The Future of Turbines

Everyone knows about wind turbines and how they are increasingly popping up around the world as another enviro-friendly way to create energy. But did you know that scientists are currently developing and testing a new turbine that you will never see, but that can create limitless, constant energy?

That is because the turbine will be bound to the ocean floor with its blades whirling about 40 feet below the surface. Scientists are developing these underwater turbines with the goal to harness the energy of the Gulf Stream current off the Floridian coast. You can read specifics of this interesting concept here. The article tackles questions like, "Won't fish get chopped up?" and "Will large ships be able to navigate around them?" These are legitimate questions that need real answers before underwater turbines can become a justifiable plan, but tapping into ocean currents could become a key component in acquiring sustainable energy on a planet with dwindling natural resources.

Kentucky: Alternative Energy Pioneer or Corporate Lackey?

The AP reported that:

An energy bill loaded with hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives for coal and power companies breezed through the Kentucky House Wednesday.

Legislative leaders, who developed the bill behind closed doors this summer, hailed the proposal as a "visionary" plan designed to help reduce both Kentucky's and the nation's reliance on foreign oil. It includes incentives for companies to build coal gasification plants in Kentucky.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher called a special legislative session, which began Monday, for the sole purpose of passing the energy plan. The measure is directed at St. Louis-based Peabody Energy, which is considering building a $3 billion coal gasification plant in Kentucky, but it would provide incentives for any qualifying company. Early estimates put the value of the proposed Peabody incentives at $300 million.

The bill, however, is not rosy for all:

State Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, voted "no" and called it a "deeply flawed bill." Wayne said the energy bill would give coal companies "unprecedented and excessive tax breaks" and doesn't do enough to limit the release of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

"How can we ask a Kentucky worker to pay their state sales and income taxes if we are going to turn around and give Peabody back all of their own taxes and the taxes of their suppliers and the taxes of their own employees?" Wayne said during a floor speech.

Source: The Cincinnati Post, via AP

High-Tech Not So Clean After All

MANY ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS have told me that their locations are enamored of high-tech industries and electronics manufacturing, because those industries are "clean." On the face of it, that's true: you don't see thick columns of smoke rising from a chip fab, and a data center just sits there and processes without any waste product. No special environmental permits are needed, and no NIMBY issues bound to arise.

Just because it can't be seen or smelled doesn't mean that environmental damage isn't being done, though. This article, courtesy of WIRED magazine and the Associated Press, explains that facilities with a lot of computing horsepower under the (often inconspicuous) hood are flat-out energy hogs. This is especially true of data centers, which cram as many teraflops of processing power as possible into the space available, limited only by power and cooling capacity and the need for humans to occasionally be able to walk between the computer racks to swap out and upgrade hardware.

“Depending on the configuration and the equipment involved, as little as 30 to 40 percent of the juice flowing into a data center is used to run computers. Most of the rest goes to keeping the hardware cool, since heat saps performance.

"Unlike in other office space, that A/C cranks year-round, to overcome the 100-degree-plus air that the computers themselves throw off. That challenge has increased in recent years with the rise of compact 'blade' servers that are crammed into server racks."

"But," you may ask, "Doesn't the inevitable march of progress produce more energy-efficient computers all the time?" Yes it does (thank you for asking) -- but the economic interest in energy efficiency is to cram more computers in, not to reduce overall energy consumption. There's essentially no such thing as too much computing power. It's kind of like how automobile engines have become vastly more efficient since the 1970s, yet miles-per-gallon figures have risen only modestly overall. It's because we chose to use the efficiency gains for horsepower. There are many commuter cars today whose base engine generates more horsepower than a Corvette purchased during the first years of the 1970s oil embargo.

The EPA has joined in chastising the computing industry:

“A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the easiest, least inexpensive changes to data center operations - involving tweaks to software, layout and air conditioning - could boost efficiency by 20 percent.

"But even that level of improvement would still lead to higher overall electric use in the coming years. Going further, and actually reducing information-technology's strain on the electric grid, will require a more aggressive commitment. The EPA says 45 percent improvement - enough to lower electricity usage by 2011 - can be achieved with existing technologies.)"

I'm personally skeptical that there will be enough incentive for data centers to comply with any energy use limits. If I remember the future correctly, the machines will be so hungry for power that the only choice will be to breed us in captivity and tap our metabolisms to create the ultimate renewable energy resource...

Green is the new Gold

The UK's version of a Wal-Mart grocery, Tesco, is often accused of forcing suppliers to cut costs and running small shops out of business. To improve its image, conform to government regulations, and hopefully boost its bottom line, the retail giant will be greening its operations and emissions and lessening its environmental impact. Tesco has pledged to triple recycling, cut in store energy use by 50% from the 2000 level by next year, and half greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. At the same time, Tesco has been opening an average of one store per week.

By investing in 500 million Euros (about $680 million U.S.) worth of environmentally friendly facility refits and research, 100 million Euros ($135 million) into developing low carbon technology, and 5 million Euros ($6.8 million) to fund Tesco's new Institute for Sustainable Consumption (with Oxford University), Tesco will be setting an example for all global retail giants. Tesco's plan may not be perfect, but it is a start.

From Ethical Corporation Magazine:

How Tesco has cut its energy usage

- More energy-efficient ovens, refrigeration and air-conditioning Ð the big users of energy in stores.
- More efficient lighting, and timers and motion detectors that switch off the lights when they are not needed.
- Redesigned fridges to keep more of the cold air in Ð cutting energy use by 10%.
- Equipment that retrieves cold air from chiller cabinets to use as an energy-efficient alternative to air-conditioning on the sales floor.
- Heat recovered from machinery to use as heating when needed.

Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco, wrote in the London Telegraph in April:

We want to lead what we have called a revolution in green consumption, and you can only do that from the front. Our commitment to combat climate change is an investment in the future of our business as well as of the planet.

Sources: Ethical Corporation, Oxford, The Telegraph

Green Machine

When I think of summer the first three things that come to mind are Saturdays at the beach, ice cream, and...higher gas prices.

Being a big fan of the whole push towards a "greener," cleaner energy culture, I was delighted to hear last week that Toyota's global sales of hybrid vehicles have hit a record 1 million as of the end of May. Of those, nearly 345,000 hybrids were sold in Japan, while 702,000 were sold abroad, according to a statement released by the company last week. Sales of Toyota hybrids have climbed from just 18,000 in 1998 to 312,500 last year. Concern over gas prices, global warming, and pollution have all helped to drive the demand for hybrids.

The Prius is the clear winner when it comes to hybrids, with a total of 757,600 units sold since its 1997 introduction in Japan. Toyota began selling the Prius in North America, Europe, and other places in 2000. Last year, the model made up more than 40% of hybrid sales in the U.S.

And on another green energy note:
State Reps. Kate Ebli, D-Monroe, and Kathy Angerer, D-Dundee, unveiled a plan this past Monday aimed at making Michigan a leader in the renewable energy production arena, which should help attract cutting-edge industries and boost the state's economy.

The plan involves increasing tax incentives for alternative energy, offering tax breaks for individual households employing the alternatives and protecting the Great Lakes and Michigan's other natural resources. Some of the ideas are similar to those proposed earlier in the year by Governor Granholm or Michigan Public Service Commission leader J. Peter Lark.

"With our highly skilled workforce and our outstanding universities, our state is in an ideal position to become a key player in the renewable energy sector," Rep. Angerer said. "Michigan gave birth to the auto industry, and Michigan will pave the way for this renewable energy economy."

House Democrats' 21st Century Renewable Energy Plan will:
¥ Require that renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and biomass-based power) account for 10% of the state's energy production by 2015. The plan sets a goal of 25% by 2025.

¥ Foster more "alternative-energy renaissance zones" across the state by including solar and wind generation and fuel-cell technologies among those who qualify for renaissance zone tax abatements.

¥ Promote energy conservation through updated construction codes and consumer tax credits for energy-efficient appliances.

¥ Provide tax credits for the purchase of solar equipment.

¥ Establish a statewide target of reducing electricity consumption by 1% a year.

House Democrats also will be examining ways to expand programs at community colleges to train workers to maintain new renewable-energy technologies.

A program focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency would create tens of thousands of new jobs and pump hundreds of millions of dollars into Michigan's economy, according to a recent NextEnergy study prepared for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The House Democrats said the points of the plan will be introduced as bills soon. The Energy and Technology Committee and the Great Lakes and Environment Committee, both of which Rep. Ebli sits on, likely will hear the bills in the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted!