DoE research facility to use cutting-edge sensors, other technologies to improve offshore energy production

Thanks to a planned U.S. Department of Energy research center, businesses in the alternative energy technologies sector may be able to overcome obstacles that have long been standing in the way of their progress. The implications for wind and ocean power development projects could be game-changing.

At the Reference Facility for Offshore Renewable Energy, a wide array of technologies will be tested to determine their effectiveness in capturing reliable data about offshore winds and waters and their potential to generate ample amounts of energy. In so doing, they will be able to make more strategic plans for future projects and drastically improve their chances for success.

For example, one of the technologies to be tested at the facility involves a series of state-of-the-art sensors that will help researchers determine the strength and direction of offshore winds based on how light beams reflect off sea spray and other tiny particles floating on the breeze above the ocean's surface.

"The harsh environment and remote locale of offshore energy sites makes new technologies necessary to assess the power-producing potential of offshore sites. Strong winds and high concentrations of salt, for example, mean data-collecting equipment needs to be heavy duty and extremely sturdy to operate offshore," according to a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) press release.

Additionally, because anchoring meteorological towers to the ocean floor is extremely difficult and costly, project managers must look for innovative and affordable ways to gather the precise measurements needed for mapping out offshore energy systems. Metal soldering techniques that allow developers to build equipment capable of enduring these harsh conditions and delivering critical data are essential to the future success of alternative energy initiatives.

As PNNL officials note, the technologies being tested at this research center could yield data that vastly improves the potential viability of offshore energy projects, making them that much more appealing to investors who have historically been reticent to provide their support.

Making solar technology more affordable

Technologies that help preserve the environment do not just benefit the United States, they benefit the world at large. So it is important that nations learn from one another's experience when it comes to developing alternative energy technologies and how best to manage their use.

For example, a recent study published by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory highlights some of the main reasons why solar power systems cost more in the United States than they do in Germany. According to the research, residential solar system installers in the U.S. and Germany spent just over $1.80 per watt. However, German installers only added $1.20 to the cost of the solar panels for a complete installation. U.S. installers added $4.36.

Among the reasons cited for this disparity are sales tax exemptions for German installers, the cost of permitting and connecting to power grids, and the fact that because solar is much more widely used in Germany, they only spend roughly seven cents per watt of installed capacity on marketing and similar initiatives. Meanwhile, in the U.S. we spend about 70 cents per watt.

As an article for technology and media blog Mashable points out, the study does not account for 100 percent of the cost disparity between the two nations. However, Germany's success with solar power should be a beacon for us to follow.

In the meantime, while companies try to find ways of reducing the "soft" costs like marketing to convince consumers of the benefits alternative energy technologies bring to the table, we must continue to invest in new manufacturing processes that reduce "hard" costs.

"The biggest lever for reducing solar costs remains reducing the number of solar panels needed per installation, which in turn reduces labor costs." the article said.

As we continue to develop new solar module soldering techniques that can help to streamline the installation process, solar power will become more affordable and in line with coal and fossil fuel system costs.

Wind energy tax credits avoid falling off the fiscal cliff

At the eleventh hour, U.S. lawmakers approved legislation that allowed our nation to avoid plummeting over the fiscal cliff, effectively saving the wind energy tax credits that were in peril – at least for now.

The tax credits, which can cover 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour generated in the first year of a wind project, or 30 percent of the construction cost, were extended for one year under the terms of the deal struck in Washington, D.C. The bill passed through the Democrat-controlled Senate by an 89-8 margin, followed by a 257-167 vote in favor of the legislation in the Republican-controlled House.

"On behalf of all the people working in wind energy manufacturing facilities, their families, and all the communities that benefit, we thank President Obama and all the members of the House and Senate who had the foresight to extend this successful policy, so wind projects can continue to be developed in 2013 and 2014," Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, said in a press statement.

The extended tax credit will apply to wind energy projects started this calendar year. While the issue will be brought up again, as this is only a one-year extension, it remains unclear how much of an immediate effect it will have on hiring at manufacturing companies throughout the industry.

The Denver Business Journal notes that hundreds of wind industry workers throughout Colorado were laid off in recent months in anticipation of Congress letting the credits expire. The next 12 months will be critical for the sector's future, as we look to develop new and innovative alternative energy technologies, including metal soldering techniques that will help reduce the overall construction cost of wind energy projects in order to make them more competitive with coal and fossil fuel plants.

The fiscal cliff and future of the wind energy industry

For the last two months, virtually every national television news broadcast has at least mentioned the "fiscal cliff" in one way or another. We have been inundated with stories about how politicians in Washington, D.C. have been trying to hammer out a deal to prevent a series of tax increases and spending cuts that are set to go into effect at midnight tonight.

There has been so much coverage of this topic that the term "fiscal cliff" topped the list of words or phrases people would most like to see banned, released earlier today by Michigan's Lake Superior State University. But, as annoying as it may be to hear those two words repeated over and over again, they carry great significance as you read this, particularly for the wind energy industry.

A tax credit for the construction of wind energy systems – covering roughly 30 percent of the building costs – is among those on the chopping block should we topple over that dreaded cliff later tonight. According to the American Wind Energy Association, economic uncertainty has cost 10,000 jobs over the last three years in this industry, and another 37,000 could be lost if the tax credits are allowed to expire.

The impact on the wind energy sector and the U.S. economy

With the current boom in domestic oil and natural gas production sweeping the United States, the expiration of these tax credits could cripple the wind energy industry's ability to remain competitive. This would also be a harsh blow to the alternative energy technologies sector as a whole, not to mention the environmental concerns related to the controversial hydraulic "fracking" process being used to access fossil fuel reserves in shale rock formations. And, with 37,000 newly unemployed Americans coupled with middle class families paying higher taxes, we could see another recession.

In November, The Huffington Post reported that wind energy companies were anticipating difficult days ahead because of the fiscal cliff. Some began to lay off workers, including military veterans who had received training through federal green jobs programs that help them adjust to civilian life.

"We heard it was coming up, but we weren't sure when," said Andrew Sipres, a military veteran and employee at a Colorado-based wind turbine manufacturing facility. "One day we all showed up, we met in the lunchroom and they told us what was going on. Then one by one they took us into the office."

Sipres and his co-workers are the people building wind turbines, and they are the ones who may lose their jobs. If we have fewer individuals building these systems that suddenly cost 30 percent more to manufacture than they used to, the industry will be in dire straits.

What can be done to save the wind energy industry?

Nearly two weeks ago, CNNMoney reported that the American Wind Energy Association said the industry could survive if the tax credits were phased out over a reasonable time period, rather than disappearing in one fell swoop should fiscal cliff negotiations stall at the eleventh hour.

Association officials told the news source that the wind energy sector will be able to compete with coal and natural gas by 2018 as they bring manufacturing costs down, but only if the tax credits remain through that point. Natural gas plants are currently about 35 percent cheaper to build.

"We need to close that gap," Steven Lockard, chief executive of a Scottsdale, Arizona-based turbine blade manufacturer, told CNNMoney. "Costs have come down 90 percent in the last two decades, but our job is not done yet."

The way to continue to get those costs down is to invest in innovative alternative energy technologies. As new, cutting-edge joining methods for metal are developed, including metal brazing and soldering techniques, the industry can succeed in providing sustainable and affordable power that is safer for the environment than our current alternatives. At midnight tonight, we will find out what the future holds.

Climate change in western Antarctica and the importance of alternative energy technologies

The effects of climate change and a rising global sea level were made abundantly clear to New York City residents when entire neighborhoods and subway tunnels were flooded as Hurricane Sandy battered the East Coast in October.

Now, a new report sheds even more light on this topic. According to an article in Nature Geoscience, scientists conducting research in western Antarctica for more than five decades have concluded that temperatures have risen by double the previously estimated amount.

Since 1958, temperatures in the region have gone up by 4.4 degrees Fahrenheit, leading researchers to classify it as one of the fastest-warming parts of the world. If this trend continues, massive ice formations are likely to melt and lead to a significant rise in the global sea level.

"The surprises keep coming," Andrew J. Monaghan, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado and participant in the study, told The New York Times. "When you see this type of warming, I think it's alarming."

The Times article points out that the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet could raise sea level around the world by 10 feet or more over a few hundred years. While this may seem like a small amount over a long time period, the gradual effects on coastal areas, particularly during hurricanes and other natural disasters, as well as sea life and the global environment, will be significant – potentially catastrophic.

That is why it is critical that we invest in alternative energy technologies that will stem the tide of climate change and the subsequent damage it will yield. Everything from improved methods of bonding battery terminals to solar module soldering techniques will help us become more efficient at producing, storing and utilizing clean energy.

Doing so will reduce carbon emissions and hopefully begin to reverse decades of harm done to the Earth's environment.