Maine to Harvest Ocean Energy

From the Boston Globe
Maine paves way for tapping ocean energy

3 utilities get OK to use tidal flows to generate power

By David Sharp |  Associated Press  April 25, 2012

PORTLAND, Maine - Maine regulators put three utilities on the path to distribute electricity harnessed from tides at the nation’s eastern tip Tuesday, a key milestone in a bid to turn the natural rise and fall of ocean levels into power.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission set terms for a contract that would be in place for 20 years.
The regulators also directed the three utilities to negotiate with Ocean Renewable Power Co. to put electricity onto the grid this summer, the first long-term power purchase agreements for tidal energy in the United States.

“It’s a landmark in the commercialization of tidal energy in the US,’’ said Chris Sauer, president and chief executive of the Portland company.

Ocean Renewable intends to install its first underwater turbine unit this summer on Cobscook Bay under a demonstration project.

Power production will begin modestly, with a pilot program calling for production of 4 megawatts, enough to power up more than 1,000 homes by 2016.

Power production will begin modestly, with the first unit producing enough electricity for 20 to 25 homes; the pilot program calls for additional units at sites off both Lubec and Eastport to bring production to 4 megawatts, enough to power up more than 1,000 homes by 2016.
All told, the company sees up to 50 megawatts of tidal power potential off Lubec and Eastport, home to one of the world’s best tidal sites, where the tide rises and falls 20 feet twice a day.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission established what is called a contract term sheet for the project. It sets the rate to be paid for the tide-generated electricity at 21.5 cents per kilowatt hour, a subsidized rate that is far higher than the current standard offer of about 11 to 12 cents paid by most Maine residents.
Central Maine Power, Bangor Hydro Electric Co., and Maine Public Service Co. will negotiate a contract with Ocean Renewable under the framework established by regulators.
Richard Davies, Maine’s public advocate, said there were some mixed emotions over setting a rate that is so much higher than the current cost of electricity.
But Davies and his staff came down in support of the project because the cost of energy produced by fossil fuels will likely grow much faster than the cost of tidal energy over the course of the 20-year contract. In fact, he said, the energy could become competitive within five years.
The 21.5-cent rate, which grows 2 percent a year over the contract, makes the project feasible, Sauer said. It will be subsidized through a previously established state fund.
Ocean Renewable’s Maine Tidal Energy Project is one of two tidal programs to receive pilot project licenses earlier this year from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The other company, Verdant Power, is working to advance its own tidal energy system in New York City’s East River.
Verdant’s design looks a lot like a wind turbine, only it is underwater. Ocean Renewable uses rotating foils that lend the appearance of a manual reel mower for cutting grass.
Officials in Canada are watching the Maine project with interest. Ocean Renewable and Nova Scotia’s Fundy Tidal Inc. hope to install the same units in waters off Nova Scotia, where Bay of Fundy offers even greater tidal power potential, officials have said.

Old meets new

Saw this today. Enjoyed the old meets new plus multiple forms of transportation. Not to mention I took this from an automotive bridge with an iPhone looking out of my hybrid.

India builds a solar farm to power a medium size city!

India flips the switch on world’s largest solar power plant

By Jess Zimmerman

The Indian state of Gujarat has built the world’s largest solar photovoltaic power plant, a field of solar panels the size of Lower Manhattan. After only 14 months of preparation, they’ve just switched it on, adding 600 MW of power to the grid. That’s enough to power a medium-sized city’s worth of homes. Thing is HUGE.
The 5,000-acre solar park should help India meet its ambitious plans for moving to sustainable energy. The country aims to be at 15 percent renewables by 2020 — right now it’s only at 6 percent. Projects like the Gujarat plant will help by taking advantage of India’s intense sunshine.
However, India’s already in danger of being pushed out of the record-holding spot for world’s biggest power plant. Tunisia is working on a 2,000-MW plant, to open by 2016. The Gujarat solar field is already the size of some towns, so it’s not clear how much bigger plants can get — at least in non-desert countries — before they start having to build them over homes, fields, and household pets. Maybe it’s FINALLY time to start panelling the Moon, like I’ve been saying all along.

Dorchester Solar Field Now Opperational

National Grid's Dorchester's Solar farm is now operational.

Nice to see everyone's fine work producing renewable energy!

A Working Model of Efficiency

The Boston Globe continued its review of the new 5 Channel Center that is being transformed into exemplar of green technologies.

A Working Model of Efficency



On the outside, the future home of energy research firm Fraunhofer CSE looks like one more century-old mill building on Boston’s waterfront. But within its walls, architects and contractors are rapidly turning the structure into a $22 million modern marvel of energy efficiency.
By year’s end, Fraunhofer will transform the building into a laboratory of the world’s newest clean-energy technologies. The windows will double as solar panels; walls will absorb and release heat. The lighting systems will adjust themselves based on the amount of available sunlight, and special flooring will help control the interior temperature. Inside, a public exhibit will explain how the technologies function, and how much energy is being saved.
“This building will be a massively interactive and dynamic showcase for these new products,’’ said Nolan Browne, managing director of Fraunhofer’s Center for Sustainable Energy Systems. “You will be able to see in real time how things are working, as well as their durability and return on investment.’’

Related

• Graphic: Fraunhofer’s new headquarters

Fraunhofer helps to develop and commercialize clean-energy technologies for businesses and government agencies. A nonprofit founded in 2008, it is part of an international research network spearheaded by Germany’s Fraunhofer Society, Europe’s largest contract research and development organization.

Located at 5 Channel Center in Boston’s Innovation District, the building project is being financed with a package of more than $10 million in state and federal grants, loans, and tax credits. Fraunhofer is also using $2.7 million in products donated by nearly 40 companies, virtually a who’s who of building material manufacturers. Among the donors are Dow Corning Corp., DuPont Co., Siemens, and Massachusetts start-ups such as Bytelight, which makes lighting systems that transmit digital communications to smartphones and other devices.

‘In terms of meeting the area’s economic development goals, [this project] has a lot of horsepower to it.’

Dick Galvin Developer

The building will house about 60 Fraunhofer employees when it opens later this year. Browne said he ultimately hopes to get the firm’s local head count up to 100.
The renovation is emblematic of a broader transformation unfolding on the South Boston Waterfront. Once a decaying center of bygone industries, the area was anointed as the Innovation District by Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston and is attracting an array of new companies, from the drug giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. to the public relations firm Fama PR.
Menino said in a statement that incorporating technologies from such a wide array of companies will help create additional jobs in the clean-energy sector. “Fraunhofer CSE’s research partnerships mean we can continue to push ahead here with even more cost-effective and advanced building energy technologies,’’ the mayor said.
Fraunhofer’s new facility is one of a series of old Boston Wharf Co. buildings being renovated by developer Dick Galvin. His complex at Channel Center already includes a mix of residences, offices, shops, and restaurants.
“This project is the personification of the Innovation District,’’ said Galvin. “In terms of meeting the area’s economic development goals, it has a lot of horsepower to it.’’

DiMella Shaffer/Fraunhofer/rendering

Pointing an iPad at walls and floors will yield energy-saving data.

Fraunhofer executives said they hope the building becomes the epicenter of a growing clean-energy cluster in the district. Kurt Roth, leader of the organization’s building energy efficiency group, said using the building to prove the effectiveness of new technologies will help spur broader market adoption and create jobs at the companies that develop them.
“Most of these are emerging or newer products, and that’s where we can add the most value,’’ Roth said. “These companies need validation to help them get to scale’’ to manufacture their products for commercial sale.
The public exhibit will allow visitors to see how the technologies function in real time. One feature will allow people to point an iPad tablet computer at the building’s floors and walls, and get information on special insulation and radiant-heat flooring systems under the surface. Another feature allows users to manipulate a virtual 3D model of the building to view the design of its HVAC systems and other technologies.
Fraunhofer executives said they hope the exhibit will attract visitors from high schools and community colleges, in addition to architects and other real estate industry professionals.
“We wanted to do this because there is a tremendous market need for it in the United States,’’ said Browne, the firm’s managing director. “It’s about jobs and economic growth today, and if we’re looking for a platform to rebuild the economy, we believe building energy efficiency is a great way to go.’’
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.