Renewable Energy News, October 26, 2010

World's Biggest Solar Energy Project Approved for California

The United States Monday approved a permit for the largest solar energy project in the world -- four massive plants at the cost of $1 billion each in southern California.

"The Blythe solar power plant will consist of four, 250-megawatt plants, built on public lands in the sun-drenched Mojave desert," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.

"When completed the project is expected to generate up to 1,000 megawatts of energy ... That's enough electricity to power up to 750,000 average American homes and to make Blythe the largest solar power plant facility in the world."

California voters likely to keep global warming law

Despite the struggling economy, most California voters oppose suspending the state's landmark global warming law, which would place strict new environmental regulations on business, a new Los Angeles Times/ USC poll shows.

Proposition 23, which would put the new emissions standards on hold, is trailing 48% to 32% among likely voters, according to the survey.

Greece Looks to Renewable Energy Investment to Regain Economic Stability

Over the next five years the government of Greece hopes to attract 45 billion Euros of renewable energy investments.

After many months of trying to come to grips with a dismal economy, dealing with massive street demonstrations and high rates of unemployment the Greek government has decided to try and attract green investment as one mechanism towards turning their economy around.

“Our country has an enormous renewable energy sources that remain untapped,” Prime Minister George Papandreou told a forum on green investment at the Mediterranean Climate Change Conference in Athens on Saturday.

Breaking news: FERC clarifies California feed-in tariff procedures

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today clarified for California how the state can encourage development of new electricity generation resources in a way that does not conflict with federal laws and regulations.

In today’s action, FERC further clarified for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the state’s three investor-owned utilities its July 2010 order that outlined how the state could implement its feed-in tariff. Feed-in tariffs typically are designed to encourage certain types of generation resources by offering a guaranteed purchase price for electricity generated from those resources under a long-term contract.

California adopted a feed-in tariff by enacting the California Waste Heat and Carbon Emissions Reduction Act (AB 1613). That state law requires investor-owned electric utilities to purchase, at a price set by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), electricity generated by eligible combined heat and power (CHP) generators.

In today’s action, FERC said a proposal to employ a multi-tiered resource approach for determining avoided costs, which would set different levels of avoided costs and thus different avoided cost rate caps for different types of resources, could comply with the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act and FERC regulations.

FERC's News Release

Follow the link to read the text of FERC's decision: http://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/comm-meet/2010/102110/E-2.pdf

Renewable Energy News, October 21, 2010

Vermont solar projects cross party lines

In a field just outside Vergennes, where cows used to graze, steel brackets are sprouting up. Soon, those steel foundations will be covered by some 4,000 solar panels, arched toward the sky to soak up enough sun to produce a megawatt of power.

Once, Burlington developer Ernie Pomerleau thought he might build a shopping center here. It doesn’t have access to sewer lines, however, so the shopping center went across the road, and Pomerleau’s held on onto the property for 20 years. Now, it represents Pomerleau’s newest business venture: selling renewable energy.

Pomerleau is building what will — briefly — be the state’s largest solar farm with the help of federal and state tax credits and with a promise that he can sell the power it generates at a favorable rate for 20 years. That rate — called a standard offer — is an enticement the state Legislature enacted in 2009 to encourage development of home-grown renewable energy over the objection of Republican Gov. Jim Douglas. Vermont is the first state in the nation to use this approach.

Disclosure: SDRS represents the developers mentioned in the article.

Tidal Power: The Next Wave?

Over the next few years, we can expect to see huge advances in our ability to harness power from the ocean’s waves and tides, a new report from IHS Emerging Energy Research, a Cambridge, Mass., consulting firm, predicts.
A tidal energy turbine developed by Atlantis Resources.Getty Images A tidal energy turbine developed by Atlantis Resources.

Until recently, that sector has had limited popularity and mixed success, even as the number of installations generating power from other renewable resources like the wind, sun and biomass has grown rapidly.

“The global ocean energy sector is at a turning point,” the company’s report says. More than 45 wave and tidal prototypes are expected to be ocean-tested in 2010 and 2011. Only nine were tested in 2009.

Ground broken for solar farm in New Jersey

A New Jersey farm that was slated to become a housing development will now be used to cultivate energy from the sun.

Officials broke ground Wednesday on what they expect will be one of the nation's largest solar farms when it begins generating power next spring -- giving New Jersey even more bragging rights when it comes to harnessing the sun's power.

Vermont utilities agree to buy wind power from New Hampshire

Vermont's two largest electric utilities say they've signed contracts to buy power from a wind-power project in northern New Hampshire.

Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power say they signed contracts to buy electricity from Noble Environmental Power's planned 99-megawatt Granite Reliable Power Windpark in Coos County, N.H.

CVPS recently signed a 15-year contract to buy 20 percent of the wind park's output, in addition to the 30.3 percent it announced it would buy in February.

Rhode Island coastal agency OKs plan for siting wind turbines

Two years and more than $8 million later, Rhode Island is a critical step closer to protecting its waters with eco-friendly standards and regulations for offshore wind turbine developers.

The state Coastal Resources Management Council unanimously approved the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) Tuesday night. The hefty document needs final approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which produces funding and oversight for the CRMC.

The ocean-mapping work not only identifies the best locations for wind turbines in state waters, but also suggests a suitable site in nearby waters under federal jurisdiction. State officials ultimately want the SAMP to govern that area -- federal waters generally begins three miles offshore -- and be a model for other coastal states.

State of Hawaii Awards $2.1 Million to Promote Renewable Energy Interconnection on Neighbor Islands

The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) has awarded $2.1 million in federal stimulus funds for energy storage demonstration projects on Hawaii Island and Maui County to increase the grids’ ability to integrate more renewable energy.

Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) will receive $900,000 and Maui Electric Company (MECO) will receive $1.2 million in ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) stimulus funds for equipment and installation of energy storage systems. Interconnection costs will be paid by the utilities.

US approves 5th solar plant on western public land

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has approved a big solar energy plant in the Mojave Desert, making it the fifth such project on western U.S. public lands to win federal authorization.

Salazar's approval Wednesday authorizes the Bureau of Land Management to offer Tessera Solar use of more than 4,600 acres for 30 years to build the Calico Solar Project.

The Interior Department says the 663.5-megawatt project could power 200,000 to 500,000 homes.

Renewable Energy News, October 18, 2010

40-turbine wind project in Maine under way

First Wind of Massachusetts has started final construction of its $130 million Rollins Mountain wind project with hopes of having it finished by April 1, officials said Friday.

“It is hard to predict, and God knows the weather in Maine doesn’t cooperate all the time, but that’s our hope,” First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne said.

First Wind leaders told town Economic Development Director Ruth Birtz that they would continue installation work that began with site clearing and road building on Sept. 21 at Rollins Ridge off Route 6 by pouring concrete bases for the 40 turbines, each generating 1½ megawatts, slated for ridgelines in Burlington, Lincoln, Lee and Winn, she said.

Against the wind?: Tax policy may be hurting Wyoming industry

Construction is complete on two new wind farms in Wyoming: Duke Energy’s 200-megawatt Top of the World wind farm in Converse County, and Rocky Mountain Power’s 111-megawatt Dunlap I wind farm in Carbon County.

The wind farms are among the largest in Wyoming’s recent wind energy construction boom. Of Wyoming’s approximate 1,285 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, about 78 percent was added in the past five years.

But the completion of Top of the World and Dunlap I could mark a turning point for Wyoming’s fledgling wind energy industry. Both Duke Energy and Rocky Mountain Power say they have no further plans to plant wind turbines in Wyoming.

Nine East Bay, Rhode Island towns moving forward with wind-farm plan

A renewable energy plan that state officials and environmentalists believe could be a model for the rest of Rhode Island is quietly moving forward in the East Bay.

Nine communities in the region have banded together to form the East Bay Energy Consortium, a group that proposes building a land-based wind farm that would provide enough clean, renewable power for as many as 7,500 homes.

Work Begins at Sheffield Vermont Wind Site

Photo simulation of the Sheffield Wind Project (click to enlarge)

Construction work begins at Sheffield wind site | The Burlington Free Press

Construction has started on a 16-turbine wind energy project in Sheffield, the first such project to be built in Vermont since the state’s only operating commercial wind farm was built in Searsburg 13 years ago. Vermont Wind, a subsidiary of Boston-based First Wind, has begun clearing trees and building roads to the project site on Granby Mountain and Libby Hill. First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne said he is not sure whether construction will start on the turbines this fall, or next spring. He said the company expects the wind farm to begin producing electricity next year. According to the company’s website, the Sheffield project would produce 115,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, which the company says is enough to power all the homes in Caledonia County. (Disclosure: SDRS Represents Vermont Wind)

Vermont PSB Passes on Feed-inTariff Preemption Issue

In an October 8, 2010 memorandum, the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) concluded that it will not request that FERC examine the validity of Vermont's standard offer program because no party had demonstrated that the standard offer program violates federal law or that it must be suspended. The PSB also declined to halt the program.

The Public Service Board review of the Vermont standard offer program (or Feed-in Tariff) program was triggered by a Vermont Department of Public Service request to review whether Vermont's program would be viewed as preempted due to FERC's decision in California Public Utilities Commission, 132 FERC ¶61,047 (Docket Nos. EL10-64-000 and EL10-66-000, issued July 15, 2010).

In its memorandum, the PSB concluded that it "has an obligation to implement statutes passed by the legislature. In the absence of a clear determination by a relevant body that the Board cannot legally implement a statute, the Board must carry out the obligation under the Vermont law it is tasked with implementing."

Disclosure: SDRS represents Renewable Energy Vermont in this matter.

NRDC Sues Feds to Reinstate PACE Program

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has filed suit against the federal agencies responsible for halting the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program.

The PACE program was implemented as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). It allowed local governments to finance the upfront costs of homeowners’ clean energy and energy efficiency projects. Those upfront costs would then be paid back over time by an increase in property taxes.

Since those upfront costs are often the primary hindrance to homeowners taking on clean energy and energy efficiency projects, PACE diminished that concern and enabled homeowners to implement positive changes that would both pay for themselves over time and help address climate change.

Unfortunately, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency put a stop to PACE by taking a number of actions opposed to its development.

NRDC argues in its suit that those federal agencies have violated the law by issuing directives that effectively halted the PACE program, despite the $150 million in ARRA allocated to support it.

For more information, see the article on the topic posted by Green Building Law or read the text of the suit itself.

FTC proposes to expand green marketing claims to renewable energy

Today, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released for public review and comments proposed changes to its "Green Guides."

The document can be found here: “Proposed Revisions to the Green Guides.”

There are numerous proposed changes, but most significantly for the readers of this blog is the proposed expansion of the Green Guides to cover “made with renewable energy” and “carbon offsets” claims.

The proposed Green Guides advises marketers that they should not make unqualified renewable energy claims if the power used to manufacture any part of a product was derived from fossil fuels. In addition, marketers should qualify claims by specifying the source of renewable energy (e.g. wind or solar).

The proposal advises marketers to possess competent and reliable scientific evidence to support carbon offset claims, including using appropriate accounting methods to avoid selling reductions more than once. In addition, marketers should disclose if the offset purchase funds emissions reductions that will not occur for two years or longer. Finally, marketers should not advertise an offset if the offset acquisition is required by law.

The FTC is accepting comments on the draft Green Guides until December 10, 2010.

Renewable Energy News, October 1, 2010

Wind will power fossil fuel-free Denmark in 2050, report predicts

The falling cost of renewable energy and rising cost of oil and gas will allow Denmark to develop an energy network entirely free of fossil fuels by 2050, according to a report published by the government's climate commission.

The committee predicted that wind and biomass energy could meet the bulk of the country's energy requirements.

It also argued that switching to renewables would be cheaper than continuing to use fossil fuels, particularly if predictions of soaring oil and gas prices are borne out.

In California, a Grid Storage Mandate

It’s no news to most people that renewable energy sources like wind and solar power have their off-moments, or off-days.

A potential remedy was just signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, whose governorship has long had a greenish tinge. The state will now require utilities (first, investor-owned utilities, and later, publicly owned ones) to have storage capacity on hand that can quickly be put into use when the wind dies down.

As a technological and engineering concept, energy storage is as old as the concept of having two reservoirs at different altitudes (more about this in a minute) and as new as the lithium-ion battery. Like California’s renewable energy mandates, the requirement is designed to jump-start new battery and storage technologies by guaranteeing them a broader market.

Oregon wins electric car stimulus funds

Oregon has won $700,000 in federal stimulus dollars to install as many as eight fast-charging stations for electric cars along Interstate 5 from Eugene to the California border.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced the grant Wednesday. He says the money will complement the plan to install fast-charging stations along I-5 from Portland to Eugene.

The stations provide a recharge of as much as 80 percent for vehicles in 20 minutes to 30 minutes, compared to the four hours to eight hours standard rechargers can take.

Montana seeks wind developers for land near Cut Bank

Montana officials are seeking proposals from renewable power companies to develop wind farms on state-owned land between Conrad and Cut Bank.

Mike Sullivan with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation says Chicago-based wind developer Invenergy had expressed interest in developing the area.

The requests for proposals issued Tuesday covered two areas — one with 1,280 acres split into two sections in Glacier County and another with 4,900 acres spread over 17 parcels in Glacier and Toole counties.

Solar energy a rising power source in New York

When Shawn Lessord started installing solar panels around 2003, he averaged about a project a year. Last year, the number jumped to 70.

"I used to get 20 to 30 inquiries about solar in a year," said Lessord, senior project manager for eVANHEE Clean Energy. "Now I probably get one a day."

The popularity of harvesting solar energy hasn't been contained to just the Ontario, Wayne County, company, but is a trend experienced throughout the state, where public demand and government incentives are growing while production costs continue to decrease. In fact, the solar capacity of state-funded projects has increased by more than 20 times since '05, enough to power about 4,300 homes.

Ohio Unveils State’s Largest Rooftop Solar Array

The Akron Metro Regional Transit Authority (RTA) unveiled the largest solar rooftop array in the state of Ohio today. RTA’s new solar rooftop on the RTA bus garages at METRO’s headquarters is rated at 488 kilowatts DC, and is expected to produce around 486,760 kilowatt hours of solar power a year. The $2.5 million project was installed by Ohio-based Third Sun Solar of Ohio and the array is comprised of 2076 of Sharp 235-watt solar modules. A portion of the cost of the project was provided by funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Wind blowing in right direction as Ireland's clean energy drive remains on target

Ireland is still on target to meet 40% of its electricity production through renewable energy in the next decade, Energy Minister Eamon Ryan insisted yesterday.

A report on renewable energy launched yesterday noted that a massive increase in winds at 6am on April 5 this year had managed to generate some 50% of Ireland’s electricity demand at one moment. This was a world record, the report said.

The record power generated has attracted international attention, so much so that US secretary of energy Steven Chu has asked to meet wind energy engineers here when he visits Ireland next month, the minister revealed.

Vermont Gubernatorial Candidates Shumlin and Dubie to Debate Environment, Energy Policy

Vermont's two leading gubernatorial candidates are to face one another in debate before environmental and alternative energy groups.

Democrat Peter Shumlin and Republican Brian Dubie are set to debate Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the Sheraton in South Burlington. The event is being hosted by Renewable Energy Vermont and the Vermont Natural Resources Council.

Burlington Electric Department to buy power from Georgia Mountain wind project

Burlington Electric Department said this week it will buy all of Georgia Mountain Community Wind's output from its four, 2.75 MW wind turbines. The turbines are expected to provide enough electricity of more than 4,200 average households, according to the department.

The Burlington City Council approved the department's contract with GMCW on Monday. The power purchase agreement is subject to Public Service Board approval.

GMCW turbines will be constructed in Georgia and Milton. It earned its Certificate of Public Good from the state in June, with the condition it sells stably priced power to a Vermont utility. It is expected to come online in 2012, according to a statement from BED.