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četvrtak, 11. srpnja 2013.
ACI Smart Metering Summit 2013
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EWEA OFFSHORE 2013
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ponedjeljak, 8. srpnja 2013.
News and Events by CCRES July 08, 2013
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy SourcesNews and Events July 08, 2013 |
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President Obama Touts Renewable Energy, Efficiency in Climate Plan
President Obama announced on June 25 his climate
action plan, which includes significant goals related to renewable
energy and energy efficiency. The plan directs the U.S. Department of
the Interior to issue permits by 2020 for enough renewable energy
projects on public lands to power 6 million homes, while also
designating the first-ever hydropower project for priority permitting,
setting a new goal to install 100 megawatts of renewable energy on
federally assisted housing by 2020, and maintaining the existing
commitment to deploy renewable energy projects on military
installations. The plan also expands the president's Better Buildings
Challenge to help a wide range of buildings become at least 20% more
energy efficient by 2020; sets a goal to reduce carbon emissions by at
least 3 billion metric tons by 2030 through efficiency standards for
appliances and federal buildings; and commits to partnering with
industry and stakeholders to develop fuel economy standards for
heavy-duty vehicles.
"A low-carbon, clean energy economy can be an
engine of growth for decades to come," said President Obama. "And I want
America to build that engine."
The president's climate action plan also directs
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish carbon pollution
standards for both new and existing power plants, while making up to $8
billion in loan guarantees available for advanced fossil energy
projects. It also leverages new opportunities to reduce emissions of
highly potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons, directs
agencies to develop a comprehensive methane strategy, and commits to
protecting our forests and critical landscapes. The climate action plan
also commits the United States to lead international efforts to address
climate change, while proposing a number of actions to help prepare the
United States for the impacts of climate change. See the president's announcement, the associated White House fact sheet, and a set of infographics on the climate action plan.
Energy Department Invests $13 Million in Next-Generation Biofuels
The Energy Department on July 1 announced its
investment of $13 million in four research and development projects that
aim to accelerate the deployment and cut the cost of next-generation
biofuels. The projects—located in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and
Wisconsin—support the Energy Department goal of producing
cost-competitive drop-in biofuels at $3 per gallon by 2017. Drop-in
biofuels are made from non-food sources but are almost indistinguishable
from conventional fuels. They can include bio-oil, a biobased crude oil
substitute that can be processed in a refinery, as well as biobased
substitutes for gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel.
The four selected projects include an effort by
Ceramatec of Salt Lake City, Utah, to use an electrochemical process to
remove oxygen from bio-oil, making it more suitable for processing in a
refinery; a project led by the Energy Department's Oak Ridge National
Laboratory to use a microbial electrolysis process to remove the
hydrogen from the water found in bio-oil, making the bio-oil production
process more efficient and the bio-oil less corrosive; an investigation
by the University of Oklahoma in Norman into the use of heat and
solvents to convert biomass into a refinery-compatible intermediate
chemical; and an effort by Virent, Inc., of Madison, Wisconsin, to
develop an innovative separation process that will work with the
company's proprietary process to convert biomass into drop-in fuels. The
Energy Department's Idaho National Laboratory will help with feedstock
pre-processing for the Virent project. See the Energy Department Progress Alert.
Interior Department Approves a 500-MW Wind Project in Arizona
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
announced on June 28 that it has approved a 500-megawatt (MW) wind
energy project in Arizona. The Mohave County Wind Farm will be located
on federal lands in northwestern Arizona, about 40 miles northwest of
Kingman. Proposed by BP Wind Energy North America, Inc., the wind farm
will consist of up to 243 wind turbines. The decision paves the way for
right-of-way grants for the use of approximately 37,800 acres of federal
land, while providing a 1.2-mile buffer zone to protect nearby nesting
locations for golden eagles and assuring that no turbine will be erected
within a quarter-mile of private property. See the DOI fact sheet and map of the proposed project.
DOI has approved 46 wind, solar, and geothermal
utility-scale projects on public lands since 2009, including associated
transmission corridors and infrastructure to connect to established
power grids. When built, these projects could provide enough electricity
to power more than 4.4 million homes and support more than 17,000
construction and operations jobs. DOI's Bureau of Land Management has
identified 14 additional renewable energy proposals that are slated for
review this year and next. See the DOI press release.
Interior Dept., NREL Developing Modular Hybrid Power Systems for Villages
The Energy Department's National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working with the U.S. Department of the
Interior (DOI) on designing a modular, expandable, and replicable
small-scale power system for villages that draws partly on renewable
energy sources. The initiative, called the "Remote Community Renewable
Energy Partnership," aims to deploy small-scale power systems to
isolated, off-the-grid villages in remote Alaska and to U.S. island
territories. The power systems will draw on either wind or solar power
with a diesel generator as a backup power source. By mid-2014, NREL
intends to complete the design of the modular power systems and then
partner with willing villages to pilot test the new modular systems. The
modular approach is meant to encourage deployment while minimizing the
engineering and construction costs for each project. See the DOI blog.
EPA Strengthens Energy Star Requirements for Refrigerators and Freezers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced on June 27 that it has revised its Energy Star requirements
for residential refrigerators and freezers. The updated requirements
raise the bar for energy efficiency in these products and, for the first
time, encourage manufacturers to include optional "connected" features.
These features would offer consumers more ways to reduce the energy
consumption of their refrigerators and freezers, help lower their
utility bills, and better protect the environment and the climate.
Under the new standards, Energy Star-certified
refrigerators and freezers will use at least 10% less energy than models
meeting 2014 federal minimum efficiency standards. If all refrigerators
and freezers sold in the United States were to meet the updated
requirements, the energy cost savings would grow to more than $890
million each year while reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by the
equivalent of taking more than one million vehicles off the road. By
recycling an old refrigerator and replacing it with a new Energy
Star-certified refrigerator, consumers can save from $150–$1,100 on
energy costs over the product's lifetime. To earn the Energy Star label,
product performance must be certified by an EPA-recognized third party,
based on testing in an EPA-recognized laboratory. The updated Energy
Star refrigerator and freezer specification will go into effect on
September 15, 2014.
Certain Energy Star refrigerators and freezers
with connected features will provide consumers new convenience and
energy-saving opportunities. These products will allow consumers to view
real-time energy use, receive energy-related messages—such as an alert
when the door has been left open—and manage appliance settings remotely.
Refrigerators and freezers with connected functionality will also be
"smart grid"-ready, meaning that with consumer permission, they will be
able to respond to utility signals, including curtailing operations
during more expensive peak demand times. See the EPA press release and the Energy Star's new specification for residential refrigerators and freezers.
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CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)special thanks to U.S. Department of Energy | USA.gov |
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L.A. Rooftop Solar Project Goes Online in San Fernando Valley
With 1 billion square feet of rooftop space and
more than 300 days of sunshine, Los Angeles has all the makings of a
leading solar hub. Now, an innovative program is leveraging these
resources to accelerate the county’s transition to the forefront of
solar innovation.
On June 26, the Los Angeles Feed-in Tariff
program—the largest rooftop solar program in the nation—celebrated the
completion of its first solar installation. The program incentivizes
businesses to install solar arrays on rooftops across Los Angeles to
generate clean, renewable electricity. Participating business are
offered a 20-year contract to sell the solar energy they produce to the
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power at a set price. For the
complete story, see the Energy Blog.
CCRES BonusEnergy Department Announces Investment to Accelerate Next Generation BiofuelsFollowing last week's rollout of President Obama's plan to cut carbon pollution, the Energy Department today announced four research and development projects to bring next generation biofuels on line faster and drive down the cost of producing gasoline, diesel and jet fuels from biomass. The projects—located in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin—represent a $13 million Energy Department investment."By partnering with private industry, universities and our national labs, we can increase America's energy security, bolster rural economic development, and cut harmful carbon pollution from our cars, trucks and planes," said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. "As the President made clear in his plan to cut carbon pollution, partnerships like these will help move our economy towards cleaner, more efficient forms of energy that lower our reliance on foreign oil." In the United States, the transportation sector accounts for two-thirds of total U.S. oil consumption and one-third of our nation's total greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrocarbon-based biofuels made from non-food feedstocks, waste materials, and algae can directly replace gasoline and other fuels in our gas tanks and refineries. The Energy Department continues to take steps to speed the development of clean, renewable biofuels, with the goal of producing cost-competitive drop-in biofuels at $3 per gallon by 2017. The research projects announced today build on the Obama Administration's broader efforts to accelerate the next generation of biofuels by bringing down costs, improving performance and identifying effective, non-food feedstocks and conversion technologies. These projects will help maximize the amount of renewable carbon and hydrogen that can be converted to fuels from biomass and improve the separation processes in bio-oil production to remove non-fuel components—further lowering production costs. The projects selected for negotiation include: Ceramatec (up to $3.3 million; Salt Lake City, Utah): Ceramatec will utilize an efficient electrochemical deoxygenation process to develop cost-effective technology to separate oxygen from bio-oil. This project will help produce hydrocarbon products suitable for further processing in conventional petroleum refineries. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (up to $2.1 million; Oak Ridge, Tennessee): Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use a microbial electrolysis process to efficiently remove the hydrogen from the water found in bio-oil. This technology will help reduce the corrosivity of bio-oil and improve the efficiency of converting hydrogen and biomass to biofuels. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Georgia Institute of Technology, Pall Corporation, OmniTech International, and FuelCellsEtc will also participate in this project. University of Oklahoma (up to $4 million; Norman, Oklahoma): The University of Oklahoma will investigate two methods—thermal fractionation and supercritical solvent extraction—to maximize the amount of renewable carbon and hydrogen that can be extracted from biomass and converted to a refinery-compatible intermediate and suitable for final upgrading to a transportation fuel. The multidisciplinary research team includes experts in catalysis, separation, life-cycle analysis and techno-economic assessment. Virent, Inc. (up to $4 million; Madison, Wisconsin): Virent will develop an innovative separation process which uses its BioForming® technology to efficiently convert carbon from lignocellulosic biomass into hydrocarbon fuels. Virent will work to improve the overall carbon conversion efficiency of biomass—helping to reduce the cost of producing hydrocarbon biofuels that work with our existing transportation fuel infrastructure and are capable of meeting the Renewable Fuel Standard. Idaho National Laboratory will also bring their feedstock pre-processing capabilities to the project. Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES) |
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