John Hennessy III,
P.E.
CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE
Among all industrial sources of air pollution, none poses greater risks to human health and the environment than coal-fired power plants. Emissions from coalfired power plants contribute to global warming, ozone smog, acid rain, regional haze, and—perhaps most consequential of all from a public health standpoint — fine particle pollution.
The 2nd Annual North American Strategic Infrastructure Forum will take place at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., September 29-October 1.
View this complete post...A look inside a fully operational coal fired Co-Gen power station. The process of turning thermal energy into mechanical, and finally electric energy.
-PAmining on YouTube
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ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY PROJECT
An investigation led by expert hydrogeologists has identified 39 more coal combustion waste (CCW) disposal sites in 21 states that have contaminated groundwater or surface water with toxic metals and other pollutants. Their analysis is based on monitoring data and other information available in state agency files and builds on a report released in February of 2010, which documented similar damage at 31 coal combustion waste dumpsites in 14 states. When added to the 67 damage cases that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has already acknowledged, the total number of sites polluted by coal ash or scrubber sludge comes to at least 137 in 34 states. This total represents nearly a three-fold increase in the number of damage cases identified in EPA’s 2000 Regulatory Determination on the Wastes from the Combustion of Fossil Fuels.
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Within the reinvestment spending of the Recovery Act, over $100 billion is invested in innovative and transformative programs. This report explores four areas within those innovative programs in which game-changing breakthroughs are being sought, and in some cases, new American industries are being born.
Hoover Dam, NV; Roosevelt Dam, AZ; Keystone Dam, OK; New Croton Dam, NY; Blue Ridge Dam, GA
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CROSSCURRENTS
Solar energy is the most widely available resource we have. Every hour, enough solar energy strikes Earth to meet human energy needs for more than a year, according to NASA. Now the solar industry is poised for huge growth in the United States, thanks to policy changes, incentives, technological improvements and economies of scale. Solar photovoltaics have recently become less expensive than nuclear energy on a per-kilowatt-hour basis, according to a new report from Duke University. Also, solar is widely expected to reach cost parity with fossil fuels in most markets by 2013.
INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT ENERGY ASSOCIATION (IDEA)
Even if a U.S. climate bill is passed in 2010, it is likely to be many years before a cap-and-trade system has an impact on energy use. With continued uncertainties regarding U.S. climate legislation, it is now more essential than ever that the U.S. implements other policies that move us toward reduced fossil fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Thermal Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2010 will stimulate increased use of renewable energy sources to heat and cool buildings throughout the country.
NC WARN: WASTE AWARENESS & REDUCTION NETWORK
Solar photovoltaic system costs have fallen steadily for decades. They are projected to fall even farther over the next 10 years. Meanwhile, projected costs for construction of new nuclear plants have risen steadily over the last decade, and they continue to rise. In the past year, the lines have crossed in North Carolina. Electricity from new solar installations is now cheaper than electricity from proposed new nuclear plants.
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“While the Eastern Seaboard sears under triple-digit temperatures, clean energy systems certified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory are supplying ice-bound research bases at the bottom of the world with critical power during the frigid darkness of the Antarctic winter.
Later this year, other systems being tested by the NREL engineering team are expected to generate power during the endlessly bright polar summer months.”
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