Category: Energy

Palen solar farm on hold – solar #4

???????????????????????????????

I’m slowly catching up on the happenings in the solar industry. In my research for this series of articles, I’ve learned the Palen Solar Electric Generating System was put on hold by the California Energy Commission this past December.

If you think I’m slow on the uptake, keep in mind the purpose of this blog is to learn what’s going on around me. I may be a slow learner but I’m learning.

Joshua Hill explains at Clean Technica on 12/20/13:  California Blocks Another Concentrated Solar Power Project. Continue reading “Palen solar farm on hold – solar #4”

What strange, mysterious, magical force is loose that increased US production of both oil and gas by one-third in six years?

Is it targeted federal subsidies?  Breakthrough law from the Congress?  Socialist industrial policy?  Keynesian monetary policy?  Blockbuster documentary from Hollywood that changed minds across the country?  More support for college loans? A landmark special on network TV? Quantitative Easing?

No. It’s none of those things.

Barron’s is pondering the question as well:  The Secret of U.S. Energy Success.

Federal subsidies have produced a substantial increase in some things. The editorial provides a partial list. Subsidies have given us…

..our national surpluses of grain, milk, unemployment, nonprofit companies, disabilities, and mortgage debt.

Those subsidies didn’t produce the massive increase in oil production in Bakken and Eagle Ford. 

The best paragraph from the editorial: Continue reading “What strange, mysterious, magical force is loose that increased US production of both oil and gas by one-third in six years?”

Background of Ivanpah solar farm – solar #3

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a huge solar farm in California near the Nevada border. It is quite visible just north of I-15 a few miles south of the border. An article at the Washington Post by Lenny Bernstein provides a lot of background on the solar farm:  Solar on a grand scale: Big power plants coming online in the West.

???????????????????????????????

All photos in this post are of the Ivanpah solar farm and were taken by me in October 2013. Photo above shows one tower in operation and the lake-like mirrors around it.

Since I expect to be writing about Ivanpah and other thermal solar facilities in the future, here’s some of the general background from the 1,500 word article.

Operational description

Mirrors reflect sunlight to one of three towers, which heats the tower to 1,000 degrees. The tower glows white-hot when in operation. Continue reading “Background of Ivanpah solar farm – solar #3”

Solar farms = wing-toasters (part 2, solar #2)

Previous post started a discussion of the danger solar farms pose to migratory and other birds.

This pair of posts is based on an article in My Desert on 11/9/13 by K Kaufmann of The Desert Sun:  Palen project raises concerns across Coachella Valley.

A few of the known fatalities

Some comments from the article referenced above –

Thermal farm damage:

Of the 34 birds reported dead or injured at Ivanpah in September, 15 had melted feathers.

Dozens of other bird carcasses, not singed but with critical injuries, have been found in recent months at two solar projects about to go online…

Continue reading “Solar farms = wing-toasters (part 2, solar #2)”

Solar farms = wing-toasters (part 1, solar #1)

The photo is of a dead northern rough-winged swallow.

Gloved hands extend the wings. There’s something odd.

Many of the feathers are gone. With the wings spread out, all that’s visible is the torso and charred spines where the wings should be. Looks like they were cut off.

Or burned off.

What could toast the wings off a swallow?

Continue reading “Solar farms = wing-toasters (part 1, solar #1)”

Another major oil play to keep an eye on: The Wyoming-Colorado-Oklahoma-Utah-New-Mexico “field”

Okay, I’m using a very loose definition of field. But check out the following graph of combined oil production from those five states. We’re talking production level of super-giant fields.

oilstates-CarpeDiem

Graph is from Carpe Diem, Shale prosperity spreads to Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, N. Mexico: Combined oil production up 56% in 3 years. Graph is used with permission of Carpe Diem.

Prof. Mark Perry calculates combined production increased Continue reading “Another major oil play to keep an eye on: The Wyoming-Colorado-Oklahoma-Utah-New-Mexico “field””

Series of posts about solar farms

I’ve spent a large portion of the day researching and writing about solar farms. Been going through a backlog of articles saved over the last few months.

Monday Tuesday will be the start of a series. Currently have 6 posts written. (update – make that 9 posts with a couple of articles saved for future posts.)  Plan to accumulate them in a page like the Peak Oil series.

You will soon see why I have already started calling solar farms wing-toasters.  You might say I’m not amused.

Stay tuned.

More good stuff on the open frontiers, energy edition – 1-16-14

Amazing things going on around us. Here is my latest list of a few articles about energy that help me make sense of the radical change taking place. Tomorrow, tidbits of the other newly open frontiers.

Energy

1-6 – CNS News – Saudi Billionaire Prince:  Fracking Competitively Threatens ‘Any Oil Producing Country in the World’ – Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal is pushing the Saudi government to diversify the country’s economy. Currently 92% of government revenue is derived from oil, he says. The rapid expansion in output caused by combining horizontal drilling with staged hydraulic fracturing presents a serious threat to any country that is reliant on oil. Big news. Bigger issue.

A delightful “problem” to have – 1-7 – Bismarck Tribune from the New York Times – Oil glut stirs up political brew – The surging production of crude is opening a discussion of whether to allow more exports of crude. Seems we have so much unrefined light, sweet crude we don’t know what to do with it all.  As a result, the politicians are getting involved. I wish we as a country and planet had another half-dozen “problems” like this.

(By the way, what Peak Oil?)

More downside to the Bakken boom – 1-10 – The Dickinson Press – Criminal defendants in fed court up 31 percent in western N.D. in 2013 – Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers, energy edition – 1-16-14”

How to make wind farms a worse idea – put them offshore

The Economist points out the astounding costs of building wind farms in the ocean – Rueing the waves – Britain is a world leader at something rather dubious.

England has over 1,000 turbines offshore. It gets more electricity from offshore than all other countries put together, according to the article.

By 2020, just seven years from now, the country is committed to generating 30% of all electricity from ‘renewable’ sources. Oh, nuclear doesn’t count in the calculation. Currently Britain is at 13% according to the article.

The cost of offshore turbines is staggering.

Continue reading “How to make wind farms a worse idea – put them offshore”

3 background articles on the energy revolution – – Energy boom may expand into Mexico, What energy crisis?, and Bakken in graphs

Bloomberg – North America to Drown in Oil as Mexico Ends Monopoly 

Potentially another game changer for world-wide energy – – the Mexican legislature has changed national law to allow foreign investors to own oil reserves. This will draw the major oil companies with their talent, equipment, funding, and infrastructure. Speculation is oil production from Mexico could double in a decade. 

Still some major obstacles, but the potential is huge. The Mexican government and her people could benefit tremendously. I really hope they handle this well, for their good and the good of everyone who uses energy.

Newsday – Remember the energy crisis? Fracking fixed it.

Notice that the constant stories of the “energy crisis” isn’t in the news anymore. If you were around in the ‘70s you remember long lines to buy gas on your assigned even or odd day. Crisis stories continued for years, through the entire Carter administration and beyond.

Continue reading “3 background articles on the energy revolution – – Energy boom may expand into Mexico, What energy crisis?, and Bakken in graphs”

Hiring in North Dakota to pick up – “blitz” in ‘14

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Lots of production companies around Bakken are going to expand hiring in ’14. Bismarck Tribune reports Oil service companies on hiring blitz.

The rapidly increasing number of wells is creating permanent jobs to service the wells. Each well requires attention. I’ve read elsewhere that each well creates the need for one full-time position. That would be about 8,000 permanent jobs for the existing wells, with 2,000 new positions a year.

Two key comments, for me at least: Continue reading “Hiring in North Dakota to pick up – “blitz” in ‘14”

More downsides to the Bakken expansion

Rental prices are sky-high in Williston and elsewhere around the Bakken. When I describe the rent situation in Williston to my friends here in California, I’m not quite sure if they believe me.

Here are five stories over the last few weeks describing the pain that causes.

Amy Dalrymple, writing at The Dickinson Press, describes Faces of the Boom: After return to hometown, 76-year-old struggles to stay. 

Continue reading “More downsides to the Bakken expansion”

About that video of lighting tap water on fire – Naturally occurring shallow methane occurs all across North Dakota, even where there’s no drilling

Naturally occurring shallow methane exists all across North Dakota.  Methane in water wells has been a known condition for 100 years. 

I don’t think fracking has anything to do with shallow methane 200 or 300 miles away. I seriously doubt fracking caused methane to seep into wells 80 years before fracking was used.

A video with over 400,000 views shows a guy lighting tap water on fire. Creator asserts he works in the North Dakota oil fields, which leaves you with the implication the methane in the water is caused by fracking. The commenters on the video quickly reach that scientific conclusion based on an unverified 54 second video from an undisclosed location.

Here’s the poorly known issue.

Continue reading “About that video of lighting tap water on fire – Naturally occurring shallow methane occurs all across North Dakota, even where there’s no drilling”

Air travel in North Dakota continues rising in Nov. ‘13

The Dickinson Press reports ND airports set November boarding records.

With those increases, I’ll make a wild guess there will be more flights added to Dickinson and Williston.

Here’s the passenger boardings and percentage change from same month in prior year: Continue reading “Air travel in North Dakota continues rising in Nov. ‘13”