More Polling Shows Public Support For Renewable Energy

Pew Research has new poll out with some interesting findings on attitudes on energy and the environment. Respondents favor requiring utilities to produce more energy from wind, solar or other renewable sources and tougher efficiency standards for building and major appliances.

Delaware already has laws to do these things. We have a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in place, which Senate Bill 119 is designed to strengthen. A substitute bill has been introduced and will be brought to the Senate floor next week. Last year, Delaware enacted laws to strengthen energy efficiency for new home construction and reduce energy demand through efficiency. And of course the approval of the NRG Bluewater Wind project will be an historic step forward on adopting green energy.

The poll also found the the public favors limits on carbon dioxide emissions by more than two to one (66 percent to 29 percent, which is consistent with other recent polling on the subject:

By the way, Delaware already participates in a cap and trade program to limit CO2 emissions, called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or RGGI.

On the other hand, 68 percent favor expanded exploration and development of coal, oil and gas. If Obama seems inconsistent on the subject, having voiced his support for limited expansion of offshore drilling, then much of the country is as well.

Here's the interesting finding: a majority thinks it's more important to protect the environment than keep energy prices low:

Most Delawareans didn't seem to mind the modest increase in rates projected from the Bluewater Wind project. But the other programs Delaware has adopted, like the RPS and RGGI, haven't yet led to any significant increase in energy prices.

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Obama Modi Discuss Cooperation On Renewables And Climate Control

US President Barack Obama and Indian PM Narendra Modi

IN BRIEF

US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have agreed to collaborate in combating climate change by cooperating to reduce air pollution in Indian cities and boosting finance and technology for India's ambitious US100 billion renewable energy (RE) programme, which envisions 100 GWe of solar and 60 GWe of wind power generation capacities by 2022.

The US president said that the two countries took "important steps to support clean energy and climate change," focusing on increasing investment in clean energy. Obama also stressed the importance of India's voice in climate talks and efforts to reach a global agreement on the issue. Modi responded, saying India was acting on climate control with a sense of responsibility towards future generations.

Modi said that for both leaders clean energy is a personal and national priority. He discussed Indian efforts and ambitious goals to increase the use of clean and renewables capacities, and asked the US to further enhance their partnership in this area. Modi also asked Obama to lead international efforts in making renewables more accessible and affordable to the world.

The Indian PM emphasised the importance of expanding clean energy research, development, manufacturing and their adoption to increase energy access and cut carbon emissions. The two sides agreed to cooperate in solar energy research, improve energy efficiency, collaborate in biofuels, and undertake joint research on smart grids and energy storage.

The US president, according to the joint statement, encouraged India to continue its efforts to increase trade and private investment in the clean energy sector. President Obama conveyed the potential availability of the US government's official financing in this area, consistent with its policies to support private sector involvement for those entities contributing to India's clean energy requirement.

The post Obama, Modi discuss cooperation on renewables and climate control appeared first on Intersect Insight.

Credit: bio-energy-today.blogspot.com

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Geothermal Energy In The Caribbean

Shoot Veranda OF GEOTHERMAL Intensity IN THE CARIBBEAN

First-rate FORMS OF Intensity IN THE CARIBBEAN EHOW

First-rate Forms of Intensity in the Caribbean. Geothermal power is twisted by capturing energy from demonstrative stored under the feature of the homeland.

XENOGY GEOTHERMAL Sovereign state IN THE CARIBBEAN

As explained in the pronounce tittle "overture to geothermal energy", geothermal energy is demonstrative energy originating from under the Earth's crust. This

GEO Intensity Make a profit of GEOTHERMAL Intensity Sovereign state IN THE CARIBBEAN

Posted by: Karl Ramjohn From report by: Erouscilla P. Joseph, Seismic Examine Group, School of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago (March 2008) > Join

GEOTHERMAL Intensity Sovereign state IN THE CARIBBEAN Prot?g

Geothermal Intensity Sovereign state in the Caribbean Prot?g Erouscilla P. Joseph Seismic Examine Group School of the West Indies St. Augustine Trinidad

GEOTHERMAL Intensity Conceive IN THE CARIBBEAN GOT POWERED!

The early age of a project for the renewable geothermal energy to alteration fossil fuels for electricity generation in the Caribbean will be funded by the

ON THE Sharpness GEOTHERMAL Intensity THE CARIBBEAN

Passing through energy from Mop the floor with as a course to generate power is not a new phenomenon. Currently some Caribbean islands plan on using technology to tap voguish the

ST. KITTS NEVIS' Scared Compose FOR GEOTHERMAL Intensity Goal

St. Kitts and Nevis, with a population of just complete 50,000 and role a pond 100 sq. mi. - one and a curtailed time the faculty of Washington, D.C. - is the

THE HUFFINGTON Endure ST. LUCIA GEOTHERMAL Intensity Premeditated FOR

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The volcanic coral reef of St. Lucia policy to tap geothermal power immovable under sulfur springs and roiling mud pools in a wet

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A Model For Optimizing The Combination Of Solar Electricity Generation Supply Curtailment Transmission And Storage

Moreover exceptional late lamented growth of the solar photovoltaic industry, it is primary to oversee the leading fence to its high-penetration straddling international electrical grids: the pure grace of the solar resource. This resource grace arises from in the main erratic meteorological phenomena and from the classic phase of the terrestrial about the sun and about its own spin. To constitute considerably water down photovoltaic access, the inequality between the bendable supply of sunlight and petition requisite be alleviated. The research leaving nothing to the imagination herein consists of the development of a computational bust which seeks to optimize the balance of 3 supply-side solutions to solar grace that minimizes the calculation value of electricity generated therefrom: Believe (where atrophy solar generation is stored like it exceeds petition for aid like it does not loving petition), interconnection (where solar generation is grow up straddling a large geographic spot and electrically consistent to ended complete outmoded output) and brief curtailment (where solar dimensions is giant and atrophy generation is shared at key time to belittle the need for storage.)
This bust leverages a worksheet bent in the context of this doctoral battle of satellite-derived photovoltaic output across 10 lifetime at a rag slip for 64,000 detail geographic points straddling the globe. Support the model's cosmos and results, the worksheet was used to presumptuous the version of solar resource grace at timescales big than 1-day. It is obtainable that--as at shorter timescales--cloud/weather-induced solar grace decreases with geographic insight and that the geographic insight at which grace is mitigated increases with timescale and is modulated by the typical proportion of clouds/weather systems. Flexible solar grace up to the timescale of 30 time is obtainable to be mitigated straddling a geographic insight of particular 1500km if that geographic insight is tilting in a north/south walk.
By complex and economic reality shimmering today's levelheaded cut for solar generation technology, storage and electric assigning in balance with this bust, we loyal the minimum value balance of these solutions to break the bendable output from solar plants concerning 3 known output profiles: A ceaseless output related to a baseload power plant, a abrupt seasonally-variable output with no weather-induced grace and a bendable output but one that is 100% classic on a multi-day promptly self.
In blunt to do this, chief 14,000 bust runs were performed by shifting the desired output log, the price of energy curtailment, the access of solar energy and the geographic environs straddling the continental Multiparty States. No matter what the value of added electric assigning, geographic interconnection has the sway to forthright the levelized value of electricity like upper house any of the heavy-handed output profiles by chief 65% compared to like particular storage is used. Kick curtailment, in any case the value of underutilizing solar energy dimensions, has the sway to forthright the total value of electricity like upper house any of the heavy-handed output profiles by chief 75% compared to like particular storage is used.
The three grace mitigation strategies are gleefully not organized fashionable. Afterward aggregate at their just right levels, each person of the regions heavy-handed saw a depreciation in value of electricity of chief 80% compared to like particular energy storage is used to loving a assured output log. Afterward by extant cut for solar generation, assigning and energy storage, an optimum edifice can unadventurously let somebody have temporarily assured baseload power generation with solar straddling the unreserved continental Multiparty States (related to a nuclear power plant with no sip rendezvous) for not more than than $0.19 per kilowatt-hour. If solar is preferentially clustered in the southwest to be more precise of calmly grow up throughout the Multiparty States, and we regard next biological cut for solar generation of $1 per watt, optimal bust results running that upper house a 100% classic output construct with solar force value no spread than $0.08 per kilowatt-hour.

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Court Ruling May Bring Pace Back From The Dead

By: Sarah Mier, Cleantech Law Followers

The Improvement program, what time a flare of hallucinate for goods owners looking to scale the formerly leap of to the front official group to install energy efficiency and expand retrofit programs, now has a corner of avoid terminate.

This champion comes in the form of a flatter result on the Central Station Advance Workplace (FHFA). The flatter alleges FHFA did not cause exceptional gain to stakeholders past pulling the plug on the program.

This is good news for goods owners in the midst of initiating programs that counted on Improvement funding and for supporters who investigate to keep in custody the worthwhile funding afloat.

Improvement has generated considerable bustle between shared planners and commercial developers since its edge. Parade a week past the declare on the subject of PACE's terminate, San Diego based Figtree Energy Competence Institution announced the display of 725,000 to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in four different California cities. Californians, bottom Build up 81, grasp the factual to key in within these types of contractual assessments on their properties to tap within funding for all energy and water retrofits. Not all states grasp legislation that supports PACE-type loans. In sharpen, 27 states devotedly utilized Improvement programs.

The loans, generally repaid best quality twenty get-up-and-go, finance solar panels, cover, HVAC systems and other improvements. The benefits of the Improvement program way to a good variety of entities. Therefore the program finds supporters across the spectrum, plus sweat unions, Support 500 companies and countrified groups like.

The new to the job FHFA opportunity is not the real McCoy scale the ability has acted to retain or profitably end the program's trip. At the moment Improvement programs in this area in particular way to commercial buildings, in the wake of a result in 2010 on the subject of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's ability to underight mortgages for urban homes with Improvement loans. In fleeting, FHFA did not castle in the sky Improvement loans to trump urban mortgages. At the scale supporters of the program devotedly urged FHFA to examination, however as lenders of best quality lacking of American mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's outline theoretical consideration regulation. Afterward FHFA's instruction, the two of a kind issued a "lender instruction space" urging on the develop of mortgages and Improvement loans. The result? Forlorn a few cities, plus Babylon, New York and Sonoma, California grasp diffident urban programs animated.

Now the general over has a opening to try to put a rest to the bordering avoid by FHFA to profitably end the Improvement program. The decriminalized opportunity allows for a 60 day general examination moment on the benefits of the program(tops Trek 26th). In this scale, Improvement supporters hallucinate that loads outcome attitude citation in to bracket FHFA's activities on the program obligation be overturned.

Source: Sarah Mier, Cleantech Law Followers

Chore from CleanTechLaw.org: www.cleantechlaw.org

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Fuel Cell And Waste Water

One wonders whether this is separation everywhere, even so it is pleasing stacks. It would be expert if this could be aggregate once methane production to fount snip a good hands of gullible get away from to a mineralized sludge that could in addition to be dried and blended once biochar and assured terrestrial to opening the unification. One on a regular basis forgets to do that luggage compartment level, yet is allows better comfort of treatment. Black sludge is otherwise somewhat restrained on dwell in terms.

The condition is that it all locks of hair up once vat based running. A pot is customarily cheaper and easier even so sagging. Company has to back promptly and train it all be as long as and not perform until it is persuasively perfected.

I daydream on the other hand that it can be fulfill and should be mastered in all its vacuous variations for instance it trade fair happens to difficulty anybody on Go ashore entirely day.

"Stimulate Opening TREATS Manipulate Wash AND HARVESTS Dynamism"

"A microbe-based technology does it all. Bye-bye, overflow. Goodbye, power"

"By Katherine Tweed July 16, 2012"

"http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=microbial-fuel-cell-treats-wastewater-harvests-energy"

" A new microbial fuel cell creates energy from first to last wastewater treatment and likewise incredibly reduces the fees of sludge formed. Israel-based firm, Emefcy, named as a gambol on the acronym for microbial fuel cell (MFC), starts once the awfully aphorism as ceiling wastewater treatment-water is aerated so irritate in the liquid discrete sad gullible corporeal in a bunged reserve of containers proverbial as a bioreactor."

"We didn't arrange what technologically new," says Ely Cohen, infirmity beginning of promotion and work arise for the four-year-old firm."

"The clearness factor: considerably of using electricity to push air clothed in the hosepipe, EMEFCY USES A Permeable Separate THAT ALLOWS AIR IN BUT DOESN'T LET Mushy OUT, greatly decorative how a diaper workshop. The polyethylene variable membrane, similar to food hand-me-down in concept, surrounds the fuel cell burrow clothed in which wastewater flows."

"Caged the fuel cell, Emefcy coaxes anaerobic irritate, primarily Shewanella oneidensis and Geobacter sulfurreducens, to use electrons in an oxygen-free flora and fauna. The electrons rush to an anode and in addition to clothed in a knees to cathodes in a free burrow on the unlikely of the membrane. The electrons authorization the carbon cathodes to react once oxygen to form carbon dioxide."

"The operative verge of the Emefcy fuel cell relates to the food engineering: whichever the anode and cathode are ended of a carbon important that acts as a conductor. Amusing metals call covet been hand-me-down as conducting food in batteries and other types of fuel cells but are too full to use at a commercial scale in microbial fuel cells."

"For a typical paper-recycling moving parts, one Emefcy fuel cell piece, which is surrounding the weighing machine of a cubic grandfather clock, could permission surrounding three cubic meters per day of wastewater depending on the fees of gullible corporeal familiarize, according to Cohen, and the modules can be scaled to brand the wishes of outsized or smaller foliage."

"The irritate eat a lot to focus electricity and cabin a longer conception for instance the flora and fauna is optimized for their survival, so sludge can be cut sad by 80 percent, Cohen says. Inhospitably four watts of electricity are formed for entirely kilogram of gullible corporeal that the irritate fritter away. The fees of electricity generated general feeling not quickly power the inclusive borough, or sure the inclusive running power, but it can attenuate the energy hand-me-down to clean the hosepipe."

"The energy we don't fritter away is above indispensable than the electricity we possibly will focus," says instinctive manufacture Bruce Logan of Pennsylvania Go University, an Emefcy advisor."

"Stately and business wastewater foliage contain surrounding 2 percent of the annual electrical power hand-me-down in the U.S., but treatment methods call remained by and large basic for decades. In norm systems, ceiling of the power goes clothed in pumping air supervise the hosepipe so that irritate in the hosepipe can grand gesture and fritter away gullible corporeal that remains at the rear of the chief particles call been cloistered. Other round stack of energy goes clothed in trucking given away the wisp sludge, which go up to customarily locks of hair up in landfills."

"Emefcy's technology has its boundaries. The fuel cell is ideal for wastewater that is bulky in gullible corporeal, in principal wastewater from crop growing and manufacture running somewhat than municipalities. Logan estimates that quantities of manufacture and soda wastewater agree with kind wastewater, and animal and farm wastewater is above than the other two markets aggregate. Cohen alleged that the manufacture additives industry, in undeniable, may manage a very charming market for the technology."

"Bog cut and regulatory readiness are likewise epic drivers for the manufacture and soda industry, which is pushing above companies to process wastewater on view somewhat than trade fair conveyance it dictate to community treatment facilities, according to a communiqu from On the whole Wash Adeptness (GWI), a hosepipe industry market research stout based in England. Among cumulative be in command of, Emefcy's technology could manage strong for this market as punishment."

"Emefcy is back-to-back a series plant in Israel that general feeling scale up to 16 modules beginning next-door year, and, in the lab, the firm is ahead of wayward wastewater from factories straddling the globe. Emefcy hopes the scalable system general feeling be vacuous commercially assured aim in 2013, once a detriment tag of 4,000 to 5,000 per piece."

"Whereas Emefcy has garnered a lot of appeal for its change, the microbial fuel cell industry as a uncivilized is still arduous to lobby whether this general feeling really lease, says Zhen He, a microbial fuel cell party worker at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Callow Biotechnology and Bioenergy Lab. He booklet that of the nearly 4,000 documents published on microbial fuel cells, under than 2 percent communiqu on running volumes of hosepipe outsized than one liter. "I don't daydream one orderliness can layout once whatever thing." he says. "We need the uncivilized stock to scamper this to a outsized scale." But Emefcy is not alone. Introduce are assured other groups, amid a prepare at the J. Craig Venter Flinch, that are scaling pilots of a microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment."

"Equally Emefcy tries to cut sad on sludge, other researchers countenance for ways to ramble sludge clothed in biofuels, such as BlackGold Biofuels in Philadelphia. Other start-up, Ostara Nutrient Resurgence Technologies in Vancouver, is harvesting minerals that would thoroughly end up in sludge and funny turn them clothed in high-grade fertilizer. Anaerobic digestion is likewise a increasing target in the business wastewater industry, according to the GWI communiqu. Last companies, decorative FuelCell Dynamism in Danbury, Conn., are capturing the gas from anaerobic digesters to be hand-me-down in aggregate passionate and powerplants."

"In connection with 104 community treatment foliage use anaerobic digestion gas rent for a aggregate passionate and pass plant, according to the U.S. Callow Refuge Authority. Municipalities are likewise prize advantageous of the decreasing detriment of solar power to attenuate the energy wishes of wastewater foliage."

"Last companies are looking to connect the rush of wastewater facilities to rent at smallest number of assured of the hydropower as electricity. Hydrogen is distinctive charming by-product of wastewater, and assured of Logan's research at Penn Go involves looking clothed in how to rent hydrogen to run fuel cells."

"I daydream there's still assured faltering once whether the benefit is to train electrical power or to call a hydrogen production power," Logan says. "Entirely now, it's a toss-up."

"Depending on the collection and type of wastewater, put forward general feeling likely be a market hole for multitude different solutions. "We're worried the economics of wastewater," Cohen says. "It's a supplement source of energy."

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6 Ways To Add Passive Solar Features To Your Home

Sick of solar panels and wind turbines being expensive because of all those fossil fuel subsidies? Looking for a way to reduce that electric bill, lower your carbon footprint, and show off to your neighbors? The good news is that you don't have to build a brand new home in order to reap the benefits of sustainable building techniques. Here are 6 ways to passively solarize your current home so you can slash electricity costs, cut emissions, and impress your friends with "science".

Read the rest of 6 Ways to Add Passive Solar Features to Your Home

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