Phoenix Rising: Renewable Energy Good News Comes to Light After Hurricane Sandy

Go read were DOE has finally came around to what I have been saying for over 10yrs:
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/11/landfills-brownfields-become-americas-energy-sites-for-solar-arrays#readercomments

As usual, the wealthiest -- nations and populations -- are the most irresponsible when it comes to fouling our nest on planet Earth. We foul the most because we have created and continue to support the Energy Industrial Complex. The EIC mines, drills, refines, stores, trades and sells, transports, and stores hydrocarbons -- coal, oil and gas -- or uranium. All that, BEFORE it can heat or cool our homes or boil water to generate electricity. It's time to move on from "burning our own fences" as Thomas Edison said. It's time to stop fouling our nest with temporary, thoughtlessly applied "solutions". It's time to understand and use the unlimited power within 10 miles of everywhere on earth -- straight down. Geothermal heat does not foul our nest ... it has made human life possible! Whether tapped from close to the surface to be used directly for heating and cooling or from further down to boil water to generate electricity, it is entirely local, clean and an unlimited resource. It's not the only answer to cleaning up our nest, but along with solar thermal, photovoltaic, wind and hydro used appropriately, it can replace the dirty old EIC AND provide secure, unlimited energy.

Now, then, if only we could apply EGS first to help produce adequate food, secure housing, warmth, lifecare and essentials for all instead of land-fills, CO2, and the packaging that creates them...

Most of the areas hit by Hurricane Sandy have electric and telephone service provided via aerial cables (i.e. pole mounted). When you combine this with a multitude of old growth deciduous trees, wind storms are always going to cause outages. Trees get blown over, they fall on utility lines and service gets disrupted. Usually, this is isolated to a relatively small area. Sandy, however, was such as huge event that it took the entire grid down.

Municipalities and utility companies in the affected areas now have a great opportunity to rebuild their grids to withstand the realities of increasing demand in an area faced with adversely changing weather patterns. Having worked as an engineer in the telecom industry designing distribution networks, I know municipalities don't like the disruption caused by any type of utility work. This is especially true of resort towns, such as the ones on the New Jersey and New York coasts, that would have most of the work done during the prime tourist seasons.

The upside, if you can all it that, of the destruction caused by Sandy is the areas hardest hit need to and can rebuild everything all over again. They can rebuild better and smarter on what is essentially a "clean" slate. Utility grids that were wiped out can be rebuilt in ground and hardened to withstand weather events such as high winds or flooding. Smart grid technology can be utilized to redistribute service during outages plus allow end users to switch over to backup or integrated alternative sources seamlessly. Finally, major efforts to promote grid tied alternatives, especially weather resistant renewables, will alleviate stress on networks when part of a grid goes down due natural or man made disruptions.

Doing this will take time and entail a huge cost. The cost of doing it right,however, will pay for itself when the next storm hits the area.

richard-viers1,

The problem is 99% of those experts believe solar should be an appendage on an existing roof condition, regardless of the condition of the roof underneath the solar. If the roof is not energy efficient or wind resistant, why should an insurance guy want to take additional risks? Solar guys are so eager to put solar on an existing roof that they are blind to other more economical possiblities not present in their scope of work. What electrician wants to install a solar integrated roof if his licence does not cover it in his scope of work? Roofs & Solar should be designed for wind and rain in mind.

Dan

I really don't believe how many people can all say the same thing but manage to create an argument about it. Insurance, generation, and management of energy. All very good subjects, all people who may or may not be expert in their field. I truly believe that discourse is good if it creates positive change so keep up the conversation and let the rest of us view your comments, but do not use this venue to call names or talk about how badly the rest of us are doing it. Share something positive and create collaboration. I met some of the best business contacts I have on this very venue. If you have interests in creating opportunities and want to talk to like minded individuals you can change the world view of renewable energy and create jobs, and make change happen. Just be more positive and more innovative about your approach to this opportunity to comment and discuss with others in venues like it. I have my blog at http://alternativeenergyproductsgroup.com/wordpress I would love to have some of your posts, links, and contacts. Richard Viers

jen-aitchinson,


My original post was deleted because they felt it was an adverstisement. The State of Florida recognized the (TIPV)Tile Integrated Photovoltaic because of its high performance characteristics. A DEC-Statement was issued last year offering clarity about the qualifications of those that may install. Because it is a roof integrated system , roofers are allowed to install it, making it more competetive than something done as an afterthought by an electrician or solar contractor. See Florida DEC-Statement here:
http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/pro/cilb/documents/ds_2011-060.pdf

The reason the Florida Construction Licencing Board would rule such,is that the TIPV was designed and has a current product control approval from Miami Dade Product Control in the Hurricane High Velocity Wind Zone. The uplift resistance is 727 PSF without more expensive rack mountings or penetrations.

The method embeds commercially available solar panels within an energy efficient roof foundation called a barrel tile roof. There exists substantial government study on the profiled tile roofs indicating major energy efficiency. See links:

http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/html/FSEC-PF-408-95/
http://info.ornl.gov/sites/publications/files/Pub10930.pdf
http://ws680.nist.gov/bees/ProductListFiles/Generic%20Clay%20Roofing%20Tile.pdf

Now consider that the footprint of the solar roof areas also have an offset value because it reduces material cost and installation on both sides (Solar & Roofing). Then consider the fact you can afford a small investment of a Pex tubing to place strategically underneath the solar array and include a solar thermal system to utilize the waste heat from the solar panels. Such as system has a 100 year roofing life cycle and therefore you get more out than you put in. Such an investment is privy to a 30% federal tax credit for the entire investment including the new roof area.

Well,Well,Well...again the uninformed public spewing more of all that 'cool aid' the Coal and Gas Lobbyist have turned into to what The actual everyday person only hears ..........So it must be true (just like everything on Internet has to be TRUE)...LOL........................ Renewable Energy just does not work, It way to expensive, IT IS GONNA BREAK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND SEND US ALL TO HELL....................................... The real TRUTH IS REAL SIMPLE!!! Thomas Edison's DC current the first electricity invented and then the first home to have it JP Morgans which had the generator in the Basement was the way we should have stayed with. We should have never went down the path of the stupidest way Generation huge amounts and then stupidly push it 200 miles away to end user... common sense should be self-evident here people.... If all the homes and businesses in the Path of Sandy would have had a co-gen system (generation that is local and still hooked to grid) then at least if some of it blew away fine but the majority would have had electricity the very next Day when the damn sun came out instead of waiting 3 to 4 weeks for the STUPID GRID TO BE FIXED.... FOLKS THIS AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE .......................SolarManJD

I run my home on power from the grid------unless I don't.

If the grass gets too tall, or it looks like a hurricane is coming----------I pull out the plug, fire 'er up................and go someplace else.

It is really pretty handy to be able to take your "grid" with you anywhere you want to go.

Definitely misinformed. Mr. Anonymous has not addressed my question, and I assume can't. Mr. Anonymous mught want to look into what subsidies, tax breaks etc all the big oil & gas, nuclear, coal energy generators are getting as I think you will be very surprised at where your tax dollars are actually going.
Renewable energy generationis at least transparent about tax incentives, tariffs and other information;
http://earthtrack.net/blog/renewable-energys-iceberg-problem
Have a sunny day :)

Folks like Mr.Anonymous are truly misinformed about what properly design renewable energy forms are capable of. Their source of information is likely Rush or some other intellectual giant so you shouldn't even consider replying to them. Shoot he can't even bother with using his name, rather hiding behind a cloak of anonymity.

An interesting solar thermal system that survived Sandy is the solar 2E absorption cooling and low pressure steam system at the Steinway & Sons manufacturing plant in Astoria, Queens, NY. This system uses 38 roof-mounted tracking solar trough receivers which were able to withstand the high winds.

Regarding wind power: If wind farms are placed about 12 miles off the North Carolina coast, they will see steady winds 24/7 and produce power with little variability. There are sufficient wind resources there to satisfy about 125% of the state's current electric power demand.

Might be safer to some extent, but with the flimsy requirements required by our government of energy production verses cost makes these billion dollar projects unfeasible. Wind is not sustainable energy. In most cases it isn't even there when most needed. The only winner with wind is the turbine company and the facilitator who financially benefits from the obscene subsidies.... that be YOU jen-aitchison.... at my and others expense... I have a small business and my energy bills are outrageous NOW .... We can go to the Moon and Mars yet this is the best our country can do?

I am in insurance...what are the insurance arguments you lose on? I am an Insurance Broker in Energy, please advise...

I don;t thinkg it can all be done at once, however with a better mix and including a more prominent renewable energy presence along with distributed power grids that can connect and disconnect from the maind grids is a better way. It will never be perfect, but it could be a little safer and more predictable for everyone.

LIVING IN SOUTH LOUISANA THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HURRICANE RESISTANT , ENERGY EFFICIENT, SOLAR INTEGRATED TILE INTEGRATED ROOF WITH SOLAR THERMAL

YOU LOOSE ON THE INSURANCE ARGUMENTS ALONE

I AM A REGISTERED INDEPENDENT

I NOTICE 75 PEOPLE SLEEPING IN A COMMUNITY ROOM ON BATTERY BACK UP GOOD GOPR 6-12 HOIRS A TMOST THEN NO BATTERY

ASK AT&T ABOUT THEIR BATTERY BACK UP COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS.