Tuesday, December 30, 2008

State Wants to Reduce Greehouse Gas Emissions

The state wants to build a $50 million laboratory in Malta to develop and test alternative fuels and other technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

Gov. David Paterson announced the lab in a Dec. 29 letter to president-elect Barack Obama, requesting billions of dollars in federal infrastructure investments for the state. Paterson said the 80,000-square-foot lab could open within two years if the federal government gives the state $38 million to help build it.

The two-story lab would be built and operated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Thirty workers would staff the facility, many of whom already work for the state.
The lab would be located in the Saratoga Technology + Energy Park in Malta, 10 miles south of Saratoga Springs. The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority operates the tech park.

In his letter to Obama, Paterson said the lab is a key way “to keep the United States competitive in the field of energy research and development.”

The facility will test light- and heavy-duty vehicles and develop technology to retrofit older vehicles to cut down on their pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists at the lab will research a variety of fuels, such as hydrogen fuel cells.
Proponents say the lab will benefit the area’s education sector and the area’s energy and transportation sectors.

For instance, students at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy will receive training at the facility to “help ensure that the technicians entering the work force are equipped to address the very latest in motor vehicle technologies,” said Lori Severino, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

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Monday, December 22, 2008

Arizona Schools Might Implement Geothermal Technology

by Alex Bloom - Dec. 22, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Some school districts in Arizona are considering geothermal energy to reduce utility costs. Earlier this month, the Cave Creek Unified School District governing board approved the drilling of a test well at its high-school campus.

K.M. Drilling, a Camp Verde firm, will drill a 250-foot test well on Jan. 10 on the campus at Cactus Shadows High School at no cost to the district. Corgan Associates, a Phoenix architecture firm, has spoken with the Paradise Valley Unified School District about a similar project.
Robert Erickson, an architect with Corgan, said that the firm has spoken with many school districts. Erickson and Don Penn, engineer with Texas-based Image Engineering Group Inc., gave a presentation to the Cave Creek governing board at its Nov. 18 meeting. The district, Erickson said, could be among the first in the state to try geothermal.

"You can lead this state out of the prehistoric age in some respects and get on board with some of these energy savings," Erickson told the board.
The system works by attaching geothermal heat pumps to a series of buried plastic pipes. The pipes circulate water in closed-loop systems. During the winter, the ground's heat warms the circulating water and transfers it to the pumps. The process is reversed in the summer, with the pumps sending heat back into the ground.
Wells can be drilled under parking lots or green areas. Multiple wells are needed for a single building.

"If we can look for energy resources that will eventually save the district money and be more energy-efficient for our schools, then it makes sense," said Casey Perkins, a member of the Cave Creek board.

Perkins said that she first would need to see a cost analysis and that the plan would need community input. She added that geothermal is not the only cost-saving measure under consideration. Penn estimated that retrofitting the science building at Cactus Shadows would cost $250,000 to $350,000.

Corgan is talking to districts around the state about geothermal energy to lower utility costs. Whiteriver Unified School District in Navajo County is taking steps to retrofit a middle school.

"We'd love to see someone else try it in the Valley and be able to collect some data from that process," said Jim Lee, Paradise Valley's assistant superintendent for support services and planning.

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Coffee For Fuel?

ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2008) — Researchers in Nevada are reporting that waste coffee grounds can provide a cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks.

In the new study, Mano Misra, Susanta Mohapatra, and Narasimharao Kondamudi note that the major barrier to wider use of biodiesel fuel is lack of a low-cost, high quality source, or feedstock, for producing that new energy source. Spent coffee grounds contain between 11 and 20 percent oil by weight. That's about as much as traditional biodiesel feedstocks such as rapeseed, palm, and soybean oil.

Growers produce more than 16 billion pounds of coffee around the world each year. The used or "spent" grounds remaining from production of espresso, cappuccino, and plain old-fashioned cups of java, often wind up in the trash or find use as soil conditioner. The scientists estimated, however, that spent coffee grounds can potentially add 340 million gallons of biodiesel to the world's fuel supply.

To verify it, the scientists collected spent coffee grounds from a multinational coffeehouse chain and separated the oil. They then used an inexpensive process to convert 100 percent of the oil into biodiesel.

The resulting coffee-based fuel — which actually smells like java — had a major advantage in being more stable than traditional biodiesel due to coffee's high antioxidant content, the researchers say. Solids left over from the conversion can be converted to ethanol or used as compost, the report notes. The scientists estimate that the process could make a profit of more than $8 million a year in the U.S. alone. They plan to develop a small pilot plant to produce and test the experimental fuel within the next six to eight months.

Full Story

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Fuel Cells Made From Hydrogen May Be A Solution 21st Century Energy Challenges

Using hydrogen as an energy vector and in fuel cells may provide solutions to the specific energy challenges of the 21st century. Hydrogen production is currently based on the catalytic properties of “noble” metals such as platinum. For the first time, researchers at the joint Laboratoire de chimie et biologie des métaux (metal chemistry and biology, CEA-CNRS-Université Joseph Fourier, CEA's Grenoble site) have succeeded in producing hydrogen with a molecular system that doesn't require a noble metal catalyst. This outcome has important implications for the financial future of hydrogen energy.

Research to improve hydrogen production is based largely on chemical reactions observed during photosynthesis in plants. More specifically, certain micro-organisms produce hydrogen from water with the help of light. To reproduce and adapt these processes, researchers have developed molecular systems capable of both photosensitisation, which captures light energy, and catalysis, which uses the energy collected to liberate hydrogen from water.

To date, all the technological systems developed to produce or use hydrogen rely on noble metals such as...

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Production of Ethanol From Biomass

ScienceDaily (Mar. 20, 2008) — Iowa State University researchers are developing an integrated system of thermochemical and catalytic technologies to efficiently produce ethanol from plant biomass.

“Increasing supplies of renewable energy and using more energy efficient technologies must continue to play an indispensable role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting the rapidly growing demand for energy,” said Samuel Bodman, the U.S. secretary of energy.*

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Repowering Engines Get Better Gas Mileage

BETHESDA, Md., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With gasoline prices
projected to hit the $4 per gallon point by this summer, the Engine Repower
Council (ERC) reminds motorists that a repowered engine gets better gas
mileage than a worn out engine, emitting fewer pollutants as well.



"If your car or truck is experiencing major engine damage, but is in
relatively good shape otherwise, repowering it with a
remanufactured/rebuilt engine not only will help you stretch your dollars
at the gas pump, it is also a much more cost effective option compared to
purchasing a new or used car," said ERC Chairman Steve Rich.



With repowering, the engine or an identical one from another
like-vehicle, is completely remanufactured/rebuilt. Also, unlike installing
a used or junk yard engine, critically important internal parts get
replaced with new ones that meet or exceed original equipment performance
standards.



Frequently, remanufactured/rebuilt engines are even better than the new
engines installed at the factory. This is because the original factory
engine problems have been redesigned or repaired with better quality parts.
They are dependable, reliable and backed by excellent warranty programs
that also usually cover installation expenses.



Engine repowering also saves the tremendous amount of energy used in
processing discarded engines and vehicles, as well as saves an incredible
amount of raw materials that would have been used in building a new engine.



"According to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for
the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, 75 percent of drivers are
maintaining their vehicles better because of rising gas prices. Now is the
time to talk with an automotive technician to see if repowering your engine
with a remanufactured/rebuilt one is the right choice for you," concluded
Rich.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Solar Cell Production Less Harmful Than Originally Thought

ScienceDaily (Feb. 26, 2008) — In a finding that could help ease concerns about the potential environmental impact of manufacturing solar cells, scientists report that the manufacture of solar cells produces far fewer air pollutants than conventional fossil fuel technologies. Their report is the first comprehensive study on the pollutants produced during the manufacture of solar cells.

Solar energy has been touted for years as a safer, cleaner alternative to burning fossil fuels to meet rising energy demands. However, environmentalists and others are increasingly concerned about the potential negative impact of solar cell(photovoltaic) technology.

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Monday, February 25, 2008

Alternative Resources Used To Develop HCP

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Participating today in the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Camp -- a five day program to help conservation practioners, resource managers and others grappling with climate change -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced the launch of its Operations & Maintenance Habitat Conservation Plan (O&M HCP).

Developed in collaboration with federal and state natural resource agencies, the O&M HCP is an innovative new program that allows for a regional, activity-based approach to comply with the state and federal Endangered Species Act throughout the utility's northern and centralCalifornia service area.

"PG&E's regional mitigation plan is a creative and responsible corporate approach to protecting imperiled species," said Susan Moore,field supervisor in the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office.

PG&E's Operations & Maintenance Habitat Conservation Plan is an extension of the utility's commitment to serve its customers and protect the environment by effectively balancing the utility's need to maintain existing gas and electric infrastructure, and perform work in a way that avoids and minimizes impacts to protected wildlife and plant species.

"Our extensive network of gas and electric infrastructure spans over 74,000 square miles and is home to wildlife and other important natural resources," said Steven Kline, vice president, corporate environmental and federal affairs at PG&E. "As we upgrade and maintain our gas and electric facilities to meet California's growing needs, protecting threatened and endangered species and their habitats is critical. PG&E's new Habitat Conservation Plan will protect more than 175 sensitive wildlife and plant species system wide, and is the latest example of how we are developing innovative solutions to ensure responsible stewardship of these resources while continuing to provide our customers with safe, reliable and clean energy."

The utility's new O&M HCP program is designed to ensure the long-term protection of sensitive species through a process that allows PG&E to access and maintain its facilities in a timely manner. Unlike most HCPs which govern habitat protection for future land development, PG&E's O&M HCP is the first to be activity-based, addressing protection for existing land uses. Other innovative aspects of the program include the wide range of sensitive species to be covered and the governance of many small-scale operational activities dispersed over a large geographic area. This approach improves PG&E's service to customers by avoiding schedule delays associated with acquiring individual, project-by-project permits for threatened and endangered species.

Developed in collaboration with federal and state natural resource agencies, the O&M HCP program also allows PG&E to more effectively partner with local stake holders and environmental groups in support of habitat and species conservation efforts. As part of the program, PG&E is looking forward to partnering with local, state and federal conservation organizations to protect 15,000 acres of sensitive habitat.

PG&E's O&M HCP will first be rolled out to the San Joaquin Valley region in early 2008, the first in a series of six regions that cover PG&E's service area stretching from Eureka in the north to Bakersfield in the south. Additional regions include the Bay Area, Sacramento Valley, North Coast, Central Coast and Sierra Nevada. Recognizing the unique features of each region, PG&E is developing the plans to reflect the species, geography, and operational activities specific to each region. All six regions will roll up into one permit -- PG&E's Operations andMaintenance HCP.

The San Joaquin Valley O&M HCP will cover almost all of the utility's routine operations, maintenance, and minor new construction activities that occur within the San Joaquin Valley for the next 30 years. It also establishes clear goals and measures for protecting, managing and monitoring 23 wildlife and 42 plant species, including the San Joaquin kitfox, California red-legged frog, vernal pool fairy shrimp and western burrowing owl.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Greenhouse Gas Recycling Cars?

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2008) — Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a strategy to capture, store and eventually recycle carbon from vehicles to prevent the pollutant from finding its way from a car tailpipe into the atmosphere. Georgia Tech researchers envision a zero emission car, and a transportation system completely free of fossil fuels.
Technologies to capture carbon dioxide emissions from large-scale sources such as power plants have recently gained some impressive scientific ground, but nearly two-thirds of global carbon emissions are created by much smaller polluters — automobiles, transportation vehicles and distributed industrial power generation applications (e.g., diesel power generators).

Full Story

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Hybrids Not All They're Cracked Up To Be?

(Feb. 7, 2008) — Hybrid electric vehicles that run on both conventional gasoline and stored electricity can be no more than a stop gap until more sustainable technology is developed, according to researchers in France. They suggest that the adoption of HEVs might even slow development of more sustainable fuel-cell powered electric vehicles.

Jean-Jacques Chanaron Research Director within the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Grenoble School of Management and Julius Teske at Grenoble, question strongly whether the current acceptance of hybrid vehicle technology particularly in the USA is in any way environmentally sustainable.
The researchers have analyzed the spread of this technology including the non-financial driving factors for its adoption. They point out that most manufacturers are rapidly integrating hybrid electric vehicles into their technology portfolio, despite the absence of significant profitability

Full Story

Friday, February 1, 2008

BP Expands into Solar Energy

VACAVILLE, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- OCR Solar & Roofing and BP
Solar, a global leader in solar energy, today announced an expanded
agreement to provide turn-key solar installations to production
homebuilders throughout Northern and Central California. Within the
framework of the expanded agreement, valued at over $10 million, OCR Solar
& Roofing will receive the exclusive right to offer BP Solar's
market-leading EnergyTile roof-integrated solar modules to production
homebuilders in Northern and Central California. In addition, OCR Solar &
Roofing will also offer BP Solar's low profile Integra(R) framing system
for asphalt shingle roofs.

Originally purchasing solar modules under a nonexclusive supply
agreement, OCR has seen an increase in its solar revenue by over 300% since
offering BP Solar's products, and the company expects the growth rate to
more than quadruple in 2008.

"Our agreement with BP Solar is built on a strong relationship which
will strengthen the support that we provide to our homebuilder customers,"
said Aaron Nitzkin, vice president, Solar Division for OCR Solar & Roofing.
"It is a great time in California for new home renewable energy solutions,
and we plan to aggressively educate homebuilders and consumers this year on
the impact and significance of solar energy."

Unlike most solar providers that just install solar panels, OCR
installs both the roofing and solar electric systems. OCR provides this
turn-key solution to many of the region's leading homebuilders, including
Christopherson Homes, Pinn Brothers Fine Homes, Ponderosa Homes, and Tim
Lewis Communities.

"This key relationship with OCR allows us to further our goal of
becoming a leading provider of solar electric systems on new homes in
California," explained Geoff Slevin, vice president of Sales and Marketing
for BP Solar, North America. "We are confident that with our solar
expertise and products along with OCR's strong roofing reputation, we will
be able to make that happen."

The agreement is designed to support new homebuilders by offering roof-
integrated solar electric systems for energy-efficient homes. Benefits to
the homeowner include dramatically reduced or even eliminated electric
bills, improved comfort, federal tax credits and an aesthetically pleasing
roof design.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Clean Hydrogen Energy Project in Abu Dhabi

Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s initiative for renewable and alternative energy and clean technology, and Hydrogen Energy, the joint venture between BP Alternative Energy and Rio Tinto, today announced the signing of an agreement to work together on the front-end engineering design of an industrial-scale hydrogen-fired power generation project with capture of the carbon dioxide (CO2), which would then be available for transportation and storage. The plant would be located in Abu Dhabi.

Natural gas would be processed to create hydrogen and CO2. The hydrogen fuel would generate low-carbon electricity. Rather than being emitted to the atmosphere, the CO2would be captured, ready for transportation and injection into a producing oil field where it could replace natural gas currently being injected into the field to maintain pressure. The injected CO2 has also the potential to increase the proportion of Abu Dhabi’s oil that can be recovered.

Full Story

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Britain Reports Set Brazil's Ethanol Apart

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- An important step in the
right direction. That is how Brazil's Sugarcane Industry Association
(UNICA) assesses the report "Sustainable Biofuels: Prospects and
Challenges", released by Britain's Royal Society on January 14, 2008. The
report's key conclusions are that each biofuel must be evaluated on its own
merits and governments should ensure their policies promote only the
sustainable production and use of biofuels that result in meaningful
emissions reduction.

According to UNICA President and CEO Marcos Jank, the Royal Academy's
conclusion should go a long way to clarify misleading and incomplete
information that often surfaces when Brazilian ethanol, produced from
sugarcane, is lumped together with less efficient biofuels produced from
non-sustainable sources.

"Biofuels can be produced from various feedstocks, and they are not all
the same," Jank says, emphasizing that ethanol from sugarcane produced in
Brazil is widely recognized as the most efficient in terms of reduced
greenhouse gas emissions, improved energy balance and lower production
costs.

"Studies produced in various countries frequently consider biofuels as
if they were somehow equals that one can compare. Unfortunately, some
studies arrive at broad conclusions without recognizing the profound
differences that exist among different biofuels. These generalizations are
often the basis for misleading assessments about Brazilian sugarcane
ethanol."

The Royal Society report highlights the importance of continued
independent research for a complete picture about the sustainability of
different types of biofuels. "The sugar and ethanol industry in Brazil is
ready to cooperate with these efforts. We find it essential that quality
analyses and unbiased comparisons continue to be produced and
disseminated," concludes Jank.

The British report comes at a defining moment for the future of
biofuels in Europe as a new directive governing the use of renewable energy
is expected to be issued on January 23. Once the directive is approved by
the European Parliament in coming months, it will lead to the
implementation of the decision reached by the heads of government of EU
member states requiring a 10% biofuel target for transportation fuels by
2020.

"We are optimistic that Europe will not only implement the 10% biofuel
mix, but to also adopt biofuel certification mechanisms that come from a
transparent consultative process that involves all interested parties,
including the world's major producers," says Jank.

About UNICA:

Brazil's Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) represents the top
producers of sugar and ethanol in the country's South-Central region,
especially the state of Sao Paulo, which accounts for 60% of the country's
total production. Along with its 101 member companies, UNICA develops
position papers, statistics and specific research in support of the sugar
and ethanol sector. Its membership accounts for about 50% of Brazil's
sugarcane harvest. In 2007, Brazil produced 425 million metric tons of
sugarcane, which yielded 29.8 million tons of sugar and 17.7 billion liters
of ethanol.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

General Electric and Wind Turbine Co. Team Up

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2003 - A company in Bellevue, Wash., is working on a new design for wind turbines that officials believe could lower the cost of wind energy in the electric power marketplace, according to a report in the January 2003 issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine, a publication of ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).

The Wind Turbine Co. is developing a turbine with the rotor blades set in a down-wind configuration. This radically different design, which is aided by flexible towers, allows for significant weight and load reduction in the blades and other components, resulting in higher energy producing efficiency and lower costs.

Meanwhile, energy giant General Electric is going the route of very large wind turbines, including a 3.6-Megawatt machine featuring a rotor 330 feet in diameter atop a tower nearly 40 stories in height. According to Mechanical Engineering, GE plans to situate multiple 3.6-MW turbines in the waters of the Irish Sea later this year.

In addition to GE and Wind Turbine Co., other organizations supporting environmentally sustainable wind energy include the U.S. Department of Energy. In the mid-1990s, the DOE granted $40 million in seed money to private companies to develop low-cost, utility-scale wind turbines, reports Mechanical Engineering.

The commitment to technology development notwithstanding, many experts in the power business are dubious about the future of wind energy in the United States, as well as other countries. Wind turbines currently account for less than one percent of electrical energy produced in the U.S.

The main problem with wind power is cost.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

nCoat to Join U.S. and Germany in Solar Venture


WHITSETT, NC, Jan 09, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- nCoat, Inc. (OTCBB: NCOA) ("nCoat" or the "Company") has announced the signing of an agreement for business collaboration and commercial product development with Sunvention USA, Inc. ("SV-US": www.sunvention.us) and BSR Solar Technologies GmbH ("BSR": www.bsrsolar.com) using nCoat nanotechnology coatings in a Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (CSP: 10.99, -0.02, -0.18%) system to concentrate the solar radiation and create highly efficient heat absorption and retention in the heat collection element. nCoat coatings will also be used to protect solar "Green Energy" systems developed and built by SV-US and BSR.

"Thermal absorption and transfer coatings used in solar energy production is a new market segment for nCoat," said Paul Clayson, CEO of nCoat, Inc. "Combining our nanotechnology coatings products and experience with commercialization of solar energy systems positions nCoat to capture revenue at the leading edge of the projected exponential market expansion. Since our coatings are known world-wide as state-of-the-art in market ready nano materials, we are being sought by other technology players to commercialize products with them."

In collaboration with BSR technologies (located in Loerrach, Germany), SV-US is creating a working Solar Power Village on site at its Greencastle, Indiana facilities. The core patented technology of the village is an Envelope Power Greenhouse ("EPG") housing optical solar CSP systems mounted in the greenhouse roof which concentrates the energy of the sun 80 to 100 times into the solar collector system, generating electricity by converting solar radiation captured in a heat receptor into electrons. The heat generated then rapidly heats inert vegetable oil to 200 degreesC and transports the oil to a tank outside the greenhouse. The hot oil transfers thermal energy to practical uses including heat for cooking and housing, heat energy to drive a proprietary Stirling (closed-cycle, heat driven) engine to operate water pumps, mill grain and to generate electric power.

The BSR/SV-US technologies can scale from a single residence or commercial site to large scale operations. Envelope Power Greenhouses can be constructed solely for power production or for joint applications to include plant growth.

Under the terms of the agreement, nCoat will provide thermal and corrosion management coatings for BSR/SV-US technologies and will collaborate on innovations to create more efficient thermal capture and transfer of the sun's radiant light to thermal energy production and distribution. nCoat will supply both low emissivity (thermal capture) and high emissivity (thermal transfer) coatings to help enable the solar Green Energy systems.

"After 4 years and nearly 15 million dollars in development, our technologies are now fully operational and moving to commercial development," said Dr. C. William Arrington, Co-Chairman of Sunvention USA. "nCoat coatings will play a significant role in the success of the thermal management process of our systems."

BSR Solar Technologies GmbH develops solar products for...

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

A Missourri Town Runs on Wind Energy

The collaboration between John Deere Wind Energy, Wind Capital Group and the small Missouri town of Rock Port has resulted in what may be the first community in the nation capable of producing enough electricity from wind to meet all of its power needs.


Known as the Loess Hills Wind Farm, four Suzlon 1.25-MW turbines are currently being erected and will deliver 5MW of electricity into the grid that serves the 715 or so households that make up Rock Port, Mo. Missouri Public Utility Alliance, the local power company, will buy any excess electricity generated, and will also be the backup energy supplier when there isn’t enough wind to supply all the power the town needs.


Small projects like Loess Hills often are not feasible, but Rock Port’s nearness to the Cow Branch project, an excellent wind regime on a bluff within the city limits, easy proximity to the power grid and John Deere Wind Energy’s willingness to finance the effort made the Loess Hills project possible.


John Deere began working with the Wind Capital Group last year to develop the Bluegrass Ridge wind farm near Kansas City. That project is expected to begin producing power within the next month. The power generated through this project will be purchased by the Associated Electric Cooperative, a cooperative which serves rural customers in MO, southern IA and OK. AECI was recently named Wind Cooperative of the year by the U.S. Dept. of Energy for its efforts to expand the use of renewable energy in its generation mix.


More recently, the Wind Capital Group and John Deere Wind Energy joined forces again and are in the process of co-developing the 50-megawatt Cow Branch project, the Conception Wind Farm in Nodaway County and of course, the Loess Hills project in Rock Port.


While the Loess Hills project in Rock Port is small when compared to the Bluegrass Ridge project, which will have 24 Suzlon S-88 turbines and the capacity to produce enough power for approximately 30,000 homes, the residents of Rock Port don’t seem to mind.


Loess Hills could be producing electricity this fall.