UK firm to install landfill gas to energy plant in Ireland | Energy Live News

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

A UK energy company has won a contract to deliver a landfill gas to energy plant in Ireland. Based in Knowsley near Liverpool, Clarke Energy signed the agreement with Irish …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

…Irish utility Bord na Mona for a 5.6MW plant – equivalent to powering 14,000 households – at the Drehid landfill site. The project will use landfill gas that originated from household waste to produce renewable energy.

John Curley, General Manager of Clarke Energy in Ireland said: “This significant project will create up to 25 jobs during construction, in addition to sustained employment for operations.

See on www.energylivenews.com

US president aims to add 40GW to 82GW of installed CHP capacity by 2020

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Low gas prices, state incentives, environmental regulations and the retirement of old power plants helps fuel rising investment in combined heat and power (CHP) installations in the US, according to a Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report.

 

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Obama’s CHP initiative

The 40GW CHP expansion goal is based on a 2012 Executive Order from Obama which encourages the Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture, and the EPA […] to coordinate policies in order to encourage investment in industrial efficiency measures such as CHP.

The installation of a further 40MW of capacity would save about 1 quadrillion Btu of energy annually, eliminate over 150 million metric tons of CO2 emissions and save energy users some $10 billion a year.

Shale gas revolution helps spur CHP growth

Currently about 8 percent of US power generation capacity and 12 percent of MWh generated annually comes from CHP, according to the DOE report, while 87 percent of CHP installations support manufacturing plants.

The recent US shale gas revolution has helped spur renewed interest in the sector, after investment in new CHPs slowed down between 2004 and 2005, mainly due to volatile gas prices and an uncertain economic outlook.

See on gastopowerjournal.com

California’s Secret To Green Jobs And A Thriving Clean Economy? It’s Policy.

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill requiring California utilities to get a third of their power from renewable sources, the country’s most aggressive clean energy standard (AP Photo)

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Green jobs are growing four times faster than the rate of all other jobs nationwide, with the majority happening in California according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. EDF’s analysis of California’s clean economy finds that jobs in core sectors like energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean transportation, and advanced storage and materials have not only remained resilient during the worst of the Great Recession (2008-2010), they outpaced all other job growth and grew 109 percent from 1995 to 2010.

Green jobs are also good jobs in California. They are diverse, across a wide range of education-level and skills, and almost half of all jobs in the clean economy don’t require a college degree according to the Brookings Institution. On average, green jobs offer a higher median wage and career advancement opportunities. An analysis by Philip Romero, the former Dean of CSU Los Angeles College of Business and Economics finds that “workers command wages with a 50-to-100 percent premium over the average job,” and estimates that the overall clean economy will grow “by at least 60-to-100 percent” by the late 2030’s.

See on thinkprogress.org

Waste fat will power UK’s biggest sewage works | Energy Live News

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

Waste fat and oil from restaurants and clogged up drains underground (pictured) will soon power the UK’s largest sewage works. A new power station at Beckton in East London opening …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Thames Water says it has agreed to buy 75 GWh of this output to run its Beckton sewage works, which serves roughly 3.5 million people, as well as a nearby desalination plant […]

The water firm has committed to provide the power station with 30 tonnes a day of fat, oil and grease (FOG) enough to fill a six metre-long shipping container. That’s at least half of the fuel the generator needs to run.

Developed and run by ‘green’ utility 2OC, it’s set to produce 130 Gigawatt hours (GWh) a year of renewable electricity – enough to run 39,000 average-sized homes.

See on www.energylivenews.com

Report: Global waste industry could double to $2tn by 2020

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysis predicts boom in global waste industry as resource crunch bites

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“We are seeing a shift away from waste as a mandatory public service to waste management as a sustainable business opportunity,” the report states. “We see the fastest growth in the next decade coming from diversion, recycling, recovery of valuable secondary raw materials, waste-to-energy, e-waste and sustainable packaging – as well as from emerging markets. We see considerable low hanging fruit potential given that 70 per cent plus of global waste is currently landfilled. ‘Greening’ waste management will require increasing MSW recycling by a factor of 3.5 times and doubling industrial waste recycling.”

See on www.businessgreen.com

ComEd Created 2400 Jobs through Grid Modernization Programs in 2012

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

ComEd submitted this week to the Illinois Commerce Commission data showing that the 2011 Smart Grid law created more than 2400 full-time equivalent jobs in Illinois in 2012.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“The grid modernization programs are putting many linemen, electricians and specialists who work on our electric grid back to work in well-paying, skilled jobs. This helps the Illinois economy and boosts other local industries, too,” said Michael Carrigan, president, Illinois AFL-CIO. “Getting the programs back on track will protect and increase jobs for Illinois workers.”

ComEd’s grid modernization investments have provided an important boost to Illinois manufacturers, suppliers and service providers with the expertise necessary to support the electrical system upgrade. Last year, ComEd awarded grid modernization contracts worth a total of $118 million, including 71 percent to Illinois companies providing services and products from engineering to cable to smart switches. Of the total, $54 million, or 46 percent, was spent with diverse suppliers.

See on tdworld.com

International Hydropower Association announces IHA World Congress – HydroWorld

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

Members of the hydroelectric power community will convene in May for the International Hydropower Association’s World Congress for discussions concerning hydropower development around the world.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

This Congress — titled “Advancing Sustainable Hydropower” — runs May 21-24, 2013, in Sarawak, Malaysia, and includes four days of interactive sessions and discussions designed not only to be informative, IHA said, but to test current strategies and stimulate future thinking.

See on www.hydroworld.com

Small Hydro Power for micro hydro power generation in streams & rivers. HydroWorld

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

Read the hot small hydro power project news & technology.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Hydroelectric plants with a capacity of 20 MW or less are a valuable niche of the hydro industry, providing local power in underdeveloped countries and sources of new capacity in established markets.

See on www.hydroworld.com

Law Firms Plays Key Role In Green Deal

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

The UK Top 100 firm [Ward Hadaway] has advised renewable energy company JFS & Associates on the latest in its series of joint ventures with farmers to install and build anaerobic digestion (AD) plants to generate green energy.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The plant being built at Howla Hay Farm will be capable of generating 250kWh of electricity enough to power 250 homes.

Matthew Flint, director at JFS & Associates, which is based in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, said: “It is great news to be able to announce the second in what we aim to be a whole series of these developments which provide a win-win for both parties in the joint venture.

“The farmer gets to share in the proceeds of the electricity generated opening up a new revenue stream as well as getting the benefit of the by-products of the process, such as heat and bio-fertiliser to further improve the profitability of their existing business.

“We get a readily available source of feedstock for the AD plants and, by using our expertise and experience in the renewable energy sector, we can generate and sell electricity to feed back into the National Grid.”

See on www.power-eng.com

SolarReserve Completes Molten Salt Receiver Panel Assembly on Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant Tower

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

SolarReserve, a U.S. developer of large-scale solar power projects, today announced completion of the assembly of the molten salt receiver panels that sits on top of the 540 foot solar power tower for its 110 megawatt (MW) Crescent Dunes Solar…

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The project will utilize technology […] to capture and store the sun’s energy in order to deliver a firm electricity supply to Nevada, day or night, without the need to burn fossil fuels. The molten salt “receiver” is actually comprised of panels formed by hundreds of special alloy tubes which will be flowing with molten salt for energy absorption and storage. Once complete, the project will be capable of storing 10 hours of full load electricity production, enough to power 75,000 homes at peak electric demand periods, even after dark.

The project closed financing and initiated construction in September of 2011 and is scheduled to complete construction and start plant commissioning at the end of 2013, including first electricity production by the end of the year. The Crescent Dunes project has secured a 25-year power purchase agreement with NV Energy to sell 100 percent of the electricity output of the facility to serve homes across Nevada.  […]

“The energy storage capability of this technology solves the problem of intermittency typical of other renewable energy sources. Additionally, because of it high efficiency, this technology can generate almost twice as much energy as a comparably sized solar facility, including facilities powered by photovoltaic panels or by a direct steam tower.” said Kevin Smith, CEO of SolarReserve.

See on www.azocleantech.com