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MER - March, 2009

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The DoE wants revolution, not evolution

Director Chu aims for transformational breakthroughs

by Keith W. Cooley, president and CEO, NextEnergy

The name of the movie escapes me, but I’ve always remembered the scene. The young hero revs up his car as his girlfriend slides into the passenger seat next to him. The hero revs his engine, then he reaches up to windshield, snaps off the rearview mirror and tosses it out the window. When his girlfriend asks why he did it, his James Dean-ish remark goes something like, “There’s nothing behind us worth looking at.” Then he hits the gas and off they go.

I feel the same way about America’s energy future. The road ahead may be better approached without looking at the rear view mirror.

That’s what Department of Energy Director Dr. Steven Chu has in mind when he calls for transformational technology breakthroughs to break our addiction to foreign oil and, simultaneously, create new, cleaner energy sources that don’t harm the environment. He doesn’t want evolution … he wants revolution!

Two days after President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, Energy Secretary Chu announced a sweeping reorganization of the Department of Energy’s process for dispersal of direct loans, loan guarantees and funding contained in the new legislation. Said Dr. Chu: “These changes will bring a new urgency to investments that will put Americans back to work, reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and improve the environment. We need to start this work in a matter of months, not years -- while insisting on the highest standard of accountability.”

There’s nothing behind us to dwell on because we know all too well what’s back there. Mobile and stationary power plants that burn fossil fuels; The negative effects of green house gases and climate change; and an aging, faltering electromechanical power grid instead of a modern digitally “informed” (i.e. “smart”) grid.

Dr. Chu wants inventions, and lots of them. Here’s what Dr. Chu is looking for:

- - Gasoline and diesel-like biofuels generated from lumber waste, crop wastes, solid waste, and non-food crops
-- Automobile batteries with two or three times the energy density now available that can survive 15 years of deep charge-discharge recycling
-- Photovoltaic solar power that is five times cheaper than today’s technology
-- Computer design tools for commercial and residential buildings that enable reductions in energy consumption of up to 80 percent with investments that will pay for themselves in less than 10 years, and
-- Large scale energy storage systems so that variable resources such as wind or solar power can act like base-load power generators.

Dr. Chu points out that the above list, while not definitive, still gives a concrete sense of the types of technologies the DoE is aiming for.

And he’s starting now. In March, Dr. Chu announced the release of two Funding Opportunity Announcements totaling up to $84 million to advance geothermal energy technology. At the end of January, he announced $25 million in funding to advance biofuels and bioenergy development.

Like NextEnergy, Dr. Chu and the U.S. Department of Energy are committed to creating more than jobs … they seek to create new industries. They want the dirty, green house gas emitting power plants in use today to become for future power sources what the horse and buggy became to the automobile.

The rear view mirror does us little good in this situation. It provides a memory of an admittedly simpler time. But, like the hero in that movie, we may be better served by snapping off the rearview mirror and accelerating forward.

The support is there; President Obama has pledged to invest $15 billion a year to develop and deploy the next generation of renewable energy technology here in America.

With this funding in hand, let’s stay focused on the future … and how best to invent it.

MPSC establishes statewide net metering program
The Michigan Public Service Commission has established a statewide net metering program, required by Public Act 295 of 2008, also known as the Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy Act. The Commission also approved electric interconnection and net metering rules. Net metering occurs when customers with renewable energy generators produce electricity in excess of their needs, providing power back to the serving utility and receiving a credit for power they supply to the system. It is anticipated that most net metering customers will be using wind or solar generation equipment. "The new statewide net metering program means residential and business customers can add small renewable energy electric generation projects onsite and get credited for the energy they produce in excess of their needs --- at the full retail rate," said MPSC Chairman Orjiakor Isiogu. "As a result, my fellow commissioners and I expect the number of net metering customers to skyrocket."

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Michigan entrepreneurs have big plans for wind power
Two Michigan entrepreneurs say they plan to begin putting thousands of people to work in the wind energy industry this summer. Global Wind Systems Inc. says it will employ 300 at its Novi assembly operations by this fall, building the central hubs of huge 1.5 megawatt wind turbines. CEO Chris Long likens the hubs to "70-ton school buses" in shape and size. Meanwhile, Gilbert Borman and his Borman Holdings LLC hope to act as a supplier of gears to Global Wind Systems.

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Spanish, Michigan companies team up for more wind farms
Madrid, Spain-based Bergé Logística Energética and Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction this month announced the formation of Rockford Bergé, an organization combining wind farm construction with comprehensive logistical services. Rockford Bergé will focus its initial efforts in Michigan with plans to service the entire Great Lakes region. Rockford Construction was recently ranked as a Top 50 Green Contractor by Engineering News-Record. Bergé has expertise in many aspects of energy infrastructure logistics, including transporting massive turbine parts from around the world.

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State gets federal funding for Centers of Energy Excellence
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Michigan Economic Development Corp. president and CEO James C. Epolito announced that the MEDC will receive nearly $2.5 million in federal funding to build upon work launched through Michigan's Centers of Energy Excellence program. The COEE program, which is bringing companies, academic institutions and the state together to support cutting-edge research and development and pioneer new alternative-energy technology, was appropriated the funding in the federal omnibus budget bill signed by President Obama. For complete details on the COEE program, visit www.michiganadvantage.org/21CJF.

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Study finds wind power advantages -- with improved grid
Wind-generated electricity from the upper Midwest will become cost-competitive with power generated from more conventional fuel sources like coal, while providing substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions when connected to the nation's electricity grid via new extra-high voltage transmission lines, a new study by The Brattle Group has concluded. The study, "Transmission Super Highway: Benefits of Extra High Voltage Transmission Overlays," provides some of the most significant evidence to date that renewable resources offer an important and economically-feasible means to respond to escalating energy demands in a carbon-regulated environment with domestic energy sources. The study was commissioned by Novi-based ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ITC). More information on the study can be found on ITC's Web site at http://www.thegreenpowerexpress.com/white_papers.php and on The Brattle Group's Web site at www.brattle.com.

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Ann Arbor firm's fuel cells go to work in real-world medical test
Ann Arbor's Adaptive Materials Inc. said this month that it had delivered five 25-watt solid oxide fuel cell units for use in a military medical readiness training exercise held in the Dominican Republic. The fuel cells provided portable, reliable and critical power to infrastructure throughout the training exercise, including powering biometric computer terminals. Adaptive Materials' fuel cell runs on globally available and inexpensive propane, a fuel source that's easily found in remote areas. More at www.adaptivematerials.com.

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MSU, Michigan Tech get federal funding for biofuel research
Research to turn trees into liquid fuel gets a boost with approval of the $410 billion federal omnibus spending bill this month. The bill allocates $1.4 million for a new biofuel research program at the Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Tree Improvement Center in Escanaba. The funds will allow MSU and Michigan Technological University scientists to work together to find solutions to the most complex problems facing the forest-based cellulosic biofuels industry, using trees as raw materials for renewable fuels such as ethanol. The funding for the center comes from the U.S. Department of Energy and is being distributed by the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

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Consumers Energy completes turbine upgrade at Hardy Dam
Consumers Energy announced it has completed installation of a new water turbine on Unit 3 of its Hardy Dam on the Muskegon River in Newaygo County, resulting in a 600-kilowatt upgrade of renewable energy available from the unit. Consumers Energy replaced the original 1930 water turbine at Hardy Dam in Unit 3 and also re-wound the generator. The new turbine is capable of producing 11,400 kilowatts of electricity, up from 10,800 kilowatts previously. The upgrade enables Hardy to generate a total of 33,000 kilowatts.

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DTE proposes renewable energy, conservation programs
DTE Energy has filed renewable energy and energy optimization proposals with the Michigan Public Service Commission that would significantly increase the amount of renewable energy generated in the state and establish broad-based energy efficiency programs for DTE Energy customers. Public Act 295, passed by the Michigan legislature last October, calls for the state's electric utilities to supply 10 percent of their retail sales with renewable energy by 2015. To meet this goal, DTE Energy's filing proposes 1,200 new megawatts of renewable energy. The company plans to construct renewable energy projects to meet about half of this capacity, mostly from wind, and contract with third-party producers for the rest.

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'Power Nap' could save 75 percent of data center energy
Putting idle servers to sleep when they're not in use is part of University of Michigan researchers' plan to save up to 75 percent of the energy that power-hungry computer data centers consume. Thomas Wenisch, assistant professor in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and students David Meisner and Brian Gold presented a paper about improving the energy efficiency of data center computer systems this month at the International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems in Washington.

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Wind energy conference draws 1,300
Around 1,300 people gathered at Detroit's Cobo Center this month for the opening day of the Michigan Wind Energy Conference, sponsored by the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association. Jennifer Alvarado, executive director, said wind power remains a hot technology even in an era of cheaper energy prices because people want to reduce CO2 output, avoid looming carbon taxes -- and because it has the potential to bring thousands of new manufacturing jobs to Michigan. More at www.glrea.org.

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Meijer announces plans to install wind turbines
Walker-based supercenter retail chain Meijer Inc. said it would soon expand its green initiatives to include the use of wind power at some of its facilities. Meijer received approval to install the wind turbines from the zoning board of appeals in the city of Walker. Current plans are for six wind turbines to be installed on the roof of the Meijer headquarters, with meters placed inside the building. The wind turbines are being manufactured by Grand Rapids-based Cascade Engineering and should be installed within the next 45 days. Meijer is also hoping to expand its wind turbine project to include its stores in the west Michigan lakeshore communities of Grand Haven and Norton Shores.

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State supports Hemlock Semiconductor expansion
Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced the state of Michigan is partnering with Thomas Township in Saginaw County to support the $1-billion expansion of Dow Corning joint venture Hemlock Semiconductor Group’s solar cell manufacturing operations and the creation of up to 300 new jobs over the next two years. “Our efforts to diversify Michigan’s economy and create new jobs are enhanced by Hemlock Semiconductor’s continued commitment to Michigan, which is helping to position our state as the alternative energy center of North America,” Granholm said. The Michigan Strategic Fund board has approved a $6.9 million grant to Thomas Township to make public infrastructure improvements needed for the expansion. The grant is being made available with funds from the federal Community Development Block Grant program.

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ESD, DTE Offer Corporate Energy Awards
The Engineering Society of Detroit and DTE Energy are accepting nominations for the ESD/DTE Energy Special Awards. The two organizations are seeking to recognize the companies who have instituted the best energy saving project or the best energy sustainable project. Small businesses, industrial and commercial businesses are eligible to apply. Winners will be recognized at ESD’s 13th Annual Energy Conference & Exhibition on May 5 at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi. Awards will be handed in two categories applicable to industrial, commercial and small business: Energy Saving Project(s) of the Year and Sustainable Energy Program of the Year. Entries must be received by April 6, and can be mailed, e-mailed or faxed to ESD. For submission details, visit www.esd.org.

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