U.S. Energy-Related CO2 Emissions Declined 7% in 2009
A new analysis from DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) demonstrates that an economic downturn is good for one thing, at least: reducing GHG emissions.
Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the US declined by a record 7% in 2009, partly due to a 2.4% decline in U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).
The record drop in emissions, totaling 405 million metric tons, was also caused by the ongoing trend toward a less energy-intensive economy and a decrease in the carbon-intensity of the energy supply.
The carbon intensity of the U.S. energy supply, that is, the amount of carbon dioxide generated per unit of energy consumed, declined 2.3%, thanks in part to the greater use of renewable energy, but also because of fuel switching from coal to natural gas.
And despite the drop in GDP, the energy intensity of the economy, expressed as the energy consumed per dollar of GDP, declined by 2.4%. A key factor in that drop was the output from energy-intensive industries, such as primary metals and non-metallic minerals, fell much faster than the total U.S. industrial production. U.S. GHG emissions are dominated by energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, so they generally follow the same trends. See the EIA press release and analysis.
U.S. Solar Industry Reports Strong Growth in 2009
The U.S. solar industry reported strong growth in 2009, overcoming harsh economic conditions to post a 36% increase in revenues, which totaled $4 billion.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released its 2009 annual report on April 15, showing that overall U.S. solar capacity grew by 37%, doubling the size of the residential PV market and adding three new concentrating solar power (CSP) plants.
Residential grid-tied PV installations showed the strongest growth, jumping from 78 MW to 156 MW. State and federal policy support, along with reductions in technology costs, helped boost the industry, while creating 17,000 new solar jobs nationwide. SEIA said signs are pointing to a continued strong showing in 2010.
California’s 220 MW of new solar capacity led the US in 2009, trailed by New Jersey at a distant second with 57 MW. Following New Jersery are Florida, Arizona , Colorado, Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and North Carolina.
In terms of new solar capacity per capita in 2009, Hawaii was the leader with 10.4 watts, while Nevada has the most cumulative solar capacity per capita, at 38 watts. Internationally, the US ranked fourth in new solar capacity with 481 MW, behind Germany’s 3,000 MW, Italy’s 700 MW, and Japan’s 484 MW. See the SEIA press release and report (PDF 1.0 MB).
The industry results were reflected in the results of U.S. thin-film solar module manufacturer First Solar, Inc., which topped the rankings for PV module suppliers in 2009, shipping more than 1 GW of modules. According to IMS Research, First Solar moved from second to first place, overtaking Suntech Power Holdings Company.
Overall, the top 10 firms increased module shipments 75% in 2009. Globally, PV installations reached a record high of 6.43 GW, a 6% increase over the previous year, according to the annual PV market report issued by Solarbuzz. See the press releases from IMS and Solarbuzz.
Cape Wind Sets Power Agreement with National Grid, Gets FAA Approval
Cape Wind Associates, LLC reached an agreement to sell half the power produced by its proposed offshore wind farm to National Grid, a utility serving customers in Massachusetts and three other states.
On May 10, National Grid filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities for approval of its 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Cape Wind Associates. National Grid will buy about 3.5% of its electricity supply for Massachusetts from the Cape Wind project, fulfilling the state’s requirement that all investor-owned utilities buy at least 3% of their electricity supply from renewable generators.
National Grid also filed a second agreement to buy the balance of the power produced by the Cape Wind project, with the intent of assigning that wind power to other buyers. The PPAs are a key step in the development of the Cape Wind project, a 468 MW wind facility in Nantucket Sound off the Massachusetts coast. The project won approval from the U.S. Department of Interior on April 28, putting it in position to become the first U.S. offshore wind project. See the article on the Interior Department approval from the May 5 edition of the EERE Network News.
Under the proposed PPA, the utility will initially pay 20.7 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the wind power in 2013, with the price increasing 3.5% each year. Based on current forecasts, the utility projects the wind power purchase will add $1.59 to the average bill of a residential customer who uses 500 kWh per month. However, if a price is placed on carbon emissions in the future, National Grid expects the Cape Wind project to have a significant price advantage over conventional power sources.
The PPA hinges on several milestones for the Cape Wind project, requiring the company to have all permits, property and site control rights, and financing in place by the end of 2013, and for construction to be underway by then, with commercial operation achieved by the end of 2015. However, the PPA allows the project to be developed in up to 17 phases, each consisting of at least 28 MW. See the National Grid press release, the filing with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (PDF 868 KB), and the Cape Wind fact sheet on the PPA (PDF 391 KB).
Cape Wind Associates received approval for the project from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on May 17. An FAA study concluded the project will not have substantial adverse effects on the surrounding airspace or on the operation of air navigation facilities. See the FAA "Determination of No Hazard" and supporting documentation on the FAA Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis Web site, as well as the related statement from Cape Wind Associates.
Scientists Find Photosynthesis Depends on Quantum Entanglement
Researchers at DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) have discovered that photosynthesis depends on a relatively obscure physical phenomenon called quantum entanglement.
Photosynthesis is the highly efficient process plants use to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars and other chemicals – scientists hope to one day mimic this process to produce fuels and chemicals directly from sunlight. The new LBNL research sheds light on the process, but also reveals new unexpected levels of complexity.
Pigments in green plants and certain bacteria are able to capture energy from sunlight, and pigment-protein complexes are then able to transfer the energy into reaction centers at lightning speeds with nearly 100% efficiency. The LBNL researchers found that solar photons caused electronic oscillations in the closely packed pigment-protein complex, inducing similar electronic oscillations in the reaction centers.
The wavelike oscillations occur on the scale of femtoseconds-millionths of a billionth of a second-and take advantage of the unique physics of quantum mechanics, which govern the behavior of atoms, photons, and other subatomic particles. Essentially, the wavelike quality of oscillations allows them to simultaneously sample all the potential energy transfer pathways in the photosynthetic system and choose the most efficient one. This is the key to fast, efficient energy transfer within photosynthetic systems.
What remained unclear to LBNL researchers was how wavelike oscillations are sustained in the pigment-protein complex. The answer to that puzzle turns out to be quantum entanglement, a phenomenon that typically occurs between two subatomic particles, such as electrons.
Electrons are often created in pairs, with one electron having a spin "up" and the other having a spin "down." According to quantum mechanics, the spin of each electron is not fixed until it is measured, existing instead as a probability of either choice. This remains true even when electrons are separated at a great distance, but once the spin of one electron is measured, the other electron instantaneously assumes the opposite spin, because the two are entangled at a quantum level. Einstein referred to this effect as "spooky action at a distance."
According to the LBNL researchers, such quantum entanglement is present across the entire light harvesting complex and sustains wavelike oscillation, marking the first time the effect has been examined and quantified in a real biological system. The scientists were surprised to find entanglement persisting for relatively long times at room temperature and between molecules that were not strongly coupled to one another. The findings have implications not only for mimicking photosynthesis, but also for quantum-based computing. See the LBNL press release.
EPA Helps Partners Find Commercial Energy Efficiency Savings
The U.S. EPA, in partnership with several states and utilities, announced on a new Energy Star pilot program designed to further improve commercial building energy efficiency.
The Building Performance with Energy Star program will link eight Energy Star partner utilities and state energy efficiency programs throughout the country in a pilot designed to strategically pursue whole-building energy improvements with commercial customers.
The effort includes a number of Energy Star elements to improve energy efficiency, including: measuring energy use with EPA’s online energy measurement and tracking tool on building performance; finding energy efficiency opportunities based on whole building assessments; and creating a delivery network for whole-building efficiency services.
A benefit of this pilot program will be to help business customers identify buildings that could most use an efficiency tune-up and then to give technical assistance and incentives for the projects that yield the largest energy savings. Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17% of U.S. GHG emissions, at an energy cost of more than $100 billion per year. See the EPA press release and a fact sheet on the program (PDF 36 KB).
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
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