Wind Turbines Get OK to Connect to Grid

KCRA.com of Sacramento, CA reported this week that a local alternative energy company has met requirements to have its wind technology connected to the power grid. Marquiss Wind Power of Folsom, CA said PG&E approved the connection. CEO Paul Misso said that they will be partnering with both business and government agencies that have expressed interest in affordable alternative energy.

Democrats Work on Energy Plan

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Democrats in Congress are proposing to enact provisions of a House bill that would open parts of the Continental Shelf to oil drilling now that it looks unlikely that the Senate will pass a standalone energy bill. The energy bill, once in the forefront, is now being overshadowed by the Wall Street bailout.

House majority leader Harry Reid said he planned to use the bill as a foundation for a vote on drilling. A bipartisan group of 20 senators – 10 from each party, had been working on a proposal, but it has stalled. Republicans however, have drafted their own alternative, as well as the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Jeff Bingaman.

If the energy bill is not acted upon before the upcoming recess, it’s likely that no bill will be passed before the new Congress convenes in November.

Read more about the congressional work on an energy plan.

Solar Power Use Doubles in a Year

In South Australia, the number of homeowners who have solar panels has doubled in the last year. The Utility company ETSA reports they are getting about 300 requests a month to be connected to the grid. This allows the unused energy generated by the homes to be supplied back to the grid. The homeowners get paid for this energy.

Australia has a government rebate for households installing solar power generators. The rebate was increased from $4000 to $8000 in May of 2007. The infeed tariff, or the amount homeowners are paid for the electricity they put back on the grid, was also increased from .25 (Australian Dollars) to .44 per Kilowatt.

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33 New Turbines in Coos County, NH

In keeping with New Hampshire’s goal of producing more energy with renewable resources, 33 new wind turbines may soon be built on the ridgelines of Coos County. This would provide enough power for 33,000 homes. The turbines are being proposed by Granite Reliable Power. Their parent company is developing wind farms in eight states.

The turbines would be 410 feet tall and produce 99 megawatts of power. The power would feed into the transmission line known as the Coos County Loop. If approved the wind farm would begin operating in 2010.

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Solar Power from “Balloons”

Tom Schueneman of CleanTechnica.com reported this week about a new technology from Cool Earth Solar of Livermore, CA. Cool Earth Solar's CEO Rob Lamkin explained the need for a large amount of collecting surface in order to replace hydrocarbon based energy with solar energy. They claim they have the ability to collect gigawatts of power as opposed to megawatts.

The technology uses something resembling an eight-foot-tall balloon called a "concentrator". It has a transparent upper and a reflective lower hemisphere. When inflated the shape focuses the sunlight onto a photovoltaic cell at the focal point. This design doesn't include any new technology, yet produces up to 400 times the electricity that a cell without the concentrator would product.

Cool Earth Solar is working on a demo "balloon farm" that would generate a quarter million watts. Within a year they hope to have 10-30 megawatt plants.