Cradle of Innovation: A Golden State of Mind

In California, science is still king as projects big and small push renewable energy industries to greater heights.

Steve Leone, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com
February 10, 2012 | 17 Comments

California was long ago picked clean of its gold, but the state continues to foster a prospector's mentality and a willingness to sift through the swift current of ideas for one more discovery that will further cement its place as the world's center for innovation.

Geothermal

By California standards, the Salton Sea is not prime real estate. For the geothermal industry, though, the region is a fertile area for growth.

A couple of hundred feet below sea level in the vast, dry expanse north of the Mexican border, the region sits atop the San Andreas Fault. Its geothermal potential is unsurpassed in the United States. Its mineral makeup, though, has long posed some challenges, leaving the development of that geothermal potential to a select few.

El Centro-based EnergySource is putting the finishing touches on the Salton Sea area’s first standalone geothermal plant in 20 years. The 49 MW Hudson Ranch I project is expected to come online by the end of the first quarter, and the company plans to start drilling for Hudson Ranch II, also 49 MW, at some point this summer.

The project, which will represent the first geothermal plant to come online in the U.S. since 2010, is employing the best available technologies previously used in the Salton Sea area, according to EnergySource President and CEO Dave Watson.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is how it plans to deal with the high levels of mineralization that defines the region. To overcome the hurdles, the company has teamed with Bay Area-based Simbol Materials, which will help extract minerals such as lithium, manganese and zinc, which the company could then export to battery developers. Those batteries, created partly from minerals extracted from the geothermal brine, could conceivably be used for battery storage for other renewable technologies.

The relationship between the two companies solidifies both as they strengthen their positions in the Salton Sea region. The region has up to 2 GW of long-term potential power generation, but so far existing plants represent a nameplate capacity of about 350 MW. So there is immense potential for growth, and perhaps the Hudson Ranch project will pave the way for more developments that manage to turn the high mineralization into a valuable resource.

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17 Comments

Steve Poppitz
April 20, 2012

As alternative energy sources become main stream, please note that there is A LOT of effort to create clean electricity, ie, PV, Wind, Geothermal & Biomass spinning turbines, more Hydro, etc.
These of course play into the electric vehicle (eV). However, we are awash with a domestic resource in Nat'l Gas (NG). I will propose that BOTH of these should be supported and the use of oil and coal should be minimized as soon as possible. Conversion of our large truck fleets could cut our use of imported oil by a huge % (say as much as 35-40%)And of course, personal transportation is just that 'personal'. People should have the choice. The eV market is opening up in a big way.In a year or two, every major auto maker will offer a PHEV or a BEV. As #16 above points out India will push the bottom down fast. Lithium batteries are expected to GO DOWN BY 15-20% per year for a while. Charge at home. Essentially no maintainence. What's not to love?
I also will propose that NG is a fairly clean, energy dense fuel that is cleaner than oil & coal and domestic and should be utilized. Clean up the fracking industry of course. Convert every coal plant possible. AND, until the battery industry has matured thru eBikes, eScooters,to eV's & sm.freight at least commit an effort to convert fleets of veh's.

ANONYMOUS
March 22, 2012

Already Indians has put out an Electric car.We will soon build worlds cheapest Electric Car

Steve Poppitz
March 21, 2012

Dear EnergySavers2,
You seem like an intelligent guy.Did you know that EVERY major auto manuf. is in the process of pursueing an eV or two? Almost no one (except Honda and recently Chrysler trucks)is into natural gas vehicles. Maybe they know something.I am into both. Get Americans out of petrol burners ASAP.I have read that eV's are about 90% efficient, while ICE vehicles after 100+ years of development are just over 30% eff. Does kinda make you wonder if the future of private transportation is going electric, and at the same time there are major in roads into wind and solar often and regular. BUT in all agreement ; what ever drives'm ... make them lighter.

Yj Draiman
March 20, 2012

World class renewable energy innovation enterprise zone revealed for Los Angeles – Proposed by YJ Draiman – rev.5

YJ Draiman welcomes innovative renewable energy zone approach which will create 200,000 + new jobs over the next 5-10 years.

An ambitious project that will transform the way universities, business and industry collaborate, and establish Los Angeles as a world leader in the research, development and design of next generation renewable energy technology, was announced today, January 2, 2011. Spearheaded by YJ Draiman and the Economic development agency, Draiman Enterprise, and National Technology Renewable Energy Zone, will be established in the city of Los Angeles with the Universities of Southern California Technology Innovation Development at its heart.

A large parcel of land will be allocated to set up the renewable energy enterprise zone site, which will be within the boundaries of Los Angeles. There will be an academic center which will be transformed into a center of excellence for academic research, commercialization and industry collaboration.

The renewable energy zone initiative, which would span further than the confines of the City of Los Angeles and include Southern California, is expected to create 200,000 + new jobs over the next 5-10 years and give a boost to the Los Angeles economy through further industry academia collaboration and inward investment.

The developer said: "This new vision of the Renewable energy Technology Innovation Center will be the cornerstone of Los Angeles Technology and Renewable Energy Zone. The developer's vision for The Renewable energy Zone is to provide a breeding ground for ambitious companies to harness cutting-edge research, access the best people and develop the products which will shape the renewable energy industry of tomorrow.

"Southern California has already claimed a place on the renewables map attracting energy heavyweights and pioneers in the solar and wind sector and we believe t

Yj Draiman
March 20, 2012

Electric cars are they conserving energy? Rev4

Ask yourselves what is the real cost of "Electric Car"?

Note: Electricity is a secondary form of energy derived by utilizing one form of energy to produce electric current.

Let us look at the facts:

In order to produce electricity, we need some form of energy to generate electricity, whereby you lose a substantial amount of your original source of energy in the generation process.
In the process we are losing the efficiency of the initial energy source, since it is not a direct use of the energy.

Let us take it a step further. To generate electricity we utilize; coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydro electric - water, photovoltaic-solar, wind, geothermal, etc. Many electricity generating plants utilize fossil fuel, which creates pollution.

Do you realize how much of the initial source of energy you lose to get the electricity you need for your electric automobile; you also lose electricity in the transmission lines.

Why are we jumping to a new technology, without analyzing the economic cost, the effective return and efficiency of such technology; while computing and measuring its affect on the environment?

Natural gas vehicles are a direct source of energy, where you get the most for your energy source – in efficiency and monetary value. Cost of natural gas to a comparable gallon of gas ranges around $1, it has higher octane and extends the life of your engine, it is also safer than gas.

In these hard economic times – I would think, you would want to get the most for your dollar – and not waste resources.

Another economic impact would be the loss of road tax on fuel, these funds are used to build and maintain the highway infrastructure.

"It is Cheaper to Save Energy than Make Energy"

YJ Draiman, Director of Utilities & Sustainability

http://www.energysavers2.com

Will High Electricity Rates Drive Innovation?
Escalating costs of OIL will produce innovation!

YJ Draiman

ANONYMOUS
February 20, 2012

steve-poppitz,

Sorry for the tardy reply to your post rebutting my comments about Makani.

First, yes I do understand the commercial wind energy business quite well. And based on your comments, I'd go so far as saying I understand it much better than you seem to. Commercial wind production is first and foremost a business enterprise which must eventually produce a profit. Since they are businessmen, wind turbine operators only care about one thing: turbine LCOE.

As for the principle behind the Makani concept of a tethered kite flying thousands of feet high where wind speeds are higher, while it sounds great on its surface, it doesn't make sense when you fully consider the idea. In most places, recent studies have shown that the average wind speeds at high elevations are not as great as previously imagined. And even given the higher wind speeds, the small diameter, high speed propellors on the Makani kite would be far less efficient at capturing the available wind energy than a conventional HAWT design.

Second, you bring up the cost of tall towers. As a percentage of turbine capital costs, the tower represents around 15% or less. A taller tower is not a big cost factor.

Lastly, most commercial wind turbines are designed to operate with 85% duty cycles for a 20 year life. It's hard to imagine a lightweight kite aircraft achieving an operational availability rate of even 25%. And you'd be lucky to get a service life of just 1 year, forget about 20 years.

While I applaud creative thinking like that behind Makani, I also understand that different does not always mean better. Renewable energy needs to compete in the energy marketplace on its own merits. And this means we wind energy engineers need to work harder, rather than demanding the bar be lowered or the rules changed to accommodate us.

alok misra
February 17, 2012

Ideas that appear at first not acceptable sometimes change the world later on- It is just that their time has not come

Steve Poppitz
February 16, 2012

And we really only need to go about 2000' up to get strong dependable wind as oppossed to irregular at 500' up.

Richard McIver
February 16, 2012

Yes wind is much stronger at altitude. I fly, and even the
jet stream is 100 to 250 mph at 29,000 to 40,000 feet. Access
limited.
Note the wind is California is thru ducted mountains to increase the flow of wind.

Greg Pulcher
February 15, 2012

A couple of years ago a working prototype was presented in Italy.
Update yourselves.

ANONYMOUS
February 14, 2012

Hyper Solar/Solar 3D is simply laughable "technology"--the author probably saw Solyndra as a "game changer" as well. "nanoparticles" that use sunlight to "free" hydrogen--these are buzz words to attract investment only--nothing commercially useful for DECADES if ever.
Notice the PT Barnum strategy of hooking with buzz words like Hyper, Solar, 3D, nano...pretty pathetic if you buy into this crap.
"To get the natural gas, Hyper Solar mimics photosynthesis with billions of nanoparticles that use sunlight to separate hydrogen molecules out of water. The free hydrogen is then reacted with carbon dioxide to produce methane. In its vision of "world-scale operation," the company says it would install acres of low-cost reactors on vacant lands and then pipe the renewable natural gas to homes, vehicle filling stations, industrial facilities and even power plants."

ANONYMOUS
February 14, 2012

Great fact to point out Steve Poppitz--there isn't any wind in the ground (height of 0').
Just 1" above and there is wind--you are so helpful. Clearly we need electricity kites (NOT)
Another dreamer's idea that isn't practical despite the "brilliant" support in this article.
This article reminds me of your typical VC pump piece.

Patrick O'Leary
February 14, 2012

I spent most of 2009 in California, but the state budget was collapsing around their ears. For all the talk about enrgy and pollution, a multiple solar benefit roofing system for low profile commercial or industrial buildings just didn't gain enough traction for more than a few conversations. After that, the default options kicked in and the people I met did what they had always done.

alok misra
February 14, 2012

What Is common between Western UP(India) and California ?
Quite a bit!
First THe many of Indian population in California is from Western UP than rest of Northern India. Secondly Its core town Meerut is the Gold City of India- Second only to Hongkong in Asia.Thirdly recent survey could not find any poor in Meerut. Thirdly is the most prosperous area of India and lies on the valley of Ganges and Yamuna. It is rich in Cultural heritage and abounds in places of historical significance and it where many gurus started their journey to fame.From time it was center of for creation of Vedas and knowledge of Ayurveda.
Then here again the people catch new movements very rapidly , either cultural, social or political or economic- not long ago you could count the engg and management colleges on finger tips - today there are fifty five on a stretch of 18 kms in just five years. It was here they revolted against the British in 1857 and it was here they built one of the most advanced at its time highway from Kolkatta to peshawar way back in 1600 which has survived till date. It will be very interesting to see the the collaboration between california and Western UP,. I believe it could do wonders

Steve Poppitz
February 13, 2012

Our Anonymous contributor probably fails to see the brilliance in Makani because (he/she) may be uninformed in wind energy/ costs of construction /their easy-on , easy-off design or all of the above.
First off, the wind speed at 0' elevation is 0 mph. The higher you get, the better the wind potential. Why do you think most wind tower are 500' or more? (it's where the wind is)Do you know what those babies cost? Now, how do you get that cost out of the equation? Don't build the tower. So, why stop at 500' up where the wind is just starting to get reliable and strong?
The designers in the wind field will tell you two main problems; First, the towers can't practically get any taller. Two, the wind is intermittent. Exactly why these guys at Mankani are getting it right. GO HIGHER. No tower. MUCH better wind 4 or 5 times higher. Maintenence; Towers cost big dough when work is required and go out of service for weeks. A Mankani kite is reeled in, a second kite is attached to the teather and sent right back into service. The first kite is brought into a warehouse for service. Brilliant. I'll predict that in the very near future more wind dollars will go into HIGH ALTITUDE and OFF SHORE. After all, that is where the real wind power is.

And in keeping with the article ; Calif. has steep fall off in it's coastal geology, hence no real action off shore...so far. Again you can't build the towers practically like they are doing around Europe,Brazil, the South China Sea,etc. Just wait for "the floaters" But, that's another story.

ANONYMOUS
February 13, 2012

The genesis of California's tech boom was the aerospace business that sprang up during WWII. It created a huge state-wide engineering and high-tech manufacturing infrastructure. While there is still some tech business left in the silicon valley, much of the engineering and manufacturing base in southern California has left. Aerospace, electronics, and software were mostly profitable business enterprises. Unfortunately, green energy start-ups like Makani are not.

While it's laudable to encourage creative thinking like Makani's wind energy concept, these ideas must also be scrutinized objectively. Commercial wind energy is first and foremost a business. Anyone with even a cursory understanding of engineering and wind turbine design, would see that Makani's concept is neither cost-effective or reliable enough for commercial use. It is difficult to imagine a lightweight, tethered aircraft lasting even 6 months in service, let alone the 20 years most commercial turbines are designed for.

The main principle behind Makani, using a tethered aircraft with small propellor driven high speed PM generators, capturing the high speed winds at high altitudes, also does not measure up. While the high altitude wind speeds may be much higher, the small diameter rotors on the Makani turbine will be far less efficient at capturing that wind energy.

California is no longer the hub of innovation it once was, mostly due to its high taxes and regulatory burdens. Some start-ups are still attracted by the cash available in silicon valley, but they don't stay in California for long. The spirit of innovation quickly gives way to the common sense of business.

Anumakonda Jagadeesh
February 11, 2012

Excellent Article.

Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com

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Steve Leone

Steve Leone has been a journalist for more than 15 years and has worked for news organizations in Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Virginia and California.

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