" As part of the construction of a new private aviation hangar at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., Independence Power has completed a 268 kW solar power system which meets 100% of the requirements for the new hangar and attached office building. The structure was built by Shangri-La Construction, and is occupied by Avjet Corporation.
The structure has been certified at a LEED Platinum level, and is the first aircraft hangar to be entirely powered by solar power.
The system consists of 1,530 Kyocera 175 watt panels, which are mounted on a custom steel superstructure. The steel was designed to meet appearance goals of the building architect, as well as an angle which supports energy conversion in the solar panels. Power conditioning is provided by a Xantrex GT-250 inverter.
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コメント
だが、もっとも注目される点は、再生可能エネルギーに関しての動きがすでに十分に練られていると思える点です。大規模なスマートグリッドを導入するというプランは、以前から風力エネルギーの関係者などがアメリカの再生可能エネルギーを有効なものにするために不可欠としていたのですが、オバマ政権の実現可能力という具体的な力を得て、一気にトータルプランの実現へと着手していきそうです。毎日jpのほうの記事で伝えられた24日の演説は、THE WHITE HOUSE BLOGとYouTubeにて公開された。週一回の記念すべきブリーフィングで再生可能エネルギー（代替エネルギーと表現）に触れたことは国内の経済、社会不安の解消に向けて動きだす契機のひとつとしているということなので、今後の展開が見ものです。
".....
To accelerate the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and biofuels over the next three years. We’ll begin to build a new electricity grid that lay down more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines to convey this new energy from coast to coast. We’ll save taxpayers $2 billion a year by making 75% of federal buildings more energy efficient, and save the average working family $350 on their energy bills by weatherizing 2.5 million homes.
..... "
01/24/09: President Obama's Weekly Address
(whitehouse,2009年01月23日)
" In his first weekly address since being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, President Barack Obama discussed how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will jump-start the economy. "
まず、下のchange.orgのサイト。ここは、今後有力な情報ソースとなりそうです。アメリカの抱えるさまざまな問題に対して、政府とNGOやNPO、そしてアメリカ国民、そして関心のある世界の人々をつなぐ架け橋のとして設置されたchange.orgがそのサイトです。その中で最大のメンバー数を誇るStop Global Warmingです。アメリカの市民が温暖化問題にどんな考え方とアプローチをとっていくのか大いに注目されます。
プレスリリース / City of Newark,Delaware,January 12, 2009
・Press Releases / City of Newark, Delaware, First in Nation to License Electric Cars to Provide Power(PDF)
" On Friday, January 9, 2009, the City of Newark became the first electric
utility in the United States to approve the use of an electric vehicle to store and provide power for the
local electric grid.
The vehicle, which runs on electricity alone, is specifically designed to store energy and improve grid
reliability. University of Delaware researchers helped develop the concept, called Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G),
by working with a consortium of industry partners over the past decade to establish the
communications protocol between the vehicle and the grid operator. Industrial partners in the
consortium include Delmarva Power and its parent company Pepco Holdings Inc; PJM, the regional grid
operator; California-based electric vehicle manufacturer AC Propulsion; and others.
With the City of Newark’s approval, the UD team is now conducting V2G testing at two outlets within
the City’s service territory.
Associate Professor of Marine Policy Willett Kempton explained how the technology benefits the grid
operator. Currently, there is no energy storage built into the electric grid system, meaning that
electricity usage and electricity generation must be simultaneous. As fluctuating, non-dispatchable
renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, become a larger fraction of our electric generation,
energy storage will help grid operators smooth power output fluctuations.
“Wind tends to blow stronger at night when the electric load is low,” he said. “If electric vehicles
charged at night with wind power, the grid operator could use the energy in the batteries, when vehicles
aren’t needed for driving and are plugged in, to help maintain grid reliability. The vehicle owner would
then be paid for providing these energy services at a greater value than what they paid for the
electricity.”
.......... "
American Solar Energy Societyの発表によれば再生可能エネルギーと省エネの分野で3千700万人の雇用を確保できるという。非常に大きなグリーンな雇用の創出が可能ということです。Green Jobsがこうした発展をとげることで、どんな社会を実現しようとしているかというラジカルな情報もネット上に顕在しているのがなんとも頼もしいですね。
" ASES / MISI study reveals opportunities, warnings in nation’s first update
of groundbreaking study; hottest sectors: solar, wind, biofuels, fuel cells
The renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) industries represented more than 9 million jobs and $1,045 billion in U.S. revenue in 2007, according to a new report offering the most detailed analysis yet of the green economy. The renewable energy industry grew three times as fast as the U.S. economy, with the solar thermal, photovoltaic, biodiesel, and ethanol sectors leading the way, each with 25%+ annual revenue growth.
The new ASES Green Collar Jobs report from the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) based in Boulder, and Management Information Services, Inc (MISI), an internationally recognized economic research firm based in Washington D.C., provides a sector-by-sector analysis of where the opportunities are in the rapidly changing renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.
.......... "
-----image（”Figure i. This U.S. map indicates the distribution of potential contributions from
energy efficiency and renewable energy by 2030. Note that every corner of the
country can benefit from energy efficiency and renewable energy.
CSP=Concentrating solar power PV=Solar electric (photovoltaics or PV)”） : P.11(vii),ASES Green Collar Jobs report
" Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have achieved a record efficiency of 41.1% for the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Sunlight is concentrated by a factor of 454 and focused onto a small 5 mm2 multi-junction solar cell made out of GaInP/GaInAs/ Ge (gallium indium phosphide, gallium indium arsenide on a germanium substrate).
“We are elated by this breakthrough,” says Frank Dimroth, head of the group “III-V ? Epitaxy and Solar Cells” at Fraunhofer ISE. “At all times the entire team believed in our concept of the metamorphic triple-junction solar cells and our success today is made possible only through their committed work over the past years.”
..........
The high efficiency multi-junction solar cells are used in concentrating photovoltaic systems for solar power stations in countries with a large fraction of direct solar radiation.
.......... "
波力・潮汐・潮流発電の分野では、現状アメリカも含めてそれほどの投資を集めているわけではなかったが、ここにきて注目される動く、システムが現れています。
MITの研究者が取り組むOWC（oscillating water column）は、波の圧力で棒が振動する力を利用して発電しようとするもので、潜在的には1kmの海岸線で100 から200MWもの発電量をもっているというもの。現状ではそれほど発電効率が良くはないが、改良は可能ということ。今後は、より大きな装置で実験し実用化を進めるということです。
クリッピング / MIT News Office,December 17, 2008 Catch the wave
Researchers eye clean energy possibilities along Portuguese coast
-----image（”Schematic of an oscillating water column. Waves enter through a subsurface opening into the chamber with air trapped above. The wave action causes the captured water column to move up and down, pushing the trapped air into an electricity-generating turbine. The turbine turns continuously, despite the changing direction of the air stream as the waves come in and out. ”） : 同リリースより。 MIT Energy Initiative
" MIT researchers are working with Portuguese colleagues to design a pilot-scale device that will capture significantly more of the energy in ocean waves than existing systems, and use it to power an electricity-generating turbine.
Wave energy is a large, widespread renewable resource that is environmentally benign and readily scalable. In some locations -- the northwestern coasts of the United States, the western coast of Scotland, and the southern tips of South America, Africa and Australia, for example -- a wave-absorbing device could theoretically generate 100 to 200 megawatts of electricity per kilometer of coastline. But designing a wave-capture system that can deal with the harsh, corrosive seawater environment, handle hourly, daily and seasonal variations in wave intensity, and continue to operate safely in stormy weather is difficult.
.....
The Portuguese plan is to integrate the OWC plant into the head of a new breakwater at the mouth of the Douro River in Porto, a large city in northern Portugal. Ultimately, the installation will include three OWCs that together will generate 750 kilowatts -- roughly enough to power 750 homes. As a bonus, the plant's absorption of wave energy at the breakwater head will calm the waters in the area and reduce local erosion.
..... "
" The MRELab is dedicated to developing technology to harness the abundant, clean, and renewable marine energy in an environmentally sustainable way and at a competitive cost. The current focus of the MRELab is to study the underlying science ... "
" Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, had the following statement on the economic stimulus speech delivered today by President-elect Obama:
The U.S. wind energy industry welcomes and applauds President-elect Obama’s vision of a clean energy future and his understanding of the vital role that renewable energy can play in the recovery of our economy today. The wind energy industry looks forward to delivering on the President-elect’s call to double renewable energy production over three years ? but we can do so only if Congress makes an immediate, temporary change to the existing federal incentive for wind to make it effective in the current economic and financial context. The industry also looks forward to working with the President-elect on the ambitious new energy policy agenda that he has outlined, including an early-action national renewable electricity standard, and investment in clean energy transmission ”superhighways” to cost-effectively bring renewable energy to consumers. "
"Summary of State Renewable Portfolio Standards
State Amount Year Organization Administering RPS
Arizona 15% 2025 Arizona Corporation Commission
California 20% 2010 California Energy Commission
Colorado 20% 2020 Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Connecticut 23% 2020 Department of Public Utility Control
District of Columbia 11% 2022 DC Public Service Commission
Delaware 20% 2019 Delaware Energy Office
Hawaii 20% 2020 Hawaii Strategic Industries Division
Iowa 105 MW Iowa Utilities Board
Illinois 25% 2025 Illinois Department of Commerce
Massachusetts 4% 2009 Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources
Maryland 9.5% 2022 Maryland Public Service Commission
Maine 10% 2017 Maine Public Utilities Commission
Minnesota 25% 2025 Minnesota Department of Commerce
Missouri* 11% 2020 Missouri Public Service Commission
Montana 15% 2015 Montana Public Service Commission
New Hampshire 16% 2025 New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning
New Jersey 22.5% 2021 New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
New Mexico 20% 2020 New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
Nevada 20% 2015 Public Utilities Commission of Nevada
New York 24% 2013 New York Public Service Commission
North Carolina 12.5% 2021 North Carolina Utilities Commission
Oregon 25% 2025 Oregon Energy Office
Pennsylvania 18% 2020 Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
Rhode Island 15% 2020 Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission
Texas 5,880 MW 2015 Public Utility Commission of Texas
Utah* 20% 2025 Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Vermont* 10% 2013 Vermont Department of Public Service
Virginia* 12% 2022 Virginia Department of Mines, Minterals, and Energy
Washington 15% 2020 Washington Secretary of State
Wisconsin 10% 2015 Public Service Commission of Wisconsin "
上のエントリーでも紹介した、の30ページには、風況のいい州で発電した電力を遠く数千キロまで送電する壮大な計画が書かれています。まさにアメリカ全土をおおう送電網、スーパーハイウェイです。
-----image : 20% Wind Energy by 2030 (PDF 4 MB) 上 P.30: 1.2.2 WIND POWER TRANSMISSION AND INTEGRATION。下 P.31:Figure 1-10. Conceptual transmission plan to accommodate 400 GW of wind energy (AEP 2007)
" President-elect Barack Obama called for doubling the nation's renewable energy production in three years in a Thursday speech asking Congress to support his economic stimulus plan. He also wants funding for energy efficiency improvements to federal buildings and millions of homes. "
" ..........
Invest in a clean energy economy and create 5 million new green jobs:Obama and Biden will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. The plan will also invest in America's highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world.
Boost the renewable energy sector and create new jobs: The Obama-Biden plan will create new federal policies, and expand existing ones, that have been proven to create new American jobs. Obama and Biden will create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025, which has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. They will also extend the Production Tax Credit, a credit used successfully by American farmers and investors to increase renewable energy production and create new local jobs.
.......... "
" Key Findings
Although renewable energy (excluding hydropower) is a relatively small portion of total energy supply both globally and in the U.S., renewable energy installations in both the world and in the U.S. have nearly doubled between 2000 and 2007.
Including hydropower, renewable energy represents 10% of total installed capacity and nearly 9% of total generation in the U.S. in 2007. Installed renewable energy capacity (including hydropower) is 110 gigawatts (GW). Not including hydropower, 2007 renewable electricity installed capacity has reached about 33 GW in the U.S.
In the U.S., growth in sectors like wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) signify an ongoing shift in the composition of our electricity supply. In 2007, wind capacity installations grew 45% and solar PV grew 40% from the previous year.
Worldwide, wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy technology.between 2000 and 2006 wind energy generation worldwide quadrupled. The U.S. experienced similar dramatic growth, as installed wind energy capacity increased 6.5 times between 2000 and 2007.
In the U.S., renewable energy has been capturing a growing percent of new capacity additions over the past few years. In 2007, renewable energy accounted for over 35% of all new capacity installations in the U.S..a large contrast from 2004 when all renewable energy captured only 2% of new capacity additions.
In 2006, the U.S. became the world’s leading ethanol producer. Between 2000 and 2007 production of corn ethanol nearly quadrupled, and biodiesel production increased
225 times. Use of ethanol in the U.S. has also grown substantially and it currently accounts
for 4% of the total U.S. gasoline pool, up from 1% in 2000.
-----image : Renewable Energy Data Book SEP 2008 P.7 ”U.S. Energy Production and Consumption (2007)” "
" Here you can explore ways to use renewable energy:
Biomass energy
Find information about using biofuels for your vehicle, buying clean electricity and products created from biomass, and heating with wood and pellets.
Geothermal energy
Learn about using geothermal energy to heat and cool your home, and find out about buying clean electricity from geothermal power plants.
Hydrogen
Learn about how hydrogen and fuel cells can provide energy.
Hydropower
Explore how the energy from flowing water can be converted to electricity.
Ocean energy
Find out how the ocean's energy can be used to generate electricity.
Solar energy
Learn how solar energy can be used for heat, electricity, and light.
Wind energy.
Explore how wind can be used to generate electricity and pump water. "
自然エネルギー事業協同組合レクスタ(REXTA : RENEWABLE ENERGY " X " TRADER'S ASSOCIATION）は、1994年設立の自然エネルギー利用関連の事業を行うメンバーにより構成された、自然エネルギーに関する事業協同組合です。その自然エネルギー事業協同組合レクスタのホームページをリニューアルしました。
ソフトエネルギーのブログの運営をするグリーン・ポストもメンバーです。今年は、参加メンバーのさまざまな活動をこのサイトを通じてご紹介できると思います。ぜひ、おとずれてみてください。
IRENAの資料に見つけた図をみると再生可能エネルギーのポテンシャルは、太陽エネルギー、風力、バイオマス、地熱、海洋、水力という順で大きいことが示されている。図の右下の小さな立方体が、現在の世界一次エネルギー消費量[（ GPEC ）current global primary energy consumption(GPEC)]。このポテンシャルが再生可能エネルギーの最大の可能性であり。いままで、使っていても意識せず、さらに積極的な投資をして使ってこなかった、世界の技術のありかたが最大の問題点。(t_t)
" ..........
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "Geothermal is 100 per cent indigenous, environmentally-friendly and a technology that has been under-utilized for too long".
"There are at least 4,000MW of electricity ready for harvesting along the Rift Valley. It is time to take this technology off the back burner in order to power livelihoods, fuel development and reduce dependence on polluting and unpredictable fossil fuels." he added.
The GEF-funded project has, over the past three years used techniques for identifying promising new drilling sites. The main challenge to expansion in Kenya and elsewhere along the Rift has been the risk associated with drilling and the high costs if steam is missed. The nearly $1million Joint Geophysical Imaging project has aimed to overcome these risks. Kenya has set itself a goal of generating 1,200MW from geothermal by 2015.
