Monday, March 24, 2008

Why Is My Throat Burning Me





1.What AND WHICH ARE BASED



produce clean energy; bet on renewable curb dependence on energy imports, limiting the greenhouse effect ... are objectives that are difficult to resist.
Renewable energy could solve many environmental problems such as climate change, radioactive waste, acid rain and air pollution. Renewable energy could meet a third of electricity consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by the year 2,005. But this requires investing some 90,000 million pesetas per year, of which 20,000 would be funds public. This objective is pursued by price increases and the requirement that large utilities buy from small producers of renewable energy all of its production at prices which encourage its growth.






Solar thermal
The flat solar collector is the most common application of thermal energy from the sun. Countries like Japan, Israel, Cyprus and Greece have installed several million units, although at present low oil prices is not exactly the most favorable. Each square meter of collector can produce annually an amount of energy equivalent to one hundred kilograms of oil.

most widespread applications are the generation of hot water for homes, swimming pools, hospitals, hotels and industrial processes, and heating jobs which require low temperature heat which can amount to more than one-tenth consumption. Unlike conventional technologies for water heating, the initial investments are high and require a payback period of between 5 and 7 years, although, as is easy to deduce, the fuel is free and maintenance costs are low. A voluntary target, but possible to achieve, would be installed for the year 2005 a total of 3,230,000 m2 of solar collectors. Such a figure would save 210 ktoe of other fuels. The investment required to achieve this objective amounts to 150,000 pta, pta 20,000 of whom should be support of the Administration. Reaching this figure implies a strong support of the Administration, and the obligation to install solar collectors flat in new housing, to cover between 50 and 75% of the needs of ACS in their new homes.

NORTH / SOUTH. Solar energy is a resource not only powerful but also flexible. In Odeillo, in the French Pyrenees, a solar oven uses 600 large mirrors to concentrate sunlight, achieving temperatures of over 3,000 degrees C. (CNRS / SPL). On a smaller scale, solar energy can satisfy needs for cooking and heating, where solar energy is being used to boil water in a village in northwestern Tibet.


SOLAR THERMAL POWER One of the complex sun energy Luz International, in the Mojave Desert, California. In total, the facilities cover over 750 acres and generate 354 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to supply 170,000 homes. Curved mirrors track the sun, focusing its light tubes that contain a synthetic oil that is heated to about 400 degrees Celsius. The heat is used to produce steam that generates electricity through a turbine. (Hank MorganISPL)



photovoltaic solar energy
SOLAR CELL. Some solar cells operate on the basis of a monocrystalline silicon thin plate, which has been treated to convert sunlight into electricity. Silica sand is obtained from the ordinary. Given the solar cell efficiency and the duration of his life useful, it is estimated that one ton of sand can generate the same amount of electricity produced by burning more than half a million tons of coal. (Philippe Ilailly / SPL)
electricity production from photovoltaic cells in 1997 is still six times more expensive than that obtained from coal, but just a decade ago was eighteen times, which allows the use of photovoltaic cells to produce electricity in remote areas of distribution networks and to compete with alternatives such as electric generators from oil. In the next 5 years is expected to reduce the cost per kWh to 12 cents to 10 before the year 2010 and 4 cents for 2030. Throughout the decade the photovoltaic market grew at annual rates exceeding 40%, between 1971 and 1996 have been installed worldwide to 700 megawatts of photovoltaic cells. The occupied area is not a problem. In the Mediterranean area could produce 90 million kWh per year per square kilometer of surface covered with photovoltaic cells, and by the year 2,005, with expected returns, it will reach 150 million kWh per km2. A country like Spain could meet all its electricity needs with just 900 km2, 0.2% of its territory. All the world's energy needs could be occupying only cover about 300,000 km2 with photovoltaic cells.
As regards the storage, hydrogen production by electrolysis and its subsequent use to produce electricity or other uses, can be an excellent solution. For the year 2005 could reach up to 100 MWp, significant figure when compared to the 6.7 MW of 1,996, but not outlandish, given the clear prospects opened up by new technologies. That figure will go to rural electrification, a signaling and communication, and agricultural and livestock uses, although some plants should also be fitted for the supply to the network. In Spain, with a higher daily solar radiation in almost all the territory to 4 kWh per square meter, the potential is immense. Only the roofs of English households could produce 180 TWh annually, higher than the consumption of 137 TWh in 1993.





SOLAR CAR "Sunraycer" won the first international race of solar-powered cars, which took place in Australia in November 1987. Built and funded by General Motors, took five and a half days to cover the 1,950 miles between Darwin and Adelaide, with an average speed of 66 km / h. A participants of the race in 1991 under a new world speed record for solar cars, reaching 135 km / h.


Water Hydraulics.


There are a variety of ways to generate energy from moving water. This prototype of a tidal power plant was built on the island of Islay, Scotland, on a cliff that encloses a column of seawater. As the sea rises and falls, passing air through a turbine, powering a generator. (Martin Bond / SPL) maremotrices systems could supply almost three-quarters of the current energy needs of the European Community. The potential for mini-hydro is also significant. China has more than 60,000 of these plants in operation, which is only a fifth of the total hydroelectric potential. In the U.S., if the 67,000 existing dams, most of them built for flood control, were used to produce electricity, it would be possible to supply several million homes.
In Spain, the additional potential technically developable current production could double, reaching 65 TWh per year, although the environmental and social costs would be disproportionate. The proposal does not consider the construction of any new large power, focusing efforts on the rehabilitation of small scale closed, improvement of existing hydroelectric reservoirs that lack it. Such actions would increase annual production by 3 to 4 TWh, with no additional environmental impact to reach 35 TWh in an average year (neither too dry nor particularly wet). The required investments amounting to 200,000 pta.


WIND ENERGY
The conversion of wind energy into electricity is via
of wind turbines, with sizes ranging from a few watts to 4,000 kilowatts (4 MW). Currently installed capacity amounts to 7,000 MW, equivalent to seven large nuclear power plants. In 1997 and is competitive with electricity production of 600 kW wind turbines and in places where the average wind speed exceeds 7 meters per second. It is expected that within a few years also large machines (1 to 2 MW) to become profitable. Non-polluting wind power and its environmental impact is very small compared with other energy sources. Hence the need to accelerate its deployment at all sites favorable, but trying to reduce the potential negative impacts, especially birds, in some locations. The best wind areas in Spain are the following: Canary Islands, the Strait Area, Galician coast and the Ebro valley reached 2,500 MW by 2005 is ambitious, but technically and economically feasible, given the advantages of wind power : reduced environmental impact, renewable resource, regardless of import and positive impact on employment generation. It must develop an industry capable of mass production at competitive costs. Total investments for the period 1998-2005 amounted to 300,000 pta, equivalent or below a central 1,000 MWe nuclear. The costs of wind are almost competitive with conventional energy: 150,000 PTA PTA KW installed and 9 kWh. In the year 2,005 would be feasible to produce 6.3 TWh in Spain, and in the year 2020 could reach 25 TWh. Their goal is to install 10,000 MW in the year 2,020. For the year 2030 has proposed installing the EWEA a total of 100,000 MW in the European Union. The consultancy BTM
APS Consulting predicts that Europe will increase from 4,794 MW now installed some 12,500 in 2002, almost triple in just three years. This increase is due, according to this consultant to environmental reasons, but in other areas of the planet, China or North Africa, there are also betting the wind as an energy generator in the absence of an acceptable power supply network.
Wind power brings together the role of a spectacular growth in recent years also accompanied by a growing interest by companies and regions. In installations for wind farms have been invested in 1998, almost 80,000 million pesetas, double that in 1997 more than previous twelve, ie, since they started up windmills in 1986. According to the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDEA) five hundred companies are involved in this sector. Germany is the great leader in wind energy parks designed carefully to avoid problems with local environmental groups, they pay a premium of about 20 pesetas per kilowatt of wind energy transferred to the network, here the price is 11 pesetas, companies are interested in moving forward. Greenpeace says power companies have resisted in the early development of the wind but then, "when they saw that the business, have targeted the car." The wind farm at Tarifa, for example, required an investment of 6,000 million pesetas and now bill billion pesetas a year.



Geothermal


geothermal energy is obtained by extracting the Earth's internal heat. In areas of very hot thermal waters at shallow depths, drilling for natural fractures in basement rocks or in sedimentary rocks. Hot water or steam can flow naturally, by pumping or pulsed flow of water and steam (flashing). The method chosen depends in each case is economically viable. An example in England was the "Hot Stone HDR Project (English abbreviation: HDR, Hot Dry Rocks), abandoned after checking its economic infeasibility in 1989. HDR programs are being developed in Australia, France, Switzerland, Germany. The resources of magma (molten rock) offer high temperature geothermal energy, but with existing technology can not be exploited economically these sources.
In most cases the operation should be done with two wells (or an even number of wells), so one gets the hot water and the other is re-injected into the aquifer, having cooled the flow obtained . The advantages of this system are manifold:
are less likely to exhaust the heat reservoir, because the reinjected water still contains a significant amount of thermal energy. Nor
depleted reservoir water, since the total amount remains.
Possible salts or dissolved gases emissions in the water do not appear to circulate in closed circuit through the pipes, preventing contamination. English
Geothermal potential is 600 ktoe per year, as a very conservative estimate of Geological and Mining Institute of Spain. For the year 2005 is to reach the 100 ktoe, which will require an investment of 40,000 million pesetas. Applications would be heating, hot water and greenhouses, not contemplating the production of electricity.




BIOMASS.


biomass - the vegetation used for energy - can become one of the most important fuels in the future. In the next twenty years could provide one-eighth of global energy budget. A variety of wood and agricultural wastes and energy crops, symbolized by the corn field (background: Alex Bartel / SPL) can be transformed to provide a range of transport fuels, or can be burned to generate electricity Dad. An example is the conversion of wood chips in a methane-rich gas. (Left: U.S. Dept. of Energy / SPL) Like fossil fuels, this gas can be burned in power efficient than maximize the energy content of fuel, generating electricity while using waste heat.
The use of biomass is as old as the discovery and use of fire to warm and prepare food using firewood. Even today, biomass is the main source of energy used for domestic purposes for more than 2,500 million people in the Third World. The combustion of biomass is environmentally benign. In the case of waste incineration, as is being done with the municipal waste in most European and North American cities, combustion pollutants emitted into the atmosphere, some carcinogens such as dioxins. Recycling and reuse of waste will improve the environment, saving significant amounts of energy and raw materials, while attempts to suppress the generation of toxic waste and reduce packaging. In Spain the energy potential of biomass is 37 Mtoe, but this figure includes 19.6 Mtoe of energy crops and 3.8 Mtoe of forest and agricultural residues. Biofuel production and energy use excessive agricultural and forest residues is not desirable, given its impact on biodiversity, soils and the hydrological cycle, without forgetting the most important thing is to produce food, not biofuel for cars private. The goal of reaching 4.2 Mtoe in the 2,005 in practice means double the official consumer biomass. The biogas digesters in livestock waste from reduced methane emissions, and should be promoted in order to reduce pollution, to obtain fertilizer and energy.




2.ANÁLISIS GLOBAL

The geographic diversity of resources is significant. Some countries and regions have significantly better resources than others, particularly in the renewable energy sector. Some countries have significant resources near major residential centers where electricity demand is important. The use of such resources on a large scale requires, however, considerable investment in manufacturing and distribution networks, as well as production itself
If the production of electricity from renewable sources is widespread, the distribution and processing systems would no longer be the largest distributors of electricity, but would work locally to balance the electricity needs of small communities. Those with surplus energy sold to the deficit areas, ie the operation of the network should move from a "passive management" where they connect some generators and the system is powered electricity for the "down" to the consumer, management "active", where some generators are distributed in the network, must constantly monitor inputs and outputs to ensure local equilibrium of the system. That would require major changes in the way of managing networks.
However, small-scale use of renewable energy, which can often occur in situ, reduces the need for distribution systems No electricity. Current systems rarely economically profitable, revealed that an average household that has a solar system with energy storage, and panels of sufficient size, simply use external sources of electricity a few hours a week. Therefore, advocates believe that renewable energy distribution systems electricity should be less important and easier to control.

An obvious drawback of renewables is their visual impact on the local environment. Some people hate the aesthetics of wind turbines and mention the conservation of nature when speaking of large solar-electric installations outside the cities. However, everyone finds charm in the light of the "old windmills," which in his time, was a prominent sample of available technology.
Others try to use these technologies in an effective and aesthetically satisfactory: fixed solar panels can double the noise barriers along highways, roofs are available and could even be replaced completely by solar panels, amorphous photovoltaic cells can be used to tint windows and produce energy, etc.

represent 20% of global electricity consumption, with 90% of hydro. The rest is very marginal: 5.5% biomass, geothermal 1.5%, wind 0.5% and 0.05% solar.
About 80% of energy needs in Western industrial societies are centered around the industry, heating, air conditioning in buildings and transport (cars, trains, aircraft). However, most large-scale application of renewable energy focuses on the production of electricity.

Greenpeace presented a report which claims that the use of renewable energy to produce 100% of the energy is technically feasible and financially affordable, so that, according to Greenpeace, the only thing missing to let in Spain aside the dirty energy, is political. To achieve this, it takes two parallel developments: renewable energy and energy efficiency (elimination of superfluous consumption.)





3.ANÁLISIS NATIONAL
Sea, last frontier renewable energy
The creation of offshore wind farms has been unlocked by the Government, but it will take to overcome many prejudices to materialize.
Windmills are about to come to sea. Failing to close definitively the Environmental Strategy Study of the English coast, which classified the marine areas in suitable areas, exclusion and environmental conditions for installation of offshore wind farms including a score of projects awaiting approval to plant wind turbines in the sea. While in northern Europe are already in full swing some of these facilities in Spain is not expected to become operational before 2012. Other than where you are going to locate, these infrastructures are far more complex and expensive than installed track
The Government released in the installation of offshore wind farms on our coast through the publication on August 1, a Royal Decree. Is well regulated for the first time, procedures to promote offshore wind farm and the conditions they must meet. Thus, the Executive opened the door for the first time this type of electricity generation in the regulation of procedures for obtaining licenses.
however, still needed to define which areas These coastal infrastructure could be installed and in what volumes. We studied 4,000 kilometers of coastline to find the suitable sites and the result is the Strategic Environmental Study of the English coast, which aims to identify "areas of terrestrial maritime public domain, only to environmental effects, with favorable conditions for the installation of wind offshore wind. " 73
wind areas
The study area corresponds to a "24-mile coastal strip drawn from the straight baseline" and includes a total of 73 offshore wind areas, which are classified as suitable areas, exclusion and environmental conditions. However, Jaime Alejandre, CEO of Quality and Environmental Assessment, recalls that "the designation of an area as apt does not remove the completion and approval of environmental impact studies later, and if they were negative the project would be accepted ' .
"In our cost-justify-Alejandre, where in addition to shipping, there are key migratory route for birds, fish stocks, deposits ... That is why they have restricted areas suitable enough. " Still, the general director of Quality and Environmental Assessment considers that "the promoters (of projects) are satisfied with the proposed areas and make timely, since at this point no one has the capability to launch such a park tomorrow. " Regarding the latter, all sectors involved in this matter agree, but for the areas proposed as suitable not everyone agrees. Thus, the Wind Energy Association says that most projects in the pipeline are in areas with conditions, while complaining that a very promising area for energy companies, which was the Ebro Delta, has been judged unfit.
And, despite the report's characterization of the coast is not yet finally approved, there are projects on the table for months. Not surprisingly, the implementation of wind turbines at sea is currently one of the biggest challenges for the further development of the European wind industry.
In this sense, Spain has 4,872 km of coastline, where the wind blows harder and more consistently than on land, and is the second largest European producer of wind energy. It is therefore logical that companies began to take long positions.
is why some of the projects were under way now find they are in unsuitable areas. This is the case of a draft Capital Energy, a wind power company linked to the promoter and that ACS has objected to the proposed characterization the coast, a project in front of the Delta del Ebro, since it became known in 2004, has provoked strong resistance from environmentalists, fishermen and people in the area, because it is an area with lots of birds. Now the Ministry of Environment is understood as an area to protect wetlands of international importance hosts.
this promoter is also a project off the coast of Vinaroz (Castellón), which has been rejected by the fishermen's associations in the area, who fear losing their fishing. This is what essentially motivated both Vinaroz Fishermen's Association and the Independent Party Vinaroz submit claims to the ministerial document. Fishermen Cadiz, Barbate and Conil de la Frontera, and some municipalities in the area, also present their disagreement with some projects around the Straits, as presented by Acciona. Little depth

But are not the only difficulties encountered in developing this type of energy. Construction costs are higher in the sea, but so is the production of energy. Himself Environmental Strategy Study English coast expected to average power of offshore wind parks will quadruple that of the land, which is usually 25 MW, although the minimum required by decree power is 50 MW for each of the facilities wind generation marina.
However, current technology allows you to install offshore wind farms in areas with depths below 20 meters, a feature lacking in the English coast. Areas where the sea depth is lower and therefore have a lower installation cost of the towers that support the mills are located in the east and south.
According to data provided by Environment, the proposals in the pipeline are located in Cadiz, Huelva, Almería, Murcia (La Manga), Castellón, Tarragona, Galicia and Canary Islands.
And is that the location of wind farms at sea requires a more complex construction, especially in regard to the foundations of the turbines in deep water. The wind turbine towers require a foundation whose construction difficulty and cost increase as the project moves away from the coast and the water depth increases.
The shoreline survey expected that wind turbines are much larger than those on land. As the document says, the blades will have 45 meters long and the tower will rise 80 meters above the sea surface.
Furthermore, according to information collected from offshore projects already built in other countries, both investment and operating costs and maintenance come to double the values \u200b\u200breached in the parks ground. But the most important obstacle to the development of this energy is the lack of electricity infrastructure. We need a grid with knots of escape for the energy produced, capable of supporting a very important power injection.
In recent years, wind farms located in the sea to take advantage of renewable energy from wind (known internationally as off shore) have been developed in northern Europe, mainly in Denmark and the UK. In 2006 there were 700 MW installed worldwide, of which 400 were in Denmark, 250 in the UK, which grew a lot last year and whose latest project is an approved in the Thames estuary, "and the rest divided between Sweden, Holland and Ireland. A European Commission study estimated that Spain could have 25.52 gigawatts of installed capacity in 2020, double what is currently on-shore wind, while, according to a Greenpeace study quite optimistic in Spain could be created by this half 25,000 megawatts of power until 2030, preventing the annual emission of 25 million tonnes of CO2.
However, despite the triumphalism of the early figures, the development of this technology in our country will in the medium term. It will not be before 2012 when starting up the first wind farms in Spain, although Wind Energy Association believes that by 2020 will not reach cruising speed. That year, according to forecasts, could be installed and 4,000 MW.






4.ANÁLISIS REGIONAL

"Castilla-La Mancha is a pioneer in renewable energy"
The Minister participated in a roundtable yesterday that opened the commemoration activities Bicentennial
José Manuel Díaz-Salazar, Minister of Industry and Information Society and Polo Rubio Venancio, managing director of Renewable Energies in Castilla-La Stain Iberdrola, on Tuesday opened the bicentennial commemoration of the June 6 with the panel "Future: Renewable Energy", held in Veracruz Plaza Hotel Valdepeñas from 20:00. This meeting provided a space for reflection and he stressed the importance of clean energy with a view to meet environmental objectives set in the Kyoto Protocol. The energies are the main theme of this panel and in a context that is making many of the agendas and political concerns, social, academic and scientific world and it's like to face the challenge facing the planet before, which is further grow economically, still originate on the public well-being, but in a sustainable manner. He said that from this point of view, Castilla-La Mancha is a pioneering region at this time. "We lead the installed wind power in our country, we are the fastest growing region in the generation of clean energy, and we set ourselves the goal of achieving that in 2012, 100% of electricity consumption of our citizens comes from clean sources. Not only our challenge is to generate alternative energy, but also take this opportunity to create industrial, that is, most of the components used in wind farms, photovoltaic parks and thermal power plants, are built in Castilla-La Mancha. At this time, the industrial fabric of renewable energy, is already a significant weight of the entire gross domestic product tied to the industry. It also allows the employment of youth. More than 3,000 citizens have been found stable employment linked to the production of renewable energy components. "Third, Diaz-Salazar said that renewable energy is a sector which encourages research and development. "Much of the national strategy in this regard is also in Castilla-La Mancha such as Concentrating Solar Institute and the Institute of Cells Hydrogen, two national centers in the region are located in Puertollano. "He pointed out that in this way for a region like ours is a good opportunity in this three directions: to achieve greater self-sufficiency in our energy mix, able to attract companies that create high skilled jobs and at the same time promote the development of research. "Speaking of the future is to talk about how we got in Castilla-La Mancha and the country continue to grow economically but in a sustainable manner. We must find alternative models. Castilla-La Mancha is a region characterized by the cutting edge. "It noted that it is important to discuss this issue with one of the most important companies such as Iberdrola, which is also proving to be a English company with an international focus, has a base of operations in the region. In Castilla-La Mancha, IBERDROLA has located the Core (the Centre for Monitoring of all wind farms in the world). "IBERDROLA is the company that has installed wind power worldwide. We are interested in English companies compete in international markets and at the same time have a rooting as important as in this case in Toledo. This prestige to our economy and our businesses and now is in Valdepeñas its head in Renewable Energies, prestige forum that begins today around the commemoration of the bicentenary of June 6. "He added," Valdepeñas has a promising future and a present too good entrepreneurial city. "Venancio Rubio spoke about the current state of Kyoto Protocol IBERDROLA the situation worldwide, leading the wind energy and renewable energy said. Said IBERDROLA has invested 2,300 million euros in the region.