Beer Power

(Science Daily, August 22, 2009) — Wolfgang Bengel, the technical director at German biomass company BMP Biomasse Projekt, saw a business opportunity in solving the breweries’ grain waste headache. He reasoned that the leftover grain could be used to create steam and biogas, which would provide energy for the breweries, cheapening their energy costs as well as their costs of transporting grain to farms. Bengel has successfully treated the residue from rice and sugar cane in boilers with atmospheric fluidized bed combustion systems, to produce energy in China and Thailand, and Bengel thought a similar process could be developed for the breweries’ spent wet grain. Read more

Carbon Disclosure Project: The Carbon Chasm

(The Carbon Disclosure Project, August 2009) Based on current reduction targets, the world’s largest companies are on track to reach the scientifically-recommended level of greenhouse gas cuts by 2089 – 39 years too late to avoid dangerous climate change, reveals a research report – The Carbon Chasm – released today by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). It shows that the Global 100 are currently on track for an annual reduction of just 1.9% per annum which is below the 3.9% needed in order to cut emissions in developed economies by 80% in 2050. According to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), developed economies must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050 in order to avoid dangerous climate change. Read more

Regional Strategy for Bio-based Products in Mississippi Delta

(Memphis Business Journal, August 25, 2009) A bio-based study of 98 counties in the Delta region of the Mid-South has revealed 25,000 “green” jobs can be created in the next decade while creating new markets of commerce and reducing greenhouse emissions. The results of the Regional Strategy for Bio-based Products in the Mississippi Delta, a five-state, 98-county study, were presented by the Memphis Bioworks Foundation today.

The study examined the potential for agriculture and forestry revitalization through the development of new markets, and the related industrial biotechnology opportunities in the region. The study was conducted by the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice and included participation from companies and organizations across Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Read more

Advanced Materials for Nuclear Energy

By Mitch Jacoby

(Chemical & Engineering News, August 24, 2009)  For nearly 30 years, the inbox for new license applications at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) collected nothing but dust. These days, the inbox has no room for dust. “In the past two years, we have received applications to build and operate 28 new nuclear power plants in the U.S.,” NRC spokesman Scott Burnell says. The agency has recently received several letters of intent, according to Burnell, indicating that in the next two to three years, utility companies will be seeking permission to build additional nuclear power plants. Read more

Free Landsat Scenes Go Public by the Million

(USGS News, August 20, 2009) On August 17, someone who wanted to see how the Earth looks from 440 miles away in space downloaded the one-millionth Landsat satellite image scene from a U.S. Geological Survey web site at its Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Since the USGS opened its full Landsat archive to user access at no charge last October, the response from across the nation and around the globe has grown exponentially. “USGS satellite operations and its data archives at EROS enable experts, or any interested member of the public, to see the land objectively with unbiased, consistently calibrated data,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Read more

First Commercial U.S. Solar Power Tower Launched by eSolar

(EERE, August 19, 2009)  The first commercial solar power tower in the United States was unveiled near Lancaster, California, on August 5 by eSolar. Located about 50 miles north of Los Angeles in California’s Antelope Valley, the Sierra SunTower solar power plant uses advanced computer software to precisely align thousands of flat mirrors, or “heliostats,” to concentrate the sun’s heat on a receiver mounted at the top of a tower. Water pumped through the tower is boiled to steam, and the steam drives a turbine to produce up to 5 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The eSolar design employs modules that cover 10 acres of land with 12,000 mirrors surrounding a single power tower to generate up to 2.5 MW of power. The Sierra SunTower achieves its 5-MW output by combining two of eSolar’s modules. Power generated at the new facility is being sold to Southern California Edison (SCE). Read more

Ask an Expert: DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse

The purpose of the DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse is to help increase the availability of information about DOE’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) activities. The Clearinghouse will provide initial consultations, and also make referrals when appropriate to other information sources (websites, documents, DOE staff, etc). You can contact us with your questions using our submittal form, by calling our toll-free number: 1-888-DOE-RCVY (1-888-363-7289), or browse our list of frequently asked questions. Media inquiries should be directed to the DOE Press Office. Read more

Deputy Secretary, U.S. Senators Learn About INL Nuclear Energy Research

By Nicole Stricker and Glen Tait

(INL, August 2009) The Department of Energy’s second in command toured Idaho National Laboratory Monday, along with three U.S. senators. Both tours provided a chance for these VIPs to learn more about INL’s energy technology and security research capabilities.  Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman, who reports directly to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, requested a tour of INL as part of travels throughout the West this week. And U.S. Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio toured INL with Idaho’s two U.S. senators, Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and several members of Risch’s staff. Read more

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