The Iowa legislature is considering bills that would provide broad support for nuclear energy. The bills, recently introduced for study in the commerce subcommittees of the Iowa House and Senate, would allow regulated utilities in Iowa to begin charging customers for the cost of nuclear power facilities while they are under construction. Iowa's lone nuclear power plant near Palo is nearly 40 years old. Read more...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saskatchewan Wind Project to Test Battery Storage
The Canadian government has selected two wind projects to receive funds from the ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program, a series of investments totaling up to C$63.8 million to support renewable and clean energy. The first project is a 99 MW wind farm in Nova Scotia that will receive up to C$9.2 million. The second is a wind storage demonstration project that will receive C$2.79 million to test battery storage technology connected to a wind turbine in Saskatchewan. Read more...
Thursday, February 24, 2011
On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Increases
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2011 – The number of solar panels, wind turbines and methane digesters on America's farms and ranches has increased significantly over the past decade and there are now 8,569 operations producing their own renewable energy, according to the results of the 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey released today. Conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, this was the first-ever nationwide survey that looked at renewable energy practices on America's farms and ranches.
"These results indicate that farmers and ranchers are increasingly adopting renewable energy practices on their operations and reaping the important economic and environmental benefits," said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "At USDA we are committed to natural resource conservation, prosperity and energy independence in rural America. This survey gives us a benchmark against which we can measure our future successes."
According to the survey results, solar panels were the most prominent way to produce on-farm energy. In 2009, farmers on 7,968 operations nationwide reported using photovoltaic and thermal solar panels. The use of wind turbines was reported by farmers on 1,420 operations across 48 states. The use of methane digesters was reported by 121 operations in 29 states.
On the state level, California leads the nation with 1,956 operations producing renewable energy, accounting for nearly a quarter of all operations in the United States participating in this practice. Texas, Hawaii and Colorado were the other major states where farmers on at least 500 or more operations were producing their own renewable energy.
The survey results also show an economic upside to producing energy on the farm. Farmers in nearly every state reported savings on their utility bills. The savings were especially noticeable in New York, where utility bill savings reported by respondents topped $5,000 for 2009.
Conducted as a follow-on to the most recent Census of Agriculture, the 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey focused on three principal renewable energy systems: solar panels, wind turbines and methane digesters. The survey expanded upon the energy questions asked in the census to provide a deeper analysis of American on-farm renewable energy production practices.
Full results of the 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey are available online at www.agcensus.usda.gov.
Source: USDA
"These results indicate that farmers and ranchers are increasingly adopting renewable energy practices on their operations and reaping the important economic and environmental benefits," said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "At USDA we are committed to natural resource conservation, prosperity and energy independence in rural America. This survey gives us a benchmark against which we can measure our future successes."
According to the survey results, solar panels were the most prominent way to produce on-farm energy. In 2009, farmers on 7,968 operations nationwide reported using photovoltaic and thermal solar panels. The use of wind turbines was reported by farmers on 1,420 operations across 48 states. The use of methane digesters was reported by 121 operations in 29 states.
On the state level, California leads the nation with 1,956 operations producing renewable energy, accounting for nearly a quarter of all operations in the United States participating in this practice. Texas, Hawaii and Colorado were the other major states where farmers on at least 500 or more operations were producing their own renewable energy.
The survey results also show an economic upside to producing energy on the farm. Farmers in nearly every state reported savings on their utility bills. The savings were especially noticeable in New York, where utility bill savings reported by respondents topped $5,000 for 2009.
Conducted as a follow-on to the most recent Census of Agriculture, the 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey focused on three principal renewable energy systems: solar panels, wind turbines and methane digesters. The survey expanded upon the energy questions asked in the census to provide a deeper analysis of American on-farm renewable energy production practices.
Full results of the 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey are available online at www.agcensus.usda.gov.
Source: USDA
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Lugar Urges Keystone Approval
The latest support for the Keystone XL pipeline came yesterday from Sen. Richard Lugar, the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lugar said the pipeline is critical to U.S. energy security and urged the State Department to promptly approve the permit required for the project to proceed.
Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Defense Council has released a report highlighting what the group says are the safety risks relating to transporting oilsands crude through pipelines. TransCanada Corp., the Keystone XL project developer, stated the safety considerations relating to oilsands crude were no different than those for crude oil currently being distributed across the U.S. Read more...
Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Defense Council has released a report highlighting what the group says are the safety risks relating to transporting oilsands crude through pipelines. TransCanada Corp., the Keystone XL project developer, stated the safety considerations relating to oilsands crude were no different than those for crude oil currently being distributed across the U.S. Read more...
Nebraska Wind Farm Completed
Colorado-based Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. and Gestamp Wind North America, a subsidiary of Gestamp Renewables and Banco Santander, S.A. of Spain, have announced the completion of Flat Water Wind Project in southern Nebraska's Richardson County and Kansas' Nemaha County. Flat Water Wind Project is a 60 megawatt (MW) project consisting of 40 1.5 MW GE wind turbines. Read more...
Illinois WInd Energy Update
The Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University has predicted that Illinois could become the fourth largest state in wind energy production this year. Researchers say current projections show Texas, Iowa, California, Minnesota and Illinois at the top of the list for wind energy in the U.S, with Illinois projected to have a total of 2,435.4 megawatts of wind energy installed by the end of the third quarter of 2011.
The difference in installed capacity between Illinois and Minnesota by the third quarter is projected to be 58.6 megawatts, and Illinois resaerchers say delays in Minnesota’s upcoming wind farm developments could result in Illinois moving up to the number four spot in wind energy production. The state currently produces between four and five percent of its total energy output with wind and is ranked number severn nationally in total wind energy production. Read more...
The difference in installed capacity between Illinois and Minnesota by the third quarter is projected to be 58.6 megawatts, and Illinois resaerchers say delays in Minnesota’s upcoming wind farm developments could result in Illinois moving up to the number four spot in wind energy production. The state currently produces between four and five percent of its total energy output with wind and is ranked number severn nationally in total wind energy production. Read more...
Report Questions ND Oilfield Oversight
An AP report yesterday raises questions about the level of oversight in the oilfields of North Dakota's Williston Basin. According to the report, oilfield spills and waste disposal sites are being untended or are infrequently monitored due to inadequate personnel and funding. North Dakota's energy resources department is funded and staffed to handle 100 rigs and about 5,000 wells, the report points out, whereas a record 169 active rigs were reported today and more than 5,300 wells were pumping oil. Up to 2,000 more new wells reportedly are expected by the end of the year. Read more...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Hyperion Gets Permit Extension
Texas-based Hyperion Resources reportedly has received preliminary approval from South Dakota authorities to extend the construction start date for its proposed oil refinery to next year. The $10 billion project to be located near Elk Point would process 400,000 barrels of Canadian tar sands crude oil daily into a variety of petroleum products and include a facility to produce electricity for on-site power.
Switchgrass Research Improves Biofuel Yields
Researchers at the Oak Ridge Laboratory in Tennessee have produced a variety of switchgrass that they say results in 38 percent more biofuel with lower pretreatment costs. By manipulating lignin, a compound that stiffens plants, the researchers were able to create a modified switchgrass that required 4 to 5 times less cellulase, an enzyme used to break down fiber. The scientists believe the new variety may help with newly emerging biofuels such as butanol, isobutene, and “green gasoline,” made from the cellulose in plants. Read more...
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
TransCanada Says Keystone XL Pushed Back
According to a Reuters report this afternoon, officials from Alberta-based TransCanada Corp. now say the U.S. State Department permit required for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline is not expected until the second half of 2011. The company also reportedly has increased the cost estimate for the project to $13 billion. Read more...
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