Huachuca Audubon Society Conservation Committee

Conservation News

BOWIE POWER PLANT

The Bowie Power Station (Bowie) is a 600 megawatt power facility planned for southeastern Arizona near the community of Bowie, in Cochise County. The big question is why. The builders claim it is being developed to meet the growing demand for electricity, to support the growing population growth in the Southwest. Maybe it would be better to try to limit both growth and energy use. Having said that, here are excerpts from press releases from everybody. Maybe they should talk to one another.

From Bowie Power Plant:

What separates Bowie from all other traditional coal plants is that rather than burning coal, Bowie will gasify coal prior to combustion through a process called Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). As a result, emissions, water use and solid waste will be significantly less than conventional coal plants. Bowie's high-tech emission controls will remove at least 99% of the sulfur dioxide and 90% of the mercury contained in the fuel. When Bowie Power Station is ultimately approved by the Cochise County Board of Supervisors, it will hire 700 to 1,100 construction workers over a three- to four-year period. The facility will hire 100 to 120 full-time employees when it’s up and running.

The IGCC process takes pulverized coal and mixes it with water (Where is that water coming from if climate change is going to cause more drought in the West?) to produce a coal slurry. The slurry is exposed to oxygen at high temperature and pressure and through chemical reactions produces a low BTU synthesis gas (syngas), composed primarily of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The syngas is then cleaned of harmful pollutants contained in the coal using commercially proven gas-cleaning processes. The combustion turbine-generator burns the clean syngas and generates power.

Southwestern Power Group is a Phoenix-based privately held company that develops, constructs, owns and operates gas-fired power plants throughout the United States. For the past 30 years, SouthWestern's staff has been involved in the siting, environmental permitting, design, engineering, construction, financing and operations of power plants, power distribution systems and transmission facilities, both domestically and internationally.

From Arizona Range News Editorial 7/25/07:

In a perfect world, things are black and white. When something is good, it is all good, and the converse is true. This is not a perfect world.

And so it is that the proposed Bowie power plant is not all good or all bad. For those living under a rock, SouthWestern Power Group II, LLC, has proposed developing an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant in Bowie instead of the natural gas combined cycle plant that was originally proposed in 2001. They changed to coal because of the increasing and fluctuating cost of natural gas.

SWPG is now in the process of securing approvals for the facility that will be known as the Bowie Power Station. The County Board of Supervisors will rule on their rezoning request in August or September. As an indication of how complicated this whole thing is, the supervisors have hired a consultant to help them understand whether this is a good idea or not. We applaud that action, because it is truly complicated.

There appear to be a lot of positives about the proposed plant. IGCC plants are much cleaner than their old-fashioned predecessors, such as Apache outside of Willcox. And the levels of permitted pollutants will not increase with the switch from gas to coal. The developers are still bound by the original environmental limits that came with the 2001 application.

That means that all the byproducts from power generation must be dealt with by SWPG. So the days of producing mountains of ash and just leaving it there to accumulate are gone. The proposed plant will capture carbon dioxide before it is released into the atmosphere. That byproduct is much sought by growers. But if SWPG cannot come up with a commercially viable method for using the carbon dioxide, they still cannot just dump it into the environment.

Jobs will be created during construction and later and revenue will be generated. Moreover, additional electrical capacity will be generated to fuel future growth.

On the other hand, while IGCC plants are cleaner than conventional plants, they still result in additional emissions of greenhouse gases. That is troubling in a time of global warming.

Although this is a better way to use coal, coal is still a non-renewable resource. We wish the same amount of zeal and technical expertise would be devoted to generating power with renewable resources.

And there are still questions about who will use all the byproducts of the plant. The developers don't have all the answers on who will use the byproducts and whether or not they can make this a viable business.

As we said before, this is not a black and white issue. But then life rarely is. Given all of that, and barring any troubling new information the county's consultant might uncover, we still think this is a decent project. It will be good for Bowie and the county in the long run.

From California's depiction of a Stirling Energy Systems solar power plant. View Slideshow
Two Southern California utility companies are planning to develop a pair of sun-powered power plants that they claim will dwarf existing solar facilities and could rival fossil-fuel-driven power plants. Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric are working with Stirling Energy Systems, a Phoenix startup that has paired a large and efficient solar dish with a 200-year-old Stirling engine design.

Stirling Energy Systems is planning to build two separate solar farms, one with the capacity to generate 500 megawatts of electricity in the Mojave Desert near Victorville, California, for SoCal Edison, and a 300-megawatt plant in the Imperial Valley, near Calexico, California, for SDG&E. The utilities have signed 20-year deals to buy all the juice the farms can turn out, and have options to expand the plants if they are successful. "Without question, this will be the largest solar project in the world," said Gil Alexander, a spokesman for SoCal Edison. "It will be bigger than all U.S. solar-energy projects combined."

"There is a possibility with this project that solar energy could go commercial in a big way for the first time," said Alexander. "It's playing in the big leagues." Instead of using panels of photovoltaic cells -- solar power's mainstay technology for decades -- Stirling Energy Systems uses 40-foot-tall curved dishes that focus the sun's energy onto Stirling engines. Also called an external heat engine, the Stirling engine is a completely sealed system filled with hydrogen. The focused solar energy, which can reach 1,350 degrees Fahrenheit, heats the hydrogen, making it expand and drive the engine's four pistons. Osborn said the Stirling dishes are 30 percent efficient -- 30 percent of the sun's energy is converted into electricity -- which is two to three times as efficient as conventional photovoltaic cells.

Osborn said his company's dishes are easy to maintain because the engine is a closed system that never needs to be refilled -- an important factor for a large-scale facility in the middle of the desert. In fact, the only resource it consumes is "a little bit of water to wash the mirrors off every few weeks," he said. The company is currently operating a six-dish test site at Sandia National Laboratories to showcase the concept, but the SoCal Edison and SDG&E plants are Stirling Energy Systems' first commercial contracts.

The first phase of the SoCal Edison project will be to build a 1-megawatt test site using 40 dishes, which should be complete by spring 2007. Construction on the full, 500-megawatt facility is expected to begin in mid-2008, and should take three to four years. Each dish can produce up to 25 kilowatts, and the site will eventually have 20,000 dishes stretching across 4,500 acres of desert. Stirling plans to begin construction on SDG&E's 300-megawatt project in late 2008, and it should take about two years to install the 12,000 dishes covering about 2,000 acres.

(The energy output here would rival Bowie's, and the on-line date is similar. If Cochise County is serious about collecting tax base from a power plant, this sure looks like the way to go. And it seems to be happening with private funding.)

FROM CONGRESSWOMAN GIFFORD'S OFFICE:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' first solar energy bill cleared a significant hurdle this afternoon, earning strong bipartisan support at a hearing of the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee. Giffords' Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007 is aimed at reducing global warming and increasing America’s use of renewable energy by harnessing the power of the sun. Backing from the subcommittee paves the way for the legislation to be considered next week by the House Science and Technology Committee.

"A bold new era awaits us – an era of clean energy independence," said Giffords, a member of the committee and vice chairwoman of the subcommittee. "I firmly believe this is the Apollo mission of our generation. Our goal today, however, is not to put a man on the icy surface of the moon, but to capture the awesome power of the sun."

While drafting the bill, Giffords consulted with her Solar Energy Advisory Council, a group of scientists, engineers, business leaders and environmentalists from Southern Arizona. The act establishes a four-point plan to promote solar power. It calls for:

• The creation of a research and development program into thermal energy storage technologies for concentrating solar power (CSP). CSP uses mirrors to convert the sun’s energy into heat, which is then used to produce electricity. The focus of the program will be on how to improve storage technology so that solar energy consumers can obtain electricity at night and on cloudy days;
• A report regarding the integration of concentrating solar power plants and regional electricity transmission systems, including how to send electricity from high solar resource areas (such as Arizona) to areas with less solar power;
• An analysis of how to reduce the amount of water consumed by concentrating solar power systems; and
• A program to create and strengthen solar industry workforce training and internship programs in order to ensure that current and future employees obtain the necessary skills to install, operate, and maintain solar energy products.

A recent report by the Integovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that global warming likely will have a dramatic impact on the American West by permanently reducing the flow of the Colorado River, a vital source of water and power for more than 25 million people in Arizona and six other states. The dire consequences of such an eventuality include more severe and prolonged droughts, water shortages, forest fires, and a proliferation of environmentally devastating invasive species. To curb the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, Giffords believes solar energy can and must play a crucial role.

"The potential of solar energy is nothing short of astounding," the Tucson lawmaker said. "In Arizona we have more than 300 days of brilliant sunshine every year. Not to tap this unlimited natural resource would be short-sighted and foolish. Solar energy stimulates business development, creates new jobs, helps protect our environment, and promotes energy independence. My legislation will move solar energy forward by targeting some of the gaps that several experts have identified in our national solar energy strategy."

Giffords noted that her bill is only the beginning. "This is the first step in the overall solar energy agenda for the 110th Congress. I am considering additional pieces of legislation, and I know that other House committees are considering bills that could have a positive impact on solar energy," the Tucson lawmaker said. "All solar energy technologies – photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, and solar heating and lighting – should be promoted if we are to realize the full potential of solar energy."

To get more information on the bill, go to http://science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1897.

(So, turn off those lights, and write to everyone you can think of, and maybe, just maybe, we won't get anoher power plant in the County.)

SUPPORT THE TUMACACORI HIGHLANDS LEGISLATION

Congressman Raul Grijalva has introduced the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Act of 2007 (H.R. 3287) into the United States House of Representatives!

The bill will permanently protect approximately 85,000 acres of rolling hills, rugged canyons, and rare species habitat as federal wilderness on the Coronado National Forest. The area is just an hour's drive south from approximately 1 million people in metropolitan Tucson. The area lies north of the Mexican border, west of I-19, from the Pajarita Wilderness Area north to Tubac. Click on the link below for the Friends of the Tumacacori Highlands' map.

http://www.tumacacoriwild.org/images/TumacacoriHighlandsWildernessMap-thumb.jpg

The much-anticipated legislation calls for permanent protection for the Highlands—home to subtropical species like the jaguar, elegant trogon, and Chiricahua leopard frog that are found nowhere else in the United States. The Tumacacori Highlands are part of the world renowned Sky Island bioregion—a global biodiversity "hotspot" that supports the highest diversity levels of mammals, birds, and reptiles in our nation. The bill would also preserve the sweeping views from Atascosa Lookout, culturally significant sites, and numerous archaeological areas within the Highlands.

This is an historic moment for Arizona. And this is the result of the efforts of many, many Arizonans who want to see wild Arizona preserved.

With legislation now introduced to designate the Tumacacori Highlands as Wilderness it is important for the Arizona Congressional Delegation to know that Arizonans support Wilderness. They need to hear this message regularly! Please take a moment to contact your Representative and Senators. A short, handwritten note is fine.

If you live in Congresswoman Giffords' district (Arizona 08):

The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords
U.S. House of Representatives
502 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable John McCain
United States Senate
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

If you live in Congressman Grijalva's district (Arizona 07):

The Honorable Raúl Grijalva
U.S. House of Representatives
1440 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Jon Kyl
United States Senate
730 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

AND BLOGWORLD

And for the truly demented among us (yes, I mean us) we are recommending the following site for a look at how others are personally responding to the challenge of being green:

www.greenasathistle.com

This Toronto native is attempting to make one green change a day for a year, and writing about it. She has links to other sites about personal responses to some of the energy, conservation, consumption, local food, simplicity, and social justice issues. Pretty thought-provoking for first thing in the morning.

Verna and Pat Berry - Conservation Chair
August 8, 2007

Last updated: 31 August 2007 by REW.