Posts tagged renewable energy

Obama’s Top 5 SOTU Energy Quotes

President Obama’s State of the Union address included several strong statements on America’s energy future. The president didn’t shy away from the opportunity to tout his successes and ask for more. 

“Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled, and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it,” Obama said. 

Here at SmartPower, we support the president’s message that a diversified approach toward a clean economy is both ideal and achievable. Environmentalists may have cringed at Obama’s remarks about oil and natural gas development, but if we are to ever get to the point where we can rely only on cheap, clean and renewable sources, we must acknowledge that it requires a thoughtful transition with a varied approach.

The following is a list of our top 5 energy quotes from last night’s State of the Union address, starting with this “all-of-the-above strategy”:

1. ”With only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy. A strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.”

This is important. In order to make the smoothest transition possible to a clean economy, we must be aware of prices and jobs. Renewables are already seeing victories in both of these regards — the falling price of solar indicates a promising future for cost-competitiveness and increased development (JOBS). But we must not be distracted by industry blunders like Solyndra. Just as the president said, “some companies fail”:

2. “Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. … I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.”

If the United States is to become an industry leader, it has to step up and lead. Right now, we are in the race, but we are feeling the heat from China and Germany — both with strong innovation and manufacturing in clean energy resources. If we are not going to cede the wind, solar or battery industries to either of these countries, then we must learn from them. We must commit ourselves to the promise of clean energy.

3. We’ve subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits. Create these jobs.

This is the commitment to the promise of clean energy that we must make. We must even the playing field and invest as much in the clean energy industry as we do in fossil fuels. As Obama makes clear, it’s not about the politics. It’s about this country’s future as an innovator and leader:

4. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well, tonight, I will. I’m directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, working with us, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history - with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.

This administration is willing to act. In fact, it already has. The Department of Defense isn’t wasting any time developing a renewable energy strategy that addresses issues of cost and security. Because when it comes down to it, it’s all about costs:

5. The easiest way to save money is to waste less energy.

We’ve saved the best for last. President Obama used this remark to make a point about cutting businesses’ energy costs by making building efficiency upgrades. Yes, it’s true that we can lower businesses’ energy bills by more that $100 billion with simple upgrades, but it’s also true that homeowners have just as much, if not more to save. 

Clean energy and energy efficiency haven’t moved to the forefront of the global energy discussion because they are expensive. It’s just the opposite.

In the not-so-far future, the day will arrive when we have an energy portfolio comprised of renewable, reliable, clean and cheap energy. If we act now, we will see this day sooner than later.

The U.S. Navy is Turning Green

The U.S. Department of Defense accounts for 1 percent of the United States’ total energy consumption, and gets more than three-quarters of that energy from oil. As oil prices rise, that means increases in the military’s costs of operation. 

The Navy is working hard to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In fact, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has said he wants at least half of the energy consumed by his department to come from non-fossil sources by 2020. He has also advocated for biofuels for fighter jets, hybrid-electric drives for ships, and renewable-energy systems for ground troops.

The Wall Street Journal highlights one such system that’s currently being used by Marines, who are part of the Navy: roll-up solar panels that charge soldiers’ gear.

By allowing the troops to recharge their radios, GPS devices and other equipment, the green technology freed the Marines of India Company from constant resupply by road and air. And by carrying fewer batteries, they carried more bullets.

The Marine Corps is addressing a paradox confronting military planners: Modern U.S. forces are more lethal than any in history, but they also gobble up more energy. That lengthens vulnerable supply lines and overloads soldiers and Marines in the field.

Other fascinating facts from the story:

• Batteries make up as much as 20 percent of the weight of the 100 pounds of gear a Marine infantryman typically carries.
• A Marine uses four times as much fuel as his counterpart did in the early 1990s.
• 30 percent of all fuel trucked into Afghanistan goes to power generators.

Air Force base makes gas from trash

Edwards Air Force base in Southern California will be the first facility to test the Green Energy Machine, or GEM, from IST Energy. The GEM is a shipping container-sized trash-to-energy unit designed to convert waste into electricity and heat. From CNET.com:

Instead of burning waste, the GEM uses a gasifier, where dried and pelletized waste is heated to above 600 degrees Celsius in a vessel with limited oxygen. The heat causes the material to break down into what is called a synthetic gas, or syngas, made mostly of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane in IST Energy’s gasifier, explained Matt Young, the engineering group leader for waste-to-energy systems at IST Energy.

The syngas is the fuel for either a natural gas engine or boiler after some modifications. Or the gas can be mixed with diesel fuel to run a generator. Three tons of waste a day is enough to power a 100-kilowatt generator, but the net output is 72 kilowatts because of the power needed to operate the machine. Heat can be fed into a building’s heating system as well.