Geothermal Pics

Here are pics of the Casey geothermal installation, courtesy of Mara Auster and the Daily Camera.

-Tiffany

Background

Hi -
I am doing a project on ways to replace mountaintop mined coal energy for another class and came across some stuff that we should probably include somewhere as background information.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/trends/rentrends.html

I think we should say something like:

Renewable energy accounts for 7 percent of the energy consumption in the U.S. according to official energy statistics from the U.S. government.

This chart shows the main sources America uses to generate renewable energy:
(I just made this chart in excel based on the one from EIS and saved it in photoshop)

Possible photos to use as needed

Hi -
I found some commercial commons photos we could use if needed for our site here they are:
"Darling Wind Farm" by warrenski's photostream
(a ton of Wind farm photos on his stream)











"Wood Pellets" by thingermejig's photostream (Wood pellets are a form of biomass)








"day 68 Illinois Corn" by Randy Wick's photostream

"Geothermal borehole house" by lydurs' photostream

Resources and Definitions

Resources
Find out more about the current state of renewable energy in the U.S.

• National Renewable Energy Lab: http://www.nrel.gov/
• Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: http://www.eere.energy.gov/
• Department of Energy on the Smart Grid: http://www.oe.energy.gov/smartgrid.htm
• Mother Nature Network on renewable energy: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/eia-how-much-renewable-energy-do-we-use
• Environmental Protection Agency on where stimulus funding is going: http://www.epa.gov/recovery/where.html
• http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/
• http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/geothermal/geothermal.html
• http://news.mongabay.com/bioenergy/2008/03/cu-boulder-awarded-project-solar.html
• http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/07/17/celestial-seasonings-others-partner-with-boulder-on-biomass-study/
• http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/feb/24/boulder-county-host-meeting-proposed-biomass-sorti/?partner=RSS
• http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=US+Biomass+Power+Producers+Alliance&year=2008
• http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/biomass.html

Definitions
• Check this site out: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/rea_data/gl.html - If everyone could look at this and pull out and rewrite the ones that they use in their stuff we should have a fairly compressive list).
• Biomass: Biological material that is a form of renewable energy.
• Biofuels: Fuel created from biomass plants like corn.
• Biomass gas (Biogas): A gas created from organic reactions in for example landfills.
• Renewable Energy: Energy that is sustainable and naturally is replenished such as sola, wind, ocean energy etc.
• Wood energy: Wood is a form of biomass energy that is a renewable energy source that is found in may forms including but not limited to wood chips and round wood.


- Joanna

More on Wind from Cassie and Joanna

Hi all-
We interviewed Dave Newport at the CU-Environmental Center today and he had a lot of great things to say! Apparently CU is working towards reducing carbon emissions by switching over to renewable forms of energy in the next ten years or so... We used the flip video camera and are editing the video and will post this informative video soon. Also, I've e-mailed Paul Komar ( a wind expert) about using some of his content on our site.
Cheers,
Joanna

Is the Stimulus Reaching You?

A link to Colorado Public Radio - KCFR is tracking the stimulus in Colorado
http://www.publicradio.org/applications/formbuilder/user/form_display.php?isPIJ=Y&form_code=6f38d121bfb5

AND/OR

http://www.kcfr.org/

- Lauren

Geothermal Cost Comparisons

Things I Have:
- An economic assessment of a residence in Englewood, Colo. completed by Geo-Energy Services, LLC
- Residential federal tax incentive pdf

- And this e-mail from a designer with Rocky Mountain Geothermal:

Lauren,

Here is a recent study we have provided:

I have put together this economic summary.  Normally, this indicates a 7-10
payback, occasionally higher or lower.  When I put this together, I did not
really believe it, but I’ve looked over all of my inputs and other features
this thing indicates.  What this indicates is that the 30% tax credit, makes
this system a near immediate payback because it has a lower installed cost
from the initial start.

Here is the basis of assumption:
Modeled House: 24,570 sqft built with energy code compliant walls, roofs,
and windows.

Conventional system (Alternative 2): Hot water boiler for radiant floor
heating in the basement and hot water serving  4-pipe fan coils for the main
and upper level.  Air-cooled chiller for chilled water serving fan coil
units of main and upper level.  Primary chilled water and hot water
circulation pumps.

Geothermal system (Alternative 1): hot water for radiant using
water-to-water heat pump units in the basement and then water-to-air heat
pump units for the main and upper level.  Primary water pump from ground
loop heat exchanger to all heat pump units in house.  A vertical ground heat
exchanger using approximately 22-400’ deep vertical boreholes.

Convention system installation cost: $15/sqft included for all HVAC system
costs = $368,550

Geothermal system installation cost: $15/sqft plus a 15% premium above
conventional (although I argue the interior cost is nearly the same cost,
but to be prudent let’s assume a 15% up charge for whatever reason) and then
an estimated $120,000 for the ground loop heat exchanger cost.  As it stands
now, the entire geothermal system cost is a 30% tax credit (attached
brochure) = $368550 (inside HVAC) + $55,282.50 (15% premium) + $120,000
(ground loop) = $543,832.50 -$163149.75 (30% Tax Credit) = $380,682.81

Current Xcel utility rates for electricity and natural gas with 3%
escalation per year for electricity and 5% per year for natural gas (both
DOE stated escalation factors for Life Cycle Analysis purposes)

Also understand in this analysis that general assumptions about use of the
house have also been assumed with appliances, TVs, lights, etc. throughout
the house, but as far as this energy model goes, the same general
information with this respect have been applied to both HVAC systems.

This is a scalable analysis , so if installation costs were presumed higher,
say $20/sqft for the conventional system and $23/sqft for the geothermal
system, the payback calculation would remain relatively the same, just the
installation costs would be higher.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Trey

Warren (Trey) Austin, III, P.E.
Certified GeoExchange Designer
Certified Energy Manager

Background on Wave Energy

How it Works

Ocean waves, provided they’re captured at the right spot, can supply almost endless amounts of usable energy. Wave energy can be thought of as stored, concentrated wind energy, created as the wind blows over the surface of the water and transfers its energy to the waves. The waves create surface motion, as well as pressure fluctuations under the water’s surface, which can be captured by complicated devices called Wave Energy Converters (WECs).


These devices contain either a turbine or hydraulic motors, which convert the wave’s power into electricity. But their mechanisms are all very different. These devices are usually put together in “wave farms,” concentrated in sections of the ocean. Right now there are four major types of WECs, which can be used close to shore, offshore, and far offshore, depending on the needs of the device.


Terminators: One of the most complicated mechanisms, terminators are rooted on shore, and rely on breaking wave energy to move a column of air through a two-way turbine. As the water hits the air, it forces the air through a narrow column, the pressure of which turns the turbine as it enters and as it recedes. (See an example here.)


Point Absorbers: These mechanisms use buoy technology to float along with the waves. As they move up and down, water flows into a chamber through the bottom of the buoy and is forced into a narrow cylinder in the center. The force of the water then turns a turbine at the top of the buoy, creating electricity. (See an example here.)


Attenuators: Looking like a submarine about to emerge from the water, attenuators are long, cylindrical tubes that are positioned perpendicular to the incoming waves, usually close to shore. The tubes are connected by hinged joints, which move with the waves, causing pressure changes within an internal hydraulic system. As the hydraulic arms move they turn motors that in turn drive electrical generators to produce electricity. Many attenuators can be connected, in various layouts, to produce more energy. (See an example here.)


Overtopping devices: These structures act much like hydroelectric dams—except in the middle of the ocean. A semi-circular reservoir is constructed in deep water and moored to the seabed just like a ship. The sides of the reservoir are short and steep; as waves hit them they ride up the side and “overtop” into the reservoir, which is several feet above the ocean surface. Gravity pulls the water back into the ocean through common hydro-electric turbines which use nothing but the water’s energy to create electricity. (See an example here.)


Ocean currents: A developing technology
Another potential energy source uses the ocean’s natural currents to turn underwater turbines rooted to the ocean floor (much like wind turbines on land). Though water moves much more slowly than wind, its density—800 times that of air—can transfer much greater energy. According to the EIS, experts say that using just 1/100th of the available energy from the Gulf Stream would be enough to supply 35 percent of Florida’s energy needs. Though the technology is being investigated, currently no commercial current-fed turbines are connected to the grid.


Sources: The United States Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service Environmental Impact Statement on Ocean Energy


Current and future potential
Since wave power is not consistent in all parts of the ocean, wave energy is not feasible in every part of the world. Currently the most viable wave-energy-rich locations are on the western coasts of Scotland, northern Canada, southern Africa, Australia, and the northwestern coasts of the United States.


Utilities and universities in Hawaii, Washington, Rhode Island, California and Oregon are testing various types of WECs. An exciting possibility would combine offshore wind turbines—already is use in the U.S.—with wave energy converters.


According the Department of Energy, the potential extractable wave energy around North America is some 2,100 TWh (terawatt, or a trillion watts, hours) per year, representing 75 percent of the US’s current demand. But the US lags behind many European countries that are already taking advantage of ocean power.


Disadvantages
Because of the invasive nature of wave energy converters, experts have isolated the following potential disadvantages to the technology:
-Possible disruption of shipping lanes and recreational boaters’ space
-Potential effects on marine habitats
-Toxic releases from hydraulic or other fluids necessary to work the devices
-Noise and sight disruptions, especially those close to shore. These vary according to the type of device, but can include underwater noise effects on marine life.


Local Information
Though you won’t see wave energy being added into the renewable portfolio in Colorado anytime soon, local scientists at NREL are part of the development technology.


The Obama Factor
Though wave energy is not a top priority within the Economic Recovery Package (according to this breakdown), the government has promised some $2.5 billion toward the study of new renewable energy technologies.


Additional Resources
The Department of Energy on wave power
A presentation by the Department of Energy on current research and developments in ocean energy
The Electric Power Research Institute
Watch a new generation wave energy mechanism in action

--Tiffany

More Photos for Doub Profile

from left to right, Xcel check, sun space, inverter and utility meter, copper piping in geothermal system.

Eric Doub - solar aficionado

First of 5-part series profile/feature of Eric Doub, owner of green building company EcoFutures (by Molly)

Eric Doub’s net-zero-energy home

Daily, a futuristic-looking house in north Boulder devours energy bestowed by Colorado’s generous sunshine. Solar Harvest is the first net-zero-waste, energy-producing house in Boulder. Forty photovoltaic and solar thermal panels drape the roofs of the modern stucco landmark.

“It’s a laboratory for what we do, and we happen to be living in it,” said Eric Doub, general contractor, owner of Solar Harvest and of the green building firm EcoFutures. He designed the home with his wife Catherine and lives in it with third-grade son Brian and 11-year-old daughter Ariel.

Doub, 45, is about six feet tall with thick, smoke-colored hair and a focused blue gaze. He’s helped hundreds of houses exploit the sun’s free energy since founding EcoFutures in 1993. His mission is to build homes that create zero waste, and he approaches his job with an idealistic and innovative spirit that spills over into his personal life and influences his family, employees, clients and others in both the environmental and building industry. Doub judges the current sustainability movement, even his own progress in green building, as better than nothing but not nearly good enough. He wants to help society raise the bar, which is why he built Solar Harvest.

On a balmy Tuesday morning in late February, Doub led two prospective clients from Kansas and two curious onlookers on a room-by-room, two-hour tour of Solar Harvest. He couldn’t have been more comfortable leading strangers through his home. A transfixed listener and communicator, Doub is happy to venture onto ecological and philosophical tangents. He can also rattle off engineering quotients and mechanical data that make your head spin, which he directed mainly toward the mechanical engineer on the tour.

Since moving into the modern stucco home in 2005, Doub has led 2,600 prospective clients and solar buffs around to show off the geothermal ins and outs and luxurious accoutrements of the solar house.

“The novelty is still there after two-plus years. It’s been really cold this winter, and you come inside from outdoors, and it’s just toasty warm,” Doub said. “And you go, ‘Where is this heat coming from? Oh yeah, it was sunny two days ago and the house is still holding the heat.”

Visitors squinted as the sun melted recent snow off his solar panels. Energy monitors by the garage showed the house was generating 5,000 watts at that very moment. A microwave uses about 1,500 of those watts. A 6.4-kilowat photovoltaic array was mounted on the roof, its flat-plate panels containing cells made of silicon semiconductors. When sunlight hits the plates, the semiconductors collect energy and knock electrons loose to flow freely. An electric field in the panel forces the electrons to flow in one direction and an electrical direct current, or DC, is created. The DC is then passed through an inverter and is converted into the alternating current, AC, that powers Doub’s home.

The system, tied to the grid, sells extra energy to Xcel Energy on sunny days and buys energy on cloudy days. On a partly cloudy day in March, Solar Harvest generated about 21 kilowatt-hours (kWh,) consumed about 17 kWh and sold 4 kWh to the grid. Over the course of a year, net-zero homes produce as much or more energy than they consume.

Wind power background component

Technology

Wind is a clean, inexhaustible, and renewable energy resource that holds the potential to provide huge amounts of power in the U.S. Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing forms of electricity generation in the world. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. can currently generate more than 25,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the wind, which is enough to power about 7 million average American homes. Industry experts predict that, with proper development, wind energy could provide 20 percent of our country’s energy needs.

Wind turbines capture wind power, turning kinetic energy into mechanical power. Wind turns the large, scythe-like blades, which in turn spin a shaft inside the turbine that is connected to a generator that makes electricity. Small turbines can be used for individual homes or uses, while large turbines—the monolithic structures seen on wind farms—are more efficient and supply bulk energy needs for the grid.

Benefits of wind power include:
• Clean fuel source
• Turbines don’t produce emissions contributing to acid rain or greenhouse gasses
• Wind supply in U.S. is abundant
• Low price technology
• Economic benefits to land owners who rent their land for wind power farms
• Wind turbines don’t consume or require water
• Energy can be used in a variety of applications from individual sailboats to large-scale wind plants

The Department of Energy (DOE) provides a comprehensive background on wind energy, as well as detailing the advantages and disadvantages of wind energy.

Local Scoop

Although the potential for wind power is abundant in Colorado, electricity is primarily generated from fossil fuels, with over 83 percent produced from coal. Yet Colorado is increasingly looking to wind power in terms of wind farm development, cutting-edge research at NREL's National Wind Technology Center, and partnerships between private utility companies and progressive environmental nonprofits.

• Wind Farms

Colorado has an estimated 6 million acres of windy lands, particularly on the eastern plains. Two large-scale wind developments exist at Ponnequin Wind Farm near the Wyoming border, Cedar Creek Farm outside of Greeley, and the Peetz Table Wind Farm near Sterling.
If you’re curious about the Ponnequin wind farm you can read a little about it here at the American Wind Energy Association website or have an aerial look on Google maps.

Additionally, Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark is currently building a turbine blade plant in Windsor, Colo., north of Denver. This will better accommodate the delivery of large turbine blades to wind farm sites in the western U.S.

• NREL

NREL's National Wind Technology Center is preparing to install the two largest turbines ever tested at the laboratory in order to further increase turbine performance and technological efficiency. NREL also partnered with Wind Powering America to launch the Wind for Schools project in 2005. A pilot project in Walsenburg, Colo. resulted in one small turbine powering the local school in conjuction with a wind energy curriculum. This project (link to PDF) is set to install small wind turbines at rural schools, replicating the Colorado pilot process in six Great Plains states (CO, ID, KS, MT, NE, SD).

• Xcel

Xcel Energy launched Windsource in 1998. The program gives Colorado consumers a chance to pay a premium to support the development of electricity generated by Colorado wind farms. About 47,000 customers enrolled, yet according to a recent article in the Rocky Mountain News the utility company overcharged customers for the program and will refund them in the near future.

Xcel built Colorado's first commercial wind farm, Ponnequin Wind Farm, and also purchased the entire energy output of the state's second wind farm, Ridgecrest near Peetz. Xcel also uuses wind energy from the Colorado Green, Spring Canyons, Peetz Table, Logan Wind, Twin Buttes, and Cedar Creek wind farms.

Policy Mechanisms

See information on the American Wind Energy Association website on how President Obama's stimulus package will affect wind energy development. Wind power is capable of becoming a major contributor to America’s electricity supply over the next three decades, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy. The groundbreaking report, "20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy’s Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply," looks closely at one scenario for reaching 20 percent wind energy by 2030 and contrasts it to a scenario of no new U.S. wind power capacity. The AWEA explains the report in light of a new energy agenda prompted by the Obama administration.

There are many significant provisions to benefit renewable energy in the economic recovery legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, including:

* a Treasury Department grant program for renewable energy developers,
* a long-term extension of the wind energy production tax credit,
* an Energy Department loan guarantee program for developers and manufacturers,
* an expansion of Energy Department research, development and deployment funding, and
* a tax credit for advanced energy manufacturers.

See the AWEA Summary of Provisions of Interest to the Wind Energy Industry (March 2009) and the AWEA Summary of Provisions of Interest to Small Wind Turbine Producers and Consumers (March 2009) for further information, as well as the AWEA web site. [FYI these are PDF files and will need links.]

Glossary
Wondering what a yaw drive does? The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) provides a comprehensive, web-based glossary on any technical and general terms associated with wind power.

--Cassie

More On Geothermal and $$

- I've found 13 Geothermal businesses in Colorado - 2 are in Boulder

- Boulder has requested $6M to convert 60 hybrid electric vehicles to Plug-In Hybrids
(http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_city/Boulder/CO)
- Stimulus money in Colorado going to 3 "energy" projects - 2 in Durango, 1 in Boulder
- Total cost of all projects sumbitted by Colorado = $2,447,922,036
Total cost of all energy projects submitted by Colorado =$24.4M
(http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_city/Boulder/CO)
- An estimated $130M of Colorado stimulus money is allocated for Energy Weatherization and Efficiency
(http://www.colorado.gov/recovery)