New report encourages energy innovation as Defense Department priority | The Energy CollectiveThe 14 MW solar farm at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada demonstrates the potential for further energy innovation opportunities within the Department of Defense.
With Congress demurring once again on comprehensive energy innovation reform, creative and practical thinking will be necessary to build America’s clean energy economy. One opportunity often overlooked is to leverage the Department of Defense (DOD), a traditional engine of American innovation,for the task.
Along these lines, the CNA Military Advisory Board today debuted their new report, Powering America’s Economy: Energy Innovation at the Crossroad of National Security Challenges, at an event at the Russell Senate office building. The new report–which foreshadows an upcoming AEL report–explores the growing challenges presented by the close connection between the U.S. energy portfolio and its economic and national security.
State denies Cape Wind foe’s request for longer review - The Boston GlobeThe most vocal group to oppose Cape Wind was dealt a setback yesterday, when the state Department of Public Utilities denied its request for more time to review confidential cost and pricing data about the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm.
The state agency, which must approve a proposed deal by the utility National Grid to buy power from Cape Wind, said the request by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound for three additional weeks of review was unnecessary because the group has already had “adequate time’’ to review much of the material. The agency also said that after the Alliance was granted legal status in the review process, it waited a week to request information that it said was needed for its review from involved parties.
Kahuku Wind Project Lines Up $117M DoE Loan GuaranteeThe 30 megawatt Kahuku Wind project has nabbed a $117 million loan guarantee for project owner and operator Kahuku Wind Power.
The Oahu-based project, uses 12 Clipper Windpower 2.5 MW Liberty wind turbine gnerators and a 10 megawatt battery energy storage system made by Xtreme Power, which closed a $29.5 million financing round on Tuesday. First Wind Holdings, which built the 30 MW Kaheawa wind project in Maui, is the project sponsor of the Kahuku project.
As GreenBeat’s Camille Ricketts notes Hawaii has an ambitious program to get 70 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2030.
Vt. company to install solar panels at Obama s kids school: Times Argus Online MONTPELIER – A Vermont renewable energy company has been chosen to install 120 solar panels next month at a private Washington, D.C. school attended by President Obama’s two daughters.
White River Junction’s groSolar will break ground next month on a unique renewable energy project at the Sidwell Friends School, a private Quaker-run school in Bethesda, Maryland attended by about 1,100 students.
That institution’s elementary school is attended by Sasha and Malia, the daughters of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
“We realize that there are a lot of people interested in this story because of who attends the school,” said Gaelan Brown, a spokesperson for groSolar. “But what we find really interesting is that this project is an example of innovative ways that communities can get solar projects up and running.”
Maine and Nova Scotia Partner on Ocean EnergyNorthern Maine and Nova Scotia share coastline along the Bay of Fundy, a piece of ocean with the strongest tides in the world. In order to harness the powerful forces of those tides, the leaders of Maine and Nova Scotia have formed a partnership to develop ocean energy technologies in the area.
Both Maine's Governor John Baldacci and Nova Scotia's Premier Darrell Dexter have been very supportive of developing renewables in recent years. Earlier this month, both leaders announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work on share information on tidal and offshore wind energy between academics, researchers, policy makers and developers.
Texas Universities Offer Renewable Energy to Alumni and Fans - Earth911.comThe University of Texas and Texas A&M, in partnership with a Texas energy company, have announced the launch of two separate programs to promote renewable energy to alumni and fans: Texas Longhorns Energy (TLE) and Aggie Energy.
Both programs will offer 100 percent renewable energy to school supporters that will also raise money for sustainability initiatives at the Universities. The TLE service will be offered starting in mid-August, while Aggie Energy begins September 3.
Both programs will be targeted toward their respective alumni and Longhorns fans that live in deregulated regions of Texas. The Sports Business Journal estimates nearly 280,000 UT alumni currently live in Texas, and most areas in the state are deregulated for energy.
A Push for Action on Renewables - Green Blog - NYTimes.comWith a cap on carbon dioxide an apparent nonstarter in the Senate these days, some clean energy and climate advocates have shifted their sights to a scaled-back but still ambitious goal: passage of a national renewable electricity standard.
Such a law would require utility companies to produce a set amount of electricity from renewable sources by a certain date, spurring the development of clean sources like wind and solar and probably lowering overall emissions nationally. Perhaps most important, some argue that with a strong push by the president, such a measure could actually clear the high bar for passage of 60 votes in the Senate this fall.
NewNet News - Greece to invest €12bn on environment and energy to boost beleaguered economyGreece is to invest €12bn on the environment and energy projects before 2015 in an attempt to kick-start its economy.
The funds will be partly allocated to renewable energy projects and are being deployed with the hope of attracting €32bn of private investment, according to Environmental Minister Tina Birbili.
‘The ministry hopes the programme will decisively contribute to face recession and lead to dynamic economic growth, Birbilli said in a press release obtained by Reuters.
Lethbridge Herald - Canadian researchers hope to green the web, make Canada the world’s web serverTORONTO — Canadian researchers hope to stem the global IT industry’s rampant output of greenhouse gas emissions by perfecting a way to host the Internet’s content purely on green power. And if their experiment succeeds, Canada could essentially become the world’s largest Internet server — powered with almost no carbon footprint — and help reduce one of the most significant, growing sources of pollution.
The GreenStar Network is a two-year project funded by the Canadian Advanced Network and Research for Industry and Education, which aims to address the IT industry’s incessant energy consumption. It’s estimated that two to eight per cent of the world’s energy consumption is drained by computers and the IT field, and the industry’s explosive growth may propel it to a 20 per cent share in some countries by 2020.
U.S. wind energy popular, but lacks investment | Green Tech - CNET NewsDespite public approval, U.S. wind energy investment is slowing down instead of growing, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
An overwhelming majority of Americans support a renewable electricity standard, and wind energy investment in particular, according to a poll of 600 likely voters conducted in March by Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies and Bennett, Petts & Normington.
Specifically, 89 percent of Americans said increasing the amount of energy the U.S. gets from wind is a good idea. Broken down by ideology, 84 percent of Republicans, 93 percent of Democrats, and 88 percent of independents support increasing the use of wind energy in the U.S.
But that bipartisan enthusiasm for wind has not translated into real-world investment or public policy, according to a detailed report released this week by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
UK Ponies Up $67M for Green Car GrantsStarting in January 2011, electric and hybrid car buyers in the United Kingdom will be able to tap a £43 million (around $67 million) grant fund to knock up to 25 percent off their purchase price, with a max grant of £5,000 (about $7,789). The grants, initially promised last year by the previous Labour government and announced on Wednesday by Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond, are set to be available through March 2012.
If all participants reap the max grant of £5,000, the funds will cover up to 8,600 vehicles next year from companies like Mitsubishi, Toyota, Renault-Nissan and Tesla Motors, which all have plug-in models on the UK market or in the pipeline for 2011.
Energy Bill, Focusing on Conservation, Can't Shake Calls for RES - NYTimes.comThe Senate's small energy package unveiled last night flirts with Republican opposition and turns its cheek to clean-power Democrats. Its first vote, nonetheless, is planned for next week.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) resisted mounting efforts in his own party to include a renewable electricity standard (RES) in his last-ditch attempt to pass an energy bill this summer, even as several Democratic senators openly questioned his assertions that the electricity standard lacks support.
California's clean energy future threatened by federal delays, state officials say - latimes.comPlans for a massive expansion of clean energy in California are being jeopardized by federal foot-dragging, according to state officials who say that more than 20 nearly shovel-ready solar and wind projects are being held up by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Seven major solar-mirror projects — enough to provide power to 3 million Southern California homes — along with plans for at least a dozen wind-turbine and solar-panel complexes have been cleared or almost cleared by state authorities and the U.S. Department of Interior.
The projects are valued at as much as $30 billion, according to estimates by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office.
But the Department of Energy's laborious procedures to guarantee loans threaten to stymie construction financing for many of the projects, and builders could lose out on more than $10 billion in federal stimulus funding if they can't start digging by the end of the year.
New York's Solar Thermal Plans | Renewable Energy WorldLondon -- By unveiling a solar heating and cooling programme that could create 25,000 new green jobs, generate US$2.6 billion in revenue and see 2 GW of new solar thermal capacity installed in the state over the next decade, New York has revealed its ambition to become America’s national leader in solar heating and cooling.
Setting out its solar thermal roadmap, which was published at the NYSEIA conference in May 2010, the Solar Thermal Consortium (STC) plan focuses on improving uptake of solar thermal technologies through consumer education and incentives, installer training, promotions to attract manufacturers, investments in R&D, and permitting improvements.
Developed by more than 130 industrial, academic and governmental representatives, the Solar Thermal Roadmap creates a path to move New York State toward the equivalent of 1 million solar hot water collectors, or half a million residential systems, by 2020.
Ground broken for wind energy project in Mojave - Salon.comRenewable energy developers broke ground Tuesday for a major expansion of wind-power generation in the Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles.
The Alta Wind Energy Center is planned as the world's largest wind project, with nearly 600 turbines capable of producing 1,550 megawatts of electricity when completed, with the potential to be doubled, according to developer Terra-Gen Power LLC of New York City.
The currently funded first five phases will produce 720 megawatts, according to a company statement.
GM Announces MSRP for Chevy Volt, EV Competition Heats UpThe unusual electric car concept that we started following a few years ago is now close to arriving at auto dealerships as the 2011 Chevy Volt. And today, Chevrolet announced the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Volt will be $41,000. With the full $7,500 federal tax credit, the price comes down to $33,500, and even lower with additional state incentives.
Nissan has tried to position itself as the competitor to GM with its all-electric Leaf, and that is playing out in a number of ways. While the list price of the Volt is several thousand dollars more than the Nissan Leaf, both vehicles will be available for lease at almost identical cost: $350/month for the Volt or $349/month for the Leaf.
Furthermore, on the same day that GM announced the pricing for the Volt, Nissan fired back with an announcement that it, too, would offer a warranty similar to the eight year, 100,000 mile warranty GM has announced for the Volt's battery systems.
Worldchanging: Renewables Global Status Report 2010: A Clear Picture of an Energy Economy in MotionNo longer a mere suggestion of what might be, renewable energy is hitting a tipping point, with far-reaching implications. For the first time, understanding the scale and patterns of renewable energy development has become essential to any full analysis of trends that will shape the global energy economy and the health of the planet.
That is the story told by a new report that the Worldwatch Institute helped research and write: the Renewables Global Status Report 2010. Produced by the REN21 network of governments, NGOs, and industry associations, the report paints a remarkable picture of a booming new economic sector that has powered its way through a deep global recession, emerging stronger than ever.
Buoyed by hundreds of new government energy policies, accelerating private investment, and myriad technology advances over the past five years, renewable energy is breaking into the mainstream of energy markets. Over the past two years, the United States and Europe have both added more power capacity from renewables than from coal, gas, and nuclear combined, according to the report. Worldwide, renewables accounted for one-third of the new generating capacity added.
Nuclear Energy Loses Cost Advantage - NYTimes.comPARIS — Solar photovoltaic systems have long been painted as a clean way to generate electricity, but expensive compared with other alternatives to oil, like nuclear power. No longer. In a “historic crossover,” the costs of solar photovoltaic systems have declined to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month.
“Solar photovoltaics have joined the ranks of lower-cost alternatives to new nuclear plants,” John O. Blackburn, a professor of economics at Duke University, in North Carolina, and Sam Cunningham, a graduate student, wrote in the paper, “Solar and Nuclear Costs — The Historic Crossover.”
RI, Mass. sign agreement on wind power projects - Boston.comPROVIDENCE, R.I.—Rhode Island and Massachusetts have agreed to coordinate on potential wind power projects in a designated 400 square miles of federal waters.
An agreement announced Monday identifies an area for development that starts 12 miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard and reaches 20 miles into Rhode Island Sound.
St. Lucia aspires to tap volcanic Caribbean island's geothermal power, diversify energy supply - WPIXSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The volcanic island of St. Lucia plans to tap geothermal power trapped beneath sulfur springs and roiling mud pools in a rare attempt at developing alternative energy sources in the Caribbean.
The chief of Qualibou Energy Inc. said Monday that the company has signed a 30-year contract with St. Lucia's government to extract geothermal power in a remote area where fumaroles are flooded with water heated by hot rocks below.
Stephen Baker, CEO of the renewable energy development company based in Nevada, said the area of underground cauldrons has proven reserves of 30 megawatts and potential reserves of an additional 140 megawatts.
Comment and Debate: Vermont gubernatorial candidates talk about the state's energy future | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, VermontIn No. 9 in a series of questions put by The Burlington Free Press to six candidates in the election for governor, they were asked: What must the next governor do in his or her first term to secure stable and reasonably priced electricity for the next five, 10, 20 years? Four of the candidates mentioned Vermont Yankee. Two did not mention Vermont Yankee.
Energy efficiency financing faces hurdles in Vermont | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, VermontThe summer scramble for efficiency upgrades to homes and businesses — always lively in Vermont — warms up this week as Congress works to overcome resistance from federal mortgage regulators.
Need an attic-full of fresh insulation? Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing was designed to allow building owners to pay for the improvements over time, in the form of an addition to the local property tax bill.
It sounds simple: The new owner takes over the tax assessment when the property changes hands.
But there’s a catch: The federal mortgage brokers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have raised a red flag.
APS Reaches Agreement for Arizona’s Largest Wind Project | Green Energy NewsArizona Public Service (APS) has entered into a long-term power purchase agreement with Perrin Ranch Wind LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, for 100 percent of the energy output from a wind farm located 13 miles north of Williams in Coconino County, Arizona. When completed, the 99-megawatt Perrin Ranch Wind Energy Center will be the largest wind project in the state.
After the Climate Bill Failure - Green Blog - NYTimes.comWith the Senate slinking away from any effort to control climate-altering carbon emissions, the frustrated and perplexed are asking, now what? Can federal and state governments move ahead under existing law to achieve some or all of the greenhouse gas reductions envisioned in the failed legislation?
Just in time comes a report from the respected World Resources Institute attempting to answer just that question. The 60-page paper was released on the very day that the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, pulled the plug on the already-comatose Senate climate bill.
Montana lagging behind in wind power development ...Why?HELENA — When it comes to wind power in Montana, there’s plenty of talk of the coming boom — but as Montana talks, nearby states have sprinted ahead in actual development of wind projects.
Since Democrat Brian Schweitzer became governor in 2005, Montana has gone from virtually no functioning wind farms to a respectable 375 megawatts of wind power produced in the state as of May this year.
Yet during that same time period, Wyoming, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Minnesota have each added two, three or four times as much wind power production.
NewNet News - Iberdrola Renovables gets largest ever federal renewable energy grantThe US subsidiary of global renewable power company Iberdrola Renovables has become the recipient of the largest ever US clean energy grant, receiving $170m in stimulus funds for the start-up of the Cayuga Ridge wind farm.
To date, the company has received $867m in incentives from the US Treasury Department as part of the government’s stimulus package for renewable energy to encourage companies to invest in US projects.
With an installed capacity of 300MW, the Cayuga Ridge wind farm is one of the world’s largest wind projects, according to Iberdrola.
The project is located in Illinois south of Chicago between the towns of Odell and Emington, it said.
Disclosure: SDRS represents Iberdrola in a current legal matter.
Sit-in workers open new wind turbine factory - Scotsman.com BusinessWorkers who took part in an occupation of a wind turbine factory which closed with the loss of hundreds of jobs, are to open their own business making turbines just yards from the site of their former employers on the Isle of Wight, it has been announced.
More than 400 workers lost their jobs when Vestas went out of business a year ago, sparking an 18-day sit-in at the factory in Newport.
Sean McDonagh, who helped organise the protest, has launched a new company, Sureblades, which will start producing wind turbine blades in September, employing a number of ex-Vestas workers. Mr McDonagh, 32, said he hoped to employ more than 40 workers within two years, with the first order going to a wind energy firm in Ireland.
"It has been hard work but I always knew it was the right thing to do because it was crazy to lose jobs in the renewable energy industry," he told the Press Association.
Cool Synergy: Water Warmed from Cooling New Data Center to Heat Helsinki HomesA mini revolution in eco-friendly computing is taking place in the depths of the 19th-century Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral in downtown Helsinki, Finland.
The Finnish IT company Academica has installed a new 2MW database server center in an empty second world war bomb shelter meant to protect city officials in the event of a Russian attack. Water warmed while cooling the servers will go on to provide heat for 500 homes or 1,000 flats in a city that often suffers winters of -20C. After the heat is extracted, the water will be recycled back to cool the servers again.
"There have been smaller implementations of similar systems," says Pietari Päivänen, head of sales at Academica. "Data centers being used to heat parking lots. No one has conducted the heat towards a central heating system however."
Democrats Abandon Sweeping Energy Plan - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.comAfter a meeting of Senate Democrats, party leaders on Thursday said they had abandoned hope of passing a comprehensive energy bill this summer and would pursue a more limited measure focused on responding to the gulf oil spill and tightening energy efficiency standards.
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a champion of comprehensive climate change legislation, called the new goal “admittedly narrow.”
At a news conference, the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, blamed Republicans for refusing to cooperate. “We don’t have a single Republican to work with us,” Mr. Reid said.
Democrats said they would continue to pursue broader climate change legislation.
EERE News: California Team to Receive up to $122 Million for Energy Innovation Hub to Develop Method to Produce Fuels from SunlightAs part of a broad effort to achieve breakthrough innovations in energy production, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman today announced an award of up to $122 million over five years to a multidisciplinary team of top scientists to establish an Energy Innovation Hub aimed at developing revolutionary methods to generate fuels directly from sunlight.
The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), to be led by the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), will bring together leading researchers in an ambitious effort aimed at simulating nature's photosynthetic apparatus for practical energy production. The goal of the Hub is to develop an integrated solar energy-to-chemical fuel conversion system and move this system from the bench-top discovery phase to a scale where it can be commercialized.
Solar Novus Today - "Ten Million Solar Roofs" Bill Approved by US Senate CommitteeThe Senate energy committee today approved, 13 to 10, a bill by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to encourage the installation over 10 years of 10 million solar systems in American homes and businesses.
As part of a broader effort to transform the energy system in the United States, the measure would create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It would authorize $250 million for competitive grants in 2012 and additional funding through 2021.
Along with existing incentives, the program could meet and exceed the goal of installing 10 million solar systems over a 10-year period, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The legislation would help finance the installation of up to 40,000 megawatts of new solar energy. In the process, the cost of generating solar power would fall and the United States would become the world’s leading market for electricity generated from the sun.
Massive New Wind Project Moves The Ball In California : TreeHuggerAlthough it may be in some trouble, California's aggressive goal of attaining 33 percent of its energy from clean renewable energy by 2020 is still on track--for now at least. In fact, wind energy in the state got a shot in the arm today when Terra-Gen Power LLC announced that it has secured $1.2 billion of financing to build four wind farms northwest of Los Angeles. All told, the complex could generate as much as 3,000 megawatts of electricity.
Terra-Gen CEO Jim Pagano says that the project will create 5,000 new jobs and that the project would be operational by the middle of next year. About 1,500 megawatts have already been sold to utility Southern California Edison, one of California's three big utilities that must meet the 33% goal.
The turbines will be made by a Danish company but built in Colorado.
Delaware energy: Wind power pitched to Obama | delawareonline.com | The News JournalThe federal government should make a major investment in offshore wind power through long-term power purchase contracts, which would spark wind farm construction and also support manufacturing in Eastern Seaboard states, the governors of Delaware and Maryland wrote to President Barack Obama in a letter on Wednesday.
Gov. Jack Markell and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley asked Obama to direct the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration and other federal agencies to commit to buying a gigawatt of offshore wind energy from the mid-Atlantic region. The electricity would help power federal offices and military installations, especially those around metropolitan Washington, they wrote.
Solexant to Open 100 MW Thin Film Solar Manufacturing Plant in Oregon | Green Energy NewsSolexant Corporation, a developer of third-generation ultrathin-film PV technology, today announced the selection of the city of Gresham, Oregon for the location of its first commercial-scale nanocrystal manufacturing facility. Upon completion, the 100MW plant will be Oregon’s first thin film solar manufacturing plant and the largest nanotechnology manufacturing facility in the world.
Solexant expects to receive a $25 million SELP loan from the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE), the largest loan bestowed in the 30-year history of the state energy loan program.
NewNet News - Construction of Nebraska’s Laredo Ridge Wind project beginsConstruction of the Laredo Ridge Wind project in the US state of Nebraska has begun, by Midwest Wind Energy of Chicago.
Midwest Wind, which is owned and operated by Laredo Ridge Wind and an affiliate of Edison Mission Group (EMG), will sell all electricity produced at the plant to the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), under a 20 year contract.
Laredo Ridge, representing a total investment of $200m, is to be powered by 54 GE turbines, which can produce up to 81MW of electricity.
Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010.
Wind turbines on Lake Erie face many challenges, including ice | cleveland.comCLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some of the world's biggest wind developers were in Cleveland this week to talk about something none of them has ever done - building wind turbines in fresh water such as Lake Erie, where ice flows promise to pose significant problems.
A three-day national conference focusing on the business potential and the problems of freshwater wind farms drew 170 engineers, attorneys, academics and contractors. It wrapped up Wednesday.
The summit coincided with the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp.'s first ever public meeting Tuesday, co-sponsored by development group NorTech Energy Enterprise, to lay out some of the details of the proposed $100 million project involving putting five very large turbines in Lake Erie by the end of 2012. Many more hearings will be scheduled.
Wind and Solar Energy Power Antarctic Research Stations | The Energy CollectiveThe National Renewable Energy Laboratory is partnering with the National Science Foundation to illustrate the usefulness of renewable energy in the most extreme climate conditions on Planet Earth. While summer reigns supreme in North America, faraway American outposts hibernate in the undying dark of an Antarctic winter. There, wind energy systems are currently helping to power research stations by capturing energy embedded in the polar winds. In the polar summer, when Antarctica trades endless night for endless sunshine, solar panels will take their turn.
Several stations, both American and international, are utilizing wind and solar power systems in the Antarctic. They are now in the testing phase, but positive results could lead to widespread use of renewable energy to power polar outposts, which currently get their power through extremely expensive shipments of diesel fuel.
Navy to test Greenbury Point winds - www.HometownAnnapolis.comThe Navy is poised to begin tests on Greenbury Point to determine whether there is enough wind for energy generation, one of the first steps in a local lawmaker's plans to provide cleaner power for Annapolis.
Del. Ron George, R-Arnold, has been spearheading the idea for years and said the Navy will be installing a tower as soon as the end of the summer to measure the wind in an area currently known for its radio antennas.
"That is a huge signal that they believe in this idea," he said. "It is a big step."
George is scheduled to speak about the proposal tonight at a Severn River Association meeting in Millersville.
The one-year test likely will begin in August with a 60-meter, or almost 200-foot tall tower, said James Johnson, a spokesman for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Washington.
Governments Get Together to Talk Clean - Green Blog - NYTimes.comTwo dozen countries representing 80 percent of the world’s commercial energy consumption on Tuesday announced initiatives to build more efficient appliances and buildings, “smart” electric grids and electric vehicles.
“We’re taking aggressive immediate actions together to confront the energy challenge head on,’’ said Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the host of a two-day conference dubbed the Clean Energy Ministerial. “We know the energy challenge won’t wait, and we won’t wait either.’’
EERE News: DOE Helps Launch Global Initiatives at First Clean Energy Ministerial MeetingThe United States is helping launch 11 international clean energy initiatives, DOE announced on July 20. These new programs will cut energy waste, help deploy smart grid and electric vehicle technologies, support renewable energy markets, expand access to clean energy resources and jobs, and support women pursuing careers in clean energy. Announced during the first Clean Energy Ministerial, a two-day gathering in Washington, D.C., these endeavors offer partners concrete technical actions to promote economic growth while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. The initiatives will eliminate the need to build more than 500 mid-sized power plants worldwide over the next 20 years. Ministers from 23 governments and the United States, representing more than 80% of the world energy consumption, participated. Those same countries also account for a similar percentage of the global market for clean energy technologies and are accelerating the global transition to a clean energy and low-carbon future.
Google enters the energy market with deal to buy, sell wind power | VentureBeatGoogle announced today that it will be buying wind-generated power from a company called NextEra Energy Resources to sell back to the local grid operator in exchange for Renewable Energy Certificates (basically, credits to offset its carbon emissions).
The company made the purchase via its relatively new Google Energy unit — an entity that won the rights to buy and sell energy just like a utility from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in February.
This isn’t the first time Google has worked with NextEra. The search giant has already invested $38.8 million in two wind farms — pumping out 169.5 megawatts total — developed by NextEra in North Dakota. But starting on July 30, Google will be buying 114-megawatts of power from NextEra’s farm in Iowa at a flat, undisclosed rate.
China surpasses U.S. as top energy consumer - msnbc.comChina has overtaken the United States as the world's largest consumer of energy, according to data from Paris-based International Energy Agency, a landmark that has implications for oil prices and U.S. global energy policy.
News reports citing data from the IEA said China consumed the equivalent of 2.25 billion tons of oil last year, slightly above U.S. consumption of 2.17 billion tons. The measure includes all types of energy: oil, nuclear energy, coal, natural gas and renewable energy sources.
IEA chief economist Fatih Birol told the The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the milestone marks "a new age in the history of energy."
China's government rejected the IEA's statistics.
The Raw Story | Nations to seek clean energy cooperationThe world's top economies will look next week at ways to work together on clean energy, striking a rare note of cooperation amid an impasse in drafting a new climate change treaty.
Energy ministers or senior officials from 21 nations will gather Monday and Tuesday in Washington in an initiative by President Barack Obama's administration, which has made the creation of green jobs a top priority.
The US Energy Department said the two-day meeting will feature announcements of joint initiatives among the major economies, who together account for 80 percent of the world's gross domestic product.
CleanTechLaw: Legislation would grant states revenue from clean-energy projectsNevada could finally make some money off the dozens of giant solar arrays and wind farms planned for its deserts and mountain peaks if legislation introduced this week by Rep. Dean Heller and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid passes.
The Clean Energy, Community Investment and Wildlife Conservation Act would change the system for acquiring federal land for solar and wind developments from revolving around rights of way, a process originally intended for multiple-use applications such as grazing, off-road racing and transmission corridors, to a competitive lease auction.
The legislation calls for revenue sharing with home states and counties and for money to be set aside to preserve and enhance wild land near the developments. A similar system has been in place for the geothermal industry since 2007. The proposal is extends the preservation zone to solar and wind and is being hailed by sportsmen’s groups, but is being panned by Nevada officials for not going far enough.
Wind conference focuses on potential for growth in the Great Lakes | cleveland.comBuild wind turbines in Lake Erie?
The idea floated by the Cleveland Foundation to skeptics half a decade ago quickly captured the public's imagination. And now it has the world's attention.
World-class experts and executives from the wind industry, including global wind farm developers, wind contractors, parts makers, financing experts and contract lawyers, are rubbing shoulders at a national conference in Cleveland this week and talking to locals hoping to build wind turbines in the lake.
Solar Drone Aims for a Record - Green Blog - NYTimes.comThis month we reported on the flight of the Solar Impulse, an experimental aircraft that broke the world record for continuous solar-powered manned flight by staying aloft for 26 straight hours.
But the Solar Impulse is not the only solar aircraft breaking records. For more than a week, the Zephyr, a solar-powered drone, has been circling high above the Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
QinetiQ, a British defense technology company, developed the craft, which could have broad military and commercial surveillance applications. “The plan is for it to stay airborne until this Friday,” said Douglas Millard, a QinetiQ spokesman. “At that point it will have been in the air for two weeks.”
Solazyme Delivers Algae Jet Fuel to US Navy | Renewable Energy WorldCalifornia, United States -- Solazyme Inc. has delivered 1,500 gallons of 100% algae-based jet fuel for the U.S. Navy's testing and certification program. The U.S. Navy has previously announced the objective to operate at least 50% of its fleet on clean, renewable fuel by 2020. The delivery fulfills a contract awarded to Solazyme by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in September 2009.
Solazyme manufactured the world's first 100% algal-based jet fuel through its proprietary fermentation process in collaboration with renewable jet fuel processing technology from Honeywell's UOP.
Solazyme's Solajet HRJ-5 fuel is designed to meet all of the requirements for Naval renewable aviation fuel. In preliminary tests, it also meets the fuel requirements of the U.S. Air Force and meets the standards for commercial jet fuel.
BBC News - Renewables see 'resilient growth' in 2009The building of new renewable energy sources continued to outstrip new fossil fuel power plants in Europe and the US during 2009, a report has shown.
The UN-backed study said renewables accounted for 60% of new electricity generation capacity in Europe.
And in the US, green electricity accounted for more than half of the generation capacity built last year.
The authors added that renewables were set to outpace conventional energy sources across the globe next year.
The global status report, produced by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), said green power had reached a "clear tipping point" during 2010.
New York City Revs Up for Plug-Ins - Green Blog - NYTimes.comNew York City has just unveiled the first of about 100 electric vehicle charging stations to be installed under a national program that aims to have nine metropolitan regions ready when automakers begin rolling out some electric vehicles later this year.
A charger for plug-in cars.Jason Post A new charger for plug-in cars.
The public car-charging station, at an Edison Properties parking facility on Ninth Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets in Manhattan, is part of ChargePoint America, a federally sponsored program that promotes the quick adoption of electric cars to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs. The program envisions 4,600 public and home charging stations around the country by October 2011.
LABC Proposes Los Angeles Solar Feed-in Tariffs | Renewable Energy WorldCalifornia, United States -- The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) today released a report calling for a modest solar photovoltaic (PV) feed-in tariff program in the City of Angels.
The second of two reports by UCLA's Luskin Center lays out a detailed economic proposal for creating a multi-tiered system of feed-in tariffs (FIT) for solar PV that would result in 600 MW of solar PV within ten years.
The proposal's limited objective will contribute to only 3% the city's electricity supply in 2020. Further, LABC's proposal considers only solar PV and not any other form of renewable energy.
However, the study itself, Bringing Solar Energy to Los Angeles: An Assessment of the Feasibility and Impacts of an In-basin Solar Feed-in Tariff Program weighs the costs and benefits of a program installing up to 1,000 MW of solar PV by 2020, the equivalent of 5% of electricity supply under conditions in southern California.
UK, France, Germany In New Push For EU To Cut Emissions 30%LONDON -(Dow Jones)- The U.K., Germany and France Thursday launched a new push for the European Union to commit to a bigger reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 in a bid to help economic recovery and shore up energy security.
In articles published simultaneously in newspapers in three countries, U.K. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne, Jean-Louis Borloo and Norbert Roettgen, his counterparts in France and Germany respectively, set out the economic benefits for increasing the EU's climate change targets to a 30% cut.
The current EU target is for a 20% reduction from 1990 levels by 2020.
"We're determined to make the economic case for the EU to cut its emissions by 30% by 2020 as quickly as possible," Huhne said.
"The current 20% target is not sufficient to encourage companies to make the necessary investment in green technologies and green jobs. The 'wait and see' policy of sticking to 20% risks putting Europe in the global slow lane of maximizing low carbon economic opportunities."
Mass. House OKs streamlining wind power plants - Boston.comBOSTON—Massachusetts lawmakers have approved a bill designed to streamline the permitting of new wind energy facilities.
The House voted 101-52 in favor of the bill after a debate that stretched over two days.
Opponents had gathered at the Statehouse to pressure lawmakers to reject the measure, which they said takes local control over the projects away from cities and towns.
Supporters defended the bill, saying it preserves local control.
They say it's easier to permit a fossil fuel power plant in Massachusetts than wind turbines. Backers also said that making the permitting process more predictable will increase the use of renewable energy in Massachusetts.
Nebraska gets quick results with wind energyNebraska dropped its line in the water Thursday morning. By noon, on the very first day for its new wind energy program, it had hooked a very big fish.
Chicago-based Invenergy -- described by a member of its management team as the largest independent, American-owned wind energy company in the United States -- stepped up with plans for a $448 million wind farm in Antelope and Boone counties.
A project that includes 133 wind turbines spread over about 60 square miles --each turbine 400 feet tall and worth $2 million -- is happening both because of Nebraska's reputation as a windy state and because of the potential to export the harnessed energy.
Will ‘Solar Trees’ Sprout in Parking Lots? - Green Blog - NYTimes.comEnvision Solar, a San Diego company, has found a niche in the solar world by building shaded parking areas with solar panels fixed to the roofs. The panels do not track the sun, but they are angled to take advantage of it: they are usually tilted to the south.
But parking lot designers seldom take solar orientation into account when painting the stripes for the parking spaces; the company has sometimes had to realign the parking stalls so that the roofs will have good solar orientation, with the rows of cars running east-west. In the ideal configuration, said Robert Noble, an architect who founded the firm and is its chief executive, the sun rises in the windshield and sets in the back window, or vice versa.
Now Envision is trying out another idea. On Wednesday, it will announce that with financing from the state of Pennsylvania, it is trying out a “solar tree” mounted on a gimbal, a mechanical device with rings mounted on axes at right angles to each other.
Vt. company seeks to install solar power panels - Boston.comSPRINGFIELD, Vt.—A Springfield manufacturer of precision pumping equipment wants to install what it says would be the largest solar power project in the state of Vermont.
Mark Tanny of IVEK Corp. says that if all goes well, the solar panels will be operational by the end of the year.
The plan calls for 936 photovoltaic panels to be installed on IVEK property. It would have a capacity of 2.4 megawatts of power and be able to produce 90 percent of the company's electricity.
California: A solar boom in the bust | The Energy CollectiveAs the Great Recession drags on in California — unemployment rate: 12.4 percent, state government in a state of collapse — the solar boom continues.
The Golden State’s decade-long program to install 3,000 megawatts of photovoltaic arrays on residential and commercial rooftops kicked off in 2007, not too long before the global economic collapse began.
Only three years in, the program — known as the California Solar Initiative — has achieved 42 percent of its 1,750 megawatt target in markets served by the state’s three, big investor-owned utilities, according to a report released Friday by the California Public Utilities Commission.
EERE News: Department of Energy Awards $92 Million for Groundbreaking Energy Research ProjectsU.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced 43 cutting-edge research projects that aim to dramatically improve how the U.S. uses and produces energy. Funded with $92 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), today's selections focus on accelerating innovation in green technology while increasing America's competitiveness in grid scale energy storage, power electronics and building efficiency.
"These innovative ideas will play a critical role in our energy security and economic growth," said Secretary Chu. "It is now more important than ever to invest in a new, clean energy economy."
Maine, Canadian leaders push for tidal power - Bangor Daily NewsThe leaders of Maine and Nova Scotia have signed an agreement pledging closer collaboration on research and development of tidal energy as well as offshore wind energy.
Gov. John Baldacci and Premier Darrell Dexter signed the memorandum of understanding Monday during a meeting of New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers in Massachusetts.
Lobbyists heat up over climate law | Sacramento BeeThe Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 is beginning to look like a stimulus package for the lobbying trade.
During the past year, oil companies, manufacturers and trade groups have made a big push to shape the rules and regulations behind California's landmark greenhouse gas reduction law, The Bee has found in a review of lobbying disclosure statements filed with the California secretary of state's office.
Environmental groups, clean-energy advocates and utility companies also have weighed in heavily, although some green lobbyists said they felt outgunned by the money and technical expertise available to oil companies.
EU depending more on wind, solar power for energy consumption - Truro Daily NewsBRUSSELS - The European Union says 10.3 per cent of its energy came from renewable sources such as solar and wind power and biofuels in 2008.
The 27-nation bloc aims to bring that up to 20 per cent by 2020. Renewables made up 9.7 per cent of its energy consumption in 2007.
Sweden was the biggest user of renewable energy, drawing some 44.4 per cent of its power from non-fossil fuel sources in 2008. In Britain, just 2.2 per cent of its energy was renewable.
Worldchanging: Innovation Powers Growth of Small Wind on Urban RooftopsThis WindTronics windmill represents a new wave of technology innovation sweeping through the small wind industry. This innovation combined with national, regional and local incentives, as well as significant cost reductions in installations and products, is driving fast growth for small windmill makers. In 2009, despite an abysmal economy, the U.S. small wind market (turbines with rated capacities of 100 kilowatts or fewer) grew by 15 percent, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). That growth included an increase of 20.3 megawatts of new capacity and $82.4 million in sales.
Welch calls on Congress to invest in Vermont’s growing clean energy economyBURLINGTON, VT – During a tour of green energy businesses in Northwestern Vermont, Rep. Peter Welch on Friday called for the passage of legislation he has sponsored to bolster Vermont’s growing renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.
Speaking at Draker Labs in Burlington, Welch outlined his support for three bills, which together would eliminate subsidies for big oil companies, expand tax incentives for renewable energy businesses and launch an energy efficiency revolution.
“The environmental and economic tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico is just the latest reminder that our nation’s energy policy is broken. At the same time that oil spews into the Gulf, China and India are taking the lead in creating green jobs, American families are spending too much on their energy bills, and our national security is being compromised,” Welch said. “Diverting oil subsidies to clean energy industries will create quality jobs throughout the country. As a leader in the clean energy economy, Vermont is well-positioned to take advantage of a 21st century energy policy.”
Government, Opposition at odds on future of new wind farmThe plan for a new wind farm in Prince Edward Island that would produce 130 megawatts of renewable energy for both domestic and export markets is dead in the water, says Opposition Energy critic Mike Currie.
But both Energy Minister Richard Brown and Maritime Electric deny the plan to build the new wind farm and produce 30 megawatts of power for the Island's own use and as much as 100 megawatts for export is dead.
Still, all sides agree the plan is well behind schedule with no end in sight.
Iberdrola Renovables achieves record wind outputWind energy major Iberdrola Renovables achieved record wind output in the second quarter of 2010, producing 6.046 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) at its combined facilities worldwide in the second quarter of 2010, representing an increase of 16.5 per cent on the same period last year.
Of the total, 5,771 million KWh were generated by the company’s wind farms, which continued to form the core of Iberdrola Renovables’ business in the quarter, accounting for 95.5 per cent of the generation mix.
Over a third, 2,962 million KWh, was generated in the US, with slightly less, 2,171 million KWh generated in Spain, compared with 417 million KWh in the rest of Europe and South America, and 221 million kWh in the UK.
Disclosure: SDRS represents Iberdrola in a current legal matter.
"Free" Solar For Schools: Feed-In Tariff Funds Renewable EducationThe Solar4Schools Initiative has already seen hundreds of UK schools fitted with PV panels producing clean, renewable energy. Now, with the launch of the Government's solar feed-in tariff scheme (FIT) we should see a massive expansion of that program - with companies using the FIT funding to finance installations at little to no cost for the school in question.
Solarcentury is teaming up with GE Capital to fund an expansion of its Solar4Schools initiative, with GE funding initial installation of an array (with a small deposit from the school), and then the school using its FIT income to pay-off the loan. The result, say Solarcentury, is electricity savings for the school from day one, and a hedge against future energy price rises. Unlike many similar schemes where the utility continues to own the array, once the installation costs have been paid off (typically in fifteen years), the school will also benefit from the Feed-In Tariff income for the remainder of the scheme.
China’s Yingli Solar Gears Up for $5B ExpansionIf Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. is already a giant in the solar cell industry, it’s now seeking a more than $5 billion credit line to become one heavy beast. Yingli is in negotiations to borrow up to RMB36 billion, or about $5.31 billion, from the China Development Bank in order to “pursue opportunities that will allow us to strengthen our leadership position,” in the photovoltaic industry, the company announced on Friday.
Yingli Green Energy has more than 10 subsidiaries running the gamut from production of polysilicon used in solar cells through to assembly of solar modules. The company said today that the funds under this new agreement would go primarily toward the subsidiaries Tianwei Yingli, Yingli China and Fine Silicon for investments in their photovoltaics business in China and overseas.
EERE News: U.S. Departments of Energy and Interior Announce Site for Solar Energy Demonstration Projects in the Nevada DesertU.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu, U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced today the site of the new Solar Demonstration Zone to demonstrate cutting-edge solar energy technologies. The Solar Demonstration Zone will be located in the southwest corner of the Nevada Test Site, a former nuclear site, on lands owned by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and administered by DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration. Secretaries Chu and Salazar signed an interagency Memorandum of Understanding that will enable the Department of Energy to develop innovative solar energy projects at the Nevada Test Site. These projects will serve as proving grounds for new solar technologies, providing a critical link between DOE's advanced technology development and full-scale commercialization efforts.
Germany targets switch to 100% renewables for its electricity by 2050 | Environment | The GuardianGermany could derive all of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050 and become the world's first major industrial nation to kick the fossil-fuel habit, the country's Federal Environment Agency said today.
The country already gets 16% of its electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources – three times' higher than the level it had achieved 15 years ago.
"A complete conversion to renewable energy by 2050 is possible from a technical and ecological point of view," said Jochen Flasbarth, president of the Federal Environment Agency.
"It's a very realistic target based on technology that already exists – it's not a pie-in-the-sky prediction," he said.
Solar-Powered Plane Flies for 26 Hours - NYTimes.comPARIS — Slender as a stick insect, a solar-powered experimental airplane with a huge wing span completed its first test flight of more than 24 hours on Thursday, powered overnight by energy collected from the sun during a day aloft over Switzerland.
The organizers said the flight was the longest and highest by a solar-powered craft, reaching an altitude of just over 28,000 feet above sea level, at an average speed of 23 knots, around 25 miles per hour.
Solar Industry May Get Reprieve From German Tariff CutsGerman policy makers look poised to deliver the solar industry a jolt of good news.
A compromise plan to reduce the country’s generous solar feed-in tariff would cut the subsidies less than expected. With the plan gaining ground in the parliament, German solar stocks moved higher, though solar stocks traded in the United States did not follow suit.
The new proposal would trim subsidies for power that rooftop solar panels feed into the grid by 13 percent, instead of the 16 percent previously anticipated.
Subsidies for ground-mounted systems would fall 12 percent, instead of 15 percent, and military and industrial installations would see an 8 percent cut instead of an 11 percent one.
CBO says climate bill would cut deficit by $19 billion; Reid pushing for energy legislation | The Reno Gazette-JournalWASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional budget experts say a climate and energy bill now stalled in the Senate would reduce the federal deficit by about $19 billion over the next decade.
The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office was the second positive analysis of the bill by a government agency in a month, but is likely to carry more weight than a similar report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. The CBO is the entity responsible for providing Congress with nonpartisan analyses of economic and budget issues, and lawmakers rely on it for guidance.
The CBO report was immediately hailed by the bill's sponsors, who are struggling to move the climate measure through a divided Congress. Lawmakers have quietly begun considering a more modest approach that would target the electricity sector, in case the more sweeping measure fails.
DOE and DOI to Spur Offshore Renewable Energy ProjectsDOE and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 29 that will strengthen the working relationship between the two agencies regarding future development of commercial renewable offshore energy projects on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Together, DOI and DOE will use this agreement to spur the development of offshore wind and water resources. The MOU states that within 30 days of its signing, an interagency working group will develop an action plan covering the development of attainable deployment goals for offshore wind energy and marine and hydrokinetic energy. The action plan will also address siting and permitting, resource assessment, technical standards, data exchange, and public engagement.
Wind power draft hits regulation snag - Bangor Daily NewsBANGOR, Maine - A Canadian energy firm's bid to expand a western Maine wind farm is in jeopardy after state regulators indicated Wednesday they could not support the effort to open more scenic mountain land for the project.
But the Land Use Regulation Commission agreed — after lengthy debate — to consider a similar request from another company hoping to build a third industrial wind power facility on the borders of Penobscot and Washington counties.
During a straw vote, the majority of LURC members said they likely would vote to deny a request by TransCanada Corp. to add 631 acres in Franklin County to the list of locations where industrial wind energy projects benefit from a streamlined permitting process.
Cape Wind: Made in Rhode Island? - BostonHerald.comFor years, the Patrick administration and Bay State union leaders who backed the Cape Wind power project have touted the nearly 1,000 construction and installation jobs that the developer promised it would create.
Now, there’s a good chance those jobs will be created in Rhode Island, even though a Bay State union leader thinks Massachusetts laborers will still get the work.
Yesterday, Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers said the developer of what could be the nation’s first offshore wind farm is still deciding between New Bedford and Quonset Point, R.I., as the staging area to assemble 130 turbines for the plant, which still faces some hurdles.
Quonset Development Corp. spokesman David Preston said he’s hoping to land the Cape Wind assembly project, but “there’s no agreement.”
President Obama Commits Nearly $2 Billion in Loan Guarantees for Solar Energy | Green Energy News
President Barack Obama has announced in his weekly address that the Department of Energy is awarding nearly $2 billion in conditional commitments from the Recovery Act to two solar companies.
“The first is Abengoa Solar, a company that has agreed to build one of the largest solar plants in the world right here in the United States. After years of watching companies build things and create jobs overseas, it’s good news that we’ve attracted a company to our shores to build a plant and create jobs right here in America. In the short term, construction will create approximately 1,600 jobs in Arizona. What’s more, over 70 percent of the components and products used in construction will be manufactured in the USA, boosting jobs and communities in states up and down the supply chain. Once completed, this plant will be the first large-scale solar plant in the U.S. to actually store the energy it generates for later use – even at night. And it will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power 70,000 homes."
CleanTechLaw: Senegal adopts renewable energy law
Senegalese parliamentarians have praised a new law aimed at promoting an enhanced renewable energy production. The bill, named Guidance on Renewable Energy, was adopted unanimously by the country's Parliament and attracted praises for its innovative nature.
Among the objectives of the law are that it seeks to secure supplies in sufficient quantities and the best quality, durability and cost, as well as increase people's access to modern energy services and reduce vulnerability to pollution from fossil fuels.
It "materialized the pioneering vision of a proactive president,” said Minister of Renewable Energies, Biofuels and Aquaculture, Therese Coumba Diop. She said Senegal was a non-oil producer whose authorities have understood the need to turn to non-fossil energy.
"Nature has endowed Senegal of solar energy. We have a potential of 3,000 hours of sunshine that we can develop," she said. According to Minister Therese Coumba Diop, with the passage of this “law of social orientation,” Senegal might exceed its targets for development of renewable energy.
Hearings set for Quebec power line -- Times Union - Albany NY
ALBANY -- The U.S. Department of Energy has scheduled public meetings on a proposed $3.8 billion power line running 420 miles from Quebec to Connecticut under Lake Champlain, the Hudson River and Long Island Sound.
The Champlain-Hudson Power Express project, proposed by Toronto-based Transmission Developers Inc., would carry up to 2,000 megawatts of hydroelectric and wind energy to the New York metropolitan region. Plans call for completion in 2015.
Donald Jessome, president and CEO of Transmission Developers, said the project will meet the growing energy demands of New York and New England by bringing clean, renewable energy into the power grid with minimal disruption to communities or the environment along the transmission line.
Solar power: New plant in West Pullman is nation's largest urban solar plant - chicagotribune.comAt a former industrial site on Chicago's South Side, more than 32,000 solar panels slowly tilt every few minutes, following the sun as it moves across the sky.
Operated by Exelon Corp., the 40 acres of panels in West Pullman is the nation's largest urban solar plant, generating 10 megawatts of clean power and hope for an Illinois industry that has long waited for its moment in the sun.
"We have been frustrated over the years that solar has not become more mainstream," said Kevin Lynch, who trains electricians to install solar panels for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. "We understand it's still a relatively expensive technology, but the cost is much less than it was a few years ago."
Carter, King clash over Maine wind projectPORTLAND, Maine -- A former Green Independent Party candidate for governor exchanged charges of greed and hypocrisy Wednesday with a former governor who's promoting a 128-megawatt wind power project in Somerset County.
Building 48 wind turbines in Highland Plantation would require blasting of 1.6 million cubic yards of rock and dirt, decimate fragile alpine terrain and generate visual and noise pollution all while failing to reduce greenhouse emissions, said Jonathan Carter, director of the Forest Ecology Network.
Former independent Maine Gov. Angus King, one of the Highland Wind LLC business partners, said the project carries an environmental impact but that it's more benign than oil, gas, coal or nuclear power. It would create enough clean energy for about 54,000 homes, or all the homes in Franklin, Piscataquis and Somerset counties.
Strickland hails region as solar hub, unlocking aid for investment, jobs -- The Blade ~ Toledo OhioGov. Ted Strickland christened northwest Ohio on Wednesday as an official hub of solar energy research and innovation, a type of economic-development coming-out party meant to boost investment and create local jobs in alternative energy.
Northwest Ohio became the state's third Ohio Hub of Innovation and Opportunity, behind Cleveland for health care and Dayton for aerospace.
Mr. Strickland, a Democrat, announced the designation yesterday at the University of Toledo's Scott Park campus, home to alternative energy research, a solar energy field, and a windmill.
Stability and utility of floating wind turbines shown in new studyWind turbines may be one of the best renewable energy solutions, but as turbines get larger they also get noisier, become more of an eyesore, and require increasingly larger expanses of land. One solution: ocean-based wind turbines. While offshore turbines already have been constructed, they've traditionally been situated in shallow waters, where the tower extends directly into the seabed. That restricts the turbines to near-shore waters with depths no greater than 50 meters -- and precludes their use in deeper waters, where winds generally gust at higher speeds.
An alternative is placing turbines on floating platforms, says naval architect Dominique Roddier of Berkeley, California-based Marine Innovation & Technology. He and his and colleagues have published a feasibility study of one platform design -- dubbed "WindFloat" -- in the latest issue of the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, which is published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).
State board takes comments on Pownal solar proposal: Rutland Herald OnlinePOWNAL – While a number of issues were raised at a meeting hosted by the Public Service Board on Tuesday about the proposed solar farm, there was little sign of the kind of organized resistance or rejection which has hampered other Vermont renewable energy project proposals like those involving windmills.
About 30 people attended the meeting at the Pownal Elementary School to hear about the plans to place solar panels at the Southern Vermont Energy Park. The park is on privately-owned land and the solar farm is being proposed by a private developer.
Because it’s an energy-generation project, it must be approved by Vermont’s Public Service Board but doesn’t need local approval.
Disclosure: SDRS represents EOS Ventures, LLC in this matter.
New report encourages energy innovation as Defense Department priority | The Energy Collective
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