A presentation by ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell to the Biocycle Conference, discussing how biogas electricity and heat could help support variable renewable electricity and boost renewable energy use for building heating. Given on Oct. 29, 2012 in St. Louis, MO.

1. The Missing
Piece
Image credit Shel Silverstein
of America’s Clean Local
Energy Transformation
John Farrell, Senior Researcher
Presentation to Biocycle Conference on Oct. 29, 2012

2. How Much of Missouri’s Power
from Rooftop Solar?
?%
Residential and Commercial roofs

3. How Much of Missouri’s Power
from Rooftop Solar?
21%
Residential and Commercial roofs

4. How Much Power from Local, Rooftop Solar?
23% 21%
18% 24%
19% 19%
21% 24%
21%
23% 25% 22%
15%
14% 23%
23%
20% 12% 18% 24%
51% 21%
18% 20% 26%
38%
52% 41% 17% 19%
11% 24%
25% 21% 19%
28%
23%
49% 28% 19%
26% 24%
22% 20% 31%
23%
35%
Potential Percent of Electricity
23% from Rooftop Solar PV 42%
0 to 10%
10 to 25%
25 to 50%
49%
Residential and Commercial roofs 50 to 100%

5. How Much Power from Local Wind?
116% 109%
297% 780%
27,000% 28,000%
311% 3200%
543% 912% 12%
35,000% 116%
14,000% 478%
3%
5200% 14% 1% 2%
97% 14,000%
541% 223% 11%
269%
52% 2900% 726% 2%
25% 9%
9700% 1500% 2%
3%
2%
95% 4100% 300%
8900% 4%
0% 2% 1%
10%
2500%
Potential Percent of Electricity
from Onshore Wind Power
0% 0 to 10% 0%
10 to 25%
25 to 50%
50 to 100%
0%
100 meters, 30% c.f. or better 100% or more

6. How Much Power from Local Renewables?
32 states - 100%+
9 states - 50%+
Potential Percent of Electricity
from Renewables
0 to 10%
10 to 25%
25 to 50%
50 to 100%
100% or more

7. Transformation
Yesterday Tomorrow
Centralized Power Clean, local power
Solar PV
power plant
Storage Storage
Transmission network
Storage
Storage
House
Local CHP plant
Distribution network House with
domestic CHP
Wind
power
Factory Commercial plant
building

8. 10¢
•prevent blackouts
5¢ •reduce pollution
•create jobs
0¢
0¢
$4/Watt •on-site/near demand
•lower transmission losses
-5¢
•reduce dist. system stress
•hedge against fuel prices
•avoided cost
-10¢
-15¢ 4¢
How the utility
values distributed
-20¢
-20¢
Cost of solar Energy value
generation
Grid benefits Social benefits
Distributed Solar Power Worth Far More Than Electrons | Energy Self-Reliant States - http://tinyurl.com/3tqmerh

9. 10¢
•prevent blackouts
5¢ •reduce pollution
•create jobs
0¢
0¢
•on-site/near demand
•lower transmission losses
-5¢
•reduce dist. system stress
•hedge against fuel prices
•avoided cost
-10¢
8.5¢ But it’s
-15¢ 4¢ worth
-20¢
-20¢
more
Cost of solar Energy value Grid benefits Social benefits
Distributed Solar Power Worth Far More Than Electrons | Energy Self-Reliant States - http://tinyurl.com/3tqmerh

10. 10¢
and more
•prevent blackouts
5¢ •reduce pollution
•create jobs
0¢ •on-site/near demand
0¢
•lower transmission losses 12.4¢
-5¢
•reduce dist. system stress
•hedge against fuel prices
•avoided cost
-10¢
8.5¢
-15¢ 4¢
-20¢
-20¢
Cost of solar Energy value Grid benefits Social benefits
Distributed Solar Power Worth Far More Than Electrons | Energy Self-Reliant States - http://tinyurl.com/3tqmerh

11. It’s Real
$0.15
$0.12
$0.09
$0.06
Local capacity value
$0.03 7¢ Avoided transmission access
Environmental
Avoided transmission losses
$0 Brown energy replacement
Palo Alto, CA, municipal utility
Feed-In Tariff for PV in Palo Alto, Calif. Imminent: http://tinyurl.com/72sxgsb

12. It’s Real
$0.15
}
$0.12 6¢ per kWh
$0.09
in addition to
electricity
$0.06
Local capacity value
$0.03 7¢ Avoided transmission access
Environmental
Avoided transmission losses
$0 Brown energy replacement
Palo Alto, CA, municipal utility
Feed-In Tariff for PV in Palo Alto, Calif. Imminent: http://tinyurl.com/72sxgsb

13. Jobs per Megawatt
Solar PV
Wind
Coal
Natural Gas
0 2 4 6 8 10
Construction, manufacturing, and installation
Ongoing maintenance and fuel
Putting Renewables to Work: How Many Jobs Can the Clean Energy Industry Create? (UC Berkeley)

14. Local Economic Impact
Not local
Up to 3.4x higher
Local ownership
Economic Development Impacts of Community Wind Projects: A Review and Empirical Evaluation (NREL)

15. Not local -44%
+77% net approval
Local
Ownership
+33%
0 25 50 75 100
very negative negative neutral positive very positive
Attitude towards increased use of local wind energy

16. Jobs
Clean, Local Energy
Votes Money
Photo credits: (wind) Flickr user ali_pk, (solar, above) Ian-S, (solar, below) MN CERTS, (money) Flickr user epSos.de

17. Image credit Shel Silverstein

18. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/12/02/3081889.htm

19. Biogas or
Biomass CHP
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/12/02/3081889.htm

21. What’s Missing?
Renewable energy policy
17%
Solar/wind electricity 10%

22. Current RE policy
17%
Solar/wind electricity 10%
Geothermal electricity
Micro hydropower

23. Current RE policy
17%
Solar/wind electricity 10%
Geothermal electricity
Micro hydropower
Ground-source geothermal
Solar heat (e.g. hot water)

24. Current RE policy
17%
Solar/wind electricity 10%
Geothermal electricity
Micro hydropower
Ground-source geothermal
Solar heat (e.g. hot water)
Biomass CHP
Biogas Heat

25. Current RE policy
17%
Solar/wind electricity 10%
Geothermal electricity
Micro hydropower
Ground-source geothermal 100%
Solar heat (e.g. hot water)
100%
Biomass CHP
Biogas Heat
Biogas Fuel Cells
Renewable NG

27. States with Renewable Heat Policies
An Overview of Renewable Heating in the United States: Policy and Market Trends

28. States with Renewable Heat Policies
(that offset non-electricity)
An Overview of Renewable Heating in the United States: Policy and Market Trends

29. Biogas Policies Biogas Energy
CLEAN Contracts
(Feed-In Tariffs) Electricity, Heat, and
Cogeneration
Enhanced Renewable
Electricity Standards
Pipeline Renewable
Renewable Natural Natural Gas
Gas Standards
Biogas: Rethinking the Midwest’s Potential

30. What’s Missing?
Biogas and Biomass for:
Flexible electricity
Renewable heat
Look for success: Germany, Denmark