Tag Archives: green
Biomass Energy Plant Starts Commercial Operation
15 July 2013 Following successful performance trials, Helius Energy plc says that the Helius CoRDe Limited biomass energy plant in Rothes, Speyside, Scotland has begun commercial operation. The CoRDe plant uses by-products from nearby malt whisky distilleries to produce renewable energy and liquid animal feed product (pot ale syrup) and will be accredited as a combined heat and power plant under Renewables Obligation legislation. The project, which includes an 8.32 MWe power plant and a 66.5 t/h pot ale evaporator plant, is owned and operated by the CoRDe joint venture between Helius Energy plc , Rabo Project Equity BV and the Combination of Rothes Distillers Limited (CoRD). It will generate enough electricity to power 9,000 homes and will save around 46,000 tonnes per year of CO 2 compared to a similarly sized coal-fired facility. A further reduction of 18,000 tonnes of CO 2 per year will be achieved by closing the existing gas fired CoRD facility located at the same site. During performance trials the plant successfully achieved gross power output of 8.4 MWe and net design throughput of 73.2 t/h of pot ale through the evaporator plant. The project will generate revenues from index-linked gate fees received for the processing of distillery residues, the sale of electricity and associated ROC sales, and the sale of Spey Syrup into the animal feed market. CoRDe will continue actively to explore opportunities to increase the distillery residues processed by the project. “We are delighted to have successfully completed the final testing and handover of the Rothes plant,” said Adrian Bowles, Helius CEO. “Completing it on time and within budget sends a very strong message about Helius’ ability to deliver biomass projects. The facility has been producing renewable electricity since January this year and will now enter full commercial operation as an outstanding example of renewable energy production in action.” Continue reading
US Army Looks To Renewables
17 July 2013 Elizabeth Block While the US continues to drag its feet on climate change in terms of national emissions legislation, its armed forces have been investing in renewable energy – on a very large scale. This article is taken from the May/June issue of Renewable Energy Focus magazine. To register to receive a digital copy click here . According to Pike Research , part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, the total capacity of US Department of Defense (DOD) renewable energy installations will quadruple by 2025 – from 80MW in 2013 to more than 3200MW by 2025. “US military spending on renewable energy programmes, including conservation measures, will reach almost $1.8 billion in 2025,” says research analyst Dexter Gauntlett. “This effort has the potential to not only transform the production, consumption, and transport of fuel and energy within the military; it will likely make the DOD one of the most important drivers of cleantech in the US.” Or, as Pike puts it in a new report : “As the largest single consumer of energy in the world, the US Department of Defense (DoD) is one of the most important drivers for the cleantech market today.” In fact, this is not a new development. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service energy specialist Anthony Andrews, Congress began mandating reductions in energy use by federal agencies back in the early 1970s. This was to be achieved by improving building efficiency and reducing fossil fuel use. This was followed by President Obama’s Executive Order of 2009 – mandating a 30% reduction in energy usage and other measures by federal agencies. Later, Net Zero, a 2010 policy introduced by the Army Energy Programme, decreed that on-site operations should use energy produced on-site, leading to use of solar at forward bases in Afghanistan, for example. In a related defence development, the Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) has been looking into renewable jet fuel. And in the 2011 documentary Carbon Nation, Colonel Dan Nolan, US Army (Ret) said: “Climate change in fact is a national security issue. This is no longer the purview of Birkenstock-wearing tree huggers. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” Net Zero, similar to other military policies, is driven not by concern about climate change or green jobs but by the need for energy security – and fuel economy. While Net Zero is an army initiative, the other service branches, the US Air Force, Navy and Marines all have their own programmes and targets. As the Army says: “Today the Army faces significant threats to our energy and water supply requirements both home and abroad. Addressing energy security and sustainability is operationally necessary, financially prudent, and essential to mission accomplishment. The goal is to manage our installations not only on a net zero energy basis, but net zero water and waste as well.” In fact, military involvement in renewables should be seen as two separate but connected strands: efforts directly funded by government, usually via contracts with defence contractors, and independent efforts by the defence and aerospace industries, which depend on the armed forces’ procurement offices. The future As Chuck Hagel, the new US Secretary of Defense, is known for his opposition to Kyoto, a question was put to the DoD about continuity. Sharon Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defense for US Operational Energy Plans and Programmes, said: “Our commitment to giving our troops the best energy options remains unchanged. DoD missions require a significant and steady supply of energy, which is increasingly a requirement that can be exploited by our adversaries as a vulnerability. That’s why DoD’s investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, including new investments in the FY14 budget, are focused on enhanced military capabilities, more mission success, and lower costs.” Meantime, and very importantly for our sector, it is not just defence industries. Some solar firms are in the picture, such as Solar City , which lists “military” among customer categories on its website, along with building companies and utilities. For example, late last year the US Army launched a major solar project for up to 4,7000 military homes at Fort Bliss, Texas, and the nearby White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, with Solar City and Balfour Beatty Communities LLC , part of Balfour Beatty plc, as partners. This is a 13.2MW project, part of Solar Strong, Solar City’s five-year plan for more than $1bn in solar projects for up to 120,000 military homes throughout the US. Local utility El Paso Electric is currently in discussions on the Fort Bliss and White Sands projects. Importantly, the various US directives have stimulated innovation. For example, the US has a Defense Innovation Marketplace – and this should not come as a surprise. We all know that we owe the internet to early US military efforts. Given the large sums involved, US military commitment to low carbon could be very good news for our sector. A full copy of the report can be found here . about: Elizabeth Block is a London-based writer specialising in renewable energy. A native of New York in the US, she has a background as a financial journalist, specialising in institutional investment. Continue reading
Confidence In Carbon Farming Takes Another Hit
Posted Tue Jul 16, 2013 PHOTO: Labelled the ‘Ghostbusters’ the fire scientists suck up the flames with their long silver wands. (ABC Rural) AUDIO: Tough times in Australia’s carbon farming market (ABC Rural) MAP: Darwin 0800 Confidence in Australia’s carbon farming market is shaky at best and the ongoing changes to policy is not helping according to an industry expert. The Federal Government has today announced its plan to scrap the carbon tax and bring forward an emissions trading scheme by one year. That move could see the carbon price in Australia drop from around $25 to just $6 a tonne. The government will also cut millions of dollars from the Biodiversity Fund and Carbon Farming Futures program. Manager of carbon markets for EcoKnowledge, Dr Tim Moore, says the forecast drop in price is going to make it very hard to run viable carbon farming businesses. “I’m the optimist in this market and I’m not particularly confident at the moment,” he said. “For a carbon farming project to be viable you have to be able to profitably reduce emissions or permanently store emissions in the landscape for less than $6 or $7 (a tonne) and I think that’s going to be a real challenge for the Australian Carbon Farming Initiative and the carbon credit production sector in Australia.” Dr Moore says a lower carbon price and lack of approved methodologies is making carbon farming tough, particularly in the rangelands of Australia. “I think there’s over 150 projects registered under the Carbon Farming Initiative and I think if you go through the records there’s probably only five or six farmers participating in the scheme, the rest are landfill operators,” he said. “So even though it’s named the Carbon Farming Initiative it hasn’t really been effective to date in assisting landholders to get into the carbon market and generate some additional revenue from changed land management practice.” Continue reading
