Energy Secretary Chu Argues for Investment in Energy ResearchWith some House Republicans gunning for the stimulus bill, especially the portion that went to the Energy Department, the energy secretary went on a pre-emptive offensive of sorts on Monday in advance of the Republican takeover over the chamber, telling an audience at the National Press Club that that money was merely a down payment.
Prosperity relies on technological innovation, which in turn rests on research and development, said Steven Chu, a physicist and Nobel laureate. (Just before he spoke at the luncheon meeting, guests on the dais were each served a dessert cupcake with white frosting topped by chocolatey black icing in the design of an atom, with a nucleus and circling electrons.) But private-sector investment in R&D is low, and public sector investment is wanting, too, he said: it peaked in 1979 and “with a few bumps and wiggles, has been going downhill ever since then,’’ he noted.
Senate Dems press for lame duck action on renewable power grantsOver two-dozen Senate Democrats are trying to create 11th-hour political momentum for extending a grant program that supporters say has provided a lifeline to renewable power developers during the economic downturn.
In a letter Monday to Senate Democratic and GOP leaders, the lawmakers tout the benefits of the expiring Treasury Department grant program that was created in the 2009 stimulus law, and warn that renewable energy project financing will dry up without its extension.
The program allows developers to access grants for projects such as wind farms in lieu of traditional tax credit financing, which became less attractive when the economy tanked.
Opower Tallies $50M Amid Smart-Meter BacklashA backlash by consumers against smart-meters is causing utilities to take a harder look at how they communicate with customers, while also opening up an opportunity for start-ups like Opower Inc., which VentureWire reported raised $50 million in funding co-led by Accel Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Several utilities have run into public relationship quagmires or conflicts with their utility commissions recently around smart grid programs, including Pacific Gas & Electric, Xcel Energy and Baltimore Gas & Electric.
“Frankly it’s a catch-all right now for the angst in the industry around the fact that people are upset and confused about the value of all these expensive smart-grid investments,” said Dan Yates, chief executive and co-founder of Arlington, Va.-based Opower.
Duke completes 51-megawatt wind farm in ColoradoA new wind farm is up and running on Colorado's Eastern Plains, providing enough electricity to power up to 14,000 homes.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy announced Monday that the 51-megawatt Kit Carson windpower project near Burlington is operating. The Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is buying the power produced by the farm under a 20-year agreement with a Duke subsidiary.
It's the first large wind power deal for Tri-State, which supplies power to about one million people through rural electric cooperatives in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.
Wind turbines and high-tech smart meters win in G.E. challengeFour months and 4,000 entries into G.E.’s much-touted Ecomagination challenge, where it promised financial support of $200 million into new ideas for targeted categories, it has come up with a total of 17 high-tech companies that it said it will fund.
The G.E. Ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid contest wanted to corner the best ideas mainly toward building a more efficient and economical power grid. It is part of the broader Ecomagination flagship campaign.
Five winners named will each receive $100,000 to develop their ideas which address problems ranging from frozen wind farm blades, water supply and smart grid security.
Two focused on improving wind turbine designs. IceCode from New Hampshire developed a technology that can defrost wind turbine blades so they never have to be slowed or shut down for repairs.
WinFlex, from Israel, designed an inflatable wind turbine made from inexpensive cloth sheets. The lightweight wind turbine is said to reduce installation costs by at least 50 percent and could shorten the return on investment to three to four years, without subsidies.
The remaining entries were solely focused on the smart grid. Texas-based Capstone Metering’s entry is a smart water meter that can generate its own power – using water – and can be remotely accessed in real time using wireless networks, and through the Internet, eliminating the need for manual meter-readings.
Making the Consumer an Active Participant in the GridThe chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Jon Wellinghoff, is a lawyer and a public servant. But he is also a visionary, which makes him something of an oddity.
In his view, the energy future of the United States looks radically different from its past. Most notably, he sees consumers as active parts of the grid, providing energy via their own solar panels or wind turbines, a system called distributed generation; stabilizing the grid by adjusting demand through intelligent appliances or behavior modification, known as demand response; and storing energy for various grid tasks. He thinks consumers should get paid to provide these services.
While energy buffs have been trying to implement many of these ideas for some time, Mr. Wellinghoff, with his solid experience in renewable energy and efficiency, is now in a position to make it happen.
Maine regulators to consider new Kibby wind planMaine land use regulators are going to consider a revised plan to add 11 more wind turbines to the Kibby region of western Maine near the Canadian border.
The Maine Land Use Regulation Commission is scheduled to meet next Wednesday to consider a proposal by TransCanada Maine Wind Development to add 11 more turbines to the 44 producing power or under construction on Kibby Mountain and in the Kibby Range.
The turbines would be capable of generating 33 megawatts of electricity.
Solar energy jobs growing quicklyNew Hampshire's unemployment rate continues to decrease, a situation that can, in part, be attributed to the sun.
In October, the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit solar energy research organization, released an analysis of the solar energy workforce in the U.S. entitled "National Solar Jobs Census 2010: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce."
According to the Solar Census, as of August, there were more than 16,700 solar employment sites and 93,000 solar energy-related jobs in the U.S.
Conference to address Maine offshore wind powerOffshore wind is a hot topic this December in Maine.
This Wednesday, Maine unions, port officials, manufacturers and environmental groups plan to release a report that tallies the region’s clean energy potential offshore and identifies major opportunities for economic, environmental and energy benefits from offshore wind.
It is being prepared by the National Wildlife Federation and co-sponsored by more than 35 organizations along the Atlantic Coast.
On Dec. 14, an offshore wind conference will take place in Belfast. Organizers say the conference will help coastal stakeholders weigh the related costs and benefits of offshore wind development in Maine.
As nations dither on climate change, big cities step upGlobal megacities such as Mexico City, Seoul, Paris and Los Angeles are more populous than scores of countries, and devour huge amounts of energy, but they've carried no weight in United Nations climate change talks.
Until now.
This week, when envoys come together in Cancun for a follow-up session to last year's rancorous U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen, Mexico City's mayor will be on hand to trumpet how the world's great cities are finding ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for higher global temperatures.
FERC proposes rules to make grid access easier for solar, wind energyFederal regulators on Thursday proposed reforms to make the U.S. electric grid more accessible to electricity generated by renewable energy sources, which should lower costs for consumers who want to buy clean power.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposed a rule requiring public utility transmission providers to allow renewable power producers to schedule their shipments of electricity over shorter time periods to better reflect the moment-to-moment changes in generation output by renewables.
Wind and solar power producers would be able to schedule transmission service in 15-minute intervals, instead of the current one-hour scheduling procedure.
Here is the link to the text of FERC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: "Integration of Variable Energy Resources."
Churchill hydro deal signals era of Atlantic Canada co-operationNewfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is celebrating his government’s $6.2-billion deal to develop Labrador hydroelectric power as a declaration of independence from Quebec’s domination in an economically critical, historically controversial industry.
Provincially-owned Nalcor Energy and Halifax-based Emera announced Thursday they have agreed to proceed with the long-delayed development of the Lower Churchill hydro project, as Mr. Williams and Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter trumpeted a new era of economic co-operation in Atlantic Canada.
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The move by Atlantic provinces toward increasing integration of their power plans is expected to create opportunities to co-ordinate on clean energy production and establish new export markets.
Utah utility to build Idaho wind farmThe first wind farm built by a Utah-based utility will some day provide power to an array of Utah communities — to as far south as Blanding and Enterprise to the northern reaches of the state in Cache County’s Hyrum.
Constructed by the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, the Horse Butte Wind Project will be located on more than 17,600 acres in Bonneville County, Idaho, near Idaho Falls.
From the archive
An announcement of the project was made Thursday by the consortium, which draws on 51 members spanning eight states. The initial installation of 32 wind turbine generators will provide 58 megawatts of power to be delivered to communities in Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and California.
Omaha district approves wind-power agreementThe Omaha Public Power District has agreed to buy power from a new wind farm in central Nebraska.
OPPD's board of directors voted to buy 18 megawatts a year from Edison Mission Group, which is building an 80-megawatt wind farm near Broken Bow, Neb. The wind farm is expected to come on line in 2012.
OPPD has more than 340,000 customers in 13 southeast Nebraska counties.
Renewable Energy Will Power NFL StadiumThe Philadelphia Eagles will add solar panels and wind turbines at their home stadium, saying Thursday it will be the world's first stadium with self-generating renewable energy.
The American football club's joint venture with Solar Blue, a Florida firm that will invest 30 million dollars in the project over the next year, will also include a duel-fuel co-generation plant at Lincoln Financial Field.
"The Philadelphia Eagles are proud to take this vital step towards energy independence from fossil fuels," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said.
"It underscores our strong belief that environmentally sensitive policies are consistent with sound business practices."
Community Solar Plants Without Rooftop PanelsIN this environmentally conscious college town, thousands of bicyclists commute each day through a carefully cultivated urban forest whose canopy shields riders and their homes from the harsh sun of this state’s Central Valley.
The intensity of that sunshine also makes Davis an attractive place to generate clean green energy from rooftop solar panels. And therein lies a conundrum. Tapping the power of the sun can also mean cutting down some of those trees.
“Davis has spent many, many decades getting trees planted and improving energy efficiency by virtue of shade trees that cool houses,” said Mitch Sears, the city’s sustainability program manager. “But if you want solar energy, it’s not rocket science that you need the sun.”
Now a San Francisco company, CleanPath Ventures, is promoting a solution to allow homeowners to keep their trees and go solar at the same time. CleanPath plans to expand its existing solar farm on the city’s outskirts and then sell “garden plots” to homeowners who would own the electricity generated by their patch of photovoltaic panels. Apartment dwellers and other residents whose homes are not suitable for rooftop solar arrays would also be able to own a piece of the power plant.
Pennsylvania supports expansion of clean energyPennsylvania’s lawmakers have passed a bill to help farmers install renewable energy facilities on land not being used for agriculture.
The Wind and Farming Bill was signed by the state’s House of Representatives on Monday, after being passed by the Senate, and is expected to be signed by Governor Ed Rendell before the start of the new legislative session in January.
The new law would mean farmers that install solar, wind, small hydropower and other alternative energy projects on non-commercial land without losing the tax advantages of keeping the land non-commercial.
In order to be eligible, renewable energy projects would have to have a majority of the power generated used on-site by the farms, rather than exported to the grid.
USDA Announces Renewable Energy And Energy Efficiency LoansAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that USDA is providing loans and grants for over 500 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to help farmers, ranchers and owners of rural businesses reduce energy costs and develop new sources of renewable energy. Funding is provided through USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager made the announcement on behalf of the Secretary.
"These loans and grants will generate and save energy for the nation's farmers and rural small businesses for decades to come," Vilsack said. "The funding will help replace outdated equipment, such as old, inefficient grain dryers, insulate buildings, allow recipients to obtain energy audits and incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations so they can compete in the 21st Century global economy."
USDA is awarding more than $30M in loans and grants to the 516 recipients.
Ahead of UN climate change talks, investors warn of economic risks of inactionThe world risks economic crises larger than the recent global financial disruption unless governments, policy-makers and delegates to the forthcoming United Nations conference on climate change take action to combat global warming, major investors warned today.
Nearly 260 investors from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America, who collectively have assets valued at $15 trillion, said in joint statement that the potential climate-related gross domestic product (GDP) losses could soar up to 20 per cent by 2050 as a result of climate change.
Citing the economic benefits of shifting to low-carbon and resource-efficient economies, they called for national and international policies that will spur private investment into green technology.
Wind Project Shows How China and the U.S. Can Get AlongTensions between the United States and China were ratcheted up recently when the Obama administration said it would investigate complaints of unfair trade policies in China connected to renewable energy. But a controversial wind farm project in Texas could offer a model for greater cooperation. It is succeeding because the manufacturing of hundreds of wind turbines will be split between the two countries.
The 600-megawatt wind project was announced last year by investors in China and the United States. It will involve the construction of about 300 wind turbines and will draw on financing from both Chinese banks and from the 2009 U.S. Recovery Act.
Electric sportscar completes Alaska-Argentina tripAn electric sportscar finished a remarkable road trip Tuesday on the Panamerican Highway, traveling from near the Arctic Circle in Alaska to the world's southernmost city without a single blast of carbon dioxide emissions.
Developed by engineers from Imperial College London, the SRZero sportscar ran on lithium iron phosphate batteries powering two electric motors with a peak output of 400 horsepower during its 16,000-mile (26,000-kilometer) journey.
Powering up was a joy at times, the team said - such as in Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, where they started their trip July 3 after charging the batteries using geothermal energy.
San Bernardino County to help vets find renewable energy jobsServicemen and women who have left the military and are looking for work may be able to receive training and job placement in the renewable energy field through the county.
San Bernardino County is partnering with Kern County to fund training in the renewable energy industry for 100 veterans — including 50 who have left the military less than 4 years ago. Officials hope to help at least 71 veterans find jobs by June 30, 2012.
The training will be funded through a $989,982 Veterans Employment-Related Assistance Program grant awarded to Kern County in May. Up to $643,500 will benefit veterans living in San Bernardino County.
US Tells China Fairness Needed in Green Energy IndustryThe top U.S. official on energy policy says China should allow American companies to qualify for subsidies Beijing offers for renewable energy projects. There are growing complaints that China violates world trade rules by subsidizing its green energy companies, such as solar panel and wind turbine manufacturers.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu says his government welcomes Chinese green energy companies because they help create American jobs.
But he says there must be a level playing field for U.S. companies in the booming Chinese green energy industry. China provides various subsidies to its green energy companies, and Washington wants those subsidies to be open to all companies working on environmentally sound energy sources.
Sunset for a Solar Subsidy?When the economy hit the skids in 2008, one of the casualties was the federal government’s main mechanism for subsidizing renewable energy, tax credits.
These became almost useless because they were supposed to work by allowing a company with profits to reduce the tax on those profits if it has spent money on solar or wind installations. Suddenly, far fewer had profits.
So to tide the industry over the recession, Congress stipulated in the Recovery Act that for the next two years, it would give the help in the form of grants instead of tax credits.
The two years are about over but the economic woes are not, so the solar industry is asking for a two-year extension.
Virginia fast tracks wind energy project approvalVirginia’s Department of Environmental Quality has approved a uniform permit regulation for wind energy projects, making the approval process more efficient. Here is a press release from Governor McDonnell’s office:
Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has approved the state’s first permit regulation for renewable energy projects, following legislation from the 2009 General Assembly that transferred permitting authority for such projects from the State Corporation Commission to DEQ.
The permit regulation, known as a “permit by rule,” seeks to balance two statutory goals: to streamline and facilitate development of small renewable energy projects in Virginia, and to protect natural resources. This regulation addresses wind energy, and other types of renewable energy projects will be the focus of future regulations.
Interior Department OKs Second Large Solar Project on Nevada Public LandsThe U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on November 15 approved the second large-scale solar energy project on U.S. public lands in Nevada. The Amargosa Farm Road Solar Project, a 500-megawatt (MW) facility, will provide electricity to about 150,000 homes. The project, an initiative of Solar Millennium LLC, is expected to create 1,300 construction jobs and up to 200 permanent operation jobs. Last month, DOI green lighted the first solar energy project on U.S. public lands in Nevada, First Solar's Silver State North Solar Project, a 50-megawatt facility to be built in the Ivanpah Valley, 40 miles south of Las Vegas.
PA's Gov. Rendell announces $7.9 million in alternative-energy grantsProjects to charge electric cars, fuel vehicles that run on natural gas, and promote biofuels received a $7.9 million boost from the state Tuesday.
Gov. Rendell announced that amount in state grants for 21 projects, which he said also would create 221 jobs and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 14.5 million pounds.
Additional private funds to finish the projects boost their value to $30 million, he said.
Peru to add 200 MW of renewable energy in 2012Peru is to launch six renewable energy projects in 2012, with a total capacity of 200 MW, as part of the government’s new drive to seek alternative sources of energy, it has been announced.
Three wind farms and three solar power plants will operate in 2012 in Peru, according to newspaper El Comercio.
73 Utah schools to get solar panels to generate energy, teach childrenA wet and gloomy Monday, the sun nowhere in sight, was the setting for the announcement at Hillside Middle School that 73 solar panels will be installed atop 73 schools across Utah.
The solar photovoltaic arrays will be placed on the roof of at least one school in each of Utah's 41 school districts to generate renewable energy for the schools and teach schoolchildren about energy efficiency and alternatives.
Wells Fargo to fund $100M in solar projectsWells Fargo will invest more than $100 million to fund the development of solar photovoltaic power projects by GCL-Poly subsidiary GCL Solar Energy Inc. throughout the country.
The investment will be made to the end of 2011.
GlaxoSmithKline Building North America's Largest Rooftop Solar ArrayPharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is building North America's largest rooftop solar array atop their York, PA distribution center.
The array will be 360,000 square feet (equivalent to seven football fields) with 11,000 solar panels and have a capacity of 3.4 MW, enough to fully power the facility. When the project is completed this December, it will be the first of the company's facilities to run completely on renewable energy, but according to GSK, it won't be the last. A Fresno, CA distribution center is next in line for a renewable energy makeover starting sometime next Spring.
California climate law survives challenge at pollsOne of the world's most ambitious laws to combat global warming survived a challenge on Tuesday as California voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure that would have put the state's plans for more renewable energy and a market to curb greenhouse gases on ice.
Lines will help Ohio plug into wind powerA new electricity superhighway extending from Iowa to the Indiana-Ohio border someday will make it easier to transport wind energy across the country.
The $2.25 billion transmission project was announced yesterday by American Electric Power and several partners.
REC opens $2.5b solar plant in SingaporeOne of the world's largest integrated solar plant opened in Singapore on Wednesday, marking a milestone in the country's fledgling clean technology industry.
The Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) facility at Tuas, built at a cost of $2.5 billion, is the largest cleantech investment ever made in Singapore.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who officiated the opening, said the new complex is a 'key piece in Singapore's clean energy strategy'.
State Commission Approves Latest Solar Plant in Southern CaliforniaThe California Energy Commission approved on October 28 the 663.5-megawatt (MW) Calico Solar Project in San Bernardino County, the seventh California solar power plant it has licensed in the past two months. Calico Solar, LLC, a subsidiary of Tessera Solar, is developing the project on approximately 4,613 acres of land managed by the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management in the Mojave Desert.
Nissan sells out of electric Leaf before it hits U.S. showroomsU.S. consumers looking to get Nissan's all-electric Leaf will have to wait another year, after dealers sold this year's entire shipment before the zippy sedan even hit showrooms, the Japanese automaker said Monday.
Nissan dealers have collected more than 20,000 orders for the Leaf, and the bulk are wealthy "early adapters" on the West Coast of the United States, said Carlos Tavares, chair of Nissan's management committee for the Americas.
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