Renewable Energy Law Blog

Renewable Energy Law News - Week of January 16, 2012

2012-01-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

Photo via Flickr

Vermont Statehouse 2012: A legislative preview

On Tuesday, 180 lawmakers will converge on the Statehouse after a seven month hiatus for Round 2 of the 2011-2012 biennium. Judging from interviews with committee chairs, the upcoming session will be fast and furious. Lawmakers have an impressive array of complicated issues to address in four short months, and there is little expectation that the session will drag past the first week in May (this is an election year after all).

Long-term recovery plans post-Irene will figure prominently on the docket. Expect to see lively debate on proposals for the new state psychiatric hospital, the state office complex, a reordering of transportation priorities, and legislation to address property losses, flood insurance issues, municipal borrowing and tax abatements. (The latter is already in motion; lawmakers are expected to forgive about $2 million to $4 million in property taxes to the state Education Fund in the first few weeks of the session.)

There are a number of old business items that must pass through the belly of the snake no matter what. The biggie here is the budget (the 2013 gap between revenues and expenditures is $75 million, plus $25 million worth of budget adjustments for fiscal year 2012); closely followed by the miscellaneous tax bill, the fee bill and the capital bill. The latter will earmark how much money the state will borrow to pay for new state offices and the replacement for the Vermont State Hospital.

Gabrielle Stebbins: "Renewable Energy Vermont will push for a tax on the dry-cask storage of nuclear waste to keep the Clean Energy Development Fund going."

Free Press: Gov. Peter Shumlin and the Legislature have put renewable energy very, very high on their agendas. How is Vermont doing at encouraging and implementing renewable electrical energy sources?

Stebbins: Vermont is one of the national leaders in transforming how we use energy. Renewable sources already supply 50 percent of our electricity, so we're on a great path, but of course we have much more to do.

Free Press: But much of the energy we use isn't electrical energy, it is fuel to heat our homes and power our cars ...

Stebbins: Certainly that's true. Electricity is only one-third of our energy demand. The other two-thirds are for heating our buildings and travel purposes. Both of these sectors require multi-steps to address. We need to keep up the great work that our efficiency utilities and weatherization agencies provide, which can save considerably and helps us meet the remaining heating needs with Vermont's wood resources. We are ready to lead in this direction. One study recently estimated that if only one-fifth of Vermont buildings transferred from traditional fuel to biomass fuels used in modern, efficient boilers, it could create about 7,000 stable local energy jobs.

Vermont considers renewable energy law

The Vermont Legislature is considering a proposal to enact a renewable portfolio standard, a law requiring utilities to source a specified percentage of their electricity from eligible renewable resources. If enacted, Bill S-170 (72-page PDF) could change Vermont's energy landscape.

Today, Vermont is the only New England state not to have a statutory renewable portfolio standard, or RPS. Instead, Vermont's approach to renewable energy has focused on SPEED, or the Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development Program. SPEED's goal is that by 2012, at least 10% of the state's 2005-era electric load be served by new sources of renewable energy, or 20% of total load by 2017. To further that goal, SPEED created incentives such as a feed-in tariff designed to encourage new renewable development. Unlike true RPS programs in other states, the Vermont program's targets are not strictly binding.

Bill S-170 would take Vermont away from the goal-based model and toward a firm renewable energy mandate. The bill would create a two-tiered RPS, with a "tier one" for projects coming into service during 2005-2012 and a "tier two" for projects coming online in 2013 and later. The bill would require utilities to source power from new renewable resources in each of these categories, plus additional power from existing renewable facilities. In 2013, utilities would have to source 40% of their power from existing renewable resources, plus 10% more from "tier one" new resources. Over time, the requirement would grow; by 2025, utilities would have to add in 40% from "tier two" resources, adding up to environmental attributes representing 90% of total annual retail sales.

Renewable Energy Law News Week of 12/1

2011-12-05T16:42:00.001-05:00

Photo via Flickr

What Will Become Of The Kyoto Climate Treaty?

As diplomats from around the world gather in Durban, South Africa, for talks about climate change, a big question looms: What will become of the Kyoto climate treaty, which was negotiated with much fanfare in 1997. The treaty was supposed to be a first step toward much more ambitious actions on climate change, but it is now on the brink of fading into irrelevance. That could have major implications for the future of United Nations climate talks.

Even under the best of circumstances, the Kyoto protocol would have made a barely measurable dent in the amount of greenhouse gases flowing into the Earth's atmosphere.

First, the United States decided not to ratify the treaty, so our emissions aren't covered by the pact. Then China leapfrogged the U.S. to become the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. But China is treated like a developing country under the Kyoto treaty, which means it has no obligations. Even so, Europe and a few other nations have been soldiering on.

23 Governors, 369 orgs throw support behind four-year PTC extension bill

Most recently, a broad, nonpartisan coalition of 369 members, including manufacturing, farm and business interests, issued a letter endorsing a four-year extension to the Production Tax Credit (PTC), wind energy's key federal tax incentive. Legislation recently introduced by Representatives Dave Reichert (R, WA-08) and Earl Blumenauer (D, OR-03) seeks to grant a four-year extension to the existing PTC for wind energy (H.R. 3307, the "American Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Extension Act").

Signatories to the letter include the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Edison Electric Institute (the trade group for investor-owned utilities), the Western Governors’ Association, the United Steelworkers and many members of the environmental community.

“Farmers and business people know a good deal when they see one, and that is exactly what clean, affordable, homegrown wind energy provides for the American people,” said AWEA CEO Denise Bode. “With the support of a key federal tax incentive, wind energy is powering one of America’s fastest-growing manufacturing sectors. Over the last six years, U.S. domestic production of wind turbine components has grown 12-fold to more than 400 facilities in 43 states, shifting manufacturing jobs from overseas back to the U.S. By extending the PTC we will be able to continue growing U.S. wind energy manufacturing jobs rather than lose them to other countries.”

Renewable Energy Law News from week of 11/17

2011-11-18T10:25:00.001-05:00

Photo via Flickr

Extending the Renewable Energy PTC

Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have introduced legislation aimed at extending the Production Tax Credit, or PTC.

First conceived in 1992 as part of the Energy Policy Act (H.R. 776), the PTC has been renewed year after year and also incorporated into the Energy Policy Act of 2005 as part of that Act’s Renewable Energy Production Incentives. The PTC currently provides a 2.2-cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on wind, closed-loop biomass, and geothermal resources for the first decade of a renewable energy facility’s life. Other renewable forms of energy receive a tax credit of 1 cent per kWh.

New German Solar PV Tariffs the Price to Beat Worldwide

Germany has announced lower solar photovoltaic (solar PV) tariffs for 2012 and the industry has taken the expected step in stride.

The German network agency, the Bundesnetzagentur, announced the new feed-in tariffs for solar PV as part of automatic adjustment of the tariffs based on the amount of solar capacity being installed. Because of continued strong growth in solar PV installations, the new tariffs are 15 percent less than those in 2011.

The German solar industry association, the Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft (BSW), applauded the much anticipated action. "The solar industry has delivered on its promise of delivering more and cheaper solar electricity," said Carsten Körnig, the association's executive director.

Wind Rush: Wind, Not Solar, Wins In 1603 Program

How the renewable energy industry copes with the loss of incentives this year will test its maturity and the success of the stimulus funding.

In many ways, the renewable energy industry is facing a pivotal moment as the 1603 grant program is set to expire this year, the $2.3 billion for the 48C advanced manufacturing tax credit has already been allocated and the Department of Energy has completed its work of handing out more than $36 billion in its loan guarantee program.

Solar projects taking stimulus funding may have grabbed the headlines, but wind has been the real winner from the Obama administration's flagship grant program meant to fill the void in tax equity that usually funds the renewables industry.

Renewable Energy Law News from week of November 9

2011-11-09T13:55:00.000-05:00

Photo via Jasmic

Bill to extend U.S. wind energy tax credit goes to committee

U.S. Representatives Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), members of the tax-writing House Committee on Ways and Means, on Nov. 2 introduced the American Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Extension Act (H.R. 3307). This bipartisan bill extends the tax incentive for the production of wind power, geothermal power, hydropower, and other forms of renewable energy through 2016. The bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee.

H.R. 3307 provides a clean, 4-year extension of the existing production tax credit for wind, biomass, geothermal, small irrigation, landfill gas, trash, and hydropower. It was created in the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and has frequently been extended in year-end packages of expiring tax provisions, as well as in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The current incentive is set to expire next year for wind and in 2013 for other renewable energy forms. Advocates note that historically, at least six to eight months before the tax credit expires, financial lenders hesitate in providing capital for projects because of the uncertainty created by the pending expiration of the credit, stalling projects from coming online. The rush to complete projects as the PTC nears expiration also reduces projects and adds costs, resulting in higher electricity prices.

Virginia considers net metering and utility standby charges

Virginia, like many states, allows grid-connected electricity customers to use customer-sited generation to offset its electric bill. This practice is called net metering.

Virginia regulators are now considering a proposal by utility Dominion Virginia Power to impose two “standby” charges on net-metered solar photovoltaic systems larger than 10 kW. The policy questions raised by this case appear in other contexts where incentives for clean, distributed generation run up against utility ratemaking considerations. Utilities typically argue that they need to allocate costs fairly among their customers, while customer-sited generation advocates point to both the value of distributed generation and the array of incentives promoting customer-sited generation.

Ontario’s FIT Being Reviewed

Ontario’s Ministry of Energy has launched a comprehensive review of its renewable energy Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program. The review is mandated by the province’s Green Energy Act, the two year old legislation which originally established the FIT subsidy.

Project developers expect Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government to cut the subsidy, but questions remain as to the extent of the cut. Currently the FIT subsidy for large-scale solar power plants is priced at around C$443 ($435) a megawatt/hour.

The declining cost of solar and wind power generation and anger from Ontario residents over rising electricity bills may influence the review. During last month’s provincial elections Progressive Conservative candidate Tim Hudak tried to harness ratepayers’ anger by blaming the rising cost of electricity on the FIT program. Hudak promised to kill large portions of the Green Energy Act if elected.

Dunkiel Saunders Celebrates Opening of First Wind’s Sheffield Wind Project

2011-11-02T13:11:00.000-04:00

A unique celebration took place last Wednesday on the top of Granby Mountain and Libby Hill in Sheffield, Vermont as the Sheffield Wind Project, developed by First Wind, was inaugurated with a ceremonial ribbon cutting attended by the Governor, state legislators, utility representatives, Sheffield residents and numerous others. The project, which began officially operating at full power in mid-October, has a capacity of 40 megawatts and is expected to generate about 115,000 megawatt hours a year – that's the equivalent of meeting the needs of all 15,000 homes in Caledonia County.

Dunkiel Saunders has been involved in the project for more than six years, providing legal counsel and strategic advice to First Wind since the project's earliest development stages in 2005. Over the course of the project, our attorneys assisted First Wind on a wide range of regulatory, litigation, permitting and finance-related issues, including obtaining the project's overall state approval -- Certificate of Public Good (CPG) -- from the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB), as well as state and federal environmental permits, municipal approvals, and host town agreements. The PSB's original order approving the project is available here.

Dunkiel Saunders also successfully represented First Wind before the Vermont Supreme Court in defending against an appeal of the Public Service Board’s CPG; in federal court in appeals related to FAA lighting and NEPA compliance; before the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Vermont Environmental Court to obtain stormwater permits for the project; and in a final appeal of the construction stormwater permit to the Vermont Supreme Court. Litigation over the project ended last week when opponents formally withdrew their final appeal at the Vermont Supreme Court, after construction of the Project was completed and Dunkiel Saunders moved to dismiss the case on the basis of mootness.

For First Wind and Dunkiel Saunders, as well as the many other individuals who contributed to the completion of the project, the ceremony marked the culmination of several years of hard work and the recognition of their success.

First Wind has put together a nice video on the development of the project and its contribution to the local economy:

More news on the ribbon-cutting is also available here and here.

Renewable Energy Law News for Week of 10/17

2011-10-18T16:14:00.000-04:00

Department of Energy Finalizes $4.8bn in Solar Loan Guarantees

On the last day of its 1705 loan guarantees program, the US Department of Energy finalized support packages for four major solar projects on Friday, totaling almost $4.8 billion.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu confirmed awards for three huge solar power plants in California, and a “transformational” project installing solar panels on 750 warehouse rooftops.

$1.46 billion in partial guarantees when to the 550MW Desert Sunlight project, a $1.237 billion guarantee for the 250MW California Valley Solar Ranch project, and a $646 million for the 230MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch project.

Read more here.

State’s New Energy Department Taking Shape

The plan to turn Connecticut into a leader in clean energy technology, renewable resources and lower cost electricity is beginning to take form.

“We are at that transformational moment,” said Kevin DelGobbo, chairman of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

When Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a comprehensive energy policy reform law in June, the legislation was high on concepts and big-picture moves but low on the details of how Connecticut could become an energy leader while also lowering its overall costs.

Read more here.

US Military to Invest $10 Billion a Year in Renewable Energy

Congress may be dithering over green energy, but the US military has no qualms about its value.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) - one of the largest energy consumers in the world at 300,000 barrels of oil a day - is quickly moving toward energy efficiency and renewables to reduce risks to soldiers, enhance national energy security, and save money.

DOD is committed to getting 25% of its energy from renewables by 2025, the Air Force plans to use biofuels for 50% of domestic aviation by 2016 and the Navy will reduce fuel consumption on ships 15% by 2020.

Read more here.

Hawaiian Electric Files Draft Renewable Energy RFP

Last Friday, Hawaiian Electric Company submitted to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for at least 200 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy projects.

The draft RFP, which is targeted to be finalized and issued by March 31, 2012, proposes the parameters for projects to deliver renewable energy to the Oahu grid no later than December 31, 2018. The 200 MW draft renewable RFP will now be reviewed by the PUC, the state consumer advocate, prospective bidders, and other parties wishing to comment. The PUC is expected to appoint an independent observer to oversee the competitive bidding process.

Read more here.

Photo via Michael Rael.

Renewable Energy Law News for Week of 10/10

2011-10-13T14:49:00.000-04:00

Vermont Aims for 90% Renewable Energy by 2050

The Vermont Department of Public Service released a draft Comprehensive Energy Plan, calling for 90% of the state's energy to come from renewables by 2050.

It replaces a 2008 plan that called for 25% renewable energy by 2050. The new plan addresses Vermont's electricity, thermal energy, transportation, and land use.

Vermont is the first state in the Northeast to implement a feed-in tariff to promote renewable energy development, and last year, its legislature voted to retire the aging Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in 2012.

Read more here.

Good for Wind: Administration Fast-tracks Transmission Projects

In a move that stands to enable more wind development sooner, this week Obama administration officials announced seven transmission priority projects that will be placed on a regulatory fast track, under the "Rapid Response Transmission Team" (RRTT) coordinated inter-agency approach to accelerate the permitting process for transmission projects.

The news marks another phase in a federal transmission siting and coordination effort stemming from a 2009 memorandum of understanding entered into by the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Commerce, Defense, and the Interior. Five of the projects are in the Western U.S.; two are in the East. Six of the seven are interstate projects. In total, the projects will have a capacity of nearly 5,000 MW.

Read more here.

SolarBridge Gets DOE ARPA-E Grant

SolarBridge Technologies, an Austin, Texas-based manufacturer of PV microinverters, has secured a $1.75 million grant from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program.

ARPA-E, is a DOE investment platform that provides funding for companies that are developing groundbreaking green technologies but are not yet ready to attract significant private investment.

SolarBridge says the government funds will help it develop a new electronic technique, dubbed Differential Power Processing (DPP), that seeks to enhance the output of solar panels. SolarBridge is working on the DPP initiative with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Read more here.

Photo courtesy of:

untitled (Scott Bedard) / CC BY 2.0

Renewable Energy Law News from week of 9/26/11

2011-09-29T16:42:00.008-04:00

Udall Renewable Fuel Parity Bill Introduced in Senate

U.S. Sens. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, introduced a bill on Sept. 15 that aims to level the playing field for advanced biofuels by altering certain elements of the renewable fuel standard to make it more “technology neutral.” The bill, known as the Renewable Fuel Parity Act of 2011, or S.1564, ultimately makes several changes to the language included in the Section 211 of the Clean Air Act.

According to a copy of the legislation provided by Udall’s office, the act could “improve the [RFS] program by combining the categories of ‘cellulosic biofuel’ and ‘advanced biofuel’ into one technology- and feedstock-neutral category of ‘advanced biofuel.’” The legislation would change the definition of advanced biofuel to mean both renewable fuel, other than corn ethanol, that has greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 50 percent less than the baseline, and cellulosic fuel. It would also add the term “other fuel derived from algae” to the definition. The bill would also remove the term “cellulosic biofuel” from several places within the section.

Read more here.

University Teams to Showcase Affordable, Energy Efficient Living in U. S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011

Collegiate teams featuring over 4,000 students from around the world have descended on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park to showcase the highly energy efficient solar-powered houses they created for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. Today’s opening ceremony kicks off the biennial competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate houses powered by the sun that are affordable, energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in.

“The Solar Decathlon collegiate teams are showing how clean energy products and efficient building design can help families and businesses reduce energy use and save money,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “The event challenges talented students to become pioneers of clean energy technology and helps ensure that our nation remains competitive in the workforce of tomorrow.”

In addition to educating the public about how to save energy and save money, the Solar Decathlon also provides unique training to the next generation of engineers and architects. Over the last decade, the competition has prepared approximately 15,000 students to become future innovators and entrepreneurs in clean energy technology and efficient building design.

Read more here.

Rhode Island Rapidly Implementing Feed-In Tariffs for Distributed Generation

In a move that took North American renewable energy advocates by surprise, tiny Rhode Island has passed a law implementing a limited feed-in tariff and set it on a fast track to implementation.

The law passed the legislature and was signed by Governor Lincoln Chafee on 29 June, 2011. Chafee is a former Republican Senator representing Rhode Island in the US Congress. He joins former Governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle, as a GOP or former GOP office holder signing feed-in tariff legislation.

Rhode Island becomes only the second state in the Northeast to implement a feed-in tariff program and one of the few states in the U.S. to do so.

While not the first with a feed-in tariff, Rhode Island may set a record for the rate of implementation. Specific differentiated tariffs must be set by the end of September and the program launched in mid-October.

Read more here.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/53225371@N05/5948747438/#/

DPS releases Vermont Draft Energy Plan

2011-09-16T06:55:00.000-04:00

The Vermont Department of Public Service (DPS) released a draft of the new 2011 Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) earlier this week. By statute, the Comprehensive Energy Plan must be updated every five years, and the plan is intended to provide a policy road map for Vermont’s energy future, touching on electricity, thermal heating sources, transportation and land use issues.

This draft follows several months of public comment sessions held by the DPS around the state and provides a valuable perspective into the Shumlin Administration’s top energy policy goals. Governor Peter Shumlin has been a strong supporter of renewable energy for many years and has also been outspoken both on climate change and on closing Vermont’s only nuclear plant, Vermont Yankee. Renewable energy advocates have been anxious to see how the administration will translate those general positions into specific policies, and this draft plan gives some clear perspective on the direction the Shumlin administration is headed.
We are still reviewing the details of the 420-page draft plan, but several highlights are worth noting quickly. Among other things the draft plan:

Sets a goal of attaining 90% of energy from renewables. Where nonrenewables are necessary, the plan recommends using natural gas and biofuel blends ”to virtually eliminate” reliance on oil.
Broadens efficiency focus beyond electricity by increasing investment in heating efficiency and developing a “whole-building approach to all-fuels efficiency.”
Directs renewable energy generation to serve transportation and heating needs, not just electricity needs. (Renewable generation currently provides over half of Vermont electricity needs but only 23% of Vermont’s total energy usage.)
Recommends adoption of a streamlined Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for electricity load, with an aggressive total electricity goal, and a next-generation Standard Offer program for small-scale distributed generation.
Seeks mandatory mediation for Section 248 siting projects so that developers and opponents can seek solutions and avoid litigation.
Plans for expansion of natural gas infrastructure to Middlebury and eventually Rutland.

Public comment sessions on the draft plan are scheduled around the state on the following dates:

September 27^th (7-9 p.m.) – Middlebury High School (73 Charles Avenue)
September 28^th (7-9 p.m.) – Brattleboro High School (131 Fairground Road)
September 29^th (7-9 p.m.) – Rutland High School (22 Stratton Road)
October 3^rd (7-9 p.m.) – Colchester High School (131 Laker Lane)
October 6^th (7-9 p.m.) – Danville School (148 Peacham Road)

Public comments may also be submitted in writing until 5:00 pm, Monday, October 10, 2011. Filing instructions are at http://www.vtenergyplan.vermont.gov/comment.

For more coverage on the new draft energy plan, please see these recent articles:

“Beginning Construction” Requirements for Section 1603 Cash Grants for Renewable Energy Projects

2011-09-13T06:48:00.000-04:00

The federal Section 1603 Treasury Grant Program has provided a major incentive for the development of renewable energy projects in recent years by allowing owners of such projects to receive a cash grant in lieu of federal tax credits for specified energy property. The U.S. Department of the Treasury reports that it has paid out $8.5 billion to approximately 18,000 Section 1603 grant applicants to date.

The program was originally set to expire last year, but it was extended so that projects that will be placed in service by the end of 2011 are eligible for the grant. Additionally, projects that have begun construction by the end of 2011 and will be placed in service by 2012 (wind), 2013 (most other renewables), or 2016 (solar), can take advantage of the program. With the “begin construction” date fast approaching, it is important for renewable energy developers to understand how to ensure that they will be eligible for Section 1603 grants. Some of the important factors needed to meet the Treasury Department’s requirements for beginning construction are summarized here.

There are two separate and independent ways that an applicant for a Section 1603 grant can establish the beginning of construction:

Physical work of a significant nature, or
5% “safe harbor” of costs paid or incurred

The physical work of a significant nature method of establishing that construction has begun has the following constraints/limitations:

The physical work must take place on “energy property”—this means the property that is integral to the production of energy.

Transmission equipment does NOT count as energy property.
Generally, the Treasury Department will include all interconnection equipment, including the step-up transformer, as energy property
Everything on the transmission side of the step-up transformer will be considered transmission equipment, not specified energy property.
Most road building will not count as “energy property,” but each project is scrutinized on an individual basis and some roads could qualify as energy property.

The physical work must be part of a “continuous program of construction” and Treasury puts particular emphasis on continuity.

Unplanned work stoppage that is out of the control of the owner/contractor is acceptable.
The Treasury Department’s examination will be on what kind of work continuity is expected for a project of its type, in the location where the project is being built—winter or other weather-related work stoppages can be acceptable.

The work includes work done by a contractor, as long as it is done pursuant to a binding written contract, legally enforceable under state law, with damages not less than 5% of the total contract.

It is important that the contract is in place before work is commenced.

The physical work of a significant nature method also has the following flexibility:

There is no minimum amount of work that must be complete by the end of 2012; the work can be very minimal because the emphasis is on the continuity of the work.
The work need not take place at the project site; indeed, no site need even be identified for the project under this approach.

The 5% Safe Harbor method of establishing the beginning of construction focuses on the actual expenditures made by the applicant, and it requires that the applicant:

has paid or incurred 5% of the total actual costs of specified energy property.

meets the “economic performance rule” from Section 461(h) of the tax code – this means that the applicant has to actually make the payment and reasonably expect to receive the property within 3½ months.

“Receiving” or being “provided” the property can mean delivery, acceptance, or the passage of title of the property, but the applicant must use the same method throughout the term.
Making a deposit on the property is NOT sufficient to count toward the 5% safe harbor.

incurs any contract-based costs pursuant to a binding written contract, legally enforceable, with damages not less than 5% of the total contract.
possibly needs to have a project site identified (this issue is not entirely clear under current U.S. Treasury guidance).

The 5% safe harbor method also has the following flexibility:

Costs/contracts may be for services, not just goods.
There is no need to build/construct anything.
There is no continuity requirement.
“Off-the-shelf” items qualify towards the 5% of costs (but note that purchases of extended warranties do NOT count toward the 5%).
There is a special “look through” rule that can be used to meet the economic performance rule for the applicant:
if the applicant’s supplier meets the economic performance rule, then this can be attributed to the applicant.

Potential Section 1603 applicants should also be aware that the date for beginning construction is December 31, 2011, and applications for projects that will begin construction but will NOT be placed in service by the end of 2011 must be submitted by September 30, 2012.

Developers should also keep in mind that Section 1603 grants are available for expansion of existing projects, as long as there is additional capacity being provided at the facility. Even if a Section 1603 grant was used for the original facility, the developer can still be eligible for an additional grant if additional capacity is being created.

The Treasury Department emphasizes that the completeness of an application by the final date is of paramount importance, and applicants should make use of the Section 1603 website and associated checklists and other guidance to ensure that they understand all application requirements.

Disclaimer: As with all of our blog posts, this is not legal advice. Every situation regarding Section 1603 eligibility is fact-specific and would need to be treated on a case-by-case basis. No decisions should be made based on the information contained in this blog post alone. Readers are encouraged to make sure they have gathered all relevant information and to contact an attorney to discuss their specific situations.

Comments on PSB Staff Proposal for New Vermont Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Due Sept 14, 2011

2011-09-12T17:18:00.002-04:00

The Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) is in the process of preparing a report concerning the development of a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in Vermont to revise or replace the current RPS and Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) program passed by the Legislature in 2005.

Board staff have prepared recommendations for a potential new RPS program, which will be presented to the PSB later this month. Comments on staff recommendations are due September 14, 2011. The Board is then required to prepare and deliver its final report to the legislature no later than October 1, 2011.

Unlike other New England states, Vermont has not yet implemented a mandatory RPS program. The current SPEED program was passed in 2005 and is designed to encourage the development of renewable energy. It provides an incentive for the state’s retail electric utility providers to enter into long-term contracts with in-state renewable energy generators but does not set mandatory purchasing requirements for utilities. Instead, the program, as amended in 2008, sets a statewide goal that 20% of the state’s retail electric sales come from new in-state renewable energy facilities (often referred to as SPEED projects) by 2017. The legislation also included the general design for a potential mandatory RPS program (codified at 30 V.S.A 8004) and included a trigger requiring implementation of the mandatory RPS program if the PSB determines that the SPEED program has not been successful. The RPS requirement is triggered unless Vermont utilities, collectively, meet at least 5% of 2005 load, and incremental load growth from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2012, up to ten percent of 2005 load, through contracts with renewable resources that come on-line after January 1, 2005.

In 2010, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 159, directing the PSB to evaluate and provide recommendations on potential revisions to the SPEED program (including potentially replacing the program with a more traditional RPS mechanism). The report is required to include, among other things:

An evaluation of whether or not Vermont should adopt an RPS to amend or replace the RPS adopted in 2005 or, in lieu of adopting such an RPS, should adopt revised goals and requirements for the SPEED program.
An evaluation of whether the voluntary goals and aspects of the SPEED program should be made mandatory.
An evaluation of the economic and environmental benefits and costs of adopting an RPS at each of the following percentages of Vermont’s electricity supply portfolio: 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent. The board shall also perform the same evaluation with respect to the imposition of mandatory SPEED goals at the same portfolio percentages.
An evaluation of the effect on the development of in-state renewable energy resources that may occur if an RPS is adopted and, under such an RPS, out-of-state resources with capacities in excess of 200 MW are considered renewable. The board shall also perform the same evaluation with respect to the imposition of mandatory SPEED goals. Such evaluations shall take into account each of the percentages discussed under subdivision (2)(C) of this subsection.
Analysis of RPS statutes and rules that have been adopted in other jurisdictions and their strengths and weaknesses and a discussion of how a Vermont RPS and, in lieu of an RPS, revised SPEED goals and requirements might integrate with such statutes and rules.
Consideration of whether or not Vermont should adopt a definition of renewable resources that includes tiers or classes and a recommended proposal for such a definition.
Consideration of the manner in which Vermont would require third party certification that an energy resource is renewable.
Consideration of the manner in which Vermont would require third party certification that a renewable resource has low environmental impact.
Consideration of the extent to which a Vermont RPS and, in lieu of such an RPS, revised SPEED goals and requirements would include the purchase of electric energy efficiency resources and the appropriate means of verification that the associated energy savings are achieved.

PSB staff have held several public meetings over the past year to meet the October 1, 2011 deadline for the report. Prior meetings have included discussions on the effectiveness of the SPEED program, performance RPS programs in other states, and potential designs for a new RPS program in Vermont. The Board has also retained the Clean Energy States Alliance and Sustainable Energy Advantage (CESA/SEA) as consultants to analyze different potential policy mechanisms.

A draft of the CESA/SEA report – entitled An Analysis of Renewable Energy Policy Options in Vermont – was recently released and is available on the Board’s RPS Study website. The report sets forth various renewable policy design options and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of each different design option; it also includes economic modeling of various policy scenarios. The CESA/SEA report, and the Board Staff’s recommendations for a potential RPS program were presented during a public meeting at the state house on September 1, 2011.

Based on the analysis and economic modeling contained in the CESA/SEA report, the Board Staff is currently recommending that Vermont adopt an RPS which would require Vermont utilities to obtain 75% of their retail electric power from renewable sources by 2032, with 40% of this requirement derived from maintenance of the state’s existing percentage of renewable resources, 30% of the requirement derived from new renewable resources constructed after 2005, and 5% of the requirement derived from in-state renewable distributed generation. Details on the RPS proposal are included in the staff report.

Comments on the Board Staff proposal are due this week, on Wednesday September 14, 2011 and may be submitted directly via e-mail to Ed McNamara

Renewable Energy News, August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T14:08:00.003-04:00

Japan Creates Major Feed-In Tariff for Renewable Energy

In a major breakthrough for the feed-in tariff movement worldwide, Japan's upper chamber has approved a new law implementing a feed-in tariff policy for renewable energy.

The law, which goes into effect next July, sets a target of 30,000 MW of new renewable development within the next decade, nearly five times the 6,500 MW of wind, solar, and geothermal power currently operating in the country.

The move has global implications, as the world's third largest economy follows that of the world's second-largest economy, China, and the world's fourth-largest economy, Germany, in implementing feed-in tariffs in order to rapidly develop renewable energy.

Biden calls for new clean energy policy for US

The United States can't lead the world in the 21st century with its current energy policy, Vice President Joe Biden told alternative technology supporters Tuesday at a clean energy summit in Las Vegas.

The nation is already trailing China and Germany in green technology, Biden said. It will trade its dependence on foreign oil for a dependence on foreign clean energy technology if its leaders don't act to help fledging green researchers and businesses, he said.

"If we shrink from deciding whether we are going to lead in the area of alternative energy, renewable energy, then we will be making the biggest mistake that this nation has made in its history," Biden said during his keynote speech at the fourth-annual National Clean Energy Summit at the Aria hotel-casino.

Solar Stunner: America is a $1.9 Billion Exporter of Solar Products

With all the stories about China dominating the solar photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing sector, you might not think that America is a net exporter of solar products. But it is — to the tune of $1.8 billion. That’s a $1 billion increase over net exports documented in the solar sector last year.

In fact, a report released this morning from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association found that the U.S. has a $247 million trade surplus with China.

US Governors Ask Obama to Boost Wind Energy

A coalition of 24 US governors from the major parties and each region of the country has asked the administration to take steps to provide a more favourable business climate for the expansion of wind energy according to the American Wind Energy Association.

Demands are being made for a 7-year extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to provide consistent, low tax rates for wind energy.

A letter from the governors, sent last month to the White House, has since been made public by the Governors Wind Energy Coalition.

Competition brewing among states over renewable energy exports

If Nevada wants to be the global “epicenter of renewable energy,” as Gov. Brian Sandoval put it on Tuesday, it’s going to have some competition with its neighbors.

While Sandoval, California Gov. Jerry Brown, and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire spoke at Tuesday’s National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas about cooperative ventures to improve energy efficiency production and supply, it’s clear no state’s leader wants to appear too dependent on the others.

“How much we import has to be balanced with how much we’re building locally...Hopefully we can be an exporter,” Brown said. “We’re going to try to build as much indigenously as we can.”

Gregoire said she wants Washington to be a producer, as well.

Renewable Energy News, August 10, 2011

2011-08-10T11:43:00.003-04:00

Illinois Gov. Quinn signs bill to study offshore wind energy

Gov. Pat Quinn has signed bills creating a council to study the potential for wind energy projects in Lake Michigan and allowing counties to establish wind farm districts.

Quinn’s office announced the new laws Sunday and said both take effect immediately.

Two Evanston lawmakers — state Rep. Robyn Gabel and Sen. Jeff Schoenberg — sponsored the bill that creates the Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Energy Advisory Council to review the potential for offshore wind energy projects.

U.S. wind industry rebounds in second quarter

U.S. wind energy continued to rebound in the second quarter, with 2,151 megawatts (MW) of electrical generating capacity installed in the first half of 2011 versus 1,250 MW during the same time in 2010, up 72 percent.

However, analysts at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) cautioned that without stable policy such as an extension of the Production Tax Credit, set to expire in 2012, the industry's recovery will stall.

Project activity and orders for 2013 and beyond are scant because of the lack of a predictable business environment, causing layoffs and even bankruptcies in American manufacturing plants and the supply chain, said AWEA. These struggles for U.S. wind manufacturers will only worsen if Congress were to allow the tax credit to expire.

NEK Wind Project Clears Another Hurdle

Green Mountain Power has cleared more hurdles in its effort to build a large wind energy project on a Northeast Kingdom ridgeline.

As VPR's John Dillon reports, the latest step has involved wetlands on Lowell Mountain.

Arizona Solar Project Gets a $967 Million DOE Loan Guarantee

DOE announced on August 5 that it has finalized a $967 million loan guarantee to Agua Caliente Solar, LLC, for a solar photovoltaic generating facility in Arizona. The loan guarantee will support the construction of a 290-megawatt solar power plant, called Agua Caliente Solar, in Yuma County. The project will use thin-film solar panels manufactured by First Solar, Inc. Sponsor NRG Solar LLC estimates the loan guarantee will fund approximately 400 construction jobs and 10 full-time operating jobs at the plant, one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Yosemite Installs Largest National Park Solar Array

Yosemite National Park is known for El Capitan and the breathtaking views captured by Ansel Adams, but visitors may soon remember another sight from their trip. Yosemite has installed the largest solar power array of all the national parks with a 672 kW system that will provide 12 percent of the park's power needs.

Installed by Suntrek, the system consists of a 500 kW solar canopy over a parking lot, a 100 kW rooftop array on a warehouse and a 72 kW wall mounted array, all located within the park's maintenance and administrative complex. The whole system is made up of 2,800 solar PV panels.

The $4.5 million installation will save the park $50,000 a year on energy costs and the park also expects to receive $700,000 in energy rebates from PG&E over the next five years.

Renewable Energy News, August 5, 2011

2011-08-05T14:57:00.003-04:00

Blackstone to invest billions in German wind farm

Blackstone is set to announce its largest renewable energy deal with the investment of a combined 2.5 billion euro ($3.5 billion) into the construction of Germany's biggest ever offshore wind farm, the Financial Times said on Friday.

The newspaper said the U.S. private equity firm group will announce on Friday that it has secured financing for an 80-turbine wind farm in the North Sea, which it plans to complete constructing by 2013.

The 1.2 billion euro project, dubbed "Meerwind," which was first announced in 2008, is set to produce enough power to service 40,000 households.

DOE Investing $50 Million to Advance Domestic Solar Manufacturing Market

DOE announced on August 2 its $50 million investment over two years for the SUNPATH program. The program is designed to help the United States reclaim its competitive edge in solar energy manufacturing. SUNPATH, which stands for Scaling Up Nascent PV AT Home, is the second Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative supporting DOE's SunShot Initiative.

SUNPATH seeks to increase domestic manufacturing through investments that have sustainable, competitive cost and performance advantages. It will help companies with pilot-scale commercial production scale up their manufacturing capabilities, enabling them to overcome a funding gap that often curtails domestic business at a critical stage. By bridging this gap, SUNPATH will help ensure that innovative, low-cost solar technologies are manufactured in the United States.

California utilities get 17 percent of power from green sources

The state's large investor owned utilities now receive17 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and other green sources, according to a quarterly report by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Under state law, investor-owned utilities such as PG&E Corp. and Southern California Edison are required to obtain 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources, but the CPUC has provided the utilities with an additional three years to comply with the 20 percent target.

Federal ruling boosts wind energy interests
Boosters of proposed interstate transmission lines that would take Iowa's wind-generated electricity east of the Mississippi River to Chicago and big markets beyond think they have a winner in a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruling.

FERC laid out a "public policy" status for regional transmission organizations and state regulatory bodies as planning oozes forward on various proposals, some of which would cost $20 billion or more. The power lines would have up to 765 kilovolts of capacity, double the largest lines now serving Iowa.

Most important, the ruling gives the various authorities a rationale to assign portions of the costs of such a line to all the recipients of the electricity, not just the builders who would start the lines somewhere in the Dakotas, Minnesota or Iowa.

Renewable Energy News, August 3, 2011

2011-08-03T13:52:00.003-04:00

South Africa Seeks Bids for First Renewable Energy Projects

South Africa's Department of Energy called on investors to submit proposals to build the country's first renewable energy power plants.

The bids can cover energy produced from wind, solar, hydro, biogas, biomass or landfill gas, the department said in an advertisement in the Sunday Times newspaper yesterday.

The government is aiming to purchase 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2013 and 3,800 megawatts by 2016, according to a July 28 cabinet briefing.

Upon registration, bidders must pay 100,000 rand ($15,000) for every megawatt of installed capacity they propose to build, the department said. A mandatory briefing session for project developers will be held on Sept. 14.

EU wind energy use to triple by 2020

The use of wind energy among EU members is expected to triple by the end of the decade, the European Wind Energy Association predicts.

The association said that Ireland, Denmark and Portugal will lead the European community in wind energy by 2020 with wind energy making up 52, 38 and 28 percent their energy production, respectively.

The EWEA said electricity production from wind will increase from about 5.5 percent of total European demand in 2010 to more than 15 percent of total demand by 2020.

Scotland's Next Wave: Marine Power

From his office in a converted Victorian schoolhouse, Neil Kermode can see little more than centuries-old stone buildings and narrow streets better suited to horse carts than Land Rovers. Yet Kermode, head of the European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, will tell you he can also see the future. Orkney, a collection of green, hilly islands where the North Sea collides with the Atlantic Ocean, has become a testing ground for wave and tidal power, technologies that will be instrumental in helping Scotland reach its goal of getting all its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. “The bit of alchemy of turning seawater into electricity has been done,” Kermode says as he gazes out at the busy harbor in Stromness, a 90-minute ferry ride from the Scottish mainland. “Now what we’ve got to do is to industrialize it and do it reliably.”

Renewable Energy News, July 28, 2011

2011-07-28T13:55:00.003-04:00

Vermont’s largest solar farm opens

With the push of a button on David Blittersdorf’s iPhone, Gov. Peter Shumlin activated the last of 382 solar trackers at Vermont’s newest and largest solar farm.

Blittersdorf is president and chief executive officer of AllEarth Renewables in Williston, which designed and built the trackers that now stand in South Burlington at the end of Dubois Drive.

“I told you I’d get tough things done if you elected me governor,” Shumlin quipped as he pressed the button Wednesday afternoon.

After a delay of a few seconds, a flattened 20-by-22-foot panel began to turn on its tower with the click and whir of a small electric motor, then tilted slowly downward, stopping when it squarely faced the sun in the western sky. A crowd of more than 75 supporters, contractors who worked on the project and state officials applauded as the last tracker in the 25-acre meadow locked into place.

Disclosure: Dunkiel Saunders represents Chittenden County Solar Partners in this matter.

Green energy: California poll finds overwhelming support

A new statewide survey of environment issues conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California found more residents favor climate change policy, want to cut greenhouse gas emissions and believe they are already experiencing the effects of global warming.

“This is a clear mandate that people want to move beyond dirty energy,” said David Graham-Caso, Los Angeles Sierra Club spokesman.

The survey, the 11th since 2000, sampled more than 2,500 people and found Californians are strongly supportive of policies that encourage fuel efficiency and renewable energy, according to Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of PPIC.

Shumlin: Vermont on track with stimulus energy money

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says the state has had success in promoting renewable energy and efficiency projects, thanks to $32 million in federal stimulus funding.

He and Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Energy had recently conducted a routine review of the state's use of the money and given Vermont high marks.

VA Funds Solar Energy Projects at 5 Hospitals | Business Wire

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded $56.7 million in contracts to build solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in support of ongoing energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.

“The benefits of using solar power are profound, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to improving the quality of the air we breathe. This initiative is good for Veterans and good for our environment.”

“With these investments in clean energy and other renewable energy projects, we are marching forward with the President’s initiative to expand innovation in the federal government and create new jobs,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “The benefits of using solar power are profound, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to improving the quality of the air we breathe. This initiative is good for Veterans and good for our environment.”

By summer 2012, VA will install the solar PV systems at five VA medical centers in sunny locations, from Texas to California. VA selected the sites based on feasibility studies that determined the most ideal locations to invest in on-site renewable energy projects.

Renewable Energy News, July 27, 2011

2011-07-27T14:15:00.003-04:00

Vermont Electric approves line upgrade needed for Lowell wind project

Members of Vermont’s third-largest electric utility decided overwhelmingly Tuesday that their company should share a transmission line with a controversial wind energy project.

The vote among Vermont Electric Cooperative Inc. members was 5,340 to 1,379 in favor of upgrading a transmission line between Lowell and Jay under an agreement with Green Mountain Power Corp. Co-op officials pitched the plan as a way to save members’ money on an upgrade that had to be done anyway.

UK sails ahead in offshore wind power generation

The UK has sailed ahead in offshore wind power generation in the past six months, building more offshore windfarms than any other country in the world, and accounting for almost all of the turbines erected in European waters this year.

Of only 108 offshore turbines built around Europe's coastline from January to June, a whopping 101 were built around the UK, with only six built in Germany, and a single one in Norway, according to estimates published on Wednesday by the trade body European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

Chris Huhne, energy and climate change secretary, told the Guardian the figures showed how fast the UK was moving in renewable power. "The UK is the undisputed home of offshore wind energy. Our natural resource and competitive advantage mean we have the biggest market in the world. We're blowing away the competition," he said. "It's part of the low-carbon revolution that's under way in the UK, bringing jobs and growth in new industries and building us a future less exposed to volatile global energy prices."

Pentagon streamlines approval for energy projects

A Defense Department clearinghouse for renewable energy projects has approved 229 of 249 projects proposed in 35 states and Puerto Rico, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said recently.

"These projects represent 10 gigawatts of renewable energy generation capacity in wind energy alone," Lynn said.

"Our action removes a major stumbling block for developers who are trying to attract financing, showing the department's commitment to supporting the president's vision for energy ... without compromising our national security," the deputy secretary said.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu noted during a speech at the same forum that DOD has played a crucial role in developing technologies, including the GPS system, the Internet and semiconductor electronics.

DOE Offers Support for Student-Focused Clean Energy Business Contests

DOE on July 21 announced $2 million in funding to support up to six regional competitions that will inspire, mentor, and train students from across the country to develop successful business plans for a new generation of U.S. clean energy companies. Under a new nationwide initiative called the National University Clean Energy Business Challenge, regional competitions will take place before May 1, 2012. Winners of the regional competitions will compete for a national grand prize at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C., in early summer 2012. This national initiative will enable student participants to gain the skills required to build new businesses and transform promising innovative energy technologies from U.S. universities and national laboratories into innovative new energy products that will solve our nation's energy challenges.

DOE to Award $6.3 Million to 31 Clean Energy Projects on Tribal Lands

DOE announced on July 21 that 31 tribal energy projects will receive $6.3 million over two years as part of DOE's ongoing efforts to support tribal energy development and continue strengthening the partnership with Tribal Nations. These competitively selected projects will allow Native American tribes to advance clean energy within their communities by developing strategic energy plans, expanding the skills and knowledge of tribal members, and improving the energy efficiency of their buildings.

Calif. Governor Vows to 'Crush' Foes of Renewable Energy

California Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday promised to overcome those working to block widespread renewable energy.

"When local communities try to block installation of solar like they did in San Luis Obispo, we act to overcome the opposition," Brown (D) said, referring to the city where environmental groups have been protesting two large-scale solar plants over environmental and endangered species concerns.

"In Oakland I learned that some kind of opposition you have to crush," the former Oakland mayor said. "You can talk, but you have to move forward."

Brown's goal, being fleshed out this week at an invitation-only conference at the University of California, Los Angeles, is to build 12,000 megawatts of distributed renewable energy, building on and extending former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's target of 5,000 MW by 2020.

Renewable Energy News, July 25, 2011

2011-07-25T13:01:00.004-04:00

2 wind projects under way in Maine this summer

With four grid-scale wind projects already built in Maine and another two under construction, the state is poised to surpass an important milestone as it moves toward its 2015 wind-power generation goal.

After last week’s ribbon-cutting at the Rollins wind farm in Penobscot County, Maine has four major wind farms, including Kibby Mountain in Franklin County, Mars Hill in Aroostook County and Stetson Mountain in Washington County. Rollins will soon join the others in generating power.

Construction is under way at two more; Spruce Mountain in Woodstock and Record Hill near Rumford.

Power produced from all of the completed projects, along with an approved portion of another planned wind farm in Aroostook County, will put the state past 21 percent of the 2,000 megawatt wind power goal set by state law, said Jeremy Payne, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association.

Less red tape on solar projects in California would mean more jobs, study says

Reducing government red tape for the California solar industry would create nearly 4,000 additional jobs statewide over the next decade, according to a new study.

SunRun, a leading San Francisco-based solar provider, said inconsistent government permitting processes in California add nearly $2,500 to the average cost of installing a residential solar power system, creating barriers to growth for the fast-emerging industry.

"You're trying to promote a 21st-century product by putting it through a 20th-century approval process," said Ethan Sprague, head of government affairs at SunRun.

"It's not a smart way to grow the economy."

From Governor Moonbeam to Governor Sunbeam -- Brown pushes for alternative energy in California

During his first two terms nearly four decades ago, Jerry Brown became famously known as Governor Moonbeam. Now he seems destined to become Governor Sunbeam.

With the epic battle over the state budget finally behind him, Brown's first major policy initiative aims to fulfill the ambitious goal laid out in his campaign: to develop a clean-energy economy in California.

Brown wants the state to produce 20,000 new megawatts of renewable electricity -- enough to power 20 cities the size of San Francisco and roughly one-third of the state's current peak use -- by 2020. That would nearly triple the amount of electricity that California currently gets from renewable sources.

The plan includes the fast-tracking of large, utility-scale renewable power plants. But 12,000 megawatts are to come from "localized electricity," small systems located close to where energy is consumed that don't require new transmission lines. A variety of technologies, from biogas to wind, will play a role. But solar panels -- on the roofs of commercial buildings and along the banks of state highways -- will be a dominant element.

New York City's solar power push

Nearly 80% of the one million rooftops in New York city are suitable for solar power.

If every one of those roofs had solar panels, when the sun shines the brightest the city could get half its electricity from solar power.

New York has a long way to go before becoming that solar utopia. The city currently only gets a tiny fraction of its power from solar. And until there's a good way to store the electricity generated during the day and release it at night, solar will likely continue to make up a modest part of the city's overall energy mix.

But even a small amount of solar can help the city in big ways. It can reduce the overall stress on the electric grid, eliminating the need to build expensive new transformers or lay underground transmission wire.

Solar power's future remains bright in Tennessee

It's a safe bet that no one in this quaint little railroad town, with its cotton-processing operations and Main Street cannery, ever expected to see a farm quite like the one sprouting a few miles down the road.

Located along Interstate 40 on 35 acres of newly cleared land that bakes under the July sun, the West Tennessee Solar Farm is growing into an otherworldly latticework of pilings and metal racks pointed southward.

By the end of this week, the contracting firm Signal Energy should begin mounting 21,000 solar panels onto the racks. And when work is finished early next year, it will be the largest utility-scale solar installation in the state and one of the biggest in the Southeast, producing enough clean, renewable power for more than 1,000 homes.

Renewable Energy News, July 20, 2011

2011-07-20T10:20:00.004-04:00

Constellation celebrates launch of Western Maryland wind farm

Among residents of rural Garrett County, the 28 wind turbines now pin-wheeling atop Backbone Mountain conjure many images — some nicer than others. But whatever one's perception, the massive windmills are here to stay. And they demand attention.

Constellation Energy assembled several dozen guests next to one of the behemoths — about the size of a 40-story building — on Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting for Maryland's first commercial wind farm, even though the turbines started generating electricity months ago.

"Sit back, relax and enjoy the view of our wind park," Constellation's project manager Don Shilobod said to the group as they gazed at a vista dominated by eight of the light gray turbines looming over the treetops.

Alaska OKs Eva Creek wind farm near Healy

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources has given preliminary approval to a large-scale wind farm near Healy, despite the objections of a competitor in the wind-power business.

The DNR preliminary approval is the latest step forward for the Eva Creek project, a 24.6-megawatt turbine farm envisioned by Golden Valley Electric Association near Healy. The GVEA board of directors unanimously voted in favor of Eva Creek in June, advancing a 16-turbine project that will become the largest wind farm in Alaska if it’s developed.

GVEA President Brian Newton said that unless any new complications emerge in the next month, the state is on pace to give final approval in late August or early September. GVEA hopes to launch the project in September 2012.

“We’re not anticipating any problems,” Newton said.

BOEMRE Analyzing Proposed Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) announced on July 11 that it is seeking public comment on a draft environmental assessment (EA) that considers potential environmental and socioeconomic effects of issuing offshore wind energy leases in the mid-Atlantic. The agency, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), is specifically targeting designated wind energy areas off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia.

Mozambique Cuts Poverty, Creates Jobs with Clean Energy

Only ten percent of Mozambique’s population has access to the country’s electricity grid. Without electricity, subsistence farming is less viable, students cannot study at night, and hospitals cannot store vaccines. The lack of power is a drag on Mozambique’s economic development and an obstacle to improving the well-being of its people.

But this is not another clichéd story about how the West must save Africa from poverty. Instead, it is a story about how to provide electricity, in an environmentally and economically intelligent manner, to the 85% of people in rural sub-Saharan Africa who lack it. It is a story about how to leverage efficiently local knowledge and resources. It is a story about innovation, a story from which the developed world can learn.

In 2009, Jason Morenikeji started The Clean Energy Company in Mozambique. Morenikeji’s company provides small-scale, off-grid renewable energy along Mozambique’s “wind-strong” coastline. The company focuses on the design, construction, and installation of micro wind turbines that can be tailored to fit local needs and combined with other renewable energy sources, such as solar photovoltaics (PV).

By manufacturing the micro-turbines locally, Morenikeji’s company creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty. This is one of many ways that independent electricity generation, particularly from renewable sources, can be crucial for addressing the challenges of socio-economic development such as education, food security, and health.

Renewable Energy News, July 19, 2011

2011-07-19T12:52:00.004-04:00

OPIC to invest up to $820m in India's renewable energy sector

US government-owned financial entity Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC) plans to invest up to USD 820 million (about Rs 3,600 crore) in the fast- growing Indian renewable energy sector by the end of 2011.

As part of efforts to boost clean energy initiatives, OPIC will make investments to the tune of USD 520 million in India's renewable energy sector, including the solar segment, OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield said today.

Further, it would also make private equity investments worth USD 300 million, especially in small solar companies.

These investments, totalling USD 820 million, would be made by the end of this year, Littlefield said.

Salazar approves 550MW of renewable energy developments

US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has approved four new renewable energy projects on public lands, as well as launching environmental reviews on three others.

Salazar has also laid out the next steps in a comprehensive environmental analysis to identify ‘solar energy zones’ on public lands in six western states.

“The focus we have placed on smart planning and coordinated reviews of permit applications is paying dividends with new large-scale renewable energy projects that are springing to life, powering communities, and creating jobs across the West,” said the Secretary of the Interior last week.

Maine tidal-power firm joins Canadian venture

A Maine tidal power company is partnering with a Canadian project developer to break into a much larger market by installing underwater turbines off the coast of Nova Scotia, the parties said Monday.

Portland-based Ocean Renewable Power Co. and Nova Scotia-based Fundy Tidal Inc. plan to install underwater turbines in the Petit Passage off western Nova Scotia in the fall of 2012, about six months after installing Ocean Renewable's turbines off eastern Maine, the companies said.

The partnership would get Ocean Renewable into a lucrative market, one that's subsidized by Nova Scotia's government as it seeks to make the province a world leader in tidal power.

Maine shares the Bay of Fundy with Canada, and development potential in Canadian waters "is 10 times larger" than it is in Maine, said John Ferland, Ocean Renewable's vice president.

Solar ovens, renewable energy offer hope for Afghanistan

At first, she noticed Afghan children hauling brush. Then, in Afghan family compounds, she noticed women tending small fires and trying to cook over them.

But it wasn't until U.S. diplomat Patricia McArdle realized how often it was sunny in Afghanistan that she put it together with a youthful memory of cooking with solar ovens and realized this was a low-tech option offering long-term hope to the war-torn nation, which is preparing for a draw-down of U.S. troops.

"My concern is that it (renewable energy) really hasn't been part of our talk of reconstruction," said the now-retired McArdle, who spent a year in northern Afghanistan from 2005 at the end of a diplomatic career, in a telephone conversation.

"My hope is that we will focus a bit more on renewable energy as we start to pull out."

Renewable Energy News, July 13, 2011

2011-07-13T10:06:00.003-04:00

Green jobs pay better as clean-tech sector booms

The green jobs movement is putting more greenbacks in workers' pockets.

Clean-tech jobs offered median wages 20% higher across the United States in 2010, according to a report released today from researchers Brookings and Battelle. Such green jobs span industries ranging from solar-panel manufacturers to wind- and ocean-based energy production to electric-vehicle technologies.

The report on positions in 100 U.S. cities highlights a job boom in the sector that now counts 2.7 million jobs. The Brookings Institution figures the industry contributed exported goods and services valued at $53.9 billion in 2009.

The report points to a growing industry of opportunities fueled by public and private backing of cleaner forms of energy that promise environmental benefits.

U.S. clean-tech jobs surged 8.3% per year, compared with 4.2% a year for other occupations during the 2003-2010 period studied.

California leads nation in 'green jobs,' study says

California continued to lead the nation in the number of people with "green jobs," according to a study that looked at the growing influence of the so-called clean economy.

Nearly 320,000 people in the state work in such jobs as installing solar panels, making electric vehicles and running organic farms, the study by the Brookings Institution found. A little less than one-third, or about 90,000 of those jobs, are in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, it said.

Nationwide, the clean economy — characterized as goods and services with an environmental benefit — employs 2.7 million people. That's more than the fossil fuel industry, the study researchers said.

"No swath of the economy has been more widely celebrated as a source of economic renewal and potential job creation," the report said.

$130M Rollins Mountain wind project in Maine almost ready

If you’re traveling in the Lincoln Lakes region and you see the 40 turbines of the Rollins Mountain industrial wind site turning with the wind, be advised: They are not yet generating electricity.

But they are almost ready to.

With 37 of its 40 Rollins turbines successfully tested and commissioned, officials from First Wind of Massachusetts will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the project site off Route 6 near Lee on July 20 to formally launch the state’s first wind site that will generate electricity for Maine’s utility ratepayers, officials said Tuesday. Testing of the remaining three turbines is ongoing.

“Essentially, the project is about 98 percent completed, and some final punch-list items remain — things like finishing up work in the operations and maintenance building and finishing work on some of the roads,” said John Lamontagne, First Wind’s spokesman.

Disclosure: Dunkiel Saunders represents First Wind in a separate wind project.

‘NetZero’ aims to cut greenhouse gases on military bases

A Senate committee is endorsing a Defense Department program that aims to combine new building designs, energy conservation and use of renewable energy sources to reduce the net output of greenhouse gases on military installations to zero.

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s biggest worry is that the concept is so ambitious that it will be difficult to complete. The committee wants an assessment from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, on the chances of success, and whether Congress can do anything to help.

All of the services are involved in a partnership with the Energy Department in the so-called NetZero program, which by 2020 aims to have six Army bases producing as much energy and water as they consume, while sending no solid waste to landfills. The goal is to have the entire Army at a “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions level by 2030.

Renewable Energy News, July 12, 2011

2011-07-12T11:06:00.003-04:00

New incentives ramp up Connecticut's commitment to solar

State officials are hoping to encourage homeowners in Connecticut to invest in solar energy, setting a goal of installing the energy panels on about 3,000 homes by 2022.

The government will also be promoting commercial solar projects, such as solar farms, and require Connecticut utility companies to get more of their energy from renewable sources.

State officials are debating how those different programs will end up being administered, but that they are coming is a good sign for the renewable industry in Connecticut, attorney Brad Mondschein said.

Residential panels will be paid for through surcharges already on residents' electric bills, while commercial projects will be paid for with a new surcharge.

Shumlin: New England can work with Canada on renewable energy

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is optimistic the New England states can reaffirm their commitment to renewable energy sources and reducing greenhouse gases.

Speaking on a Monday conference call from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Shumlin said a regional collaboration of New England states and eastern Canadian provinces has taken steps to develop a more complete renewable energy portfolio and strengthen the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

The development of reliable, "green" energy will have a special focus in Vermont regarding hydropower generated in Canada.

"We're going to leave here with a commitment to work together with the ambassadors here and with the New England governors and Eastern premiers to really push the envelope on the question of how we get green, reliable hydro as an able source of power for New England," Shumlin said.

U.S. Interior Dept. seeks public comment on proposed wind turbines off Mid-Atlantic coast

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) on Monday announced it is seeking public comment on a draft environmental assessment on potential environmental and socioeconomic effects of issuing renewable energy leases for wind turbine development off the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia coasts.

“America’s offshore wind resources offer great potential for helping power the Eastern seaboard and spurring new jobs and innovation,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. “The ‘Smart from the Start’ initiative will help companies identify areas offshore that are best suited for wind development, while also reducing the potential for costly delays and red tape. With today’s announcement, we are taking another step toward ensuring that renewable development along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf becomes a reality.”

Chinese renewable energy firms have their eye on Japan

With Japan looking to hedge its bets on nuclear energy by exploring other renewable energy sources, Chinese companies are eagerly vying for a seat at the table, anteing up its leadership in wind and solar power technology.

While Japan has built 54 nuclear reactors, China has grown into a global power in renewable energy, although its domestic market is fraught with problems. China also has 13 nuclear reactors and is building 28 more.

Top manufacturers such as Goldwind Science and Technology Co. and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. are looking to break into the Japanese market as wind and solar power gets renewed attention following the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The Chinese government has committed public funds to improving the international competitiveness of manufacturers of renewable energy facilities.

Brazil Reaches Wind Energy Milestone

Brazil has reached a renewable energy milestone, among the first of many as the nation pushes to meet its ambitious pledge to reduce carbon emissions. Beginning in June, Brazil now generates 1 gigawatt of electricity from wind turbines, sufficient to power around 1.5 million homes, and is the first in South America to do so. Currently, 51 wind farms are in operation throughout the Brazilian northeast and southern states and over thirty more are currently under construction thanks to a program of government incentives which is expected to add an additional $15 billion in clean energy investments -- though there still may be a long way to go before its full potential is met.

According to the Brazilian Association of Ecological Energy ABEEólica, by 2013 the nation is on track to produce as much as 5.3 gigawatts of electricity through wind farm projects, and an eight-fold increase in capacity over the next five years -- the highest growth potential in South America, says Renewable Energy Focus.

Kodiak, Alaska looks to renewable sources to generate electricity

Kodiak is moving forward with a plan to have more than 95 percent of electrical power generation come from renewable sources within just a few years.

The Kodiak Electric Association is upgrading its hydro-electrical plant at Terror Lake, according to the Kodiak Daily Mirror. Company chief executive Darron Scott said the plan is to build a third turbine.

The addition of a third hydroelectric turbine would increase the capacity of the Terror Lake plant from about 22 megawatts to nearly 34 megawatts. It also would allow the local electric cooperative the ability to cover even peak needs for power generation, such as when canneries are running, with hydro power alone.

Renewable Energy News, July 11, 2011

2011-07-11T11:46:00.003-04:00

Vermont speeds up the PACE on energy efficiency

Early next year, Vermont will become the only state in the country to move ahead with a national program that allows property owners to borrow money against their tax assessments to fund energy efficiency projects.

The Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, or PACE, gives property owners access to low interest loans to pay for energy efficiency projects by pegging the money to the property tax assessments.

The money is paid back through the tax payments, and so the loans stay with the properties, if the home is sold.

Global investments in green energy up nearly a third to $211 billion

Wind farms in China and small-scale solar panels on rooftops in Europe were largely responsible for last year's 32% rise in green energy investments worldwide according to the latest annual report on renewable energy investment trends issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Last year, investors pumped a record $211 billion into renewables -- about one-third more than the $160 billion invested in 2009, and a 540% rise since 2004.

For the first time, developing economies overtook developed ones in terms of "financial new investment"--spending on utility-scale renewable energy projects and provision of equity capital for renewable energy companies.

Malaysia Renewable Energy Act On Track For September Implementation

The Renewable Energy Act is on track to be implemented on September 1, upon the setting up of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), said the Minister of Energy, Green Technology & Water, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui.

"The industry is keen on the implementation of the Act, and many people even wanted the Act to be in effect immediately. Unfortunately SEDA is only able to function in September, with the Act approved by the cabinet to be in effect then," he said after the launching ceremony for the 2011 MCCC-Country Heights Environmental Green Award.

"I will be announcing the Director General for SEDA early next month," he said.

Under the Act, SEDA will manage the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) programme and also the development of the renewable energy industry in the country.

The much awaited FiT will enable the public, ranging from individuals to independent power producers to sell energy generated via renewable means back to the utility companies, which are mandated to buy the energy at a rate gazetted in the Act.

Australian Greens secure $13 billion for expanding renewable energy projects

The Australian Greens have succeeded in securing some big concessions from the Government during negotiations inside the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee.

The substantial focus the carbon price package has on renewable energy, including $13billion directed towards expanding clean technology projects, was a demand the Greens insisted on being included.

Describing yesterday as historic, Greens deputy leader Christine Milne was referring to the agreement that placed a healthy emphasis on renewable energy.

But it was also a historic day for the minor party that allows Labor to cling on to minority government and that now has the balance of power in the Senate.

''This historic agreement delivers the biggest investments in renewable energy and biodiversity Australia has ever seen,'' Senator Milne said. ''We are particularly delighted that this package is designed as a platform for stronger, more ambitious action into the future.''

Renewable Energy News, July 7, 2011

2011-07-07T09:34:00.004-04:00

EIA Report: Renewables Surpass Nuclear Output

According to the most recent issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy has passed a milestone as domestic production is now greater than that of nuclear power and is closing in on oil.

During the first quarter of 2011, renewable energy sources (biomass/biofuels, geothermal, solar, water, wind) provided 2.245 quadrillion Btus of energy or 11.73 percent of U.S. energy production. More significantly, energy production from renewable energy sources in 2011 was 5.65 percent more than that from nuclear power, which provided 2.125 quadrillion Btus and has remained largely unchanged in recent years. Energy from renewable sources is now 77.15 percent of that from domestic crude oil production, with the gap closing rapidly.

DOE Offers $4.5 Billion in Loan Guarantees for Three Solar Power Plants

DOE announced on June 30 offers of approximately $4.5 billion in conditional commitments for loan guarantees for three California solar power plants. The support is for three solar generation facilities using solar photovoltaic (PV) panels made from thin films of cadmium telluride. DOE is offering a conditional commitment for a $680 million loan guarantee to support the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 project, conditional commitments for partial loan guarantees of $1.88 billion in loans to support the Desert Sunlight project, and conditional commitments for partial loan guarantees of $1.93 billion in loans to support the Topaz Solar project

First Solar, Inc. is sponsoring all three projects and will provide PV modules for the projects from a new manufacturing plant that has begun construction in Mesa, Arizona, as well as from its recently expanded manufacturing plant in Perrysburg, Ohio. The company expects that the projects will create a combined 1,400 jobs in California during peak construction.

Solar Plant in Spain Generates Electricity for 24 Straight Hours

Spain's Gemasolar concentrating solar power plant just became the first solar power plant to generate power for 24 continuous hours.

The plant uses a Power Tower design where a field of mirrors concentrate the sun's heat onto a boiler in the central tower. That boiler creates steam which turns a turbine. None of that is out of the ordinary when it comes to concentrated solar power, but the Gemasolar plant is the only one in the world to use molten salt as a heat transfer fluid, which allows for the storage and generation of electricity even once the sun goes down.

Duke Energy to build new wind farm in Kansas

Utility company Duke Energy Corp. is building its second large-scale wind farm in Kansas.

Duke Energy said Wednesday it will build a 131-megawatt wind power farm in Gray County, Kansas, about 200 miles west of Wichita. The company said it plans to start construction on the wind farm this fall, and the facility should be operational by 2012.

All the electricity from the wind farm will be sold under a 20-year contract to Kansas City, Mo.-based utility Kansas City Power & Light.

The wind farm, called Cimarron II, will be located on 16,000 acres of leased farmland and will generate enough electricity to power about 40,000 homes.

Renewable Energy News, March 8, 2011

2011-03-08T11:46:00.006-05:00

Maine tidal power firm set to connect to region’s grid

A Maine tidal energy company says its prototype underwater power system has passed all of its tests, paving the way for a commercial unit to be connected to the region’s grid by year’s end.

Ocean Renewable Power Co. says the unit that finished testing in December produced grid-compatible electricity and appeared to cause no harm to marine life. The company plans to install a larger unit off eastern Maine that will deliver power to the Bangor Hydro Electric Co. grid.

The 150-kilowatt unit will power up to 60 homes, and the company intends to install more of the units in coming years, increasing capacity of 3.2 megawatts by the end of 2014.

“We think that within our next five years, we’re going to be competitive with any renewable power options, and possibly compete with fossil fuel sources,” company President Chris Sauer said.

Feed-in Tariff Program Could Come to Nevada Soon

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 184 (SB184) on Monday, March 7 at 1:00pm. The bill will create a Renewable Energy Systems Development Program—a first of its kind policy in Nevada. It will require the Public Utility Commission of Nevada to develop a program where any person or business with a renewable energy generation system will be paid a fair "rate" to generate and "feed" their energy into the electric grid. Programs of this kind are commonly known as a feed-in tariff (FIT) where the term "tariff" is not a tax, but a "rate" paid.

A FIT is the most cost effective way to accelerate the use of cleaner technologies to generate electricity in Nevada," said Dr. John Scire, UNR adjunct professor of political science who has taught energy policy and politics for the last ten years.

Deerfield Wind project comment period extended

The Green Mountain National Forest has extended the public comment period on a supplemental draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Deerfield Wind project, in Searsburg and Readsboro.

The deadline for comments is now March 18.

The Forest Service is evaluating options to the original proposal for a 17-turbine project, including a seven-turbine project on the ridge east of Vermont 8 and a 15-turbine project that matches a configuration approved by the state Board of Public Service.

Disclosure: SDRS represents Deerfield Wind in this matter.

ACORE Releases Updated State-by-State Report on Renewable Energy for 2011

The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) today released the 2011 update and redesign of its report, Renewable Energy in America: Markets, Economic Development and Policy in the 50 States, as an online resource and a product of ACORE’s mission to scale-up renewable energy in America. Compiling updated financial, market, resource potential, and policy information in a single easily-accessed resource, the report is intended to be an executive summary for all who are interested in the highlights of the renewable energy sector in every state.

“The U.S. is blessed with an abundance of domestic renewable energy resources, and the states through effective policies and industry through investment and development are leading the way in harnessing these resources for productive use, “ says Todd Foley, Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations. “This report captures the highlights of an incredible scope of activity that is changing our energy future and paving the way for continued economic growth.”

The report shows that in 2010, the total installed base of new renewable electricity exceeded 50 GW in the United States. Texas, California, and Iowa led in renewable energy generation capacity, while Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois led in renewable fuels capacity.

Bill aims to speed up renewable energy approval in California

A bill aimed at spurring clean-energy development and jobs passed the state Assembly floor Monday.
Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, D-Coachella, introduced the bill that he said streamlines the permitting process for renewable energy within the state’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. It expands the current program in place for large-scale solar projects by adding wind and geothermal energy projects.

The changes would include offering project developers the option of paying mitigation fees in-lieu of the traditional permitting process, according to a press release from Pérez’s office.

The in-lieu fees are then used by the state Department of Fish and Game to acquire and restore habitat lands for species impacted by the projects.

By expediting the approval process, renewable energy projects can be approved on a faster timeline while still upholding the protection of California’s ecosystems and wildlife, according to the press release.

Montana bill classifies hydro as renewable energy

Montana State Senator Debby Barrett (R-Dillon) wants to add hydro-power to the list of renewable energy resources.

Montana requires utility companies to purchase 15% of their energy from renewables by 2015. Currently wind and solar energy help utility companies meet the 15 by 15 initiative.

Barrett's Senate Bill 109 adds hydropower to the mix.

Northwestern Energy's John Fitzpatrick says the bill will create jobs.

"It improves the opportunity for the development of small scale hydro projects, particularly those that might be associated with irrigation systems, existing state dams and other kinds of impoundments that might be built off of the main stem rivers," Fitzpatrick adds.

South Dakota Legislature: Wind industry pays for task force

House Democratic leader Bernie Hunhoff was a real-life Don Quixote tilting at windmills Monday.

He tried to stop the wind energy industry from being allowed to finance a study by the Legislature of financial incentives for wind projects.

But the Yankton lawmaker’s amendment was shouted down in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on a voice vote.

Then House members went on to give final legislative approval 57-13 to the measure establishing the task force, whose members will look at how South Dakota can better compete with other states for wind development.

The Senate previously approved it 30-4. The bill now goes to Gov. Dennis Daugaard for his decision.

Wyoming Legislature fails to settle eminent domain issue

The state Legislature failed to settle the sensitive issue of whether wind farm developers can forcibly take land so they can stretch power lines to their turbines.

Instead, lawmakers who ended their 2011 session last week extended a moratorium banning private wind developers from using eminent domain for another two years, meaning the issue will be back again.

“I hope, in some form, somebody will come up with some idea that can satisfy all sides to the problem,” said Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Eminent domain is the forced acquisition of private property for public use and has been used to build railroads, pipelines and other projects deemed necessary for the public good.

Affordability of batteries key to harnessing wind and solar power

Future batteries used by the energy grid to store power from the wind and sun must be reliable, durable and safe, but affordability is really the key to widespread deployment, according to a new report published online March 4 in the journal Chemical Reviews. The report is one of the most comprehensive reviews of electrochemical energy storage to date.

In the report, researchers from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory say that successful electrochemical energy storage, or EES, systems will need to evolve -- in some cases, considerably -- if they are going to compete financially with the cost of natural gas production. And besides technical improvements, the systems will need to be built to last, using materials that are safe and durable so that batteries could operate more than 15 years and require very little maintenance over their lifetime.

The report provides a comprehensive review of four stationary storage systems -- ones considered the most promising candidates for EES: vanadium redox flow, sodium-beta alumina membrane, lithium-ion and lead-carbon batteries. In their study, the PNNL researchers note the potential of each technology but, more importantly, explain what advances must occur with each if they're ultimately to be deployed.

Renewable Energy News, February 25, 2011

2011-02-25T11:27:00.004-05:00

California Senate OKs green energy bill

The state Senate acted Thursday to require California utilities to boost their use of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources to a third of total supply by the year 2020.

California law already requires utilities to get a fifth of their power from renewable energy. If this measure becomes law, utilities will be forced to lean even more heavily on green power — improving air quality and helping the economy in the process, supporters said. "Right now we can begin to create the jobs that this state so desperately needs,'' said state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), the bill's author.

The measure passed 26 to 11. The vote split largely along party lines but with a few crossovers.

Jerry Brown's tough choice: green energy in hard economic times

Instability in the Middle East has put America’s dependence on foreign oil back on front pages. It’s also added another ball to California Gov. Jerry Brown’s juggling act over this state’s renewable energy sector in tough economic times.

Democrats are resurrecting an idea vetoed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that would require utilities to buy at least 33 percent of state electricity from renewable sources by 2020, hoping Mr. Brown will be more amenable. On Thursday, the bill passed in the state Senate.

“All indications by those commenting on this in committee is that this is an idea whose time has finally come,” says state Sen. Joe Simitian, the bill’s author. “This last month in the Arab world has been a stark reminder of what happens when Americans are driven by energy needs rather than our values and principles.”

Official hopes firms will put turbines in Gulf of Maine

Middle East instability may be one reason more people than expected attended or tuned in online Tuesday to a wind power developers conference at the University of Maine.

As popular uprisings have broken out in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and elsewhere, the price of oil has been rising, pushed up by uncertainty over how the instability will affect oil production. The volatility of oil prices, according to state and federal officials, is a major reason the potential for offshore wind power development in the Gulf of Maine is getting a lot of attention.

“With turmoil in the Middle East, oil prices are edging up again,” Ned Farquhar, deputy assistant secretary of the federal Department of the Interior, said Tuesday morning at the conference.

The United States, Farquhar said, must figure out how to meet its energy needs in sustainable and secure ways that do not rely so heavily on importing oil from unstable parts of the world.

USDA Requests Renewable Energy Funds in FY 2012 Budget

Although President Obama's fiscal year (FY) 2012 proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture decreased to $23.9 billion from the $27 billion level in FY 2010, the budget still invests $6.5 billion to support renewable and clean energy. In particular, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative is getting an increase of $8.2 million for a research initiative to develop high-quality, cost-effective feedstocks for biofuel production. And the Rural Business-Cooperative Services, which operates a renewable energy loan and grant program for the purchase of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements, will see a combination of mandatory funding and grants for programs at about $57 million above the 2011 total.

Wind energy eminent domain bill moves in Wyoming Senate

A proposed two-year extension of Wyoming's moratorium on wind developers' eminent domain powers passed another legislative hurdle Wednesday.

By a voice vote, state senators passed House Bill 230 on first reading. If left unchanged, the legislation must pass two more Senate votes before heading to Gov. Matt Mead for his signature.

Supporters of the bill say that allowing the current one-year moratorium to expire on July 1 would raise landowners' wariness of eminent domain when dealing with wind developers on land leases to build collector lines.

But other lawmakers have questioned why the state should prohibit wind developers from using eminent domain when other industries are still allowed to employ such powers.

Montana Senate passes bills that undermine renewable power incentives, mandates

Senate Republicans, after trying and failing earlier this Legislature, finally pushed forward a pair of bills Wednesday that dilute renewable-power incentives and mandates currently in state law.

On both bills, supporters said they're acting to help electricity consumers in the state, because the incentives are raising or have the potential to raise energy prices.

“It's about fairness,” said Sen. Jason Priest, R-Red Lodge, the sponsor of Senate Bill 226, which changes the rules and costs for small wind or solar projects that take advantage of “net metering.”

Ontario green-lights 40 renewable energy projects

Forty new green energy projects — mostly solar and wind power — have been given the go-ahead by the Ontario government.

Energy minister Brad Duguid said Thursday that four large wind projects, totalling 615 megawatts of power have been approved, along with 35 solar projects totalling 257 megawatts, and one 500-kilowatt water project.

But the announcement may upset hundreds of proponents of smaller solar projects, who have been told that their projects have been put on hold because they can’t be connected to the electricity system.

Duguid told reporters that the projects announced today, which are large scale projects, have all been analyzed, and connections are available.

He said the smaller projects are being approved as quickly as possible, but couldn’t give a deadline by which time all the small operators would be connected.

France, Chile team up on renewable energy

Chilean and French energy officials will lead a joint energy group that focuses on renewable and alternative energy resources, a French energy company said.

Chilean and French ministers of energy sponsored a bilateral energy group tasked with promoting a policy of sustainable energy through renewable and non-conventional natural resources. Both nations would also support an exchange of technology for sectors such as nuclear power and hydroelectricity, French energy company GDF Suez announced.

The vision for the bilateral energy group was spelled out by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera during October talks in Paris.

Renewable Energy News, February 18, 2011

2011-02-18T13:08:00.003-05:00

DOE Requests $3.2 Billion for Renewable Energy, Efficiency in FY 2012

President Obama unveiled on February 14 a $29.5 billion budget request for DOE covering fiscal year (FY) 2012, including $3.2 billion for DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The budget request for EERE represents a 44% increase over the current FY 2010 appropriation of about $2.2 billion. The proposed budget aims to strengthen renewable energy sources, boost clean energy research, and cut expenses as the United States pursues the President's vision of generating 80% of its electricity from clean sources by 2035. Overall, the DOE budget would grow 12% over 2010 levels while cutting a number of programs and administrative costs.

Energy Funding Is Spared the Axe in the President's Budget

The release of markedly different proposed budget plans from President Obama and Republican members of the House of Representatives over the last several days marks the beginning of a legislative contest that will likely last most of the year, and that could have a major impact on funding for the development of clean energy. The House plan includes big cuts for clean-energy research, while the president's plan would in some cases double spending.

The president's plan looks ahead to fiscal year 2012, which starts in October. Congress failed to pass a fiscal year 2011 budget last year, and the government is operating on stopgap bills that keep funding at 2010 levels. The latest expires in early March, and this week, the House started debate on a bill meant to fund the government for the rest of the year.

Because of the big differences between the House bill and Obama's goals for energy funding, among other things, some experts say that it could be difficult to come to an agreement by the March deadline, making a government shutdown possible. The stakes are high on the form this bill takes, not only because the House cuts could have a big impact on the functioning of government agencies this year, but also because it will serve as a baseline for the 2012 budget negotiations.

John Kerry urges feds to OK loans for Cape Wind project

Sen. John Kerry and the state's Democratic congressional delegation are urging federal officials to approve a key portion of Cape Wind's financing package.

Kerry and all 10 Massachusetts members of the U.S. House sent a letter Thursday to Energy Secretary Steven Chu asking that he speed up Cape Wind's federal loan guarantee application so the project can begin construction.

Kerry said a timely approval will help reduce the cost of electricity from the nation's first offshore wind farm, to be located in Nantucket Sound.

"This innovative project is poised to create jobs and kick start a whole new industry in the United States," Kerry wrote. "A (Department of Energy) loan guarantee would greatly help this first U.S. offshore wind project secure financing in this challenging financial market."

Conergy Unit Plans $2.7 Billion Australian Wind Farms

A unit of Conergy AG, the German solar power company, said it plans three wind farms in Australia estimated to cost as much as $2.7 billion that will proceed if the government does more to spur clean energy investment.

The wind power developments in New South Wales state proposed by Conergy’s Epuron Pty unit depend on the expansion of Australia’s renewable energy target and the introduction of a price on carbon emissions, Andrew Durran, Epuron’s executive director in Sydney, said today in a phone interview.

“There is significant uncertainty in this market and that is going to continue,” he said. “There have been too many changes at the state and federal level over more than a decade, and people funding these projects don’t forget that.”

Australia, the world’s biggest coal exporter, has set a target of generating 20 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2020. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said lawmakers must decide this year on a way to impose a cost on burning fossil fuels such as coal to tackle climate change.

Japan plans new renewable tariffs from 2012

Japan plans to make the power sector buy electricity from a wider range of renewable energy sources than it does currently in a feed-in tariff incentive scheme from the year starting April 2012.

The government is expected to submit related bills for the new scheme during the current parliament session, aiming to make electricity low-carbon and to support a clean-energy market.

Currently, Japan's 10 power companies are required to pay 48 yen ($60 cents) per kilowatt hour for surplus solar electricity from house owners and 24 yen per kwh for the surplus from small businesses and are allowed to add on the extra costs to users evenly.

New Oregon solar panel plant getting federal help

The manufacturer of a new generation of rooftop solar panels is getting a $197 million federal loan guarantee to expand a plant being built in Oregon, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Thursday.

Chu said in a teleconference that the renewable energy loan guarantee is going to SoloPower, a Silicon Valley startup that makes thin-film solar panels.

"We want technologies invented in America to be made in America," Chu said.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said the plant in Wilsonville is bringing 1,000 construction jobs and 500 manufacturing jobs to Oregon, which has become a leader in photovoltaic solar panel production.

Georgia Power Dalton Utilities break ground on solar power site

The first phase of what will eventually be Georgia’s largest solar power system could be in operation by the end of March, officials with Georgia Power say.

Groundbreaking for the project, on Dalton Utilities’ Land Application System (LAS) in Murray County, took place Wednesday morning.

“Solar is up and coming. We are going to see more of it. I am glad this is going to be the largest facility in Georgia. It’s exciting to be part of this,” said Dalton Utilities board member Cathy Holmes.

Officials say Dalton is also home to what is currently the largest solar array in Georgia, which is owned by U.S. Floors.

Voice of the Free Press: Take a leap of faith and ride the wind

The issue at hand is whether to allow Green Mountain Power Corp. to place 21 behemoth wind turbines on the ridges of Lowell Mountain to deliver renewable energy. The answer is "yes."

On Town Meeting Day last year, the voters of Lowell said "yes" in a resounding way after the utility wooed residents with sweet talk of payments to the public till and a vow of clean energy for 20,000 homes.

Feb. 11, Gov. Peter Shumlin, who has promised to be the green governor, chimed in with the second big "yes."

The Kingdom Community Wind project is before the Vermont Public Service Board for final approval.

Green Mountain Power waits for a third and final "yes."

It would be virtually impossible for the governor to turn his back on this project.

Vermont delegation gets perfect green score

Vermont's two U.S. senators and one congressman have received the nation's only perfect score for a state congressional delegation from a national environmental group.

The League of Conservation Voters says Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch each received a perfect score of 100 on six Senate votes and nine House votes taken last year on issues involving the environment.

They league says those issues ranged from clean energy to public health protections to wildlife conservation.

Renewable Energy News, February 14, 2011

2011-02-14T13:30:00.006-05:00

Magic Hat digester turns brewery waste into energy

Before he started “saving the earth, one beer at a time,” all inventor Eric Fitch knew about home brewing was that it could make quite a mess.

Once, he accidentally backed up the plumbing in his apartment building by dumping into his garbage disposal the spent grain left over from his India pale ale home brew. The oatmeal-looking gunk choked the pipes in his Cambridge, Mass., building, flooding the basement.

These days, he’s doing something more constructive, fulfilling the dream of beer lovers everywhere by recycling the stuff: The MIT-trained mechanical engineer has invented a patented device that turns brewery waste into natural gas that’s used to fuel the brewing process.

The anaerobic methane digester, installed last year at Magic Hat Brewing Co. in Vermont, extracts energy from the spent hops, barley and yeast left over from the brewing process — and it processes the plant’s wastewater. That saves the brewer on waste disposal and natural gas purchasing.

China Profits From Solar Policy as Europe Backpedals

China, the world’s biggest electricity consumer, is figuring out how to capture a larger share of the solar-energy market without losing money.

The government will spend at least a year studying Europe’s system of paying above-market prices for solar power before deciding if there’s a better way to spur clean-energy plants across China, said Wu Dacheng, an adviser to national power regulators. The delay has stalled projects planned on Chinese soil by developers such as First Solar Inc. of the U.S.

“We need to learn from European countries like Germany” that pay subsidized rates to spark solar-panel installations, Wu, vice chairman of the Solar Photovoltaic Committee of China’s Renewable Energy Society, said in an interview.

Europe, which attracted more than $65 billion in solar plant investment in 2010, is providing lessons for China. Germany, the largest panel market, together with Spain and France carried out four unscheduled subsidy cuts in 2010, trying to slow a torrent of projects by developers and speculators.

House passes Wyoming wind energy property rights bill

A proposal that would prevent landowners from selling wind rights separate from the rest of the property has passed the House of Representatives.

Senate File 22 would designate wind as a property right similar to surface and mineral rights.

Landowners can set up wind energy agreements with developers, and the lease would be canceled if wind generation stops long enough or development never occurs.

Maui Is Gassing Up Renewable Energy Effort

Trash at the Central Maui Landfill creates gas, which Maui officials want to convert into energy. Energy commissioner, Doug McLeod said the county is considering its options including selling the gas to nearby Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company.

Another option is to process the gas into fuel for your cars, or the more appealing alternative is burning the gas to produce electricity on site.

“The combustion option seems to be the most proven technology. It's something where we could buy an engine and put that to work. On the other hand it is attractive to think that the gas could be reused potentially by the sugar mill,” said McLeod.

McLeod said the amount of generated gases could power patches of homes and businesses across the island and burning gas at the source would have a direct financial impact.

Renewable Energy News, February 11, 2011

2011-02-10T12:57:00.004-05:00

DOE, Department of Interior Announce Offshore Wind Initiatives

DOE and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) unveiled on February 7 a coordinated strategic plan to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy, including new funding opportunities for up to $50.5 million. The joint National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Industry in the United States is the first-ever interagency plan on offshore wind energy. The departments also named several high priority "wind energy areas" in the Mid-Atlantic that will spur rapid, responsible development of wind energy. The initiatives are part of DOI's "Smart from the Start" program, announced in November 2010 and designed to speed appropriate commercial-scale wind energy development. The plan includes deployment of 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind generating capacity by 2020 and 54 GW by 2030, enough energy to power 2.8 million and 15.2 million average American homes.

Maryland Gov. O'Malley readies offshore wind power mandate

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is circulating a proposal that would require state utilities to enter long-term contracts with offshore wind companies.

O'Malley, a Democrat, would have Maryland utilities enter into 20-year contracts to buy electricity generated by offshore wind turbines, according to a draft copy of the governor's bill obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday.

The bill would also rewrite state conservation laws to allow offshore wind companies to run transmission lines onshore. No wind turbines have been built yet in federal waters, although the Obama administration has placed a new emphasis on developing offshore wind.

USDA Guarantees South Dakota Wind Loans

A South Dakota wind farm will receive U.S. Department of Agriculture loan guarantees that will help build 100 wind turbines providing 151.5 megawatts of electricity.

This USDA press release says the money will help Basin Electric Power Cooperative build the PrairieWinds wind farm energy project in central South Dakota that will join the cooperative’s other electric generation projects to meet the needs of 2.8 million customers served by 135 distribution systems in nine states:

“The investment announced today will help us ‘win the future,’” said [Agriculture Secretary Tom] Vilsack. “Capturing and converting wind to electricity will create jobs, reduce our reliance on imported energy, and build a reliable source of renewable energy for generations of rural Americans.”

Large wind farm approved near Williams, Ariz.

Coconino County Supervisors have approved a large wind farm on state and private lands in northern Arizona.

NextEra Energy plans to begin construction this summer if it receives clearance from state agencies to install 62 405-foot-tall wind turbines. The site is 13 miles north of Williams and 50 miles south of the Grand Canyon.

The Arizona Daily Sun reports that county supervisors approved the project late Tuesday.

Wyoming House declines to reconsider wind tax bill defeat

The Wyoming House of Representatives decided not to reconsider a bill that would have tripled the tax on wind energy generation in the state.

The House on Wednesday voted 32-27 against reconsidering a bill sponsored by Rep. Tim Stubson, R-Casper. The bill had failed Tuesday on a tie vote.

The bill would have tripled the state's pending tax on wind power generation from $1 a megawatt to $3 a megawatt when the tax takes effect next year.

Wisconsin Legislature again considers tighter wind farm rules

Less than a month before new rules are set to go into effect, the state Legislature is reopening the debate over wind farm regulations and casting a shadow over the industry's future in Wisconsin.

The Legislature's joint rules committee heard more than seven hours of testimony Wednesday from both supporters and opponents of Wisconsin's wind siting regulations, which are official March 1.

The regulations, developed by the state Public Service Commission, were debated for nearly two years before a bipartisan group of lawmakers approved them in December. But last month Gov. Scott Walker proposed legislation to dramatically increase the distance between homes and wind turbines. The measure failed, but ultimately led lawmakers to revisit the rules.

"This isn't about shutting down the wind industry, it's about protecting homeowners," said Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, testifying before the committee Wednesday. "I urge you to send this back and do some more work on it."

Noise expert to testify in Vermont wind project hearing

A noise expert will testify about the sounds created by windmills at a Vermont Public Service Board hearing on the proposed Kingdom Community Wind project in Lowell.

Robert McCunney, retained by project developers Green Mountain Power Corp. and Vermont Electric Co-Op, will testify Thursday in Montpelier. State utility regulators are weighing plans for a 20-turbine wind project that was approved by Lowell voters last year but is now being challenged by a group of opponents.

The $150 million project needs a certificate of public good from the state in order to begin construction.

Iowa Senators propose rebates for installing small wind turbines, solar panels

Democrats in the Senate are proposing $10 million worth of rebates for Iowans who install solar panels or small wind turbines to power their home, business or farm.

Dave Krejchi, president of Dalton Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Cedar Falls says over the past three years his company has installed solar-panel systems that provide the power for hot water heaters in seven homes in the Cedar Falls area.

“Our measurements show that the systems we have installed reduced energy for hot water consumption by 75 percent. That is a huge energy savings provided by the sun,” Krejchi says. “Based on our experience we believe solar is the growth industry for us and for Iowa.”

Those systems cost up to $10,000. Installing solar panels to provide electricity for an entire home can cost up to $40,000. Over 1300 individual Iowans and up to 400 businesses could qualify for the state tax credits Democrats propose. Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, says it will help a “diverse group” of small businesses that are installing these small-scale solar and wind systems.

Colorado Senate committee kills three GOP bills aimed at rolling back renewable energy policies

Renewable energy backers today were buoyed by the defeat of three bills floated by Colorado Republicans aimed at rolling back clean energy policies passed largely by Democrats last legislative session.

The Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee today struck down SB 71, which would have rolled back the state’s renewable energy standard to 2004 levels, SB 58, which would have mandated so-called “least-cost” resource planning for electric utilities, and SB 113, which would have overturned the Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act. That bipartisan bill requires Xcel Energy to shut down or retrofit several coal-fired power plants to run on cleaner-burning natural gas and renewable energy sources.

“We simply cannot and will not turn back the clock on the progress that has been made with our state’s investment in renewable energy,” said state Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass. “We aggressively pursued renewable energy economic development goals because our state is committed to a strong economy and healthy environment.”

Green Building Law Resources

2011-02-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

Efficiency Vermont is sponsoring the Better Building by Design conference in Burlington Vermont this week. Yesterday's sessions offered a host of excellent speakers on energy efficiency and green building issues, and the conference continues today. It's s great opportunity to get up to speed this rapidly evolving and quickly expanding industry.

There is not a specific panel on the many legal issues that builders and consultants in this industry often encounter, but several of the technical panels have alluded to some of these issues. For example, the panel discussion yesterday on retrofitting the envelop of older buildings touched in the common conflict between historic preservation regulations or goals, and energy efficiency goals. We see that conflict often in renewable energy development as well (placing solar panels on a building that is historically signifiant or eligible for listing). Other legal issues that can arise in the industry include, among many others:

- performance certification or compliance

- contractual issues associated with building energy performance (For example, potential liability for failure to achieve certain performance standards or expectations, particularly where eligibility for tax credits or incentives is affected);

- liability for, and consumer fraud claims related to, green marketing claims (for example ensuring that all claims are consistent with requirements of the Federal Trade Commission's green marketing guidelines);

- warranty issues and allocation of risk between manufacturer, consultants, contractors and subcontractors.

I've included links to a few of my favorite informational resources below for those interested in learning more about the legal issues associated with energy efficiency and green building.

- Green Building Law Update

-Green Building Law Blog

-Ohio Green Building Law

Renewable Energy News, February 7, 2011

2011-02-07T10:30:00.006-05:00

From Sputnik to SunShot

The energy secretary, Steven Chu, was publicly using the phrase “Sputnik moment” two months before President Obama picked it up in the State of the Union speech to describe the need for a national effort to improve competitiveness in a technical field. Now he has moved on to a new space-challenge term: SunShot.

Just as President Kennedy pledged in 1961 that the United States would land an astronaut on the moon by the end of that decade — a moonshot — Dr. Chu said the United States should attempt a “sunshot” by aiming to cut the cost of solar power by about three-quarters by the end of this decade, to $1 a watt for utility-scale projects. That would translate to an end-user price of about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, he said. “That would make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies of any kind,’’ he said in a conference call with reporters on Friday.

Wisconsin wind farm bill meets stiff resistance

The state Legislature moved with remarkable speed during its special session to enact proposals advocated by Gov. Scott Walker.

The single great exception: a bill to restrict development of wind farms.

Of 10 bills considered by the Legislature in the special session that began Jan. 4, the wind siting bill is the only one that didn't clear the state Assembly.

Legislative leaders last week decided to stop consideration of the Walker bill, saying they would move to address wind siting in a different way. The move came one week after Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state's largest business lobby, announced its opposition to the wind siting bill. It's the only plank of Walker's special session platform that WMC opposed.

The energy proposal runs counter to Walker's jobs agenda because it threatens to block several large wind power projects, with an investment valued at $500 million, this year and next, wind power advocates say. But Walker is concerned about the cost of wind power and says the state needs to have a better balance between wind development and property rights.

Wyoming House narrowly passes wind bill on second reading

Legislation that would dramatically change the way Wyoming’s wind energy industry is taxed — and the way the tax revenue is distributed — narrowly advanced in the state House on Friday.

The bill, which faces a final House vote on Monday, would combine the upcoming $1-per-megawatt-hour wind energy tax and the sales tax on wind energy equipment into a single $3-per-megawatt-hour excise tax.

It would also change the way that tax revenue would be distributed and create a $15 million impact assistance account to help local governments pay for infrastructure costs associated with wind energy projects.

Right now, existing wind farms would pay the $1-per-megawatt-hour excise tax when it takes effect in 2012. A sales tax exemption on renewable energy equipment is set to expire at the end of this year.

Arizona Solar Plant Picks Chinese Supplier

Suntech, the Chinese solar giant, has won a contract to supply photovoltaic panels for a 150-megawatt project in Arizona, marking China’s entry into a lucrative United States power-plant market dominated by American companies.

The project is the first phase of a planned 700-megawatt project called Mesquite Solar to be built about 40 miles west of Phoenix and operated by Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy. A California utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, will buy the electricity produced by the power plant’s first phase, called Mesquite Solar 1.

U.K. Signals It May Cut Prices Paid for Renewable Energy Sources

The U.K. government signaled it may cut the prices paid for electricity from renewable energy sources, saying it began a “comprehensive review” of feed-in tariffs introduced last year.

Evidence that larger-scale solar farms may “soak up” money meant for roof-top solar panels, small wind turbines and smaller hydropower facilities prompted the study, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said today in an statement. A review was originally planned to start next year.

The move will allow the government to change the above- market prices paid for wind and solar electricity by more than already planned when the new prices come into force in April 2012. The department said it will speed up an analysis of solar projects bigger than 50 kilowatts and that new tariffs may be mandated “as soon as practical.”

“This is going to put the jitters into some market segments,” Dave Sowden, chief executive officer of the Solihull, England-based trade group Micropower Council, said today in a phone interview. “It’s the fast-track threshold of 50 kilowatts that is of concern, because that’s going to catch a lot of rooftop installations. That’s come as a surprise.”

Study: Better turbine spacing for large wind farms

Large wind farms are being built around the world as a cleaner way to generate electricity, but operators are still searching for the most efficient way to arrange the massive turbines that turn moving air into power.

To help steer wind farm owners in the right direction, Charles Meneveau, a Johns Hopkins fluid mechanics and turbulence expert, working with a colleague in Belgium, has devised a new formula through which the optimal spacing for a large array of turbines can be obtained.

"I believe our results are quite robust," said Meneveau, who is the Louis Sardella Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the university's Whiting School of Engineering. "They indicate that large wind farm operators are going to have to space their turbines farther apart."

Renewable Energy News, February 3, 2011

2011-02-03T11:09:00.003-05:00

Renewable energy feasible, group says

A world that runs almost completely free of fossil fuels is possible without new technological development or radical lifestyle changes, a leading environmental group says.

With “reasonable” government investment, renewable energy will be economically feasible – even profitable – worldwide by 2050, including in countries that are currently deprived of power or fuel, the World Wildlife Fund said in a report released on Thursday.
More related to this story

While acknowledging there are serious challenges in achieving the all-renewable goal, the group says it is both possible and necessary if there is to be a substantial cut in greenhouse gas emissions, which experts warn could have devastating impacts on the environment.

Vermont Legislators Aim To Boost Incentives For Renewable Energy Projects

Legislative leaders are crafting a bill that would expand incentives for renewable energy projects.

The bill sets aggressive targets for clean energy development, and adds money to a fund that could help pay for the projects.

The bill broadens a program known as net metering. This allows utility customers to sell electricity back to their power companies if their home and business has its own renewable generating plant.

California Democrats launch 'green energy' bills

Flanked by solar energy business people and investors, legislative Democrats announced Wednesday that they're resurrecting a bill to require utilities to buy at least 33 percent of California's electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Legislators presented the proposal along with related measures as a pro-business effort to help create jobs.

"The budget is and remains our top priority," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.

But, Steinberg added, "we must also continue to provide state and national leadership in our ongoing efforts to strengthen California's economy by supporting emerging industries, improving public education and creating jobs for Californians."

Two other measures described at the Capitol press conference would expedite permits for renewable energy projects, and create a curriculum for "green partnership academies" that use grants to provide students with skills to enter renewable-energy jobs.

Wind Projects Backed By Tax Credits, Subsidies

Most people think of big wind projects as a way to harvest the breezes that blow freely across the earth.

But sophisticated investors look at big wind quite differently. That's because besides generating electricity, the large-scale projects also involve sophisticated financial instruments that harvest a variety of tax benefits.

In the last of our series on big wind, VPR's John Dillon has this look at how the projects are financed.

DOE Promotes Energy Innovation Portal To Business Professionals

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Innovation Portal now has more than 300 business-friendly marketing summaries available to help investors and companies identify and license leading-edge energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

The Portal is an online tool that links available DOE innovations to the entrepreneurs who can successfully license and commercialize them.

By helping to move these innovations from the laboratory to the market, the Portal facilitates an integral step in supporting growing America’s clean energy industries and meeting the Administration’s clean energy goals.

“Our National Laboratories are a major driver of innovation in this country. By connecting American entrepreneurs with cutting-edge, ready-to-commercialize technologies from the National Labs, the DOE Innovation Portal is helping to grow our economy and create the next generation of American jobs,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Wyoming House committee moves wind energy tax bill

Wind energy companies would pay higher generation taxes in Wyoming in exchange for ending the state sales tax on equipment used in wind farm construction under a bill that cleared a legislative committee Wednesday.

The House Revenue Committee voted 5-3 in favor of a bill sponsored by Rep. Tim Stubson, R-Casper, Sen. Drew Perkins, R-Casper, and others. It now goes to the House floor.

The bill would triple the tax rate that goes into effect next year on new wind projects, from $1 per megawatt hour to $3 per megawatt hour. In exchange, the bill would exempt wind projects from sales tax on generators and other equipment.

Stubson said the bill would increase total state revenues slightly over the lifetime of wind projects. But he said it would also save the wind industry money because companies would no longer need to borrow to cover the upfront sales taxes on equipment.

Study: Wind could mean big money for Wyoming

Wind energy development could bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to Wyoming over the next decade, according to a federal report.

The analysis, conducted by analysts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, examines the economic impact of Wyoming wind energy development, construction of the power lines needed to transport electricity out of state, and the growth of natural gas power generation, commonly used to back up wind energy sources.

During the next decade, that development may create 47,000 jobs, pay $2.6 billion in wages and benefits and pump $5.1 billion into the state’s economy, said Eric Lantz, a research analyst with the laboratory. The study, released Tuesday, only examined one version of the next decade of wind energy and infrastructure development.

California backstops two Alberta wind projects

California’s stringent rules for renewable energy have given a kick-start to two major wind-power projects planned for Alberta.

Under California’s renewable energy credits program, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has agreed to buy all the power for 20 years from Greengate Power Corp.’s 150-megawatt Halkirk 1 project east of Stettler and the 300-megawatt Blackspring Ridge project north of Lethbridge.

The wind power will go into the Alberta electrical grid, which is linked to the western half of North America.

Edmonton’s Capital Power Corp. is a 50-50 partner in Halkirk, although it has not yet signed a formal agreement.

“This power purchase agreement with California is certainly a step forward, but there are other conditions to be meet before Capital Power signs onto Halkirk,” Capital spokesman Mike Long said.

Tennessee solar farm gets OK from U.S. Dept. of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy has cleared construction of a 5-megawatt solar array in West Tennessee, ruling that the project will have no significant impact on the surrounding environment.

Energy officials approved the solar farm near I-40 in Haywood County under the National Environmental Policy Act, the state Department of Economic and Community Development announced Tuesday.

The project is intended to bolster interest in a nearby megasite for industrial development.

"We've seen billions of dollars in capital investment in the solar industry alone in Tennessee," ECD Commissioner Bill Hagerty said in a statement.

Michigan utilities power up renewable energy efforts

Michigan utilities are adding to their wind and solar portfolios as they strive to meet the state's mandate to generate 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015.

A massive wind farm under construction in Gratiot County north of Lansing is one of the most recent efforts by Detroit Edison to bolster its renewable energy portfolio. The farm, the largest wind farm in Michigan, will contain 125 wind turbines on 30,000 acres and is expected to be up and running by the end of the year.

Under a 20-year, $1.1 billion agreement, Detroit Edison, a subsidiary of DTE Energy and the largest utility in Metro Detroit with 2.1 million customers, will buy 200 megawatts from the farm, enough energy to power 54,000 homes.

"Our goal is to have 1,200 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2015," said spokesman Scott Simons. "Half of that would be owned and operated by us and the other half would be purchase power."

Georgia bill offers break on energy saving

More home and business owners who buy solar panels and other energy-savers would get a tax break under a bill state Rep. Doug McKillip introduced Tuesday.

House Bill 146 would raise available clean energy tax credits from $2.5 million to $10 million per year and extend them until 2014. It would benefit employers like Power Partners, a local company that manufactures solar panels, said McKillip, R-Athens.

"It's good for jobs," he said. "It's good for the environment. It's good for the economy."

Puget Sound Energy Offering Renewable-Energy Grants to Local Schools & Select Educational Institutions

Puget Sound Energy is offering public schools and other educational institutions an opportunity to bring renewable energy into the classroom – or perhaps, onto the classroom.

This week the utility opened the grant-application period for organizations seeking to install small-scale solar arrays or wind power turbines. Schools and nonprofit institutions with a renewable-energy education focus are eligible to apply for a PSE grant, which can range from $5,000 to $20,000.

PSE’s Renewable Energy Education Program (formerly called Solar Schools) and voluntary Green Power Program have provided $394,139 in grants to fund 23 educational solar-power projects in Western Washington during the last seven years.

The programs promote understanding and acceptance of renewable-energy technologies and expand the range of options available to local educators, students, families and communities in PSE’s nine-county electric service area.

Intel the Biggest Buyer of Green Energy in the U.S., Report Says

Intel Corporation remains the top purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S., nearly doubling the amount of green energy credits it will buy in 2011 to more than 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours - the equivalent of powering 218,000 American homes - according to a new ranking by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With that increase, the California-based chipmaker - which has also built nine solar plants at its facilities in the U.S. and Israel - now gets about 88 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

The retail chain, Kohl's, which ranked second on the EPA's list of the top 50 green energy buyers, now gets 100 percent of its electricity from green sources, purchasing more than 1.4 million kilowatt-hours annually. The EPA works with more than 1,300 businesses and organizations through its Green Power Partnership to encourage the voluntary purchase of green energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the EPA, those partners are using about 19.2 billion kilowatt-hours of green energy each year. Intel's purchase of renewable energy credits is the largest green power purchase to date in the EPA's Green Power Partnership.

Renewable Energy News, February 1, 2011

2011-02-01T13:34:00.004-05:00

Boston Company Plans Region’s Largest Solar Array

A Boston-based renewable energy company is pledging to open the region’s biggest solar power array on a former landfill in Canton.

Officials at Southern Sky Renewable Energy said Monday that the 5.6 megawatt solar photovoltaic facility will be the largest of its kind in New England when completed.

The company said it’s already received final approval from the Canton Board of Selectmen and is negotiating a distribution agreement with NStar.

Once that’s completed it should take about six to nine months to build the facility.

EU calls for double investment in renewable energy

The European Union says investment in renewable energy has to be doubled to reach the bloc's target of having 20 percent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2020.

The EU's executive Commission said Monday that only three states -- Germany, Hungary and Sweden -- have met their 2010 interim goals for renewable energy for both electricity and transport.

The Commission says to reach the 20 percent goal, investment in renewable energy needs to rise to euro70 billion ($96 billion) a year from euro35 billion currently.

Hawaii's 'Big Wind' Power Project Stirs Up Fans, Foes

In Hawaii, hearings begin Tuesday for the state's extensive windmill project. The plan is for a massive wind farm with hundreds of windmills on several islands. It's the largest renewable energy project for a state racing to get off oil.

Almost all of Hawaii's electricity now comes from a few massive generators, which burn oil imported on a never-ending line of tanker ships.

Hawaii would rather get electricity from wind — like that produced by the new 42-story windmill at the Kahuku Wind Farm on Oahu's North Shore.

"They're big but they're beautiful, they are," says Kekoa Kaluhiwa, who works for the company running this farm, First Wind.

Hawaii is hoping to build up to 200 more of these windmills on the small and windy islands of Lanai and Molokai. The power produced on the islands would then be sent to heavily populated Oahu through undersea cables.

Vermont Public Service Board To Open Hearings On Lowell Wind Project

This week, the Public Service Board opens hearings on Vermont's largest wind development - a proposal for 21 wind turbines that would stand 440 feet tall on a ridgeline in Lowell.

Developers hoped to avoid some of the controversy that other projects have faced by asking for, and winning, Lowell voters' support last Town Meeting Day. But it hasn't been that easy.

In the first part of our series on wind's future in Vermont, VPR's John Dillon explains how passionate, and personal, the debate still is in Lowell.

Renewable Energy News, January 27, 2011

2011-01-27T11:57:00.003-05:00

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

2011-01-25T12:35:00.005-05:00

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

2011-01-24T09:58:00.003-05:00

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

2011-01-21T11:19:00.002-05:00

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

2011-01-19T10:14:00.002-05:00

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

2011-01-18T11:07:00.003-05:00

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.
Related Links

"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

2011-01-14T11:38:00.004-05:00

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.

Renewable Energy News, December 22, 2010

2010-12-22T11:27:00.004-05:00

Arizona solar plant is a go as developers obtain loan

The developers of a massive solar-power plant near Gila Bend said Tuesday that they have finally secured financing for the $2 billion project, nearly two years after announcing plans to build it.

Abengoa Solar of Spain has finalized a $1.45 billion loan from the federal government to build the Solana Generating Station, and will invest an additional $550 million of equity into the project, said Kate Maracas, vice president of operations.

Abengoa has a 30-year deal to sell the plant's power to Arizona Public Service Co. starting in 2013.

Atlantic Wind files to build offshore power line

Atlantic Wind Connection filed with federal energy regulators for permission to build a giant power transmission project in the Atlantic Ocean along the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast to enable the region's offshore wind potential, a spokesman for the project said Tuesday.

Announced in October, the project will stretch from New Jersey to Virginia and enable up to 6,000 megawatts of wind power that could be built out of sight from land, enough to serve about 1.9 million homes with carbon-free power.

Independent transmission company Trans-Elect is developing the project, expected to cost about $5 billion.

9 Utah solar energy projects receive Blue Sky money

Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program is helping fund the construction of nine community-based renewable energy projects in the state.

Overall, more than $938,000 was awarded for 12 projects in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, including 11 solar projects and one wind project. The funding is made possible through participating Blue Sky customers, who number more than 34,000.
From the archive

Under the program, customers can sign up to support as many as 100-kilowatt-hour blocks of renewable energy as they choose, at a cost of $1.95 per block, per month.

US Forest Service seeks input on Vt. wind project

The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public input as part of its deliberations to decide whether to approve plans for a wind energy project on southern Vermont mountaintops in the towns of Searsburg and Readsboro.

A company called Deerfield Wind has applied for permission to build and operate a 17-turbine, 34 megawatt commercial wind energy facility on up to 80 acres of National Forest land on both sides of Vermont Route 8, just north of the Massachusetts border.

The Forest Service is considering four possible alternatives, including approving the project as presented by Deerfield Wind, rejecting it outright or two variations that would include fewer turbines.

Disclosure: SDRS represents Deerfield Wind in this matter.

N.C. sound seen as site for wind turbine cluster

A wind-power company is looking at land along a North Carolina sound for a cluster of 50 or more wind turbines.

The Daily Advance of Elizabeth City reported today that Pasquotank County commissioners will discuss allowing wind turbines of up to 600 feet on agricultural land.

Local business recruiter Wayne Harris says North Carolina's Albemarle Sound is great for turbines because there's plenty of wind at low elevation. Harris says the turbines could employ about 20 people and create construction work for about 300 to 600 others.

Mass. Utility Launches 3 Solar Power Plants

Massachusetts largest electric utility is unveiling three new solar power installations capable of generating enough electricity to run 470 homes.

National Grid and senior state officials are scheduled to formally celebrate the solar power plants Tuesday in Revere, Everett and Haverhill.

The plants cost a total of just over $15 million. They are a product of the Green Communities Act that encourages the growth of solar energy. Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled the initiative last year, allowing utilities to own and operate solar power installations up to 50 megawatts.

Vt. wind co. hopes new turbine is game changer

A Northern Power wind turbine sits atop a hill overlooking Barre's granite quarries. It's one of four 100 kilowatt turbines running in Vermont that were built down the road at the company's headquarters. The big plant was on the verge on insolvency only two years ago, but after attracting new financing, it now employs upwards of 150 workers and ships the wind turbines throughout the country and overseas.

"Considering the economy we are in-- that we have been in-- I think it's a remarkable story. It's really a remarkable American success story," said Parthiv Amin of Northern Power Systems.

Unlike the majority of turbines on the market that run with a gear transmissions like cars, Northern Power's use something called a permanent magnetic direct-drive.

Renewable Energy News, December 16, 2010

2010-12-16T12:58:00.003-05:00

U.S. Senate Vote Preserves Renewable Energy Cash Grants

By a vote of 81-19, the U.S. Senate has approved a comprehensive tax package that includes a one-year extension of the Department of Treasury's Section 1603 program, also known as the cash-grant program.

Various organizations and trade associations have been lobbying for the program's extension, saying it has been instrumental in supporting the growth of the renewable energy industry. The program offers a cash grant to renewable energy developers in lieu of an investment tax credit.

The legislation will now be considered by the House, which is expected to bring the bill to the floor later this week, the New York Times has reported.

'Sunrise on Solar' party celebrates new solar farm in Ferrisburgh

Ernie Pomerleau didn’t want just an ordinary ribbon-cutting to launch the state’s largest solar field — so the developer threw a party.

In the Vergennes Union High School gym late Wednesday afternoon, he amassed a wide variety of people with whom he and his company, Pomerleau Real Estate, worked to get the project going. They included bankers who helped with financing, engineers who installed the solar panels, and students at the high school who are using the neighboring solar field as an extension of their classrooms.

“This has been an amazing experience,” Pomerleau said. “It’s good for the economy, it’s good for jobs, and it’s good for the environment.”

Disclosure: SDRS represents Pomerleau Real Estate in this matter.

Fossil fuel giant is betting on a bright future in solar

National climate change legislation may be dead as global warming skeptics take power in Congress. But if you want to see where some big businesses think the future of energy lies, pay attention to NRG Energy.

The New Jersey-based electricity provider, which operates nuclear, coal, and natural gas-fired power plants, has embarked on a solar shopping spree.

On Tuesday, NRG bought a planned 290-megawatt photovoltaic farm from thin-film solar module maker First Solar, agreeing to pour up to $800 million into the Yuma County, Ariz., project. The Agua Caliente power plant will supply electricity to California utility PG&E under a 25-year contract.

The deal follows NRG's agreement to buy SunPower's 250-megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch photovoltaic project on the state's central coast for $450 million. That solar power plant will also supply electricity to PG&E. In October, NRG said it would invest $300 million investment in BrightSource Energy's Ivanpah solar thermal power plant now under construction in the Southern California desert.

In other words, over the course of two months, NRG has made a nearly $1.6 billion bet on Big Solar.

UVM installs 17 solar trackers

The University of Vermont is poised to add another credential to its sustainability resume, and all the students get credit for this one — regardless of whether they know it.

Seventeen photovoltaic panels have been installed on UVM land outside the U.S. Forest Service’s lab on Spear Street. They’re called “solar trackers,” which means they’ll tilt toward the sun as it moves across the sky, drawing optimal amounts of power-generating sunlight. The trackers won’t be operational for another couple of weeks, though, and their most significant contribution to UVM’s environmental profile is about a year away.

That’s when the fully renovated Aiken Center — home to the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources — will be ready for occupancy. The trackers are expected to supply about 20 percent of the rehabbed building’s electric power needs, enhancing its anticipated ranking as one of the greenest buildings around.

Feed-in-Tariff Presents New Possibilities for Maui Residents

It appears that the State of Hawai‘i may be inching closer to what once seemed to be a rather lofty goal: achieving 70 percent clean energy by the year 2030.

Earlier this month, the now former Gov. Linda Lingle announced the state’s Department of Accounting and General Services plans to install more than 1,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the Kalanimoku Building in the Honolulu Capital District. The installation, which is slated to begin in February 2011, is expected to generate nearly 300,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy annually—while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

This announcement comes on the heels of yet another transformative initiative: Hawai‘i’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) authorized Hawai‘i Electric Company (HECO)—parent company of Hawai‘i Electric Light Company (HELCO) and Maui Electric Company (MECO)—to begin accepting applications for a new feed-in-tariff (FIT) program.

In a statement released last month, HECO said the program will offer “pre-established rates and standardized contract terms” to qualifying applicants and qualifying renewable technologies, which includes PV, concentrated solar power, on-shore wind and in-line hydropower. The program, said HECO, “will provide an easy way for individuals, businesses, governmental entities and other developers to sell renewable energy to HECO.” The goal is to bring 60 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy projects online within the next two years—five times the current installation of solar power.

California Set to Adopt Sweeping Cap-and-Trade Rules

California air quality regulators are poised to adopt the nation's most sweeping regulations to give power plants, refineries and other major polluters a financial incentive to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The Air Resources Board was expected to pass this key piece of the California's 2006 climate law, called AB32, at its meetings Thursday or Friday, with the hope that other states and nations will follow the lead of the world's eighth largest economy.

"AB32 was passed primarily to fill the vacuum created by the failure of Congress to pass any kind of climate or energy legislation for many years now," said Mary Nichols, the air board's chairwoman. "The goal was to lead by example, and being a leader you have to bring others along with you."

California's cap-and-trade rules would set up the largest U.S. carbon trading market as the way to enforce the state's gradually tightening cap on emissions.

A New Way to Buy Wind Power

Millions of people think about buying solar cells for their roofs, but far fewer would consider owning a wind turbine.

An Oregon manufacturer of small wind systems is trying to change that by borrowing a financial strategy from the solar industry: the customer provides a space for the equipment and buy the energy it produces, but the company owns the device, at least for the first few years.

This month the manufacturer, Xzeres, began offering its 10-kilowatt model, which sits on a tower 60 to 100 feet high, with a rotor diameter of under 24 feet. By comparison, a utility-scale wind machine has a capacity that is 100 to 200 times larger, towers as high as 300 feet, and rotor diameters of 250 feet.

Virginia wind farm proceeding

Dominion Resources announced Wednesday that it is acquiring 100-percent ownership of a 2,600 acre tract of land on East River Mountain for the purpose of developing the proposed Bluestone River Wind Farm.

A deed transferring the full ownership of the property to Dominion will be recorded today at the Tazewell County Courthouse. Emil Avram, director of business development for Dominion, said BP, or British Petroleum, an original co-developer of the project, will no longer be involved with the East River Mountain development.

Avram said Dominion still believes the wind turbine project will create jobs, income and economic opportunities for Tazewell County.

Two New Mexico solar projects break ground

Two solar facilities will begin construction before the end of the year in New Mexico as utilities work to meet the state's renewable energy mandate.

Xcel Energy's (XEL.N) utility serving New Mexico and Texas broke ground on Wednesday on a 54-megawatt photovoltaic solar project to be built and operated by SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials Inc (WFR.N).

The solar project, which will be the state's largest, will allow the utility to fulfill a New Mexico mandate that utilities use renewable sources to supply 15 percent of their electricity needs by 2015, the company said.

The renewable mandate increases to 20 percent by 2020.

Renewable Energy News, December 15, 2010

2010-12-15T12:20:00.004-05:00

Renewable-energy grant program has chance of extension

A federal stimulus program that has helped keep renewable-energy projects afloat during the recession could get a second wind despite industry fears that it might become a casualty of partisan bickering in Congress.

In a last-minute push, a Senate committee cleared the way for congressional approval as early as Wednesday to extend the Treasury Department's 1603 cash grant program, which has funneled roughly $18 billion into nearly 1,500 wind and solar projects.

The program, which covers up to 30% of the cost of renewable-energy projects such as solar-panel installations, is set to expire by the end of the year.

The subsidy is lumped into a larger tax package that is expected to go up for a vote in the House on Wednesday. If it passes, installers of thousands of renewable-power projects in the pipeline — including small rooftop solar-panel installations on suburban homes and sprawling and remote wind-turbine farms — could tap the funds in 2011.

Report: Renewable Energy Investments in India Likely to Rise 370% by 2020

According to a report published by the Pew Charitable Trust, investments in the Indian renewable energy sector are likely to increase by a staggering 369 percent over the next decade.

The report analyses the potential growth in the G20 nations on the basis of three sets of scenario — present policies, Copenhagen policies and enhanced renewable energy policies.

The report states that even if India maintains the current set of policies, it is likely to attract highly significant amount of investment over the next decade. The report states that under the current policy scenario, investment in India's clean energy sector is likely to increase to $18 billion in 2020 compared to $2 billion in 2009. The cumulative investment over ten years from 2010-2020 are likely to reach $118 billion, that is, an increase of 369 percent.

China Wins in Wind Power, by Its Own Rules

Judging by the din at its factory here one recent day, the Spanish company Gamesa may seem to be a thriving player in the Chinese wind energy industry it helped create.

But Gamesa has learned the hard way, as other foreign manufacturers have, that competing for China’s lucrative business means playing by strict house rules that are often stacked in Beijing’s favor.

Nearly all the components that Gamesa assembles into million-dollar turbines here, for example, are made by local suppliers — companies Gamesa trained to meet onerous local content requirements. And these same suppliers undermine Gamesa by selling parts to its Chinese competitors — wind turbine makers that barely existed in 2005, when Gamesa controlled more than a third of the Chinese market.

A Plan for a Renewable Utah

To cut human-generated carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent, an oft-quoted goal, the electricity sector might have to reduce its own emissions even more because other sectors like agriculture or aviation could find 80 percent impossible. Many states have quotas for reliance on renewable electricity, but the highest is California’s at just 33 percent.

Yet how much renewable energy can an electric grid tolerate?

A lot more than is generally assumed, according to a new report commissioned by an environmental group, HEAL Utah.Yet the group takes a different tack from that of most other organizations that envision a low-carbon future; it wants to forswear both nuclear power and coal-fired power with carbon dioxide capture.

Utah has no renewable energy quota. But the report, released on Tuesday, proposes a system that would be nearly entirely based on solar, wind and geothermal power and the mass deployment of two technologies that are still in their infancy: compressed air energy storage, and a smart grid that takes control of customers’ appliances.

DOE Closes $400 Million Loan Guarantee for Thin-Film Solar Manufacturing

DOE announced on December 14 that a $400 million loan guarantee has been finalized for Abound Solar Manufacturing, LLC to manufacture state-of-the-art thin-film solar panels. The Abound Solar project represents the fifth America Recovery and Reinvestment Act project to close to date. The project, which includes facilities in Longmont, Colorado, and Tipton, Indiana, will use new manufacturing technology for cadmium-telluride panels that has never been deployed commercially. At full capacity, the project will be capable of producing solar panels with 840 megawatts of capacity each year. The company estimates the project will create 1,200 new jobs for ongoing manufacturing and operations—including 200 in Colorado and 1,000 in Indiana.

The facility will produce photovoltaic panels using an innovative process in which thin films of cadmium-telluride are deposited onto glass panels. The company said it believes the technology offers numerous improvements over existing manufacturing methods and reduces overall production costs. Production and installation of these panels produces significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than crystalline silicon panels.

UW: Admiral Inlet an ideal spot for tidal power

University of Washington researchers say nearly two years of monitoring show the Admiralty Inlet is an ideal place to harness tidal energy.

UW oceanographer Jim Thomson says they have measured currents of up to 8 knots, or 9 miles per hour, faster than initially expected. He says data collected so far also show the site isn't used much by marine species.

The Snohomish County Public Utility District wants to put two large turbines about 200 feet below the surface of Puget Sound.

Renewable Energy News, December 1, 2010

2010-12-01T12:23:00.005-05:00

Cap-and-Trade Market Spanning North America Weighed by States

California, New Mexico and 10 U.S. Northeastern states may try to create a North American carbon market on their own now that President Barack Obama has given up on cap-and-trade legislation that stalled in Congress.

The emissions-trading system would be based on a planned carbon market in California, the most populous state, and an existing regional cap-and-trade program for power plants in the Northeast, according to state environmental officials. Three Canadian provinces have also shown interest in a cross-border carbon-trading system, the officials said.

“The key is to have as large and as liquid a market as possible,” John Yap, British Columbia’s climate-change minister, said in a telephone interview. Under cap-and-trade, the government creates a market for pollution rights by issuing a limited number of carbon-dioxide permits, which companies can buy and sell.

Presidential Report Provides Roadmap for Transforming U.S. Energy System

The United States should prepare a federal energy policy and update it regularly, according to a report released on November 29 by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Accelerating the Pace of Change in Energy Technologies Through an Integrated Federal Energy Policy provides a roadmap for the federal role in transforming the U.S. energy system within one to two decades. In the report, PCAST calls for regular strategic Quadrennial Reviews of energy policy similar to the quadrennial reviews produced regularly by the U.S. Department of Defense. The first one is targeted for early 2015. The group—which includes presidentially appointed experts from academia, non-governmental organizations, and industry—recommends a DOE-level version of the review by June 1, 2011, focused on DOE's activities. The federal plan is needed because of economic competitiveness, environmental stewardship, and national security, the authors said.

EPA Finalizes 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on November 29 finalized the 2011 percentage standards for the four categories of fuel under the agency's renewable fuel standard program, known as RFS2. The four fuel categories are cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and renewable fuel. Based on an analysis of expected market availability, EPA set a 2011 cellulosic volume that is lower than the statutory target. Overall, EPA said it remains optimistic that the commercial availability of cellulosic biofuel will continue to grow.

Google Energy Guru Will Head Policy Center at Stanford

Dan W. Reicher, a former assistant secretary of energy, has left Google, where he spent the last four years as director of climate change and energy initiatives. In that post he helped develop Google’s goal of seeking to make renewable energy less expensive than coal, abbreviated as RE<C.

Among his other accomplishments there were fielding the proposal that led Google to invest in a proposed underwater transmission grid off the Atlantic coast, running from Virginia to New Jersey. He also supervised the development of a fleet of Toyota Prius and Ford Escape hybrids. These were modified so their batteries could be plugged into the grid rather than charged by gasoline engines. The cars were parked under carports with solar cells on the roofs, and charging could be started or stopped with remote signals.

Now Mr. Reicher is moving on to Stanford, where he will be the executive director of a new interdisciplinary center for energy policy and finance that will straddle the law school (where Mr. Reicher earned a degree) and the business school.

Tokyo Electric's Eurus Unit Plans 50% Expansion in Wind, Solar Capacity

Eurus Energy Holdings Corp., a unit of Tokyo Electric Power Co., may invest as much as 100 billion yen ($1.2 billion) to expand wind and solar energy generation by more than half and meet rising demand for cleaner power.

Japan’s biggest wind farm operator plans to increase output from renewable energy projects by 1,000 megawatts from 1,950 megawatts in the U.S., Asia and Europe in five years, Tetsuro Nagata, president and chief executive officer, said in an interview in Tokyo yesterday.

“In the coming few years, the U.S. will be the most attractive market” after President Barack Obama called for more investments in renewable energy, Nagata said. The company may invest in wind farms in states including Texas, Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma and Colorado that often experience strong winds, he said.

Mass. Gov. Patrick’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs to step down

Governor Deval L. Patrick’s environmental secretary, Ian Bowles, said he is stepping down from his Cabinet post, ending a four-year tenure during which he led the administration’s efforts on groundbreaking energy initiatives, including Cape Wind and other renewable energy projects.

Bowles, who is seen by administration insiders as one of Patrick’s most effective Cabinet officers, becomes the first high-ranking member of the Patrick administration to leave as the governor begins his second term.

Senior administration officials said that Bowles’s decision to step down is his own and that the governor would have welcomed his remaining in his position. Patrick issued a statement praising his secretary of energy and environmental affairs, saying Bowles has been a “star in this administration.’’

SC's Santee Cooper dedicating first wind turbine

South Carolina's state-owned electric utility is dedicating its first wind turbine.

Santee Cooper's 2.4-kilowatt turbine is located at North Myrtle Beach's Oceanfront Park and is being dedicated on Tuesday.

The turbine is part of the utility's Wind Education Project which is designed to show the viability of wind power and promote awareness of the power source.

Harnessing wind to help South Dakota's economy

South Dakota's wind energy industry is confident that if given the right incentives, short-term production gains would be a boon for the state's economy, and in 15 years, the state could be producing 10 times as much energy from wind as it is today.

If the state's annual wind-power production were to increase by 1,000 megawatts - less capacity than most neighboring states, but significantly more than its current output of 313 megawatts - this would create more than $2 billion in economic activity and create thousands of jobs in the state, according to an economic report prepared for the South Dakota Wind Energy Association's annual meeting in Mitchell.

Ship covered in solar panels is making waves

What's 100 feet long by 50 feet wide, cost $17.5 million to build and runs on 38,000 photovoltaic cells? It's the Turanor PlanetSolar, a massive catamaran powered solely by the sun.

The what? Turanor is a word taken from J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" saga and translates into "the power of the sun". PlanetSolar is the team of 100 engineers and others working to be the first to circumnavigate the globe with a solar-powered boat.

"This is a milestone in the progress of solar mobility," Immo Stroher, a German investor who partnered with Swiss adventurer Raphael Domjan to bankroll the showcase for solar power, said in a statement. "It is my vision to see solar power take its rightful place — not only on rooftops, but also on the roads, seas and in the skies of the future."

Renewable Energy News, November 30, 2010

2010-11-30T13:27:00.003-05:00

Energy Secretary Chu Argues for Investment in Energy Research

With 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 grants

Over 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 Backlash

A 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 Colorado

A 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. challenge

Four 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.

Renewable Energy News, November 29, 2010

2010-11-29T13:50:00.003-05:00

Making the Consumer an Active Participant in the Grid

The 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 plan

Maine 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 quickly

New 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 power

Offshore 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 up

Global 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.

Renewable Energy News, November 19, 2010

2010-11-19T11:20:00.005-05:00

FERC proposes rules to make grid access easier for solar, wind energy

Federal 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-operation

Newfoundland 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.
More related to this story

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 farm

The 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 agreement

The 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 Stadium

The 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."

Renewable Energy News, November 18, 2010

2010-11-18T10:56:00.004-05:00

Community Solar Plants Without Rooftop Panels

IN 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 energy

Pennsylvania’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 Loans

Agriculture 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 inaction

The 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 Along

Tensions 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 trip

An 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 jobs

Servicemen 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.

Renewable Energy News, November 17, 2010

2010-11-17T10:26:00.005-05:00

US Tells China Fairness Needed in Green Energy Industry

The 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 approval

Virginia’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 Lands

The 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 grants

Projects 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.

Renewable Energy News, November 9, 2010

2010-11-09T12:06:00.004-05:00

Peru to add 200 MW of renewable energy in 2012

Peru 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 children

A 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 projects

Wells 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 Array

Pharmaceutical 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.

Renewable Energy News, November 3, 2010

2010-11-03T10:54:00.003-04:00

California climate law survives challenge at polls

One 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 power

A 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 Singapore

One 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 California

The 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. showrooms

U.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.

Renewable Energy News, October 26, 2010

2010-10-26T13:32:00.004-04:00

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

2010-10-22T12:36:00.007-04:00

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

2010-10-21T10:24:00.005-04:00

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

2010-10-18T12:47:00.004-04:00

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

2010-10-15T10:16:00.001-04:00

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

2010-10-11T10:53:00.005-04:00

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

2010-10-07T13:17:00.005-04:00

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

2010-10-06T13:35:00.002-04:00

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

2010-10-01T12:24:00.002-04:00

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.

Renewable Energy News, September 30, 2010

2010-09-30T11:15:00.014-04:00

On September 28, 2010, Vermont's own Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the "Let the States Innovate on Sustainable Energy Act of 2010." The bill would explicitly allow states to develop their own feed-in tariff programs, like the SPEED program here in Vermont, to encourage the development of renewable energy resources.

Sanders' bill comes in response to a decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in July that has caused uncertainty for such programs, especially for those that have already been implemented by several states.

Follow the links to view Senator Sanders' letter of introduction for the bill, as well as the "Let the States Innovate on Sustainable Energy Act of 2010" itself.

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Construction to begin on 80-megawatt Broken Bow Nebraska wind farm

Nebraska Public Power District and several private companies have signed a 20-year agreement paving the way for construction of an 80-megawatt wind farm near Broken Bow.

The agreement on the Broken Bow farm brings NPPD half way to its goal of having 10 percent of its energy come from new renewable energy resources by the end of 2020, said Dave Rich, NPPD renewable energy development manager.

Midwest Wind Energy, Edison Mission Group and its affiliate, Broken Bow Wind, said construction of the wind farm will begin in October 2011 and the facility should be in operation by the end of 2012.

Arizona outlines plans for algae-fuels production

Arizona took a $4 million step toward creating a new industry Tuesday as state officials announced a new algae-fuels center at Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus in Mesa.

Gov. Jan Brewer and Science Foundation Arizona Director William Harris on Tuesday told scientists from around the world that Arizona will become a global center for research and production of algae fuels.

In announcing $4 million in grants and matching funds from government and industry, Brewer and Harris said the investment could produce billions of dollars for the state and millions of gallons of fuel for aircraft and vehicles.

Thinking Small, and Still Smaller, on Wind Power

In fact, many of the recent renewable plants in Italy are small in scale — a turbine or two in a village — not those immense wind parks that dominate a landscape. That is partly the because the permitting process for large-scale installation is so complicated in Italy.

Still, across the globe, there are signs that wind energy innovators are trying to go smaller still. Just as there are rooftop solar panels, so, too, engineers have designed rooftop turbines.

Swift turbines, designed by the British company Renewable Devices, are pole-mounted rooftop wind turbines that can generate as many as 1,900-kilowatt hours of energy a year, supplementing the supply of energy-poor households at a time of high electricity rates.

This summer, the French designer Philippe Starck unveiled his own chic version of a rooftop turbine, a sculptural gizmo called the Revolutionair, which comes in quadrangular or helicoidal shapes and costs about $3,500.

DOE Announces Dates for the Solar Decathlon 2011

DOE announced on September 23 that the Solar Decathlon 2011 will hold its opening ceremony on September 22, 2011, and will be open to the public from Friday, September 23, through Sunday, October 2. The DOE Solar Decathlon is a competition that challenges collegiate students from across the globe to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. Student teams generally spend nearly two years designing and partially building their solar homes on or near their campuses. The teams then transport their homes to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where they complete construction of the homes and then operate them for more than a week while competing in ten contests.

Google Hires Solar Vet To Build Internal Solar Tech
Google’s clean power ambitions are ramping up. The company has hired Philip Gleckman, former chief scientist at solar thermal startup eSolar, to work on solar tech internally for Google, Green Energy Reporter first reported, and we’ve confirmed with Google.

Google’s Parag Chokshi, who heads up Clean Energy Public Affairs, told me in an email that Gleckman “has a wealth of experience in this sector and his expertise will obviously add to our research and development work..."

REV's 9th Annual Renewable Energy Conference & Expo

2010-09-28T15:09:00.008-04:00

Tomorrow, September 30th, marks the start of Renewable Energy Vermont's two-day renewable energy conference and expo. REV's fall conference is in its ninth year and is being held at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center.

Renewable energy technology and policy experts, as well as more than 60 of the region's renewable energy businesses, will be leading workshops and discussions on Vermont's sustainable future.

Brian Dunkiel of SDRS will be on a panel discussing renewable energy policy and Geoff Hand, also of SDRS, will be moderating the panel on wind energy development in Vermont.

For more information, please visit http://www.revermont.org/conference_2010.html.