The candidates in the June 8 primary offered their thoughts on energy policy during a series of interviews with The Associated Press. Three Democrats are running for their party’s nomination.

Four-term U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, two-term Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, three-term state Rep. Nikki Haley and two-term Attorney General Henry McMaster all say natural gas reserves off South Carolina’s coast could be an economic boon to the state and help the country become energy independent.

Barrett predicts tapping into natural gas would create thousands of jobs and perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties. He proposes putting 70 percent of that revenue toward infrastructure, 20 percent to law enforcement and 10 percent into renewable energies.

Some experts doubt that commercially feasible oil exists off South Carolina’s coast, but three candidates want to explore, provided safeguards are in place. Haley compared the flow of crude in the Gulf of Mexico – what’s become the worst oil spill in U.S. history – to a plane crash.

“We don’t stop all the planes from flying. What we do is we look at that accident, we learn from it and say, ‘What do we need to do to make sure that it doesn’t happen again?’ That’s the same thing here,” said Haley, 38, of Lexington.

Bauer said the $75 million federal cap on oil spill liability, beyond direct cleanup costs, must be lifted to prompt companies to use the latest technology and equipment.

But McMaster had more reservations, saying it may be impossible to ensure oil drilling can be done without a spill.

“If we mess up this coastline, we’ll never get it back,” he said. “Then we have ruined ourselves for the future because that’s part of the economic engine.”

Barrett, Bauer and McMaster said outright that any drilling rigs must be far enough off shore to be out of sight from land. Barrett said no structures within 20 miles of the coast. Haley said she’d study the rigs’ effects on the environment and tourism before deciding.

The candidates take a let’s-try-everything approach to energy.

Bauer said he likes the idea of increasing business at South Carolina ports by offering container ships breaks on the cost of biodiesel produced by in-state farmers. And he said he would work with legislators to eliminate corporate taxes for companies deemed green, whether in research and development or energy production.

“If we want to be known as a state that brings high-dollar jobs in, let’s come up with a totally green pitch to the world: You come to South Carolina; you pay zip in corporate taxes,” said Bauer, 41, of Greer.

All four champion the expansion of nuclear energy, both for job creation and as a clean energy solution. They support promoting other alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind and hydrogen, but say only nuclear currently offers substantial energy output.

“Nuclear power is essential. Right now, it’s the answer and will be for many, many years,” said McMaster, 63, of Columbia. “Nuclear power is clean and green. We understand it in this state. It’s efficient.”

The Republicans believe plans for Yucca Mountain, a project 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, must get back on track so highly radioactive nuclear waste isn’t permanently stored in South Carolina. The Obama administration wants to halt plans to open the nuclear repository. South Carolina and Washington state are suing to prevent the federal government from killing the project.

“I think ultimately we’re going to prevail,” McMaster said, noting that South Carolina’s power plants have contributed more than $1 billion to the repository over nearly 30 years. “But if we don’t, that will have an impact all across the country on nuclear power, because people will wonder where it’s going to go.”

Regardless, GOP candidates said, uncertainty on Yucca Mountain should not sidetrack nuclear energy.

But even with that repository, spent nuclear fuel rods should be recycled at the Savannah River Site for power plants, said Barrett, whose district includes the Department of Energy facility near Aiken.

“If we don’t continue down the recycling venue, then Yucca Mountain is literally full before it’s open,” said Barrett, 49, of Westminster. “Everything we’ve got stored right now will fill up Yucca Mountain.”

Site:http://www.thestate.com/2010/05/30/1310080/sc-gop-gov-candidates-want-to.html

By SEANNA ADCOX - Associated Press Writer

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Thanks to a $105,000 grant from SC DHEC and a funding match by the South Carolina Public Railways, two locomotives are being retrofitted to burn cleaner diesel fuel, which translates to cleaner air in and around Charleston.

“By making that burn leaner and cleaner that reduces sulfur oxide emitted from smoke,” said Jeff Davis, COO of the South Carolina Public Railways. “Sulfur went from 35ppm to 15pm.”

It is a significant reduction considering the amount of work the engines put in as they move cargo around the port facility. The retrofitting was a voluntary effort on the part of the South Carolina Pulblic Railways, one that’s being commended by DHEC.

“Reducing diesel emissions is one of the most important public health challenges we face today,” SC DHEC’s Myra Reece said.

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“This is a common sense way to promote more recycling and reuse of electronic devices, and to discourage the disposal of environmentally harmful materials in our landfills,” Sanford said in a statement about the “E-Waste Recycling Bill.” Some e-waste contains lead and mercury that can leach from soil into groundwater.

The law calls on manufacturers and retailers to set up recycling programs for items such as TVs, printers and computers. Most of its provisions take effect in July 2011.

As Green House recently reported, electronics are being recycled in record numbers nationwide as more states require it and more companies collect and even pay for discarded items.

At least 21 states and New York City have passed legislation mandating e-waste recycling, and a handful of other states are considering such bills, according to Barbara Kyle of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition.

Kyle says the laws vary widely, and South Carolina’s isn’t particularly tough. She says it requires manufacturers to have a program but not much more than that.

“It’s a start but would need to be strengthened to really make much of a dent in the problem,” she says in an e-mail. Kyle notes that states with a similar law such as Texas and Virginia have recycled “very modest” amounts of e-waste compared to those with strict rules.

South Carolina’s new law has widespread support, including from the Sierra Club, Waste Management, Hewlett-Packard and other computer manufacturers, according to The Post and Courier.

Jones Brent, USA Today

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That shift is already evident in the McAlpine Creek area in southeast Charlotte, N.C., which has been turned into a test bed for solar-powered electricity and smart grid technology thanks to a partnership between Duke Energy and Sunstore Solar.

The McAlpine substation now features an array of 213 solar panels that provide 50 kilowatts of electricity, or enough to power five homes when the panels are operating, Woods said.

The array installed by Sunstore Solar generates an electric current as sunlight hits the surface of the solar panels. Part of that electricity is fed directly back into the electric grid powering the McAlpine homes. The rest of the electricity will be used to charge a 500-kilowatt storage battery when energy is available, but in low demand, Woods said.

The second aspect to the McAlpine Creek project is implementing smart grid technology, which combined with the solar panels and battery, creates a virtual power plant, according to Duke Energy.

Smart grid technology involves using smart meters and digital communications that improve reliability, reduce outage duration and provide customers with usage data and the ability to customize their energy usage, leading to greater efficiency and savings, according to Duke Energy.

“Today’s electric distribution system has changed little over the past 100 years,” said David Mohler, Duke Energy’s chief technology officer. “Smart grid will provide a 21st-century, two-way digital communications link between the company and its customers.”

Mohler added that Duke Energy plans to launch similar installations throughout its system in the future.

While the McAlpine Creek project is of a moderate size and scope, Woods said some areas in Florida and California are beginning to complete large array installations where huge fields of systems are being used to power entire communities and subdivisions.

As the clean energy and sustainability movement gains popularity, Woods envisions more utility companies adopting solar technology and generating solar-powered electricity to sell to their customers.

Large commercial customers, such as universities or corporations, will generate their own clean energy as well, he said.

“I think we’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak,” Woods said. “The price of solar has come down. It’s really beginning to take hold, (and) we’re fixing to see wide-scale adoption of these technologies.”

Via Anna Lee

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“The scientific research efforts of CALCD, combined with those of 45 other new EFRCs, are focused on the development of lower-cost renewable fuels that can be produced in the U.S.,” said Bruce. “The ultimate goal is to develop new environmentally friendly reaction processes that will help to decrease the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.”

Bruce said that most renewable fuels now must be subsidized by government entities to be cost-competitive with fossil fuels. The materials that will be developed by the catalyst design center will enable renewable fuels to be produced at a lower cost and allow more of the feedstock to be converted into usable fuel and chemical products, which will further reduce the carbon footprint of new production processes.

Bruce will receive $714,000 for five years to use advanced computational methods to provide the molecular insights needed for collaborators on the project to prepare catalyst materials that are optimally suited to convert cellulose and other waste organic materials into renewable liquid fuels and bio-derived chemicals.

“Using state-of-the-art simulation and material-characterization methods, we plan to develop the next generation of catalysts and reaction processes that are needed to efficiently produce the bio-derived fuels of tomorrow,” said Bruce. “We expect to make significant discoveries in the coming years given the exceptional computational facilities at Clemson. The Palmetto high performance computer system and Internet 2 connectivity at Clemson will greatly enhance our abilities to model these reaction systems and interact with the other center investigators.”

The Center for Atomic-Level Catalyst Design, located at Louisiana State University, is a collaborative effort that includes 21 investigators from nine institutions in the United States and Europe. Bruce will serve as its coordinator for all simulation efforts. James Goodwin, a professor in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Clemson, will serve as a consultant to the project for one year.

Via David Bruce Clemson.edu

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The program, which was implemented in early 2003, collects methane gas at The Palmetto Landfill in Wellford and transports it more than nine miles via pipeline to BMW’s production plant near Greer.

More than 60 percent of the plant’s total energy requirements are met by burning methane gas, and Bobby Hitt, department manager of media and public affairs for BMW Manufacturing Co., said the expansion will help the company more efficiently use the gas siphoned from the landfill.

“We’re all about innovation and improving our sustainability at BMW,” he said. “We’re happy to be able to add on to this program.”

Hitt said the new system will include two gas turbine generators capable of producing 11,000 kilowatts of electricity. The two new turbines will replace four older ones — improving output from 14 percent to nearly 30 percent while using the same amount of methane.

The landfill project has saved the automaker about $5 million in energy costs annually. The new turbines are expected to increase those savings by up to $2 million a year while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 92,000 tons per year.

“BMW’s landfill gas program has been a tremendous initiative for the plant,” BMW Manufacturing President Josef Kerscher said in a statement. “Using methane gas to power our plant is one example of our focus on environmentally-friendly production processes.”

The German automaker has undertaken a $750 million expansion to add 1.5 million square feet of production space and 500 jobs as it seeks to ramp up annual vehicle production from 160,000 units to 240,000 units by 2012.

Once the additions go online, BMW’s X3, X5 and X6 models, and their respective variants, will be produced exclusively in Spartanburg for more than 120 markets around the globe.

But Hitt said the expansion of the gas-to-energy program had less to do with increased energy needs and more to do with improving the plant’s ability to collect and use methane.

“It’s a great project for us,” he said. “The new turbines are highly efficient and that’s really what this is all about.”

Methane, which is produced as landfill waste decomposes, is considered to be a very potent greenhouse gas.

Data provided by BMW said the new landfill gas program will reduce CO2 emissions by 92,000 tons per year, up from 65,000 tons previously reported for the four turbines operating 85 percent of the time.

Via GoUpstate.com

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In 2007, the state had 11,255 clean energy jobs and 884 clean energy businesses. It showed a 36.2 percent growth rate during a 10-year period, the Pew Charitable Trusts said in its new report, “The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Business and Investments Across America.”

Nationally, the clean energy economy grew at a 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007, the report found. “South Carolina has a small but fast-growing piece of the nation’s clean energy economy,” said Heyward Bannister, Pew’s South Carolina representative.

The report counted jobs in each state that exist because of environmentally friendly businesses and services. It did not include estimates, multipliers or projections.

In South Carolina, those jobs include companies such as Argand Energy Solutions. The 15-worker company designs and installs solar-powered electric and hot-water systems. And the state keeps recruiting new clean energy companies. Earlier this year, Peregrine Energy Corp. of Greenville announced plans for a $135 million biomass energy plant. It is slated to open in 2012 and would employ 30 full-time workers. The plant will burn byproducts from the logging industry to provide 50 megawatts of electricity for Sonoco’s Hartsville plant.

South Carolina’s clean energy economy grew at an average annual rate of 3.56 percent, the report said. The clean energy sector’s growth rate was 16 times faster than the overall job growth rate, the report said.

Among the other findings:

–South Carolina ranked ninth nationally in the fastest-growing percentage of clean-energy jobs.

–South Carolina ranked 24th in the nation in the number of clean-energy jobs.

–It ranked 25th in the number of clean energy businesses.

–The state ranked 28th in the number of clean technology patent registrations.

–Clean-energy jobs made up less than 1 percent of the state’s 2 million jobs.

–South Carolina had not attracted venture capital funding for clean energy jobs.

–South Carolina offers financial incentives to drive the clean-energy economy.

–The state does not participate in regional initiatives such as multistate agreements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

–South Carolina does not require electricity providers to provide a minimum percentage of customer power from renewable resources.

Via Post and Courier

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In “The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America,” Pew developed a data-driven definition of the clean energy economy and conducted the first-ever hard count across all 50 states of the actual jobs, companies and venture capital investments that are supplying the market for environmentally friendly products and services.

Pew’s analysis found that between 1998 and 2007, jobs in South Carolina’s clean energy economy grew at a rate of 36.2%, while the overall number of jobs in South Carolina grew by 2.2%.

“South Carolina’s clean energy economy is growing quickly,” said Heyward Bannister, S.C. representative for the Pew Environment Group. “South Carolina’s program providing low-interest loans for building renewable energy facilities, including those powered by wind and solar, should help the state expand its clean energy economy.”

South Carolina was part of a national trend that saw job growth in the clean energy economy outperforming overall job growth in 38 states and the District of Columbia over the same period. Nationally, while jobs in the clean energy economy grew at a rate of 9.1% between 1998 and 2007, total jobs grew by 3.7%.

In 2007, South Carolina’s clean energy economy had nearly 11,300 jobs. The report finds that the emerging industry is creating jobs as diverse as engineers, plumbers, administrative assistants, construction workers, machine setters, marketing consultants and teachers, with annual incomes ranging from $21,000 to $111,000.

Federal and state lawmakers see the sector as helping spur America’s economic recovery and protect the environment. The effort will receive a boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allocates nearly $85 billion nationwide in direct spending and tax incentives for energy- and transportation-related programs. South Carolina also provides financial incentives for clean energy, such as the Renewable Energy Grants and Loans Program.

“If the true cost of fossil fuel-based energy sources were factored in to the cost of electricity, then the playing field for clean energy would become much more level, and companies like ours could grow exponentially,” said Erik Lensch, president of Argand Energy Solutions, an installer of solar electric, wind energy and solar hot water systems.

Via Charleston Business

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The Energy Saver A/S combines low-rolling-resistance technology with wet braking and all-season performance. The tire’s composition also allows it to stay cooler, which improves fuel efficiency. As a reference point, the low-rolling-resistance tires that are standard on the 2010 Toyota Prius can manage about 5% better fuel economy than optional 17-inch tires that aren’t low-rolling-resistance. Michelin recommends the tires for drivers who travel under 10,000 miles per year.

Michelin will promote the tire through a digital and social media campaign that will begin – where else? – on Facebook. The tire-maker will launch the group Michelin Life Balance, where it will ask users to share unique car stories. Fifty lucky winners will get a $5 Starbucks gift card each day from now until July 4.

Via Tire Business

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