not require the complexity of a traditional racking system to install. “Sprague’s proven ability to anticipate and stay ahead of market changes aligns exactly with our vision,” says Kevin Maloney, founder and chief executive officer at Picktricity.

“They have the deep industry knowledge and relationships, and we have the solar installation expertise with best-in-class thin film solar technology. We’re excited to collaborate to bring great opportunities for sustainability and electricity cost savings to the energy industry and beyond.”

Sprague Energy is so pleased with the results of its thin film solar panel experiment, it is spreading the word to others in the industry. It may be in the fuel oil business but that hasn’t kept it from recognizing the advantages of clean, renewable energy. Sprague and Picktricity are exploring a possible partnership to offer thin film technology to other terminal operators throughout the United States.

“Many of the options available allow terminal owners to receive power savings and environmental benefits without the requirement of capital investment,” said David Glendon, president and chief executive officer at Sprague. “Throughout our history, we’ve enjoyed success adapting our products and services to the evolving energy needs of our customers. Sustainable energy solutions, whether they are adding biofuels or renewable diesel, supporting wind installations, or providing turnkey solar solutions, simply make sense.”

Picktricity offers a full suite of solar solutions, including connecting customers to project financing options, which can minimize or eliminate the capital cost of the installation.

A random aside: I wonder if anyone has thought of gluing thin film solar panels to a conventional asphalt shingle roof? No racking system, just a commercial grade adhesive. Seems like it would lower installation costs significantly. Call me, Kevin Maloney. We need to talk.

Chase Tower is one of the tallest skyscrapers to dominate Chicago’s skyline. But it is not the building’s height, at 869 feet, which makes it prominent but rather what’s in it: the headquarters of Exelon, the largest owner and operator of nuclear power plants in the United States.

However, despite there being 11 nuclear reactors in operation in Illinois, the city is moving to a different power source: renewable energy. Yesterday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel unveiled the Resilient Chicago plan, which with action number 38 commits to “transition to 100% clean, renewable energy in buildings community-wide by 2035”. The deadline for all city government buildings to be powered solely by renewables, first established in 2017, has been brought forward to 2025.

The policy has been introduced as part of environmental group the Sierra Club’s “Ready for 100” campaign, and Chicago is the largest city to join the effort to date. (Editor’s note: While Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced his city is on a path to 100% renewable energy, it is not clear if the formal goal is 100% renewable or 100% zero-carbon, and LA is not included in the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 list.)

The language of the Resilient Chicago text says “clean, renewable energy”, and the Sierra Club does not include nuclear as part of its Ready to 100 campaign. The new policy is a particularly interesting move for Emanuel, once considered one of the more pro-nuclear politicians in the Democratic Party, and a man who brokered the deal that created Exelon.

Were Chicago to include nuclear in a 2035 target, it would require either buying power from existing plants instead of investing in new generation, or starting new nuclear plants within six years. Given the high cost of nuclear compared to wind and solar, few decision makers are contemplating that option.

The City of Chicago and stakeholders will have until December next year to come up with a plan to meet the city’s new mandate.

Community solar, electric buses

And there are a number of other clean energy commitments among the 50 action points in the wide-ranging Resilient Chicago report. Chicago plans to complete the electrification of its bus fleet by 2040, and the city is also making a push for community solar.

Action 37 states the city will “promote greater access to community solar”, by supporting the Illinois Power Agency’s community incentive programs and by incentivizing community solar through voluntary programs, with the Chicago Renewable Energy Challenge highlighted.

Since the passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act, Chicago has seen a boom in community solar, with 1.8 GW of projects applying for block grants in just the last two weeks, more than ten times the amount the state had planned for in its block grant program.

Michael O’Bier has lived here on a hidden piece of land nestled against thousands of acres of trees in rural Virginia for 32 years.

Now, the trees are gone and the 62-year-old O’Bier says he’s packing belongings into cargo trailers. That’s because the site of the largest proposed solar energy project on the East Coast could end up only 62 feet away from the side of his two-story home.

“I would have to leave,” O’Bier told Fox News on a drizzly afternoon this week, looking out over a field of already-cleared trees adjacent to his property. “I can’t live here.”

The company sPower wants to build a 500-Megawatt solar project on the 6,350-acre site in western Spotsylvania County, with 3,500 acres being used to house 1.8 million solar panels. The land, currently owned by seven different landowners who plan to sell it to the company, has already been cleared for timber in anticipation of the project. sPower has said the project “will be safe, reliable, quiet and screened from public view.”

But a vocal contingent of activist-residents are working to pressure county officials to deny special use permits for sPower, arguing it would have disastrous environmental, economic and cultural impacts on the area. They point out that the proposed site is nearly half the size of Manhattan.

“Once you let the bulldozers loose, it’s really tough to stop the environmental damage,” said Dave Hammond, a 64-year-old retired chemical engineer who lives in the nearby Fawn Lake community.

Hammond, an active project opponent, said the project would be an “an environmental disaster” for the area. Aside from the thousands of acres of trees that have been cleared, the Concerned Citizens of Spotsylvania group is also worried about water usage at the site, erosion, toxic materials, the potential for fires and the decommissioning of equipment if the project were discontinued. They’re also concerned that the price of electricity for residents could rise because of additional burdens on the conventional grid, though sPower insists it will have no impact on consumer rates.

Opponents argue that the project would forever change the character of historic Spotsylvania County, where the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House took place. “The center of the Civil War is a mile and half from this thing,” said Kevin McCarthy, a 64-year-old retired music director who also lives in Fawn Lake.

They also argue that the county would lose money from lost tax revenue because the solar panel project would lower property values for homeowners — an argument sPower contests. During a driving tour of the area, Sean Fogarty, a 63-year-old retiree with a background in engineering, pointed to a lot purchased by a couple who planned to build a lakeside home not far from the site. Fogarty said the owners have since decided to sell it because of the solar project.

The Spotsylvania project would be the largest east of the Rocky Mountains and opponents point out that other solar power plants of comparable size are found in sparsely populated areas like deserts. “You’re changing ecosystems forever, and you’re getting closer and closer to people,” Fogarty said of the decision to build in Virginia.

But Taylor Keeney, a spokeswoman for the project, pushed back against the residents’ concerns in a phone interview with Fox News. She provided a copy of a poll commissioned by sPower that found that 67 percent of registered voters in Spotsylvania County are supportive of the solar power plant.

She said the construction project will benefit the local economy, employing between 700 and 1,000 workers while taking a year and half to two years to complete — though opponents said they doubt it will lead to many permanent jobs for locals. Microsoft and Apple have announced plans to purchase energy from the project.

Keeney said the opposition to the project is particularly vocal, but others, like Spotsylvania resident David Wilson, whose property also sits next to the proposed site, are for it.

“We are very proud of the possibility of Spotsylvania County paving the way to a future of clean and renewable energy and we hope this board also sees the value of this project,” Wilson wrote in a recent email to the members of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors.

As for the concerns from the opponents, Keeney said the company doesn’t believe area property values will go down, citing the findings of a local appraiser commissioned to study the issue. “From everything we can tell, there is no evidence of property value declines,” she said.

When it comes to the environmental concerns, she said the company is subject to oversight by 30 different agencies, and will be held to strict standards on stormwater and erosion control. As for the trees, she said the land was already being harvested for timber. She said sPower will preserve about 2,500 acres to protect streams, watersheds and wildlife and keep trails for residents and visitors to use.

“They are going above and beyond from an environmental standpoint,” she said.

Keeney denied the project would alter the character of the area, saying those who visit the battlefields wouldn’t know there were solar panels nearby. “The project will be completely hidden from view from the road,” she said, “You won’t be able to see it.”

Still, the project’s future remains uncertain: its application goes before the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 26. The county’s planning commission in January voted to deny two of the three proposed sites, only recommending a special use permit for 245 acres. But the Board of Supervisors does not have to abide by the planning commission’s recommendations.

As for O’Bier, he said no one quite knows how a solar power plant in Spotsylvania will actually turn out. Already, the trees up to his property line have been cut down and he’s moved trailers to guard against the new wind. He said he’s concerned about what a solar power plant being next door means for his four kids and 15 grandchildren.

“Everybody has their theory,” he said. “The solar panel people say one thing, the other people say something else. Nobody knows.”

An energy storage startup called Hydrostor is planning to build an Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) project in Australia, using an out-of-operation underground zinc mine as a container for the compressed air.

Hydrostor announced its plans this week after being awarded AUD $9 million (USD $6.4 million) in grants from Australian government institutions.
Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a sort of physical battery (as opposed to a chemical battery) that uses excess electricity to compress air. The compressed air is stored in a tank, in a balloon, or in an underground cavern. When more electricity is needed, the compressed air is heated, which drives a turbine as it expands.

Ideally, this allows more renewable energy to be added to a grid: for example, if there’s a lot of wind at night, when not many people are using electricity, that excess electricity can be used to run the compressor on a CAES system. The stored energy can then be used 12 hours later when the wind dies down.

Traditional CAES usually can’t be carbon-neutral because it uses natural gas to heat up that compressed air. However, this setup uses significantly less natural gas than simply adding another gas turbine to the grid, so traditional CAES is seen as a way to reduce carbon emissions on the grid.

Hydrostor’s A-CAES system, notably, is able to retain the heat that’s removed from the ambient air as it’s being compressed. The so-called adiabatic system stores that heat separately from the compressed air, and when it’s time to put electricity back on the grid, the compressed air is warmed up using that stored heat.

Second life for a zinc mine

The project that Hydrostor announced this week is relatively small, with a power rating of just five megawatts (MW) and a discharge duration of two hours (for 10 megawatt-hours). But A-CAES systems are extremely rare, and this project, which is projected to be complete in 2020, could pave the way for larger such projects.

This particular project will be built at the Angas Zinc Mine, outside of Adelaide in South Australia. The facility will compress air and inject it into the mine, using a column of water to hold the air in place. “During charging, compressed air displaces water out of the cavern up a water column to a surface reservoir,” a press release from Hydrostor states. “During discharge, water flows back into the cavern forcing air to the surface under pressure where it is re-heated using the stored heat and then expanded through a turbine to generate electricity on demand.”

Alex Fuentes, Hydrostor’s vice president of business development and marketing, told Ars in an email that “the project was sized to utilize the full underground void space available at the Angas mine at the required depth, without undertaking any additional mining to increase storage volume, thereby minimizing costs.”

Money is the sobering part
Of course, CAES systems aren’t cheap. Few have been built to date, and economies of scale may seem far-fetched at this point.

Hydrostor has several projects in the pipeline, but so far it has only one facility operating and sending electricity to a grid. That project was commissioned in 2015 in Toronto, Canada.

Additionally, the grants that Hydrostor has received don’t cover the whole cost of building the system. “The grants cover a portion of the total project costs, with the remainder supplied by Hydrostor,” Fuentes told Ars.

A storage company seeking financing for an unconventional battery could do worse than to choose Australia as the site for that battery. The country, especially the state of South Australia, has suffered devastating heat waves in recent years, and officials are eager to invest in cutting-edge storage technology. In addition, there’s precedent: Tesla’s massive South Australia battery has been making a tidy chunk of cash for the wind farm it’s paired with, and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) recently praised these batteries for being able to deliver immediate frequency regulation to the Australian grid in a way that was superior to traditional frequency services from fossil fuel-driven turbines.

AEMO even released a report last year saying it was open to possibly improving how energy storage providers are compensated, considering that energy storage generally delivers power more quickly than fossil fuel-powered turbines. (However, A-CAES is also turbine-driven, so it’s unclear whether such a system would have the same kind of speed advantages over natural gas turbines that chemical batteries do.)

But Hydrostor’s ambitions for the Angas Project are lofty. Angas will be a “showcase facility for A-CAES technology,” Fuentes said, and Hydrostor thinks this technology has a future in converting so-called “brownfield sites,” like retired mines and wells, “into clean energy hubs.”