Recently in Pollution Control Equipment Category

Capturing Methane Waste in Mines and Generating Energy

By Carolyn on March 6, 2010 8:58 AM

The Caterpillar Company builds generator sets that have the unique ability to capture methane from coal mines and convert it into clean energy.

Methane capture from coal mines.

Biosphere 2 Learnings -- Earth Matters

By Carolyn on January 27, 2010 9:14 AM

The Environmental Protection Agency of the US federal government is in the center of many controversial actions because, well, they are at the center of many controversial, unknown, unclear problems. No group of people gets "it" right all the time, and the EPA certainly has had its share of political and economic woes. I've met a number of employees of the EPA and have found them to be concerned, competent, and committed to their purpose of protecting people and the environment. And they face a lot of pressure. Like we all face.

The following blog entry from Dr. Barbara Karn about how important and "big" the environment plays in our survival is worth noting.

Sustainability is often described as a three-legged stool, with one leg each for the environment, the economy, and society.

The Biosphere experiment taught us that the legs are not even, and our major support comes from the environment. Without the natural capital provided by our environment, we'd have no society or economy.

Convincing evidence for the importance of the natural environment came from the Biosphere 2 project.

In the early 1990's, a huge structure called Biosphere 2 was built in the Arizona desert. Over 3 enclosed acres housed a variety of ecosystems with manmade recycling systems designed to imitate earth's natural systems.

The project, however, could not independently sustain humans or the other organisms inside. There were problems with oxygen and food, and outside electricity had to be used. Biosphere 2 taught us that people don't have the ability to design a self-sustaining ecosystem for human life.

The Reality is... Reality

If we lose our natural ecosystem by failing in environmental protection, in the words of Dr. Gro Brundlant, chair of the first World Commission on Environment and Development, there will be no sanctuary.

EPA's mission, protecting the environment and human health, is key to our sustainability and survivability.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct05) Loan Guarantees for Commercial Use

By Carolyn on October 3, 2009 10:45 AM

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct05) authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy to issue loan guarantees to eligible projects that "avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases" and "employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued".

Early Commercial Use

Title XVII of EPAct05 provides the basis of DOE's program. This title provides broad authority for DOE to guarantee loans that support early commercial use of advanced technologies, if "there is reasonable prospect of repayment of the principal and interest on the obligation by the borrower." Loan guarantees will be another tool that DOE will use to promote commercial use of innovative technologies. This tool is targeted at early commercial use only, not energy research, development, and demonstration programs.

DOE believes that accelerated commercial use of new or improved technologies will help to sustain economic growth, yield environmental benefits, and produce a more stable and secure energy supply.

The US Department of Energy is expected to open the window in 2009 to apply for federal loan guarantees on loans to wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and other renewable energy projects that use commercially proven technologies.

In the first round, the Department evaluated loan guarantee pre-applications for projects that employed technologies in the following areas:

1. Biomass
2. Hydrogen
3. Solar
4. Wind and Hydropower
5. Advanced Fossil Energy Coal
6. Carbon Sequestration practices and technologies
7. Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
8. Alternative Fuel Vehicles
9. Industry Energy Efficiency Projects
10. Pollution Control Equipment

Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP)

This new program--called the "Financial Institution Partnership Program" or "FIPP" because of the key role played by private lenders-- differs substantially from the prior program that guarantees repayment of loans to projects that use innovative technologies. It will use radically different processes than those used so far to apply, evaluate, rank and award guarantees for projects.

The department will release a set of rules for the loan guarantee program at the same time it opens the window--and anyone who wants to apply is expected to have negotiated his or her loan first with a bank or insurance company and then the lender will apply to DOE for a guarantee.

Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20585
www.lgprogram.energy.gov