Just the Facts

Truth is, if every investor just looked at the overwhelming amount of peer-reviewed data in regards to renewable energy, there would be an absolute rush in this sector.

Now I know we spend a lot of time here touting all the benefits and opportunities found in the renewable energy sector. But let’s take a moment to review some data that bears repeating…

* According to the U.S. Department of Energy, enough electric power for the entire country could be generated by covering about 9 percent of Nevada with solar power systems. This is a plot of land roughly 92 miles by 92 miles.

*Also according to the D.O.E., wind could provide 5,800 quads of energy each year. That’s about 15 times the current global energy demand.

*According to M.I.T., there are over 100 million quads of accessible geothermal energy worldwide. The world consumes only 400 quads.

*The Electric Power Research Institute has estimated that wave energy along the U.S. coastline at 2,100 Twh per year. That’s half the total U.S. consumption of electricity.

The masses of coal ash sludge that flowed out when a 40-acre TVA waste pond broke open beside the Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman this week is triple what officials estimated, a TVA document shows.

The powerful ash slide that knocked down trees and utility poles, pushed one home off its foundation and ran into the Emory River has now been calculated at 5.4 million cubic yards, according to a document the Tennessee Valley Authority issued Thursday. That compares to the 1.8 million cubic yards estimated Wednesday.

But TVA’s figures on the amount of sludge have shifted three times in the early stages of a disaster that has put a spotlight on TVA and how coal-burning power plants handle ash. Mercury, lead and arsenic that are generally found in coal are among the potentially toxic substances that can concentrate in the ash.

Environmental activists have pushed for years for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to label it as a hazardous waste requiring close regulation.

The muck, which is spread over 250-400 acres and is several feet deep in places, poured from the elevated settling pond when a side gave way around 1 a.m.
Monday and forced at least a dozen families to evacuate their homes.

Bulldozers, backhoes and dump trucks moved through the neighborhood and plant property Thursday as clean-up efforts continued.

its all about the undeveloped countries going into wind for our worlds future!

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Energy-starved Nicaragua is turning to wind as it tries to reduce its dependence on oil-based power.

In January, the country will begin operating 19 windmills that have the potential to generate 40 megawatts of energy.

Energy Minister Emilio Rappaccioli said the $90 million project will be operating at full capacity by the end of January and contribute 6 percent of the country’s total energy needs.

Nicaragua successfully ended rolling blackouts that left the country without power for hours on many days, but the government struggled to pay higher energy costs as oil prices peaked at more than $147 a barrel earlier this year.

Rappaccioli said the new project will save about $9 million a year in fuel costs, at current prices. The lead developer on the operation is Arctas Capital Group LP of Houston, Texas, which says it is in advanced stages of development for another 40-megawatt installation.