Solar Power Comes to the San Diego Zoo

Solar San Diego sustainability initiatives this week unveiled a solar-powered vehicle (EV) charging station at the San Diego Zoo. Now environmentally-cautious citizens can visit the Zoo guilt-free, in addition to reducing their gas consumption, helping CA reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce green house gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Solar energy is received in the form of sunlight, which when converted into electricity becomes solar power. Photovoltaic solar panels can harness solar energy from sunlight and make it possible to convert solar energy to solar power. Solar power can then be used for any residential, industrial, and commercial purpose - including charging an EV.

The San Diego Gas & Electric’s sustainable communities program initiated their project to supply the San Diego Zoo’s parking lot with solar panels by installing enough solar panels to supply five EV charging stations powered by ten photovoltaic canopies.

In total, the San Diego Zoo parking lot solar panels are projected to provide about 90 kilowatts of energy -- enough energy to supply up to sixty residential homes. In addition, the local power grid utilities will purchase any surplus electricity generated, which can then be used for the local community.

A common criticism of solar panels is that they are only efficient and cost-effective when their is direct sunlight. In response, the San Diego Zoo decided to integrate batteries to store the energy generated by the solar panels so that the solar station in the parking lot can provide electricity to EVs and the local grid even if the sun has set or a certain day is overcast. 

Renewable energy sources, such as solar power, provide visitors and citizens a more efficient way to travel around the state. In addition to the electricity generated, the panels will also provide shade for up to fifty vehicles, both EV and non, which is another energy-saving technique. 

The project dovetails with the Zoo’s broader goal of encouraging “the application of sustainable design driven by science and the natural world.” Educational tools were placed at the solar panel site as well as online. The San Diego Zoo is hoping that its project can become a model for other businesses to follow.

Town Outlaws Fracking, Gets Gripe From Oil and Gas Industry

Longmont, Colorado, became the state's first town to ban hydraulic fracturing, the oil-drilling technique more commonly known as fracking. The town's anti-fracking movement is motivating other cities in similar situations to push for outlaws as well, while the oil and gas industry, on the other hand, is in fierce opposition of such prohibitions and gearing up to file lawsuits against the ban.

According to the EPA, hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation process that can be used to maximize the extraction of underground resources, such as oil and natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing allows oil or natural gas to move more freely from the rock pores to production wells that bring the oil or gas to the surface as the result of millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals being pumped underground to break apart the rock. The process of hydraulic fracturing begins with building the necessary site infrastructure including well construction. 

The oil and gas industries claim that hydraulic fracking is environmentally safe, but those in opposition, mostly environmentalists and concerned citizens, have raised concerns regarding: 1) related water contamination and air pollution, and 2) the well pads and drilling towers that would sprout up in their communities.

It all started when the Longmont townspeople were informed of plans to construct wells near the town's Union Reservoir and a playground/recreational area within the community. Supporters of the prohibition, however, were not as concerned about climate change and environmental issues, but rather on the principle of "not in my back yard" - commonly abbreviated is NIMBY. 

The oil and gas industries devoted much time and money into suppressing the citizen uprising. The energy industry spent more than $500,000 in mailers and news advertisements claiming that the ban would drive away businesses and lead to expensive court and legal battles. The aim of the opposition was to urge voters to reject the proposal on Election Day.

Despite the opposition, the ban was passed on Election Day, 60 to 40. However, the ban now faces legal scrutiny and fights at all levels of government - very similar to the situation occurring with the passed legalized Marijuana law, also in Colorado.

Colorado Governor John W. Hickenlooper (D) warned Longmont residents prior to the election that the ban will most likely result in a lawsuit from the state. The reason for this is because the state claims that only it has the authority to regulate drilling - not the municipalities. The state already sued the town once over previous city regulations that limited drilling in certain locations, such as those near schools and homes.

The primary lobbying group for the energy industry within the state, The Colorado Oil and Gas Association, had called the ban confrontational and goes against the private property rights of the companies - claiming that they have the legal rights to any and all oil and gas underlying Longmont - despite the fact that many residents may need to hire an eminent domain attorney if their property is ever taken for such a venture.

Hydraulic fracturing throughout the country has allowed drilling companies to unearth large, new reservoirs of oil and natural gas over the past few years. Although the drilling companies oppose such bans, depending on how the Longmont situation unfolds, other cities in similar situations may follow suit.

Protesters to Obama: Reject Keystone XL and Act on Climate Change

Within two weeks of President Obama's re-election, protesters gathered outside the White House to call on the president to reject the Keystone XL pipeline and to act on climate change.

The Keystone Pipeline was announced in 2005 and became operational in 2010 - transporting crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to Illinois, United States. The Keystone XL extension was then announced in 2008, which would extend the pipeline from Alberta throughout the country to the Gulf of Mexico.

The US State Department announced last year that they would wait until after the 2012 election to make a decision of whether or not to go through with the controversial project. Obama decided to put the project on hold because its construction would harm an environmentally sensitive area in Nebraska. However, for this reason, the company behind the pipeline - TransCanada - changed the route to avoid the area. Due to the new proposed route, proponents and activists alike believe that the president may now accept the project.

The protestors gathered in hope that Obama will hear their call to reject the presidential permit required for the pipeline to cross from Canada into the US. They are hoping that his acceptance speech promise to address climate change means that he will reject the pipeline.

Several environmental groups, citizens, and politicians have raised concerns about the potential adverse impacts of the Keystone XL extension. For example, there is the possibility of water and soil contamination from the 500,000 to 700,000 barrels of crude oil that would be transported via the pipeline daily. Several wildlife habitats and migratory bird routes may be affected. Several citizens may be forced to move from their homes as their land is taken for the project, requiring assistance of an eminent domain lawyer. And of course, it cannot be failed to mention that promoting fossil fuel based projects can increase green house gas emissions and climate change.

Bill McKidden, the founder of 350.org, helped organize the protest. He said that the protest was to remind the president and the administration of the activist's commitment to preventing the Keystone XL pipeline from happening. The State Department, however, does not anticipate finishing its review of the Keystone XL project before the first quarter of 2013.

Solar Power at San Diego State University

Solar power in San Diego State University (SDSU) is making headlines, as researchers have been able to generate solar-powered electricity using just sun and air. Sun and air may seem like the obvious ingredients needed to make solar power, but in fact, many concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies use superheated air to power a generator need water sources.

Although solar power is a great alternative to using fossil fuels - and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions - the current method of producing solar power uses water, a non-renewable natural resource. 

Current CSP systems use mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight (also called solar thermal energy) onto a small area that can convert the light into energy. Solar-powered electricity is produced when the light is converted to heat, which drives a heat engine - most commonly a steam turbine - connected to an electrical power generator. This turbine uses heated water to generate the steam which then powers the generator. The SDSU researchers have developed new technology to use as an alternative to water-based CSP systems. This innovation is an advancement, as the ideal location for CSP systems is in the desert.

The new CSP technology uses carbon nano particles to make the thermal absorption process in air more efficient - the light is converted into heat more effectively when it is absorbed by the nano particles. This method is more efficient when compared to the traditional method, which heats the air by pushing it through tubes. This system drives a combustion turbine as opposed to a steam turbine.

After the technology was successfully tested, plans are now in order for the system to be scaled up and put into use in the field at the National Solar Thermal Testing Facility at Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. The lead researcher involved in the project was awarded a grant of $3.9 million from the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) SunShot Initiative.

The DOE SunShot Initiative is a national initiative to make solar energy costs more competitive with other forms of energy by 2020.

For more information on solar energy in San Diego, visit Solaire Energy Systems.

San Diego Area Synergistic Solar and Wind Project

Thanks to legislation, policies, and citizen motivation, California has become one of the top solar states in the country and San Diego solar has outreached any other city within the state. However, there is one problem about solar power: you need the sun, and half of the day is without it. The same critic has been given to wind power, but that you need the wind.

As solar and wind power are intermittent sources of renewable energy, grid operators may experience complications when trying to manage the supply and demand for electricity and keep it in balance.

In California, however, the answer was clear: build a combined solar and wind power plant. This type of combination is optimal for a region like Southern California when the winds blow strongly at night during all seasons and the sun is strongest during the day.

In Southern California in the Tehachapi-Mojave region a 140-megawatt Pacific Wind farm was placed nearby a 143-megawatt solar power station in Catalina to create a hybrid wind-solar power plant. The wind farm launched in August and the solar power station is estimated to begin generating power by the end of 2012.

The foothills of the mountains in the Tehachapi region roll into the Mojave desert. This natural environment creates some of the country’s highest winds in addition to the most intense sun exposure - making the region ideal for both wind and solar power plants.

The synergistic effect of wind and solar power combined in one project not only allows for more efficient energy generation but also a more efficient use of transmission lines that carry the generated electricity to the national grid. In fact, a transmission line is currently being built to jointly carry approximately 5,000 megawatts of the renewable energy from the region to the coastal cities. These types of lines will be used 15 to 25 percent more than tradition solar- or wind-only lines.

Solaire energy systems combined with wind is an innovative approach to more efficiently generating renewable energy. However, it may not be appropriate in all regions within the country. The combination of mountains and desert in the Tehachapi-Mojave, for example, are perfect for such a venture.