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== Onsite renewable technologies in the U.S.==
== Onsite renewable technologies in the U.S.==

===Solar water heating===

More than 1.5 million homes and businesses currently use solar water heating in the United States, representing a capacity of over 1,000 megawatts (MW) of thermal energy generation. Another 400 MW is likely to be installed over the next 3-5 years, according to the US Department of Energy.
Assuming that 40 percent of existing homes in the United States have adequate access to sunlight, 29 million solar water heaters could be installed.<ref>[http://www.eesi.org/publications/Fact%20Sheets/EC_Fact_Sheets/Solar_Water_Heating.pdf Solar water heating]</ref>

Solar water heaters can operate in any climate. Performance varies depending on how much solar energy is available at the site, as well as how cold the water coming into the system is. The colder the water, the more efficiently the system operates.<ref>[http://www.eesi.org/publications/Fact%20Sheets/EC_Fact_Sheets/Solar_Water_Heating.pdf Solar water heating]</ref>

Solar water heaters reduce the need for conventional water heating by about two-thirds and pay for their installation within 4 to 8 years with electricity or natural gas savings. Compared to those with electric water heaters, Florida homeowners with solar water heaters save 50 to 85 percent on their water heating bills, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center.<ref>[http://www.eesi.org/publications/Fact%20Sheets/EC_Fact_Sheets/Solar_Water_Heating.pdf Solar water heating]</ref>


===California Solar Initiative===
===California Solar Initiative===

Revision as of 05:28, 3 July 2007

Part of a series on
Renewable energy
Three renewable energy sources

The current status of renewable energy commercialization in the United States varies considerably between different renewable energy technologies, with some being commercialized at the present time.[1]

Wind power in the United States is a growing industry. Latest American Wind Energy Association figures show that installed U.S. wind power capacity now exceeds 11,600 MW which is enough to serve three million average households.[2] Texas is firmly established as the leader in wind power development in the U.S., followed by California.[3] Several solar thermal power stations, including the new Nevada Solar One, have also been built. Geothermal energy is undergoing expansion.

Most cars on the road today in the U.S. can run on blends of up to 10% ethanol, and motor vehicle manufacturers already produce vehicles designed to run on much higher ethanol blends.

Rationale for renewables

Renewable energy technologies encompass a broad, diverse array of technologies, including solar photovoltaics, solar thermal power plants and heating/cooling systems, wind farms, hydroelectricity, geothermal power plants, and ocean power systems and the use of biomass.

The report Outlook On Renewable Energy In America explains that America needs renewable energy, for many reasons:

"America needs energy that is secure, reliable, improves public health, protects the environment, addresses climate change, creates jobs, and provides technological leadership. America needs renewable energy. If renewable energy is to be developed to its full potential, America will need coordinated, sustained federal and state policies that expand renewable energy markets; promote and deploy new technology; and provide appropriate opportunities to encourage renewable energy use in all critical energy market sectors: wholesale and distributed electricity generation, thermal energy applications, and transportation."[4]

In 2007, President George W. Bush explained the need to diversify America's energy supply:

"It's in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply -- the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power, by even greater use of clean coal technology, solar and wind energy, and clean, safe nuclear power.”[5]

Wind power in the U.S.

Main article: Wind power in the United States
Map of available wind power over the United States. Color codes indicate wind power density class.

Wind power is a growing industry in the United States. Latest American Wind Energy Association figures show that installed U.S. wind power capacity now exceeds 11,600 MW which is enough to serve three million average households.[6] Texas is firmly established as the leader in wind power development in the U.S., followed by California.[7]

Wind power in Texas

Wind power in Texas consists of many wind farms with a total installed capacity of 2,749 MW.[8] Some of the larger wind farms in Texas include the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, Sweetwater Wind Farm, King Mountain Wind Farm, Roscoe Wind Farm, Desert Sky Wind Farm, Woodward Mt. I & II, and Brazos Wind Ranch. As of 2007, 942 MW of wind power is currently under construction in Texas.[9]

The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is the world's largest wind farm at 735.5MW capacity. It consists of 291 GE Energy 1.5 megawatt wind turbines and 130 Siemens 2.3 megawatt wind turbines spread over nearly 47,000 acres of land in Taylor and Nolan County, Texas.[10]

Expansion of wind power capacity will help Texas meet its renewable energy goal of 5,000 new megawatts of power from renewable sources by 2015.[11]

Wind power in California

A 21st century windfarm in the California Central Valley

Wind power in California has been an area of considerable activity for many years. California was the first U.S. state where large wind farms were developed, beginning in the early 1980's.[12] By 1995, California produced 30 percent of the entire world's wind-generated electricity.[13]

More than 13,000 of California's wind turbines, or 95 percent of all of California's wind output, are located in three primary regions: Altamont Pass Wind Farm (east of San Francisco); Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm (south east of Bakersfield), and San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm (near Palm Springs, east of Los Angeles).[14]

Wind power costs

When the wind industry began in California in the early 1980s, wind-generated electricity cost 38¢ per kilowatt-hour. Since then it has dropped to 4¢ or below at the best wind sites, and some U.S. long-term supply contracts have been signed for 3¢ per kilowatt-hour. Wind farms at prime sites may be generating electricity at 2¢ per kilowatt-hour by 2010, making it one of the world’s most economical sources of electricity.[15]

Additional income for farmers

There is considerable competition for wind farms among farmers in places like Iowa or ranchers in Colorado. Farmers, with no investment on their part, typically receive $3,000–5,000 per year in royalties from the local utility for siting a single, large, advanced-design wind turbine, which occupies a quarter-acre of land. This land would produce 40 bushels of corn worth $120 or, in ranch country, beef worth perhaps $15.[16]

Aesthetics and the environment

Landscape and ecological issues may be significant for some wind farm proposals.[17] However, when appropriate planning procedures for site selection are followed, environmental problems should be minimal. Some people may still object to wind farms, but their concerns should be weighed against the need to address the threats posed by climate change and the opinions of the broader community.[18][19]

Worldwide experience has shown that community consultation and direct involvement of the general public in wind farm projects has helped to increase community approval.[20]

Solar thermal power stations in the U.S.

Solar Energy Generating Systems

Sketch of a Parabolic Trough Collector

Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is the name given to nine solar power plants in the Mojave Desert. SEGS I-VII are located at Kramer Junction, and SEGS VIII and IX are at Harper Lake and Barstow respectively. The SEGS power plants were commissioned between 1984 and 1991.[21]

The installation uses parabolic trough solar thermal technology along with natural gas to generate electricity. The facility has a total of 400,000 mirrors and covers 1,000 acres (4 km²). The plants have a total generating capacity of 354 MW, making the system the largest solar plant of any kind in the world.[21]

Nevada Solar One

Nevada Solar One generates 64MW of power and in Boulder City, Nevada, and was built by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Solargenix Energy. Nevada Solar One started producing electricity in June 2007.

Nevada Solar One uses parabolic troughs as thermal solar concentrators, heating tubes of liquid which act as solar receivers. These solar receivers are specially coated tubes made of glass and steel. About 19,300 of these 4 metre long tubes are used in the newly built power plant. Nevada Solar One also uses a technology that collects extra heat by putting it into phase-changing molten salts. This energy can then be drawn on at night.[22]

Solar thermal power plants designed for solar-only generation are ideally matched to summer noon peak loads in prosperous areas with significant cooling demands, such as the south-western United States. Using thermal energy storage systems, solar thermal operating periods can even be extended to meet base-load needs.[23]

Stirling Solar Dish

Template:Future power plant

A parabolic solar collector concentrating the sun's rays on the heating element of a Stirling engine. The entire unit acts as a solar tracker.

Stirling Energy Systems in conjunction with utility company Southern California Edison is erecting a 500 megawatt, 4,600-acre (19 km²), solar power plant to open in 2009.[24] [25] This will be the first commercial application of the Stirling Solar Dish[26] which concentrates solar energy by the use of reflective surfaces and by the use of the Stirling heat engine to convert the heat into electricity.[27]

Stirling Energy Systems have also announced another agreement with San Diego Gas & Electric to provide between 300 and 900 megawatts of electricity.[27]

Land use issues

Solar thermal power plants are big and seem to use a lot of land, but when looking at electricity output versus total size, they use less land than hydroelectric dams (including the size of the lake behind the dam) or coal plants (including the amount of land required for mining and excavation of the coal). While all power plants require land and have an environmental impact, the best locations for solar power plants are on land, such as deserts, for which there might be few other uses.[28]

Onsite renewable technologies in the U.S.

Solar water heating

More than 1.5 million homes and businesses currently use solar water heating in the United States, representing a capacity of over 1,000 megawatts (MW) of thermal energy generation. Another 400 MW is likely to be installed over the next 3-5 years, according to the US Department of Energy. Assuming that 40 percent of existing homes in the United States have adequate access to sunlight, 29 million solar water heaters could be installed.[29]

Solar water heaters can operate in any climate. Performance varies depending on how much solar energy is available at the site, as well as how cold the water coming into the system is. The colder the water, the more efficiently the system operates.[30]


Solar water heaters reduce the need for conventional water heating by about two-thirds and pay for their installation within 4 to 8 years with electricity or natural gas savings. Compared to those with electric water heaters, Florida homeowners with solar water heaters save 50 to 85 percent on their water heating bills, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center.[31]

California Solar Initiative

As part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Million Solar Roofs Program, California has set a goal to create 3,000 megawatts of new, solar-produced electricity by 2017 - moving the state toward a cleaner energy future and helping lower the cost of solar systems for consumers. This is a comprehensive $2.8 billion program.[32]

The California Solar Initiative offers cash incentives on solar PV systems of up to $2.50 a watt. These incentives, combined with federal tax incentives, can cover up to 50% of the total cost of a solar panel system.[33] It should also be noted that there are many financial incentives to support the use of renewable energy in other US states.[34]

EPA Initiatives

To promote energy efficiency and environmentally sensitive energy generation, Environmental Protection Agency facilities in the United States are using renewable energy technologies to supplement or replace a large portion of their energy requirements at the following facilities:

  • Ada, Oklahoma (geothermal heat pump)
  • Ann Arbor, Michigan (fuel cell)
  • Chicago, Illinois, Regional Office (photovoltaic array)
  • Corvallis, Oregon (photovoltaic array)
  • Edison, New Jersey (solar water heating)
  • Gulf Breeze, Florida (solar lighting)
  • Golden, Colorado (wind power and transpired solar collector)
  • Manchester, Washington (wind power)
  • Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (photovoltaic solar panels and street lights)[35]

Nellis Solar Power Plant

Construction on the Nellis Solar Power Plant has begun. It will be largest solar photovoltaic system ever to be built in North America and will be located at Nellis Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada. Approximately 70,000 solar panels will be installed and the peak power generation capacity of the plant will be approximately 15 megawatts.[36]

Biofuels in the U.S.

Information on pump, California.

Most cars on the road today in the U.S. can run on blends of up to 10% ethanol, and motor vehicle manufacturers already produce vehicles designed to run on much higher ethanol blends. Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and GM are among the automobile companies that sell “flexible-fuel” cars, trucks, and minivans that can use gasoline and ethanol blends ranging from pure gasoline up to 85% ethanol (E85). By mid-2006, there were approximately six million E85-compatible vehicles on U.S. roads.[37]

The challenge is to expand the market for biofuels beyond the farm states where they have been most popular to date.[38] Flex-fuel vehicles are assisting in this transition because they allow drivers to choose different fuels based on price and availability. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, which calls for 7.5 billion gallons of biofuels to be used annually by 2012, will also help to expand the market.[39]

It should also be noted that the growing ethanol and biodiesel industries are providing jobs in plant construction, operations, and maintenance, mostly in rural communities. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the ethanol industry created almost 154,000 U.S. jobs in 2005 alone, boosting household income by $5.7 billion. It also contributed about $3.5 billion in tax revenues at the local, state, and federal levels.[40]

Geothermal power in the U.S.

Geothermal energy continues to be an area of considerable activity in the US. The USA is the world leader in online capacity and the generation of electricity from geothermal energy.[41]

According to 2005 state energy data, geothermal energy provided approximately 16 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity -- 0.37% of the electricity consumed in the U.S. As of May 2007, geothermal electric power was generated in five U.S. states: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. According to the Geothermal Energy Association's recent report, there were 75 new geothermal power projects underway in 12 states as of May 2007 . This is an increase of 14 projects in an additional three states compared to a survey completed in November 2006.[41]

The most significant catalyst behind new industry activity is the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act made new geothermal plants eligible for the full federal production tax credit, previously available only to wind power projects. It also authorized and directed increased funding for research by the Department of Energy, and gave the Bureau of Land Management new legal guidance and secure funding to address its backlog of geothermal leases and permits.[41]

Renewable energy organizations

Organizations which promote renewable energy technologies include the American Council on Renewable Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Rocky Mountain Institute.

American Council on Renewable Energy

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington DC. It was founded in 2001 as a unifying forum dedicated to bringing renewable energy into the mainstream of American’s economy and lifestyle. In 2005 ACORE had 240 member organizations.[42]

In 2007, ACORE published Outlook On Renewable Energy In America, a comprehensive two volume report about the future of renewable energy in the United States.[43] It has been said that this report exposes a "new reality for renewable energy in America".[44]

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

A critical part of the mission of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the transfer of NREL-developed technologies to renewable energy markets. NREL's Technology Transfer Office supports laboratory scientists and engineers in the successful and practical application of their expertise and the technologies they develop. R&D staff and facilities are recognized and valued by industry, as demonstrated through hundreds of collaborative research projects and licensed technologies with public and private partners. NREL's innovative technologies have also been recognized with 39 R&D 100 awards. The engineering and science behind these technology transfer successes and awards demonstrates a commitment to developing and applying innovative renewable energy solutions for the nation's secure and sustainable energy future.

Rocky Mountain Institute

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is an organization dedicated to research, publication, consulting, and lecturing in the general field of sustainability, with a special focus on profitable innovations for energy and resource efficiency. RMI is headquartered in Snowmass, Colorado, and also maintains offices in Boulder, Colorado. RMI has recently published the book Winning the Oil Endgame.

See also

Template:EnergyPortal

References

  1. ^ "Discussion Paper by the Scientific and Technological Community for the 14th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-14)" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-04-21.
  2. ^ Annual U.S. Wind Power Rankings Track Industry's Rapid Growth
  3. ^ American Wind Energy Association
  4. ^ Joint Outlook on Renewable Energy in America page 7
  5. ^ President Bush Announces Strategy for Energy Independence
  6. ^ Annual U.S. Wind Power Rankings Track Industry's Rapid Growth
  7. ^ American Wind Energy Association
  8. ^ American Wind Energy Association
  9. ^ Texas Wind Energy Projects
  10. ^ Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center now largest wind farm in the world
  11. ^ Airtricity Finalizes 209-MW Wind Project in Texas
  12. ^ Major CA Wind Energy Resource Areas
  13. ^ Overview of Wind Energy in California
  14. ^ Overview of Wind Energy in California
  15. ^ "Stabilizing Climate" in Lester R. Brown, Plan B 2.0 Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble (NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 2006), p. 189.
  16. ^ "Stabilizing Climate" in Lester R. Brown, Plan B 2.0 Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble (NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 2006), p. 191.
  17. ^ Gone with the wind, New Scientist, 8 July 2006, pp. 36-39
  18. ^ Wind Farms The facts and the fallacies
  19. ^ Case Study – Arga Where the wild things are
  20. ^ The world's leader in Wind Power
  21. ^ a b SEGS I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII & IX
  22. ^ Nevada: Solar energy advances discussed
  23. ^ Spain pioneers grid-connected solar-tower thermal power
  24. ^ World's largest solar installation to use Stirling engine technology
  25. ^ Full steam ahead for Nevada solar project
  26. ^ Photos of Stirling solar dish
  27. ^ a b California Public Utilities Commission Approves Stirling Energy System's Solar Energy Contract with Southern California Edison
  28. ^ Ten facts about solar thermal power
  29. ^ Solar water heating
  30. ^ Solar water heating
  31. ^ Solar water heating
  32. ^ The California Solar Initiative
  33. ^ The California Solar Initiative
  34. ^ Financial Incentives in the USA
  35. ^ Onsite Renewable Technologies
  36. ^ Largest U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System Begins Construction at Nellis Air Force Base
  37. ^ American energy: The renewable path to energy security
  38. ^ "The craze for maize", The Economist, May 12, 2007, pp.33-34
  39. ^ American energy: The renewable path to energy security
  40. ^ American Energy -- The Renewable Path to Energy Security
  41. ^ a b c 6 Million American Households to be Powered by Geothermal Energy, New Survey Reports
  42. ^ Building Domestic and International Partnerships for the Success of Renewable Energy
  43. ^ The Outlook On Renewable Energy In America
  44. ^ 635 GW Possible with U.S. Political Shift

Bibliography

  • American Council On Renewable Energy, (2007). The Outlook on Renewable Energy in America Volume II: Joint Summary Report, March.
  • Brown, Lester R., (2006). Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, (NY: W.W. Norton & Co).
  • International Council for Science (c2006). Discussion Paper by the Scientific and Technological Community for the 14th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, 17 pages.
  • International Energy Agency (2007). Renewables in global energy supply: An IEA facts sheet, OECD, 34 pages.
  • Worldwatch Institute and Center for American Progress (2006). American energy: The renewable path to energy security, 40 pages.

External links

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