Apr/070
Tracking Renewable Energy
The great plains institute just released news of a new software called M-RETS(Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System).
Basically it is a app that allows Minnesota, Wisconson, Iowa, and Manitoba to trade renewable energy in a market type scenario. This will function to keep the cost down, and encourage the use and development of more renewables.
I think this initiative will go along way in providing the necessary push we need to move in the direction of renewable energy.
Mar/070
Where does your power come from?
I just recently found out that Becker goes through about one train car of coal per day.
Man that is a lot of coal.
From Wyoming Coal
The typical coal train is 100 to 110 cars long-a mile of coal! Each hopper car holds 100 tons of coal which lasts only 20 minutes fueling a power plant. Bigger surface mines may load two or three Unit Trains of coal a day. Currently, eighty trains leave Wyoming every day. In 1999 we shipped out 25,882 trains. That's 25,882 miles of coal-more than the circumference of the earth.
One unit train can keep a city of 3,000 households (10,000 people) in electricity for a year. How many trains (or cars) would it take to fuel the generators for your town?
I guess Becker only through 4 unit trains per year.
There must be a bunch of power plants on this particular rail line, because I think I see a unit train about once a week. Then again I don't really pay attention to how often I see trains.
Mar/070
Wind Power just got cheaper
Well technically everyone else's power got more expensive.
They are moving the fuel surcharge out, and making it an itemized charge instead of an adjustment.
So now I will pay less for my power.
And they announced they are green-e certified
Looks like everyone should go with wind:)
Jan/070
Solar – energy that is staring us in the face.
Printed Solar Panels
Tomorrow's solar panels may not need to be produced in high-vacuum conditions in billion-dollar fabrication facilities. If California-based Nanosolar has its way, plants will use a nanostructured "ink" to form semiconductors, which would be printed on flexible sheets. Nanosolar is currently building a plant that will print 430 megawatts' worth of solar cells annually—more than triple the current solar output of the entire country.
Eventually we can just roll out the solar panels on every home in the US. A major step toward a distributed energy grid.
I think this is a pretty exciting innovation, then again maybe I am just a geek:)