Renewable Energy News, January 27, 2011

Obama Calls for 80% "Clean Energy" by 2035

In an unprecedented move, last night U.S. President Barack Obama put clean energy front and center on the agenda of the American government -- calling for an 80% clean energy target by 2035.

In his yearly State of the Union address to the nation’s lawmakers, Obama said that it is time for America to invest in the energy of the future and stop supporting the energy of the past. He called on Congress to remove all subsidies for fossil fuels and to reinvest the money saved into clean energy initiatives.

The President said that he hopes America can obtain 80% of its energy from clean sources by 2035, the most aggressive target ever set forth by a president. While renewable energy supporters were thrilled with the bold target, they were reminded during the speech that Obama’s idea of clean energy is broad: His target includes nuclear energy, clean coal and natural gas, in addition to traditional renewables like wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and hydro.

Wyoming Senate gives initial approval to wind rights bill

A proposed bill that aims to establish wind as a property right in Wyoming has won initial approval in the state Senate.

Senate File 22 was approved on voice vote Tuesday but still must be voted on two more times in the Senate before it can advance to the House of Representatives.

The bill essentially establishes that land in Wyoming comes with wind rights along with surface and mineral rights. The idea is to establish wind rights so landowners can be compensated for wind produced on their land.

Supporters say the legislation is significant because the wind energy industry is growing rapidly in Wyoming.

DOE, Commerce Department Form Renewable Energy Modeling Partnership

DOE and the U.S. Department of Commerce announced on January 24 a new agreement to further collaboration between the agencies on renewable energy modeling and weather forecasting. This teaming will enable U.S. renewable energy resources to be used more effectively by business and entrepreneurs. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by DOE and the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will encourage the agencies to disseminate weather and climate information needed for renewable energy technologies that are dependent on short-term weather and longer-term climate trends. Better information on weather patterns and improved modeling of the variability of the wind, sun, water, ocean currents, and other sources of renewable energy will ultimately increase the United States' ability to reliably integrate renewable energy into the electrical grid.

UK Feed-In Tariff Enjoys Early Success

A recent report has revealed that, since its introduction in April 2010, the United Kingdom's renewable energy feed-in tariff has enjoyed record levels of success.

The latest official figures published by UK energy regulator Ofgem (PDF) show that an impressive 15,468 installations have registered to take part during the first six months.

The scheme, designed to promote the uptake of small-scale renewable electricity generation, has already paid out more than £2.5 million (around US $4 million) to applicants – with the subsidies proving particularly popular in the solar PV sector, which has accounted for the lion’s share (around 60%) of participants to date.

Oil giant Saudi Arabia looks toward alternative energy

With vast oil reserves that are far from exhausted, Saudi Arabia, facing rising domestic energy demand that could cut into its oil exports, has decided to explore nuclear and renewable energy, Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said Monday.

“We have started to take the required steps to utilize several energy sources locally, in particular solar and nuclear energy,” he told a conference in Riyadh.

The kingdom has massive proven reserves. In November, Naimi put the figure at 264 billion barrels, and said Saudi Arabia was capable of supplying crude for the next 80 years at current production levels “even if we never found another barrel.”

However, Saudi Arabia anticipates a rise in domestic energy demand, which within 20 years could see an increase in domestic oil consumption to around 8 million barrels per day, approaching its current output, a former commerce minister and head of a Saudi energy research centre said.

Renewable Energy News, January 25, 2011

100 Percent Renewable Energy Achievable By 2030: Study

Could the world reach a 100 percent renewable energy goal in less than 20 years? New research says we can.

A report published in the journal Energy Policy claims that by 2030, the world can achieve 100 percent renewable energy if the proper measures are taken.

What exactly are these measures? According to PhysOrg, over 80 percent of our world's energy supply currently comes from fossil fuels. We would need to build approximately four million wind turbines, nearly 2 billion solar photovoltaic systems, and about 90,000 solar power plants. The 5 MW wind turbines needed are up to three times the capacity of most of our current wind turbines. Doable? Perhaps. Formidable? Most certainly.

But Mark Delucchi and Mark Jacobson believe that if the will exists, there is a way.

Carol Browner, Director of Policy on Climate Will Leave White House

Carol M. Browner, the White House coordinator for energy and climate change policy, will leave the administration shortly, officials confirmed Monday night. Her departure signals at least a temporary slowing of the ambitious environmental goals of President Obama’s first two years in the face of new Republican strength in Congress.

Ms. Browner, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, was charged with directing the administration’s effort to enact comprehensive legislation to reduce emissions of climate-altering gases and moving the country away from a dependence on dirty-burning fossil fuels. That effort foundered in Congress last year, and Mr. Obama has acknowledged that no major climate change legislation is likely to pass in the next two years.

Green energy to get attention in State of the Union

Green energy is earning Gary and Robert Allen a trip to Washington and a coveted spot at the State of the Union speech tonight.

The brothers -- Gary is the CEO and Robert is the president of Luma Resources in Rochester Hills -- will get a moment in the spotlight, sitting with first lady Michelle Obama to hear President Barack Obama's annual address to the country.

"When the White House called on Friday, I first thought it was a prank call," Robert Allen said. "It must be somebody who's looking for money."

The speech, which begins at 9 tonight, is expected to highlight the economy and the need to ramp up efforts to help create jobs.

In a video message to supporters previewing the speech, Obama said, "My principal focus is going to be making sure we're competitive, that we're growing and that we're creating jobs."

Luma Resources is a good example of creating jobs in one of Obama's favorite sectors: green energy.

As Expected, U.S. Wind Installations Down 50% in 2010

Hurt by falling natural gas prices, low demand for power and lack of a long-term renewable energy target, the American wind industry saw installations fall almost 50% last year, according to figures released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Wind developers constructed 5,115 MW of wind capacity in 2010, down from 10,000 MW in 2009. Activity has already increased, however; AWEA reports that 5,600 MW of projects are already in the construction phase in 2011.

The new activity was spurred by an extension of the Treasury Grant Program, which allowed developers to take a cash payment for 30% of equipment costs in lieu of the production tax credit. AWEA projects installed wind capacity to grow in 2011 compared to 2010.

The tough year for wind in America caused the country to slip in the global standings; The U.S. now has 40,180 MW of wind capacity – 620 MW short of China's overall capacity.

Forest Service extends comment period on Vermont wind project

The Green Mountain National Forest is extending the public comment period on a plan for a mountaintop wind project in the southern Vermont towns of Readsboro and Searsburg.

The Forest Service is seeking public input as part of its deliberations to decide whether to approve plans by Deerfield Wind to build and operate a 17-turbine, 34 megawatt commercial wind energy facility on up to 80 acres of national forest land.

Computer problems prompted the Forest Service to extend the public comment period from Feb. 18 until March 4

The U.S. Forest Service is reviewing the proposal. The Vermont Public Service Board has approved a 15-turbine project.

A public meeting on the project is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Readsboro Central School.

Disclosure: SDRS represents Deerfield Wind in this matter.

New York State offers $250M for renewable energy projects

Some $250 million in state funding is available for renewable energy generation projects, officials announced Monday.

The funding will be awarded competitively for electric generation projects related to wind, hydroelectric, biomass and other clean energy resources, state officials said.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the state Public Service Commission are coordinating the funding. An announcement on awards is scheduled for April, officials said.

Wyoming legislative committee tables wind energy eminent domain bill

Wyoming's ban on giving wind developers eminent domain powers will likely expire this summer after legislators shelved a proposal to extend the ban.

The House Minerals Committee on Monday indefinitely postponed legislation that would have imposed another one-year moratorium on non-utility companies' ability to use eminent domain when building collector lines to wind turbine sites.

State lawmakers voted last year to create a one-year moratorium on the practice; that moratorium ends July 1.

California firm to begin offering solar leases in Maryland

A California-based solar energy company announced Monday it is expanding to Maryland, where it plans to offer homeowners and businesses the option to lease rather than buy photovoltaic systems.

SolarCity, headquartered in San Mateo, has acquired Clean Currents Solar, the solar installation division of Clean Currents, an independent green energy company based in Rockville that now markets solar and wind power in the mid-Atlantic region.

Claiming more than 10,000 customers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Texas, SolarCity said it plans to begin offering zero-down, 20-year solar leases in Maryland and Washington, D.C., in mid-February. SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive said the firm, which has 1,000 employees, anticipates hiring 30 to 40 in Maryland in its first year.

Talk to Secretary Chu Live This Wednesday | DOE Blog

After the State of the Union address this week, Secretary Steven Chu will host an online town hall to discuss President Obama's clean energy agenda.

We hope you'll join us this Wednesday, January 26 at 12:45pm EST, at energy.gov/livechat.

Two weeks ago, Secretary Chu asked what you most hoped to see the Department discussing. You responded with more topics than I have room to list, ranging from electric bicycles and LED lighting, to nuclear power, high-speed rail and energy independence.

And so we're happy to say that Wednesday's town hall won't just be a single one-hour event, but will be kicking off a new year-long series called Energy Matters, in which experts from the Department will talk about the issues you've asked to hear more about, and answer your questions live online.

Vermont Wind Wins Again in Environmental Court Battle Over Stormwater Permit

In re Sheffield Wind Project, Docket No. 252-10-08 Vtec
Vermont Superior Court, Environmental Division (Judge Wright)

Shems Dunkiel Raubvogel & Saunders' client, Vermont Wind, LLC, has won yet another battle against opponents of the Sheffield Wind Project. Project opponents had challenged the stormwater construction permit issued to the project by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources by appealing the permit to the Environmental Court. After a after a lengthy trial spanning November, December, and January of 2009-2010, the Environmental Court ruled in favor of Vermont Wind and approved the permit. The Court's final decision issued in August 2010, and can be found here. Following the final decision, project opponents filed a motion to alter the judgment, asking the Court to reconsider its decision on a number of issues and to deny the stormwater permit. Earlier this month, the Environmental Court issued a decision on the motion, concluding that the project opponents had offered no new evidence or pointed to any errors of law that would warrant altering the original decision.

The Sheffield Wind Project is under construction and will be the first commercial wind project in Vermont since the Searsburg project was built in the 1990s.

Renewable Energy News, January 21, 2011

Texas OKs New Wind Power Transmission Lines

Texas is in the midst of a wind-power boom, and at the heart of it lies a conundrum: While plenty of ranchers are eager to host wind turbines, few want the unsightly high-voltage transmission lines needed to carry the power to distant cities running through their property.

The lack of transmission lines — and the relatively low price of natural gas — has thwarted the ambitions of wind-power advocates to expand the use of this alternative energy source in Texas. The oilman T. Boone Pickens, for example, bet heavily on wind a couple of years ago, ordering hundreds of turbines and announcing plans to build the world’s largest wind farm in the Panhandle at a cost of up to $12 billion. He later scaled back, canceling some of the turbine orders, giving up his land lease and saying he was looking elsewhere to build.

To encourage others, the state is moving forward on a contentious project to erect $5 billion worth of transmission wires to connect the turbines to the cities that need power. On Thursday, state regulators met in Austin and approved the route of a controversial line that will run about 140 miles through the Hill Country, one of the state’s most scenic regions.

Proponents of renewable energy flock to Virginia's capital to lobby legislators

In an era where new power plants cost billions and the huge components of offshore wind farms require an industrial base to manufacture, solar power proponent Kent Baake came to the Capitol on Thursday backing two low-key alternative energy bills.

One would create a state fund for homeowners to finance solar power installations. The other would loosen homeowner association covenants that restrict rooftop solar collection panels.

Baake said the bills' passage would encourage more residents to try solar, and enrich the state's economy.

"This renewable energy stuff creates jobs," Baake said during a one-day drive by dozens of alternative energy proponents to win the support of legislators. "There are success stories out there."

CT Legislature's Energy and Technology Committee Approves Creation of New Energy Reform Bill

The legislature's Energy and Technology Committee, taking the first step to resurrect last year's energy reform bill, on Thursday unanimously approved drafting a new policy bill.

The bill is expected to include provisions that would seek to lower electricity rates, promote renewable energy and stimulate the growth of Connecticut's green industries. The planned legislation has not yet been drafted, and has no specifications on how those changes would be implemented.

Greentech Generated 4 of 5 Largest VC Deals in 2010

U.S. greentech startups captured four out of the five highest grossing VC rounds of 2010, according to the MoneyTree Report based on data from Thomson Reuters, which was released on Friday. If it weren’t for Twitter, greentech might have landed all five top spots.

While last year ended on a high note for green technology with global investment reaching record levels in areas like clean power asset financing, greentech venture capital investing actually declined in the third and fourth-quarters. But clearly the year was dominated by these massive bets.

90 Michigan schools to get renewable energy systems

An Ann Arbor-based nonprofit technical resource center says it's expanding the energy efficiency of Michigan schools by installing solar and wind power generation systems at 90 institutions during the next three years.

Energy Works Michigan said Thursday that the expansion of its Michigan Renewable Schools Program is made possible by a $4.4 million contract with the Michigan Public Service Commission.

New Orleans City Council votes to allow solar panels on French Quarter building

The New Orleans City Council voted today to allow a French Quarter resident to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of his home, a $50,000 project that was denied in October by the Vieux Carre Commission.

Local housing officials and renewable energy advocates say the project would be the first of its kind in the French Quarter, which they consider to be the "final frontier" as solar and other energy-efficient technologies take hold in the rebuilding city.

Cincinnati Zoo To Power Park With Solar Panels

The Cincinnati Zoo has begun installing a solar power array that it hopes will provide about a fifth of the park's energy needs by April.

The zoo says it will be the country's largest urban solar array that is accessible to the public.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that workers began installing the first of 6,400 panels on metal canopy structures Wednesday.

Renewable Energy News, January 19, 2011

Pushing the Energy Envelope With China

Concurrent with the visit of President Hu Jintao, top Chinese and American officials are in the midst of a day-and-a-half “strategic forum on clean energy cooperation,” with the Brookings Institution playing host.

China and the United States are the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, several Americans said diplomatically. (Actually, China is now slightly larger.) But the longer-term trends are even more stark.

Chai Sangyue, president of the China Energy Research Society, said that by 2020, his country plans to have double the economic output it did in 2000. And while its energy efficiency is improving, he said, with continued growth, China could be using fully half the world’s energy by 2050. “This is going to impose tremendous pressure on resources and the environment,’’ he said.

Global Clean Energy Investment Reaches Record in 2010

New investment in global clean energy reached $243 billion in 2010, driven by China's clean energy spending, expansion of European offshore wind, and installations of rooftop photovoltaics in Europe, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The research company noted on January 11 that this annual total is up 30% from a revised figure of $186.5 billion in 2009, making 2010 the strongest year so far for investment in clean energy. The 2010 total is nearly five times that of 2004, when $51.7 billion was invested. The report included investment in renewable energy, biofuels, energy efficiency, smart grid and other energy technologies, carbon capture, as well as storage and infrastructure for clean energy.

Among the highlights: small-scale, distributed generation projects surged by 91% last year to $59.6 billion, propelled by rooftop and other small-scale solar projects, notably in Germany but also in the United States, the Czech Republic, and other European countries; China's spending on clean energy grew 30% to $51.1 billion in 2010, making it the country investing most in clean energy; research and development by companies and governments hit record levels, with governments contributing $21 billion of the $35.5 billion in R&D outlays; and venture capital and private equity rebounded to post a 28% gain over 2009 by reaching $8.8 billion in deals.

BP: Renewable energy will outpace oil growth in 2030

Renewable power sources will outpace oil as global energy demand surges nearly 40% in the next 20 years, according to an industry forecast released Wednesday by energy giant BP.

Most of the expected increased in energy demand will come from emerging economies such as China, India, Russia and Brazil, according to "BP Energy Outlook 2030." Such non-OECD countries (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development), which will account for 93% of the demand growth, will boost their share of demand from just over half currently to two-thirds.

At the same time, energy efficiency and diversification will increase. Between 2010 to 2030, the report says, renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal and biofuels) will increase their contribution to energy growth from 5% to 18%. In contrast, coal and oil are likely to lose market share and natural gas is projected to be the fastest growing fossil fuel.

Japan Seeks Treaty to Export Its Renewable-Energy Technology to Ukraine

Japan’s government aims to complete an investment treaty with Ukraine to push the export of its clean-energy technology abroad.

Visiting Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan agreed to start negotiations this year for a bilateral treaty to promote and protect investments, according to a statement yesterday from Kan’s office.

“An investment treaty would further promote cooperation utilizing Japan’s useful technology, mainly in energy and the environment,” Banri Kaieda, Japan’s trade minister, said today at an investment seminar in Ukraine. “We hope for an early conclusion of negotiations toward a new stage for the bilateral economic relations.”

Ukraine is interested in Japanese technologies for solar and wind power, heat insulation and biomass, said Fumio Ueda, executive director of Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, at the seminar.

Spain's Gamesa Eyes Baja California Wind

Gamesa, the expansionist Spanish wind-power company, is stepping up its forays into Mexican with hopes to sell as many as 2,000 wind turbines to Baja California. Its plans come at a time when observers expect the windy state bordering Southern California will attract $6bn of wind investments by 2015.

A string of industry heavyweights including Cannon Power, Union Fenosa and Sempra Energy are already pursuing ambitious projects in the region and others are on their way, sources say. The companies hope to export the bulk of future production to the sunny state, which is having trouble meeting its renewable energy targets.

Gamesa's regional sales director William Robinson says developers are so enthused about Baja's prospects that the region could attract 5,000 MW of generation capacity by 2017. This will require around 2,000 turbines, which Gamesa hopes to supply from its US factories.

New greenhouse gas regulations may close Ohio utilities

A local Dayton Power & Light facility and two Duke Energy plants near Cincinnati are vulnerable to closure as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gears up to regulate greenhouse gases this year, according to a report from investment bank FBR Capital Markets.

Miamisburg’s O.H. Hutchings Station is one of 17 older power plants in Ohio that could be subject to heavier regulation and could possibly shut down if pending and new EPA rules are imposed as the report anticipates. DP&L says it’s too early to determine the precise impact new regulations would have on ratepayers, but costs are likely to rise.

India plans Asian tidal power first

The Indian state of Gujarat is planning to host Asia's first commercial-scale tidal power station.

The company Atlantis Resources is to install a 50MW tidal farm in the Gulf of Kutch on India's west coast, with construction starting early in 2012.

The facility could be expanded to deliver more than 200MW.

The biggest operating tidal station in the world, La Rance in France, generates 240MW, while South Korea is planning several large facilities.

To claim the title of "Asia's first", the Indian project will have to outrun developments at Sihwa Lake, a South Korean tidal barrage under construction on the country's west coast.

Eight firms want to build wind projects off Maryland coast

Eight companies, including one with Maryland ties, have indicated their interest in developing wind energy projects off the state's coast, federal officials disclosed Friday.

State and industry officials hailed what they called a "robust" response to the federal government's call for developers to indicate whether they want to try generating electricity from wind turbines placed in the Atlantic 12 miles or more from Ocean City.

The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement had invited potential wind developers in November to express their interest in leasing sites in a 207 nautical-square-mile area off the state's 31-mile coastline. The deadline for responding was Monday.

Hydroelectric projects power up in Hawaii

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative is proposing the state's first significant expansion of hydroelectric power generation in decades with a series of planned projects that could provide nearly 20 percent of the island's power needs.

KIUC has partnered with Massachusetts-based Free Flow Power Corp. to explore the development of four hydroelectric projects on rivers and streams across Kauai that could generate enough electricity to power roughly 13,000 homes.

The development of hydroelectric power generation in Hawaii has thus far taken a back seat to solar and wind power in the recent push toward greater use of renewable energy sources. The last major hydroelectric project in the state was built on the Big Island's Wailuku River in 1993. Many of the other plants date back to the early part of the 20th century.

N.J. projects compete for title of biggest solar roof

In the last century, builders raced to erect the tallest skyscraper in the world. This century, developers compete for a different feat: largest solar installations.

Since 2008, the North American record for the biggest solar installation on a single roof has been upped at least three times, with two more record-breaking attempts still under construction.

In New Jersey, in the past month alone, two projects have been announced that would double what is thought to be the current record for an installation, a FedEx facility in Woodbridge.

Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth announced plans for a solar installation on the mall's roof. To be completed in August, it will produce 4.8 megawatts, 11 percent of the mall's energy needs, according to numbers from PSE&G.

That project is neck and neck with one planned in Carteret on the roof of a distribution center for White Rose Inc., slated to produce 5 megawatts of energy a year.

Solar Panels Let U.S. Marines Regiment Cut Fuel Consumption by Nearly 90 Percent

A U.S. Marine regiment in Afghanistan has used solar panels to reduce the amount of diesel it uses in generators from 20 gallons a day to just 2.5 gallons, according to a news report from the Marines.

"Our generators typically use more than 20 gallons of fuel a day. We are down to 2.5 gallons a day," said [Staff Sergeant David] Doty, 3rd Squad Leader, with 1st Platoon, 'I' Company, and Fulton, Mo., native. "The system works amazing. By saving fuel for generators, it has cut back on the number of convoys, meaning less opportunity for one of our vehicles to hit an IED."

The panels are used to recharge batteries for laptops, radios, and lighting. They're part of a program called the Experimental Forward Operating Base (ExFOB).

Renewable Energy News, January 18, 2011

India to produce 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022

The Government of India has set an ambitious target of 20,000 Megawatts of solar power by 2022.

This was revealed by Deepak Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, while delivering the keynote address at an International Workshop on The Private Sector and Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Economies.

According to the government's solar mission plan, 20 million rural households will be provided solar lighting. It would also produce 20 million square metres of solar thermal area.

"This is an ambitious project. Perhaps, the biggest target in the world", Gupta told the workshop organised by Observer Research Foundation in association with US National Science Foundation, University of California and the University of Maryland.

Groups launch wind power product label WindMade

Groups and companies including WWF and Danish wind turbine maker Vestas on Monday supported the launch of "WindMade" as a label for products made using wind power, aiming to attract green consumers.

To use the label, producers would have to pass a test confirming their use of wind power, and in return they can benefit from a possible price premium similar to that organic food has over conventional produce.

A technical group has not yet decided details of how the label would work, backers of the initiative said.

TN solar plant is scheduled to start pumping out power

The largest solar electrical generation plant in the seven-state Tennessee Valley Authority region is scheduled to begin generating electricity here this week.

The 5.5-acre solar farm, which sits across from the north entrance to Procter & Gamble, is divided into two sections.

One section will supply electricity directly to TVA. The other will supply electricity to an adjoining warehouse and plant, once the home of American Olean and Dal-Tile.

WIND POWER: Bluewater launches aggressive campaign in Md.

NRG Bluewater Wind is aggressively looking to expand its reach. Analysts say the company's bid last week to construct turbines off the Maryland coast is indicative of its thirst to build anywhere it can.

NRG, which has a contract to supply Delmarva Power customers with electricity from a wind farm 13.2 miles off the Delaware coast, bid on 33 ocean tracts off Maryland under the name Bluewater Wind Maryland LLC.

"Bluewater has made it very clear they want to be a major player," said Matt DaPrato, an analyst with the Massachusetts-based IHS Emerging Energy Research.

Feds Surge Forward on Solar Projects in the Southwest

In the West, fighting the federal Bureau of Land Management is a time-honored tradition. But as today's agency focuses on renewable solar energy projects, the BLM is looking more friend than foe to recession-stricken southern Nevada.

Ever since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 set the tangible goal of 10,000 megawatts of non-hydropower renewable energy by 2015, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior and the BLM have been working in tandem to facilitate large, utility-scale solar projects in the desert Southwest. The BLM, whose land conservation policies made it a constant target of ranchers and landowners in the 1970s and 80s, has shape-shifted into a business-friendly entity, at least where renewable energy is concerned.

The BLM believes it can meet the 10,000-megawatt goal during this presidential administration, and it is pressing forward on fast-tracking 14 different solar utility projects in the sun-drenched, federally managed desert lands of southern Nevada and southern California.

Cape, Vineyard craft new turbine rules

Planners on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod have similar questions but different answers for how to regulate wind turbines.

Regional planning agencies on both the Cape and Vineyard released draft plans last month to deal with wind-energy projects in state waters under their jurisdiction. The Martha's Vineyard Commission's model regulations for island towns also cover land-based turbines, while the Cape Cod Commission is handling terrestrial projects with a separate set of rules.
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"I think we're all sort of headed in the same direction," Cape Cod Commission Executive Director Paul Niedzwiecki said. "We're probably taking a different approach."

Renewable Energy News, January 14, 2011

Cape Wind Has Final Permits

More than nine years after plans for a huge wind farm in Nantucket Sound were first revealed, the final regulatory approvals for Cape Wind have been granted.

The exhaustive review process began in 2001. It ended last Friday, with granting by the Environmental Protection Agency of a permit relating to potential effects on air quality of emissions from vessels engaged in operations to do with construction and operation of the 130-turbine development on Horseshoe Shoal.

The previous day, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made a determination in favor of the project.

Los Angeles DWP reports a 20% rise in renewable energy

Achieving a major clean-air goal ahead of state targets, the Los Angeles DWP last year generated 20 percent of its power through wind, water, solar and geothermal systems, city officials announced Thursday.

"This is a big deal," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference with environmental leaders. "When we set this goal in 2005, the DWP was the dirtiest utility in the nation. Today, it's the cleanest, and we have been able to do it at a cost lower than any other utility in California."

In 2005, the Department of Water and Power generated roughly 5 percent of its energy from renewable sources. Last year, however, that surged to a high of 28 percent for a short time.

HSBC: 2011 a good year for climate investment

Last year was not a good one for investment in green projects and technologies. The combined effect of the recession and the hangover from the failure of the Copenhagen talks saw investment levels drop sharply.

But this year is looking rosier, according to HSBC. Their analysts say in a new report:

"Doubts about science have been replaced by the realities of extreme events and rising commodity prices. The shocks to European renewables incentives sparked by the fiscal crisis appear to have run their course, and efforts to drive energy efficiency will be intensified in the EU in the next 12 months."

UN's Ban Ki-Moon to speak at World Future Energy Summit

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will address Heads of State and international delegates.

The visit by the UN Secretary-General underscores the growing role the UAE and Abu Dhabi are playing in driving the global adoption of renewable energy and clean technology innovation. Through Masdar, the multi-faceted initiative advancing the development and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies, Abu Dhabi has demonstrated its long-term commitment to discovering a viable roadmap for sustainability.

Cincinnati parks starts solar project

The Cincinnati Parks Department is installing a series of solar panel arrays that it says will make the department the owner of the largest number of solar arrays in the state.

The project, installed in 12 parks and on structures around Cincinnati, consists of 586 235-watt Sharp solar modules. When finished, the solar power project will provide the district with 170 kilowatts of renewable energy.

Causeway wind turbine pilot project officially under way in Louisiana

A lone wind turbine spinning near at the north end of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was hailed this morning as a first step in bringing widespread renewable energy to Louisiana.

Officials from the Causeway Commission, Cleco, the state's Public Service Commission and the city of Mandeville cut the ribbon on the project, marking the beginning of a two-year test of the viability of wind power on and around Lake Pontchartrain.

"America today is, unfortunately, no longer energy self-sufficient," Causeway General Manager Carlton Dufrechou said. "And these are the kinds of systems we need to make America self-sufficient."

If the project is successful, officials think larger turbines could be installed along the Causeway itself, taking advantage of the higher winds on the lake to produce more power, said Eric Schouest, general manager of Cleco's eastern district.

Green power can prove a cash windfall for UK farmers

Turbines can be a money spinner for cash-strapped farmers on Teesside, renewables bosses have claimed.

Eco Environments, which has recently opened an office in Darlington, has teamed up with Scottish turbine makers Proven Energy to install turbines eligible for feed-in tariff payments.

Bosses say interest is growing from farmers and businesses on industrial sites that want to turn wind power into extra revenue.

Since April, anyone installing a wind turbine that’s registered under the national Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is paid per kilowatt produced - whether they use the power themselves or not.

Could Revoked West Virginia Coal Mine Permit Trigger a Renewable Energy Boom?

This week, the brutal business of mountaintop removal coal mining got some bad news when the EPA revoked its permit for Arch Coal’s Spruce No. 1 Mine, a West Virginia mine that would have blasted off mountaintops across 2,278 acres to get to the coal beneath. It was a smart move for the local environment--the project could have polluted streams, killed wildlife, and poisoned locals. But it may have a larger implication for dirty coal since the EPA revoked the permit after the fact using the Clean Air Act. That means other coal mines could get shut down too, leaving a big space in West Virginia for cleaner energy development.