GE Combines Natural Gas, Wind, and Solar

Credit: GE via Technology Review

First off, I must say that I have a minor addiction to MIT's Technology Review. The writers render hyper-techie information into a digestible format that even grandpa can understand. Ok, cool science magazine plug out of the way, we have interesting news from GE. They've created this hybrid solar thermal/wind/natural gas plant. They say that a solar thermal and natural gas combo is nothing new, but the additional element of wind is something new. I think all three of those elements working in conjunction is fascinating. The plant uses renewable solar thermal to help heat the water to create steam to turn the turbine. In addition, the plant uses natural gas to do essentially the same thing when the sun is not shining, and the new element is the use of a wind turbine to supplement electricity generation. As we've discussed before natural gas is a better fuel than coal for use with the variability of wind. This trifecta of fuel for a power plant (two renewable fuels and one fossil fuel) will be a great way to reduce the overall amount of natural gas. GE has announced that they will implement this new technology at a power plant in Turkey by 2015. I can't wait to see the numbers once this thing comes online.

Bill Ritter: Natural Gas and America's Clean Energy Future

I was fairly disappointed when former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter opted out of running for a second term. He had done so much to further clean energy in the state of Colorado and I was worried that clean energy would begin to take a back seat with a new administration. Surely, in my mind, there was no other Colorado politician that could live up to the former governor's passion for clean energy. But after reading this article by Bill Ritter, I am beginning to think that being governor was just a stepping stone towards a bigger and more aggressive goal of establishing clean energy, not only in the state of Colorado but in all 50 states. After having negotiated with the left and the right, small business and big business, and environmentalists and pure capitalists, the former governor now has the skills to help the entire country implement smart and sensible clean energy policies. Plus, he can do this unencumbered by the politician's shackles. I'm happy for Bill Ritter and his new gig up at Colorado State University and I look forward to seeing some healthy changes to our national energy policy in the new future.

Colorado State Republican Wants Renewable Energy Mandates Scaled Back

A couple of members of the Colorado State legislature want to scale back some of the Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act signed into law in 2010. I wrote a piece on the signing here. This law was developed and supported by a broad coalition including Xcel Energy, Democratic and Republican lawmakers, and environmental groups. This type of robust coalition is rare these days in this political climate. One of the state legislator's main reasons for wanting to scale back this law is "cost". The cost is of course an economic one. Changing over to renewable energies or to lower-emitting fossil fuels like natural gas is going to cost us all more money than if we were to just stay with coal. However, there will be other costs (that will eventually cost more money) to our health, to our environment, and to our society if we stay the course with coal-burning power plants. We must continue to move forward with our energy policies and any attempt to pull us back is short-sighted thinking.

Regulators Add Cherokee Plant to the ‘No Coal’ Xcel List

Interesting development reported at Colorado Energy News. The members of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted to deactivate another coal-burning power plant on the Front Range. The Cherokee power plant in north Denver will be retrofitted to burn natural gas by 2017. These type of retrofits were made mandatory when a broad coalition of government, environmentalist, and Xcel officials came together to help pass the Clean Air Clean Jobs Act this year. Natural gas is a cleaner fuel with less particulates and CO2 emissions than coal. Plus it's easier and faster to fire up a natural gas-fired power plant when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. I will be interested to see what the Front Ranges air quality is like in 2017 as compared to today.

Xcel Lays Out Plan for Natural Gas Conversion of Metro Denver Power Plants

Excellent. We are just at the beginning of a positive change to the Front Range's air quality. Xcel Energy (largest power utility in Colorado) is laying out the plan to retrofit existing coal-fired power plants to natural gas-fired plants. If you remember way back in April, Governor Ritter Signed the Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act into law. This law required Xcel to begin the retrofit of old coal-fired plants to natural gas. As I said back then, natural gas-fired plants will make it easier to bring online renewable power sources such as wind and solar, as well emitting less pollutants and CO2 than coal. This is just another demonstration of the forward-thinking policies of Colorado businesses and government. I don't know about you, but I look forward to breathing easier on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Ritter Signs Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act Into Law

It's a good day for Colorado's people, environment, and economy. Governor Ritter signed the Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act into law today. If you remember this bill was designed to retrofit some of Colorado's older coal-fired electricity plants to be able to burn cleaner natural gas. These retrofits will help create jobs, support Colorado's natural gas industry, and reduce carbon emissions and toxins in our air and water.

Another thing to keep in mind when trying to understand why this law is such a good idea is that a natural gas power plant makes it easier to supplement our power production with renewable sources such as wind and solar. This is because it is easier to bring a natural gas-fired power plant rather than a coal-fired plant when the wind ceases to blow and the sun stops shining. There was also an unusual accord among all parties (Xcel, environmentalists, Dems and Repubs) with the obvious exception being the coal industry. Finally, for all of those folks concerned about the cost of this law (rather than with the health of their neighbors or the environment first), it is cheaper to retrofit an old coal plant with natural gas than it is to decommission that plant and build a new coal-fired (albeit less emitting) power plant.

I don't know about you but I like the direction Colorado is taking with respect to the clean energy economy.

Colorado Senate Passes Clean-air Bill Favoring Natural Gas

Good news for Colorado's air quality. The Colorado Senate passed a bill to retrofit existing coal-fired electricity plants to plants fired by natural gas. This will reduce the toxins and pollutants that significantly contribute to the Denver metro area's brown cloud in the winter and smog alerts in the summer. Using natural gas to fire electricity plants will also ease the transition to renewable energy supplies such as wind and solar because of the ability of natural gas to come online quicker than coal and meet the base load demand when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing. Also in the bill is a provision that requires Xcel to cut emissions of nitrogen oxides by 70-80% by 2017. Natural gas will help to meet this requirement. Nice job Colorado legislature!

Bill to Cut Coal Power in Colorado Has Widespread Backing

The Denver Business Journal reports that bill HB 1365 Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act was introduced into the Colorado legislature yesterday and zoomed through the House Transportation and Energy Committee with a 10-1 approval. This bill would retrofit coal-burning power plants with natural gas. A couple of things make this a smart bill: Colorado has an abundance of natural gas and natural gas has lower carbon dioxide emissions than coal. Plus this bill has broad support with the only dissenter happens to be the coal industry. It's a no brainer for Colorado to pursue policies that help work towards cleaner air, create jobs, and provide a reliable energy source for our base load power (when solar and wind aren't working). We are still going to need coal for the foreseeable future, but anything we can do to help ween ourselves off coal (whether it be with renewable sources or lower emitting natural gas) is good for posterity in my humble opinion.

Colorado State of Mind Talks about Energy

There was a well-rounded discussion on Colorado State of Mind this evening regarding energy. The title of the show was, "Federal Stimulus Package and Energy" and the panel was pretty solid. The conversation weaved through a bunch of issues such as tax credits, base load, free market, lowering carbon emissions, natural gas drilling on the Western Slope, smart grids, internal combustion engine inefficiencies, fuel price risks, local power generation, micro grids, plug-in electric cars, the escalating cost of coal, and much more. Head on over to their website. The video should be up soon.

Colorado Seeks Protections Amid Energy Boom

This article really demonstrates the recklessness which the Colorado oil and gas industry and Republican Colorado state lawmakers exhibit towards human, animal, and environmental life. I wouldn't refer to myself as a strict environmentalist. I think there needs to be some balance between commerce and the environment. And yes, "jobs" in the oil and gas industry in Colorado are important as one of the arguments from the article goes. But a nurse's vital organs almost failed because she inhaled from a patient's boots some secret sauce used during the natural gas extraction process and natural gas proponents still think that we should proceed with business as usual? Am I so naive as to think that someday these people will come to their senses and stop this myopic gratification for some long-term sustainability?

I have another bit of wishful thinking. I would like it if there were mandatory field trips for all of these blind supporters of the oil and gas industry to these natural gas drilling sites so they could see just how much damage this does to the air, land, and water around the area. I bet that these field trips would open a few eyes and show exactly how we get the non-renewable fuel that powers our furnaces and hot water heaters. Only then may we see a change in behavior and a reduction in myopic and political posturing.

Beware the Wind Energy Hot Air

Interesting editorial that points a critical eye towards T. Boone Pickens plan for accelerated wind power and natural gas to ween us off Mideast oil. I have to say that the author makes an interesting case against Mr. Pickens plan. I also must say that it's a little hard to trust a man who made billions off of that same oil he now wants us to say adios to. There is no altruism within a staunch capitalist. Personally I'm not a fan of the natural gas route because of what it does to the air and the ground when you pump it out. Plus it's not renewable and as Einstein once said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Anyway, check the editorial out for yourself and let me know what you think.