|
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______________________________________________________
Architects
and Engineers
www.ArchitectsAndEngineers.net
Architects and Engineers
About us:
We provide architectural, engineering and project development services (some with our A&E partner companies) including;
Feasibility Studies
Economic Feasibility Analysis
Front End Engineering Design - FEED
Greenhouse Gas Emissions consulting
Interconnection Studies
Project Development
Project Management
Project Finance/Funding introduction to potential investors
Power Purchase Agreement consulting & PPA funding
Smart Grid
and other architectural, engineering and project development services.
Our work is performed on a strict adherence to "vendor-neutrality" and seek to maximize our client's "triple bottom line" returns: people, planet and profits.
To receive a preliminary, no obligation consult, email us a summary or overview of your project to:
info@ArchitectsAndEngineers.net
______________________________________________________
What is the "Unified Smart Grid"?
The Unified Smart Grid is the name used for the future transmission power lines that would carry green electricity from the many solar power plants and solar power parks and wind farms that generate the power, typically in remote areas, to the "load centers" or major cities that would use the green power.
Quite simply, our country's out-dated and inefficient National Electric Grid, lacks the ability to carry all the new green electricity being planned from hundreds of new solar power parks and wind power generation facilities.
The Unified Smart Grid will be a national interconnected network relying on a high capacity backbone of electric power transmission lines linking all the nation's local electrical networks that have been upgraded to smart grids. Europe's analogous project is sometimes referred to as the SuperSmart Grid, a term that also appears in the literature describing the Unified Smart Grid.
Cost estimates to rebuild the nation's electric grid as a Unified Smart Grid have ranged from $350 billion to $450 billion.
Support for
the unified smart grid came with passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of
2007. Title 13 of this Act invested $100 million in funding for the
years 2008 – 2012 and establishes a matching program to states, utilities and consumers to build
unified smart grid capabilities. It also creates a Grid Modernization Commission to assess the benefits of demand response
and automated demand response and recommended a set of system protocols and
standards to be led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology which
would coordinate the development of smart grid standards. FERC would then promulgate
these standards and protocols for the unified smart grid through its official
rulemaking capabilities.
The Unified
Smart Grid received further support with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 that set aside $11 billion for the creation of a smart grid.
Building
a Unified
Smart Grid
would
help jump-start the renewable
energy investments in solar power
parks. Thousands of megawatts of new solar
power parks (both Concentrating
Solar Power plants and Photovoltaic Power Plants) are being planned. Most
are located in the desert Southwest due to the solar energy resource. A Unified
Smart Grid
is
needed to move the large amount of power, which is fairly concentrated, to the
rest of the nation. Without the new Unified
Smart Grid, it
would be impossible to distribute the green power to the nation.
The new Unified Smart Grid is significantly more efficient than the present, nearly 100 year old technology that makes up our nation's present transmission and distribution network of how we get the power from central power plants to customers and major load centers.
Much of the new Unified Smart Grid will be comprised of "High Voltage Direct Current" transmission lines which is significantly more efficient than the present high voltage alternating current transmission lines.
The new Unified Smart Grid will provide economic development, thousands of new jobs, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
What
would the new Unified
Smart Grid look like?
Source: American Electric Power
_______________________________________________________
You Can't
Have a Unified
Smart Grid Without:
Advanced Metering System * Advanced Meters * Automated Demand Response * Automated Energy Management
Battery Energy Storage * Building Automation Systems * Carbon Free Energy * Clean Power Generation * Cogeneration
Compressed Air Energy Storage * Decentralized Energy * Demand Side Management * Dispersed Generation
Distributed Energy Resources * Distributed Generation * Distributed PV * EcoGeneration * High Voltage Direct Current
Load Leveling * Locational Marginal Pricing * Micro-Grid * Net Zero Energy * Net Zero Energy Buildings
Nodal Pricing * Onsite Power Generation * Pollution Free Power * Plug In Electric Vehicles * Renewable Energy Parks
Rooftop PV * Solar Cogeneration * Solar Power Parks * Trigeneration * Virtual Power Plants * Waste Heat Recovery
_______________________________________________________
Engineering Procurement Construction, also referred to as; Engineer Procure Construct, "EPC" or Engineering Procurement and Construction, is the terminology used when an owner, for example, is seeking to build a new cogeneration power plant uses when the owner is seeking a "turnkey" project solution. EPC contracts are not only a very common form of contracting within the construction industry, but increasingly becoming the norm, particularly in the electric power generation (power plants) and utility sector.
The construction company, via the EPC contract with the owner, provides for the design, engineering, procurement of all related supplies, components, materials, labor, services, etc. The contractor, with approval/permit by EPC contract with the owner, may sub-contract part of the work.
What
is Front End Engineering
Design?
Front-end
Engineering Design, also known as Front End
Engineering or
"FEED," is the preliminary engineering and conceptual design completed
in advance of the start of EPC (Engineering, Procurement and
Construction). Front End Engineering usually concludes with the
engineering firm's presentation of an Engineering
Feasibility Study or Analysis.
Front-end
Engineering Design includes a design team that includes and integrates
all or most engineering fields such as mechanical engineering, electrical
engineering, environmental engineering, civil engineering, power engineering,
chemical engineering, etc. The FEED design team includes the project
visualization and conceptualization stages, including "what-if"
decision making analyses, integrating the client company's goals, objectives
into an efficient and economic engineering solution.
What is Balance of
Plant?
Balance of plant
or "BOP," consists of the remaining systems, components, and structures that comprise a complete power plant or energy system
- not included in the prime mover and waste heat recovery (ex.
gas turbines,
steam turbines,
heat
recovery steam generators (HRSG), waste heat
boilers, etc.) systems. In solar
power parks, BOP is referred to as BOS or balance
of system.
Engineering Procurement and Construction or "EPC" contracts with long-term performance guarantees are becoming increasingly popular for some renewable energy technologies, such as commercial-scale photovoltaic systems.
Engineering Procurement and Construction contracts give the owner unprecedented assurance that the system will provide the long-term energy benefits advertised without wasting time and money with the Architectural and Engineering ("A&E") firm or expensive change orders that take additional time and resources to process and integrate. These performance guarantees cover the entire installation and go way beyond manufacturer warranties that only cover specific parts and not the system as a whole.
EPC and performance guarantee contracts can be a wise choice for many reasons. Oftentimes, the Architectural and Engineering firms do not have the in-house expertise to understand fully how to specify renewable energy systems. Due to the newer nature of these technologies and the rapidly developing nature of many technologies, this is a specialized field of its own for each renewable technology type. If the Architectural and Engineering company specifies particular equipment, while it may be feasible, it may not be the optimal design or the most likely to be available at construction.
EPC contracts also provide more flexibility in equipment choices that can reduce change orders and construction delays. For example, many photovoltaic modules change specifications and dimensions on almost a monthly basis. Even the oldest and most reputable manufacturers are working to keep pace with fierce competition in the field today. Given that the modules are the heart of the photovoltaic system, it reasons that specifying a particular module in the construction documents might result in a change order and result in cost over runs and delays by actual construction.
In an EPC contract with a performance guarantee, the contractor has a strong financial incentive to use the most reliable and highest performing equipment and to ensure the highest standards are maintained throughout installation and that any details that could influence long-term performance are addressed. Practices ranging from cherry picking the highest output modules to over-sizing wiring and conduit to improved operations and maintenance (O&M) plans might not be necessary for inspection or commissioning but can contribute to meeting the contractor's long-term performance liability. These same practices in turn enhance the long-term energy performance to the greater benefit of the facility and those that operate it.
Performance guarantee contracts attract top renewable energy contractors with long-term success in their fields. Less capable or experienced contractors will not savor the extra liability involved, nor will they have the expertise or even access to the top quality equipment necessary to fulfill a performance guarantee.
Certain provisions should be included with any EPC contract to ensure coordination and consistency with the remainder of the project. All contracts and subcontracts related to the project should include provisions requiring participation in the integrated design process including coordination of design with other related aspects of the project.
The EPC contractor needs to work with the Architectural and Engineering firm to understand the building elements that are necessary to the integration of the renewable energy system. In addition, an EPC contract needs provisions to ensure coordination with the larger project construction team. While coordination is important, this type of design and construction contract allows the contractors to do what they do best and frees more of the agency's critical planning resources for other aspects of the project.
Additional provisions standard with other construction contract terms should also be included in the EPC contract. These include requiring the team to perform enhanced commissioning over the first year and developing an O&M manual and training for the system.
Through a combination of EPC contracts combined with long-term performance guarantees, the construction relationship is transformed from being sometimes adversarial to being a win/win situation for everyone involved.
Engineering Procurement
Construction and
Front End Engineering Design (FEED)
and
Project Development Services
______________________________________________________
What is "Net Zero Energy?"
Net Zero Energy - when applied to a home or commercial building, simply means that they generate as much power and energy as they consume, when measured on a monthly or annual basis.
What is a Net Zero Energy Buildingsm?
A Net Zero Energy Buildingsm produces as much energy as it uses over the course of a year. Net Zero Energy Buildingssm are very energy efficient. The remaining low energy needs are typically met with on-site renewable energy.
First of all, understand that there is no such thing as a "zero energy building!" EVERY building uses energy, or you may as well be in a cave!
The important considerations are,
1. How efficient is the building?
2. How much energy does the building use, and how efficiently is it used?
3. How much "carbon free energy" or "pollution free power" is generated by the buildings' own onsite renewable energy system?
4. What are
the utility company's prices for the excess power generated and sent to the
grid?
(see: Net Energy Metering)
5. How difficult is it to interconnect the renewable energy system of the building with the utility company's powerlines/electric grid?
At the heart of a Net Zero Energy Buildingsm is the idea that any building can meet its energy requirements from low-cost, locally available, nonpolluting, renewable sources, like our Solar Trigenerationsm Energy Systems. Our Solar Trigenerationsm Energy Systems are the idea whose time has come, to make Net Zero Energy Buildingssm commonplace.
Solar Trigenerationsm Energy Systems Provide All of the Cooling, Heating & Power, for Any Size Building, with only the Energy of the Sun. Solar Trigenerationsm Energy Systems Provide Simultaneous Cooling, Heating & Power whether it is 12 Noon, or 12 Midnight, and can do so, WITHOUT Connection to the electric grid!
The Department of Energy developed the Commercial Building Initiative (CBI) and is pursuing the goal of marketable Net Zero Energy Buildings through research and partnerships.
The DOE's CBI has developed tools and resources to help the commercial buildings industry improve energy efficiency at various levels of energy savings.
The
Diagram Above Shows How Our Solar
Trigenerationsm Energy System
Works,
for Heating and Cooling a Building (next to the Solar Thermal Collectors,
are the PV
Panels, that generate the Electricity).
Our
Solar
Trigenerationsm Energy
System
provides
"Cooling, Heating & Power" for your business,
or home with the free energy of the sun!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Solar
Trigeneration sm
www.SolarTrigeneration.com
We install our Solar Trigenerationsm Energy Systems, for qualified commercial businesses, as well as cities, schools and government facilities with our Zero Up-front Cost program.
For some customers - based on their present location, utility company and electric rate - we are able to reduce their electric rate by 10%. Even more for other customers. Solar Trigenerationsm Energy System!
We provide the answers to your questions about solar power and energy!
Does your; business, city, school, or electric utility want a more sustainable solar power and energy solution?
Are you interested in transforming your facility, campus or building(s) to "Net Zero Energy"™ buildings?
Does your city or school have a problem with rising electricity and energy expenses, but not have the financial resources to provide the necessary updates and upgrades to make your buildings more efficient?
Maybe you have already decided to go solar, but you have a lot of questions, and don't know where to start. Call us, we have the answers to your solar questions.
What is the optimum solar solution? There are hundreds of companies in the solar power and energy industry..... Who do you call to help you with these questions to help you make the right decisions?
There's still more questions, that you may not have thought about..... which solar technology do you go with, and what is the return on investment?
Are there any solar rebates, refunds, tax credits or other incentives available?
What about investors that might be interested in owning/operating and maintaining our solar energy system under a Power Purchase Agreement?
You have numerous questions and need the answers to help in the decision-making process regarding the solar power and energy system you want to install. These decisions will have a long-lasting impact as the solar energy system that you install at your business or facility will probably be generating clean power for the next 40 to 50 years, if not longer! So, the decisions that you need to make now regarding your solar energy system will be a decision that will be either a long-term asset or a liability, depending on the equipment you select and who you choose to install it.
We can help cities, schools and commercial (and large residential) customers make the switch to solar!
And now, with our no up-front cost for our Solar Trigenerationsm Energy System, we can also transform your building(s) to a "Net Zero Energy Building"™ and many times, actually REDUCE your present energy expenses by 10%, and possibly more!
Examples of buildings/facilities where our Solar Trigenerationsm Energy Systems would benefit, include; universities, churches, data centers, shopping centers, schools, radio/television stations, food processing, warehouses, new real estate developments and subdivisions, and electric utilities - practically any commercial facility can be upgraded to one of our "pollution free power" systems featuring one of our solar energy systems, including our Solar Trigenerationsm system!
Call or email us, we can provide these answers. We are focused on providing the optimum solar energy systems for our clients. This begins with an initial review of your past 12 months energy/electrical bills. The next step would include a site visit which may include a Demand Side Management study and/or a Solar Feasibility Study which determines the optimum solar energy system for your facility or location. Once the optimum solar solution(s) are determined, we then have a blueprint to proceed that could include our installing one of our Solar Cogeneration™ or Solar Trigenerationsm energy systems. Or for a city, real estate development or subdivision, or an electric utility, one of our utility scale power plants which might be a Concentrating Photovoltaic, Concentrating Solar Power or High Concentration Photovoltaic power plants.
What is "Net Zero Energysm?"
Net Zero Energysm - when applied to a home or commercial building, simply means that the home or buildings generates as much power and energy as they consume, when measured on a monthly or annual basis, and with an onsite, renewable energy system, such as our Solar Trigenerationsm Energy System.
What is Net Energy Metering?
Net energy metering is used to measure a customer's total electric
consumption against that customer's total on-site electric generation. When
a customer's onsite generation of power exceeds the amount that they use, the customer's
solar energy system (or other renewable energy system) exports the extra electricity to the
grid. When the power requirements of the customer exceeds their onsite
generation of power, the customer imports the electricity they need from
electric grid. The customer pays the electric company for any extra power they
use over the amount they generate - OR - the customer receives a credit or
refund from the electric company if they exported more power to the grid, than
what they consumed.
Much focus is placed on energy efficiency as the most cost-effective way to reduce energy use in commercial buildings. However, consumption can be reduced only so much. There is a point at which the cost of adding efficiency measures is higher than that of using renewable energy such as thin film photovoltaics and other solar energy systems.
Aggressive energy efficiency strategies can reduce a building's energy consumption by 50% to 70%. Renewable energy technologies must be used to reach the goal of a net-zero energy building (NZEB).
Various supply-side renewable energy technologies are available for Net Zero Energy Buildings. Supply-side technologies, often called energy producers, collect natural energy and transform it into a useful form. Examples of these technologies include PV, solar hot water, wind, hydroelectric, and biofuels.
All renewable sources are favorable over conventional energy sources such as coal and natural gas; however, the U.S. Department of Energy recommends the following ranking for these options (the lower numbers are preferable):
|
Option Number |
NZEB Supply-Side Options |
Examples |
|---|---|---|
|
0 |
Reduce site energy use through low-energy building technologies |
Daylighting, high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment (HVAC), natural ventilation, evaporative cooling |
|
On-Site Supply Options |
||
|
1 |
Use renewable energy sources available within the building's footprint |
PV, solar hot water, and wind located on the building |
|
2 |
Use renewable energy sources available at the site |
PV, solar hot water, low-impact hydroelectric, and wind located on-site, but not on the building |
|
Off-Site Supply Options |
||
|
3 |
Use renewable energy sources available off site to generate energy on site |
Biomass, wood pellets, ethanol, or biodiesel that can be imported from off site; waste streams from on-site processes that can be used on-site to generate electricity and heat |
|
4 |
Purchase off-site renewable energy sources |
Utility-based wind, PV, emissions credits, or other "green" purchasing options; hydroelectric is sometimes considered |
This hierarchy is weighted toward renewable technologies within the building
footprint and site. Rooftop PV and solar water heating are the most applicable
supply-side technologies for Net
Zero Energy Buildings. Other supply-side technologies such as parking
lot-based wind or solar energy
systems may be available.
The goal in developing the ranking was to encourage technologies that:
Minimize overall environmental impact by encouraging energy-efficient building designs and reducing transportation and conversion losses
Will be available over the lifetime of the building
Are widely available and have high replication potential for future Net Zero Energy Buildings.
Solar
Trigenerationsm
www.SolarTrigeneration.com
Now, Your
Business Can Have Our Solar Trigeneration™
Energy System, installed for No
Up-Front Costs!
Through an affiliated partner company, we are now installing our Solar Trigeneration™ Energy Systems, for qualified commercial businesses, nationwide, with Zero up-front costs.
Some customers may even see a decrease in their energy expenses by as much as 10% to 20% with our Zero up-front cost Solar Trigeneration™ Energy System!
To qualify for our no up-front cost Solar Trigeneration Energy Systems, businesses must:
Have a good credit rating
Agree to buy all of the energy generated from the Solar Trigeneration™ Energy System through a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement
Other conditions may apply, depending on location, state or utility company you are presently buying power from.
We expect ALL of our customers will be very happy knowing that the clean, green, renewable power they are using is:
More reliable than the electricity from the power company.
Saving the environment by reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and helping reverse Climate Change and Global Warming.
Generated from their own reliable Solar Power System on their roofs.
Saving Money! At today's published electric rates at Southern California Edison, TXU, Reliant and Centerpoint, most of our customers will also enjoy a SAVINGS on their present electric bills by as much as 10% from what they are now paying for their electricity from the electric utility.
Under warranty.
At the end of the Power Purchase Agreement, the Solar Trigeneration™ Energy System is then offered for sale to our customers, for $1.00. And then their energy savings really start to add up as the power and electricity generated from their Solar Trigeneration™ Energy System is free!
Solar
Trigenerationsm
is Here!
Solar Trigeneration Provides (almost)
Any Building - with all of its
Cooling, Heating & Power Requirements. Solar
Trigenerationsm
is also the Greenest Way to
Cool, Heat and Power your Facility -
whether that's a Hospital, Data Center, Office Building or University
Campus
Commercial, Industrial & Utility Customers:
Reduce or COMPLETELY ELIMINATE
Your Electric Power & Natural Gas Expenses!
Stop
Paying High Utility Bills to the Electric and Natural Gas Companies!
Let us Show You How You
Can
"Cut the Cord" to the Electric Company!
Our
"Solar
Trigenerationsm" Power and Energy Systems
Generate Carbon Free Energy and
Pollution Free Power
Which is Sustainable, Clean, Renewable and Affordable
Solar Energy Systems provides cooler, cleaner, greener power and energy project development services. Our Solar Energy Systems are an environmentally-friendly and economically-superior choice to expensive natural gas and electricity. Additionally, our renewable energy technologies generate "green tags" or a Renewable Energy Credit.
We
provide
Solar
Power and Energy systems that we refer to as "EcoGeneration"
solutions that produce cooler, cleaner, greener power and energy for our
customers and our environment. Unlike most companies, we are equipment
supplier/vendor neutral. This means we help our clients select the best
equipment for their specific application. This approach provides our
customers with superior performance, decreased operating expenses and
increased return on investment.
Our company provides turn-key project solutions that include all or part
of the following:
Engineering and Economic Feasibility Studies
Project Design, Engineering & Permitting
Project Construction
Project Funding & Financing Options
Shared/Guaranteed Savings program with no capital requirements.
Project Commissioning
Operations & Maintenance
Green Tag/Renewable Energy Credit Application, and Marketing
Net
Zero Energy Buildings sm
www.NetZeroEnergyBuildings.com
The Sun
Powers the Audubon Nature Center's Solar
Trigeneration
System at Debs Park in Los Angeles. The Audubon Nature Center's
building is one of the world's first "Net
Zero Energy Buildings."
The Solar
Trigeneration
System Consists of a 10 Ton "Solar
Absorption Cooling"
System
Matched with a Solar
Electric
Power System and a Solar
Water Heating System
By: Monty Goodell, MBA
www.SolarTrigeneration.com
Los Angeles, California
There
is now a better, more efficient, “pollution
free power” and "carbon
free energy" solution for cooling, heating and powering
homes and commercial buildings where solar energy is available.
Solar Trigeneration is defined as the simultaneous generation of cooling, heating and power with only the free solar energy from the sun providing the "fuel".
Solar
Trigeneration is now
a reality at the Audubon
The Audubon Nature Center is totally powered by the sun’s energy and our Solar Trigeneration energy system!
The 5,300 square foot building operates entirely “grid-free” and without any electric connections to the electric grid, or natural gas connections – a truly sustainable power and energy solution.
Best
of all, the Audubon Center doesn’t rely on the over-burdened electric
grid or even natural gas. Therefore, the Audubon
Nature Center
NEVER receives an electric bill or
natural gas bill.... ever!
The
Audubon
Nature Center's 5,000 square foot
office and conference facility is powered by a Solar
Trigeneration
system that features a 25-kilowatt solar electric power system where the
energy is stored in a bank of batteries. The Center is cooled by a
10-ton solar
absorption cooling
system powered by an array of very efficient solar heat pipe vacuum tube
thermal collectors. The
collectors heat the water to temperatures of 200+ degree F stored in a
1,200 gallon insulated tank, another type of inexpensive battery. The Solar
Trigeneration
system at the Audubon not only provides the air-conditioning in the
summer but also heats the building in the winter, and provides the hot
water for the kitchen and bathrooms.
Absorption
chillers,
and cooling with solar energy with an absorption chiller are not new
technologies.
In fact, absorption chiller technology is over 70 years old.
The first refrigerators were powered by propane gas to run the
absorption chillers that used ammonia as a refrigerant.
Electricity and the electric compression chiller gained
popularity only because of the convenient “plug and play” appliance
and relatively cheap electric rates.
Electricity is no longer economically, or environmentally “cheap.”
History of Cogeneration and Trigeneration
Few people realize that the world's first commercial power plant, designed and built by Thomas Edison, was a cogeneration power plant that was first opened on Pearl Street, in Lower Manhattan, New York. That was in 1882! Edison not only generated, and sold electricity in the several blocks surrounding his "Pearl Street Station" but he also sold the hot water that was also generated from the cogeneration plant. The fuel Edison used for generating the electricity and hot water (cogeneration) came from "pulverized coal." The Pearl Street Station provided 110 volts of "direct current" power to 59 customers in lower Manhattan, around his Pearl Street laboratory.
Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of heat and power.
Trigeneration is the simultaneous production of cooling, heating and power.
Our company, in partnership with the Renewable Energy Institute and our affiliated partners, have perfected "Solar Cogeneration" and "Solar Trigeneration" which are the "heart" of our Net Zero Energy Buildings.
Unlike traditional cogeneration and trigeneration power plants that are fueled by natural gas - and Thomas Edison's cogeneration plant, which was fueled with pulverized coal, our Solar Cogeneration and Solar Trigeneration energy systems are fueled with the energy of the sun! And, while natural gas is a "cleaner" fuel, it still has its problems in that it is a limited resource and generates greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas also have had extreme price swings and has a history of price volatility. Natural gas prices have gone from a high of $17.00/mmbtu to a recent low of under $3.00/mmbtu.
Regarding pulverized coal, yes, it's cheap in terms of the cost of generating electricity, but too many people forget about the "externalities" of pulverized coal that is not reflected in the "cheap" costs of generating electricity from pulverized coal. These costs not accounted for are the huge environmental cost relating to the use of pulverized coal. Pound for pound, pulverized coal and coal fired power plants generate more greenhouse gas emissions than any other fossil fuel. There are also the costs related to the health and safety issues of the miners that mine the coal. And, the costs to the environment in terms of the ever-increasing amounts of mercury that are "dumped" into the environment from coal fired power plants, is also not reflected in the "cheap" price of generating power from pulverized coal.
Unlike the problems inherently found with the use of fossil fuels, Solar Cogeneration and Solar Trigeneration have no such problems.
And talk about "cheap" costs of generating power and energy, there is nothing cheaper than free!!!!
The owners of the Audubon Nature Center never receive any monthly natural gas or electric bills!
And the owners of the Audubon Nature Center will never have to account for their greenhouse gas emissions, or comply with the ever-increasing regulations related to greenhouse gas emissions and the pending Cap and Trade laws..... thanks to our Solar Trigeneration energy system!
Solar
Trigeneration
is an EcoGeneration
solution. EcoGeneration
refers to a power and energy system that uses the “natural” energy
or fuel that is available for a specific site or location. Such energy
or fuel includes, solar, wind, BioMethane,
geothermal, and ocean power, including ocean tidal and ocean thermal
energy conversion. For
example, in the desert areas of the
Today,
the cause of the summer peak electric demand, electric supply problems,
and black-outs, are the result of the energy crisis in
Greater
Demands on California’s Limited Electric Supply, Lack of New Electric
Power Supplies, and This Summer’s Heat Wave are Compounding the
Problem Leading to the “Perfect Electric
Storm”
Many
people will remember the movie “The Perfect Storm” from several
years ago, when several storms came together in the northeastern part of
the
The
most likely time of year for a black-out in
How
Do We Prevent the “Perfect Electric Storm” from Occurring
in California and Other Regions in the U.S.?
Another
major concern is how do we prevent the “Perfect Electric Storm” from
happening, like the Northeast Blackout several summers ago, especially
for people living in the desert?
Governor
Schwarzenegger’s “Million Solar Roofs” program and the passage of
the 2005 Federal Energy Act will be the foundation to create a “Perfect Solar
Storm” to trigger the Solar Economy throughout California.
With
the threat of California’s seniors and elderly dying from heat
exhaustion due to power outages, black-outs, rolling black-outs and the
rising costs of electricity and natural gas, combined with the
continuing impact of global warming, the perfect solution is to create a
Solar Revolution by cooling, heating and powering the desert with solar
energy and technologies like Solar
Cogeneration or Solar
Trigeneration.
For more information about Solar Energy Systems, such as Solar Cogeneration or Solar Trigeneration, call/email the Renewable Energy Institute.
The Audubon Center's new Solar Trigeneration
power and energy system
makes this building a "Net Zero Energy Building"
The Audubon's Roof showing
the Solar
Thermal Collectors, part of the
Solar Trigeneration
power and energy system
The heart of the Audubon's Solar Trigeneration
power and energy system
provides "free heating, cooling and domestic hot water," a
"net zero energy
building."
The hot water from the Solar Thermal Collectors
on the roof of the Audubon is pumped
here for producing the building's
heating, cooling and domestic hot water.
Hot water is stored in the tank on the left for overnight.
______________________________________________________
What is "
Decentralized Energy"?Decentralized Energy is the opposite of "centralized energy." Decentralized Energy energy generates the power and energy that a residential, commercial or industrial customer needs, onsite. Examples of decentralized energy production are solar energy systems and solar trigeneration energy systems.
Today's electric utility industry was "born" in the 1930's, when fossil fuel prices were cheap, and the cost of wheeling the electricity via transmission power lines, was also cheap. "Central" power plants could be located hundreds of miles from the load centers, or cities, where the electricity was needed. These extreme inefficiencies and cheap fossil fuel prices have added a considerable economic and environmental burden to the consumers and the planet.
Centralized energy is found in the form of electric utility companies that generate power from "central" power plants. Central power plants are highly inefficient, averaging only 33% net system efficiency. This means that the power coming to your home or business - including the line losses and transmission inefficiencies of moving the power - has lost 75% to as much as 80% energy it started with at the "central" power plant. These losses and inefficiencies translate into significantly increased energy expenses by the residential and commercial consumers.
Decentralized Energy is the Best Way to Generate Clean and Green Energy!How we make and distribute electricity is changing!
The electric power generation, transmission and distribution system (the electric "grid") is changing and evolving from the electric grid of the 19th and 20th centuries, which was inefficient, highly-polluting, very expensive and “dumb.”
The "old" way of generating and distributing energy resembles this slide:
The electric grid of the 21st century (see slide below) will be Decentralized, Smart, Efficient and provide "carbon free energy" and “pollution free power” to customers who remain on the electric grid. The electric grid of the future will be comprised of both Onsite Power Generation plants and "utility scale power plants" that are fueled/powered with Biomass Gasification, Biomethane, Concentrating Solar Power, B100 Biodiesel, Distributed PV, EcoGeneration Systems, Geothermal Power Plants, Synthesis Gas, Rooftop PV, Solar Cogeneration, Solar Energy Systems, Solar Power Parks, Solar Trigeneration and Wind Power Generation - located at Residential, Commercial, Industrial and City/Municipal Locations.
Some customers will choose to dis-connect from the grid entirely. (Electric grid represented by the small light blue circles in the slide below.)
The transmission grid will be upgraded to a "Unified Smart Grid" with green electrons now being wheeled via "High Voltage Direct Current."
Typical "central" power plants and the electric utility companies that own them will either be shut-down, closed or go out of business due to one or more of the following: failed business model, inordinate expenses related to central power plants that are inefficient, excessive pollution/emissions, high costs, continued reliance on the use of fossil fuels to generate energy, and the failure to provide efficient, carbon free energy and pollution free power.
Carbon free energy and pollution free power reduces our dependence on foreign oil and makes us Energy Independent while reducing and eliminating Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
* Some of the above information from the Department of Energy website with permission.
________________________________________________________
America's
"Clear and Present Danger" America
Has INCREASED its' Dependence on Foreign America
is even more "addicted" to foreign oil today, than we were in 1973 -
1974 when OPEC, Saudi Arabia and other suppliers from the Middle-East
stopped selling us their fossil fuels, and created a significant blow to our
economy.
PRODUCES:
7,460,000 bbls of oil CONSUMES:
20,800,000 bbls of oil Simply
put, about 65% of the gasoline in your car's gas tank, comes from a foreign
country. EVERY
day, the U.S. must IMPORT over 13 million bbls of oil from foreign
countries and foreign suppliers to meet demand. This
is NOT acceptable. America
needs to quickly transition to Energy Independence. Renewable
Energy is the Only Way America Can Achieve Energy Independence.
Millions
of new and sustainable American jobs would be created here at home, if we would
end our addiction to foreign fossil fuels, and quickly transition to an economy
based on renewable energy and renewable fuels, produced here in the U.S.A. The good news is that today,
America already has all of the Renewable
Energy Resources and Renewable
Energy Technologies needed to make American Energy Independence a
reality.
According
to Monty Goodell, Founder and Chairman of the Renewable
Energy Institute, "our increased dependence and reliance on foreign
energy supplies represents a Clear
and Present Danger to our national security, our economy, and the lives and
livelihood of every American. Energy - including the energy we use from
imported fossil fuels, is the very "lifeblood" of the American economy
as it is for every industrialized country. An economy dies without it's
lifeblood of energy. This Clear
and Present Danger we face is far more serious than the problems related to greenhouse
gas emissions. And while greenhouse
gas emissions are very serious issue, in the long-term, pales in comparison
to America's vital national security interests and America's economic stability
in the short term. For this reason alone, America needs to transition away
from its addiction to foreign energy supplies. And America's abundant renewable energy
resources such as the energy we receive from the sun, and renewable
energy technologies such as concentrated
solar power (CSP) plants - can supply 100% of America's power
requirements with a concentrating solar
power plant measuring 75 miles by 75 miles, located in the Southwest
U.S. By generating America's power from concentrating
solar power plants, America resolves its' short-term Clear
and Present Danger as it relates to importing its energy from foreign
countries, and the long-term problems relating to greenhouse
gas emissions." Continuing,
Mr. Goodell states that "too many Americans have forgotten what happened to
us in
1973, when the Arabs and OPEC brought the United States economy to a screeching halt
during the OPEC Oil Embargo. This happened because they (mainly the
country of Saudi Arabia)
disagreed with our foreign policy and is the reason why they "turned off the tap" of
our need for their oil supplies. When Saudi Arabia and OPEC
stopped the vital flow of oil to our country in 1973, they caused an "oil shock"
that severely and negatively impacted our economy. Mr.
Goodell's question for us to ponder is, "do these countries who sell us 60%
of our daily energy requirements, like us and our foreign policy, or might they
leverage our addiction to their fossil fuels, and turn off the tap to make us
adjust or revise our foreign policy?? Like any addict, America's foreign
policy may be held hostage to its addiction, and in this case, our addiction to
foreign oil, may over-ride our national interests."
Have
American's forgotten the gas shortages and long lines at "Apparently
so." Mr. Goodell states that "in 1973, America was 'addicted'
and 'over the barrel' of foreign oil to the amount of 40%. Forty percent
of our energy 'needs' in 1973 came from countries - many of which didn't like us
then, and I'm afraid, many of them still don't. The difference between
1973 and today - is that today we receive 50% MORE foreign oil now than we did
in 1973. And now we know about the problems relating to greenhouse
gas emissions that we didn't know then. America needs to change
course, and change course now, in terms of its' energy supplies and how we keep
America's economy strong, without the threat of being held hostage to a
middle-east tyrant or regime, that could once again, turn on us, and turn off
our supply of foreign oil."
Remember
???? "Let
me Repeat.... That
was 1973 when we imported 40% of our daily energy requirements in the form of
crude oil from overseas, and from foreign countries - and many of these from
countries that don't like us. Today,
over 35 years later, America has yet to learn the lesson. We cannot
continue our reliance on energy from foreign countries that supply us with
60% of the crude oil that our refineries use as a feedstock for producing
gasoline and diesel fuel for our cars and trucks comes from overseas. America
is "over the barrel" and it's not our barrel, but the barrels of oil
that we are addicted by and owned by other countries. Why have we not
learned the lessons we needed to learn in 1973 when we were cut-off from the
vital energy supplies we need? Countries
like China, are growing rapidly, and have an insatiable need for crude oil.
China, with their booming economy, is increasingly growing in its clout and
control over international supplies of crude oil - whether they do this through
their ability to buy as much oil as they need on a daily basis, or whether they
simply but American drilling rigs, technology, and explore and produce oil and gas from their own fields. China, is buying large amounts of oil for their country, and causing
upward pricing on declining supplies. What happens if Russia, with all of their
oil and natural gas, along with China and Venezuela, with or without the help of
OPEC, decided to NOT sell oil to us???? To
be sure, greenhouse
gas emissions are a problem, and to some, greenhouse
gas emissions are also a Clear
and Present Danger, but not to the extent that it presents an imminent Clear
and Present Danger. America's
reliance for 60% of our energy "needs" coming from foreign suppliers
is un-acceptable. The
"driver" to get America to begin reducing and eliminating fossil fuel
use should be our nation's national security and the welfare and safety of its
citizens. And this can all begin with developing and investing in our own renewable energy
resources and renewable
energy technologies, let's start by putting solar on every rooftop that has
a clear and unobstructed view of the Southern sky. See www.RooftopPV.com
or www.DistributedPV.com
for more information. Let's create incentives begin with adopting a
national "Feed In Tariff" as
Germany did in 1990. We simply do NOT have the luxury of time on our hands. We need to end our
dependence and reliance on foreign fossil fuels, especially from countries that
don't like us! We need to rapidly begin expanding renewable energy
resources and renewable
energy technologies from our vast and abundant renewable energy resources,
such as; solar, solar energy
systems, solar cogeneration,
solar trigeneration,
"solar on every roof," along with; Biomass
Gasification, B100 Biodiesel, Biomethane,
E100
Ethanol (from cellulosic, agricultural waste, sugar cane, etc., and NOT from
corn), Geothermal Power Plants,
Natural Wastewater Treatment,
Synthesis Gas, Waste
To Energy, Waste To Fuel and Wind
Power Generation where it makes economic and environmental sense."
For more information, call/email the info@ArchitectsAndEngineers.net
____________________________________________________
Are
you doing your part to prevent Climate Change and End America's
Reliance on Foreign Energy?
Our following
EcoGeneration
technologies,
including our
Biomethane,
B100
Biodiesel and
Synthesis Gas Fuels
Generated from our "Waste to Fuel"
technologies are Carbon Free Energy
and Pollution Free Power
solutions that will:
*
eliminate or greatly reduce our customer's electric demand charges and electric
expenses.
* slow, stop and eventually reverse climate change by reducing and then
eliminating anthropogenic
greenhouse
gas emissions
- of which
carbon
dioxide emissions
makes up 80% of all greenhouse
gas emissions. *
reduce the need for inefficient and expensive central power plants owned by
utility companies. *
end America's dependence on oil from OPEC and other countries in the
Middle-East, Venezuela and end our need for importing natural gas from Russia.
A
Sources of Energy by 50% Since 1973.
According
to the CIA Fact Book, Every Day, the U.S.
This
Means that 65% of America's Energy Supplies are Now Imported from Suppliers
from Foreign Countries.
At
$80/barrel of oil, this also means that $1,040,000,000.00 American Dollars leave
our country, EVERY DAY, to foreign countries/suppliers of our fossil fuels, to
pay for the energy we need.
That's
$1 Billion EVERY day leaving our economy, and going to support a foreign
country's economy.
Talk
about our foreign trade deficit..... nearly $400 Billion each year, leaves our
country to pay for our oil addiction and the energy we need. To be exact,
that's $379,600,000,000.00 American Dollars.
their gas stations to get
gas during the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973?
"Sadly,
most Americans have forgotten the long lines of people waiting in their cars
- lined up and waiting
for gasoline at their nearby gas station, with lines that were many blocks
long. And, after waiting 4-5 hours, many even waiting overnight in many places, to
finally take their turn to fill up their car with gasoline, only to find that
the gas station
had run out of gas."
Renewable Energy Institute
* forever change the way energy is generated and used.
* reduce and eventually eliminate the use of coal and other fossil fuels.
* promote energy independence.
www.AmericanEnergyPlan.com
Anaerobic Digester
www.AnaerobicDigester.com
Anaerobic Digesters
www.AnaerobicDigesters.com
B100 Biodiesel
www.B100Biodiesel.com
Battery
Energy Storage
www.BatteryEnergyStorage.com
Biomass
Gasification
www.BiomassGasification.com
Biomethane
www.Biomethane.com
Building Automation System
www.BuildingAutomationSystem.com
Carbon
Dioxide Emissions
www.CarbonDioxideEmissions.com
Carbon Emissions
www.CarbonEmissions.com
Carbon Free Energy
www.CarbonFreeEnergy.com
Clean Power Generation
www.CleanPowerGeneration.com
Cogeneration
www.Cogeneration.net
Concentrating
Solar Power
www.ConcentratingSolarPower.com
Demand
Response Programs
www.DemandResponsePrograms.com
Distributed
PV
www.DistributedPV.com
Distributed
Solar Generation
www.DistributedSolarGeneration.com
EcoGeneration
www.EcoGeneration.com
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
www.GreenhouseGasEmissions.com
Net
Zero Energy
www.NetZeroEnergy.com
Net
Zero Energy Building
www.NetZeroEnergyBuilding.com
No Foreign Oil
www.NoForeignOil.com
Plug
In Electric Vehicles
www.PlugInElectricVehicles.com
Pollution
Free Power
www.PollutionFreePower.com
Rooftop
PV
www.RooftopPV.com
Solar Energy Systems
www.SolarEnergySystems.net
Solar Power Parks
www.SolarPowerParks.com
Solar Cogeneration
www.SolarCogeneration.com
Solar Trigeneration
www.SolarTrigeneration.com
Synthesis Gas
www.SynthesisGas.com
Trigeneration
www.Trigeneration.com
Waste Heat Recovery
www.WasteHeatRecovery.com
Waste to Energy
www.WasteToEnergy.net
Waste
To Fuel
www.WasteToFuel.com
Wind
Power Generation
www.WindPowerGeneration.com
Zero Emission Energy
www.ZeroEmissionEnergy.com
Zero Emission Power
www.ZeroEmissionPower.com
______________________________________________________
We support the Renewable Energy Institute by donating a portion of our profits to the Renewable Energy Institute in their efforts to reduce fossil fuel use through renewable energy and their goals to end fossil fuel pollution by reducing/eliminating Carbon Emissions, Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
The Renewable Energy Institute is "Changing The Way The World Makes and Uses Energy by Providing Research & Development, Funding and Resources That Creates Sustainable Energy via 'Carbon Free Energy,' 'Clean Power Generation' and 'Pollution Free Power' Through Expanding the use of Renewable Energy Technologies."
www.RenewableEnergyInstitute.org
Email: info(@)Renewable Energy Institute (.)org
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