Source 25: New solar technology

Breakthrough for harnessing solar power (alternative-energy-news.info, 7/24/08)

Summary:

This is a video that gives a detailed description of a new technology created by a company called Bright Source Energy that can harness solar energy in what the company believes is a more cost effective way than conventional solar devices. 

Topic:

Should the Obama administration allocate large amounts of money ($150 billion) in this time of economic crisis to alternative energy sources?

Category:

Institution- business

What is it?

This is a multimedia video that advertises a new solar technology.

Author:

Bright Source Energy

Accessed:

3/2/09

Support:

Bright Source Energy

The video displays how a new technology developed by Bright Source Energy works.  It also has graphs with statistical data that shows the energy that is expected to be generated by upcoming projects using this technology, however; it does not state a source for them.

Audience and Agenda:

This video was found on alternative-energy-news.info which is a website that brings together stories from all sorts of other sources about new alternative energy technologies.  The website is accessed by approximately 48,000 people per month.  Bright Source Energy is a company that builds large scale solar plants.  It is a privately owned company with many large investors including Google, BP and Chevron.  The video has 4,049 hits on youtube.com.  Bright Source is located in Oakland, California.

Usefulness:

This video is an example of a new technology that could possibly make solar power an economically viable alternative to fossil fuels.  It shows that these new technologies are constantly evolving and, with the right amount of investment, will continue to grow.  It gives statistical data about the amount of power that some of the projects on the horizon for the company will generate using this new technology.  The fact that so many big named companies are investing in this project tells us that there must have been some research done.  This source is very detailed about the process of how the energy is created and the visual element helps to make it that much more accessible.  It is easy to see that this technology is a whole new way of looking at capturing the true potential of solar energy.  One problem that it does not addressed  is how to incorperate these solar power plants into the existing energy grid.  This will need to be addressed in the future if the company expects to follow through on its plan to power 25% of California.  It also does not address the problem of how it will store the energy for nightime use and cloudy or overcast days.

Works Cited:

About alternative-energy-news.info:

http://www.quantcast.com/alternative-energy-news.info

About Bright Source Energy:

http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/about.htm

The video on youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0phPIzY7DPA&eurl=http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/

Source 24: T. Boone Pickens’ plan

T. Boone Pickens explains his plan (Pickensplan.com, 7/29/08)

Summary:

This is a multimedia video in which former oil man T. Boone Pickens explains his energy plan to get America off of its foreign oil addiction.

Topic:

Should the Obama administration allocate large amounts of money ($150 billion) in this time of economic crisis to alternative energy sources?

Category:

citizen- expert

What is it?

This is a multimedia video from pickensplan.com.

Author:

T. Boone Pickens

Accessed:

3/2/09

Support:

T. Boone Pickens

3Tier

US Department of Energy

T. Boone Pickens is the author of the plan.  He uses a map by 3tier to illustrate the abundance of wind power in the midwestern part of the US and gets most of his statistics from the Department of Energy.  There are some statistics that he does not state a source for.  Pickens takes the numbers from whatever source it may be and manipulates them to make his case.

Audience and Agenda:

T. Boone Pickens is a former oil man.  He owns BP capital management, an energy investment firm, and Mesa Petroleum, an oil and natural gas company.  He is promoting his plan to get the United States out of its addiction to foreign oil.  The video has 79,079 views on Youtube.com.  Pickensplan.com gets 138,000 hits globally each month.  It is funded by money from Pickens’ business ventures.

Usefulness:

This video lays out a concrete plan to reduce America’s dependance on foreign oil through alternative energy sources.  The video gives concrete numbers on how much money could be saved by reducing oil imports.  It also shows that our dependance is growing.  The US now imports almost 70% of its oil.  It outlines the resources that are available to the US that could allow it to combat these problems.  The plan focuses mostly on wind and natural gas.  There are many charts and graphs used to make this a very simple concept to understand.  This is an extemely good example of a concrete plan that is laid out and backed by solid numbers by someone who is knowledgable on the subject of making money through energy investment.  However, it leaves out the amount that will need to be invested in the plan in order for it to work.  If this plan is able to be implemented and works the way it is intended, it could save a lot of money for investment in America’s economic infastructure.

Works Cited:

About Pickensplan.com:

http://www.quantcast.com/pickensplan.com#summary

http://www.pickensplan.com/about/

About Pickens’ companies:

https://www.bpcap.net/default.asp

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/dom4.html

Source 23: alternative energy for low-income housing grants (interview)

Interview with Jeff Jackson, Housing Authority of Jackson County (2/28/09, Rogue River, OR)

Summary: 

This was an interview conducted by me with an employee of the Housing Authority of Jackson County who gives loans to low-income households to repair their homes and make them more energy efficient.

Topic:

Should the Obama administration allocate large amounts of money ($150 billion) in this time of economic crisis to alternative energy sources?

Category:

Citizen- stakeholder

What is it?

It is a fromal interview conducted by me (Joey Jackson) with an Oregon government employee.

Author:

Joey Jackson

Support:

Jeff Jackson, housing rehabilitation specialist

US Department of Housing and Urban Developement (HUD)

OHCS conference on alternative energy options for low-income households

Legislative concept for Low-income funding for energy efficiency (L.I.F.E.)

Jeff Jackson is the source being interviewed about the effectiveness of alternative energy policies with regards to his work providing government grants for low-income households.  He uses documentation from the other sources to provide statistical and other factual evidence for the claims that he makes.

Audience and Agenda:

Mr. Jackson works for the Housing Authority of Jackson County which gets its funding through grants from the state of Oregon and the city of Medford.  This year he applied for $400,000 from the state and $200,000 from the city for the program.  The program also gets money from the sale of homes that have been improved by the program, but this is not a steady source of revenue.  The loans that are given are zero-interest loans.  The purpose of the program is to provide energy efficiency upgrades to people’s homes who could not otherwise afford it.  They have recently been looking more and more into the use of alternative energy sources as a way to get the most out of their investments.

Usefulness:

The program that Mr. Jackson is invovled in is a good indicator of the future of government investment in the use of alternative energy sources.  This program is using the most cost effective technologies to help people make their homes as energy efficient as possible.  This is proof that the government is truly investing in alternative energy technologies.  By starting with the people who are the most in need of cost saving strategies for their home energy uses, this program shows that the alternative energy technologies used are indeed a solid investment for future energy needs.  One of the main alternative energy technologies being used by the program is solar water heaters which are being used in multiple housing units and have been shown to incure no cost to the homeowner over the course of the year.  However, they are a more expensive initial investment for parts and installation than conventional water heaters.  To combat this, the government is giving $2,000- $3,000 tax incentives for homeowners to install these water heaters in their homes.  They also give incentives to convert from electricity to natural gas because it has been found that natural gas is a much more efficient heating source.  Overall, the goal of this program is to start the journey towards a more energy efficient future and by  looking at what technologies programs such as these are looking into, we can begin to see where the road to our future energy needs is leading us.  This source also provides information about what local governments are doing with regards to alternative energy investment.

About HUD:

http://www.hud.gov/

About housing authority of Jackson County:

http://www.hajc.net/about.asp