| This week's sponsor is AT&T. |  | AT&T offers a wide range of Field Solutions, such as Fleet Management, Enhanced Push-to-Talk, and Workforce Management, designed to help keep your business on track. Learn more. |
Also Noted: DOE cybersecurity is a mess, according to Senate panel; For cyber-defense, automation alone is not enough and much more... Green energy job postings increase 88 percent from 2013
There were more than two million job postings in the green energy sector in the first and second quarters of 2014 -- an increase of 87.5 percent from the first and second quarters of 2013 -- according to Ecotech Institute's Clean Jobs Index. Article
Largest biomass project of its kind underway in MO
Construction is underway on an $80 million renewable energy project that is said to be the largest biomass project of its kind by the developer Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC (RAE). Article
Wind Energy Areas identified offshore NC
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has identified three Wind Energy Areas -- totaling approximately 307,590 acres -- offshore North Carolina for potential commercial wind energy development. This is an important step for North Carolina in harnessing the wind energy potential that lies along the Atlantic Coast. Article
News From Across the Energy Industry:
1. Supreme Court limits EPA authority to regulate GHG emissions
2. Europe dominating concentrated solar power
3. Research: Asia up, EU down in solar market shift
More headlines...
| This week's sponsor is Equifax. |  | Webinar: National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange (NCTUE)
Wednesday, September 24th | 2pm ET / 11am PT This must-attend Equifax webinar - led by the NCTUE board members Buddy Flake (SCANA), Leon Broughton (Citizens Energy Group) and Bob Romeo (AT&T) - dives deep into the mechanics of an industry specific data resource from the (NCTUE) that offers practical, relevant credit insight on more than 170 million consumers. Register today! |
Today's Top News 1. DTE, Ford driving Michigan solar forward
DTE Energy is funding Michigan's largest solar array to be built at Ford Motor Company's World Headquarters, which DTE will construct, operate and maintain for 20 years. The solar canopy will have the capacity to generate 1.038 MW of electricity, making it the second largest solar carport in the Midwest -- after the 1.1 MW facility at Ohio's Cincinnati Zoo.  | | Credit: Ford Motor Company | The $5 million array will reduce the amount of electricity Ford takes from the grid to run its offices, providing employees with 360 covered parking spaces and 30 charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles. An on-site kiosk will offer visitor information about solar power and the Ford carport. Construction is due to begin in September with completion expected in early 2015. Part of a DTE initiative which allows to DTE to reach its goal of generating 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2015, this is the second collaboration between Ford and DTE Energy in the last few years. "The SolarCurrents canopy project is another example of how DTE Energy and Ford are working to build a more energy efficient and sustainable future," said Irene Dimitry, DTE Energy vice president, marketing and renewables. "At the same time, this project will help us come closer to meeting Michigan's renewable energy goals and diversify our energy portfolio." In 2010, Ford and DTE teamed up to install a 500 kW solar photovoltaic panel system to help power vehicle production at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. Ford World Headquarters also features a "living roof" on which multiple varieties of sedum grow to reduce storm water runoff from the building. Ford's first green roof was developed 10 years ago at its Dearborn Truck Plant where 10.4 acres (the equivalent to eight football fields) of 11 varieties of drought-resistant vegetation were planted, helping create a natural storm water management system that costs two-thirds less to operate than a conventional treatment system. The plant species act as roof insulation, lowering the amount of heat entering the building by 70 percent and reducing cooling costs by 5 percent. For more:
- visit this website Related Article:
DTE moving MI solar ahead Read more about: DTE Energy, Ford
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2. EV universe expanding
While plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) are now available throughout all of the United States, most Canadian provinces and territories, and every Western European country, they are not readily accessible in the Asia-Pacific region, but this will soon change, according to Navigant Research.  | | Credit: iStock | Over the next several years, Navigant predicts that Asia-Pacific will actually become the largest market for PEV sales, contributing to a growth of sales in North America, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific from 352,000 annually in 2014 to 1.8 million in 2023. "PEVs are becoming more available and more price-competitive, both geographically and in vehicle segments outside of small and luxury car classes," said Scott Shepard, research analyst with Navigant Research. "That is expanding the universe of potential PEV buyers beyond the narrow demographics of early adopters to a wider market that is similar to that for hybrid electric vehicles." Cities with higher densities will likely see greater interest in incentivizing PEV purchases, optimizing PEV charging, and developing publicly available EV supply equipment infrastructure. As such, the concentration of PEVs is anticipated to be higher in geographic areas with higher populations and more households. The largest urban markets through 2023 will be Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Paris, according to Navigant, with PEV sales in 2023 of 49,000, 39,000, and 25,000, respectively. Navigant reports that North America is the strongest market to date for light duty (LD) PEVs, with nearly 100,000 sold in 2013. Japan is a distant second, with just under 30,000 sales, followed by the Netherlands (more than 23,000) and China (more than 17,000). The United States will be the largest market for PEVs during the next 10 years, the researcher predicts, with LD PEV sales exceeding 514,000 in 2023. For more:
- see this report Related Article:
Global governments supporting EVs Read more about: electric vehicles
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3. Multi-billion dollar oil and gas projects in peril
Multi-billion dollar, technically and operationally demanding oil and gas industry projects (megaprojects) continue to exceed budgets and miss scheduled deadlines, placing such projects in peril, according to new research from EY.  | | Credit: EY | The report specifically reveals that of, the 365 megaprojects examined, almost two-thirds (64 percent) of these projects experience cost overruns with three quarters (73 percent) missing deadlines. On average, current project estimated completion costs were 59 percent above initial estimates -- the cumulative cost of the projects reviewed for the report has increased to $1.7 trillion from an original estimate of $1.2 trillion. For project cost overruns, EY places North America in fourth at 58 percent and sixth for schedule delays at 55 percent of projects. There are several internal and external factors that influence megaproject success. Internal factors include inadequate planning; access to funding; poor procurement of contractors and contractor management; aggressive estimates; optimism bias and changing risk appetite -- many of which can be addressed through thorough upfront planning and strong project management. External factors such as regulatory issues and geopolitical challenges, scale of the investment, impact of exchange rate fluctuations, and commodity constraints can hamper performance and lead to megaprojects being delayed or even cancelled. However, with good project management, the impact of these factors can be mitigated. "In order to secure economically attractive funding for megaprojects, resource access rights and corporate approvals, companies need to guarantee high levels of transparency, value-adding assurance and proven delivery capabilities," Axel Preiss, EY's global oil and gas advisory leader, said. "Clearly, the external environment and regulatory- and policy-related changes are not as easily controlled as the internal project management-related issues, but the oil and gas industry can do significantly more to prepare for these issues so that their effects can be adequately managed within the project environment." EY concludes that the industry can no longer rely on oil and gas price increases which, in the past, have masked many of the consequences of megaproject overruns. "Unconventional discoveries have already had an impact on the economic viability of many megaprojects," Preiss said, "and securing capital is only going to become more difficult unless companies are able to consistently deliver on deadline and within budget." For more:
- see the report Related Articles:
BLM blames budget for agency shortfalls
Increasing costs squeezing oil industry Read more about: Oil And Gas
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4. ERV helps utilities meet energy efficiency mandates
Driven by operations improvements and energy savings, as well as new standards and regulations, a somewhat unfamiliar face in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is making the scene. Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) is a type of HVAC equipment that uses the energy associated with the thermally conditioned air being exhausted from a building to precondition the incoming air. Although limited in its adoption today, Navigant Research predicts the market revenue from this technology will grow worldwide from $1.6 billion in 2014 to $2.8 billion in 2020. Many electric and gas utilities offer rebate programs to encourage the use of ERV. These utilities then reap the benefits of the resulting peak load reductions, operating cost savings, and, ultimately, compliance with mandates encouraging the use of energy-efficient equipment. Austin Energy, National Grid, Idaho Power, Florida Power and Light, Progress Energy, Tampa Electric, and We Energies are just some of the utilities offering building owners the advantages of reduced energy consumption and improved indoor air quality (IAQ) from ERVs. "Along with new standards and regulations, the heightened sensitivity to how the health and comfort of office workers affects productivity is driving increased acceptance of IAQ technologies in more buildings," said Benjamin Freas, research analyst with Navigant Research. "ERVs are growing in popularity because they provide energy-saving benefits without sacrificing IAQ." For more:
- see this FPL ERV Primer Related Article:
NYSERDA supports net zero energy performance with $34M in incentives Read more about: navigant research
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5. Foam looks best for enhanced oil recovery
Rice University researchers now have proof that foam could maximize enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Tests where foam pumped into an experimental rig, reflecting the flow paths deep underground, produced better results removing oil from formations with low permeability than common techniques involving water, gas, surfactants or combinations of the three.  | | Foam sent through a microfluidic model created at Rice University shows its ability to remove oil (pink) from low-permeability formations. Credit: Biswal Lab/Rice University | Building upon research on how foam forms, Rice scientists created microfluidic models of formations to see how well foam performs against other materials in removing as much oil as possible. By pushing various fluids into test formations, researchers can see how foam is able to remove oil from hard to reach places and can measure the fluid's pressure gradient to see how it changes as it navigates the landscape. The research found that foam outperformed the others, dislodging all but 25.1 percent of oil from low-permeability regions after four minutes of pushing it through a test rig -- versus 53 percent for water and gas and 98.3 percent for water flooding. The less-viscous fluids appear to displace oil in high-permeability regions while missing the smaller cracks -- while foam offers mobility control, which means a higher resistance to flow near large pores. "The foam's lamellae (the borders between individual bubbles) add extra resistance to the flow," said Sibani Lisa Biswal, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice University. "Water and gas don't have that ability, so it's easy for them to find paths of least resistance and move straight through. Because foam acts like a more viscous fluid, it's better able to plug high-permeable regions and penetrate into less-permeable regions." Foam also tends to dry out as it progresses through the model, slowing the progress of the foam even further and allowing surfactant from the lamellae to drain into low-permeability zones, where it forces oil out. Foam may also cut the sheer amount of material that may have to be sent downhole. As viable as foam appears for enhanced oil recovery, it does have challenges, one of which is getting the foam to the underground formation intact. The researchers intend to test foam on core samples that more closely mimic the environment underground going forward. For more:
- see this article
- see this video Related Article:
Rice University's carbon capture breakthrough Read more about: enhanced oil recovery
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Also Noted > DOE cybersecurity is a mess, according to Senate panel. Article (RollCall)
> For cyber-defense, automation alone is not enough. Article (FedTimes)
> GSA cuts 1,000 noncompliant vendors from IT schedule. Article (FedNewsRadio)
> The Senate has another go at NSA surveillance reform. Article (WaPo)
> Canada research agency goes offline to contain Chinese infection. Article (Nextgov) And Finally... This little girl completely loses it when she finds out her baby brother can't stay tiny forever. Video (BuzzFeed) News From Across the Energy Industry:
> State of wind industry demonstrates value of strong policy Post
> Making Milwaukee a global energy hub Post
> New offshore wind project fishing to be first in U.S. Post
> Patriot generating station capitalizing on PA Marcellus Shale Post
> The role of women in Canada's energy sector Post
> Litigation tactics tainting federal rulemaking Post
> BGE awards first Combined Heat and Power Program incentives Post
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