Reverse Energy Consulting

Energy auction cuts $1 million off electric bills

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:14:46 +0000

Reverse Energy Auction With Reverse Energy Consulting

Government officials spent a few hours shopping online Wednesday in an eBay-style auction for energy.

Ten entities, including the city of Pittsburgh, saved a combined $1.03 million over three years on electric bills. They pooled their annual need for 30 million kilowatt hours of electricity as three suppliers — Duquesne Light Energy, First Energy and Direct Energy — bid against each other.

Duquesne Light was the lowest bidder at 6.54 cents per kilowatt hour, more than a penny less than the 7.75 cents it charges each agency directly. The agreement, which takes effect in June, includes a guarantee that 10 percent of the power will come from renewable sources.

“Anytime we see savings, it’s a good thing,” said City Controller Michael Lamb.

Pittsburgh spends about $5 million a year on electricity. The city will save about $170,000 a year under the 35-month contract, which includes 131 midsized buildings such as fire and police stations and public works facilities.

“I am more than happy with our results,” said Jim Sloss, city energy and utilities manager. “We’re seeing some nice savings, locking in some long-term rates.”

Pittsburgh was joined by its Parking Authority, Water & Sewer Authority, East McKeesport, Edgewood, Edgeworth, Millvale, Wilkinsburg, Wilmerding and the Steel Valley Council of Governments.

Wilkinsburg Manager Marla Marcinko said the borough will save $7,600 a year under the contract.

“I wish we could do this every day,” Marcinko said. “Every little bit helps.”

Credit:Reverseenergy.com

EIA: Renewable Energy to Grow Rapidly Over the Next 28 Years

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:33:42 +0000

Wave of the future renewable energy!

Renewable energy will be the fastest-growing source of energy throughout the world over the next 28 years, helping to meet a projected 49% increase in world energy use, according to DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA released the highlights of its International Energy Outlook 2010 on May 25, and the reference case, sometimes referred to as the “business-as-usual” case, forecasts continued rapid growth in energy use in developing countries through 2035. China and India accounted for 20% of global energy use in 2007, but the EIA expects their consumption to more than double by 2035, at which time they will account for 30% of world energy use.

In general, the EIA reference case does not forecast a strong shift to clean energy throughout the world. While renewable power generation increases the fastest, at 3% per year, coal-fired power will also continue to increase, at a rate of 2.3% per year. The EIA report sees petroleum and liquid fuels remaining as the world’s largest energy source through 2035, while natural gas consumption increases by 1.3% per year. As a result, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rise from 29.7 billion metric tons in 2007 to 42.4 billion metric tons in 2035, an increase of 43%. And while the reference case expects oil prices to reach $133 per barrel in 2035, even the EIA’s “high oil price” case dampens the energy growth only slightly, yielding a 46% increase by 2035. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions still end up at 41.1 billion metric tons in 2035, an increase of 38%. See the EIA press release and the report highlights.

Credit: reverseenergy.com

Source:EIA

Over 300 dead birds are likely Gulf spill victims

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 06:25:54 +0000

The 316 birds found dead along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida — plus 10 others that died or were euthanized at wildlife rehabilitation centers after they were captured alive, far outnumber the 31 surviving birds found oiled to date.

The raw tally of birds listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as dead on arrival at wildlife collection facilities include specimens obviously tainted with oil and some with no visible signs of oil contamination.

But all are being counted as potential casualties of the oil gushing since April 20 from a ruptured wellhead on the floor of the Gulf because of their proximity in time and space to the spill, said Jay Holcomb, who directs a rescue center for birds in Fort Jackson, Louisiana.

The specimens eventually will be analyzed to determine more conclusively if the birds were contaminated with oil from the BP spill, he said.

Holcomb, director of the California-based International Bird Rescue Research Center, said mortality for sea birds, many of them in the midst of their breeding season, is expected to climb sharply, especially if hurricanes move into the region and sweep more oil ashore.

“The potential for this being catastrophic is right there because there’s a massive amount of oil in the water, and it’s still pouring out, and there’s a lot of nesting birds and a lot of birds using the coast,” he told Reuters. “If the tropical storms take that oil and move it, that’s when you’re going to see the real impact, I think.”

DIVING BIRDS HARDEST HIT SO FAR

The birds known to be hardest hit by oil in the Gulf so far are those that feed by diving into the water for fish, including the brown pelican, removed last year from the endangered species list, and the northern gannet, Holcomb said.

But shorebirds, wading birds and songbirds will increasingly be put in harm’s way as more oil washes onto beaches and into marshlands.

Oil impairs the insulating properties of birds’ feathers, exposing them to cold and making it difficult for them to float, swim and fly. Chemicals in the petroleum also can burn their skin and irritate their eyes. They also end up ingesting the oil when they preen, damaging their digestive tracts.

Other wildlife at immediate risk in the Gulf are sea turtles, dolphins and whales.

More than 150 sea turtles were reported washed up dead or dying at last count a week ago and were being examined as possible oil spill victims, though no outward signs of oil contamination were readily apparent, wildlife officials said.

Still, that number is considered higher than normal for the Gulf region at this time of year. Results from the first batch of about 40 turtle necropsies — the animal equivalent of autopsies — were expected soon.

In addition, at least a dozen dead dolphins have been reported as stranded in the spill zone.
Credit:Reverseenergy.com
Source:(Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Sandra Maler)

NREL Study Shows Power Grid can Accommodate Large Increase in Wind and Solar Generation

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 06:19:48 +0000

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today released an initial study assessing the operational impacts and economics of increased contributions from wind and solar energy producers on the power grid. The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study examines the benefits and challenges of integrating enough wind and solar energy capacity into the grid to produce 35 percent of its electricity<--more-->

by 2017. The study finds that this target is technically feasible and does not necessitate extensive additional infrastructure, but does require key changes to current operational practice. The results offer a first look at the issue of adding significant amount of variable renewable energy in the West and will help utilities across the region plan how to ramp up their production of renewable energy as they incorporate more wind and solar energy plants into the power grid.

“If key changes can be made to standard operating procedures, our research shows that large amounts of wind and solar can be incorporated onto the grid without a lot of backup generation,” said Dr. Debra Lew, NREL project manager for the study. “When you coordinate the operations between utilities across a large geographic area, you decrease the effect of the variability of wind and solar energy sources, mitigating the unpredictability of Mother Nature.”

The study focuses on the operational impacts of wind, photovoltaics, and concentrating solar power on the power system operated by the WestConnect group of utilities in the mountain and southwest states. WestConnect is a group of transmission providers, which includes Arizona Public Service, El Paso Electric Co., NV Energy, Public Service of New Mexico, Salt River Project, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Tucson Electric Power, Western Area Power Administration, and Xcel Energy. Though wind and solar output vary over time, the technical analysis performed in this study shows that it is operationally possible to accommodate 30 percent wind and 5 percent solar energy penetration. To accomplish such an increase, utilities will have to substantially increase their coordination of operations over wider geographic areas and schedule their generation deliveries, or sales, on a more frequent basis. Currently generators provide a schedule for a specific amount of power they will provide in the next hour. More frequent scheduling would allow generators to adjust that amount of power based on changes in system conditions such as increases or decreases in wind or solar generation.

The study also finds that if utilities generate 27 percent of their electricity from wind and solar energy across the Western Interconnection grid, it would lower carbon emissions by 25 to 45 percent. It would also decrease fuel and emissions costs by 40 percent, depending on the future price of natural gas.

Other key findings from the study include:

Existing transmission capacity can be more fully utilized to reduce the amount of new transmission that needs to be built.
To facilitate the integration of wind and solar energy, coordinating the operations of utilities can provide substantial savings by reducing the need for additional back-up generation, such as natural gas-burning plants.
Use of wind and solar forecasts in utility operations to predict when and where it will be windy and sunny is essential for cost-effectively integrating these renewable energy sources.

The study was undertaken by a team of wind, solar and power systems experts across both the private and public sectors. The study complements the recently released Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study, which examines the feasibility of integrating up to 30 percent wind in the eastern states.

The report released today is an important first step in assessing the impact of solar and wind energy on the electrical grid. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Department of Energy is investing more than $26 million to further study the Western transmission interconnection, which will help states, utilities, and grid operators prepare for future growth in energy demand, renewable energy resources, and Smart Grid technologies.

The study can be downloaded at http://www.nrel.gov/wwsis. A media webinar will be held on May 20, 2010. For details, please contact Richard Sawyers at rsawyers@kearnswest.com.

NREL is DOE’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated by DOE by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

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EPA Helps Partners Find Commercial Energy Efficiency Savings
admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 06:17:43 +0000
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with   several states and utilities, announced on May 5 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 new 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.  One  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 will   yield the largest energy savings. Energy use in commercial buildings   accounts for 17% of U.S. greenhouse gas 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). Download Adobe  Reader.

 Printable   Version




Rising fuel prices hits Americans
admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:28:05 +0000

The government’s key inflation measure came in higher than expected due to a 6.3% jump in oil and gas prices.





NEW YORK — Consumer prices in October were essentially unchanged from a year ago, the government reported Wednesday, as the rising cost of oil and gas offset earlier price declines.
The Consumer Price Index, the government’s key inflation reading, is now down only 0.2% during the past 12 months compared to the same period a year ago. This is the smallest 12-month rate of decline since February.
The so-called core CPI, which is more closely watched by economists because it strips out volatile food and energy prices, is up 1.7% over the past year.
For the month, overall prices rose 0.3%. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a 0.2% rise.
The core CPI rose just 0.2% in the month, but that was higher than the forecast of a 0.1% increase.
A 6.3% rise in fuel prices in the month helped feed the overall monthly increase. The prices of other forms of energy increased in October as well, with electricity costs up 0.6% and natural gas prices rising 1.9%.

Still, overall energy prices are 14% below where they were in October of 2008.
The price of oil fell sharply last fall in the wake of the financial crisis and the resulting cut in global demand. But with oil prices on the rise again it is likely that the 12-month change in CPI will be back in positive territory later this year.
The latest report also showed vehicle prices jumping, with new car prices up 1.6%, while used car prices rose 3.4% in the month.
The roll out of 2010 models, depleted inventories caused by shuttered auto plants earlier this year and a surge in buying this summer from Cash for Clunkers helped lift prices.
But the prices of many other goods were little changed. Food prices rose only 0.1% while apparel prices declined 0.4%.
Is inflation looming?
The Federal Reserve has repeatedly said that it does not see any broad inflationary pressures on the horizon. That view has allowed the central bank to concentrate on trying to fix the battered U.S. economy through low interest rates and trillions of dollars pumped into the system through various lending programs.
But some economists said there were some troubling signs of inflation beyond the rise in energy in the October CPI report.
Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities, points out that the price of goods other than food and energy rose at a higher rate over the last 12 months, than the price of services, which includes everything from medical care to airline tickets. That’s the first time this has happened in 26 years. 
Services providers typically face less overseas competition than manufacturers. So the price of services should, in theory, rise at a higher rate.
But Vitner said he’s worried that the sharp decline in the value of the dollar means that the price of all types of goods will increase in the future. That’s because overseas exporters will be less likely to put downward pressure on prices with cheaper goods.
Vitner said he believes at least part of the price increases for vehicles is due to the large share of cars that are either imported or produced here by Asian manufacturers. And he added that the relatively rare price increase for personal computers and peripherals in October is also a sign of the weak dollar.
“Imports have been helping to contain prices,” he said. “If the dollar is close to free fall, it has to have more of an impact on inflation.”
But Keith Hembre, chief economist for First American Funds, said he doesn’t think the weak dollar will add much to pricing pressures. He said as long as unemployment remains high and wages weak, Americans won’t have the money necessary to feed inflation.
“I’m afraid it’s very difficult to see any upward pressure on wages over the next few years,” he said. “If wages and income aren’t growing, price increases won’t be sustainable.”
Neither Hembre nor Vitner believe the Fed will change its inflation outlook, or its policy, simply because the overall CPI will likely soon turn positive for the first time in nearly a year.
But Vitner said he’s worried that the positive CPI will feed into inflation worries among investors. That can push bond yields higher, raise mortgage rates for consumers, and increase the cost of loans businesses need to invest in their operations or hire workers.
“Perception counts a lot more on Wall Street than it does with the Fed,” he said. “When we start to see higher year over year numbers, it will feed the already lingering doubts about how well the Fed will be able to contain inflation.”
Credit:ReverseEnergy.com
Source:Chris Isidore



Climate change deal must aim to help women: U.N.
admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:16:40 +0000
Women have a voice!
LONDON – Women bear the brunt of drought, rising seas, melting glaciers and other effects of climate change but are mostly ignored in the debate over how to halt it, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Wednesday.
In its 2009 state of the world population report, the agency said the world’s poor are the most vulnerable to climate change and the majority of the 1.5 billion people living on $1.0 a day or less are women.
“Poor women in poor countries are among the hardest hit by climate change, even though they contributed the least to it,” said UNFPA executive director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.
World leaders are due to meet at a U.N. global warming summit in Copenhagen in December and the U.N. agency urged them to think about how much women are harmed by climate change and how much they could be engaged in the fight against it.


“With the possibility of a climate catastrophe on the horizon, we cannot afford to relegate the world’s 3.4 billion women and girls to the role of victim,” Obaid said in a commentary on the report. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have 3.4 billion agents for change?”
Obaid said that because the poor are more likely to depend on agriculture for a living, they risk going hungry or losing their livelihood when droughts, floods or hurricanes strike. They also tend to live in marginal areas, more vulnerable to floods, rising seas and storms.
Because women are often the poorest in society and have less power over their lives, less recognition of economic worth and bear the brunt of raising children, they suffer more, she said.
The UNFPA report cited research which showed that women are more likely than men to die in natural disasters and that the gap is widest in poorer societies where women have low status.
It called for investments aimed at empowering women and girls — particularly in education and health — and said the international community’s fight against climate change was more likely to succeed if policies and treaties take into account the needs, rights and potential of women.
“Girls with more education, for example, tend to have smaller and healthier families as adults,” it said. “Women with access to reproductive health services, including family planning, have lower fertility rates that contribute to slower growth in greenhouse-gas emissions in the long run.”
Credit:ReverseEnergy.com
Source:By Kate Kelland ,Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton



Oil rises on U.S. crude, product inventory drop
admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:04:28 +0000
Texas Oil Feild
NEW YORK  – Oil prices rose on Wednesday as a drop in U.S. oil and fuel inventories outweighed wider economic concerns.
Crude stockpiles in the world’s top consumer fell by 900,000 barrels last week, more than forecasts for a 300,000-barrel drop, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported.
Gasoline and distillate stocks dropped by 1.7 million and 300,000 barrels. respectively.


“Overall, the figures were fairly bullish. Gasoline was a much larger draw than expected,” said Mike Zarembski, senior commodities analyst at optionsXpress in Chicago.
The declines came after Tropical Storm Ida forced oil and natural gas companies to shutter production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico last week.
U.S. crude settled 44 cents higher at $79.58 a barrel, while London Brent crude gained 50 cents to settle at $79.47 a barrel.
Despite the inventory drawdowns, analysts said the EIA report showed demand in the world’s top consumer remained weak, down 4.1 percent against last year for all refined products.
The financial crisis has battered fuel demand in developed economies, such as the United States, knocking crude from record highs near $150 a barrel in July 2008 to below $33 a barrel in December last year.
Optimism that an economic turnaround could push up demand has supported prices this year, with energy traders looking to economic data for signs of a rebound.
Data showed construction of new homes in the United States fell sharply last month, showing potential weakness in the economy’s recovery, while consumer prices rose slightly more than expected.
U.S. travel and auto group AAA forecast 1.4 percent more Americans will travel this Thanksgiving holiday than last year as consumer sentiment improves.
Further support for crude came as the dollar slid against the euro, with fresh data doing little to alter the view that U.S. interest rates will remain at record lows well into 2010. 
The dollar has fallen steadily for most of this year and hit a 15-month low this week, helping drive commodities higher as investors have sought hard assets to hedge against the depreciating currency.
Credit:ReverseEnergy.com
Source: Matthew Robinson , Gene Ramos, Edward McAllister and Robert Gibbons in New York and Christopher Johnson and David Sheppard in London; Editing by Walter Bagley)



U.S. to lease 36 million offshore acres for oil drilling
admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:58:13 +0000
Seen here are dolphins directly in the path of the drillers. How will the wildlife be effected by this new lease on the wildlife's Habitat ??? 
WASHINGTON- The U.S. Interior Department said on Friday it plans to lease nearly 36 million acres (14.6 million hectares) to energy companies next spring to drill for oil and natural gas in the central Gulf of Mexico, but will shorten the time that the firms have to develop the tracts.
The area to be leased could produce up to 1.3 billion barrels of crude oil and 5.4 trillion cubic feet of gas according to the department.
“Continued development in appropriate areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, such as in the areas we will offer in the Gulf of Mexico, is a key component of our efforts to reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Lease Sale 213 will involve about 6,800 tracts spread over 35.9 million acres located 3 to 250 miles off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The blocks are in water depths from 10 feet to more than 11,200 feet.
The proposed sale blocks include about 4.2 million acres in an area know as 181 South, near the Alabama-Florida offshore border. Drilling off Florida in the Gulf is only allowed far from the state’s shoreline.



The central Gulf lease sale would cut the term energy companies would have to develop oil and gas resources on certain tracts.
“This new approach to lease terms will better ensure that taxpayer resources are being developed in a timely manner,” Salazar said.
However, the American Petroleum Institute slammed the policy change, calling it another roadblock from the Obama administration that discourages the development of domestic oil and gas supplies.
“The shortening of lease terms does nothing to guarantee more discoveries but rather takes away from companies the flexibility necessary to operate in an extremely challenging and risky environment,” said API President Jack Gerard.
The initial lease term for blocks in waters 400 to 800 meters (1,312 to 2,624 feet) deep would change from 8 to 5 years, but when an exploratory well is drilled the life of the lease would be extended to 8 years.
Blocks in 800 to 1,600 meters deep would have lease terms of seven years instead of 10 years, and commencement of an exploratory well would extend the lease term to 10 years.
Energy companies will have to pay the government a royalty rate based on 18.75 percent of the value of the oil and gas they drill in the offshore tracts.
Initial terms for the lease sale, to be held next March 17, will be published on November 16 in Federal Register of government regulation
Credit:ReverseEnergy.com
Source:Tom Doggett; Editing by Marguerita Choy)



U.S. boosts coal mining oversight to fight pollution
admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:47:19 +0000
Ash plume at confluence of Clinch and Tennessee rivers on 4/16/09, about 5 months after the Kingston plant disaster
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Interior Department said on Wednesday it would immediately strengthen oversight of surface coal mining programs and draw up new regulations to protect streams polluted by mining operations.
The action comes after a U.S. court in August blocked an attempt by the Obama administration to overturn a Bush administration rule that made it easier for coal mining companies to dump mountaintop debris into valley streams.
The court said the department should have followed certain procedures, including collecting public comments, before trying to repeal the government regulations.
The department said it will now move as quickly as possible “under the law” to gather public input for a new rule, based on sound science, that will govern how companies handle fill removed from mountaintop coal seams.



“Until we put a new rule in place, we will work to provide certainty to coal operations and the communities that depend on coal for their livelihood, strengthen our oversight and inspections, and coordinate with other federal agencies to better protect streams and water quality,” said Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Wilma Lewis.
The department is publishing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the protection of streams from the adverse impacts of surface coal mining operations.
The notice requests comments on alternatives for revising the current regulations, which include the stream buffer zone rule issued by the Bush administration in December 2008.
The Bush regulation modified a 1983 rule by allowing dumping within 100 feet of a stream if it would not “adversely affect the water quantity or quality or other environmental resources of the stream.”
More than half of U.S. electricity is generated from coal. U.S. surface coal mining is mostly done in the steep mountains of Appalachia, across Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, and accounts for about 10 percent of U.S. coal production.
“America’s vast coal resources are a vital component of our energy future and our economy, but we have a responsibility to ensure that development is done in a way that protects public health and safety and the environment,” Lewis said.
The department’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking will soon be published in the Federal Register of government regulations. The department will take public comments on it through December 18.
Credit ReverseEnergy.com
Source:( Tom Doggett, additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; editing by Jim Marshall)