Top Ten advantages of Geothermal Electrical Production from existing hydrocarbon wells to the Oil and Gas Industry

By Randy Carroll-Bradd

Hydrocarbon wells can generate electricity. Using the waste fluids from hydrocarbon wells, owners can now generate electricity for their pumping needs, with any additional electricity sold to utilities as renewable energy. A small binary electric turbine (250 kW+) is attached between the separation stage and re-injection well. This can be done on one well or multiple wells with temperatures over 225°F and 200+ gpm of combined fluid. Thus waste fluids become a valuable commodity! The amount of electricity is dependent on input and cooling temperatures and fluid flow rate.

Top  Advantages for the Oil & Gas lndustry:

1) In Texas there is now an exemption from oil and gas Severance Taxes for oil and gas co-produced with geothermal energy.
2) Geothermal energy recovery should cover electrical pumping needs and may generate extra energy to sell to utilities;
3) The technology is grounded in practices of the hydrocarbon industry;
4) The infrastructure already exists, i.e., roads, power lines, etc;
5) Geothermal power production can use existing reservoirs or modify them after production ends to increase the available water;
6) Costs are lower than start-from-scratch geothermal development, with estimated payouts possible in 3 - 5 years;
7) Power plants are scaleable with moveable turbines to meet the changing needs of an oil/gas field, plus as systems develop the technology continues to evolve;
8) Renewable Energy Credits (RECS) are an additional commodity that the Hydrocarbon lndustry can use or sell .... It’s GREEN POWER!
9) Pricing of geothermal leases is lower than oil/gas leases;
10) The global Geothermal lndustry has 40+ years of experience in dealing with high temperature drops and geochemistry;
11) Government grants and loans may be available to develop new systems for demonstration sites.

Basic Economics
Current prices and tax incentives for electricity produced renewably
-$0.06/KWh wholesale
$0.021/KWh U.S. tax credit
-$0.005/KWh REC
Thus revenue from a binary turbine installed to produce 225 kWh/yr is approximately $200,000 and 500 kWh/y generates approximately $368,000 in revenue.
Approximate estimated installation costs $500,000 - $1,500,000 for 250 to 500 kW plant.

Thanks to Randy Carroll-Bradd for permission to publish this article which was distributed to attendees at the October 27, 2010 meeting of the Texas Green Network. Randy is a sometimes attendee at San Antonio Sustainable Living meetings and an expert in the manufacture of SIPS panels with EH Systems LLC.

Why Binary Geothermal Electric Generation Makes Sense for South Texas

By Randy Carroll-Bradd

Texas geothermal heat can provide a viable, cost-effective alternative to expanding current coal and nuclear power generation. Solar and wind generation are practical and get a lot of press, but they’re often dismissed as too intermittent for base load electric generation. Geothermal resources are not intermittent and currently provide more electricity, nationwide, than all solar and wind installations combined.

Southern Methodist University’s Geothermal Lab has studied the geology of Texas since the 1970s and identified the local potential lying between the coast and I-35, using binary technology, a workable, low-cost solution available today. Using binary systems, the geothermal resource does not need to be as hot as that around the Pacific Rim. Deep source hot water or low-temperature steam (190-300 degrees F) goes through a heat exchanger to vaporize a refrigerant, similar to that used in your air conditioner, which expands and drives a turbine. The working fluid is then radiator or water-cooled into a liquid again, while the cooled well water is re-injected into the geothermal reservoir. The two fluid streams are separate and never mingle.

Binary units take much less space than coal or nuclear plants, require no fuel to mine or buy, emit no toxic or greenhouse gases, consume no water, have no security issues, and no waste to dispose. They run outdoors, unattended, and are so reliable they have the best uptime percentage of any power source: at 98%, easily beating both coal and nuclear.

Geothermal equipment manufacturers have built power plants around the world, some for over 40 years. Binary generators are typically very similar to industrial AC chiller units, allowing economies of scale since chillers are mass-produced and readily available. ln fact, they are so similar, the number of parts required to convert a United Technologies (Carrier) chiller into a geothermal generator is extremely small- 13 geothermal parts replaced or added to 171 original chiller parts.

A single, binary geothermal unit fits easily on a truck trailer and generates about 250 kW so power plants consist of generator arrays, sized by the available heat source reservoir and desired electrical output. Because of these constraints, geothermal arrays vary in size and location, creating a distributed, decentralized supply. Unlike large centralized plants, they’re immune to the catastrophic breakdowns experienced last summer at CPS Energy coaland gas-fired units.

An equivalent-output geothermal array costs no more than a conventional coal plant and millions less than a nuclear plant. According to a Texas State Energy Conservation Office report, a 1 MW plant costs about $1.5 million, including the big expenses of well exploration, drilling and grid connection.

Fortunately, of Texas’ 600,000+ existing oil and gas wells - producing and not- over 100,000 wells have geothermal resources at depths and temperatures suitable for binary generation:
- All oil and gas wells depth and initial fluid temperature are recorded with the Railroad Commission, greatly reducing exploration costs.
- Since drilling is a large portion of the cost of geothermal generation, the ability to use existing even abandoned wells saves significant site development money.
- Roads and power lines remain in place at all but the oldest wells, so connection-to-grid costs can be mitigated even in relatively remote areas.

The hottest well recorded with the Railroad Commission is 5 10°F @ 23,800 ft., east of Victoria, Texas. In 2004 the U.S. produced over 5xl01° bbl (that's 2, l00,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons !) of “waste” water along with the oil and gas production, primarily from the Gulf States with temperatures high enough to produce electricity. This hot water could be used to generate power directly, without impacting oil and gas production. Some estimates suggest up to 5000MW of additional power could be generated in Texas alone -- that's more than 10 times the amount of power used by the entire State of Alaska!

So, there’s no reason local geothermal power generation in South Texas couldn’t be developed at significantly reduced cost. All that’s needed is entrepreneurial vision and political will.

Some Geothermal Power Facts
- Direct (non-binary) geothermal energy currently provides more than 2700 megawatts (MW) of electric power to U.S. residents - comparable to 60 million barrels of oil per year, enough for 3.5 million homes. This is only a small fraction of the potential value of geothermal energy in the U.S.
- Geothermal electricity is clean - no fossil fuels are burned. Geothermal electricity produced in the U.S. displaces the emission of 22 million tons of carbon dioxide a year!
- Geothermal electricity is reliable - plants have average system availabilities of 95% or higher, compared to 60-70% for coal and nuclear plants.
- Geothermal electricity is cost-effective - today's cost of geothermal electricity ranges from $0.05 to $0.10 per kilowatt-hour, and technology improvements are steadily lowering that range.
- The average geothermal field uses 1-8 acres per megawatt (MW) versus 5-10 acres per MW for nuclear operations and 19 acres per MW for coal power plants.
- Geothermal electricity is homegrown - it reduces our need for coal and uranium, reduces the trade deficit, and adds jobs to the U.S. economy.

Resources and References
Southern Methodist University Geothermal Department
MIT Evaluation of U.S. Geothermal Potential
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Pratt & Whitney (binary system manufacturer)
Ormat Technologies (binary system manufacturer)
Sologen (San Antonio geokinetic technology development company)
Greenfire Energy (Geothermal technology utilizing CO2 as well fluid in binary system)

Thanks to Randy Carroll-Bradd for permission to publish this article which was distributed to attendees at the October 27, 2010 meeting of the Texas Green Network. Randy is a sometimes attendee at San Antonio Sustainable Living meetings and an expert in the manufacture of SIPS panels with EH Systems LLC.

Want to feel good about San Antonio progress on sustainable issues? Michael Burke of the San Antonio Clean Tech Forum offers up these encouraging points to consider.

Michael Burke of the San Antonio Clean Tech Forum recently offered this list of interesting signs of sustainability in San Antonio. His list is upbeat, positive and comprehensive.   He gave his kind permission to republish his message here.  He entitled his email "San Antonio, We are not in Kansas anymore".   Be sure to click on the links to learn more about the companies, institutions and products mentioned.  They will amaze.

"San Antonio, We are not in Kansas anymore"

In recent travels to Austin and Houston, I heard numerous comments along the lines, “Wow, I understand San Antonio is on a roll and building significant momentum in the area of Clean Tech and Sustainability.”  So I have decided to prepare a summary list to explain just why they would say that. Here is version one, with much more to come in future weeks.


TWO INCREDIBLY NEW INITIATIVES THAT HAVE HUGE IMPLICATIONS

·The establishment of the UTSA- Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute headed by Les Shephard of the Sandia National Labs is huge. And now with the announcement of $50 million of funding from CPS Energy we are positioned as a potential national leader in clean technology research.

·The decision of Mir Imran (Thomas Edison II and CEO of InCube Ventures) to establish a major presence in our community backed by a new San Antonio $100 million venture fund is also huge. Yes, most of the work will focus on bio-med and medical products, but Mir also has a very strong interest in Clean Technology.


 A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY THAT STANDS TALL in the NATION

·Hiring Doyle Beneby, a highly qualified CEO at CPS Energy to lead a major transformation of our public power utility sets the stage for continued progressive leadership for our community.  And we have one of the few public power utilities in the nation with a Chief Sustainability Officer – Cris Eugster.


·Wind Power - Electricity generated from the West Texas plains and Texas coastal wind farms makes CPS Energy the largest publicly owned purchaser of wind power in the country. – 710 Megawatts


·Solar – In April 2010,  CPS Energy announced the development of the largest solar pv farm in Texas – The Blue Wing Solar Project. A 14 Megawatt installation of Duke Energy and  Juwi Solar Inc.  A few weeks ago they announced an agreement to partner with Sun Edison for 30 megawatts of solar power. The project also offers the possibility of opening a regional office in San Antonio, collaborating with CPS' research partners on solar research and development, and opening an education center at one of the installations.

·CPS Energy’s STEP program will provide $850 million in funding for energy efficiency projects over the next ten years.


·CPS Energy recently launched one of the first solar feed-in tariff programs in the nation.


·San Antonio enjoys the lowest cost of electric power of the 20 largest cities in the nation


A PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM that also Stands Tall in the Nation

·The San Antonio Water System has been recognized for developing one of the most effective water conservation initiatives in the nation.

·SAWS has constructed the nation’s largest direct recycled water system which to date has reused almost 12 billion gallons of “waste water.”

·Earlier this year, SAWS was recognized with a 2010 Ethics in Business Award presented by The Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health and the UTSA College of Business.

·SAWS is the first large wastewater utility to partner with a private sector company, Ameresco, to actively sell biogas (produced from sewage) in the United States. SAWS ratepayers will receive a royalty on the sale of the gas, estimated at $200,000 a year.


IMPRESSIVE PUBLIC, PRIVATE REGIONAL INITIATIVES

·Mission Verde Center at Cooper Middle School, in the heart of San Antonio, is a revolutionary model to achieve national sustainability goals through Economic Stimulus and green jobs creation; Training/Education and workforce development and sustainability education; and Demonstration/ Validation of energy and water insertion.

·The process of the San Antonio partnership with the Texas A&M university system , UT Austin, UTSA, and SWRI in response to a federal grant of $130 million to demonstrate energy efficiency advancements in homes set the stage for future beneficial collaborations.  We may not win the grant, but the process has been very productive and positive.


INITIATIVES to ADVANCE the SA GREEN ECONOMY

Mayor Julian Castro’s Green Jobs Leadership Council, chaired by Larry Zinn, has transitioned into the Mission Verde Foundation initiative. This future non-profit will focus on developing a green economy in San Antonio.


IMPRESSIVE ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPANIES

We will feature many in the future, but for now San Antonio’s Cinco Solar stands out. They have constructed the two largest solar hot water installations in the nation: at the Army Residence Community (ARC) in San Antonio and at the Bexar County jail.


K-12 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

·James Madison High School Agriscience Magnet offering has long been a model for urban agricultural education and is one of the largest and most active agricultural programs in Texas.  But their new $23.5 million facility is over the top.  I doubt that there is a more impressive sustainability
initiative of any high school in Texas, if not the nation.


A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR WORTH FOLLOWING

·At 21 years old, UTSA alumnus David A. Gonzales II, UTSA graduate 2008, already has a superb resume to offer to prospective employers. The young inventor was awarded ConocoPhillips' first Energy Prize in October for his Layered Mag Wheel,a revolutionary invention with applications in the auto and wind and industry. Established to recognize and foster creative solutions to the U.S. energy crisis, the ConocoPhillips competition was punctuated by a $100,000 grand prize. David has decided to advance his innovations while living in San Antonio.  You will be hearing much from this young man in the future.


OTHERS

·There is so much more to share with you, and I will do so in the near future.

·Great things are going on at USAA, SWRI, HEB, Valero, Port SA, Rackspace,  the Military Joint Base Operations, and many others.

·A number of impressive Clean Tech start-ups have emerged in San Antonio in the past six months.

·The San Antonio Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber, and the North Chamber have all established Sustainability committees this year.

·And we are most fortunate that our media: SA Express News, SA Business Journal, KLRN –PBS, and Texas Public Radio are doing an excellent job of advancing Sustainability issues. 

"History will revere this kind of project" says Sologen Systems president. Moving forward to produce clean, less costly electrical power from certain abandoned natural gas wells.

In April 2010 we published a cryptic but popular article on Sologen Systems LLC"s plans to develop power from the heat and pressure found at the bottom of certain abandoned natural gas wells.   Although at the time Sologen's president, Frank Smith did talk to local groups and investors his company did not seek to hype the project though a typical public relations blitz. 

Our article hinted at the potential of the project but gave few details due to Mr. Smith's own restraint in avoiding splashy comments.  While the company still doesn't seem to be engaged in a major public information campaign, on September 7, 2010  Sologen's partner Green Well Power did issue a press release concerning a new agreement with Sologen.  This press release features Frank Smith's most expansive published statement on the potential of the project to date.

His statement on the potential place of the work in history is the sort of thing that seemed apparent as we listened to him in April but since he was not saying such things to the wider public at the time, our article remained circumspect.

Green Well Power's press release also goes into more detail about the project.  It explains that the project will include the harvesting of methane and the re-injection of water into ground formations as well as the harvesting of energy geo pressure and heat.  Our earlier article stated that the wells were in excess of 10,000 feet deep while this release specifies that the wells in question are at least 14,000 feet deep.

If this project works out it really may be seen as a pivotal one in movement toward truly renewable energy production.

Here is the release: 
GREEN WELL POWER SIGNS AGREEMENT TO LICENSE TECHNOLOGY
Vancouver, Canada, 7 September 2010: Green Well Renewable Power Corp, (GWP) is pleased to report that it has agreed to a non exclusive license for its Total Flow Energy Conversion Technology (TFEC) by San Antonio based Sologen Systems LLC. Terms of the agreement require Sologen to undertake and complete the engineering,construction and testing of the commercial scale technology. In addition, Sologen will provide GreenWell with a 20% Net Profits interest in all projects where the technology is deployed.

Sologen Systems is engaged in the development of geopressured/geothermal (GPGR) energy resources found, in deep aquifers along the onshore US Gulf Coast. GPGR reservoirs are essentially subsurface reservoirs (+- 14,000 ft) containing hot pressurized brine saturated with dissolved methane (natural gas). Importantly, they contain three forms of energy:

(1) Chemical: methane gas dissolved in brine. Once separated from the brine it is then combusted to produce electricity in a gas turbine;
(2) Thermal: hot brines with temperatures reaching 350F can be used to produce electricity using proven Organic Rankine Cycle technology;
(3) Mechanical: high brine flow rates (over 20,000 barrels per day) and high wellhead pressures can be used to power GreenWell’s own TFEC technology to generate electricity.

Sologen plans to acquire and re-engineer wellbores in Texas where all three forms of energy can be harnessed. A U.S. Department of Energy Study confirmed that the recoverable energy potential of a GPGR well, based on flow rates of 20,000 bbls/day, are as follows: Chemical (2 Mw), Thermal (1 Mw) and Mechanical (500 Kw) ( approximate value: $250,000 per month). Once the energy has been extracted the water is re-injected into a lower pressure rock formation in the earth. Sologen expects to commission their first project in Q2, 2011.
 
Mr. Frank Smith, President of Sologen Systems LLC comments: “Sologen Systems is thrilled by this opportunity to take the Total Flow Energy Conversion Technology from prototype to commercial deployment. . The potential to generate megawatts of baseload renewable power from end-of-life wells along the U.S. Gulf Coast and elsewhere is immense. I believe history will revere this kind of project as a pivotal stepping stone on the path to a truly renewable energy driven society.”
 
Sologen systems LLC, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas was organized in 2008 to finance and develop solar, geothermal and geopressured energy resources in order to produce and sell clean, green electricity. For more information contact Frank Smith at 210-544-5452 or visit www.sologensystems.com
 
GreenWell Renewable Power is a leading-edge alternative energy developer that is pioneering the production of electricity from depleted or end-of-life oil and gas wells. For more information contact Malcolm Bell at 604.921.2510 or Robert Young at 604.682.5123 or visit www.GreenWellPower.com
 
On Behalf of the Board
Green Well Renewable Power Corp

J. Malcolm Bell, President and Director

Sologen Systems avoids hype as high potential geothermal electrical generation project moves forward

Frank Smith, the president of Sologen Systems Inc has a secret of sorts, not a complete secret but a kind of lets not talk about this too much too soon secret.  He did put out a press release on December 31, 2009.  He speaks openly with potential investors and is working through numerous levels of regulators. He even spoke to the Alamo Group of the Sierra Club, and those people really do like to blab about what interests them. But he speaks conservatively.  He chooses numbers from the low end of the ranges that the engineers and oil and gas geologists have developed.  He doesn't oversell. 

Smith's semi-secret is that Sologen with Green Well Power LLC and Free Green Energy LLC propose to harness the high temperatures and pressure found at the bottom of some abandoned natural gas wells which are deeper than 10,000 feet to produce kinetic energy which will power a linear drive engine to produce electricity. 

When the number of appropriate wells in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi is multiplied by the conservatively stated potential electrical production of each well, the mind boggles.  The numbers and the implications of the numbers are just too big to grasp and to accept, until they become fact, and that is why the Mr. Smith prefers to keep things quiet for now.


It isn't just the amount of electricity that is hard to grasp.  It is how ideal the project is in other aspects.  In our nation’s energy debates we often discuss environmental trade-offs but the Sologen project seems to involve no such trade-offs.

For instance, this energy production produces no significant greenhouse gases.  Its visual impact is minimal.  It produces power in dispersed locations which is in line with the direction our electrical grid is moving.  It blocks no rivers.  It disturbs no migrating birds and no more wild life than the wells themselves did during their producing years.

The estimated cost of these geothermal generators is far below almost any other source of renewable power (except conservation of course).   It is cheaper than any other widely dispersed geothermal energy source in part because they utilize abandoned wells.  These wells cost millions to drill but are now worthless environmental liabilities.  So this energy producing project can mitigate a potential for contamination that has been known for decades.


The power producing wells require no trainloads of fuel.  No mountains need to be removed, no streams are filled in, no air is polluted.  No radioactivity is utilized.  No great lakes of water are needed to cool them.  No army of technicians and security standby to monitor and prevent disaster.

Perhaps best of all the wells produce baseload power, which means it produces whether or not the sun shines or the winds blow and it is a black start source of power which means it is able to be restarted to produce power without relying on power from the electrical grid.  These two characteristics alone make it superior from a utility point of view. 

The project faces hurdles.  Regulators of oil and gas, underground water, environmental issues, electrical production, landowners, oil and and gas rights holders and all the regulators involved in long term investments must be satisfied.

We may see the first fruits of the Sologen project very soon.   If it comes to fruition it will upend a lot of assumptions about renewable energy put forward by the nuclear, coal and gas industries.  It will be a boon to those of us lucky enough to have the right kind of abandoned well  in our region, and will perhaps become the bedrock of power hungry industry.  If it comes to fruition it will be big.  It will be cover of Time Magazine big.  It will be senators claiming they are responsible for it big.

But for now let's keep it our sort of secret and help Frank Smith avoid the hype.

(Frank Smith spoke briefly at our March 2010 San Antonio Sustainable Living meeting.  My earlier SASL article includes the Sologen press release and a video of the linear drive engine and demonstrates an almost complete lack of understanding of the project on my part.)

Photo by Clearly Ambiguous via Flickr (creative commons).

Paul Stamets' Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World

This TED talk by Paul Stamets is more than two years old but it is a classic. He has found ways that mushrooms can produce energy, fight our common pathogens (bacteria and viruses), fertilize, sequester carbon, kill and then repel carpenter ants and termites and remediate toxic chemicals in the environment.

Read MIT's Technology Review for amazing stories of technological improvement

I recently became addicted to Google's Fast Flip, which as far as I'm concerned is the best way to browse through news sites.

MIT's Technology Review has become one of my favorites. You can flip through the pages of the site by selecting it from among the fifty or so sources for Fast Filp. going to the easily because they cooperate with Google.

One of the best things about this site is that they don't mislead with over hyped headlines and sketchy information.

Here are just a few of the stories that have caught my attention lately.

Gasifying Biomass with Sunlight: A solar-driven process could yield far more fuel than conventional biomass production.

Making Solar Cheaper with Natural Gas: Florida Power and Light has built a solar power plant linked to a natural gas plant.

Catalysts for Plastic Recycling: Chemical process can recycle PET bottles at lower temperatures.

Ultra-Efficient Gas Engine Passes Test: A novel fuel-injection system achieves 64 miles per gallon.

(INACCURATE HEADLINE! SEE UPDATE) Geopressure geothermal electrical production harvests otherwise wasted energy from natural gas production

Geopressure energy involves harnessing the excess pressure in natural gas for production of electricity.  The gas naturally has one hundred to eight hundred times more pressure than needed for household use.  As the gas travels from the well through processing plants and onto storage and use the pressure is reduced at several points along the way.

Since at least the 1980's researchers and entrepreneurs have explored ways to harvest the energy for electrical production.  Because this energy is a byproduct of natural gas production which is currently being wasted it is considered a carbon free energy source. It also provides baseload electrical power which is the sort of power that utilities assert is most needed.  

(While what I wrote about geopresssure is accurate it has nothing to do with the Sologen geothermal energy project as I have since learned.)

 
Below is a press release concerning the award of a contract to a San Antonio company, Sologen Systems to manage a geopressure project that will produce 400 megawatts of power.  They will be making a presentation to certified investors on the project on January 6, 2009 at 7 pm in Concord Plaza. 

Part of the information in the press release was also included in a San Antonio Express News 12/31/2009 article.

 The linear electrical power engine is demonstrated in this video:

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Free Green Energy, LLC announced today, the engagement of San Antonio based Sologen Systems, Inc. as Project Manager for a major enhanced geopressure electrical generating project. The first stage of the project calls for developing a total of 200 geopressured wells in the States of Mississippi and Texas. The project is expected to ultimately generate baseload electrical power of at least 400 megawatts. Total capital cost is estimated to be $280 million.


Free Green Energy's partner in the venture is Green Well Power, LLC of Vancouver, BC. Green Well Power is the exclusive North American licensee for the revolutionary linear power engine which will be used to harvest the wells' kinetic energy and drive the electrical generators. The linear driver was developed and patented by Linear Power, Ltd of Long Beach, Mississippi.


Geothermal and geopressure resources are available across the United States. They provide renewable energy and can supply a constant source of baseload electricity. While the sun and wind are major potential sources of renewable energy, their energy varies greatly over time, as when there is no wind, or at night in the case of solar. Geothermal and geopressure energy however, are not interruptible and provide energy 24/7 while diversifying our nation's renewable energy portfolio.


Geothermal and geopressure energy have low environmental risk and impact. Used with a closed-loop power plant, such as our linear driver, the system has near zero environmental impact and emits no greenhouse gases.


Geothermal and geopressure energy also have the potential to make a significant contribution to energy independence. The resource size and domestic distribution, coupled with technology advancements will help reduce national dependence on hydrocarbons for electricity generation and free these critical resources for other uses.


Free Green Energy, headquartered in Houston, Texas was organized in 2008 to identify and develop geothermal and geopressure energy resources and use them to generate and sell green electricity.


Sologen Systems is a San Antonio, Texas based RE Development Company. Sologen Systems provides turn-key business development, strategic planning, project management and finance solutions for tax-advantaged RE projects. Sologen Systems specializes in large-commercial to utility-scale Solar PV Systems and Enhanced Geothermal & Geopressure Systems. Sologen Systems identifies the available and applicable government subsidies for each project and structures appropriate corporate relationships to maximize tax benefits and ROI.


SOURCE Sologen Systems

Popular Mechanics: Why Texans see green gold in renewable resources

Why Texans See Green Gold in Renewable Resources
As America's petroleum heartland, Texas isn't known for being environmentally sensitive. But its oil-boom, energy savvy attitude could put the state in a surprising position—leading the charge to alternative energy in the U.S.

By Jennifer Bogo, Photographs by Jason Fullford, Published in the December 2009 issue.

Think outside the box! Hilarious but thought provoking sustainable designs by Tom Geisler

Tom Geisler has a knack for parody and for patent style drawing.  On his site, Reduce, Reuse, Reinvent he presents outlandish but professionally illustrated means of baby humanure disposal, electrical power generation by sleepers and the reduction of smog by containing exhaust in plant filled trailer terrariums.  These are chindogu but with a sustainable outlook.

Robert Kennedy Jr tells Solar Energy Industry Association that green technology will overthrow and democratize the energy system in the USA

At the Solar Energy Industry Association, Solar Power 09 conference October 27,2009, Robert F. Kennedy Jr delivered the keynote in which he pointed out that he believes that green technology including solar power will overthrow the oil and coal industries and democratize the energy system in this country which has corrupted our system of government in many ways.

He says that we are now learning that we must protect nature not for the birds but because nature is the infrastructure of our communities. He connects pollution to bad government saying, ""Where ever you see the large scale destruction of the environment you will also see the subversion of American democracy."

RFK Jr's talk begins three minutes into the video below. His voice is affected by spasmodic dysphonia but it doesn't stop him from delivering a powerful and insightful fact filled speech that brings together environmentalism, history, political philosophy and economics.





Thanks to Time is Energy for pointing out this presentation.

What could San Antonio and CPS do with 5.2 billion dollars (instead of putting it toward the cost of more nuclear plants)

Disclaimer: As  a group San Antonio Sustainable Living doesn't take policy positions.  Within our membership we have people who are in favor of nuclear expansion for various reasons and folks who oppose it for various reasons. 

Below is information from Energia Mia, a local coalition that opposes nuclear expansion.  A more complete version of this information is available here.

What Could You do with $5.2 billion?
About 2,500 MW of Total Capacity and 1,100 MW of Baseload Power for a lot less

San Antonio does not actually need 1080 MW – 40 percent of the two nuclear plants of nuclear power in 2020. In fact, CPS Energy is now talking about selling half of that power to other utilities. Still, if they did need 1080 MW of power by 2020, they could get it for less than $5.2 billion, In fact, an analysis found that utilizing cost estimates provided by the consultant hired by Austin Energy, CPS Energy could build the equivalent of over 2,500 MW of total energy capacity, and 1,100 MW of guaranteed electricity for less than $5.2 billion.
 
Among the measures that could more cheaply replace the need for any new nuclear power by 2020 include:

·   A more aggressive efficiency program than the 771 MW of energy efficiency they are estimating;
·   Incorporating the gains in energy efficiency they will obtain from the City’s advanced building codes;
·   Fulfilling the Mission Verde goals of a robust on-site solar program to lower energy demand and produce power locally;
·   Greater investments in wind energy, including wind with storage;
·   A significant investment in large-scale concentrated solar plants with energy storage;
·   Taking advantage of geothermal renewable energy in South Texas;
·   Investing in an additional efficient combined cycle natural gas plant;
·   Investing in industrial and institutional combined heat and power facilities;
·   Investing in a medium-scale biomass facility;
·   A more aggressive low-interest loan program for homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient and add solar water heaters and panels;
·   Improving energy efficiency services to those San Antonians least able to afford increased rates to make sure bill impacts stay low;
·   Utilizing the millions of dollars available in stimulus funds to promote energy efficiency and renewable power in San Antonio

What can you get for $5.2 Billion? Why not put our energy eggs into less risky baskets?

Extra 200 MW of Energy Efficiency                              Cost: $100 million
Install 500 MW of wind                                         Cost: $1 billion
Develop a 500 MW Solar on Rooftops Program           Cost: $210 million
Develop 500 MW of Utility-Scale Solar                    Cost: $1 billion
Install 200 MW of Wind Turbines plus Storage          Cost: $550 million
Install 100 MW of geothermal                                        Cost: $400 million
Build a 100 MW Biomass Plant                               Cost: $285 million

New Mexico Tres Amigas project intended to efficiently connect the three USA electric grids and allow for more widespread distribution of renewable generated electricity

Among the criticisms leveled against some forms of renewable energy is that the resources for generating such power are not evenly distributed and that the areas most suitable for wind and large scale solar power generation are far from population centers. 

Electricity can be sent from place to place however currently within the USA there are three distinct power grids with little or no inter-connectivity between them.

The Tres Amigas project in New Mexico is intended to connect the three grids to allow power generated within the territory of one grid to be efficiently transmitted to another grid.

From TresAmigas LLC:

Tres Amigas, LLC is uniting the electric grid.  Utilizing the latest advances in power grid technology, Tres Amigas is focused on providing the first common interconnection of America’s three power grids to help the country achieve its renewable energy goals and facilitate the smooth, reliable and efficient transfer of green power from region to region.  Tres Amigas, LLC is a merchant transmission entity composed of electric utility industry operational, technology and thought leaders.  More information is available at www.tresamigasllc.com.

The Tres Amigas SuperStation will act as a power market hub, enabling the buying and selling of electricity between the nation’s three Interconnections, which is not possible today.  Wind, solar, hydro and geothermal renewable energy sources that do not currently have access to transmission lines and/or customers will be able to tap into multiple markets through the Tres Amigas SuperStation.  For example, regions rich in solar energy will be able to buy electricity at night, when the sun is not shining, from regions rich in wind energy.  As a merchant transmission system, Tres Amigas will charge a fee for usage of the power hub.

The Tres Amigas renewable energy market hub will be constructed in Clovis, New Mexico, a location that has easy access to all three of the nation’s power grids.   New Mexico’s State Land Office already has granted Tres Amigas, LLC the right to lease 14,400 acres (22.5 square miles) of land in Clovis for this system.  Tres Amigas, LLC is now in the process of filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a declaratory order that transmission lines that connect to Tres Amigas from ERCOT will not come under the jurisdiction of FERC and that Tres Amigas can be operated as a merchant transmission entity.

Thanks to Cindy Weehler of Energia Mia for passing along information about this project.

An overview prepared by Solar San Antonio of The Rifkin Report “San Antonio: Leading the Way Forward to the Third Industrial Revolution”

The following is an overview of Jeremy Rifken's report “San Antonio: Leading the Way Forward to the Third Industrial Revolution”. This overview was prepared by Solar San Antonio and is available in Word Document form on their website at this link.

THE RIFKIN REPORT – An Overview

The following is an overview of “San Antonio: Leading the Way Forward to the Third Industrial Revolution” prepared by Solar San Antonio. The full report can be read and/or downloaded at http://www.solarsanantonio.org/pdf/A_Vision_for_Sustainability.pdf
The plan incorporates the principles of what Mr. Rifkin calls the Third Industrial Revolution

Prelude: Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction.

Pillar One: Renewable Energy – Wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and other renewable energy sources; some centralized and lots of distributed.

Pillar Two: Buildings as Power Plants – After energy efficiency is achieved, then solar, micro-wind, etc. are added to meet part of building’s energy needs and, if possible, make building a net energy provider.

Pillar Three: Hydrogen Storage – Use the hydrogen solution to energy storage to make renewable/hydrogen hybrid the baseload power supply.

Pillar Four: Smart Grid and Plug-in Vehicles – Establish an electric grid that can manage energy consumption and receipt of power from thousands of disbursed energy generators.

Press Conference: San Antonio City Council vote delayed due to accidental disclosure that CPS knew their estimate of costs was 4 billion dollars low

At 4:21 into the video, CPS interim General Manager, Steve Bartley acknowledges that CPS knew about Toshiba's 4 billion dollar price estimate increase for a week and a half before the city council and mayor were told.

The Rifken Report: "San Antonio Leading the Way Forward to the Third Industrial Revolution" --without supplemental material

The following has been transferred from a pdf which is freely available on the web. The authors clearly hope that there work will be influential so I don't think they will object to it being posted here.  I have not included the supplemental information.  Without it the report is 75 pages long.  Some images and tables are missing from this version of the report. 


You can obtain the full 133 page pdf from the Solar San Antonio site: http://www.solarsanantonio.org/pdf/A_Vision_for_Sustainability.pdf 

San Antonio Leading the Way Forward to the Third Industrial Revolution

Table of Contents
Preface
San Antonio: Leading the way forward
The Current Economic Circumstance in San Antonio
Energy Efficiency: A Critical Foundation Principle
First Pillar: Distributed Renewable Energy
Second Pillar: Buildings as Power Plants
Third Pillar: Energy Storage
Fourth Pillar: Smart Grids and Smart Infrastructure
The Distributed Social Vision
Mapping the Transition
Supplemental Information
Recommendations from Third Industrial Revolution Global CEO Business Roundtable participants

The Boy who Harnessed the Wind

What do you want a windmill for? This man changed lives with the ones he built.

UTSA's Autonomous Control Engineering lab works on Energy Systems of Systems to integrate renewables into power grid

Every day it seems that progress is made in the production of some sort or renewable energy. But how can these energy sources be integrated into the power grid efficiently and effectively?

At UTSA the Autonomous Control Engineering lab or at least part of it is looking into it. At the Fredericksburg Renewable Energy Roundup a UTSA student representing the department explained how his work involved looking into making the conversion of DC power to AC power and back again for some appliances more efficient.

That is just part of a larger effort to build Energy System of Systems (SoSE) technology which would allow existing and new power sources to be integrated with improved performance and at a reduced cost.

SoSE grew out of Defense Department needs to coordinate and integrate a large number of diverse systems in an environment of uncertainty. In recent years this approach has been applied to complex systems that arise when various systems interact with one another. The complexity itself creates uncertainty which the engineers must deal with, but in many environments the systems themselves are subject to change which creates even more uncertainty.

UTSA professor and director of the Autonomous Control Engineering Center, Mo Jamshidi, Ph.D. is among the world's leading experts on SoSE. As we switch from a system in which our electrical energy came from a small number of roughly similar plants to a system that will include generators that harvest wind and solar power along with such seasonably variable sources as biomass energy the need for Systems of Systems Engineering will continue to grow.

UTSA intends to be at the center of SoSE developments.

Wind Turbines a popular item at 2009 Renewable Energy Roundup

In addition to the Honeywell home wind turbine a number of other innovative and improved wind turbines were on display at the 2009 Renewable Energy Roundup.


Joe Kaminski of Wilson Energy demonstrated Aquilo Power's vertical windmill.


Abundant Renewable Energy of Newberg, Oregon displayed their super strong power generating windmills.


The Energy Ball windmill from Home Energy Americas LLC, (a division of Sweden's Home Energy) and installed by Round Rock's Casa Bella Verde operates at very low wind speeds. Tests indicate that it's sound is not detectable above background noise. San Antonio company Southwest Clean Energy also sells and installs the Energy Ball.

Honeywell branded Windtronics home wind turbine displayed at Renewable Energy Roundup 2009 (Updated Dec 2010)

2009 Windtronics windmill

Some of us got our first look up close at the Windtronics home wind turbine that is being sold under the Honeywell name. Windbucks a Fredericksburg company that intends to become a certified installer had the turbine on display.


It looks like a giant bicycle wheel with small pieces of plastic to catch the wind and make it spin. There are some magnets mounted at the top of the white fender-like frame. As the wheel spins past the magnets electricity is produced.
A notice on the booth said that the installed cost for the turbine would be $5,200 after tax rebates.


Residential Wind Turbines can qualify for a tax credit of 30% (including labor and materials with no maximum.) Of course talk to a trusted tax adviser before you make any purchase based on an expected tax credit.

June 26 post on Honeywell turbine.
 

December 2010 update
This post continues to get lots of hits.  I've been meaning to do another one based on my conversations with the folks at Windbucks at the 2010 Renewable Roundup but since folks are still coming to this post I think I just zip out a few paragraphs here.

According to the guys at Windbucks, the white model was not ever made available for sale.  It didn't pass muster somehow.  

The 2010 Windtronics Windmill 

The new model (the black one) has passed muster though and Windbucks folks will do a turn key installation on it.


As best I can  tell it is a bit larger than the previous model.

I believe the specs on it are a bit different as are the suggested uses.  It is still able to generate power with a light breeze and it has the same basic design principles as the 2009 model but it seems stronger and more substantial in 2010.