Wednesday
Feb182009
A Futuristic Grid and Fossil Gas are Energy’s New Pillars
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 2:33PM
Coffee Brown University of New Mexico, for Talk Radio News Service
During two energy conferences in Washington, DC, Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu said that a new, expanded, robust, and smart electric grid is the big ticket item for his department in the just-signed stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act).
We are moving away, he said from locally produced power in pursuit of alternative energies, such as wind and solar, which are favored by geography in sparsely populated areas. As energy is produced in a fluctuating pattern due to local weather, and then sent farther away, a computerized grid which can direct, even out, monitor and store power will be needed. This coordination will extend even to homes, where fluctuations in use or peak draws can be managed to limit brown- and black-outs. he described circadian pricing, rewarding users who shift usage away from peak hours, and buy-back credits for homes which actually produce power as examples of smart distribution at the home level.
Chu noted that the new grid could be a target, so robust design was a security priority.
While wind power is as high as 20 percent in some areas, it is only three percent of overall production, and will need to mature and expand over a decade or more to compete on a cost-per-kilowatt basis.
Chu has made a priority of streamlining funding of shovel-ready projects, which were facing delays of up to two years for approval.
At the second conference, chaired by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and attended by entrepreneur and hedge fund manager T.Boone Pickens, the question of new regulatory agencies came up, as power distribution became less regional and more interconnected. Reid said that he thought it could be handled administratively.
Pickens said that there are vast reserves of natural gas at several fields in the U.S., far more than would be needed to bridge the gap to non-carbon pumping energy production. Trucks, he said, can never run on batteries but can easily be converted from gasoline to natural gas, which is 30 percent cleaner and would create many American jobs and businesses.
Chu concluded by saying that carbon capture and climate change are important topics that will be addressed in later stages of the program.
During two energy conferences in Washington, DC, Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu said that a new, expanded, robust, and smart electric grid is the big ticket item for his department in the just-signed stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act).
We are moving away, he said from locally produced power in pursuit of alternative energies, such as wind and solar, which are favored by geography in sparsely populated areas. As energy is produced in a fluctuating pattern due to local weather, and then sent farther away, a computerized grid which can direct, even out, monitor and store power will be needed. This coordination will extend even to homes, where fluctuations in use or peak draws can be managed to limit brown- and black-outs. he described circadian pricing, rewarding users who shift usage away from peak hours, and buy-back credits for homes which actually produce power as examples of smart distribution at the home level.
Chu noted that the new grid could be a target, so robust design was a security priority.
While wind power is as high as 20 percent in some areas, it is only three percent of overall production, and will need to mature and expand over a decade or more to compete on a cost-per-kilowatt basis.
Chu has made a priority of streamlining funding of shovel-ready projects, which were facing delays of up to two years for approval.
At the second conference, chaired by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and attended by entrepreneur and hedge fund manager T.Boone Pickens, the question of new regulatory agencies came up, as power distribution became less regional and more interconnected. Reid said that he thought it could be handled administratively.
Pickens said that there are vast reserves of natural gas at several fields in the U.S., far more than would be needed to bridge the gap to non-carbon pumping energy production. Trucks, he said, can never run on batteries but can easily be converted from gasoline to natural gas, which is 30 percent cleaner and would create many American jobs and businesses.
Chu concluded by saying that carbon capture and climate change are important topics that will be addressed in later stages of the program.
Energy secretary calls for diversity in energy approach
While testifying before the Senate Committee on the Budget, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that the solution to America’s energy woes must combine many different approaches, based both on renewable and fossil fuels. Chu said that all of the following should be part of the solution of ensuring sustainable energy independence:
• Improved CAFE Standards
• Conservation
• Plug-In Hybrid Cars
• Reducing dependence on Foreign Oil
• Biofuels
• Nuclear technology
• Offshore drilling
• Expanding natural gas
• Clean coal technology
• Hydropower
• Wind energy
• Post-Combustion technologies
• Solar Technology (both photovoltaic and thermal)
• Improving the energy efficiency of buildings
Chu highlighted the importance of coal by saying that the US has the highest coal reserves in the world. He continued that China and India also have high coal reserves, and they won’t turn their backs on that potential technology, so America shouldn’t either. Regarding solar technology, Chu said that presently solar thermal technology is better than photovoltaic technology, but that if photovoltaic technology was more deployed, the costs would begin to come down and the technology in general would improve. Chu continued that natural gas, hydropower, and nuclear technology are all rather clean, and should all be part of America’s approach. Post-combustion technologies are those that pull carbon out of the atmosphere once it has been released, and Chu said that there is a “reasonable chance of success” in those capturing methods, which he noted is a place where he and Al Gore differ in opinion.
President Obama’s FY2010 Budget allots $26.3 billion to the Department of Energy for clean energy. The other main priorities of the administration include doubling the federal government’s investment in basic science, increased focus on climate science, and expanding graduate fellowships in sciences.