Category Archives: burning behavior

Taylorville Energy Center Is A Bad Idea – What are we to do when our protectors betray us

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Where I come from most Environmentalists and Energy Advocates would be filing lawsuit after lawsuit against any Toxic Deep Well Injection Site proposed in their area. Yet in an amazing sellout the organizations that could stop this are ADVOCATING For It. This is a sad and tragic turn of events.

This from Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center had this to say:

http://www.elpc.org/news/statementfuturegensiteannouncement.php

elpc_logo_protecting.gif

ELPC > Newsroom

Statement of Howard A. Learner on

 FutureGen Site Announcement

Contact: Shannon Rooney(312) 795-3720
Srooney@elpc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2007

 

STATEMENT OF HOWARD A. LEARNER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY CENTER
FUTUREGEN SITE ANNOUNCEMENT

CHICAGO, IL – Illinois scored a major victory with today’s announcement that Mattoon, Illinois has been selected as the first site for the experimental FutureGen “clean coal” plant. It is designed to test an innovative carbon capture and sequestration approach to burn coal without emitting carbon dioxide pollution into the atmosphere.

“Illinois is now positioned to be an advanced clean energy technology leader. The proposed FutureGen technology, if it works, is the Holy Grail enabling the economic boost from using Illinois coal while avoiding global warming pollution that harms our environment,” said Howard A. Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “We look forward to continuing to work as a member of the FutureGen coalition to help this project succeed.”

The FutureGen plant is expected to begin operation in the fall of 2012.

The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) is the Midwest’s leading environmental, legal advocacy and eco-innovation organization. For more information go to www.elpc.org.

                                                                            ###

And then there’s this Letter To the Editor from Dave Kolata, Executive Director of the Citizens Utility Board, published in Springfield’s State Journal-Register.  It’s bad enough that he publishes this in the Illinois State Capital, but their web site claims he published something similar, in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, though their web site refused to give up the actual text.

 www.citizensutilityboard.org

February 28, 2008

State needs to get on with clean coal plans

We applaud your editorial supporting the Taylorville Energy Center (“A clean coal plant may yet be built in state,” Feb. 7). We agree wholeheartedly that despite the disappointing loss of FutureGen, Illinois still has a chance to show leadership on clean coal.

Using cutting-edge technology that gasifies coal to remove pollutants, the privately financed Taylorville project would be the cleanest coal plant in the world, dramatically reducing the exposure to harmful environmental triggers of asthma and lung cancer. At the same time, this $2.5 billion facility would create thousands of jobs, provide Illinois with a needed source of power, and reduce consumers’ energy costs by using coal instead of expensive natural gas to produce energy.

Indeed, the Taylorville plant could provide a badly needed boost to the state’s coal industry. Illinois is home to the second largest coal reserves in the nation, but with FutureGen off the table and our state having recently suffered the shutdown of the Crown II and Monterey mines, the Illinois coal industry needs a shot in the arm that only Taylorville can provide.

As your editorial points out, last year legislation that would have allowed the project to proceed got caught bogged down in Springfield and no final action was taken. Unlike FutureGen, the Taylorville plant is 100 percent within our state’s control. We urge the Illinois General Assembly to act quickly to secure our state’s energy future while doing right by consumers, the economy and the environment.

Phil Gonet President  Illinois Coal Association

David Kolata Executive Director Citizens Utility Board

Michael Carrigan President, AFL-CIO

Angela Tin  Director Environmental Programs American Lung Associationof Illinois


I mean really, you want to threaten downstate aquifers so the air can stay clean?  Where is the outrage here. And what is Angela Tin thinking? That us downstaters will trade Lung Cancer for Stomach Cancer when we drink polluted water? This is crazy, but even the Sierra Club gets into the act >.http://illinois.sierraclub.org/ >

December 18, 2007 Sierra Club Statement on FutureGen Siting
No New Coal Plants Until Technology Proven

Statement of Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign, in response to today’s announcement that Mattoon in East Central Illinois was picked as the site for the $1.8 billion FutureGen project — an experimental coal plant that would capture and store its carbon.

“If coal is to remain a part of our energy future, it must be mined responsibly, burned cleanly and not contribute to global warming. FutureGen will allow the coal industry to determine whether or not it is technologically and financially feasible to continue to burn coal without accelerating global warming

“It will still be years before we see if the highly experimental FutureGen project is successful in capturing and safely storing its carbon emissions–until then it is critical that no additional coal plants are permitted and constructed in the United States. We need to continue to invest in the demonstrated clean energy alternatives that are available today and don’t contribute to global warming, like wind power and energy efficiency.  

“We can expand our energy choices beyond the limited, unhealthy options of the past. We should be offering incentives for alternatives to coal that can meet our energy needs and save us money while boosting the economy, improving public health and combating global warming. Illinois and many other states are already reaping the benefits of transitioning to cleaner energy. While we continue to look for cleaner ways to use existing energy sources, we should also be investing and supporting alternative, renewable sources of energy and increasing efficiency.”

 ###

  

>This is heinous. There is no other word for State based groups selling out their own.
>

Taylorville Energy Center Is A Really Bad Idea – Deep Well Injection (DWI) is not good in Illinois

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First a slight mea culpa. A gentleman from an Advance Gasification Publication emailed me and took me to task for being a “know nothing” blogger. Is that great or what! He pointed out that my description of Gasification was flawed. On each Blog I put up all kinds of site addresses like Wikipedia and others so that people can “click and read” about any subject I Blog about if they wanted to. I do not view myself as a babysitter. Google being what it is (or any other search engine for that matter) I don’t even really have to put up the links. A reader can just type in the subject and get a list sources for their own selves. I do it to make it easy for people to READ about what I am writing about and to show the sources I am using.

If you go to the site below you can see the gentleman in all his indignant fury:

http://gasification-igcc.blogspot.com/

For the record the hydrogen to run the plant come from electrolysis like catalytic effect from steam heated in part by the coal. Also for the record this is a dumb way to generate electricity, almost as dumb using coal to make steam. Solar is more direct and more efficient than this crap ever could be. Also for the record, I try to write for the normal Joes and Jackies in the world. The only thing they care about is that the “lights come on when they flip the switch” and the health of their children. It’s the health and welfare of their children and their grand children where this whole project falls apart.

Back to DWI. Illinois is a real bad place to put a Commercial Toxic Waste Deep Well Injection Site and that is what Tenaska is trying to do. The Energy Portion of the Project is In One Sense is a smokescreen. If they get their financial way and get around regulation of the site By the ICC By declaring it an Independent Power producer AND pass Legislation Mandating the Purchase of the Power by Illinois Utilities then they could make a fortune. More on that later. Trust me much more. But lets say, for the moment that RATE BASING a 2 Billion $$$ Power Plant ain’t happening and that a 2 Billion $$$ Power Plant will be “Too Expensive To Meter” What’s the game here?

There are only 5 Commercial Toxic Waste DWI’s in the nation:

http://www.ehso.com/cssepa/tsdfdeepwells.php

 deepwells.bmp

 

As you can see they all sit atop spent or partially spent rock trapped oil fields. Though there is no evidence that these sites are fool proof they at least have the intellectual possibility of succeeding. Most of the other Non-Commercial Toxic Waste DWI sites that are usually operated to get rid of human waste and wastewater have proved troublesome at best.

http://www.stopthetoxicwells.com/

http://eelink.net/EJ/well.html

 

Their failure rate for something that was supposed, “to solve the waste problems” in the US have not worked out so well.

When you look at Illinois, which has 3 major rivers the Mississippi, the Wabash and the Illinois, and a soft coal-filled  Center:

 

herrin_coal_map.jpg

 

then putting a Commercial Toxic DWI right in its center seems unjustified. But think about this for a moment once it is open who else might dump their Toxic stuff there as well? It is widely rumored in the Environmental and Energy communties that the only reason that Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin signed as a “supporting Governor” is that he believes he could ship some of his States sequestered carbon here. This is what a proper sequestration system in North Dakota looks like:

m-24_weyburn-co2.jpg

www.netl.doe.gov/…/core_rd/mmv/41149.html

 

Build a PIPELINE to the nearest  stone encased oilfield. Hint: It’s not in Illinois.

 

Taylorville Energy Center Is A Very Bad Idea – Pump Poison where they can’t monitor it

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FutureGen was a bad idea because it made Deep Well Injection (DWI) look like a possibility in Central Illinois. And get this it cost NOTHING. The Government didn’t spend a dime nor did the Energy Industry. But, it accomplished so much. FutureGen:

1. Got the citizens excited and made the appearance of their acceptance.

2. Got the State of Illinois hooked into something that does not exist…Clean Coal Technology.

3. Produced studies that claim that DWI will work in Central Illinois – its the Sandstone…its the sand stone..its.

4. Glossed over the toxics produced and the huge amounts of water it will consume.

5. Coopted the Energy and Environmental Groups

6. Paved the way for the real threat which is in Decatur and Taylorville in a classic bait and switch move.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS230346+31-Jan-2008+BW20080131

Taylorville Energy Center Receives Final Air Permit, Environmental Appeals Board Denies Sierra Club Appeal
             Project Can Begin Once Illinois Lawmakers Act
TAYLORVILLE, Ill.--(Business Wire)--In a critical milestone for the development of clean coal
technologies, the U.S. Environmental Appeals Board denied the Sierra
Club's appeal of the air permit granted to the Taylorville Energy
Center. The project is now poised to move forward once enabling
legislation is passed by the Illinois General Assembly.
   On June 5, 2007, following a two year application process, the
Illinois EPA granted the first U.S. air quality permit for a
commercially-sized Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power
generating facility to the Taylorville Energy Center (TEC), a $2
billion, 630-megawatt project being developed by Christian County
Generation LLC (CCG).
 
 

In CES’ last blog I covered what was in Coal because gasification uses huge amounts of it. Why? because gasification is only interested in the Hydrogen it can get out of the stuff, plus many of the elements they won’t use are flammable

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasification

thus they contribute to the BTWs in coal when it is burned. As a result they will need 2 or 3 times the amount of coal to produce the same amount of Electricity. Logically then they are going to produce at least 2 to 3 times the toxics and probably more. In the past, gasification sites just dumped all that nasty stuff on the ground. That has produced a fair amount of Superfund Sites and the irony is that one of them is in Taylorville. The second irony is that that site hasn’t even been cleaned up yet, and Tenaska wants to start another one.

But these people think its just a dandy idea:

http://www.cleancoalillinois.com/tec.html

While these people talk out of both sides of their mouths:

http://www.tenaska.com/newsArchive.aspx

Tenaska Proposes Nation’s First New Conventional Coal-fueled Power Plant to Capture Carbon Dioxide – February 19, 2008

Captured CO2 would be sequestered in the Permian Basin and help recover more than $1 billion of West Texas oil annually.

Tenaska, Inc. is developing a site near Sweetwater, Texas, upon which to construct a technologically advanced coal-fueled electric generating plant able to capture up to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that would otherwise enter the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide would be sold for use in enhancing oil production in the Permian Basin, resulting in geologic storage.    

Did they coopt the Environmental and the Energy Groups who are supposed to stop this stuff? You bet your jammies they did:

   EAB questioned Sierra Club's arguments given the organization's
numerous past statements supportive of IGCC technology:
   For a number of years, Sierra Club has argued that IGCC technology
should be adopted as the best available control technology for
limiting air pollutant emissions from the burning of coal to produce
electrical power.

Pete Seeger Says It All – We just got one place to live

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 We just keep screwing it up. Stop lighting things on fire. Stop burning things up. We don’t need to do that anymore.

http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org/

Please see this new publication – as the heat turns up. 

Local News Continued – One and Done

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I have been remiss in posting both the State Journal Register and the Associated Press’ web sites were I steal…oh I mean “fair usage” all of these articles.

http://www.sj-r.com/

http://www.ap.org/

And the latest, while America fiddles the world burns.

U.N. Chief: Adaptation to warmer world could cost $20 trillion


 

By JOHN HEILPRIN

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS__________

UNITED NATIONS — Global warming could cost the world up to $20 trillion over

 two decades for cleaner energy sources and do the most harm to people who can

 least afford to adapt, U.N. Secre­tary-General Ban Ki-moon warns in a new report.

Ban’s report provides an overview of U.N. climate efforts to help the 192-nation

 General As­sembly prepare for a key two-day climate debate in mid-February.

That debate is intended to shape overall U.N. policy on climate change, i

ncluding how nations can adapt to a warmer world and ways of supporting the

U.N.-led negotiations toward a new climate treaty by 2009, U.N. officials said

Wednesday. The treaty, replacing the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012,

could shape the course of climate change for decades to come. The Kyoto pact

requires 37 industrial nations to reduce greenhouse gases by a relatively modest

5 per­cent on average.Much of the focus has been on the United States, the only

major industrial nation to reject the treaty, and on fast-developing na­tions such as

China and India.
 

Many are looking to. next year, when a new U.S. president takes the White House.

 The leading contenders in both political par­ties favor doing more than the vol­untary

 approaches and call for new technologies that President Bush espouses.

In his 52-page report, Ban says that global investments of $15 tril­lion to $20 trillion

 over the next 20 to 25 years may be required “to place the world on a markedly

dif­ferent and sustainable energy tra­jectory.” Today, the global energy indus­try

spends about $300 billion a year in new plants, transmission networks and other new

 invest­ment, according to U.N. figures. Srgjan Kerim, a Macedonian diplomat and

economics professor who is president of the U.N. Gen­eral Assembly, told

The Associat­ed Press that cutting greenhouse gases alone will not be enough

to pull island nations, sub-Saharan Africa and other particularly vul­nerable parts

 of the world back from the brink of irreversible harm.

Annie Petsonk, a lawyer for the advocacy group Environmental Defense,

said global warming will mostly affect poor people and mi­norities, because

the wealthy can spend more to adapt.

But then again it’s money well spent!

As The Tropics Move North

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In Illinois we have a new phenomonon – Lightening and Snow Storms…Pretty creepy.

Study: Winters in Northeast are warming



By MICHAEL HILL

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS___________

ALBANY, N.Y.               Earlier

blooms. Less snow to shovel. Un­seasonable warm spells.

Signs that winters in the North­east are losing their bite have been abundant in recent years and now researchers have nailed down numbers to show just how big the changes have been.

A study of weather station data from across the Northeast from 1965 through 2005 found Decem­ber to March temperatures in­creased by 2.5 degrees. Snowfall totals dropped by an average of 8.8 inches across the region over the same period, and the number of days with at least 1 inch of snow on the ground decreased by nine days on average.

‘Winter is warming greater than any other season,” said Elizabeth Burakowski, who analyzed data from dozens of stations for her master’s thesis in collaboration with Cameron Wake, a professor at the University of New Hampshire’s Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space.

Burakowski,   who   graduated


from UNH in December, found that the biggest snowfall decreases were in December and February. Stations in New England showed the strongest decreases in winter snowfall, about 3 inches a decade.

There were wide disparities in snowfall over the eight-state re­gion, with average totals ranging from 13.5 inches at Cape May, N.J., to 137.6 inches at Oswego, N.Y. Some stations on the Great Lakes, where lake-effect storms are com­mon, showed an increase.

The reduction in days with at least an inch of snow on the ground was the most pronounced at sta­tions between 42 and 44 degrees latitude — a band that includes most of Massachusetts, a thick slice of upstate’New York and southern sections of Vermont and New Hampshire.

Burakowski cites two likely caus­es for the reduction in so-called snow-covered days: higher maxi­mum temperatures and “snow-albedo feedback,” in which less snow cover to begin with allows more sunshine warmth to be ab­sorbed by the darker ground, mak­ing it less conducive to snow cover.

The research has yet to appear in


a peer-reviewed journal, though meteorologists who have studied long-term climate trends said the observations appear to be in line with other research.

Richard Heim of the National Climatic Data Center looked at trends in snowfall totals nationwide from 1948 to 2006 and found that patterns varied regionally and sea­sonally. For the Northeast in win­ter, he found totals mostly decreas­ing along coastal areas, with an in­creasing trend along the Great Lakes. Art DeGaetano, of the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University, said regions around New York state have recorded negative trends in snow­fall since 1970.

DeGaetano cautioned that snow­fall totals can vary a lot from year to year. Last month, for example, snow totals were well above aver­age for December across much of the Northeast.


Ski center operators also have noticed an incremental increase in temperatures over the decades, said Parker Riehle, president of the trade association Ski Vermont, but he echoed DeGaetano’s point that snow totals have gone up and down.

‘We’ve seen some erratic winters in recent years,” Riehle said. “The mood swings of Mother Nature, perhaps, are deeper than they used to be.”

But while ski slopes can fire up snow-making guns to compensate for lack of flurries, snowmobilers and cross-country skiers have com­plained about later starts and fewer trails covered with snow.

Cross-country skiers never even get in the right frame of mind dur­ing some winters, said Mark Boos-ka of the Hudson Valley Ski Club.

“They look out their window and they’re not thinking skiing,” he said.

The Alliance to Save Energy – some of the good guys.

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This another cool site. Unfortunately this series has not been as constant as I would like because real world news keeps getting in the road, but I am putting them up as quick as I can.

 

http://www.ase.org/

 

The Alliance to Save Energy promotes energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security.

Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to extend our world’s energy supplies.

 

Submit Your Nomination for the 2008 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards Today!

The Alliance to Save Energy invites companies, organization, and individuals to enter the 2008 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards competition. These prestigious awards honor those entities who have demonstrated a significant and tangible commitment to the cause of energy efficiency, and will be presented September 25, 2008 in Washington, DC at the Alliance to Save Energy’s 16th Annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Dinner

 

 

30% in 2009

Join the Alliance and its many colleagues in supporting a 30% improvement in energy efficiency for the next update of the International Energy Conservation Code (2009 IECC). Read more about the Energy Efficiency Code Coalition and the code proposals that will take us to “30.”

As Winter Heating Costs Spike, Alliance to Save Energy Advises Using Energy Efficiency to Cut Home Energy Bills, Pollution

With average heating costs across the nation spiking about 11 percent over last winter’s, the Alliance to Save Energy recommends energy-efficiency measures to help consumers cut home energy bills, increase indoor comfort, and reduce power plant emissions that contribute to climate change.

President Signs Energy Bill into Law

The President signed into law the most sweeping energy efficiency legislation ever enacted on December 19, 2007. H.R. 6, The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, is projected to save American consumers and businesses more than $400 billion through 2030, and will reduce energy consumption by 7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 9% from the forecast for 2030, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

EE Global a Success!

With attendees representing 32 countries; and exhibitor organizations based in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and six foreign countries, the Alliance to Save Energy considers the first-ever EE Global Forum and Exposition a success! Attendance also included 45 media representatives from outlets including CNN, Fox Business Network and National Geographic. Over 500 people from the D.C. area turned out for public day; and we gathered over 800 people for the forum and exhibition. 

Stay tuned for pictures and follow-up information. In the meantime, you can read the show’s daily newspaper through the Event Updates section of the EE Global web site.

Danger Will Robinson Danger!

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 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_bi_ge/india_ultracheap_car 

or the original:

 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/INDIA_ULTRACHEAP_CAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-08-16-57

By GAVIN RABINOWITZ, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 48 minutes ago

NEW DELHI – India‘s Tata Motors on Thursday unveiled the world’s cheapest car, bringing new mobility within the reach of tens of millions of people and nightmares to environmentalists, traffic engineers and safety advocates.

Company Chairman Ratan Tata, introducing the Nano — price tag $2,500 — during India’s main auto show, drove onto a stage in a white version of the tiny four-door subcompact, his head nearly scraping the roof.

With a snub nose and a sloping roof, it can fit five people — if they squeeze. And the basic version is spare: there’s no radio, no passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper. If you want air conditioning to cope with India’s brutal summers, you need to get the deluxe version.

But it’s cheap. The Nano’s closest competitor here is the Maruti 800, a four-door that sells for nearly twice as much.

Tata, however, is targeting people moving up from the lower ends of India’s transportation spectrum, where two-wheeled scooters selling for as little as $900 are often crammed with entire families.

While the price has created a buzz, critics say the Nano could lead to possibly millions more automobiles hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution problems. Others have said Tata will have to sacrifice quality and safety standards to meet the target price.

The chairman, though, insists the car will meet safety standards and pollute even less than motorcycles, passing domestic and European emission standards and averaging about 50 miles per gallon. Girish Wagh, who headed the design team, said it had an oxidation catalytic convertor and it emitted 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer.

Chief U.N. climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri, who shared last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, said last month that “I am having nightmares” about the prospect of the low-cost car.

“Dr. Pachauri need not have nightmares,” Ratan Tata said at the unveiling. “For us it’s a milestone and I hope we can make a contribution to the country.”

The basic model will sell for 100,000 rupees, but analysts estimate that customers could pay 20 percent to 30 percent more than that to cover taxes, delivery and other charges.

Tata has long promised that he’d create a 100,000-rupee car, a vow that was much-derided in the global industry but created a frenzy in India. On Thursday, nearly every media outlet in India focused on the live unveiling.

“A promise is a promise,” Tata told the crowd.

The car has seat belts, but no air bags. The Nano is about 10 feet long, 5 feet wide. The 2-cylinder petrol engine delivers 33 horsepower and a top speed of just over 60 mph.

Ford’s Model T, which debuted in 1909 for $825, had a 4-cylinder, 20 horsepower engine with a top speed of 45 mph. The Model T had fuel economy between 13 to 21 miles per gallon.

Tata has said they expect the car to revolutionize the auto industry, and analysts believe the Nano may force other manufacturers to lower their own pricing. French auto maker Renault SA and its Japanese partner, Nissan Motor Co., are trying to determine if they can sell a compact car for less than $3,000.

For now, the car will be sold only in India, but Tata eventually hopes to export it. The Nano could become the basis for other similar super-cheap models in developing markets around the world.

As rising middle class incomes drive demand for cars in India, automakers expect the ranks of car owners in the country to expand dramatically in coming years.

But for some, a huge influx of cars is a terrifying prospect of traffic jams at midnight, hours-long commutes and increasing pollution.

“If you’re talking about urban environment, it will cause serious problems,” said Jamie Leather, a transport specialist with the Asian Development Bank. “It’s a major concern.”

In 2005, Indian vehicles released 219 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

By 2035, that number is projected to increase to 1,467 million tons, due largely to the expanding middle-class and the expected rise of low-cost cars, according to the Asian Development Bank.

“The cheaper and cheaper vehicles become, the quicker those pollution levels will increase,” Leather said.

I Am Running A Series Of Cool Sites for Energy/The Environment

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These guys cover it all. 

http://www.greenprogress.com

Nation’s Largest Solar PV System

 Takes Flight at Nellis

Air Force Base

12/17/2007 – Today the US Air Force celebrates the completion of North America’s largest solar photovoltaic system at Nellis Air Force Base. A joint project of the U.S. Air Force, MMA Renewable Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC (NYSE: MMA), SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), and Nevada Power Company, the 14 megawatt Nellis solar energy system will generate more than 30 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity annually and supply approximately 25 percent of the total power used at the base, where 12,000 people live and work.

Combining technology and systems expertise from SunPower Corporation and financing by MMA Renewable Ventures with discounted purchase commitments by the U.S. Air Force, the innovative Nellis solar energy system demonstrates that the U.S. government’s goals for enhancing security through energy independence can be met both economically and practically when the public and private sectors work together.

SunPower Corporation designed and built the photovoltaic power plant using its proprietary single-axis SunPower(R) T20 Tracker solar tracking system which follows the sun throughout the day and delivers up to 30 percent more energy than traditional fixed-tilt ground systems.

Equally innovative is the funding and ownership of the landmark solar energy system: MMA Renewable Ventures, LLC has financed and will operate the solar power plant, selling electricity to Nellis Air Force Base at a guaranteed fixed rate for the next 20 years. Nevada Power will support the project by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) generated by the solar array. MMA Renewable Ventures closed a fund for the system earlier this year with financing commitments from Citi, Allstate, and John Hancock Financial Services, with Merrill Lynch providing construction financing.

Dignitaries such as Air Force Assistant Secretary William Anderson and Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons will flip a switch marking full operation of the system at a ceremony to be held today at the Nellis base. A team including MMA Renewable Ventures, SunPower Corporation, and Nevada Power Company will join public officials in recognizing the United States Air Force for its commitment to national security, energy independence and environmental sustainability.

“This solar project at Nellis is a first step of many toward making renewable electricity integral to the operations of the U.S. Air Force,” said Assistant Secretary Anderson. “As the largest consumer of energy in the federal government, the Air Force is well-positioned to promote both solar technology and new approaches to its implementation. This pioneering initiative is a good example of how a creative approach to public-private partnership can make our energy supply more sustainable, more secure and more affordable.”

“The best way to secure a healthy and prosperous economy is to develop our affordable, reliable local resources,” said Governor Gibbons. “With these 14 megawatts, Nellis Air Force Base is leading the country in solar energy deployment, a move that is good for the environment and our nation’s energy security alike.”

Covering 140 acres of land at the western edge of the Nellis base, the photovoltaic system comprises 72,000 solar panels using the SunPower Tracker technology. The energy generated will support over 12,000 military and civilians at Nellis who are responsible for Air Force advanced combat training, tactics development and operational testing.

“We are faced with an incredible opportunity to promote U.S. energy security by developing our own abundant domestic resources,” said United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. “Nevada and the United States have the technology and natural resources to serve our growing power demand with clean, renewable energy. I congratulate the Air Force for its continued leadership on clean power.”

“Nellis, the ‘Home of the Fighter Pilot,’ is now home to the largest solar electric power plant in all of North America,” said Colonel Michael Bartley, Nellis Air Force Base commander. “Our base and indeed our entire nation will benefit from the predictable, secure supply of clean energy that this landmark power plant is now generating. The project also provides a future test bed for the Department of Defense to assess the benefits of similar arrangements on installations across the United States.”

“The Nellis project is a powerful demonstration of the U.S. Air Force’s ability to execute on its aggressive goals for clean energy. From early concept through today’s dedication, the Air Force collaborated closely with the strong coalition of partners instrumental in making this grand vision for solar a reality, and we look forward to maintaining that solid relationship over the long life of this clean energy system,” said Matt Cheney, CEO of MMA Renewable Ventures. “The Nellis project further demonstrates how public-private partnership coupled with an innovative approach to third-party finance can make solar an affordable solution at even the largest scale.”

“We congratulate the Air Force for having the vision to make solar power a mainstream energy source, and for hosting the largest solar photovoltaic system in the nation,” said Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower. “Solar power is the fastest growing energy resource to help meet our escalating power demand, generating reliable, affordable power without creating emissions or waste. Nellis’ decision to maximize the size and efficiency of its solar system underscores its commitment to secure energy and environmental preservation. We are proud that SunPower was selected by the Air Force to design, supply, and build this hallmark project.”

“Working with partners, such as Nellis Air Force Base, to develop and generate solar energy projects is part of our strategy of providing clean, safe, reliable electricity to our customers at reasonable and predictable prices,” said Michael Yackira, chief executive officer of Sierra Pacific Resources, parent company of Nevada Power. “Now that the Nellis solar energy system is on-line, the state of Nevada will be number one in the United States in solar generation per capita. We plan to expand our investments in renewable energy in order to increase the leadership position our company already has in renewable energy nationwide.”