IBM To Charge Up Battery Industry
First let me apologize for that title…in the future when you look under the hood of your super efficient electric car, or when your personal wind turbine is making more energy than you need, or when the solar cells are pumping out a bit extra it might be IBM that you count on for storing that energy. IBM is moving swiftly into the battery market.
IBM will gather many of the top minds in science, industry and technology to explore the next frontier of electrical energy storage and advanced battery systems - key technologies that will power smarter energy grids, support widespread use of electric cars, and allow for the storage of large amounts of renewable energy - at its annual Almaden Institute in San Jose, California, on August 26 and 27.
The goal of the 2009 Almaden Institute is to catalyze long-term, concerted efforts to create next-generation rechargeable batteries capable of storing ten times more energy than today’s most powerful Lithium-ion batteries. Speakers include Nobel Laureate and energy expert Burton Richter; Marc Tarpenning, co-founder of Tesla Motors; and Deborah Gordon, co-author of 2 Billion Cars.
“High density, scalable energy storage technologies are emerging as the greatest game changer for this new era of renewable energy sources and smarter grids,” said Sharon Nunes, vice president, Big Green Innovations, IBM. “Today, the vast majority of the world’s oil is burned for transportation. Energy sources, such as wind and solar power, fluctuate continuously. We believe the solution may lie in the development of an efficient, affordable energy storage network.”
IBM Research’s Almaden Institute brings together eminent, innovative thinkers from academia, government, industry, research labs and the media for an intellectually charged and vigorous dialogue that addresses fundamental challenges at the very edge of science and technology. Previous Almaden Institutes have launched major research projects in cognitive computing, service science and healthcare informatics.
Leveraging expertise in materials science, nanotechnology, green chemistry and supercomputing, scientists at IBM Research’s Almaden lab in San Jose, California, are undertaking a multi-year research initiative around a grid-scale, efficient, affordable electrical energy storage network. The team plans to explore rechargeable Lithium/Air systems, which have the greatest energy density of all practical battery systems and are inherently safer than traditional Lithium/ion systems.
IBM intends to partner with industry leaders, academia and others in this collaborative endeavor. The company would license any intellectual property that may result from this research rather than manufacturing battery cells.
IBM Research teams across the world apply advanced materials science, physics, modeling tools, materials science, physics, and integration expertise to address emerging environmental management opportunities. IBM is focused on several areas related to energy and the environment, including energy efficient technology and services, carbon management, advanced water management, intelligent utility networks and intelligent transportation systems.
The company’s focus on exploring battery technologies stems from IBM’s Big Green Innovations initiative. Announced in November 2006, as part of IBM’s investment in 10 new businesses generated by InnovationJam, Big Green Innovations has concentrated its efforts on water management, alternative energy and carbon management.
Cape Wind Completes State and Local Permitting, One HUGE Step Closer To Completion
After 7 LOOOOOOOONG years Cape Wind completed its State and Local permitting process today with a unanimous vote of the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board to grant Cape Wind a ‘Certificate of Environmental Impact and Public Interest’ that rolls up all State and Local permits and approvals into one ‘composite certificate’.
Cape Wind President Jim Gordon welcomed the news, “Today’s vote marks not just a successful conclusion to a seven-year state regulatory review of the Cape Wind project but the beginning of a new era of clean energy jobs and renewable power from the endless wind resources off our shore.”
Completion of the Federal Permitting process for Cape Wind is expected soon when U.S. Secretary Ken Salazar issues a Record of Decision on Cape Wind. The Minerals Management Service of the U.S. Department of Interior issued Cape Wind a favorable Final Environmental Impact Statement in January.
The Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (Siting Board), was created by the Legislature to ensure the siting of needed and least environmental impact energy facilities and was granted the statutory authority to issue a comprehensive approval to an energy facility it has previously approved, where that facility has been denied a permit by any other state or local agency in the Commonwealth. The Siting Board exercised their statutory authority in their vote today which was necessitated by a procedural denial issued from the Cape Cod Commission in 2007.
In 2005, the Siting Board approved Cape Wind’s electrical interconnection at the conclusion of a 32-month review of unprecedented length that included 2,900 pages of transcripts, 923 exhibits and 50,000 pages of documentary evidence. The Siting Board found that Cape Wind would meet an identified need for electricity and would provide a reliable energy supply for Massachusetts, with a minimum impact on the environment. The Siting Board’s approval of Cape Wind’s electrical interconnection was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Two independent public opinion polls have found statewide support for Cape Wind to be 86%.
Cape Wind’s proposal to build America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal would provide three-quarters of the electricity used on Cape Cod and the Islands from clean, renewable energy - reducing this region’s need to import oil, coal and gas. Cape Wind will create new jobs, help stabilize electric costs, contribute to a healthier environment, increase energy independence and establish Massachusetts as a leader in offshore wind power. For more information visit www.capewind.org.
Support The American Worker, Support An RES!
This spring, as the temperatures begin to rise in Washington, DC, the debate over energy policy is heating up — with the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives’ energy committees both considering a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) this week. The RES, which enables renewable energy sources to provide a growing amount of the nation’s electricity, would, for the first time, provide a long-term commitment to renewable energy in the U.S.
A national RES is not only favored by 75% of Americans as shown in this recent poll (pdf) — it also promises to create hundreds of thousands of American jobs and foster a healthier and more secure environmental future. Take a look, and share with your friends, this video testimonial that shows the meaning of wind industry jobs to Americans who have been laid off in a down economy and are excited about new careers.
Unfortunately, as the RES provision moves through Congress, the strength of the standard is being watered down. At this critical moment in the reshaping of our nation’s energy policy, we need your help. Please take a stand now - e-mail your Senators and Representatives and ask them to support a strong RES policy.
To create a long-term commitment to renewable energy, the U.S. needs to adopt a national RES that calls for 25% of our electricity to come from renewable resources, such as wind and solar power, by the year 2025. This policy would foster a sound investment climate for renewable energy manufacturers to invest billions of dollars in new facilities and employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in high-quality jobs.
The Senate and House of Representatives are currently considering energy legislation that includes a national RES. Draft bills are currently calling for only half of the 25% by 2025 level - not strong enough to demonstrate a true national commitment to renewables. NOW is the time to let your Members of Congress know that you support a meaningful RES.
Please take a moment to contact your Senators and Representative and express your support for a national 25% renewable electricity by 2025 policy. Click here to contact your Senators and Representative to express your support for a national RES.
More Green Energy Jobs This Time In Massachusetts
Over the last couple days we have told you about more green energy jobs in Kansas, and New Mexico, seems that now Massachusetts has gotten into the game.
US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu is expected to disclose the funding today during a visit to the state. The money comes on top of a $2 million US Department of Energy grant awarded to Massachusetts for the proposed facility two years ago, as well as $13.2 million in grants and loans from the state’s Renewable Energy Trust. Construction of the center is scheduled to get underway in September.
“This would really do a lot in terms of pushing us further down the road in terms of wind and harnessing the power of wind energy,” said a federal official familiar with the project who was not authorized to speak in advance of Chu’s visit. The Obama administration wants 10 percent of electricity generated in the United States to come from renewable sources by 2012. Currently about 2 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated by wind, solar, and geothermal facilities.
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Officials said they expected the center to create about 250 construction jobs and eventually employ about 10 people to run the facility, which will test blades for pressure and fatigue by using hydraulics and sensors.
“Initially, there are not going to be too many jobs available. It’s not as if we have a factory moving in,” O’Flaherty said. “I’m hoping that, potentially, businesses that are interested in learning from this wind turbine testing facility will locate nearby.”(via)
I know of at least one architect that is working on this project, and can anticipate an ecosystem of renewable energy research jobs (science and research are the Boston areas bread and butter, lots of smarties around here) sprouting up around this sort of facility.
More Renewable Energy Jobs Comming To America!
Last week we told you about the wind nacelle factory opening in Kansas, now Schott is opening it’s new solar plant in New Mexico! Schott has been sort of a pet project around this blog, we have been covering them for a long time. I really like what they do, and it’s always great to see more renewable energy related jobs coming to America. It is part of retooling the entire economy to be based on a sustainable model of energy production and use.
Schott Solar today ceremonially inaugurated its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for products used to generate solar power, one year after breaking-ground on the project’s first-phase. The 200,000 square-foot facility represents an initial investment of over $100 million USD in the Albuquerque region from the global Schott Solar group. Schott has created 350 jobs at the new facility, which will continue to ramp up production throughout the summer.
Federal, New Mexico, and Albuquerque dignitaries and government officials joined Schott Solar executives to dedicate the facility. Government officials praised the facility as a bright spot in the regional and national economy.
“This facility is proof that smart policy can create jobs and spur investment,” said New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. “Schott Solar has recognized the vast potential that exists for solar energy in the United States and especially New Mexico. They have taken a leadership position to manufacture technologies that can capture this limitless energy source.”
Anticipating the need to increase production of its solar power technologies as the market for renewable energy in the U.S. grows, the new site is designed to support expansion of both Schott’s photovoltaic module and solar thermal receiver lines. Long term plans call for the buildings to expand to 800,000 square feet with employment reaching 1,500 people, representing a total investment of approximately $500 million.
“Today is an extremely proud day for Schott,” said Dr. Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of Schott’s Board of Management. “With the inauguration of this facility, Schott Solar is further demonstrating the company’s position as a global player in solar technology and our ongoing commitment to developing the North American market through strategic investment.”
Schott Solar’s manufacturing facility in Albuquerque is the first new solar manufacturing facility to open since the Federal government signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. This law provides numerous incentives, including incentives for solar manufacturing, to help expand the renewable energy industry. By 2016, the U.S. solar industry is expected to support more than 440,000 permanent, full-time jobs, including many in the manufacturing and construction industries, according to Navigant Consulting. The development of solar energy has widespread support from the American public. In a study commissioned in 2008, 94% of respondents indicated it was important for the United States to develop and use solar energy.
Powerful Products from a Powerful Project
For the first phase, the Albuquerque facility will have an annual capacity of up to 85 MW (A megawatt of solar capacity provides enough electricity to power between 150 and 250 homes) of photovoltaic (PV) 225 watt polycrystalline modules, sold under the name SCHOTT Solar Poly 225. The 225 watt module is well suited for a diverse range of applications and is particularly well suited for commercial buildings and schools thanks to its size and durability. The highly-automated manufacturing process used in Albuquerque combines best practices from Schott Solar’s global manufacturing expertise to deliver an efficient, high-quality and reliable module.
In addition to manufacturing photovoltaics, Schott Solar’s Albuquerque flagship facility is the first in the U.S. to produce receivers used in parabolic trough, utility-scale, concentrated solar power plants (CSP). Initially, the two production lines will produce enough receivers to meet the demands of up to 400 MW CSP power plants per year.
Schott Solar receivers are advanced, specially coated steel absorber tubes embedded in evacuated glass envelopes. These receivers sit at the focal point of parabolic mirrors, where the sun’s thermal radiation is concentrated. A heat transfer fluid (HTF) is heated by the sun’s energy inside the receiver. The fluid then flows to a heat exchanger, which creates steam. This steam spins a turbine, creating energy with no carbon emissions.
Schott Solar designed its manufacturing process in Albuquerque to accommodate future developments for CSP receivers. Prototypes of next generation receivers were unveiled by Schott Solar during the inauguration of the Albuquerque facility. The new receivers offer new dimensions and can accommodate alternative heat transfer fluids. These changes are designed to increase the overall efficiency of CSP power plants, which will help to reduce costs for utility-scale solar energy production.
Solar: A Powerful Energy Source
In just one hour’s time, the amount of energy that the sun shines upon the earth’s surface exceeds the energy consumption of all of mankind in an entire year. The desert southwest of the United States is particularly well-suited to harness the full potential of this inexhaustible energy source.
“Investing in solar energy is the right investment for today,” said Dr. Gerald J. Fine, President and CEO of Schott North America. “We’re creating stable jobs in an industry that will benefit every American and the country as a whole.”
The opening of the Schott Solar facility in Albuquerque is symbolic of the nation’s growing appetite for renewable energy. President Obama has committed to doubling the nation’s renewable energy portfolio in three years. At the end of 2008, the United States had over 1 gigawatt of grid-tied PV and over 400 MW of CSP.
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