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New video illustrates devastation on Gulf, wildlife.

An important pressure test on the latest attempt by BP to cap its leaking oil well was originally scheduled for Monday, but has yet to get underway. The problem seems to be nervousness about how well the cap will hold, and the even longer delays stemming from a test failure. Thad Allen, Commander of the federal spill response and retired Coast Guard Admiral, made the choice yesterday to delay the test at least another 24 hours.

The test would shut off the flow of oil by sealing a stack of valves on a cap already installed at the wellhead nearly a mile beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. If the well is able to hold pressure, then the cap could remain on, effectively closing off the leak that has been spewing anywhere from 2 to 4 million gallons of oil into the Gulf daily. Estimates on the exact amount of oil leaking daily vary widely, but are certainly more than the low-ball accounts given by BP when the spill began nearly 90 days ago (after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank, killing 11 workers and setting off the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history).

Senior BP Vice President Kent Wells, who noted that the test was so important officials decided to give another day to study it, told the New York Times that his company was waiting for pressure to build up to ideal test conditions. “It’s very clear,” he said. “What we’re waiting for is pressure to build up. The higher, the better.”

However, a technician involved in the test, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Times that the real debate was whether the test was worth the risk, as a pressure buildup could damage the well bore and force the repair team several steps backward in eventually sealing it up. The technician added that the test is also designed to provide data in relation to drilling the relief well that will permanently stop the leak, but he asserts that many relief wells have been drilled in the past without such information and that to wait for it is unnecessary.

The test could take anywhere from 6 to 48 hours to complete, if and when it gets started.

On a different note, today I discovered a video compilation of photos taken of the BP oil disaster. The photos, from the Alexander Higgins Blog, illustrate the incredible devastation the oil spill has leaked on the Gulf of Mexico, its shores and the wild and marine life inhabiting the region. Higgins prefaces the compilation as “the photos BP does not want you to see,” which is obvious considering BP’s blatant culpability in the disaster and almost laughable (if not so disturbing) ineptitude at doing anything about it.

Say what you will about Higgins’ rather inflammatory blog or the soundtrack he provides to the aforementioned video; the photographs do not lie and really bring home for us who live on the other side of the country (or world) real pain and destruction caused by the BP oil spill for the residents of the Gulf region, both human and animal. It also goes to show the true necessity and urgency of weening ourselves off of fossil fuels and into renewable resources such as solar power (a good alternative for ailing southern U.S. states in the line of fire from the spill).

Photo Credit via screengrabs of a CBS Video

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The Senate legislative end game for energy has begun: Yesterday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, along with Sen. Tim Johnson, D-SD, introduced a bill that would provide significant incentives for renewable energy, including wind and biofuels.

Titled the Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act (SAFEST), the legislation would establish a renewable electricity standard (RES) of 25% by 2025, extend the eligibility period of existing tax credits for new projects for two years, create a new tax credit to offset the cost of integrating wind and solar energy into the existing transmission systems.

“The strength of our nation is tied to the strength of our energy economy,” Klobuchar said. “Not only are we still dependent on foreign oil, other countries are making great strides in developing clean energy technologies. With the ingenuity of American farmers and manufacturers, we have the ability to be the global leader in energy. This bill will provide incentives that can boost our economy and help us secure our energy future.”

AWEA supports the legislation, which may be combined with legislation expected to be introduced later this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

AWEA CEO Denise Bode said, “The provisions of this bill are essential to getting America on the road to a clean energy future and to creating American jobs. We applaud Sen. Klobuchar for her leadership and diligence.”

Proponents hope that the Senate can pass a bill before the August recess, and that it can be reconciled with House-passed legislation in September.

“There is strong momentum now to bring an energy bill to the floor as early as next Monday. I’m very hopeful Sen. Reid and President Obama and leadership of the Senate will seize the moment,” said former Senate Leader Tom Daschle, who is serving as an adviser to AWEA for the legislation effort. He made the comment in an interview with Politico.

More than a dozen wind industry executives are in Washington this week to meet with Senators and urge support for energy legislation that includes a strong RES.

On Monday, SoloPower announced the launch of its new line of flexible, lightweight solar panels. The product, called the SFX1-i, is produced using low-cost roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques, weighs only 5 pounds and has a conversion efficiency of about 11 percent. The modules within are made using copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar cells, one of the more promising thin-film solar technologies.

The SFX1-i, an 80-watt module, is only the first of several to come from SoloPower. In line are the SFX1-i3, a 260W, 13-pound module, and the SFX2, a 170W module weighing 8 pounds.

SoloPower believes their flexible solar modules will provide customers with a feasible home solar power solution at a more affordable price accentuated by easy installation. SFX1-i modules are scheduled to be available to the general public sometime in the second half of 2010.

What sets SoloPower apart from its competitors in the young and volatile CIGS sector is its manufacturing process. Rather than using a sputtering, printing or evaporation process like most of its competitors (including struggling Nanosolar, Miasolé and Solyndra), SoloPower uses a unique electrochemical deposition process to attach its solar cells to a flexible foil substrate. This electrochemical process allows near 100-percent material utilization at a low cost, the company claims.

While other CIGS companies have gone to production first, all have met hardships, and SoloPower is no exception. After rebounding from a lawsuit with its founder, the company is now, with new CEO in the lead, finally plunging into the highly competitive and unpredictable sea that is the solar marketplace.

Sources: Jetson Green, Greentech Media

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