DOE to maintain stimulus spending at $1bn a month

24 September 2010 - The US Department of Energy (DOE) will shell out up to $1bn of its Recovery Act cash each month for 18 months, while speeding up loan guarantees across all projects.

 

The pace of disbursement of the DOE's $32.7 bn Recovery Act funds for clean energy and energy efficiency will be maintained until early 2011, said Matt Rogers, the department's chief of economic stimulus spending.

 

"The Department of  Energy will continue to outlay $800m to $1bn every month for the next 18 months before this portfolio of projects really begins to ramp down," he told the Platts Energy Podium newsmaker event in Washington, DC, on 23 September.

 

So far, the DOE has spent $7.3 bn of its 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, but only $1bn has yet to be obligated to specific projects, he added.

 

Meanwhile, spending in the DOE's loan guarantee programme, for which department has about $66 bn in authority, is set to accelerate.

 

Three or four awards of these funds – mainly non-stimulus spending – will soon be issued every month, said Rogers. The DOE has selected 14 projects for loan guarantees since the programme, which dates back to 2005, got under way in early 2009.

 

Loans for only three of these projects have been finalized, but the rate should pick up with new procedures and the return of private capital to the market, he added.

 

Applications for several large wind, solar and biofuel projects are now moving through the system, he said.

 

Source:

POWER-GEN WorldWide

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Coal Fired Power Plant Captures CO2 !!!

Southern Company captures CO2 at coal-fired power plant in Georgia

September 24, 2010

Source: Southern Company

Southern Company has captured carbon dioxide from one of its power plants for the first time, a milestone that significantly advances the development of technology considered crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power generation. 

The research accomplishment was achieved this month at subsidiary Georgia Power's Plant Yates near Newnan, Ga. 

The pilot-scale project at Plant Yates, which uses a capture system developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), will provide additional process improvements before the technology is demonstrated next year at a much larger 25-megawatt scale at Plant Barry, which is owned and operated by Southern Company subsidiary Alabama Power near Mobile, Ala. 

During the pilot at Plant Yates, a small amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) was captured, using a solvent that absorbs CO2, and then returned to the plant's flue gas. At Plant Barry, the carbon dioxide will be compressed and transported via pipeline to deep underground storage formations. 

"Capturing CO2 from an operating power plant is an important step forward in our efforts to develop effective and cost-efficient technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while ensuring a continued reliable and affordable supply of electricity for our customers," said Chris Hobson, Southern Company chief environmental officer. "Along with our other carbon capture and storage research initiatives, our success here will help us move closer to the ultimate goal of commercial deployment." 

Southern Company is a participant in several major research initiatives to advance the development of carbon capture and storage technology, a key component in the nation's effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

In addition to the projects at Yates and Barry, Southern Company operates the National Carbon Capture Center for the U.S. Department of Energy near Birmingham, Ala., and its subsidiary Mississippi Power is building an advanced commercial-scale coal gasification power plant in Kemper County, Miss., that will include carbon capture and re-use for enhanced oil recovery. Other carbon capture and storage projects are under way or completed at other Southern Company facilities. 

The test at Plant Yates will help confirm MHI's emission-control design and provide other findings important to the much larger-scale work next year at the Plant Barry test, which represents one of the industry's largest demonstrations of a start-to-finish power plant carbon capture and storage system.

Article is found at: http://www.pennenergy.com/index/power/display/7687122732/articles/pennenergy/power/coal/2010/09/southern-company_captures.html

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Cold Water vs. Climate Change

Build Green Scotty, Scotts Contracting www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com --- On Tue, 9/28/10, Keith Goodman, Repower at Home <info@climateprotect.org> wrote: From: Keith Goodman, Repower at Home <info@climateprotect.org> Subject: Cold Water vs. Climate Change To: "B Scott" <buzscott@yahoo.com> Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 12:05 PM   Dear B, Supporters like you have almost completed the Repower at Home Coal Challenge -- preventing the equivalent of 7 million pounds of coal from being used by 10.10.10. In fact, you're 75% of the way there. But to finish strong, there are a few simple things you can do that will save you money and save a huge amount of energy in your home. The small choice between using cold water and hot water to run a load of laundry makes an enormous difference. Hot wash cycles use 90% more energy without getting your clothes any cleaner. On top of that, the hot cycle makes colors fade and wears out your clothes more quickly. To stay on pace, we need 203 supporters to pledge to start using the cold wash cycle. That's one easy commitment that will help save your clothes, your cash and your planet. Make a commitment to use the cold wash cycle and take on the Coal Challenge. Cutting down on household energy use is one of the most effective ways to break America's addiction to fossil fuels -- especially coal, the dirtiest one of all. It's also an easy way for you to do your part to take on the global climate crisis. The October 10 Coal Challenge is a declaration that you and I won't wait around for anyone else to fight against climate change. This is our chance to take the lead. You can get involved by making a commitment to lower your energy usage -- and your energy bills -- by making simple changes around the house. Using the cold wash cycle is just one of many things you can do right now to help end our dependence on fossil fuels. Please pledge now to wash your clothes with cold water and stop throwing money down the drain. Burning coal speeds up climate change and fills our cities with asthma-inducing smog. This is our chance to fight back -- I hope you'll get involved today. Thanks, Keith Goodman Director Repower at Home   This email was sent to buzscott@yahoo.com. Paid for by the Alliance for Climate Protection

When You Can Save Money by Spending More

by:Sonya Stinson
Monday, September 27, 2010

article was clipped from http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-110668-6660-1-when-you-can-save-money-by-spending-more?ywaad=ad0035

Home Insulation
Wrapping your home in the best insulation can save money on energy.
On his website, BuildItSolar.com, retired engineer Gary Reysa posted an insulation upgrade cost-saving calculator he created. The savings depend on how hot or cold your climate is.
If you live in Orlando, Fla., you would only shave off up to $136.74 over 10 years for upgrading from an R-value of 10 to an R-value of 30 if your home is heated with natural gas, and about $256.49 if you used electricity. In Duluth, Minn., the same upgrade yields up to $3,817.33 in savings over 10 years with natural gas heat and $7,160.29 with electric heat. An R-value is a measure of the insulation material's capacity to resist heat flow.
Reysa warns that the calculator doesn't take every heat source into account, so your actual savings may not be as high as the number you get. Areas with cold climates would have the smallest discrepancies.
Light Bulbs
Swapping your five most frequently used light fixtures or their bulbs for Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent lamps can save money -- more than $165 a year, according to Energystar.gov, a U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency website.
Fluorescent lamps use an estimated 75 percent less energy, generate 75 percent less heat and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. And while a $2 four-pack of incandescent bulbs may seem like a better deal compared to $2 to $15 a piece for these lamps (for 40, 60 or 100 watt lamps, respectively), the more efficient fluorescent lamps use about $130 less in energy costs per bulb over their lifetimes, according to Energystar.gov.
Let's say you're lighting up 10 rooms with three bulbs each. Switching to the pricier compact fluorescent lamps actually saves you nearly $3,900 in the long-run, according to Energystar.gov.
Other Energy Savers
With full-size refrigerators starting at $400 and passing $4,000 for some high-end, side-by-side models, you may be tempted to hold onto your old fridge for as long as it keeps humming to save money. But according to Energystar.gov, refrigerators made before 1993 cost an extra $50 per year to operate compared to new Energy Star-qualified models. A box made before 1980 costs about $150 more per year to run.
The website also points to a potential 20 percent savings from installing more efficient heating, ventilating and air-conditioning, or HVAC, units in your home. But before you replace your HVAC system, check for air leaks, which are likely culprits for your energy dollars disappearing.
Through 2010, you can get federal tax credits worth 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500, to install Energy Star appliances, windows, insulation, roofs, HVAC systems and water heaters in an existing home that is your primary residence. A number of states also offer rebates for purchasing similar energy-efficient upgrades.


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