World Resources Institute Warning About New Coal Plants

Proposed coal projects around the world will quadruple the current capacity of all coal-fired plants in the US. The World Resources Institute  (WRI) released a report in November titled, Global Coal Risk Assessment. The report found that there are 1,199 new coal power plants in the works, totaling more than 1.4 million megawatts of capacity worldwide.

To put this in perspective, 1.4 million megawatts is four times the capacity of all the coal-fired power plants in the US. The world's leading coal powered nations going forward are China, Germany and India, all of which are increasingly active in transnational coal-fired project development.

China is the world largest coal consumer and they are expected to increase their usage until 2020, when demand is finally expected to level off. India continues to rely on coal and by 2025 that country is expected to overtake the U.S. as the number two consumer of coal. Coal demand has shifted from the Atlantic market to the Pacific market.

Although coal projects are planned in 59 countries, seventy-six percent of the coal plants are proposed for India and China. The US ranks seventh in coal power plant development.

Although there have been significant increases in natural gas extraction, coal continues to be used in the US and around the world. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, the global coal trade rose by 13.4 percent in 2010, reaching 1,083 million tonnes.

According to the IEA, coal supplied nearly half of the increase in global energy consumption over the last decade, growing faster than renewables. And the agency predicts that coal will continue its rise in the decades ahead.

To view the locations of proposed coal-fired power plants by country in an interactive map click here.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Xcel Energy's Planned Emissions Reductions

While some utilities are resistant to the EPA's new clean air rules, others, like Xcel Energy are more supportive and they are already working on reducing emissions.

"From our perspective it's almost a moot point," said Mark Stutz, a spokesman for Xcel Energy. "We support it because we've come up with a plan of action."

In 2010, Colorado passed legislation called the Clean Energy-Clean Jobs Act. Xcel was part of a diverse group that helped to create the measure initiated by former Gov. Bill Ritter. The law calls for Colorado utilities to reduce their emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and carbon dioxide.

Xcel is expected to close a coal-fired unit at a Boulder plant and three at a plant in Denver. They plan to replace these plants with power from new cleaner natural gas-powered plants. The utility will also install modern emissions controls to cut emissions.

These measures will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides by about 85 percent and sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions by about 80 percent. These significant emissions reductions come at a very modest cost to consumers. Xcel has indicated that these changes will result in rate increase of roughly 2 percent annually over the next decade.

Xcel will reduce its carbon emissions by 28 percent below a 2005 baseline, which is the goal stipulated in the Clean Energy-Clean Jobs Act.© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Zotos Earns a Place on the EPA’s Top 20 On-Site Power Generation List

Many expect to see names like Walmart and the US Airforce on the EPA’s Top 20 On-Site Generation List, but lesser known companies like Zotos, (a manufacturer of hair care products), are also earning recognition for their sustainable energy efforts.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, the Zotos Wind Project is considered to be one of the top on-site wind projects currently being undertaken by a manufacturing company in the US.

“It was a sizable investment to purchase the wind turbines, but it was a small price to pay when compared to the major benefits it creates for the community of Geneva, NY, and our environment,” says Anthony Perdigao, Zotos Chief Sustainability Officer.

With approximately 6.5 million kWh of electricity produced annually, the Zotos wind turbines will provide more than 50 percent of organization’s energy requirements and are expected to reduce overall CO2 emissions by 50 percent in 2011. Zotos’ energy goal is to utilize 100 percent renewable energy by 2012.

To learn more about the efforts of Zotos International, speak with the company's Chief Sustainability Officer Anthony Perdigao.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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EPA’s Top 20 On-Site Power Generation List

The Top 20 On-site Generation List represents those partners generating and consuming the most green power on-site within the Green Power Partnership. The combined on-site green power consumption of these organizations amounts to more than 618 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power nearly 54,000 average American homes each year.

This list represents those partners generating and consuming the most green power on-site within the Green Power Partnership. (Purchase figures are based on annualized Partner contract amounts (kilowatt-hours), not calendar year totals. These rankings are updated on a quarterly schedule):

1. Kimberly-Clark Corporation
2. City of San Diego, CA
3. U.S. Air Force
4. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. / California and Texas Facilities.
5. BMW Manufacturing Co. / Greer, SC Facilities
6. City of San Jose, CA
7. Nassau County, NY
8. SC Johnson & Son
9. City of San Francisco, CA
10. Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
11. City of Portland, OR
12. Kohl's Department Stores
13. City of Ann Arbor, MI
14. Macy's, Inc. / California and Hawaii Stores
15. Encina Wastewater Authority
16. City of Tulare, CA / Wastewater Treatment Plant
17. University of Iowa
18. Zotos International
19. Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
20. Safeway Inc.

The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations — from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities.

These green power purchases help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Purchase amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from US based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA purchase requirements using any combination of three different product options:

(1) Renewable Energy Certificates.
(2) On-site generation.
(3) Utility green power products.

Find out how your organization can partner with EPA.

Here are EPA links to some of the leading green energy organizations in the US by category:

Current and Past Partner Lists
National Top 50
100% Purchasers
Top 20 Retail
Fortune 500
Top 10 Federal Government
Top 20 Local Government
Top 20 College & University
Top 20 Printers
Top 20 On-site Generation
Top 20 K-12 Schools

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Best Eco-Inventions of 2009: Energy Production

The Solar Shingle: The Dow Chemical Co. has developed a new roof shingle that doubles as a solar panel. The new shingle incorporates thin-film solar cells and can be installed alongside regular asphalt shingles. The innovative shingle is expected to cost 10% to 15% less than traditional solar panels and wil be quicker to install. Dow predicts it will bring in as much as $10 billion in revenue by 2020.

Turning Waste into Energy: Green Energy TV has given Ze-gen, the Two Green Thumbs Up Award for being one of the Best Green Companies. Over one billion tons of waste have already been landfilled across the globe so far this year. Ze-gen's waste transformation is an economical and environmentally superior alternative to land filling or incineration. Clean and highly efficient gasification technology unlocks the potential for waste to be a domestically produced, renewable resource.

Turning Used Oil into Power: The Vegawatt is a turnkey plant that converts a restaurant's spent vegetable fryer oil into electricity and hot water.

Green Exercise: One man is reported to have lost over 70 pounds from riding his bike that powered the TV in his home. Some gyms are also starting to harness the energy from treadmills, bikes, and other equipment to power their electricity needs.
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