Archive for the ‘Renewable Energy’ Category

Clean technology, or cleantech, covers a wide array of technologies including construction materials, electric vehicles, renewable power, and smart meters.  Silicon Valley – long a hotbed of cutting-edge development – is now becoming a global center for solar power and smart grid innovation.

The region is already considered to have the highest concentration of cleantech jobs in the United States.  Much of the job creation has been in smart grid and solar technology.  According to Next 10, an independent think tank, the Bay Area now has 7,000 people employed in renewable energy alone.

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On the 27th of October, Greg Bove, the construction manager of DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center Arcadia, gave the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama a tour amongst the installation of thousands of solar panels. The Solar Plant is the largest of its kind in the United States and will save approximately 575,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

After the introduction from representatives of the FPL Group, Barack Obama delivered a speech on clean energy, why the 21st century smart grid infrastructure should be built and that it will create tens of thousands of new jobs. Under the Recovery Act that totals $3.4 billion, United States are investing in a smarter, more secure- and energy efficient electric grid.

Sources: www.whitehouse.gov

Here’s a great video created by the South Korean firm, Korea Electric Power Corporation and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
The makers of this film have done a fantastic job visualising a Smart Grid and what it can do. You have to watch it. It’s presented in English.

Here’s some fresh interviews from the Smart Grids Summit in 2009 provided by the World Trade Group.

Benjamin Kott interview, working at Google

Listen to his answers on these questions:
• Please describe your role at Google
• How are Google involved in Smart Grids Technology?
• What other involvement does Google have in Smart Grids Technology?
• It could be used for businesses as well?
• What are Google doing about their own energy efficiency?
• Are you working with any specific operators in rolling out the PowerMeter?

NEXT
Andrew Hiorns interview, working at The national grid

Listen to his answers on these questions and more:
• Please describe your role at The national grid
• Running up to 2020, what is currently happening in the UK?
• Does that involve a massive upgrade for the grid?
• Is the integration of offshore and renewables into the grid happening over the next few years?

This post consists of some facts and some dreams…

In the future that I believe in, almost everything will be connected and integrated with each other. You will be able to control and plan your everyday life in a new way. I believe in smart transportation plug-in hybrid vehicles that is part of the community transport system. I think that the smart vehicle will adjust its time schedule after my moves and pick me up when I need it and drive me wherever I would like to go. The people waiting for me know exactly when I will arrive. The plug-in vehicle batteries can be charged anywhere in the grid.

Does it sound too futuristic?
Visit www.skycab.se/eng or take a look at this video:

In the future that I believe in, you don’t need several cards in your wallet for bank accounts, shopping bonus cards, ID etc. You are the ID yourself by using your eyes or your fingerprints and perhaps with only one card.

Read about Precise Biometrics Match-on-Card™

Ok, what does this have to do with a Smart Grid Infrastructure?
It’s easy. Without electricity the civilization stops and this is just the beginning.
The utility companies are in the perfect position for creating new flexible and reliable services and products. In the Smart Grid everything will be more flexible and it will be easy to monitor what’s happening in the grid and automatically adjust to it. You will be able to minimize distribution losses, detect leaks, peaks and outages and much more.

There could be much more than just energy and water.

To be able to communicate in the Smart Grid you need to set up an infrastructure for telecommunication. Telecommunication will be a key in the future to come so why not build a network that all customers also can use to get access to the Internet at the same time and make some money on it? Some utility companies have decided that they don’t want to become a telecom company and stops. Other utility companies build a backbone network instead and invite telecom operating companies to use it for its traffic. This enables a deregulated market which is good for the end customers.

Here’s a link to one utility company in Sweden that provides an open city network.
www.jonkopingenergi.se/web/Bredband (Swedish)
www.jonkopingenergi.se/web/Bredband (Google translate)

With a Smart Grid Infrastructure you will be able to adapt to new services and products.

Enerway has created a new page with links to various energy and network companies. As a start it only includes Swedish companies but with help from our visitors the list will be perfect!
Follow this link or look at Enerway pages!
Energy and network companies

China is planning to build a Solar power plant generating 2000MW in 2019. The power plant will cover an area of 25 square miles when completed. The complex will be built in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. The manufacturer of the solar modules will be First Solar Inc.

Sources:
www.bloomberg.com
www.nyteknik.se (swedish)
www.firstsolar.com

EnviroMission is constructing the world’s first large-scale Solar power station. Its 200MW Solar Tower powerstation will provide around 500,000 households with electricity power.

The sun’s radiation is used to heat a large body of air under an expansive collector zone. When the air gets hot it raises and it creates a wind flow that generates electricity at the staged turbines.

EnviroMission started the development in 2001 by searching for the best site for the Solar Tower power station. They finally selected Burunga in New South Wales in Australia.

You can find more information at: www.enviromission.com.au

Take a look at this movie to learn more.