Geothermal Energy

On Monday February 23, we had another guest lecture. It focused on another renewable energy source: Geothermal. According to the lecturer, geothermal is the most efficient renewable source out there. This lecture focused on Earth River Geothermal-which installs geothermal energy systems in mainly residential areas in Maryland. The reason geothermal is so efficient is that it uses the earth, which stays at 57 degrees all year round (10 feet below the surface). With other renewable energy sources such as wind or solar, there is always a chance of a day with less energy being produced. On windless or cloudy days these energy sources will not be able to produce as much energy. Since below the earth's surface remains at a constant temperature, whether it be summer, winter, sunny or rainy, the same amount of energy will always be guaranteed. I went ahead and researched a little bit about geothermal energy companies in Delaware, since that is where I live. I found a site that listed all or at least many of the geothermal contractors in Delaware (it also lists some in Maryland and Pennsylvania). I had no idea there were so many. One company that was highlighted in many of the google searches was the A&A Companies. They offer closed loop geothermal heating and cooling systems since they suggest that closed loop are the safest and most environmentally friendly way to heat/cool your home. The site offers demonstrations of how the geothermal process works for cooling and heating your home.

Wind Energy Lecture

On Friday February 13 we was a lecture by graduate students from the University of Delaware. Its focus was on wind energy. "Wind of Change: A new energy paradigm with offshore wind power" was the title of the first lecture. It highlighted the reasons we need renewable energy, talked about the wind resource particularly in Delaware, and what states were closest to beginning construction on a wind farm. Currently 85% of our energy comes from fossil fuels- coal, natural gas and oil. If we continue on our current path of using these sources for energy we risk the following: the Greenland ice sheet melting, rise in sea level as well as ocean temperature, and a loss of Diatoms (microscopic organisms that are vital to aquatic food chains). We were shown maps of what the Delmarva peninsula would look like with a rise in sea level. One map had shown small coastal areas of Delaware underwater, but others predicted the eastern shore of Maryland, including Washington College completely underwater. So two solutions were given: We need a combination of necessary approaches and non CO2 sources of energy. The reason why wind farms would be more beneficial out in the ocean and not on land is that the wind flows smoother out in the ocean. Also, Rehoboth was a good place to look at for a wind farm because the further north you go up the Delaware Bay, the average wind speed diminishes. It is also possible, as the presenter pointed out and explained, that wind energy can in fact be stored. I did not write any detail about how each storage plan worked but the three ways are: At a generation site, centralized storage, responsive end use storage. The lecture then shifted to what states we interested in constructing a wind farm. First, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, and New Jersey were the farthest along. Out of those states, Delaware is the closest to construction. One of the most important factors that makes Delaware one of the most effective plan is that they have a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that establishes what the cost will be for customers and that cost will not change. States such as New York, Maryland, and Virginia were talking of wind farm plans but are not as far along as the states mentioned earlier.
It's exciting to know that many states are interested in renewable energy. It is about time that we start trying to reverse the damages we have caused by using fossil fuels for energy. I just hope that these states don't lose momentum on this issue. I feel that as soon as one state, and it looks like Delaware, puts up its wind farm, the rest will be right behind.

Bluewater Wind Lecture

Last night I attended the lecture on the offshore wind project for Maryland. I enjoyed it very much and was stunned by some of the costs that were being talked about. The project is estimated at $1 billion dollars. The cost of laying the wire from the turbines to the onshore plant (12 miles) was going to be a couple million dollars in itself. Plus there are no manufacturers in north america so all of the parts have to be shipped here and there only two boats in the world that are able to drive the turbine stakes into the ocean floor, have to be chartered every day. This puts into perspective how large the turbines actually are. Fortunately though, from the shoreline they can barely be seen.
It was also brought to our attention that there are currently around 10 wind farm projects being negotiated. New Jersey, Maine, and even Vermont (who would use the coast of Maine) are a few of the northeastern states talking about renewable energy. I had no idea that more states than Delaware and Maryland were interested. The more the merrier! With each wind farm we decrease our dependance on energy sources that harm our environment. Maybe someday in the distant future we can begin to reverse global warming and the degredation of our environment!

Gaining Knowledge on Delaware's Wind Farm Project

Since my last post I have gained considerable information on Delaware's offshore wind project. One website that I felt offered a great deal of information was a question/answer page on the concerning issues of the project. It posted questions that by Delware residents followed by answers from Willett Kempton, Meredith Blaydee and Philip Whitaker of the University of Delaware and College of Marine and Earth Studies. Some of the questions/answers were as follows:
Why are the turbines not being put on land? Delaware has very few land locations that are windy enough for these turbines. Winds off the Atlantic coast are steadier and stronger.
What happens when the wind turbines eventually wear out? Decommissioning costs are bonded in advance. If something were to happen to say, Bluewater Wind, the money is available to take them down.
Are they reliable? Downtime due to mechanical failure is abut 1%. That is better than fossil power plants.
Can they fail catastrophically? Incidents are rare today. Bluewater Wind judges that DE residents are more at risk from overflying aircraft and buildings during earthquakes.
What are the negatives? Initially it will cost more than current energy supplies.
These were a few of the questions asked by residents. Overall, DE residents are in favor of the project. For more details and other questions/answers go to http://www.ocean.udel.edu/WindPower/DE-Qs/index.html#catastrophically
This site also offers additional websites on the Bluewater Wind project.

I was also surprised to find a video on the MTV website. This was surprising, but in a good way. This says they our society is trying to reach out to a younger crowd about renewable energy sources and our environment. Such a company as MTV is a good place for this since it is a network focused around teens and young adults. This can be found at http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098A08300170098DDC8/