tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62141290336065127012024-03-13T15:20:54.741-07:00Photoelectric DreamsPhotomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.comBlogger540125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-43482245304473908082017-05-20T14:57:00.001-07:002017-05-20T14:57:56.898-07:00South Korea - The Next Big Solar Market"<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #4c4c4c; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Currently, the country<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://data.oecd.org/energy/renewable-energy.htm" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 0px; color: #168dd9; cursor: pointer; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">ranks the lowest</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #4c4c4c; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for renewable energy use among the 35 members of the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries."</span><br />
<br />
https://qz.com/983626/moon-jae-in-south-koreas-new-president-is-shutting-down-10-big-coal-power-plants-in-his-first-week-in-office/<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6M4_Ommfvv0" width="854"></iframe><br />Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-28928427609723208312017-05-01T13:25:00.000-07:002017-05-06T12:15:27.728-07:00A Tale of Two Tribes<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewFBd7WpqTj8KxG9002iRzcFz17XEOSEu4drwkt5uLE9FWWS_1h6AAA03pUrJeEAzdeyHt70Hd2M6vFjMNSsnVeN50er-jEg9IcJsh1WVLlPE0cfRm0yYSBwFBcQfjoi-9PXsY5Zc9ac/s1600/Vol-01-48_Apache-gaun-1906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewFBd7WpqTj8KxG9002iRzcFz17XEOSEu4drwkt5uLE9FWWS_1h6AAA03pUrJeEAzdeyHt70Hd2M6vFjMNSsnVeN50er-jEg9IcJsh1WVLlPE0cfRm0yYSBwFBcQfjoi-9PXsY5Zc9ac/s320/Vol-01-48_Apache-gaun-1906.jpg" width="320" /></a>Navaho Generating Station vs. Dakota Access Pipeline</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up in the Dakotas the Sioux are suing to stop an oil pipeline. Down in Four Corners the Hopi are hoping to save a coal plant. Some argue this is a story about Cultural Identity vs. Job Security but that's all wallpaper sideshow bullshit. The reason we're seeing these stories in the national news is because this is a tribal battle between fossil fuels. It's gas and oil up against coal. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Peabody coal, the largest coal company in the US, owns the mine that supplies the Navajo Generating station. Peabody is very concerned about the financial impact the plant's closure will have on ratepayers in the Southwest. They commissioned a study (aka: paid for a result) that found "<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Arizona ratepayers would save $700 million keeping the plant open through 2040." That's 30 million a year. Thanks for looking out Peabody. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Here's the problem... The owner/operator of the plant, the Salt River Project, did their own study which came to a much different conclusion. They estimate operating the plant beyond 2019 will incur losses of $100 million to $150 million a year. So on second thought... Fuck you Peabody. Fuck you very much. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Ya know how they say gamblers have a tell when they're bluffing? Here's the tell that tells you all you need to know about the economics of coal plants. If coal plants still have value to investors/ratepayers you can reason that somebody with fat stacks of cash would be scooping up all these facilities on the cheap. </span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 0px none; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Commissioner Boyd Dunn asked Juan Correa, a Lazard Freres & Co. consultant working for Peabody, whether he could name any examples of where a buyer had been found for a coal plant that utilities had voted to close.</span></span></div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 0px none; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Correa sighed. "There is not one that comes to mind," he said." - </span></span></div>
</blockquote>
ZERO, ZILCH, ZIP, ZOT, OUGHT,<br />
NADA, NIL, NIX, NONE, NOUGHT<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Suggested Reading: <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060052835">Southwest asks: If coal dies, what comes next?</a></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, </span></span><a href="http://nypost.com/2017/05/06/why-environmentalists-wont-support-this-native-american-cause/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crocodile Tears</span></span></a>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-87547447935546358522017-04-13T13:35:00.002-07:002017-04-13T13:35:47.948-07:00Stay Classy Marlene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqH4fErUN7feRZ8kEzPk6biq9H9vTqzqyhCL5Roak_vd7ZNTnowBC6zdBcS3VlHs-rk9-5bZJnWAOnANM74FvfID2S7-2uVHctt9IYf9qCG5fTUVnl1bn7Vp24d3ACm18at5fbY9CQmYU/s1600/Navajo-Generating-Sta_Wylo-300x228.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqH4fErUN7feRZ8kEzPk6biq9H9vTqzqyhCL5Roak_vd7ZNTnowBC6zdBcS3VlHs-rk9-5bZJnWAOnANM74FvfID2S7-2uVHctt9IYf9qCG5fTUVnl1bn7Vp24d3ACm18at5fbY9CQmYU/s320/Navajo-Generating-Sta_Wylo-300x228.png" width="320" /></a></div>
When Marlene Fowler wakes up in the northern Arizona town of Kaibeto, she can see a yellow-green haze on the horizon. But Fowler's not worried about the pollution. It's her husband's job at the Navajo Generating Station that has her on edge.<br />
<br />
"Even though they say the pollution is all this and that, it's been there years," she says.Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-82257576191289123232016-03-28T11:57:00.004-07:002016-03-28T13:00:37.147-07:00The Kills<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/498zUzNGQxY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-18638814705394563682016-01-27T12:09:00.000-08:002016-01-27T12:09:51.430-08:00Way Down Inside<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fNpidAAMQSo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4m5KrPXL4wI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-40419713122975152782015-07-22T21:21:00.000-07:002015-07-22T21:21:00.503-07:00Walk to Seven ElevenOh Ho Madonna...
What kind a Mana?
Are you cooking on your highs.
Say Hey Cassandra...
I do demand ya...
To Dance out that Opus in your thighs. Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-23603750922316896412015-01-12T13:22:00.003-08:002015-01-12T13:22:34.021-08:00Trivia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqtzBwfD_zjLVfaEfhua6GLKklFvyzOgKBEjsMSmAWxRjaVsurRM0qiNLweAjrJ7zx6BeIlf4pO4hAt2DvaXW-46EpQRWLWnMJq10CRUAAmLtebV3ZYAkZq5jLnJ3A-ARL6NAeFdTeY8/s1600/150108jhe+journalism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqtzBwfD_zjLVfaEfhua6GLKklFvyzOgKBEjsMSmAWxRjaVsurRM0qiNLweAjrJ7zx6BeIlf4pO4hAt2DvaXW-46EpQRWLWnMJq10CRUAAmLtebV3ZYAkZq5jLnJ3A-ARL6NAeFdTeY8/s640/150108jhe+journalism.jpg" /></a></div>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-53006419166585574182014-10-01T10:25:00.001-07:002014-10-01T10:25:13.355-07:00Talk Talk Song<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='532' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ubvV498pyIM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-44072748371878917092014-09-24T20:18:00.003-07:002014-10-01T10:24:13.532-07:00These cracks are bad muther... Shut your Mouth!!! Hey baby, I'm just talking about cracks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://breakingenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/crooks-climate-march.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_458342="null" src="http://breakingenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/crooks-climate-march.jpg" fua="true" height="497" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='532' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dmy64SxTUyM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-38341521065596534822014-09-17T22:18:00.001-07:002014-09-17T22:18:29.033-07:00Wolves are Pretty Badass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='532' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ysa5OBhXz-Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-23952910234834358532014-09-17T22:06:00.001-07:002014-09-17T22:06:04.672-07:00Recommended Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i0.wp.com/barbequelovers.com/wp-content/uploads/SolarGrillDesign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://i0.wp.com/barbequelovers.com/wp-content/uploads/SolarGrillDesign2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Must be read in order for full effect. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">First: <a href="http://inhabitat.com/wilson-solar-grill-stores-the-suns-energy-for-nighttime-fuel-free-grilling/">Wilson Solar Grill Stores the Sun's Energy for Nighttime Fuel-Free Grilling</a></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Second: <a href="http://barbequelovers.com/grills/a-solar-grill-prototype-for-a-greener-tomorrow">A Solar Cooker Prototype for a Greener Tomorrow</a><br />
<br />
<br />
</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-92212667203405418392014-08-29T09:21:00.002-07:002014-08-29T09:21:50.439-07:00Module Price vs. Installed Capacity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN44G2uqpJ4eYft7L6v43jijw4UMw_nmtoxr6HPJfpjPlqW1ehMhuQfOu6xBR5apjsv9sG7gJRi8f5v9FNqwALATHBGrffYMV2cdmHKIVE-wQcdxv6FdIuXmVcCgLajCgqAeSNrLLDZu4/s1600/Cost+vs+Capacity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN44G2uqpJ4eYft7L6v43jijw4UMw_nmtoxr6HPJfpjPlqW1ehMhuQfOu6xBR5apjsv9sG7gJRi8f5v9FNqwALATHBGrffYMV2cdmHKIVE-wQcdxv6FdIuXmVcCgLajCgqAeSNrLLDZu4/s1600/Cost+vs+Capacity.png" /></a></div>
<br />Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-25341073826820567422014-08-20T23:18:00.002-07:002014-08-20T23:18:28.304-07:00QOTD<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #2d2b2c; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 18px/23.1px akzidenz-grotesk-std-bloom, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">“Back in the days, our lignite plants were inflexible, produced power around the clock and were always earning money. Now they are as flexible as gas plants.”</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #2d2b2c; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 18px/23.1px akzidenz-grotesk-std-bloom, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #2d2b2c; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 18px/23.1px akzidenz-grotesk-std-bloom, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #2d2b2c; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 18px/23.1px akzidenz-grotesk-std-bloom, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-24/german-utilities-bail-out-electric-grid-at-wind-s-mercy.html">Ulrich Hartmann - Executive board member at RWE’s generation unit</a></span></span>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-24721135437038089902014-07-04T22:19:00.000-07:002014-07-04T22:19:00.342-07:00QOTDThe Sioshansi et al., (2009) analysis found that a modest rated capacity of sotrage (0.7% peak load, 1.2% average load) reduced the value of storage arbitrage by as much as 10%.
<a href="http://www.energy.unimelb.edu.au/files/site1/docs/39/20140227%20reduced%20.pdf">Opportunities for Pumped Hydro Energy Storage in Australia</a> Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-50525013685038539352014-07-04T17:24:00.000-07:002014-07-04T17:24:12.007-07:00Recommended Reading<a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/pumped-hydro-the-forgotten-storage-solution-47248">Pumped hydro – the forgotten storage solution</a>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-12268942542621029512014-07-03T07:44:00.003-07:002014-07-03T07:44:55.441-07:00Eight Million Watts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-6035414156929174802014-06-27T16:12:00.005-07:002014-06-27T16:12:59.297-07:00Are you Hungry? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-89227223030688420582014-06-27T13:17:00.003-07:002014-06-27T15:14:14.029-07:00EE Jeez - Do you believe in a Higher Power? Originally posted here.
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http://www.renewablesinternational.net/eeg-rip/150/537/79862/
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Hmmm... Land lords can make hot water/air with a heat pump and then sell the hot water and space heating by the kwh-th to the renters. Would this arrangement get around the surcharge?
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Another way to get around the surcharge could involve district heating systems. You could imagine a home/business owner who has photoelectrics and an auxiliary heat pump but is also connected to district heating. These end-users could back feed hot water into the system if they had surplus power. The idea would be to trade heat back and forth with the system rather than electricity. With all the surplus power in the summer it might make sense to back feed cold water into these district heating systems for a few months to provide cooling. I live in a similar climate to Southern Germany so I don't need an AC system but I was at the Vet yesterday and they had AC and it was nice. If I had cheap AC available I'd use it. In Germany the heat pump earns its keep in the winter but this same tool could provide some wasteful comfort in the summer as well.
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Advertising went through a funny genre back 50s when electricity started getting cheap... All those adverts with a tag line about how the housewife can free up her day by getting a Whirlpool washing machine and dryer. Save time for the things you want to do... What was that Electricity character's name? Shockley? Buzz? Can't remember... Point is, green power producers need to encourage consumers to buy their product too. Key inspirational jingle... Picture a dog sticking his head out the window with a flappy smile. The screen asks... Do dogs love the wind? Switch to a time-lapse of daisies following the arc of the sun. Do Daisies love the Sun? Switch to a handsome man closing up a dishwasher and selecting the Leaf button. At Bosche we build our Green Means Go products with a clean power mode. Quick clips showing a sunrise then sun hitting solar panels on a roof then cut to a water heater control panel... Green Means Go appears on the display... switching on. Clip to a shot of a stainless steel refrigerator... Then another Green Means Go appearing on a control panel... Make ice... Find out more at www... Key happy ending jingle...
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I find the application of the surcharge to self-consumption to be rather despicable - like old school silent movie villain tying up the girl to the train tracks evil. It's a joke of a bad bad idea... A smaller FiT would be preferable and more logical than a tax on self-consumption. It's clear the opposition isn't just playing dirty - they're playing stupid filthy. Green power doesn't have the option of playing dirty... It needs to Play Smart... That could be the tag line of a poster. They're playing dirty. We're playing smart. Yeah... it's hokey... but it's true. There's a moral angle that can be addressed with a play on words... Do you believe in a Higher Power?
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The advocacy needs to spend a lot more time thinking about consumption rather than production - specifically the controlled consumption of Green Power and the controlled avoidance of Filthy Power. It will take some time to get things rolling but Germany can significantly reduce the cost of the surcharge and show that Photoelectrics/Wind can be economically integrated into the system.Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-39433598057790198252014-06-14T22:08:00.000-07:002014-06-14T22:21:12.528-07:00Dear BSW<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Dear BSW, </div>
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I’m having a difficult time understanding why BSW is promoting the installation of batteries? Batteries, while interesting, are currently too expensive to meaningfully contribute to the value proposition of solar and will likely remain so for at least 10 more years. With the solar industry currently under attack now is no time to promote uncompetitive technologies. There are two priorities at the moment: 1. Improve the value proposition of solar against the backdrop of falling FiTs. 2. Control the surcharge costs. It is well understood that raising self-consumption rates can significantly improve the value of solar. Batteries can indeed improve self-consumption but there are several other ways to improve self-consumption at a 10th of the cost. Given the pressure of the situation the cheapest and most flexible ways to improve self-consumption should be the focus. Here’s a quote from a solar researcher that summarizes the situation. </div>
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"According to Henning’s modelling work, a future decarbonised system will be dominated by variable renewables such as solar and wind, where 40% of the remaining heat demand (after efficiency measures) is met by heat pumps. In such a system, heat pumps are a powerful asset because they can store energy, albeit in thermal not electric form. “Heat storage is much more important than electricity storage,” believes Henning. “Heat pumps are a back-stop technology in a renewable energy system.” <br />
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<a href="http://www.energypost.eu/heat-pumps-waiting-final-push/">Dr. Hans-Martin Henning - Fraunhofer Institute </a><br />
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Dr. Henning has calculated the future battery needs of Germany at 35 GWh compared to thermal storage needs of over 800 GWh. This speculative forecast suggests that both types of storage will eventually need to be pursued but I’d argue that the current economics strongly favour focusing on thermal storage over batteries. Small scale thermal storage devices cost approximately $10 per kWh of storage. Small scale battery systems cost $1000 per kWh. We’ve all heard that battery costs are falling but I don’t see batteries ever becoming as cheap as insulated hot water tanks that most people already have in their homes. <br />
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The combination of heat pumps with thermal storage won't only improve the self-consumption of solar power - heat pumps and thermal storage are also an essential part of integrating wind. This brings me back to Priority 2 – Controlling the surcharge… It is a relatively small technical matter to send signals to homes and businesses telling them how much wind and solar power are available in the market. It is also a small matter to have heat pumps (and smart appliances in general) schedule their operation to be coordinated with the availability of solar and wind. If you meaningfully increase load on the system when wind and solar are available it will hold up the prices of electricity on the wholesale market. This means the surcharge will be held in check and quite possibly reduced. Polls suggest that Germans overwhelmingly support wind and solar. Give them the market signals they need to prove their support. While I don’t give a damn about coal plant operators I’m sure they’d appreciate it if wholesale prices stopped going down. <br />
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The electrification of heating via heat pumps has multiple benefits of which I’m sure you are aware – environmental, economic and political. I’d like to point out a benefit I haven’t seen mentioned. The use of electricity for heating will increase the volume of electricity sold on the market. More electricity sold means the surcharge costs can be reduced by division over more sales. The ultimate potential of heat pumps to increase electricity use is very large – several hundred TWh per year. <br />
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While heat pumps and smart appliances could be used to improve the value of solar/wind and help control the surcharge moving forward they could also help control the surcharge moving backwards. By this I mean a focus should be put on deploying heat pumps and smart appliances at locations that have installed solar in the last few years. Every kWh of homemade production that is used in-house will help reduce the surcharge pool. I don’t have high quality statistics that would allow me to make a rigorous estimate of the potential savings but my ballpark calculation is that the surcharge balance can be reduced by 500 million using this technique. It is not the maximum savings that matter so much. What matters is that positive steps are being taken to control the surcharge. Too often I hear solar/wind promoters say that Germans don’t mind paying extra to support solar and wind. Even if this is true I’m willing to bet that Germans wouldn’t mind paying a little less extra to support solar and wind. <br />
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The math shows that solar will continue to be an attractive investment in Germany depending on how much production can be self-consumed. I think the numbers also show that attractive Internal Rates of Return would exist even if the solar FiTs were universally reduced to the level of Wind FiTs - 9 cents/kWh. If solar FiTs were reduced to 9 cents/kWh it would make them approximately 6 cents above the current wholesale rates of 3 cents/kwh – wholesale rates which appear to be bankrupting generators so I don’t see them going lower. This 6 cent/kWh differential price is roughly equal to the current surcharge. If load continues to fall in Germany the surcharge will inevitably go up because the total costs are being divided by less volume. But if load increased by X amount a year you could add X amount of new 6 cent premium wind/solar a year and it wouldn’t change the surcharge. What would this look like? In rough numbers, 500,000 new residential heat pumps would increase load by around 2 TWh. This would allow 2 GW of solar to be installed without impacting the surcharge. Again, this is not rigorous math – I’m only showing how controlling the surcharge is a function of future FiT rates as well as future load and to make the case that there needs to be a more integrated policy that manages these factors. It pains me to see BSW promoting batteries when it’s imminently clear that your best allies are heat pump manufacturers and installers, the wind industry and the smart appliance manufacturers. <br />
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Here’s a parting thought. One way to reach a compromise with industry would be to leave the legacy surcharge costs where they are and focus on incremental costs moving forward. This means you’d grandfather industry from the first 6 cents/kWh of the surcharge. If industry were forced to share in all incremental surcharge costs above 6 cents/kwh it would somewhat address the concerns from Brussels. If you could make a rigorous case that the surcharge won’t go any higher industry would have a strong incentive to support this kind of a deal because they would be buying free protection from the current surcharge – it goes without saying that industry would be required to support a mandate of zero self-consumption taxes across the board. <br />
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Good luck with the upcoming compromise. I very much want to see your energy transition succeed. <br />
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Respectfully, <br />
PhotomofoPhotomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-87480555833656948002014-06-13T15:43:00.001-07:002014-06-17T21:46:06.075-07:00<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
The Flesh
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<a href="http://www.ibew.org/articles/13ElectricalWorker/EW1304/Nuclear.0413.html">Cheap Gas a Threat to Nuclear Power</a>
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The Fantasy
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<a href="http://www.nei.org/News-Media/News/News-Archives/Exelon-on-the-2014-PJM-Capacity-Market-Auction">Exelon on the 2014 PJM Capacity Market Auction</a></div>
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Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-30027203444261034282014-06-02T07:06:00.001-07:002014-06-02T07:07:42.881-07:00QOTD<blockquote>
"We have to build a mind-boggling amount of infrastructure to scale up renewables, and it won't happen overnight."
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<a href="http://www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2014/05/salem-coal-power-plant">Rev. Jeff Barz-Snell</a></blockquote>
Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-78573336817829226602014-05-29T23:03:00.001-07:002014-05-29T23:03:42.049-07:00Mac BandyI heard today that google searches for Climate Change are down 85% in the last seven years. This suggests that Climate Change messaging sucks. Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-22630519786457897562014-05-29T12:43:00.002-07:002014-05-29T12:44:14.628-07:00Recommended Viewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-86010683803741570832014-05-26T04:38:00.002-07:002014-05-26T04:38:19.141-07:00Recommended Reading<a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/may/divest-coal-trustees-050714.html">Stanford to divest from coal companies</a>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214129033606512701.post-18189191530666818782014-05-26T04:24:00.005-07:002014-05-26T04:24:49.792-07:00QOTD<blockquote>And of course we have to answer open questions, eg, to control the power grid when many solar panels and wind turbines feed their electricity. But these are harmless problems towards finding a repository for radioactive waste or the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Detlef Neuhaus</blockquote>Photomofohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109527252869914625noreply@blogger.com0