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NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 15, 2004 - Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated has set a voluntary goal to cut its carbon dioxide emissions rate 18 percent from 2000 levels by Jan. 1, 2009. The target continues PSEG's participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program. The company joined Climate Leaders as a charter member in February 2002.
Stanley LaBruna, PSEG vice president of environmental health and safety, said that over the past two years, PSEG has been actively working to develop a well-documented corporate-wide greenhouse gas inventory while participating with EPA and other stakeholders to establish strong and verifiable accounting practices for greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
"Today we are ready to take the next step by committing to an aggressive emissions rate reduction target over the next five years. The target — cutting the domestic CO2 emissions rate 18 percent will serve as a challenge for our — company and a model for others in the industry."
PSEG is the parent company of PSEG Power, one of the nation's largest independent power producers, Public Service Electric and Gas Company, New Jersey's oldest and largest electric and gas distribution utility company, and PSEG Energy Holdings which owns and operates other non-utility businesses in the U.S. and overseas. The 18 percent CO2 emissions rate target covers PSEG Power's and PSEG Holdings' U.S. fossil-fueled electric generation operations.
LaBruna said the target will be achieved by adding new, clean, and efficient electric generating capacity, increasing use of lower-emission fuels, and retiring older, less efficient generating units. This latest action continues PSEG's progressive approach to climate change issues that began more than 10 years ago when the company joined the federal government's Climate Challenge program with a commitment to stabilize CO2 emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000. The emissions reductions were achieved while the company generated almost two million more megawatthours of electricity in 2000 than it did in 1990.
In 2002, PSEG Power entered into a voluntary agreement with the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection to reduce the CO2 emissions intensity at its fossil-fueled generating stations in New Jersey 15 percent from 1990 levels by the end of 2005. In addition to these commitments, PSEG is also taking other steps to reduce its greenhouse gas impact such as investing in carbon sequestration projects, reducing leaks of sulfur hexafluoride, a highly potent greenhouse gas used to insulate electric distribution equipment, and reducing natural gas leaks by replacing older pipelines in PSE&G's natural gas distribution system. For more examples of companies making voluntary efforts to reduce their climate impact, visit GreenBizLeaders. Source: GreenBiz.com, 1/19/2004.
Green-e completed the 5th Annual Verification Report for Reporting Year 2002. Green-e competitive, TRC, and green pricing program sales totaled over two million MWh in 2002. Report highlights include:
Get more information online or contact Jennifer Martin, Verification Manager at or (415) 561-2100. Source: CRS Release, 1/16/2004.
The total annual green power commitment by Green Power Partners now exceeds 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours, roughly the annual output of a 425 MW wind farm. If generated by conventional means, the annual emissions associated with that much electricity would include 1.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, the annual emissions of about 130,000 cars. The Partnership now includes 12 Fortune 500 companies, 17 higher education institutions, 11 cities, 14 counties, 4 states, 19 nonprofit organizations, and 21 federal entities -- including EPA, which now uses green power for more than 40 percent of its total electricity needs nationwide. A complete Partner list is available online. Source: Kurt Johnson, EPA, 12/18/2003.
Photovoltaic Company Emerges to Compete in $1 Trillion Electricity Market: LOS GATOS, Calif., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Significant technology advancements in the alternative energy market have resulted in over $2 billion worth of investments in 2003, with solar leading the charge. This renewed emphasis and financial backing has brought enabling technology companies, such as Solaicx, a new manufacturer of silicon wafers optimized for photovoltaic application, to the forefront. Today, Solaicx announced it has oversubscribed its $1 million start-up financing round from private investors and will deliver on its promise: to offer solar electricity as a cost-competitive alternative to traditional electricity.
The funding close follows several major company achievements, including the opening of a new office and laboratory in Los Gatos, California, the filing of a number of core U.S. patents, the addition of solar energy pioneer Bill Yerkes as CTO and significant progress towards revenue generation. Solaicx will leverage its initial investment to aggressively develop its production equipment, build manufacturing infrastructure and accelerate product development and launch.
"Our ability to acquire funding under current market conditions is an indication of the strength of the Solaicx team, its technology and its vision," said Robert Ford, CEO of Solaicx. "The current round of funding will allow us to broaden our engineering team, further enhance our core technology, and position the company for establishing the pilot factory." Source: 1/20/2004, Caroline Venza, Antenna Group for Solaicx, 415-977-1939.
"Wind Power," by Gene Wolf, P.E., contributing editor for Transmission & Distribution World, and principal engineer at Public Service Company of New Mexico. The author covers in detail the difficulties encountered and managed when connecting a wind farm to the grid. Case study. The article is followed by two other short items from Transmission & Distribution World staff, "Production Tax Credits" and "Wind: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow." Transmission & Distribution World, November 2003. Source: Energy Newsbriefs, 1/20/2004.
Montrose, Colorado (January 20, 2004) - The County of Montrose has chosen
EnLink Geoenergy Services, Inc. working with Par Mechanical and Intermountain
Energy One Services to retrofit the Health and Human Services office building
with a geoexchange heating and cooling system.
EnLink Geoenergy Services, Inc.
is a design/build firm for geoexchange heat pump systems that utilize the
earth's constant temperature, a renewable source of energy to produce heating,
cooling and refrigeration. GHP systems have the longest life available saving
future replacement costs. The system will reduce the electricity use for space
conditioning, the system will reduce emissions and eliminate water usage for
space conditioning, allowing the county to save money while improving the
environment.
Ron Durham with the County explored several heating and cooling system options, including the possibility of a geoexchange heat pump system. DMEA brought in EnLink Geoenergy Services an industry leader in this technology. EnLink worked with Par Mechanical and Intermountain Energy One Services in Montrose to develop a proposal that utilizes geoexchange for the facility. "The western slope of Colorado provides ideal conditions to take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits of geoexhange systems," remarked George Head, President and CEO of EnLink. In conjunction with Par Mechanical and Intermountain Energy One Services, EnLink believes this project is the beginning of the adoption of geoexhange as the heating and cooling system of choice for commercial and educational buildings through the Western Slope. The County will realize a rapid return on their investment through recurring energy, maintenance and other system savings. Other benefits include greater comfort, more control over the temperature in each room or zone than conventional systems, improved building aesthetics and design flexibility.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, geoexchange systems are the most efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning system available. EnLink's closed-loop GHP systems utilize an earth heat exchanger made of a network of vertical underground loops. Polyethylene pipes are inserted as loops and sealed with a highly conductive grout, and then the loops are fused to create one loop field. The earth acts as the heat transfer medium and a heat pump circulates a mixture of water through the EHX. This process cools building spaces by transferring heat from the building into the earth where it is stored. That thermal energy is available until needed during the winter when the energy is transferred from the earth back into the building and used for hearting. The relative ease of exchanging heat with the ground and the reuse of energy stored in the earth is the source of the tremendous energy cost savings the GHP systems provide. Source: EnLink Geoenergy Services, Inc., 1/20/2004.
Evergreen Solar, Inc. recently announced the company has manufactured and shipped its 50,000th solar panel incorporating its proprietary String Ribbon technology. "This shipment marks another milestone in Evergreen Solar's continued growth and innovation," said Evergreen Solar president and CEO Richard Feldt. "From its beginnings, the company has been notable for its ability to deliver using a new, efficient manufacturing process. Our current expansion plans will enable Evergreen to quadruple manufacturing capacity over the next 12 to 18 months." According to the company, the proprietary and patented String Ribbon technique produces a flat crystalline silicon substrate directly from molten silicon, "[avoiding] the waste and cost of slicing solid blocks of silicon." Contact: Mark Farber, Evergreen Solar, phone 508-357-2221. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/15/2004.
The Las Vegas Sun recently reported that plans for a hydropower plant near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area may be revived this year. According to the publication, the proposal was originally stalled in 2001 after U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) retracted his support from legislation that would have granted approval for the project.
The publication reported that several recent developments indicate that the project may now move forward -- Blue Diamond Power Partners, which was hired to build the hydro plant's reservoirs, submitted a request to federal regulators "to keep the application open for the project," while Synergics, Inc. president Wayne Rogers "told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission...that he expects congressional legislation this spring to allow the project to proceed." The Las Vegas Sun said environmentalists and other activists have pledged to oppose construction of the hydropower facility. Source: Las Vegas Sun, 1/13/2004 via EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/15/2004.
SatCon Technology Corporation announced that its PowerGate AE-PV 100-kilowatt photovoltaic Power Conversion System has been UL-1741 certified, and has received approval from the California Energy Commission for use on state-sponsored projects. Additionally, the company said it has a 50-kW PCS scheduled for testing this month for which the company "[expects] to receive CEC approval shortly thereafter." SatCon noted that both designs are also being submitted to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to qualify for that state's energy programs.
According to SatCon, the converters are designed for use with light industrial and commercial solar power systems to generate power in office buildings, small factories, hotels and "similar facilities." "The approval of our PCS system by [CEC] marks an important milestone for one of our important alternative energy technologies," said SatCon chairman and CEO David Eisenhaure. Contact: Tony Galbraith, SatCon, phone 903-631-4406. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/13/2004.
Pilmaiquen Seeks Partners for Chilean Hydro Project
Business News Americas, "a multilingual news service that covers the most important original stories in 11 different business sectors throughout Latin America and the Caribbean," recently reported that Chilean investment company Pilmaiquen is looking to formalize an agreement in the next few months for the construction of the new local Rucatayo hydroelectric plant. According to BNamericas, Pilmaiquen president German Guerrero said the company is currently in discussion with one domestic company and nine foreign companies, some of which desire to assume control of plant operations at Rucatayo and others that would rather leave such duties to Pilmaiquen.
"They find this country very interesting within South America, especially Chile's experience in the electric sector, and they think the level of profitability we have talked about is reasonable," said Guerrero to BNamericas. BNamericas said Guerrero noted that the $60-million, 59-megawatt (MW) "run-of-river" plant, which will include two turbines, is expected to serve as the initial project under the planned partnership, which would also work to develop the local 35-MW Avellano, 37-MW Maihue and 45-MW Trafun hydro plants. Source: BNAMERICAS, 1/12/2004 via EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/14/2004.
The U.S. DOE Wind Powering America Program website offers several useful tools for consumer-owned utilities interested in exploring wind power generation. A few of the tools include:
Source: Larry Flowers, NREL, 1/19/2004.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced plans Friday for a "North American Energy Summit" April 14 -16 in Albuquerque, N.M., to improve cooperation among the United States, Mexico and Canada on electric power and other energy issues. Get more information and register online. Exhibition/booth information is also available. Source: Power Week West, 1/20/2004.
"Good As Gold: The Silicon Solar Cell Turns 50," by John Perlin, Lawrence Kazmerski, Ph.D., and Susan Moon. This is an interesting early history of the development of the silicon solar cell at Bell labs in the 1950s. Also included is the sidebar, "It Still Works," by John Perlin, et al, which gives the current conversion rates of two cells that are about fifty years old. Solar Today, January/February 2004. Source: Energy Newsbriefs, 1/20/2004.
National Wind Coordinating Committee Midwest & Western Transmission
Workshops Scheduled
The NWCC Midwest Transmission Workshop will be held in St. Paul, MN, on Wednesday,
February 11, 2004. The NWCC Workshop on Transmission Planning in the Western
U.S. will be held in San Diego, CA, February 26-27, 2004. For draft
agendas and additional information on these workshops available or you
can contact Charlie Smith.
Source: UWIG News, 1/18/2004.
The Utility Wind Interest Group 2004 Annual Meeting - May 17-18 in Albuquerque, New Mexico Please mark your calendars and save the dates for the next UWIG Annual Meeting. A meeting announcement with registration and logistical details will be distributed to members soon, followed by the draft agenda. Workshop topics will include:
The meeting will include a tour of the PNM/FPL 204 MW New Mexico Wind Energy Center near House, NM. For more information go to the UWIG Web site. Source: UWIG News, 1/18/2004.
A joint AWEA/UWIG/NREL Wind Integration & Interconnection Workshop in the same location will immediately follow the UWIG Annual Meeting. The Wind Integration & Interconnection Workshop, May 19-20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, concluded by the CIGRE Working Group C1.3 Meeting, May 20-21, 2004. Source: UWIG News, 1/18/2004.
GE Power Systems Energy Consulting has released the draft of a report on wind integration in New York which concludes that-based on a preliminary assessment-a 10percent penetration level of wind should not cause significant adverse impacts on the planning, operations, or reliability of the state's bulk power system. Ten percent penetration in the state, measured as nameplate wind capacity divided by system peak load, would equate to about 3,300 MW of installed wind power capacity.
The New York Independent System Operator and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority commissioned the study to look at the reliability implications of increased wind generation, to answer questions regarding the feasibility of the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard proceeding (see Wind Energy Weekly #1026, January 26, 2003). In his 2003 State of the State address, New York Governor George Pataki (R) called for 25 percent of the state's electricity use to be from renewable resources by 2013.
The work is divided into two phases. The first phase, which is covered by the draft report, examines the experience of other places with high wind power penetration levels, and conducts a number of preliminary analyses to provide a screening assessment of the impact of large-scale wind generation on the reliability of the bulk power system. The second phase will involve a detailed system performance evaluation, leading to recommendations for any necessary modifications to existing procedures and guidelines to reliably accommodate the integration of the new wind generation. The phase II report is scheduled for completion late this year.
The survey of world experience shows that the state should be able to accommodate 10% wind penetration without difficulty, according to the report. One region of Denmark, it noted, currently has a 62 percent penetration rate of wind power. As a part of that analysis, the survey recommends some best practices that the state should adopt and says it is essential for the system operator to have wind power production forecasts for all wind facilities.
The other analyses that were conducted, including an examination of the transmission system, a reliability analysis, and a review of the reliability rules, found no major barriers to reaching at least a 10 percent penetration rate. The analyses showed that some local sites may be restricted and that level of wind development would provide minimum improvement of the overall system reliability, but that no major bulk transmission investments were required to integrate the 3,300 MW of new wind while maintaining system reliability.
"The study clearly indicates that the amount of generation expected under an RPS should not pose a reliability problem for the system. The Public Service Commission should now move forward quickly to implement an RPS to meet the Governor's goal so that New York can benefit from fuel free, clean electricity generation," stated Valerie Strauss, AWEA's Northeast policy project representative. The full report is available online. A meeting to hear public comments was held January 14, and written comments are being accepted until January 20. The final report will be released in February, and a technical hearing will follow. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 1/16/2004.
March 14-16, 2004 - The Hilton Austin Hotel and Convention Center –
Austin, Texas
NAHB is pleased to host the 2004 National Green Building Conference in Austin,
Texas — the birthplace of the green building movement. Plan now to attend
The National Green Building Conference March 14-16, 2004 to find out why a
growing number of home builders are “going green” by making cost-effective
business decisions that also help the environment. Expect an outstanding education
and networking experience. The education programs are consistently rated highly
and you’ll have a chance to meet other green-minded builders as well
as over 50 exhibitors with products that will help you build a better home,
that sells. Expect to have fun while you learn. You’ll love the brand-new
Austin Hilton Hotel and Convention Center. In the heart of downtown Austin,
you’ll be just minutes from the best restaurants, live music and night
life Austin is famous for. For more information, go to: National
Green Building Conference: Bringing Home the Green. Source: Colorado
Governors Office of Energy, 1/20/2004.
The California Energy Commission has just posted notice on its website to consider adoption of guidelines for the Agricultural Biomass to Energy Program. View the Notice or the CEC draft guidebook, P# 500-03-102D2 online. Source: CEC, 1/16/2004.
The NWCC posts a variety of new information regarding workshops and conference calls and documents. Information includes:
Download the information from the NWCC Web site. Source: Rachel Permut, NWCC Outreach Associate, 1/16/2004.
With Congress returning this week eager to get underway and complete pending legislation prior to the Presidential election this Fall, the wind industry is fighting hard to ensure that its legislative priorities - like the extension of the Production Tax Credit - are signed into law.
The PTC is a vital component for the continued development of wind energy in the United States. The PTC has been a successful incentive and enjoys broad bipartisan support. As you know, the PTC was part of the comprehensive energy bill that Congress was unable to pass late last year. It is important to keep in mind that failure to pass the energy bill was due to a number of issues unrelated to the wind industry. While strategies may evolve quickly with Congress' return, at this time, Congressional leaders remain committed to passing an energy bill and are unwilling to allow portions of the bill to be acted on separately.
Questions and Answers: We understand that there are a number of questions you might have related to the energy bill and, in particular, the PTC extension. Below are a few common questions and answers. Please do not hesitate to contact the grassroots team if you have additional questions or comments. Thank you for your support!
Source: AWEA Legislative & Policy Staff (Jaime Steve, Jon Chase & Jim Caldwell), 1/20/2004.
Editor's note: Dan McGuire, chief executive officer of the American Corn Growers Foundation, gave the following speech at the Legislative Agricultural Chairs Summit in New Orleans. Thank you to Representative Jones and Representative Thomas and to Carolyn Orr and Doug Farquhar for the invitation to speak here today. We appreciate this opportunity. I also want to thank the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Energy Foundation and the Wind Powering America program of the U.S. Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory with whom we work so closely and all of which support our renewable energy work.
Renewable Energy in the Context of Rural Development & Farm Profitability. I doubt that you could have a more timely and on-target topic than that. Just consider the many economic opportunities that the various forms of renewable energy offer to agriculture and rural development. I’m going to discuss a number of renewables in my remarks. Ethanol, wind energy, biodiesel, biomass and various hybrid combinations of these are all relevant today. From a corn grower angle and public awareness perspective, ethanol is the most well known and high profile renewable. So I’ll talk about that first. According to the USDA January 14, 2004 Feed Outlook, ethanol production plants are expected to grind 1.120 billion bushels of corn in this current marketing year. That’s 11 percent of the total 2003 U.S. corn crop. It’s more than double the amount of corn used in the production of High Fructose Corn Syrup and nearly 50 percent of the total 2.460 billion bushels of corn used domestically in the U.S. for all categories of food and industrial use. Corn use for ethanol this year will be just under 60 percent of the total quantity of 1.975 billion bu. of corn exported from the U.S. But ethanol as a renewable energy source is so much more than a demand factor for our nation’s largest agricultural crop.
Wind Energy: Finally, and what I consider the most exciting new and certainly renewable crop to come to the rural American landscape in years is harvested at about 150 above the ground. It is wind energy. Talk about rural development opportunities, wind energy has it all. Consider this: The first farmer-owned wind farm in the country was the Kas Brothers Wind Farm at Pipestone, MN. It has two 750 NEG Micon 750-kW turbines with an installed capacity of 1.5 MW and estimated annual electricity production of 4.5 million kWh. That wind farm now yields $30,000-$40,000 a year for the first 10 years. Then it’s expected to yield $130,000-$140,000 annually thereafter. There is a federal production tax credit on wind projects and Minnesota has a production incentive of 1.5 cents/kWh for projects under 2 MW. Local contractors and banks were involved in that project and it happened because of what the public wanted and the state made happen. That’s another example of a state legislature that took action to create rural development and it’s really having an impact. Minnesota had the most new installed wind power capacity in 2003 of any state with 223 MW. Referring back to the nation’s first farmer-owned wind farm, Kas Bros. at Pipestone, MN, the developer, Dan Juhl was responsible for installing 26.6 MW, 12 percent of the new 2003 total capacity in Minnesota. Mr. Juhl, with whom our ACGF Wealth From The Wind program works very closely, put in fourteen new farmer and locally-owned, community-based wind farms that account for that 26.6 MW of new wind power in 2003.
Another impressive Minnesota project that got underway in 2003 was the Trimont Area Wind Farm, LLC. It’s a larger-scale, 100 megawatt wind farm proposed for Martin and Jackson counties. It responded to Great River Energy’s request for proposals for renewable energy supply sources. GRE is adding wind energy to its generating portfolio to achieve the Renewable Energy Objective (10 percent by 2015) contained in Minnesota Statute 216B.1691. Again, positive action by a state legislature to create a policy environment through incentives that are leading to economic expansion. As the second largest power supplier in Minnesota and the fourth largest cooperative power supplier in the nation, GRE provides power and energy to 28 electric distribution coops in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Trimont project consists of more than 40 local farmer and landowner members in SW Minnesota and the wind farm will be sited over an area spanning 11,250 acres of land but will only disturb about 40 acres for the access roads, wind turbines, transformers, and operation and maintenance building and project substation. The project will provide enough average energy for the needs of 29,000 households. Up to 100 8-month construction jobs will be created with 3 to 5 full time employees. According to a recent study commissioned by the Renewable Energy Policy Project, 3.7 jobs are created per megawatt of wind power developed in the U.S. Wind energy development is very important in diversifying and strengthening the economic base of southwestern Minnesota. The wind farm will also increase the local property tax base in the counties and municipalities in which the project is sited. In year 2000 two other wind farms, the Lake Benton projects, generated $1.2 million in tax revenue to Pipestone and Lincoln counties.
Other states such as Texas and Iowa are really strong in wind energy development. Projects in Iowa recently received USDA grants, one to help a farmer install wind energy on a small scale. Another USDA was announced last week where a $2.2 million loan was made to the Calhoun County Electric Cooperative to construct six miles of new distribution lines and make upgrades and improvements to serve 40 new customers. Another similar loan of $2.4 million to Farmers Electric Cooperative of Greenwood was made to build 14 miles of new distribution lines that will serve 187 new customers. It’s also important for states to have state matching funds for the USDA clean energy money as there seems to be a strong correlation between states with their own clean energy funds and the USDA grant recipients…Minnesota, Illinois and New York especially. State legislators might want to create an Ag Energy grants/loans program.
We need to make sure that these USDA value-added grant programs and Section 9006 for renewable energy grants get fully funded as a means for rural development and farm profitability. The agricultural leaders in the state legislature, the NCSL, CSG and RUPRI all can sure help get word to Congress as you have considerable influence. Consider these benefits that wind energy brings to the economic table for our nation’s future:
Wind energy development and the related federal PTC and state incentives like the Minnesota model have 80 to 90 percent support among the nation’s farmers based on a 2003 American Corn Growers Foundation scientific poll.
On the issue of support from farmers and farm organizations that are in tune with their grassroots base, within the past month some major farm groups passed resolutions in support of wind energy and state-level incentives. They include the Iowa Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Farmers Union. The Illinois Farm Bureau also supports wind and other renewable incentives in Illinois. The Oregon Agriculture Director and Oregon Farm Bureau recently put out an article in support of wind and other renewables and the list could go on and on. Wind energy is the new extraction industry. The difference is that it is extracted from above the earth’s surface with positive environmental benefits. It is important that we mobilize the ag sector to promote both federal and state Renewable Portfolio Standards as a means to help create markets for renewable energy. There needs to be production incentives for community-owned projects and barriers to net metering (especially from the RECs, which are not regulated by the PUCs) need to be eliminated.
Another area that state legislatures need to be looking into is the "Clean Energy Funds" or "State Funds" that refers to the growing number of funds in the U.S. whose objective is building markets for renewable energy and clean energy resources. At mid-2003, there were 17 such state-level funds in 12 states. State programs will make available nearly $3.5 billion to promote renewable and clean energy over the next decade. These funds are capitalized in a number of ways. Some funds receive payments through a non-bypassable charge assessed on each customer’s electric bill, typically as a result of restructuring legislation. These are typically referred to as "system benefit charges: "public purpose charges." Other funds receive their money in lump sums either as a result of a settlement or a utility merger or sale of generation assets. I urge you to check the Clean Energy States Alliance for more information.
I’m sure I’ve used up my share of the time by now so I’ll close by mentioning that I have additional materials along that provide valuable information that you can take with you. An excellent power point presentation on wind energy from Larry Flowers of NREL is here in print form. I want to thank NREL for that as well as some brochures and recent articles that our NREL Ag Outreach Committee has issued. Check out our Small Wind Electric Systems Guide. It has the results of that 2003 national corn producer survey printed inside the back and front covers. And for those interested in a community wind conference in June, please go to the Windustry Web site and let Lisa Daniels know that you’re interested and want more information about that conference. You also need to look into your state wind working groups by checking with your state energy department so you can become active and support their fine work. Thank you again. It is a real pleasure to be here and I look forward to working with you in the future in any way we can. Source: Dan McGuire, American Corn Growers Foundation via Larry Flowers, 1/19/2004.
The recently released Renewable Energy Annual 2002 from the Energy Information Administration shows that wind power increased its share to close to a projected 3 percent of renewable electricity production in 2002, more than tripling from 1998. Wind generation is the only renewable electricity source that grew appreciably during the period: Wind power's 347 percent growth compares to an 8 percent growth in solar photovoltaic generation, a 1percent growth in biomass generation, and a reduction in generation in hydroelectric generation during the same period.
Wind energy consumption rose 56 percent from 2001 to 2002, due to the boost in new capacity that went online in 2001. Based on the large growth in installed capacity that occurred in 2003, electricity generated from wind power is expected to be 4-5 percent of renewable electricity production in 2004, depending on the overall level of generation-hydro generation, the largest renewable electricity source, varies widely from year to year.
Electricity produced from wind generation-10.5 billion kWh in 2002-still accounted for about 0.3 percent of the over 3.5 trillion kWh of total electricity generation in the U.S. AWEA estimates that meeting a goal of providing six percent of the nation's electricity by the year 2020 could be achieved with an annual growth rate of just over 17 percent.
Commented AWEA executive director Randall Swisher, "The EIA data underlines what everyone in the energy markets is beginning to realize-wind energy is the low-cost emerging energy resource. With a stable and supportive policy environment that includes a three-year extension of the production tax credit, wind can be a significant new contributor to America's energy supply portfolio."
Survey results on green pricing showed 211 electric industry participants reporting customers in green pricing programs during 2002, with just over 710,000 customers. Also, 98 electric industry participants reported being involved in net metering programs with 5,000 customers. Source: Wind Energy Weekly, 1/16/2004.
The Western Area Power Administration, in conjunction with the American Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, is seeking information on the certification and marketing of wholesale and retail tradable renewable certificates, or green tags, from consumer-owned power sources. The groups have developed guidelines for certification and are seeking ideas and proposals for how to support such a program. Detailed information as well as the guidelines in a PDF can be found on WAPA's Web site. The request for information does not provide funding or guarantee any contracting for services. Source: California Energy Markets, 1/20/2004
Five electric utilities have formed a coalition to study the idea of a $1.5 billion coal-fired power plant at one of five sites, including one in Iowa.
Officials from Montana-Dakota Utilities, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Minnkota Power Cooperative, Heartland Consumers Power District and Missouri River Energy Services said the areas being considered for the 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant are Gascoyne and Stanton in North Dakota; Mobridge and Yankton in South Dakota; and Modale, Iowa.
Officials said a site could be chosen within a year. A 100-megawatt wind power plant also is being considered as part of the coalition's proposed project. Minnkota spokesman Mike Nisbet said the wind power plant likely will not be situated anywhere near the coal-fired plant. Source: Omaha Word Herald, 1/16/2004 via Peggy Plate, WAPA, 1/16/2004.
The objective of the Regional Application Center will be to provide essential and appropriate applied research and development support, focused on the technology transfer and installation of advanced CHP technologies. The Regional Application Center will achieve this objective through a strategy of project assistance and targeted education and outreach. The success of these Centers will advance the DOE goal of doubling CHP installed capacity to 92 GW by 2010. Estimated funds available are $800,000. Up to $300,000 of Federal Funds per New Center and up to $150,000 of Federal Funds per Existing Center. Source: Chuck Collins, U.S. DOE Seattle RSO, 1/20/2004.
EPA Office of Grants and Department Grants Administration Division Indian General Assistance Program Request for Proposals Modification1. Source: Fedgrants.gov, 1/16/2004.
FYI: The Geothermal and PIER Renewables Programs has released a Program Opportunity Notice on December 31st. The notice and application manual are available on the California's Energy Commission's Web site. There is up to $7.2 million available in GRDA and PIER funds for geothermal projects. Please pass this on to others who may be interested. Source: Elaine Sison Librilla, CEC, 1/16/2004.
The Defense Energy Support Center has issued solicitation SP0600-04-R-0020, Renewable Energy Certificates, for ultimate transfer to Environmental Protection Agency facilities, Athens Regional Lab and Atlanta Federal Center-Regional Center, Georgia. Access the solicitation and related documents.
Offeror technical submissions are due 3 February 2004, 12:00 pm, Noon, local Fort Belvoir, VA time. Pricing submissions are due 9 February 2004, 12:00 pm, Noon, local Fort Belvoir, VA time. If you have any questions, please contact the following individual: Kincaid, Andrea, Phone: (703) 767-8669 DSN : 427-8669. Source: Chandra Shah, NREL, 1/16/2004.
The Utility Wind Interest Group is conducting a project to develop web-based tools that utilities and others can use to determine the impacts of wind projects that might be connected directly to the electrical distribution system (single or several turbines connected at distribution-level voltages). The tools will allow estimation of voltage sag, flicker, and other impacts for a range of turbine types and for distribution-system electrical parameters provided by the utility. Alternative interconnection points can be evaluated to minimize potential negative impacts -- or optimize any positive impacts, such as those resulting from var-supply capabilities with variable-speed turbines.
We are looking for several candidate case-study utilities in California.
Interested utilities would need to have an expectation that some entity (including
themselves) may want to connect one or more wind turbines to its distribution
network, and would need to have an interest in understanding the electrical
impacts. Host utilities will receive early access to the web-based tools and
all results that are generated, and will also be able to run their own analyses
to whatever extent they wish. The work will be documented in a report prepared
for UWIG that becomes public, but confidential system information, if any,
will not be disclosed. No monetary contribution is required of the selected
California host utility, but some staff effort will be needed to provide system
data and to evaluate results obtained. If you know of a utility that would
be willing to participate in this UWIG project, please contact: Ed DeMeo,
650-327-3090. Source: Ed DeMeo, 1/12/2004.
This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
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