Energy Independence Group - Solar, Wind, Geothermal Installers - St. Paul, Minnesota

EIG STUDIES PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS

Passive solar houses have south windows and concrete walls to absorb heat during the day and  release heat at night. Over the years there have been attempts to increase the heat storing capacity of the heat absorbing materials to make passive solar heating more efficient.
As you may recall from a science ,class when a liquid is cooled below its freezing temperature, it gives off a large quantity of heat as it freezes. Likewise, when it melts, it absorbs a large amount of heat. Thus, a glass of water with an ice cube in it stays cool longer than a glass of water that is ice cold. When a material changes from solid to liquid or from liquid to gas, it is called Phase Change. The materials used are called “phase change materials” or PCM.
Certain vegetable oils when combined in different proportions, change phase at different temperatures. Thus, if one wants to refrigerate and ship blood plasma, the material may be encased in a box lined with a phase change combination that holds the temperature within the desired range for several days.
EIG is talking to a local company that can do this about including PCM in future solar thermal systems.

FEED-IN-TARIFF ALTERNATIVE

Fort Collins, Colorado would like to be the first in the state to implement a solar feed-in-tariff program.
The city has its own publicly-owned utility. According to their chief financial officer, they have the lowest electricity rates in the state,
which has some of the lowest utility rates in the country.
Unfortunately, those low rates have made it difficult to get solar and wind installations established. With traditional power being so cheap, home and business owners don’t see enough incentive in cost savings on power, tax incentives and federal rebate programs.
An option to overcome this obstacle is a feed-in-tariff program.
The proposed program would be paid for through a 1% increase in local utility rates, which would likely generate $1 million to be paid out in incentives to homes and businesses who install solar.
In their research, energy leaders and town administrators have determined that a program for wind power would probably not pay off in the end. However, Fort Collins is in a good location for optimal power production through PV installations.
Under the program, Fort Collins would pay 19 to 23 cents per kWh to those homes and businesses that install grid-connected solar arrays. The payouts would be guaranteed under a 20-year fixed contract .
Plans are to approach lawmakers this month and to be able to initiate the program by July 1.
Source:  CleanEnergyAuthority.com
Fort Collins Solar Feed-In-Tariff Planned 1-14-2011

NEWS FROM HERE AND THERE

In December, the U.S. Congress approved a tax bill that includes a one-year extension of Section 1603 (Treasury Grant Program). Typically, incentives for renewables have been extended one-year-at-a-time. This leaves the renewable energy industry little room to plan long-term.
In the SOTU speech the President set a goal for America's energy future ­ 80% of electricity to come from “clean” energy sources by 2035. (A definition which includes renewables as well as nuclear, natural gas and “clean” coal.)
Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association says that in order to reach this goal, renewable energy incentives and policies must reach a place of predictability allowing that “energy sources that will never run out ... instead of keeping renewable energy on a constant one-year footing.”
Source:  RenewableEnergyWorld.com
What is "Clean Energy," President Obama? 1-26-2011