New Jersey surges ahead in the race for offshore wind power

In the wake of Massachusetts’s legal battle to become the first state to employ offshore wind power, New Jersey is surging to the forefront with a newly passed law that could very well make it the leader in this race. Signed into law earlier this week, the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act directs the state to generate a certain portion of its electricity from offshore wind power. This could be as much as 20 percent, according to a report by the Department of the Interior. Two contractors—Fishermen’s Energy and Deepwater Wind—are already in position to begin developing offshore wind energy, which will produce a minimum of 1,100 megawatts of power. The Act also provides for incentives, such as financial aid and tax credits, to attract more such developers to the state.

Explains Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, "Developing New Jersey’s renewable energy resources and industry is critical to our state’s manufacturing and technology future." If the state stays on its current course, it could be the leading provider of offshore wind energy in the country.

Technology, not behavior, most critical to renewable energy future

A recent survey has found that consumers, despite access to new renewable energy technology that has been introduced into the power mix, are still unwilling to fully convert to these new technologies. The survey, conducted by Columbia University, found that most consumers implement energy savings through commonly held green behavior such as turning off lights, rather than switching to more efficient, currently available technology.

Turning off lights was cited by 20 percent of those surveyed, whereas very few people cited the purchase of new, energy efficient light bulbs as a way to save energy. Some light bulbs are made so efficient that if left on all the time, they could still save more energy than traditional light bulbs used sparingly.

The study makes clear that despite consumers having knowledge about the shift toward a clean energy economy, personal decisions are still largely based on reducing use of current technologies rather than purchasing new ones. Ms. Attari, who led the study, notes, "But switching to efficient technologies generally allows you to maintain your behavior, and save a great deal more energy."

Promoting renewable energy in the Mekong

Vietnam and Finland have pledged to assist the promotion of renewable energy in the Mekong area through the energy and environment partnership. The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade finalized a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland on August 17 for the program.

The Mekong area is a large area made up of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It would provide a great opportunity for renewable energy based on the both the availability of resources as well as new renewable energy requirements for the area threatened by environmental impacts.

The partnership program will offer grants and other funding incentives for projects, studies and capacity developments that promote the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean technologies in the region. It will also spearhead the creation of sustainable financing mechanisms for renewable energy services.

The future of energy transmission in California

The future of renewable energy in the United States depends largely on creating renewable energy capacity. New projects have been developed across the country, and since 2007 more money has been spent each year on renewable energy capacity than conventional power. Unlike conventional power, renewable energy technologies cannot be centrally located due to geographic sensitivities. Wind, solar, and geothermal power is created in areas that are typically quite remote, mostly the desert areas of California.

For this reason, perhaps more important now than creating the renewable energy capacity needed to keep up with the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) or goals for renewable energy generation set forth by twenty-nine states, is the transmission of that power to where it is needed.

This task is easier said than done. In California, existing transmission lines are at capacity and many of the new renewable technologies such as concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) plants are located in the Mohave desert, far from coastal urban centers. So, to better plan renewable energy projects, based on both generation and transmission, California formed the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI).

The goal of RETI is to plan projects with respect to cost-effectiveness and environmentally sensitive areas. RETI also engages many stakeholders, including the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), along with publicly owned and investor owned utilities.

Australia gears up to build largest wind farm in Southern Hemisphere

The continent of Australia is an immense landmass resplendent with renewable energy resources, including solar, wind and wave energy. Yet, until recently, the country has done little to tap into these resources, which account for a mere six percent of its total energy mix. That’s all about to change with the construction of a new wind farm in Victoria. When completed in 2013, the farm will be the largest in the Southern Hemisphere—featuring 140 turbines and generating enough electricity to power 220,000 homes. It will also help reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by 1.7 million tons annually.

The massive wind farm is a key investment for Australia as it strives to meet its energy goals for the next decade. The country aims to generate fully 20 percent of its power via renewable energy sources by 2020.

Make OpenEI Better

The Open Energy Information initiative (OpenEI) is a platform to connect the world’s energy data. It is a linked open data platform bringing together energy information to provide improved analyses, unique visualizations, and real-time access to data. The site is known as a 'wiki', meaning it is completely open and collaborative, accepting edits and contributions from all registered users....and registration is free!

Heres how you can contribute to OpenEI, the world's source of renewable energy information:

1. Register at OpenEI

Follow several simple steps to register you

rself as a user of the website. This will allow you to contribute and edit any page on the website.

2. Utilize the help section and tutorial videos

Follow these links to view our help section and tutorial videos that will give you the information and tools you will need to easily edit and create content on the website.

3. Get updates with facebook and twitter

By becoming a 'fan' of facebook and 'follower' on twitter, you'll be connected to a constant stream of OpenEI updates, as well as relevant news in the world of renewable energy. We'll keep you updated on news stories related to our gateways at OpenEI, as well as

new functionality, data, or contributions we receive.

4. Add your own renewable energy info!

Once you are registered and plugged in, we encourage you to contribute to the deep base of renewable energy information found on OpenEI. Whatever your interest or expertise, every page can be edited. You will help OpenEI become better while also creating edits and contributions that can be shared and viewed by the entire OpenEI community. Use the navigation buttons at the top

of each page to edit pages. Refer back to the help and tutorial sections in step 2 for more info.

Thank you for your interest in renewable energy and your continued interest in OpenEI. We look forward to your contributions.

Nevada to experience a massive geothermal industry boom over the next three decades

Geothermal energy is heat extracted from the earth that can be harnessed for use in myriad ways, from large-scale electricity generation to home heating and cooling and even agricultural and industrial uses. It is unique from other forms of renewable energy such as solar and wind in that it can provide power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And for states like Nevada with an abundance of this natural resource beneath their feet, the geothermal industry is on the brink of a massive boom.

According to the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), a United States trade association dedicated to the expansion of geothermal energy worldwide, Nevada currently has 86 such projects either under construction or slated for development. This equates to a total of slightly more than 3,686 megawatts of power that will be added to the state’s energy mix—enough to meet the electricity needs of all the homes in the entire Las Vegas metropolitan area. The GEA also estimates that if Nevada keeps developing its geothermal resources at this pace over the next 30 years, the market could be worth $22.5 billion by 2040. Already, 20 of the projects are designated to receive $73.6 million in stimulus funds from the Department of Energy, creating more than 1,000 jobs in the process. Explains Karl Gawell, executive director of the association, “This high volume of geothermal projects moving into final stages of development will likely generate a massive geothermal boom in Nevada. Along with the millions of dollars in federal and private investment come thousands of new jobs.”

The development of Nevada’s geothermal powerhouse will also help it to offset over 23.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually while reaching its renewable energy target by 2013.

Solving the dust dilemma

Dust accumulates in large quantities in arid regions as the wind picks up. This blowing dust is a challenge to large-scale solar projects, typically built in the desert regions of the world where sunshine is more plentiful. Some projects are the size of several football fields. As dust accumulates on solar panels, efficiency of the panels decreases.

However, large-scale solar projects could use technology employed by NASA for Mars space missions. The solution? Self-dusting solar panels capable of increasing efficiency and reducing maintenance costs at large solar plants in the desert regions.

The process of self-cleaning involves placing an initial coat of electrically sensitive material on the panels. This allows sensors to measure dust levels. When dust levels reach a critical level, the coating can be "energized," sending a wave of electricity across the panels to remove the dust. Within two minutes, dust is removed from the panels.

EU makes great strides in the use of renewable energy

According to a recent study conducted by Eurostat, the statistics agency of the European Union (EU), members of the EU are making great strides to reduce their use of fossil fuels and increase their reliance on renewable energy sources. The report, titled “Statistical Aspects of the Energy Economy in 2009,” indicates that over the course of the year studied, from 2008 to 2009, the use of renewable energy in the EU increased fully 8.9 percent. During the same time period, use of the fossil fuels hard coal and natural gas declined even more dramatically, at 9.2 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively.

Overall, the EU generates a total of 18.4 percent of its power through the use of renewable energy, with some members moving even more aggressively. Witness Portugal, a country that produces fully 45 percent of its electricity through the use of renewable sources. The EU is also pushing its members to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting back on the use of coal. To read the report, click here.