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Over the next six months, Green Power Partnership (GPP) will be adding three new Top Partner lists comparing the annual green power purchases of leading organizations. In July, GPP will release a list ranking the purchases of commercial printing companies, an industry whose participation in GPP has been growing faster than any other sector. Also in July, GPP will debut a top 20 On-Site Users list which will rank Partners by the amount of kilowatt-hours used that comes from on-site green power generation. In October, GPP will launch another list highlighting the top purchasers among K-12 schools.
The release dates of the new lists are as follows:
The new lists will be available in GPP's Top Partner Rankings section of the Web site.
Visit U.S. DOE EERE Green Power Network for more information.
Alvin Smith had his eureka moment not in the bath, but in the swimming pool. 'I was swimming round the pool, making little waves, and it struck me how much power there was in the displacement of the water,' he remembers. 'You think of a 500-tonne boat: a wave comes along, lifts that whole boat, and then drops it down again. You must be able to harness some of that, I thought.'
His subsequent invention would have made Archimedes proud, and should be making the renewables industry very excited.
Dubbed 'Searaser', it consists of what looks like a navigation buoy, but is in fact a simple arrangement of ballast and floats connected by a piston. As a wave passes the device, the float is lifted, raising the piston and compressing water. The float sinks back down on the tail of the wave on to a second float, compressing water again on the downstroke. Read more. Source: Manchester Guardian, 6/11/09
Semprius is one of a few companies focused on thin, printed solar modules—a relatively new technology that could save a tremendous amount of solar cell waste if widely implemented. The modules are considered “printed” because they consist only of a very thin layer of active solar cells stripped off the top of a normal solar wafer. Based in Durham, N.C., the company has raised $6.4 million in a second round of funding to continue developing this design.
Printed solar modules are not only cheaper to make, they also save a lot of expensive material. By stripping layers off larger wafers, the company is able to recycle the rest of the material that goes unused to create even more modules, it says. The modules are usually printed onto a ceramic base for solar applications, but Semprius is also known for working with glass and plastics. With a broader focus on high-performance semiconductors, it also makes chips used in LCD displays and disk drives.
The recent funding came from ARCH Venture Partners, Applied Ventures, Illinois Ventures, Intersouth Partners, In-Q-Tel and GVC Investment Fund. Source: Deals & More, 6/10/09
Finland-based industrial group Metso and UPM, a forest industry group, have developed a new concept for the production of biomass-based bio-oil to replace fossil fuels in heating and power generation. Test production will begin at Metso's test plant in Tampere, Finland, in June 2009.
Bio-oil can be manufactured by UPM's renewable energy power plants which are equipped with a suitable boiler and functional raw material management. The raw material of the bio-oil is wood biomass, harvesting residues and sawdust, which is a by-product of the forest industry.
Metso and UPM have developed the bio-oil production concept in co-operation with the Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT) and with funding from the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes). Combined bio-oil and renewable energy production is a proprietary technology.
Kari Kuukkanen, general manager for technology at Metso's power business line, said: "Metso has recently announced already two significant bioenergy projects: the license of biomass drying technology and the acquisition of the LignoBoost technology related to lignin removal.
"Developing bio-oil technology is an important continuation of these earlier announced bio energy projects. It further strengthens Metso's growth as a supplier of energy and environmental technology solutions, and opens up new business opportunities with regard to bio fuels." [From the Web via YellowBrix] Source: Energy Currents, 6/11/09
Nearly 300 acres of area prairie land could be utilized
For years, there has been talk and plans for converting grass to energy.
Beginning this fall, several groups plan to actually do it.
“We wanted to do something on the ground. We already have the fuel and we have an end user in place,” said Neal Feeken, renewable energy coordinator for The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota.
The fuel is on about 300 acres of native or restored prairies in Nicollet, Le Sueur, Sibley and Rice counties, mostly on Department of Natural Resources or U.S. Fish and Wildlife land. Read more. Source: Mankato Free Press, 6/10/09
To date, most offshore wind farms proposed in the United States have been in the Northeast. Cape Wind, a project off the shores of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, is awaiting a Federal go-ahead, and similar ventures are in the offing near the coasts of Delaware, Rhode Island and New Jersey.
In the Southeast, too, “offshore wind really represents a huge opportunity,” said Brandon Blevins, the wind program coordinator for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, whose recent report on renewables in the South includes offshore wind. The Carolinas and northern Georgia have especially strong winds, he said. Read more. Source: New York Times, 6/9/09
Small wind turbines added a total of 17.3 megawatts of generating capacity throughout the United States in 2008, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). That growth equaled a 78 pecent increase in the domestic market for small wind turbines, which are defined as wind turbines with capacities of 100 kilowatts or less. AWEA's "2009 Small Wind Global Market Study," published in late May, credited the increase in part to greater manufacturing volumes, as the industry was able to attract enough private investment to finance manufacturing plant expansions. It also credited rising electricity prices and greater public awareness of wind technologies for an increase in residential sales. But a poll of small wind manufacturers found that the growth in 2008 might be only a glimmer of things to come, as the companies projected a 30-fold growth in the U.S. small wind market within as little as five years, despite the global recession.
The U.S. small wind industry also benefits from the global market, as it controls about half of the global market share. U.S. manufacturers garnered $77 million of the $156 million that was spent throughout the world on small wind turbine installations. A total of 38.7 megawatts of small wind power capacity was installed globally in 2008. The AWEA press release includes a link to the full report. Source: EERE Network News, 6/10/09
A Killingly man has spent the last few years resurrecting and modifying a 130-year-old technology that allows him to run a 4,000-pound truck on wood, leaves and trash.
Five years ago, Dave Nichols, fed up with the rising cost of fuel and wood waste disposal and concerned with the amount of emissions produced by traditional gas-powered vehicles, began constructing a biomass gasification system for his 1989 Ford F150 pickup truck. Read more. Source: Norwich Bulletin, 6/8/09
The ailing economy did not keep record-breaking crowds from descending on the Windy City May 4-8 to talk about wind power—how to finance it, build it, forecast it and deliver it—and ongoing challenges and uncertainty did little to dampen enthusiasm.
WINDPOWER 2009 attracted more than 23,000 attendees and 1,280 exhibitors to Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center. Notable advocates like T. Boone Pickens and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined utility professionals, developers and vendors, officials from every level of government, educators and the general public in voicing their support for wind generation. And that is just the tip of the iceberg, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Read more. Source: Energy Services Bulletin, 6/1/09
The world's first water-based, electricity-generating wind turbine is set to be installed off the coast of Norway this coming weekend.
Alexandra Beck Gjorv of the Norwegian-based energy concern Statoil told reporters this weekend that the new floating wind power station, known as the Hywind, "should help move offshore wind farms out of sight".
If it proves successful, explained Gjorv, it could spur an industry-wide shift to relocate wind farms to locations several miles offshore where they would no longer cause disruptions on land.
Moving wind farms with thousands of giant turbines from their current locations on land into the northern Atlantic could potentially benefit military radar operations, the shipping industry, fisheries, bird life and tourism, Gjorv explained. Read more. Source: Red Orbit, 6/8/09
Muskegon, Michigan-headquartered EarthTronics indicates that its small-scale turbine for household use, the Honeywell Wind Turbine—developed with Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions, will be available in Fall 2009 through launch partner Ace Hardware at a suggested retail price of $4,500 US. The turbine generates energy from its gearless Blade Tip Power System that eliminates mechanical resistance and drag allowing the turbine to generate power in wind speeds as low as 2 m.p.h and as high 45 m.p.h.
For more information, contact Reg Adams, president, Earthtronics, 231-332-1188. Source: PR Newswire, 6/8/09
Turlock Irrigation District (TID), a combination water and electric utility in California, has a history of preferring to own its own generation, and so recently it pursued wind farm ownership. It achieved that vision, even when faced with the challenges that came with the recent financial crisis.
The TID board of directors recently approved an agreement to purchase the Tuolumne Wind project, a 62-turbine, 136.6-MW facility that will generate enough clean energy to power approximately 44,000 households each year, according to TID. Located in Klickitat County, Wash., along the Columbia River, the site has been recognized as one of the most productive wind resource areas in the western U.S.
Building on its history and the financial stability of owning generation assets, TID chose to purchased the Tuolumne Wind Project rather than rely on acquiring credits from renewable projects owned by others. As a result of such a purchase, “Our consumers [would] own it free and clear at the end of the debt period,” said General Manager Larry Weis. “It’s a way to control our costs for consumers.”
But then came the financial crisis.
TID’s initial attempt to purchase the project involved working with an equity partner and ultimately negotiating a 20-year prepayment power agreement with an option to buy in year 10. Initially this structure had compelling economics, but it was extremely complex. Then, after working for 18 months on structuring a deal that both sides were prepared to accept, the crisis in the financial markets prevented the equity partners from being able to bring their money to the table. The deal collapsed.
Still, TID did not give up on owning the wind farm. After prolonged subsequent negotiations with the project developer, TID reached an agreement to buy the project utilizing more traditional financing without equity partners. The project will be financed through a Joint Powers Authority, which will sell all facility output to TID. The financing support will likely be a mix of traditional tax-exempt financing, potentially combined with Build America Bonds in the longer end of the yield curve, according to the utility. The customers will not be subject to the risk of exercising an option to buy after 10 years but will pay predictable prices for the capital portion of the renewable power investment. By owning the asset from the beginning, customers will not face any cost uncertainty, TID said.
The facility is expected to be completed in 2009. Upon completion, the project will add significantly to TID’s renewable energy portfolio, taking it to 28 percent qualified renewable energy, eight years ahead of the board-adopted goal of 20 percent by 2017.
The acquisition will also add to TID’s portfolio of renewables, which currently includes small hydro, solar, geothermal, and the largest fuel cell in California. “Wind power diversifies our energy portfolio and gives us another clean, efficient renewable resource to complement our hydroelectric power,” said Weis. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 6/5/09
Comstock Homes broke ground Saturday on a project the developer says is the nation's largest solar community.
Villages at Heritage Springs will include 511 homes constructed with high-efficiency solar roof tiles and a host of other energy-saving features. All told, these features will reduce homeowners' utility bills by as much as 60 percent, the company said.
Manhattan Beach-based Comstock has partnered with San Jose-based SunPower, which will install its SunTile solar roof tiles on each of the homes.
"Each home is calculated by square footage, so a third to half of each roof will be covered by solar panels," said Bob Comstock, owner of Comstock Homes. "The cost per home is about $20,000."
Ordinarily, that would significantly hike the cost of the homes. But Comstock said his company is pricing the units to be competitive.
Villages at Heritage Springs will include both single-family homes and townhomes built around a private recreation area with a pool, spa, barbecue, picnic area, playground and basketball court.
The townhomes will start in the high $300,000 range and top out in the high $400,000 range, according to Comstock.
Other energy-saving features include dual-pane, low-energy windows, high-efficiency heating and air conditioning, tankless water heaters, energy-efficient lighting and special cool-roof tiles. Source: Whittier Daily News, 6/6/09
Experimental technology that might unlock the geothermal power beneath Newberry National Volcanic Monument south of Bend will get $80 million in Federal stimulus funds.
A geothermal plant planned for the west flank of the monument has been stalled since October when two test wells revealed enough heat, but not enough water, for a commercial geothermal plant.
Developer Davenport Power now is investigating ways to advance the project, including drilling a handful of smaller wells and applying for Federal grants for an experimental enhanced geothermal technique to get energy from the type of warm, but dry, wells that Davenport drilled near Newberry.
While traditional geothermal power comes from underground reservoirs of hot water, enhanced geothermal harnesses dry heat by pumping water deep into man-made reservoirs, where it's warmed by natural heat, then pumped back to the surface to create power. Read more. Source: Product Design & Development, 6/7/09
The race is on to find more cost-effective, energy-efficient strategies for turning biomass, or renewable feedstocks, into alternative fuels. But just as important, researchers are seeking ways to produce these fuels without compromising global food supply and land.
In recent years, more attention has been given to creating energy generated from waste and from biomass consisting of organic materials. This renewable energy is favorable because the process produces fewer toxins, is easier on the environment and sends less waste to the landfills. Read more. Source: Earth911, 6/7/09
Read the latest issue of the RE Weekly News e-newsletter. Source: Renewable Energy World, 6/17/09
Learn more about renewable resources.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Renewable Energy Systems Americas, Inc. (RES Americas) have announced a partnership to evaluate the design and performance of vital wind energy support systems.
Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), NREL and RES Americas will investigate structural loads on foundations of operating wind turbines, thermal performance of underground collection system electrical cables, and side-by-side comparisons of alternative wind speed measurement systems. The agreement is worth almost $500,000 over the next two years. This research is important because it will lead to increased efficiency and reduced maintenance in the non-turbine components of a wind farm which will help to lower the overall cost of wind energy.
“This CRADA will result in some of the first-ever measurements of loads inside and under the foundation of an operating wind turbine,” Jim Green, senior project lead at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center (NWTC), said.
RES Americas will contribute engineering designs needed for the foundations of two utility-scale wind turbines to be installed at the NWTC this summer.
“We are excited to be collaborating with NREL on this project as it is a great opportunity to further engineer safe and environmentally friendly energy projects,” Andrew Fowler, senior vice president of engineering and construction for RES Americas, said. RES Americas is a wind energy developer that currently operates more than 3,400 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, approximately 14 percent of total capacity in the United States. The company has recently relocated its North American Headquarters to Broomfield, Colo., near the NWTC where the research will be conducted. Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 6/17/09
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has published a new report titled State Clean Energy Policies Analysis (SCEPA) Project: An Analysis of Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs in the United States, authored by Toby Couture (E3 analytics) and Karlynn Cory of NREL.
The use of feed-in tariffs (FIT) is gaining popularity in the United States as a policy option for encouraging renewable energy (RE) development. A number of states have recently implemented FITs and several utilities have launched utility-specific FIT policies to help meet their renewable portfolio standards (RPS) (Rickerson et al. 2007). Following best practices can help to ensure the success, cost efficiency, and overall performance of FIT policies. This report defines what a FIT policy is, explores U.S. FIT policy design and highlights a few of the best practices in FIT policy design. It also explores how FITs can be used to target state policy goals and examines policy interactions with other RE policies. An overview of FIT impacts (jobs, economic development) in Europe is included.
The SCEPA seriens covers other renweable energy policies as well. Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 6/12/09
Google Green Energy Czar (real title) Bill Weihl sat down with Reuters to talk about Renewable Energy Less Than Coal—the company’s plan to make affordable clean energy. Google started off trying to green up its own computer operations and then launched this save-the-world effort, which includes some investment in renewable energy startups and the work by a Google team.
Weihl describes that work in the video below, saying that the chances of successfully creating clean energy at less than coal prices—or about 3 cents per kilowatt—had risen from long shot to roughly even odds in about three years’ time. Watch the video. Source: Reuters blog, 6/10/09
The Harper government took the long-awaited step Wednesday of detailing its plan to trade pollution permits on the open market.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice released two draft documents laying the ground rules for a Federal carbon-offset scheme.
The guidelines set out which offset projects qualify for the Federal system, how others can apply for inclusion, the value of each offset credit, how emissions cuts are tracked and verified, and other nitty-gritty details of the plan.
"The offset system, like all elements of our climate-change plan, is aimed first and foremost at reducing emissions in Canada," Prentice said. Read more. Source: The Canadian Press, 6/10/09
Here’s one for the alarmists out there. According to Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the price to offset a metric ton of carbon must top $180 to ensure temperatures rise by just two degrees by 2030. That’s well ahead of the current $19 per metric ton price tag on Europe’s cap-and-trade scheme, and will raise concerns that the cost for business to tackle climate change will become too much to bare. Read more. Source: Business Week, 6/9/09
Texas had more clean energy jobs than every other state except California and garnered more clean energy venture capital investment than most in 2007, according to a study by Pew Charitable Trusts.
The study, released Wednesday, shows that 55,646 people were employed in the clean energy industry in Texas. That's a large chunk of the 770,385 clean energy jobs nationwide. Researchers attributed Texas' success to state policies that create incentives and mandates for clean energy.
"The Texas clean energy economy is poised for incredible growth," said Pew researcher Kil Huh on a conference call Wednesday. Read more. Source: Dallas Morning News 6/12/09
EFD, Inc. is sponsoring an interactive online webcast Thursday, June 25, 10-11 a.m. PDT. This webcast will explore recent advances through presentations from some of the industry’s most innovative companies. Presenters will share their insights and discuss the challenges ahead in photovoltaic solar cell design and process development. You’ll have a chance to ask questions and discuss the issues of the day so you can apply what you learn to maintain your company’s competitive edge.
Speakers:
With a hot sun beating down onto Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology yesterday, the brand-new solar panels perched on its roof had already cranked out $7.60 worth of power.
Joining their counterparts at a rapidly growing number of solar-powered schools across the country, students and teachers unveiled a string of 22 panels on top of the school in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. They hope it is just the first step in updating their early-1960s building—a leap from the Jetsons era into the green age. Read more. Source: The Washington Post, 6/10/09
“Green jobs” are growing nearly 2-1/2 times as fast as traditional jobs, finds a new study by Pew Charitable Trusts. The study, released Wednesday by Pew as the first ever count of such jobs in all 50 states, concludes that the clean energy economy, while still in its infancy, “is a vital component of America’s new economic landscape.”
The Pew study looked at jobs created between 1998 and 2007. Since then the overall job market, especially in traditional manufacturing, has shrunk while the investment in wind farms, solar projects, and pollution mitigation has fared better. Read more. Source: Christian Science Monitor, 6/10/09
An intensive and practical three-day course covering the design and installation of geothermal heat pump systems for residential and light commercial projects is slated for June 23–25, 2009, at the Iowa Energy Center's Energy Resource Station in Ankeny.
Participants will gain hands-on experience using real geothermal heat pump equipment and piping loops. The course is taught by an instructor affiliated with the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA). Each participant will receive a full set of IGSHPA training and reference materials. Attendees will be able to qualify for accreditation to become an IGSHPA installer.
For more information call the Iowa Energy Center's Energy Resource Station, 515-965-0755, or download a course brochure online. Space is limited and registration is required.
The Iowa Energy Center is a research, demonstration and education organization dedicated to improving Iowa's energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. The Energy Center has established a number of programs to address energy-related issues and their associated economic and environmental benefits. Source: readMedia Newswire 06/09/09
Users can find fuel stations, vehicle concentrations, and production plants
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) announced the launch of a comprehensive mapping tool to help industry and government planners implement alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. The new TransAtlas tool combines several different types of geographic data to identify areas with potential for developing advanced transportation projects. It is sponsored by DOE’s Clean Cities initiative, which aims to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by promoting advanced vehicle technologies and alternative fuels. This interactive mapping tool from the DOE EERE Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center.
“What is unique about this interactive Web site is the bringing together of so many types of alternative vehicle fuels data into one place,” said National Clean Cities Director Dennis Smith at DOE. “Establishing a national network of fueling stations, fuel production facilities, and transportation infrastructure is vital to the successful implementation of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles."
NREL employed user-friendly Google Maps to display the locations of existing and planned alternative fueling stations, concentrations of different vehicle types, alternative fuel production facilities, roads and political boundaries.
The TransAtlas tool allows users to customize the information simply by checking boxes for each element. One or more types of fueling stations can be shown, including stations that dispense biodiesel, compressed or liquefied natural gas, ethanol (E85), electricity, hydrogen, and propane. Checking additional boxes adds existing ethanol production facilities and facilities under construction.
To explore the site deeper, the query function can be used to select individual stations or production facilities, or those in an entire region. Querying a station shows its location, contact information, and public access status. Querying a production facility shows its location, production capacity, and feedstock type.
“The ability to drill-down and see very detailed information including a station contact or even the production capability of an individual location puts a wealth of information directly into the user’s hands,” Smith said.
The display can be further customized by using the intuitive pan and zoom functions and setting map elements to various levels of transparency. Once the display has been customized, a print-ready version can be generated. Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 6/9/09
The 2009 Stimulus legislation (ARRA) permits owners of PTC facilities (e.g., wind, biomass, and others) to elect a 30-percent tax credit, based on the cost of the facility, at the time the project is placed in service, rather than the 10-year PTC (based on sales of electricity) that would otherwise apply. This Alert discusses the just-issued Notice 2009-52, which explains the process for making this election. Read more. Source: Nixon Peabody LLP–Renewable Energy Alert, 6/8/09
The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships for utility executives to attend SEPA's First Annual Utility Solar Conference in San Jose, July 28-29, or Solar Power International in Anaheim, Calif., Oct. 27-29. You are invited to apply for both conferences; however up to one scholarship per applicant will be rewarded.
The scholarships are intended to encourage attendance of utility staff who would not otherwise be able to participate due to budgetary and/or travel restrictions. Municipal, cooperative, investor-owned, and utility association staff are all eligible to apply. Geographic location, utility-type and SEPA membership status will be considered to ensure a diversity of recipients. Source: Solar Electric Power Association, 6/9/09
The pharmaceutical industry has emerged as a leader in measuring and reporting its carbon footprint compared to other sectors, according to the latest Climate Counts Scorecard released today.
But although the industry as a whole outscored more than a dozen other sectors, it still needs to improve its performance in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and taking a policy stance on climate legislation, Climate Counts found.
AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson sat at the top of the heap, with scores of 76 and 75 out of 100 points, respectively. Read more. Source: Greenbiz.com, 6/5/09
According to a United Nations report, global investments in renewable energy attracted $155 billion US in 2008, surpassing the investment in carbon-based fuels for the first time. According to the Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009, the 2008 investment was four times higher than in 2004 with $36 billion invested in emerging economies, and $105 billion spent directly developing power generating capacity from wind, solar, small-hydro, biomass and geothermal sources. Wind power attracted the most investment with $51.8 billion, while solar accounted for $33.5 billion. The report was prepared for the UN Environment Program's Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative.(Source: AFP, June 3, 2009)
Contact: Eric Usher, Energy Branch, SEFI, +33 0 1 44 37 76 14, or download the Executive Summary. Source: SEFI, 6/8/09
Learn more about educational resources.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to provide project transactional counsel under its Federal loan guarantee program. Brownstein joins a select list of U.S. law firms that will represent the DOE in its loan guarantee program related to the development of new and innovative energy technologies.
"The Department of Energy¹s selection speaks to Brownstein¹s position as an experienced player in the new energy economy and our experience as project transaction counsel for developing energy technology concerns," said Bruce James, managing partner and CEO. "We have been, and continue to be, at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for clean technology and renewable energy projects." Read more. Source: Pure Brand Communications, 6/10/09
On Friday, June 5, 2009, the IRS released guidance on the election to utilize the Investment Tax Credit (the "Energy Credit") in lieu of the Production Tax Credit with regard to certain qualifying renewable energy facilities, as permitted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 (the "Act"). Enacted in February, the Act expands the availability of the 30-percent Energy Credit for qualified facilities, including qualifying open- and closed- loop biomass, solar, geothermal, hydropower, landfill gas, waste-to-energy and marine facilities placed in service in 2009 through 2013, as well as qualifying wind facilities placed in service in 2009 through 2012. The Act provides that, in order to qualify for the expanded Energy Credit, a taxpayer must make an irrevocable election (the "Election") to apply the Code section 48 Energy Credit in lieu of the Code section 45 Production Tax Credit with respect to qualified renewable energy facilities. Read more. Source: Fulbright & Jaworski, LLC, 6/6/09
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says USDA has met President Obama’s 30-day directive to expedite and increase the production of biofuels.
“Further developing the biofuels industry helps create jobs and stimulates rural economies, an important part of getting our economy back on track,” Vilsack announced. “President Obama and I are committed to advancing clean and renewable energy as it creates jobs domestically and boosts tax revenues at all levels of government.”
Among the objectives USDA was asked to accomplish on May 5 were biofuels provisions of the energy title of the 2008 Farm Bill, including providing loan guarantees and grants for biorefineries, expediting funding to encourage biorefineries to replace the use of fossil fuels in plant operations and encouraging production of next-generation biofuels.
USDA is also launching the Biomass Crop Assistance Program for the collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of biomass for conversion facilities. Source: Domestic Fuel, 6/8/09
Renewable electricity standard
The bill creates a renewable electricity standard (RES) that would require large utilities in each state to produce an increasing percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. Qualifying renewable sources are wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, marine and hydrokinetic energy, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, hydropower projects built after 1992, and some waste-to energy projects.
The RES:
Emission cuts
The bill would put a cap on emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, and would require high-emitting industries to reduce their output to specific targets between now and the middle of the century. (This is the "cap" part of the "cap and-trade" program.) The bill covers 85 percent of the overall economy, including electricity producers, oil refineries, natural gas suppliers, and energy-intensive industries like iron, steel, cement, and paper manufacturers.
The goals for U.S. emission reductions, below 2005 levels:
Emission permits
Regulated industries would need to acquire permits for their emissions. (Emission permits are also referred to as "carbon credits," "pollution allowances," and various combinations of these words.)
If a company cuts its emissions so much that it has more permits than it needs, it can sell excess permits to other companies or bank them for future use. If a company doesn't have enough permits, it can buy more or borrow its future credits and pay interest on them. Non-regulated entities (banks, nonprofits, people like you) can also buy and sell permits. (This is the "trade" part of the "cap-and-trade" program.) If a company's emissions exceed its permits, it would be fined two times the fair market value of the permits it should have purchased.
Some of the permits would be given away to industries regulated under this bill:
Some of the permits would be given to entities that are not covered under the bill, which would sell them and use the proceeds for specific purposes:
How permit auction revenue would be spent
Investments in energy technology
By 2025, the bill would direct an estimated total of $190 billion to energy technologies and20efficiency measures:
The bill also creates a Clean Energy Deployment Administration within the Federal government that would provide loans and loan guarantees to spur more private investment in energy technology.
Offsets
Regulated companies would be allowed to purchase carbon offsets to meet a portion of their required emission reductions-meaning they could fund clean-energy projects elsewhere instead of cutting their own emissions. This could lower the cost of complying with the new law.
Coal-fired power plants
Energy-efficiency standards
Worker transition
Smarter cars and smarter grids
Source: The Stella Group, 6/8/09
Learn more about legislative activities.
New green jobs sprouted faster than the overall workforce expanded in California and across the nation from 1998 to 2007, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Even in the current economic downturn, investments in venture capital projects such as energy-efficiency programs and renewable energy are expected to continue expanding, fueled by billions of dollars in Federal economic recovery grants, the research foundation predicted in its "Clean Energy Economy" report. Read more. Source: Los Angeles Times, 6/11/09
The arrival of the ocean going ship BBC Amazon Monday has provided work for some Duluth port workers who've otherwise seen a slow season. Several taconite ships are idled in the port, at dock since late last fall.
The ship was loaded with wind generator blades built in North Dakota and destined for Chile. Port Business Development Director Ron Johnson said the shipment will bring some income to the area.
"It puts a lot of crew, both the longshoremen, and the crane operators—there's the inspectors—it's very good for the economy," he said.
However, the industry has been struggling, with wind projects delayed or canceled for lack of financing.
"We've been shipping outbound blades now for three years—started in 2007 with five ships to Spain; one ship last year to Brazil; and then this ship is going to Chile," Johnson said. "We hope to see some more of it. We're hoping for a rebound here towards this fall." The blades' manufacturer, LM Glasfiber, just announced layoffs at one of its plants in Arkansas and another manufacturer, Suzlon Energy, said it will lay off half the workforce at its Pipestone, Minn., turbine blade plant.
Johnson said wind generation has become a promising industry for Duluth shipping, but still faces challenges as wind projects worldwide are having a tough time with financing. Source: Minnesota Public Radio, 6/9/09
The idea of harnessing wind energy conjures up, in many people's minds, visions of sweeping West Texas plains filled with massive windmills perpetually spinning their 150-foot blades. But those monoliths have smaller cousins that are blowing into backyards across the country—including at least a few in Fort Worth—as the sustainable energy movement gains momentum.
Ranging in size and power, these wind turbines can provide up to 90 percent of the power needed by an average home, although in practice, consumer-level wind turbines are more suited to commercial than residential areas. The city has approved a handful of permit requests for wind turbines, but it's not yet the easiest way to go green in Fort Worth. Read more. Source: Fort Worth Weekly, 6/10/09
The first wind turbine development on the Great Lakes could be built within three years or so, experts on offshore wind power said during a conference Wednesday in Milwaukee.
The first project is expected to consist of three to five turbines just off the shore of Cleveland in Lake Erie.
The project is being pushed by the Cuyahoga County government as an economic development strategy to help boost the development of a wind-power manufacturing industry in a state that's been hit hard by cutbacks in the auto industry, said Steve Dever of the Ohio Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force. Read more. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/10/09
An Indian tribe, an energy company and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. are announcing today that they are partnering to build California's second-largest wind-power project in the mountains east of San Diego.
When completed in two years, the 160-megawatt wind farm on the Campo Indian Reservation would produce more than three times the power generated by a similar project on the same reservation 60 miles east of San Diego. Read more. Source: San Diego Union Tribune, 6/11/09
The legislative session that just wrapped up passed a number of bills affecting Hawaii's energy future.
The legislature had a lot on its plate this past session considering the state of the economy. But that may have had something to do with looking at measures that could cut energy costs in the future. Read more. Source: KHON-Channel 2, 6/10/09
Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), the state-run power company, said on Tuesday it had signed contracts for the construction of two wind farms worth $393.6 million.
The CFE said it signed a $176.6 million contract with local consortium Energias Ambientales de Oaxaca for the construction of the 101-megawatt Oaxaca 1 wind farm.
The CFE said it also recently signed a contract with Iberdrola Renewables for the construction of a 202 megawatt project known as La Venta 3, also in southern Oaxaca state.
Mexico has set a goal of having renewable power sources generate 25 percent of its electricity by 2012. (Reporting by Robert Campbell; Editing by Marguerita Choy) Source: Reuters, 6/9/09
"Not in my back yard" needs to become "where in my back yard" for enough renewable energy facilities to be built in the state to protect against soaring fossil fuel prices in the future.
That was the message delivered Tuesday to Pioneer Valley business and municipal leaders at a conference on "The New Energy Landscape" at Holyoke Community College. Read more. Source: Mass. Live, 6/9/09
In a development that helps advance a major transmission project in one of the windiest states, ITC Great Plans and other parties reached an agreement with the Westar Energy-American Electric Power-MidAmerican Energy affiliation of companies on which entities will construct segments of the proposed 765-kV transmission project in Kansas. Read more. Source: American Wind Energy Association, 6/5/09
Four faraway power companies are depending on power lines crossing over north state residents' heads, homes and vistas to help the utilities meet renewable energy mandates and unclog congested lines.
Utility companies in Sacramento, Santa Clara, Modesto and Turlock will pay more than 98 percent of the $1.5 billion it takes to build high-capacity power lines for the Transmission Agency of Northern California. Redding's utility company has a mere 1.7 percent share. Read more. Source: Redding Record, 6/7/09
It wasn’t solar’s time to shine, after all.
The 81st Texas Legislature began with strong interest in cleaner energy — lawmakers filed at least 69 bills related to solar and other forms of renewable power — but ended Monday without the boost for the emerging industry that advocates wanted.
A bill to provide $500 million in rebates for solar panels died late in the session on a procedural maneuver. Without the incentives, the state will likely fall behind others in both harnessing the sun for power and reducing reliance on carbon-emitting fuels, solar-industry backers and environmentalists said. Read more. Source: Houston Chronicle, 6/6/09
Nebraska's jumping on the wind power bandwagon.
An interim study on wind power is under way by the Legislature. The policy study will look at adding 7,800 megawatts of wind energy to the state's power grid by 2030. Of that, 5,000 megawatts would be exported to big cities in the east. The study's due in December.
In Bloomfield, where the wind appears to blow constantly, wind turbine fever is at a pitch. There's talk on the streets of a "mega" wind farm between Bloomfield and Randolph that would generate about 600 megawatts. That would equal the energy output of a good-size coal plant.
A Nebraska Public Power District renewable energy manager says landowners who are getting offers to lease their land should work with their local power district and get legal advice before they sign any agreement. Source: KTIV-Channel 4, 6/7/09
The plan proposes that the government should give out $5 billion subsidies to the power utilities, every year for the next 20 years, which will then buy solar generated power from the solar power plants. The goal seems quite ambitious given the fact that the International Energy Agency predicts global solar energy generation to be 20,000 MW by the year 2020. The proposal comes after the announcement made by the Indian Prime Minister last year that solar energy would be the focus of the energy transformation in the country. Read more. Source: Red, Green and Blue, 6/3/09
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Raser Technologies Inc. says it has qualified for government-backed loans to triple the size of a geothermal power plant in the central Utah desert.
The Provo company began selling electricity from the plant April 16, but the geothermal field about 15 miles west of Minersville in Beaver County has a lot of potential for expansion.
Raser's chief financial officer, Martin F. Petersen, says the company could be awarded $150 million in government-backed loan guarantees by late summer.
The U.S. Department of Energy notified the company last week that the project—adding 46 megawatts of power capacity—qualifies for the loans. Now the company's application is moving ahead for possible financing under a Federal program that encourages new energy technologies. [via Associated Press] Source: Forbes, 6/9/09
The U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking project proposals as part of recently announced DOE funding to accelerate commercialization of solar energy technologies. NREL also announced partnerships with 13 U.S. small solar businesses, which have the capability to enter the market by 2012.
PV Technology Incubator Proposals Sought
The Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator program represents a significant partnering with U.S. industry to help speed commercialization of PV research and development to meet aggressive cost and installation goals.
“The PV Incubator is focused on enabling small business in the U.S. to accelerate prototype and pre-commercial technologies toward pilot and full-scale production,” said NREL Senior Supervisor Martha Symko-Davies. “The companies are partnered with experts and capabilities at NREL, which reduces project implementation risk, quickly overcomes R&D hurdles, and increases the likelihood that the performance and reliability objectives can be achieved.”
The anticipated program funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is $9 million. The subcontracts, up to $3 million each, will be awarded as 18 month phased subcontracts. Read more. Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 6/9/09
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This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
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