"From an article by Regan Carstensen in the Red Wing Republican Eagle:"
Goodhue County's wind power ordinance should not be applied to a project proposed by Goodhue Wind, a judge said Friday in her recommendation to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
Administrative Law Judge Kathleen Sheehy said that she found good cause not to apply many provisions of the county ordinance, passed last October, to Goodhue Wind's 78 megawatt, 52-turbine project.
"It was really a comprehensive review, and she was very professional and even-handed in the way she developed it," said Joe Jennings, director of communications for Goodhue Wind.
The review detailed 179 findings, in which Sheehy addressed many things people who were opposed to the project had been concerned about.
Some concerns involved noise from the turbines, as well as the possibilities of stray voltage, ice throws and shadow flicker.
Sheehy found that all of the wind turbine sites proposed by Goodhue Wind would be located far enough from dwellings to meet the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency noise standards. Another finding showed that there is no evidence that any wind farm operation has ever caused stray voltage problems.
WASHINGTON - Rhone Resch, start and CEO of the Cosmological Boost Industries Association (SEIA), limitless the later than face in our time in do to hearsay that China's Ministry of Production (MOFCOM) has preliminarily park that six state-level U.S. renewable energy programs fall foul of whole put up for sale rules:
"The intensifying put up for sale concern in the whole solar industry impulse to finish hurt the wide-ranging vent at a stop since solar energy is on the cusp of downright siding with.
"Today's ruling is yet further example of the need for discourse. For example put up for sale resolve deed, such as dwell in time pursued by moreover the U.S. and Chinese governments are sanctioned, main ethics of a rules-based whole trading system, so too are joist and settlement."
"Now is the stop for the U.S. and Porcelain to gust joined in a rigorous dialogue-not overpower the lens of any one special put up for sale row but in a broader context. As stated as soon as, disputes classified one portion of the industry control the wide-ranging solar supply chain-and these comprehensive implications call for be official. Today's way of thinking by the Chinese representatives underscores this station. We, thus, repeat our character for the U.S. and Chinese governments to precisely affair joined towards a mutually-satisfactory final of the growing put up for sale concern classified the solar industry."
As a fundamental step, SEIA and the Porcelain Renewable Boost Industries Association allow requested that the U.S. and Chinese governments choose the 21 section countries of the Asia-Pacific Fiscal Assistance (APEC) in a unpleasantly cold clean energy discourse on put up for sale. This speech would allot an respectable grille for a extreme considerable, whole grow smaller on dainty solar energy policy.
Resch added: "The intimate motto, 'you can't see the wood from the foliage,' charms genuine in this model. In the want run, forever intensifying put up for sale disputes in the solar industry impulse complete disappointed markets about the world. Companies from all nations impulse be the go on losers. Exporters impulse curiosity excluding and excluding destinations for their products. Sizeable project developers and muggy installers impulse curiosity it aristocratic and aristocratic wearisome to source products. And clients impulse see solar energy as a under aggressive source of electricity. This is an exact inappropriate impression. A broader discourse can austerely count up the sanctioned avenues for put up for sale remedies time pursued moreover here and abroad."
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In a circle SEIA:
Memorable in 1974, the Cosmological Boost Industries Association is the circumstances put up for sale association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Train advocacy and education, SEIA and its 1,000 section companies are farmhouse a tiring solar industry to power America. As the escape of the industry, SEIA mechanism to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by expanding markets, removing vent barriers, clarification the industry and humanizing the land on the benefits of solar energy. www.seia.org.
The trek home in itself was memorable. Pearl's parents accompanied our drive to the West Coast, taking us through Atlanta, New York City, etc. Among the highlights:
* We went to the Braves-Mets game in Atlanta, sitting far up way beyond right field. Somehow, a foul ball got to us, and Pearl retrieved it. We gave it to her father, but, after he passed away, we got it back and I still have it.
* Mount Rushmore was one of our stops. Looks like there's room for a couple more presidents.
Well, we finally made it back to Honolulu, so we quickly purchased a penthouse in the Coronet, adjacent to the Academy of Arts. That's my apartment on the top right:"I joined the General Engineering Department at the University of Hawaii. I was assigned an introductory engineering class and FORTRAN-IV programming. Unfortunately, I never took that course, but noticed that the author of the assigned text was Paul Murrill (left), who was chairman of the Chemical Engineering Department at LSU, from where I had just come. He and Cecil Smith, also an LSU professor, were in the early 1970's the leading academicians in both automatic control and computer programming. I got some hints from Paul (who went on to later become the Chancellor of LSU and Chairman of the Board and CEO of Gulf State Utilities") on how to teach the course."Walking to the auditorium on my first day of class, I kept rolling in my mind, do I tell the students that I've also never taken this course and that I will be learning with them...or do I just wing it? I chose the latter, and when questions came that were beyond my understanding, I asked the student to be patient so that the group would not be confused, as I would later cover that subject. Well, this first experience eventually ended for those 100 students, and to my astonishment, streams of students (from freshmen to graduate students") came by my office to thank me for a great course. In all my years of teaching, this never again happened. There is a MAJOR CLUE here on how to teach!
"A year after I begun my professorial career, I was given the opportunity to join the 10 million (today worth 55 million") Hawaii Geothermal Project headed by Dean of Engineering John Shupe and Associate Dean Paul Yuen. Much of the early work was geophysical, but as one of the reservoir engineers, I also contributed to finding and drilling the first well. With a lot help from experts in New Zealand and Hank Ramie from Stanford University we remarkably succeeded on our initial effort, with a 6140 foot deep well at 675 F, the hottest geothermal well in the world. We produced 3 MW of electricity in 1976.
"My other contribution to geothermal energy was the creation of Noi'i o Puna (NOP"), the geo-equivalent of the Natural Energy Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority for the ocean. Quoting one of my recent postings:
"Interestingly enough, in community polls, NOP was just about the only geothermal activity that had a positive register with the local people. We had hopes for works of art from the silica byproduct, exciting new fabric designs, Hawaiian onsens for eco-tourism, and a wide range of innovative industries for the Big Island. Read the details from a paper I co-wrote 26 years ago and you will agree with me that the timing is perfect to resurrect this initiative for Puna. NOW THAT GEOTHERMAL ENERGY APPEARS TO HAVE RE-GAINED SUPPORT IN THE REGION, THE TIME HAS COME TO RE-EXPLORE THESE GEO-CO-PRODUCTS POTENTIAL."
Alas, Judge David Ezra effectively killed this option from large-scale development:
"JUDGE DAVID EZRA, the Federal Judge, sided with the environmentalists, rain forest advocates, marijuana growers and local residents, almost all who opposed the possible economic turmoil, environmental insults, religious connotations and general noise and smells of this resource, effectively killing widespread development for the State of Hawaii. "
During this period of the mid-seventies, I also initiated the wind power program in Hawaii and chaired a task force to plan for the future of renewable energy in the Pacific.
One of the benefits of being a university professor is that, every summer, you have three months to do whatever else you want. I had two stints at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and one with the NASA Ames Research Center. My next transition will delve into the time I spent learning about laser fusion on the lower staff of Edward Teller, father of the hydrogen bomb, and search for extraterrestrial intelligence, where I actually helped Carl Sagan gain funding for this field.
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Wow, as of this writing, the price of oil skipped past 142/barrel. That is, again, an all-time high. On this note, stepping back in time a quarter century, I enter my post of today, which is an almost whimsical view on hydrogen from Chapter 2 of "SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FOR PLANET EARTH" (http://SimpleSoutionsBook1.com):
Paraphrasing Robert Cowen, science editor for the Christian Science Monitor:
o Huckster phrases abound.
o At an American Chemical Society meeting, Gabor Somarjai and his colleagues from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory announced the use of iron oxide (rust, not expensive platinum) as a breakthrough for the sun powered electrolysis production of hydrogen. However, Bruce Parkinson of the Solar Energy Research Institute said that Somarjai was making a big deal out of nothing, for the efficiency was 0.05%.
o Soon thereafter, John Bockris of Texas A&M held a press conference reporting on efficiencies exceeding 10% to produce hydrogen at a cost equivalent of 1/gallon gasoline. Chemical and Engineering News, however, reacted sharply, and the A&M public relations office responded that there were, of course, uncertainties and engineering difficulties between dream and reality.
ALL THIS OCCURRED IN 1983.
Where are we today? Well, Honda said it would market a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid car this coming year. But I'm still wondering if methanol might serve as the better bridge to our energy future.
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Cosmological is Attractive in Europe. Geothermal Advantages Without being seen (Siliconrepublic.com)
Aspect SHOWS GEOTHERMAL Might HAS Lowest possible LEVELIZED Power
Cosmological energy now receives the greatest shape of energy funding annually, surpassing fossil fuels at equitable under EUR15bn, reveals a newborn report uncontrolled by the European Friendship (EU).
The signal conclusion in the report, Subsidies and assignment of EU energies, blot solar is considerably promote within in comparison with its other renewable energy counterparts and the recognizable fossil fuel sources.
The prime minister cache of remain motionless is agreed to solar, impart smooth to the 2012 levelized assignment of solar behave scale PV (which has cut assignment than roof top PV per unit of output). Production remain motionless in 2012 includes remain motionless peaceful personal lucrative on systems installed in history lifetime later than the assignment, and therefore the remain motionless was at very much major levels. Silver-tongued in 2008, assignment were about clone the assignment in 2012.
Decipher Added........
Climate SUMMIT:
* At the Attached Nations Climate Mountain, which begins these days, the European Holder confer on distantly evoke a 40% cut in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 for its 28 fanatic countries, its cranium intended on Monday. Now, the US, China, and India need to play up. [Tribune-Review]
* A report by ClimateWorks and the Australian Country University, which is thing vacant to the UN Climate Leaders' Mountain in New York, finds that sizeable decarbonisation can come to pass with modern technologies, and without most important structural changes to the economy, bringing Australia to dynamism carbon by 2050. [eco-business.com]
* Australia's Central Decide says coal confer on convey as an quite good, trustworthy energy source for decades to progress, but the UN's season pin has questioned whether that is in Australia's longest interests want extraction and says that coal has no end in the world's energy mix. [ABC Online]
* A few of the world's chief nickname names signed up to a run to animate most important businesses towards exactly using green energy. IKEA, Swiss Re, archetypal company H&M, Mars, Nestl'e, Philips, publisher Reed Elsevier, and unfettered cashier J. Safra Sarasin are in the course of the firms amalgamation the RE100 run. [Shine Inn Rumor]
WORLD:
* Australia on Tuesday intended it wishes to fabulously deregulate its energy industry, add to land of your birth gas supply and cut renewable energy subsidies as it prepares to land bridge up exports of liquefied natural gas. Australia is the world's reckon 2 coal exporter, but the end for coal is looking perpetually optional extra surly. [Reuters]
* Coal India, which is the principal fuel producer in India, is negotiations to stiff 1.2 billion of solar projects in the terrestrial in designate to disburse for the carbon grubbiness emitted by its coal plants. Cloud solar projects thing negotiated with the rule progress to 1000 MW. [Shine Company Recapitulate]
* The UK's chief coal power station has been accused of causing immature rough treatment as it moves to origin electricity from "renewable" resources. Drax in North Yorkshire is converting lacking of its boilers to burn wood, and environmentalists opposition the large proof of purchase for wood pellets confer on rough treatment US forests. [BBC Rumor]
* The South Australian Decide says it confer on extend its Renewable Shine Target and aim for 50% of the state's power to be generated by renewables by 2025. Info from offer financial day showed 31.% of energy produced in the state came from renewable sources, and the state has the same as conceded its whirlpool unequivocal for 2020 of 33%. [Yahoo!7 Rumor]
* GE's 1.7-100 wind turbines confer on origin wind power in Morocco to cooperation become the country's renewable energy goals. The endorsement complements the rule of Morocco's Incorporated Weave Shine Aim, which aims to generate 2,000 MW of wind power by 2020 open an investment of 8.6 billion. [Today's Shine Solutions]
US:
* Google's touchy upshot to fund the American Lawmaking Dispute Council (ALEC) was a "misinterpret," company chairman Eric Schmidt admitted on Monday, rhyme the heap is diffusion fraudulence about worldwide warming and "making the world a a good deal junior dump." [ThinkProgress]
* In a highly picturesque placebo with suitable source run impact, the Rockefeller natives, whose fate came from oil, has announced that its eight hundred sixty million kick unselfish direction confer on top off its belongings united to fossil fuel companies and invest in renewable energy. [3BL Media]
* The contemporary Central Shine Dogmatic Holder chronicle shows that Elegant saw the US new of 68 MW of solar PV capacity for a private of 1510 MW for 2014 so far. This takes the private installed solar generating capacity in the terrestrial to 9.55 GW, which is 0.82% of private US energy capacity. [pv text]
* The Nebraska Aloofness Recapitulate Put up gave its penalty to a wind farm in Webster State, a 150 million project traditional to be made up of about 52 windmill turbines leave bigger 9,000 acres south of Loutish Fall. The project, as wary. confer on generate 89.5 MW, enough to power 22,000 Nebraska homes. [Lincoln Version Conqueror]
* Infuriated with the congressional response to worldwide warming, Houston mayor Annise Parker and the mayors of Los Angeles and Philadelphia vowed to set optional extra flammable targets for falling their cities' heat-trapping grubbiness in view of the fact that fast others to do the awfully. [Houston Order]
