December 19, 2007

Solar energy is getting a jumpstart. Energy suppliers scattered throughout the Southwest have asked bidders to submit proposals to build a 250 megawatt solar power project.

The consortium plans on picking a winner by June 2008 so that the project would be completed by 2012. It would be "concentrated solar power" that focuses sunlight, usually with mirrors, to heat a fluid to high temperatures to drive the engine -- something that proponents say can be used for large-scale solar power generation. That differs from the more traditional approach of photovoltaic solar power systems in which light interacts with sheets of semiconductors to generate electricity. That solar technology is more suitable for smaller projects.

Companies should be preparing for carbon labeling, according to the latest edition of MIT’s Supply Chain Strategy newsletter, developed by the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. In response to the green trend of environmental responsibility, the newsletter says that companies may soon be required to show consumers how much carbon their products have generated.

"The supply chain is an integral part of these labeling systems, because it is here where much of the basic information carried on labels is gleaned," Edgar Blanco and Anthony Craig write in the article. "Research is under way to find a robust methodology for defining this information. Supply chain leaders need to keep abreast of this work and understand the intricacies of carbon labeling before their products come under the microscope."

December 17, 2007

Global climate change and overpopulation are combining to threaten fresh water supplies. To avert vast shortages, scientists are trying new ways to desalt seawater to bring clean drinking supplies to communities all over the world.

While desalination technologies are advancing they still remain cost prohibitive. A number of methods now exist to purify saltwater that include solar power and fossil fuels. But nuclear energy might be a more efficient method of removing contamination and saltwater because it can do so efficiently and on a large-scale basis without adding to concerns over global warming.

12/13/2007 - Farmington Hills-based Lumecon LLC said Wednesday that it had won a contract with the city of Ann Arbor to supply more than 1,000 LED retrofits in the city's move to 100 percent LED street lighting downtown.

Lumecon was founded earlier this year as the sales and marketing arm of Relume Technologies Inc., which was founded in 1994 as an LED research and development company.

The Relume LED retrofit system is based on XLamp LEDs from Durham, N.C.-based Cree Inc.

The city's contract was awarded after a 25-fixture evaluation installation showed a 50 percent energy savings and a 3.8-year payback on the initial purchase and installation price of the new lamps.

12/13/2007 -- The Senate passed energy legislation that would boost fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The measure includes provisions by Senator Bernie Sanders to promote energy efficiency and to train workers for green-collar jobs. “Given the crisis we’re facing in global warming, the passage of this energy bill is an important step forward,” Sanders said. “Much more has to be done in the future, but raising fuel efficiency standards and helping states, cities and towns go forward with energy efficiency and sustainable energy projects will reduce carbon emissions, lower energy costs and create good paying jobs.”

By a one-vote margin, the Senate on Thursday defeated a measure that would have stripped billions of dollars in tax subsidies from oil and gas companies and devoted the money to new renewable sources such as solar and wind. The vote for the provision was 59 to 40, still one vote shy of the 60 needed to end debate and move the bill forward.

December 14, 2007

Can wind be groomed to become a dependable source of electricity? Researchers at Stanford University say that it can. They conclude that various wind farms can connect and then join at a centralized transmission line to accomplish the mission.

Wind is becoming a premier energy source. But, its intermittent nature means that providers must "insure" against lulls by backing up plants with steadier fuels such as natural gas and coal. If, though, separate wind farms can be linked to a transmission grid, it would make wind more reliable.

The economic impact of wind industry development as the result of Michigan adopting renewable portfolio standards would be significant says a new report released today by the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University.

The report, titled “Projected Impacts of Renewable Portfolio Standards on Wind Industry Development in Michigan,” is the outgrowth of research lead by Soji Adelaja, institute director and John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy. The report is co-authored by Yohannes Hailu, institute associate director of the Hannah Research Program.