Straight Talk with Chukwudi Obi

First in U.S. to combine wind, solar, storage Portland General Electric is making plans to build the nation's first large-scale renewable energy project that combines wind turbines, solar panels and battery storage. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility will be built just north of Lexington, in Eastern Oregon. It would generate enough energy to power 105,000 homes. Oregon's renewable portfolio standard will require 50 percent of customer's electricity to be from renewable resources by 2040. The project will help fill the gap left when PGE's coal fired power plant in Boardman closes at the end of 2020. With agency reports info@sucoconsulting.com, chukwudiobi74@gmail.com 08030902410, www.facebook.com/chukwudi obi.33, @sonsnid741, 5564abf3 Join Club080 and get enormous discount and offers on breast enhancers, mobile phones, air-times, free ATM etc www.club080.com/makemoni Make money tweeting.

'More caution needed with salmon farming on West Coast'

The minister for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard is signalling a policy shift, for the whole West Coast, toward the model developed by the B.C. government that resolved a decades-long conflict over fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago. His department’s scientists cannot agree whether open-net farms of Atlantic salmon pose health risks to wild Pacific salmon. With some wild stocks in decline – particularly that of the chinook salmon – Mr. Wilkinson said he will err on the side of caution. That will put the federal government in compliance with a Federal Court decision that quashed a Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) policy allowing fish farms to transfer salmon to open-net fish farms without testing for piscine orthoreovirus, an infectious virus found in both farmed and wild salmon in B.C. In her Feb. 4 decision, Justice Cecily Strickland said the transfer of fish known to have diseases that can severely affect fisheries is inconsistent with federal regu

All set for Pennsylvania Solar Congress

Barring any last minute changes, solar power supporters will come together Sunday in Wilkinsburg for a free public conference on the state of solar energy in the commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Solar Congress conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Community Forge, a community center located at the former Johnston Elementary School, 1256 Franklin Ave. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The Solar Congress will include a series of presentations about solar technology and related policy, as well as ways supporters can get involved with expanding solar power in Pennsylvania. Owners of area homes powered by solar energy will take part in a panel discussion. Topics will include “Solar 101,” “Solar plus battery storage in the residential setting” and “Driving Electric,” presented by Michael Kirven of the Three Rivers Electric Vehicle Association. An electric vehicle showcase is planned for the center’s parking lot. The program will conclude with an open forum to discuss p

China reveals space solar power station plans

China is reportedly working on an experimental space power plant that would collect solar energy and beam it down to earth. Chinese state media recently reported the country’s plans for a solar power station orbiting the Earth that could harness solar power without any interference. The report comes from China’s Science and Technology Daily (via The Sydney Morning Herald). Construction of such a power station is already happening in the city of Chongqing, according to the report. Chinese President, Xi JinPing The report goes on to make a number of claims regarding the possible “inexhaustible source of clean energy for humans.” Among them: the station could reliably supply energy 99 percent of the time at six times the intensity of Earth-based solar farms. The Sydney Morning Herald also writes, “electric cars could be charged at any time and any place,” though what that means is unclear. China’s space solar plant would convert solar energy into electric energy, then beam i

These countries have the largest carbon footprints

The average American, is responsible for 14.95 metric tons, compared to 6.57 metric tons per person in China and only 1.57 metric tons in India. There’s also a huge difference in CO₂ emissions per person among the US states. Wyoming has the highest CO₂ emissions per capita at 110 metric tons, while New York has the lowest with under 9 metric tons, according to US Energy Information Administration figures from 2015. While the US is way ahead of China under the CO₂ per capita measurement, China is the world’s biggest emitter overall. It overtook the US in terms of total emissions back in 2006 and now emits more than the US and EU combined. Rapid economic growth and a large population have been driving up China’s emissions. This chart from the World Resources Institute shows the scale of its contribution to global warming. Canada has neither the large population nor the high total greenhouse emissions of China and the US, but when its CO₂ emissions are measured per person it

AI: Revolutionizing the world of clean energy materials

Applying AI to the development of new materials can reduce embedded emissions, toxicity and costs while saving researchers precious time in the lab. Experiments done by trial-and-error are often repeated thousands of times before a breakthrough occurs. Instead, AI could automate complex scientific tasks and enable researchers to focus on tasks that require more creativity and ingenuity. Using AI in this way can give manufacturers an edge. Manufacturers tend to invest in optimizing downstream production functions, which has led to several AI applications in sensor technologies and process optimization. Using AI for upstream design purposes, however, is an untapped business opportunity that could reduce the time it takes to discover new materials, freeing up capital for deployment and commercialization strategies. Current clean energy manufacturing processes are highly specialized, require upfront capital, and are energy-intensive. This is why the market is heavily concentrated in

Egypt is building one of the world's largest solar parks

At a site in the Western Desert, some 650 km south of Cairo, one of the world’s largest and most ambitious solar energy projects is underway. The Benban Solar Park will produce enough electricity to power one million homes. But more than that, it is part of a whole new strategy for infrastructure projects that will see the Egyptian government start to work closely with private enterprise. It is expected to go live in 2019, at which point it will house 32 power stations across a 37km2 site, and will be capable of generating 1,650 megawatts of electricity. This will go a long way toward Egypt hitting its goal of having 20% of its energy needs met by renewables. But the effect it will have on the economic fabric and policy-making strategies of the country are equally significant. Egypt is heavily reliant on fossil fuels and almost all the country’s power facilities have been built and owned by the government. The government also runs a series of costly fuel subsidy schemes, whic

India's over $12 billion pollution-reducing incentives

India has proposed incentives worth 885 billion rupees ($12.4 billion) to encourage power plants to install equipment to curb emissions and to develop infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs), according to a government statement. The bulk of the money, 835 billion rupees, would be aimed at curbing sulphur emissions from power plants, with the rest devoted to development of EV infrastructure in 70 cities over five years ending 2025, the statement said. The proposal by India's power ministry to its finance commission is in addition to an existing proposal that envisages installation costs for emission-cutting equipment to be passed on to consumers. The ministry's plans come against the backdrop of a utilities sector under financial stress, with loans from mostly state-run lenders turning sour or requiring restructuring, according to an Assocham-Grant Thorton report this month. The Association of power producers, an industry group that represents private companies suc

North Korea increasing farming of aquatic species

North Korea's leading newspaper Pyongyang Times, reports that a number of fishery stations have stocked net pens in the East Sea of Korea with “millions” of salmon fry. The Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, when visited the Yonphungho Fish Stocking Station last year. The paper further reports that “millions” of Alaskan pollack (Gadus chalcogrammus) juveniles, produced in North Hamgyong Province, were stocked into marine net pens in the East Sea of Korea last year, following a first feeding breakthrough by the Ryonjin Fishery Station. It adds that researchers in South Phyongan Province have “succeeded in adapting tropical goldfish to the West Sea of Korea, providing a technical guarantee for doing its farming on a large scale”. In recent years, the paper continues, “over a dozen fish farms and breed fish farms in Pyongyang have built material and technical groundwork for doing scientific fish farming and increased the species of fish for farming while raising the product

Four Jailed for Fish Farming

Four Vietnamese men were charged yesterday with obstructing the work of police officers and threatening to beat them in anger over the closure of their fish-farming operation on a state lake. Captain Mao Leang, Prek Pnov district penal police officer, said those charged were Ho Yainghong, 52; Nguven Yaingdang, 34; Choeung Voeunglin, 29; and Yor Taing Toeung, 28. All were fish-farmers in Prek Pnov commune, in Phnom Penh’s Prek Phnov district. Cap Leang said that they were charged by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor with obstruction of public officials. They face up to a year in jail each and a fine up to about $500 (N180,425)each if convicted. He said that at about 3.30pm on Friday, police inspected the accused’s fish-farming areas which had been constructed in Samrong lake in Prek Phnov district and which were on prohibited public land. He said after the inspection, police tried to confiscate their farming materials. But the accused did not allow police to sei

'Renewable Energy will be cheaper than fossil fuels in 2 years

The cost of renewable energy sources like wind and solar continue to fall drastically, and it will only be a matter of time before they will be cheaper than fossil fuels. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) believes this will happen by 2020 based on their new report. Prices, they say, could be as low as three cents per kilowatt-hour for onshore wind and solar photovoltaic projects over the next two years. Across the board, average costs of producing renewable energy projects have been very competitive. Hydropower was the cheapest at five cents per kilowatt-hour, onshore wind at six cents, and bioenergy and geothermal sources at seven cents. Solar projects are still high in comparison at 10 cents per kWh, but that figure has dropped 73 percent since 2010. This has led to residential systems being 67 percent cheaper. Onshore wind has fallen by 23 percent in the same time frame. Based on projects that have been auctioned and will be in development over the coming

2020 Renewable Energy goal: 11 EU States meet target

Almost half of the European Union’s (EU) 28 member states have already hit, or are close to hitting, their 2020 renewable energy targets. But despite this, there has been a gradual slow-down in the rate of renewable energy use across the EU, and some member states have a lot of ground to make up this year. Those that are already top of the class are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania and Sweden. Hot on their heels are Austria, Greece and Latvia, who look certain to hit their targets. It is unlikely to come as a surprise to hear that the Nordics are well-represented among the strongest performers; Sweden came top with 54.5% of its energy coming from renewable sources. That was a long way ahead of the second-placed country, Finland, with 41% – followed by Latvia with 39% and Denmark with 35.8%. Despite its strong performance, Latvia is yet to hit its target but is only around 1% away. Bringing up the rear, the Netherla

210 acres of trees or a Solar Farm ?

Environmentalists are fighting in the United States of America are fighting a solar farm project that would help Georgetown University dramatically reduce its Greenhouse Gas emissions. These environmentalists argue that the project, which involves razing about 210 acres of trees in rural Charles County, could endanger the area’s birds and lead to runoff that would put tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay at risk. Officials at Origis Energy, the solar company hired by Georgetown insist that they are prioritizing the safety of the Bay adding that “trade-offs are necessary” in renewable energy projects. Reductions in greenhouse emissions from the solar panels, they maintain, would be equivalent to planting hundreds of thousands of trees. “Green projects do not destroy green resources. If you destroy what is saving our climate in the name of fighting climate change, the effort is hollow.” said Linda Redding, an accountant from La Plata who is part of a determined group of environmental

Google signs first Green Deal in Asia