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Starbucks committed recently to purchase wind power to offset a portion of the energy used in its operations, a move that places the company in the top 25 U.S. purchasers of renewable energy. But mitigating climate change, not garnering pro-environment publicity, is the main driver behind Starbucks' decision to buy renewable energy certificates.
A global enterprise has committed to purchase wind power to offset a portion of the energy it uses. The $5.3 billion company is involved in agriculture, transportation, equipment sales, music distribution, and brand licensing, with locations in 36 countries worldwide. But this company is better known to most of us as the coffee shop on the corner -- Starbucks Coffee Company.
Starbucks' renewable energy purchase represents 5% of the kilowatt hours used in 6,376 company-owned stores in North America. The commitment puts the company in the EPA's top 25 U.S. purchasers of renewable energy.
Renewable Energy Certificates: Starbucks purchases wind power through renewable energy certificates, or RECs, also known as green tags. RECs are created when a facility produces electricity from a renewable resource. With RECs, the "soft" benefits -- in particular, the avoided pollution -- are sold separately from the energy itself. So buyers of the certificates financially support the production of renewable energy, though don't necessarily use the energy produced. For example, Starbucks accrues the soft benefits of the wind energy they buy, but not the electricity, so they still must buy power.
RECs are not the only way to get renewable power. Some businesses install renewable energy equipment and capitalize on incentive programs; for others, the local utility might offer renewable power purchase options. But Starbucks was faced with the challenge of purchasing green power for thousands of individual locations, many of which are leased. RECs provide Starbucks with a vehicle for buying wind power for its stores nationwide from one source.
"RECs provide an interesting model for us to get into the market without incurring huge transaction costs," says Ben Packard, Starbucks Director of Environmental Affairs. "Third-party certifications provide assurance that what you are buying is actually renewable." RECs are traded, like stocks, through brokers. Starbucks selected 3 Phases Energy.
Why Buy Wind Power? Starbucks has a strong ethic of environmental and social responsibility. With its dependence on agricultural production, Starbucks is especially concerned about the effects of global warming. "The purchase of renewable energy is the cornerstone of addressing our own contribution to climate change," says Packard. "We have concerns about the long-term implications of climate change on our core business, which is coffee."
In an effort to better understand its own contribution to climate change, Starbucks took an inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions in 2004. An emissions inventory evaluates such factors as the energy used, its sources, and the emissions caused by generating it. The result is an emissions figure measured in metric tons of carbon and other types of pollutants. Starbucks engaged CH2M HILL for the inventory effort, and applied standards established by World Resource Institute.
Starbucks then committed to setting targets for reducing the emissions caused by energy consumption throughout the organization by October, 2005. Company-owned stores in North America represent about half of the company's total greenhouse gas emissions, with the remainder divided among transportation, roasting, and other operations. Thus, Starbucks stores were a strong place to start reducing the company's environmental footprint.
Buying renewable energy to offset 5% of a company's energy use might not seem like much, but in a company this size it makes a difference. Starbucks says the commitment is comparable to removing 3,200 cars from the road; the wind energy would power 2,500 homes.
Getting Started with RECs: Starbucks has employees like Packard who are dedicated to staying informed about renewable energy and climate change. But for most companies, learning about climate change is the first step toward understanding the company's environmental impact and taking action. Fortunately, there are many informative resources available. Packard suggests starting with these:
The next step is to take action. Starbucks set targets for reducing its emissions and defined a renewable energy initiative to reach its targets. For assistance, some nonprofit organizations will consult with companies about buying renewable energy.
Getting top executives behind a renewable energy program is essential. Starbucks' management clearly has embraced the concept of environmental stewardship. Justifying the wind energy purchase was simple -- supporters explained to management that this action is consistent with the company's mission and values.
For executives who are not yet on board, Packard advises first conveying that energy is a financial resource that must be managed carefully. He admits that communicating the concept of climate change to the uninitiated is somewhat more problematic, but not impossible. Source: By Denis Du Bois, GreenBiz.com, 7/1/2005.
Fifteen percent of city-owned buildings in Albuquerque, including a proposed downtown arena, would be using renewable energy for heating, cooling and lighting, under a proposed renewable energy bill unveiled Friday by mayoral candidate and City Councilor Eric Griego.
Griego's bill, which will be introduced at the Aug. 1 City Council meeting, would provide $1 million in incentives for businesses that make renewable energy equipment to locate in the city, make it easier for companies that use renewable energy to get industrial revenue bonds, and direct the city to lobby the State Legislature to allow it to sell any electricity it generates through the use of solar panels to utility companies. The bill's intent is to make Albuquerque the solar and renewable energy capital of the world, Griego said.
Most of the plan's details would be worked out in the next six months if the bill is approved, Griego said. Source: By Dennis Domrzalski, NMBW Staff, 7/22/2005.
In April of last year, Puget Sound Regional electric utilities and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation gave the green light to a green power campaign conceived from market research by Belo Marketing Solutions, a division of KING 5, NBC's television affiliate in Seattle, Washington. The research showed a need to build awareness of green power options in the area. In support of the campaign, which included the Internet, permission-based e-mail and utility bill inserts, BMS channeled its effort and passion for the campaign into the making of a televised Public Service Announcement. Last month, in recognition of its dedication and attention to quality in creating the PSA, Mike Johnson, producer/director of the "Green Power" spot, received a Northwest regional Emmy award.
About the PSA: The 30-second spot uses powerful imagery showing a breeze rustling through a child's hair as she asks, "Why is there wind?" Through the use of voice-overs, the child asks, "Why we don't use it, and would we use it, if we wanted to change the world?" Viewers are treated to images of spinning windmill turbines and ultimately of the child running through a field as she asks, "Are you ready to change the world?" A Narrator imparts information on the Green Power program as the child turns toward the camera and the narrator says, "The future depends on the choices we make today." The campaign results show more than 4,300 new customers joined the utilities' green power programs, representing a 272 percent increase in the enrollment rate over the same period the previous year. Source: Release from Bonneville Environmental Foundation, 7/20/2005.
While oil prices have more than doubled in the past two years, and gasoline prices have gone up with them, the cost of generating electricity by wind has fallen 80 percent in the past decade. Along ridges and peaks of the Delaware Mountains and other small ranges east of El Paso County, half a dozen energy companies have erected hundreds of massive wind turbine towers in recent years to take advantage of the growing market for renewable energy.
That's because Texas ranks second in the nation behind North Dakota for its wind- energy potential and West Texas is the windiest part of the state. El Paso Electric, with its rates frozen for the past decade and for the next five years to come, hasn't invested much in the wind market, but it has had two turbines spinning out electricity since 2001 in the Hueco Mountains 35 miles east of the city.
"Our two wind turbines are rather small, not on a wind farm scale, but we have a voluntary renewable energy rate for customers," said the electric company's manager of economic and rate research, Joe Provencio. The two turbines cost $2.2 million and generate a megawatt, or 1 million kilowatt hours a year, which enough to supply more than 500 El Paso homes with power.
For $1.92 per 100 kilowatt hour plus their regular electric costs, El Paso Electric customers in Texas can effectively buy their power from the wind turbines. The average El Paso home uses about 500 kilowatt hours a month -- half the state average -- and is billed $57.49.
Another selling point for the utility's wind power program is that it saves approximately 2.4 million gallons of water a year that would otherwise be converted to steam to drive the turbines at the utility's gas-fired plants.
Teresa Souza, spokeswoman for El Paso Electric, said more than 90 percent of the available power-blocks are bought each month, and that the utility is considering buying a third wind turbine with the $1 million in its renewable energy account. The biggest investor in wind energy in West Texas, Texas and the world is Florida Power and Light's FPL Energy, which has erected 563 wind turbines that generate more than 513 megawatts of electricity an hour in West Texas.
Given the scale of FPL's wind farms, the company is able to sell wind-generated electricity to its wholesale customers for 3 to 5 cents per kilowatt hour, well below the 11 to 12 cents that Provencio said it costs El Paso Electric to generate a kilowatt hour with its two wind turbines. FPL's cost is also competitive with El Paso Electric's overall system average of 4 to 4 1/2cents per kilowatt hour of electricity generated by a combination of nuclear, gas, coal and wind generation.
Christine Real de Azua, spokeswoman for the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, said, "The big advantage to wind power is the fact that the cost of power is stable over time once a wind farm is built." Put another way, wind will always be a free, nonpolluting resource, she said." Source: By David Crowder, El Paso Times, 7/25/2005
Officials were not trying to be trendy when they decided to build a solar power generator next to City Hall. They just wanted a way to save money. In this case, saving money requires spending money first.
Over the next 13 years, the city will pay $178,000 annually for new solar power panels that are expected to be installed on the roof of the Civic Center parking garage by September. After the ninth year, city officials say the energy savings from the solar panels will have paid for the devices.
While other cities in the Coachella Valley have dabbled with generating solar energy, Cathedral City is the first municipality to install a system of this size, officials said. The system, which consists of 1,600 photovoltaic solar panels, will function as a carport that provides shade for vehicles parked on the parking garage's roof.
The electricity generated from the panels will not directly power City Hall. Instead, a local utility company will purchase the electricity from the city and put the solar-generated energy into California's power grid.
The state is expected to give the city a $1 million grant to help pay for the solar set up, which costs about $2.5 million. City officials were turned on to the idea of solar power about a year ago while looking for ways to trim the city's budget. For the 2005-06 fiscal year, Cathedral City is operating with a budget deficit of $2.7 million. The city is using reserves until it can generate enough revenue to pay for all its services. "The idea was to reduce our utility costs as much as possible," said Paul Shillcock, the city's economic development director.
The city hired Honeywell Building Solutions to develop a comprehensive energy efficiency program that the city could use to offset utility costs. As part of the program, the city installed energy saving light emitting diodes (LEDs) in its traffic lights. They tinted the windows at City Hall to reduce cooling costs and installed energy saving devices on city computers.
Combined with the solar panels, the city's energy saving plan will cut utility costs by about $125,000 a year, according to Shillcock. Beyond the money, there are other advantages the city gains by having its own solar power generator.
"With a minor electrical upgrade, we can use the solar system as a backup source to run most of the City Hall during daylight hours, when a blackout would likely occur," said Doug Poffinbarger, representative with Honeywell Building Solutions. Source: By Henri Brickey, The Press-Enterprise, 7/24/2005.
Clean Power: Alternative Energy no Longer Alternative
Cleveland inventor Charles Brush spun light from wind more than a century ago. Brush harnessed the winds off Lake Erie with the world's first electricity-producing turbine, which he built behind his three-story mansion on Euclid Avenue at East 37th Street.
The large fan made of slow-moving cedar blades on the 60-foot-tall tower charged batteries that powered motors and lights in the 17-room house, making Cleveland the birthplace of wind power in 1888. Brush, known for creating the arc light, is also considered the father of wind power.
As the world seeks new sources of power, renewable energy, such as solar, wind and biofuel, is being tapped to a greater degree than ever. They are called renewable because they replenish themselves. Wind power has become one of the fastest-growing forms of renewable energy, averaging a 28 percent growth worldwide the past five years.
Wind power is growing at almost as brisk a double-digit rate in the United States, but still accounts for less than 1 percent of the electricity generated. It provides a minuscule amount of power in Ohio, despite our wind-power heritage. Wind provides 20 percent of the electricity in Denmark, a leader in turbine technology.
Green Energy Ohio and its volunteers are collecting data about Ohio's wind that could lead to a boom in wind turbine building. Their work led to Ohio's first wind farm, in Bowling Green, which now has four wind turbines. The four, all built in Denmark and shipped here, generate electricity for 2,000 homes.
A study prepared for the Cleveland Foundation this year showed that steady, strong winds could be found nine miles offshore north of western Cuyahoga and Lorain counties, which could be possible sites for wind turbines in Lake Erie.
Monday, Green Energy Ohio will put up a 125-foot-tall monitoring tower atop the Cleveland Water Department intake crib to gather wind and weather data. Wind data already is being collected from six towers around Ohio at heights of about 300 feet, which is the hub height of utility-grade wind turbines.
All this information will improve knowledge of Ohio's wind resources and show power companies and homeowners the best spots for wind power. Another goal is for Ohio to manufacture wind turbines. A study released last year showed the wind industry could create more than 11,000 jobs in Ohio.
Big business is leading the way. BP, Sanyo, Sharp and Shell now manufacture solar panels. In May, General Electric announced Ecomagination, a companywide initiative that by 2010 will double to $1.5 billion the company's investment in clean power technology. Cargill and Archers Daniels Midland Co. are producers of renewable fuels, such as bio-diesel and ethanol.
Even Arnold Schwarzenegger is involved. The Republican California governor is pushing legislation that will add solar power to 1 million roofs.
What's fueling the change in attitude toward renewable energy? Several reasons: Higher oil and gas costs; environmental and global warming concerns; state and federal policies that require the use of renewable energy; tax incentives; and national security interests.
Coal and nuclear will remain the energy workhorses for years to come. But we're slowly leaving oil and other fossil fuels behind and moving toward hydrogen fuel cells that create energy from chemical reactions. Renewable energy is part of the bridge. So are hybrid cars. Energy efficiency is, too.
"There is no single solution," said Ben Paulos, a program officer with the Energy Foundation in San Francisco. "Solutions will come in sets, and they will vary by regions in the country, and by regions in the world."
Energy efficiency is often overlooked as a way to solve energy problems, he said. It's the one source of energy that saves money rather than costs money. "When it comes right down to it, the greatest thing we can do is decrease our energy use," said Blair Swezey, a policy adviser for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado.
That includes substituting bio-diesel and ethanol fuels for diesel and gasoline. The new liquid fuels are made from renewable sources, such as vegetable oils, animal fats and corn, and blended with diesel fuel or gasoline, so less petroleum-based fuels are used. Another selling point is that these are home-grown fuels with fewer polluting emissions.
But biofuels must be grown, harvested and processed, which takes energy. A Cornell University professor who studied ethanol production has found that turning corn, soybeans and sunflowers into fuel uses more energy than the resulting ethanol or biodiesel generates.
Most diesel vehicles can use bio-diesel with little or no engine modifications. Bio-diesel is made by chemically combining natural oils and fats with an alcohol. It can be used undiluted, or mixed with traditional diesel. Ohio has nine public bio-diesel stations. The first bio-diesel station in the Cleveland area is expected to open Aug. 12 at the corner of East 55th Street and Payne Avenue.
But that's not yet the case with ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol. It's created similar to brewing beer by fermenting starch into alcohol, then distilled. It can be used undiluted, or by mixing with traditional gasoline. Most gasoline sold in Ohio contains some ethanol. But it's limited to 10 percent, which is as much as most vehicle engines today can tolerate.
An increasingly common ethanol fuel is E-85, which contains 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Cars built for unleaded fuel cannot use E-85 - the ethanol content is too high.
Starting in the mid-1990s, nearly all the major auto manufacturers began making some vehicles capable of running on gasoline, ethanol or a combination. Most owners probably don't know they are driving one.
But the number of these "flexible-fuel vehicles" on the road in the United States is small, estimated at 4.5 million, which is less than 5 percent of the number of cars in America. Ohio is estimated to have about 150,000 flex-fuel vehicles.
Right now, the price of a gallon of E-85 and a gallon of regular unleaded gas is the same in Ohio. But Kruger expects tax credits now banked by fuel blenders will be passed on to consumers, as they are in Minnesota and Iowa, dropping the price of E-85 by up to 40 cents over regular unleaded gasoline.
While Ohio lags behind other states in biofuels and renewable energy, it's pushing development of hydrogen-powered fuel cells. The state has put more than $100 million toward research, low-interest loans and training. Until then, the renewable market will keep growing.
Sascha Deri sells solar air heaters, wind systems and many energy-saving devices through his Alternative Energy Store, a Massachusetts-based Internet company he started in 1999. Business has been doubling yearly. Its main market is do-it-yourselfers. But a good number of customers are folks who are mad at their utility company and want to cut them out.
"As oil prices go up, I think we will see a lot more mainstream customers," Deri said. "It's becoming less a niche market and more of a mainstream market. Source: By John C. Kuehner, Plain Dealer Reporter, 7/24/2005.
G/G Industries has joined the ranks of many other Southern California businesses by recently installing the second largest Solar Electric System in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The 58 kW system will save the Whirlpool bath and spa equipment manufacturer an estimated $12,000 a year, while decreasing their dependence on the rising price of fossil fuels.
The Solar Electric System covers 5,000 square feet of roof top directly on top of the manufacturing facility, and is completely invisible from the street. The shade provided by the 342 Mitsubishi panels, not only prolongs the roof's life, but also reduces the temperature coefficient of the roof, allowing for a more pleasant temperature inside, on the factory floor.
It took California Green Designs, Inc., a company well reputed for its innovative designs and quality installations, a month to complete the installation at G/G Industries' newly built headquarters, in Valencia, Calif. The installation created no disruptions to the regular work flow at G/G Industries, as it was mainly performed on the roof.
G/G Industries is benefiting from several State and Federal Incentive programs that made investing in a large Solar Electric System very attractive. The incentives include tax credits, accelerated equipment depreciation programs and most importantly the Self Generation Incentive Program offered through California's Privately Owned Electric Utility Companies such as Southern California Edison Co., Pacific Electric and Gas Co. and a host of others. In the case of G/G Industries, the combination of these financial incentives benefits reduced the cost of their installation by 70 percent.
Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity emits several pollutants into the environment such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (a.k.a. soot), and a host of toxic materials such as mercury. Solar Power, through the use of Photovoltaic (PV) modules produces free and clean electricity. Generating electricity using uranium and other radioactive materials in nuclear power plants, although may seem to be cleaner than burning fossil fuels, the waste products are radioactive and there is currently no completely safe or permanent method of disposal. With solar energy, on the other hand, no such risks apply. Solar energy is simply transformed into electrical energy. Source: eMediaWire, 7/24/2005.
Calpine Corporation has received an award from the California Department of Conservation for environmental stewardship, safety, infrastructure maintenance and resource conservation of its Geysers geothermal operations. The award marks the fourth consecutive year Calpine has received such recognition.
"Calpine has continued its outstanding record for lease maintenance and environmental stewardship in The Geysers Geothermal field," said Hal Bopp, State Oil and Gas Supervisor for the California Department of Conservation. "The Geysers is the largest geothermal field in the world. The electricity produced here is a major contributor to California's clean, renewable power while reducing greenhouse gasses. Calpine is to be congratulated for operating its geothermal field in a safe, environmentally conscientious manner."
The first Outstanding Lease and Facility Maintenance awards were issued in 1982 with the vast majority going to oil and gas field operations. Calpine is one of only two geothermal operators to ever receive the award. Source: GEO Update, 7/27/2005
When Joe McBride looks north from his house he sees something that wasn't there this spring - a line of wind turbines stretching across the green, rolling hills on the horizon. "I think they're elegant," said McBride, who also owns the Ranch Land Western Store in Ainsworth.
McBride is no stranger to wind or wind power. The Sandhills has a rich history of settlers harnessing the wind to pump water from the ground and to produce electricity with wind chargers - small propeller-driven generators mounted on barns.
But something new has blown into this bucolic landscape, known to many as cattle country. Something modern. Something very hi-tech. Something that already has helped the economy of this Sandhills town which has struggled in the recent past with drought and depressed beef prices.
It's the state's largest wind energy facility and it's a beauty to behold. Imagine driving over a hill and seeing the first of 36 wind turbines towering like a small army of three-armed prairie sentinels. To children, they may appear to be giant whirly-gigs planted on a lawn as far as the eye can see.
The Nebraska Public Power District broke ground for the wind energy farm in late February. So far, 27 of the 36 planned wind turbines have been fully erected, said construction manager John Befort. He and other NPPD officials gave the media a tour of the facility on a stormy Monday afternoon.
NPPD personnel are busy testing the wind turbines as soon as they are fully erected. Some of the turbines are even generating electricity, which is transmitted to a newly built substation and existing high-voltage power line. The Columbus-based utility says it expects to have the facility on-line by late August.
The wind energy farm will be able to generate 60 megawatts, enough to supply about 19,000 homes with electricity for a year.
Located about six miles south of Ainsworth on Nebraska 7, the wind energy farm sits on 11,000 acres of ranch land. NPPD and its consultants chose the site after eight years of collecting data. They say the site is one of the premier spots in the state for strong winds. On any given day, wind speeds average between 16.8 and 19.7 mph.
NPPD will receive 32 megawatts from the wind energy farm. Other utility partners in the Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility and their share: Omaha Public Power District, 10 megawatts; JEA of Jacksonville, Fla., 10 megawatts (in the form of a renewable energy credit); Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, 7 megawatts; and Grand Island utilities,1 megawatt.
Ainsworth is an NPPD retail customer and will be getting some power from the new facility. The town's residents and officials say they have already benefitted greatly from the wind farm. "They've purchased a lot of their supplies locally," Ainsworth Mayor Russ Moody said, in an interview outside his tire repair shop.
The mayor didn't have an exact amount, but, he said, the latest sales tax report from the state showed June receipts up four times higher than normal for that month. Moody said the town usually takes in between $15,000 and $20,000 for June. He said the state figures may be wrong and he's asked them to check them again for accuracy. "I can't believe it's that high," he added.
Moody said the wind farm has increased sales at local restaurants, motels, hardware and lumber stores and other businesses. It's also made housing hard to find, forcing people to look for rental property in the nearby towns of Long Pine, Johnstown and Bassett.
He said there were some concerns initially about the facility but there have been no major problems. "We sure appreciate this being here - that's a given," Moody said. "Anytime a small town gets an economic boost you sure don't turn it down."
Todd Thornton, assistant manager at the William Krotter Co., a local lumber and hardware store, said he's provided some fencing and landscaping services for the wind farm. He and others say the facility could bring tourist dollars into the area. Boesch said NPPD plans to have a viewing area near the highway and tours will be given after the project is finished. An official dedication is planned for sometime in October, which is Public Power Month.
The wind energy farm will not bring a lot of new jobs into the Ainsworth area. Once the project is done, NPPD plans to have only a handful of employees on site for routine maintenance. The site will be operated remotely from NPPD facilities at North Platte and Doniphan. But during the height of construction, there were as many as 87 workers, who brought a lot of dollars into town. Source: By Algis J. Laukaitis, Lee Enterprises, 7/28/2005.
The future of solar energy is looking positively sunny: Solar concentrators using highly efficient photovoltaic solar cells are promising to reduce the cost of electricity from sunlight to competitive levels soon.
"Concentrating solar electric power is on the cusp of delivering on its promise of low-cost, reliable, solar-generated electricity at a cost that is competitive with mainstream electric generation systems," said Vahan Garboushian, president of Amonix, Inc. of Torrance, Calif. "With the advent of multijunction solar cells, PV concentrator power generation at $3 per watt is imminent in the coming few years."
Herb Hayden of Arizona Public Service and Robert McConnell and Martha Symko-Davies of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory organized an international conference held May 1-5 in Scottsdale, Ariz. where the efficiency gains were announced and discussed.
Solar concentrator systems have been under development with Arizona Public Service's solar research facility. Photovoltaic (PV) concentrator units are much different than the flat silicon photovoltaic modules sold around the world that average 13% efficiency. PV concentrators come in larger module sizes, typically 20 kilowatts to 35 kilowatts each, they track the sun during the day and they are more suitable for large utility installations.
Ordinary, flat-plate solar modules have their entire sun-receiving surface covered with costly silicon solar cells and are positioned at a fixed tilt to the sun. In contrast, Amonix's systems offer significant cost savings by using inexpensive flat, plastic Fresnel lenses as an intermediary between the sun and the cell. These magnifying lenses focus and concentrate sunlight approximately 250 times onto a relatively small cell area. Through concentration, the required silicon cell area needed for a given amount of electricity is reduced by an amount approximating its concentration ratio (250 times). In effect, a low-cost plastic concentrator lens is being substituted for relatively expensive silicon.
"We have seen steady progress in photovoltaic concentrator technology," said Hayden, Solar Program Coordinator at APS. "We are working with advanced multijunction PV cells that are approaching 38% efficiency, and even higher is possible over time. Our goal is to install PV concentrator systems at $3 per watt, which can happen soon at production rates of 10 megawatts per year. Once that happens, higher volumes are readily achieved." Source: BetterHumans.com, 7/23/2005.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the king of the "big-box" store, has lasunched an experiment near Dallas, Texas, to see how its retail outlets might lessen their environmental impact. The new "Wal-Mart Experimental Store" in McKinney features a total of 50 kilowatts of solar power systems integrated into the Garden Center's canopy, the roof of the entry vestibules, the facade of the front entry, and the roof of the Tire and Lube Express. The store also features a 50-kilowatt wind turbine that will supply about 5 percent of the store's electricity needs.
The building features a white reflective roof to reduce its cooling loads and a reduced building height to reduce its need for heating and cooling. It uses radiant floor heat, in which hot water runs through the concrete slab that forms the floor, and uses displacement ventilation, an energy efficient way to distribute conditioned air throughout the store. The store even captures the waste heat from its refrigeration equipment, using it to heat water for the restrooms and for the radiant floor heating system. The heating system is also fueled with waste cooking oil and used automotive oil. The store's efficient lighting system is automatically dimmed to make the best use of daylighting and is also dimmed slightly at night. LED lighting is employed inside grocery cases to avoid adding unnecessary heat. According to Wal-Mart, the company "hopes to learn new environmental conservation best management practices and benchmarks that will serve as future design standards in the retail industry." Source: EERE Network News, 7/27/2005.
A company better known for cars is diversifying into the solar photovoltaic (PV) market. This week, Spire Corporation announced that Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI), of Ulsan, Korea, has commissioned Spire's multi-megawatt turnkey photovoltaic (PV) module assembly line and it is now in production. Spire's advanced PV module manufacturing equipment and process technology enables HHI to manufacture PV modules from solar cells to address the growing Korean and Asian solar PV market. Source: Renewable Energy Access, 7/26/2005.
The 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act requires utilities such as Idaho Power Co. to buy renewable power from small producers at a fixed price. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has set that rate at $60 per megawatt, based on the cost of electrical energy produced at gas-fired power plants.
Idaho Power, the state's largest utility, thinks that's too much, contending it can get a lower rate through negotiations with larger wind projects not covered by the 1978 law. It points out that a 135-megawatt wind farm approved in Montana will sell its energy at $31.71 per megawatt.
Maybe the Idaho rate is high, or maybe not. The wind farm near Judith Gap in Montana has stronger winds, making electricity cheaper to generate and is located closer to transmission lines, eliminating the need for expensive construction of infrastructure. Still, Idaho has been ranked 13th in the nation for wind power potential, and eight small wind farms have been approved, although just one has been built so far. All think the $60 rate is crucial.
Idaho Power, along with Avista Corp., which supplies power to northern Idaho, last week asked the IPUC for a timeout on the their federal obligation to buy from some proposed small Idaho wind farms. No deal, the regulators said, urging the utilities continue to negotiate with several farmers and companies that want to build electricity-generating turbines near the Snake River.
Even though Idaho Power has projected wind will provide about 5 percent of its electricity by 2013, it doesn't know how the small wind farms will affect its bottom line. The costs, of course, will be passed along to its half-million consumers, though it hardly seems at this point the impact will be noticeable - and certainly no more than the costs connected with a natural gas-powered generating plant.
Idaho Power also is well-situated to generate energy when the wind is not blowing, with its hydropower base and investment in coal-fired plants.
If the $60 per megawatt rate imposed by the IPUC as compensation for small producers is unreasonable, then the regulators may be wise to change it. But it's important to encourage the development of alternative energy against the day when we need it, and wind developers have proven they have the technology to make it work. And we must not forget that it's non-polluting, renewable and a boon to farmers and other landowners.
"We aren't against wind power," says Dennis Lopez, an Idaho Power Co. spokesman. Good to know, since Exergy Development Group, a Montana-based developer of wind farms with more than a half-dozen small Idaho projects in planning stages, isn't so certain. "Idaho Power is turning its back on the most economical and environmentally responsible resource available to it," spokesman Peter Richardson says.
The IPUC clearly would like the utilities and small power producers to work things out on their own, but if that doesn't happen, that's what regulators are for. And we will need the juice in the future. Source: Idaho State Journal, 7/26/2005.
Sugar Land, TX-based WOW Energies recently announced the launch of its new process for converting solar energy into electricity -- the cascading closed loop system, which utilizes a closed loop hydrocarbon heat exchanger driving multiple turbo expanders.
According to the company, the use of CCLC in a concentrating solar power system targets working fluid temperatures less than 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
"This is a dramatic moment for energy conservation and pollution reduction," said WOW Energies CEO Daniel Stinger. "A cost-effective and highly efficient technology using off-the-shelf components now exists to produce power from heat sources such as solar, geothermal, waste heat streams and flue gases. This allows us to meet tomorrow's environmental challenges today by conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gases."
WOW Energies noted that the new process employs parabolic sun collectors to harness solar energy to run its patented CCLC turbine system. Contact: Martin Brau. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 7/13/2005.
Wind has the power to generate both electricity and controversy. Advocates say modern wind turbines provide unlimited, pollution-free power. But critics complain the huge machines scar the landscape and pose a menace to wildlife. On the CPR program last week, they explored the advancements in wind power technology and the debate over wind power. The CPR story begins in Germany, the nation that leads the world in producing wind energy, but where citizen opposition to the proliferation of windmills across the country and troubles getting offshore windmills sited are threatening that status. Source: CPR, 7/27/2005.
The California Energy Commission has prepared the California and Western Electricity Supply Outlook Report as a detailed overview of electricity supply trends in California and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council region through the year 2016.
The Tenth National Green Power Marketing Conference is October 24-26, 2005, in Austin, Texas. The event is sponsored by the U.S. DOE, U.S. EPA and the Center for Resource Solutions.
Plan now to attend the Geothermal Resources Council 2005 Annual Meeting on September 25 through 28 at the Reno Hilton Nevada Conference Center. Co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, this year’s Annual Meeting theme is Geothermal Energy-The World’s Buried Treasure, highlighting geothermal energy technologies as a premium renewable base-load generation resource in the United States and globally. With its Technical Program and other events, the GRC 2005 Annual Meeting will also provide a unique opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their projects, equipment and services at the Geothermal Energy Association Trade Show.
The GRC 2005 Annual Meeting will feature distinguished Keynote Speakers at its Opening Session, as well as Technical and Poster sessions on a broad range of timely geothermal resource and development topics. This year’s event will also offer Technical Workshops; Field Trips to nearby geothermal projects; the GRC Banquet and Annual Awards Luncheon; and the GRC Golf Tournament.
For more information on the GRC 2005 Annual Meeting visit the GRC web site or contact them at Geothermal Resources Council, 2001 Second St., Ste. 5, P.O. Box 1350, Davis, California 95616 • USA, Phone: (530) 758-2360, Fax: (530) 758-2839.
On August 17, 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy GeoPowering the West Program will be conducting a Utah Geothermal Power Generation Workshop at the Utah Department of Water Resources located at 1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT.
This meeting is designed for utility resource personnel and focuses on the key benefits and risks of including geothermal power in a utility’s resource portfolio. The event is cosponsored by the following organizations:
The highly qualified speakers bring a mix of professional experience in all aspects of geothermal energy. Attendees will:
There is no registration fee for the meeting, HOWEVER, you must register to attend. To register, contact Guy Nelson at (541) 994-4670.
The Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage released a report earlier this week titled "Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability Promoting an Efficient Adaptation Response in Australia." According to DEH, the report is designed to provide insight into how early planning could potentially help governments, industries and communities plan for the effects of climate change and adapt to its impacts.
DEH minister Ian Campbell noted that the Australian government has already announced a $14.2 million National Climate Change Adaptation Program to help state and local governments, industry and communities plan for climate change. Contact: DEH, phone +61-0-2-6274-1111. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 7/26/2005
Renewable energies and all other technologies that generate low-carbon electricity face challenges that must be resolved, says a report from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
“There are likely multiple pathways to a low-carbon future for the electricity sector, and most involve some portfolio of technological solutions,” including renewables, increased efficiency in generation and transmission, nuclear and coal with carbon capture and sequestration, explains ‘U.S. Electric Power Sector & Climate Change Mitigation’ that was written by Granger Morgan of Carnegie Mellon University. “Yet, all of these technologies face challenges; cost, reliability, safety, siting, insufficient public and private funds for investment, and market and public acceptance are just some of the issues that will need to be resolved.”
“A major effort is needed to develop and deploy commercially available low-carbon technologies for the electric sector over time,” it says. “It is critical that we start now to embark on the path to a lower-carbon electric sector. A decarbonization of the electricity sector could be achieved in the next 50 years through increased efficiency and fuel-switching in the near term, and a gradual deployment of lower-carbon technologies over the next several decades.”
“While initial steps to limit electricity sector CO2 emissions will have only a modest impact on total U.S. emissions, steady and deliberate efforts to promote long-term technological change in this sector eventually could produce significant climate benefits, given the industry’s share of current emissions,” it explains. “In one scenario, the successful commercialization of carbon capture and sequestration technology would allow for continued use of fossil fuels in combination with somewhat increased reliance on similarly priced wind resources.”
“Future emissions reductions might need to be achieved chiefly through increased reliance on relatively more expensive natural gas and renewable energy,” it notes. “Some forms of renewable energy can certainly play a role, but just how large a role depends on a range of uncertain issues in terms of cost, technical performance, and power system architecture.”
“A major scale-up of renewable energy would likely require a greatly enhanced transmission network and expensive energy storage technologies to compensate for the remoteness and intermittency of much of the wind and solar resource base,” it continues. “These issues will be resolved only through further research and expanded field experience.”
“Wind power is another potentially attractive option for reducing future carbon emissions from the electric power industry,” it notes. “Since the power output from wind generators varies with wind speed, however, and since there are only limited options for storing electricity once it has been generated, back-up capacity is likely to be needed if wind power assumes a significant share of the overall generation mix.”
“Both natural gas and hydropower can be suitable for backing up wind generation; if all new capacity requirements were met with a combination of one-third wind and two-thirds new gas facilities, annual CO2 emissions would increase by 25% to 2.9 Gt,” compared with a 50% decline to 1.1 Gt if all coal plants were also converted to IGCC with carbon capture and sequestration.
Among its four policy recommendations, the report says government must address the most serious institutional and regulatory barriers to the development of low-carbon and carbon-free energy technologies by implementing policies aimed at “facilitating the adoption of cost-effective low- or no-carbon renewable technologies such as wind and biomass and promoting distributed resources and micro-grids.” Another is to promote greater end-use efficiency through policies that encourage demand-side energy savings and promote the deployment of combined heat and power systems.
“Preliminary studies suggest that the public does not understand the urgency of moving forward with low- or no-carbon generation technologies, nor is there widespread understanding of the difficulties that, if not overcome through technical and cost breakthroughs, are likely to limit the magnitude of emissions reductions achievable through increased reliance on renewable resources such as wind and solar power,” it says. Source: Refocus Weekly, 7/27/2005.
Platte River Power Authority has joined a key group of environmental leaders as a new member of the California Climate Action Registry. As a participant in the Registry, Platte River will voluntarily measure and report all emissions of greenhouse gases.
The Registry helps companies and organizations throughout the United States to track, publicly report and reduce their emissions of the gases that can lead to global warming. The results are certified by independent organizations to confirm accuracy. The Registry has been widely recognized as a gold standard for public reporting of greenhouse gases. Source: Platte River Power Authority Press Release July 7, 2005
The NWCC has several new documents available on its website. News of note:
Source: NWCC, 7/19/2005.
The Solar Energy Power Association is happy to announce that the solar industry has secured the largest Federal tax incentive for solar energy in the last 20 years. The Energy Bill tax title, which becomes public late tonight, contains the following solar provisions:
A number of other provisions are included in the final bill that will greatly benefit solar, including federal loan guarantees for large-scale "innovative technologies," government solar purchase authorizations, energy service performance contracts, etc. A full breakdown of these provisions will be sent out to SEPA members after the final language is available.
SEPA expects both the House and Senate to take a final vote on the Energy Bill conference report by Friday. Barring an unlikely occurrence, the solar provisions will become law. The establishment of these tax credits signifies that Congress recognizes solar as an important source of energy that belongs as a part of our national energy portfolio. And along the way, SEIA developed new, powerful supporters of solar who will help us continue to expand solar energy markets in the years to come. Source: SEPA. 7/27/2005.
The joint House-Senate conference committee considering comprehensive energy legislation early this morning agreed to a strong biofuels package that would double the use of ethanol and biodiesel by 2012. Creation of a 7.5 billion gallon renewable fuels standard spearheads several important provisions for biofuels.
Key provisions adopted by the conference committee include:
The gasoline additive MTBE is not banned by the bill, but also does not receive liability protection from defective product lawsuits. The reformulated gasoline oxygenate standard is eliminated 270 days after date of enactment and RFG air quality performance standards are enhanced. In addition, the tax portion of the bill is expected to include provisions important to ethanol and biodiesel. Source: RFA Release, 7/26/2005.
House and Senate energy bill negotiators completed their work on the energy bill early this morning, paving the way for final House passage on July 27th and Senate approval by late Friday afternoon. Working into the predawn hours, conferees wrestled with oil and gas, ethanol and nuclear power issues. Most surprising was a defeat handed to a proposal by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) that would have allowed ozone non-attainment areas around the country to seek time extensions to comply with the Clean Air Act.
Today lawmakers will be asked to sign the conference report, along with approving an expected $11 billion tax incentives package for oil and gas, renewable energy, energy efficiency, coal and nuclear power programs. The tax package, which House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) last night said was "95 percent complete," was to be finalized this morning. Thomas, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Finance Committee ranking member Max Baucus (D-Mont.) negotiated the tax provisions of the bill.
Barton and his Senate counterpart, Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), were tired but pleased at the end of the conference, calling this legislation "the most comprehensive energy bill in the last 30 to 40 years."
They noted the bill touches on nearly every aspect of energy production, consumption and savings. It expands oil and gas production as well as initiates the first inventory of offshore oil and gas resources; it provides incentives and tax breaks for advanced nuclear power and coal production; and it provides tax incentive extensions for renewable energy, requires utilities to follow nationwide electric reliability rules, and provides incentives for energy efficiency and conservation measures.
Yet environmentalists decried the bill's emphasis on fossil fuels and provisions granting incentives, benefits and rule changes for industry. "It's the Tour de Big Oil," said Anna Aurilio of U.S. PIRG. "Exxon is wearing the yellow jersey." Nevertheless, both Barton and Domenici attributed their success to the bipartisan nature of their approach to the legislation.
Domenici said the primary opposition to the energy bill is likely to come from Florida's senators, Bill Nelson (D) and Mel Martinez (R), who are opposed to the bill's offshore oil and gas inventory language. But Domenici does not think they are likely to find enough opposition among other senators to prevent final passage.
The issue that kept the energy bill from Senate passage two years ago, liability protection for producers of the controversial fuel oxygenate MTBE, is not in the bill this year. A proposal to tie liability protection to an $11 billion public-private cleanup trust fund fell apart over the weekend.
Indeed, fears earlier in the day that the energy bill would contain language requiring all MTBE lawsuits to be moved to federal courts were misplaced, as the bill only allows defendants, the MTBE companies, to request the federal court venues for their cases. The distinction appears arcane, but it is important to communities and water utilities that are suing the MTBE companies for spills that have polluted groundwater supplies around the country.
Clean Air Act: The two House Clean Air Act provisions -- Barton's ozone non-attainment amendment and a proposal to expedite the review and approval process for mothballed petroleum refineries -- did not make it into the bill. The ozone proposal, approved by House conferees, was rejected by the Senate, while the refinery language was never offered as an amendment.
Barton has been working for years to try to allow areas that do not meet EPA's current eight-hour ozone standard, as well as its old one-hour requirement, to receive an extension of their compliance deadlines if they can show their primary emissions problems come from upwind industrial sources. Non-attainment areas would receive an extended, flexible timeframe to comply with the EPA standards without facing a slate of existing, more costly requirements on their local industries.
The Senate voted against the plan because, as it deals with the Clean Air Act, it would require approval by the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Domenici stated repeatedly that jurisdiction over all environmental issues must go before that panel. The vote stunned environmentalists in the audience.
The refinery provision would have smoothed the way for the start-up of idled petroleum refineries by expediting the review and approval process for mothballed facilities. It also would have sped up the permitting process for a new plant provided a site was in an area that had an idled refinery or experienced "mass layoffs at manufacturing facilities" as defined by the Labor Department and had an unemployment rate exceeding the national average by at least 10 percent.
The expectation was that Barton either would have offered the amendment during last night's session, or that it would be attached to the bill in the manager's amendment package approved at the very end of the markup. Neither happened.
Other major amendments: Elsewhere, lawmakers approved an amendment providing $2 billion in risk insurance for the nuclear power industry to guard against regulatory and other problems they may encounter in trying to build new-generation reactors.
The proposal, first outlined by President Bush this past spring, provides full coverage for delays for the first two reactors that receive combined licenses and on which construction has begun, capped at $500 million per contract. For the next four reactors, payments would be 50 percent of covered costs capped at $250 million per contract.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and environmentalists also protested an amendment by Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas) that effectively takes all state Clean Air Act lawsuits for everything from pipeline projects to import terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) out of state courts and into federal courts.
Renewable portfolio standards: The conference rejected Sen. Jeff Bingaman's (D-N.M.) proposal to implement a 10 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2030, even after he added provisions allowing utilities to get credit for demand-side management programs.
Barton's proposal to turn the standard into a "clean energy" standard that would include clean coal, advanced nuclear and existing and new hydropower projects also was turned down, with Markey charging it "makes a mockery" of the Bingaman proposal. Bingaman's plan had been part of the Senate bill but was removed during initial conference talks. "It guts the renewable portfolio standard and what the Senate has been trying to achieve," Markey said. "We're better off doing nothing."
Tax package: The roughly $11 billion, 10-year tax package has not yet been finalized or made fully public, but lobbyists said last night they expected offsets to total about $3 billion.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Thomas outlined some broad points for energy conferees in a pre-conference meeting yesterday afternoon. According to one source who was in on the briefing, initial tax incentives totaled $11.68 billion and were distributed as follows:
Other amendments: Among other amendments added to the final version of the energy bill:
Source: By Mary O'Driscoll, E&E Daily Senior Reporter, 7/26/2005.
The House-Senate Conference Committee meeting on national energy legislation today approved sweeping changes to the nation's geothermal energy laws. The provisions, titled the John Rishel Geothermal Steam Act Amendments, represent the first major overhaul of the Geothermal Steam Act since 1970.
"The geothermal provisions adopted by the Conference Committee are a dramatic improvement in the law," noted Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association. "They will encourage the rapid expansion of geothermal energy use in the West."
Pointing to some of the highlights, Gawell added, "This bill streamlines some of the most bureaucratic aspects of the law, provides clear direction for the agencies to make geothermal a priority, gives local governments more funding to mitigate impacts, and ensures that the federal agencies will have the resources needed to implement the new law and quickly work-off a 30 year backlog of unfinished studies and ignored lease applications." Among some of the key provisions of the new law:
Leasing: New Law: There will be regular lease sales at least every two years in states with geothermal resources, and all leases will be subject to competitive bidding.
Old Law: BLM often failed to process lease applications or hold lease sales. For example, despite its significant geothermal resources, there have been no geothermal leases issued in California in over a decade. In other states, a significant number of lease applications submitted as long as 20 and 30 years ago still wait to be processed. Also, under the old law, most leases were sold non- competitively.
Royalties: New Law: New regulations establishing royalties on a "gross proceeds" basis (percentage of total income) will be written, leases will start paying royalties in their first year of production, and county governments will receive 25 percent of the royalty income to help mitigate impacts. According to agency experts, a gross proceeds royalty is simpler, more verifiable, and provides revenue stability. (Very similar changes were recently recommended by the MMS Royalty Advisory Committee.) Royalty changes are expected to cut administrative costs substantially for both geothermal power producers and the government. MMS is directed to keep the changes revenue neutral.
Old Law: Royalties were based upon a percentage of the "value of the steam or hot water" used. Since companies don't sell steam this required complex calculations and record keeping for each lease to determine its unique royalty value. To ensure that the complex records were accurate each lease was required to be audited and most audits occurred years later resulting in significant administrative costs for both the government and companies.
Direct Use Geothermal: (Use of geothermal energy by ranchers, communities and others for purposes other than electricity production.)
New Law: So-called direct uses of geothermal energy are encouraged under the legislation by allowing simpler procedures for leasing, establishing a fee schedule instead of royalties payments, and allowing state and local governments to use geothermal resources for public purposes at a nominal charge.
Old Law: The previous law made no distinction between electricity production by a major power company and geothermal use by a community for heating schools or by a rancher to improve agricultural output. As a result, while hundreds of direct use operations exist on state and private land -- ranging from greenhouses and fish farming to heating the State Capitol Building in Boise, Idaho -- on all of the hundreds of millions of acres of federal land in the West there are only two direct use operations today. The extensive administrative requirements and high royalty charges associated with federal leases were cited as fundamental barriers in congressional testimony.
R&D Direction: Geothermal - The Secretary shall conduct a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for geothermal energy. The program shall focus on developing improved technologies for reducing the costs of geothermal energy installations, including technologies for:
Renewable and Clean Energy Incentives: Extension and modification of renewable electricity production credit
(Section 45). Provision extends placed-in-service date by two years (through December 31, 2007) for qualifying facilities: wind facilities; closed-loop biomass facilities; open-loop biomass facilities; geothermal facilities; small irrigation power facilities; landfill gas facilities; and trash combustion facilities. Placed-in-service dates for solar facilities and refined coal facilities are not altered. Qualifying facilities receive credits per kWh for electricity produced over a 10 year period. Hydropower and Indian coal are added as new qualifying energy resources. Provision is generally effective on date of enactment. Cost: $2.747 billion
Pass through to cooperatives. Section 45 allows eligible cooperatives to elect to pass any portion of the renewable electricity production credit to their patrons. An eligible cooperative is defined as a cooperative organization that is owned more than 50 percent by agricultural producers or entities owned by agricultural producers.
Clean renewable energy bonds. Provision creates new category of tax credit Bonds Clean Renewable Energy Bonds. CREBs are defined as bond issued by qualified issuer if, in addition to other requirements, 95 percent of proceeds are used to finance capital expenditures incurred for facilities qualifying for tax credit under section 45. Qualified issuers include governmental bodies (including Indian tribal governments) and municipal or cooperative electric companies. Provision is effective for bonds issued after December 31, 2005. Cost: $411 million.
The full text of the final Conference Report and other documents related to their deliberations can be downloaded from the Senate Energy Committee's web site or from the House Energy and Commerce Committee web site. Source: GEO, 7/26/2005.
Breaking a four-year stalemate, a House-Senate conference committee has approved the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R. 6). The action clears the way for final passage this week and will satisfy President Bush's ambitious goal of completing a comprehensive energy bill this month.
H.R. 6 represents the most sweeping energy legislation in decades. Specifically the bill:
Source: GEO, 7/26/2005.
When it comes to requiring power providers to generate more renewable energy, most Arizonans say "send me the bill." A newly-released Rocky Mountain Poll conducted in Arizona during sweaty, hot July found that 61 percent of residents favor the concept of requiring electric companies to generate more power through more solar and wind means, and more than half (57 percent) are willing to pay $25 more a month to see it happen.
More than 80 percent support the measure if their power bill rose by a more modest $1 to $2. And levels above $25 sent support for more green energy down to 37 percent. The Arizona Corporation Commission is looking into such a requirement over the next 20 years.
The findings in this study are based on a survey of 705 adults across Arizona conducted between July 9 and July 16 by the Behavior Research Center of Arizona as part of its independent Rocky Mountain Poll series. Source: American City Business Journals Inc., 7/26/2005
Dome-Tech Solar recently reported that New Jersey medical services agency the Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation has activated a new 119-kilowatt solar energy system, which the company says will generate about 20 percent of the service's electricity needs. Dome-Tech said it installed the system, which qualifies for a rebate of 60 percent of its initial cost through the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program, atop the roof of MONOC's Wall County headquarters. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 7/20/2005
Boralex Inc. has arranged a $285-million master credit agreement to develop wind power projects in France over the next three years. The agreement will be by BNP Paribas SA as initial bank and arranger, Montreal-based Boralex said Monday.
The firm also announced it has completed the acquisition of Eoliennes de Plouguin SAS, a wind power company that holds the operating rights to an eight-megawatt wind farm in Plouguin, in western France, as announced May 25. A first drawdown of about $17.7 million under the credit agreement will be invested in construction of this new site, slated to begin commercial operation in October 2005.
"By the end of 2005, when the new sites in France start operating, Boralex will have a total installed capacity of 315 megawatts, of which 90 megawatts will be from wind power in France," the company said in a release. Boralex focuses on four types of power generation: hydroelectric power, thermal or cogeneration power from natural gas or wood residue, and wind power. The company employs more than 250 workers and owns 17 power stations in Quebec, the United States and France, with an installed capacity of slightly more than 250 megawatts.
Boralex also operates an urban wood processing and recycling centre in Montreal. In addition, it holds a 23 per cent interest in Boralex Power Income Fund which owns 10 power stations in Quebec and the United States with an installed capacity of close to 190 megawatts. Source: Canadian Press, 7/25/2005.
An overwhelming majority of Americans supports the US agreeing to limit greenhouse gas emissions in concert with other members of the G8 Summit. The new PIPA-Knowledge Networks poll asked, if, at the G8 Summit, “the leaders of these other countries are willing to act to limit the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, President Bush should or should not be willing to act to limit such gases in the US?” Eighty-six percent said that he should. Eighty-one percent of Republicans supported this as well as 89% of Democrats. Virtually all respondents-94%-said the US should limit its greenhouse gases at least as much as the other developed countries do on average.
Nearly half-44%-think the US should do more than average. Steven Kull, director of PIPA, comments, “Going into the G8 Summit, nearly all Americans feel that the US should not be a laggard, but should be ready to do as much as most other developed countries to reduce emissions that cause climate change.” Consistent with this support for international cooperation on climate change, a large majority-73%-said the US should, “participate in the Kyoto agreement to reduce global warming.” 43% still assume, incorrectly, that President Bush favors US participation in the Kyoto Treaty and another 14% are not sure. Only 43% are aware that he opposes US participation. A large majority of Americans express support for legislation to reduce greenhouse gases.
Respondents were told about the targets in one of the key drafts of the McCain-Lieberman legislation (Climate Stewardship Act), which would require large companies to reduce their emissions to 2000 levels by 2010 and to 1990 levels by 2020. An overwhelming 83% said they favored the legislation, with just 13% opposed. They were then asked if they would favor the bill “if in fact it appears that it would likely cost $15 a month for an average household.” Two out of three (68%) said they would, while 28% said they would not. Respondents were asked to consider a variety of possible strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: GEO, 7/26/2005.
While the Colorado Plains swelter in the heat, Xcel Energy and "CORE-37," which is a coalition of renewable energy advocates including the Colorado Renewable Energy Society , are spending the summer in air conditioning behind closed doors hammering out a set of rules to administer Amendment 37. If successful, they will present a set of rules that everyone can agree on to the Colorado Public Utility Commission for approval. An agreement would be preferable for all parties rather than trusting a government agency such as the PUC to arbitrarily impose its own rules.
All parties to the negotiations are staying cool, and no news is leaking from the chambers. Nevertheless, they have committed to the Public Utility Commission to emerge and propose their "consensus rules" by Mid-August. CRES expects the PUC to announce the following schedule:
Source: CRES Members: CRES Clips, 7/27/2005.
A new survey released by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 86% of Californians believe global warming will affect current or future generations and that 54 perent lack confidence in the environmental and energy programs of the federal government and want the state to act on its own to address the problem.
According to the survey 57 perent believe the effects of global warming are already being felt. Three in four (75 perent) say the effects of global warming on the state's economy and quality of life will be very or somewhat serious.
Accordingly, 77 perent favor the state law requiring automakers to further reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from new cars in California, beginning in 2009; 83 perent favor requiring automakers to significantly improve the fuel efficiency of cars; and 73 percent support the policy even if it increases the cost of buying a new car. Source: WorldChanging.com, 7/24/2005.
On July 19, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved a plan that requires the state’s utilities to acquire 2percent of their electricity demand from renewable resources by 2006, ramping up to 8percent by 2013. The requirements will apply to the two investor-owned utilities in the state, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren.
ICC staff concluded that the plan offers both consumer and environmental protections, noting that renewable energy can “provide a hedge against rising fossil fuel prices and . . . reduce the amount of pollutants released by the burning of fossil fuels.”
In his February 3 State of the State address, Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) proposed the renewables plan that served as the model for the ICC’s plan. His proposal set the 8% goal and stipulated that 75 percent of that renewable energy should come from wind power, which would be approximately 3,000 MW of wind power capacity installations (see Wind Energy Weekly #1128, February 4).
The ICC expects Illinois’s electric utilities to file plans to implement the Sustainable Energy Plan within 30 days.
In response to the leadership shown by the state of Illinois on renewable energy portfolio standard policy, which is of great interest in that state as well as its neighbors, AWEA intends to hold a workshop on best practice RPS implementation in Chicago in the winter of 2006. Illinois will become the 20th state (in addition to the District of Columbia) to adopt an RPS. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 7/22/2005.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced today it expects to issue a Request for Offers on August 4th, to solicit renewable energy on behalf of its electric customers. This marks the company's third renewable energy solicitation pursuant to the State of California Renewable Portfolio Standard program.
PG&E expects to issue its solicitation on August 4th with the goal of entering into contracts by the end of the year. Details about the solicitation process will be available on the website. PG&E looks forward to receiving a broad range of competitive products from prospective renewable energy suppliers. Typical sources of renewable energy include power generated from solar, wind, small hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, and various ocean technologies.
Since PG&E began its RPS Program, it has entered into 13 contracts for 443 MW of renewable energy, enough power to serve more than 325,000 customers. California's RPS Program requires each utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating resources by 1% of load per year, so PG&E anticipates additional renewable solicitations in future years as well. The RPS Program was passed by the Legislature and is managed by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission. Source: Yahoo Finance, 7/25/2005.
The U.S. Coast Guard Engineering Logistics Center announces its intent to purchase solar photovoltaic modules manufactured according to Coast Guard specifications. The Coast Guard estimates the purchase of 1,440 10 Watt Solar Panels, 926 20 Watt Solar Panels and 785 40 Watt Solar Panels. The RFP will be issued on or about 8/1/05.
For more info, contact Kathleen Harriganat. Refer to Sol# HSCG40-05-R-20036. (FBO 7/14/05). Source: Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, 7/22/2005.
The U.S. Agency for International Development seeks applications for the Rural Energy and Environmental Development in Georgia (of the former Soviet Union). The REED project aims to: (a) increase supply of energy in rural areas (both grid connected and off-grid); (b) improve management of local energy production; (c) improve in-country capacity in rural energy and alternative energy applications; and (d) improve capacity to utilize and protect the local energy resource base. The REED activity will contribute to U.S. AIDs mission for creating a sustainable energy system through increased diversified, renewable energy supply and increased efficiency in the energy sector. $13.5 million expected to be available, 1 award anticipated. Responses due 7/29/05. For more info, contact Ekaterine Dzneladze. Refer to Sol# 114-05-006. (Fedgrants 7/5/05). Source: Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, 7/22/2005.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science to Achieve Results Program requests applications for graduate fellowships for master's and doctoral level students in 18 environmental fields of study. The fellowship program provides up to $37K per year of support per fellowship. $9.8 million expected to be available, 100 awards anticipated. Responses due 10/18/05. For more info, contact Stephanie Willett. Refer to Sol# EPA-F2006-STAR. (Fedgrants 7/11/05). Source: Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, 7/22/2005.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Greater Research Opportunities Program requests applications for graduate fellowships for master's and doctoral level students in 18 environmental fields of study. Applicants must be attending a U.S. institution that receives less than $35 million in Federal Research and Development expenditures. GRO seeks to strengthen the environmental research capacity of institutions of higher education that receive limited funding to build such capacity, including in particular institutions with substantial minority enrollment. The fellowship program provides up to $37K per year of support per fellowship. $1.5 million expected to be available, up to 15 awards anticipated. Pre-applications due 10/18/05. For more info, contact Stephanie Willett. Refer to Sol# EPA-F2006-GRO. (Fedgrants 7/19/05). Source: Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, 7/22/2005.
On July 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced that up to an estimated $200 million in guaranteed loan funds is now available for investments in renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements by agriculture producers and rural small businesses The $200 million ($11.4 million in actual cost to the government) is part of the $22.8 million announcement made in March by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns (see Wind Energy Weekly #1136, April 1).
In the March announcement, Johanns indicated that the $22.8 million would be made available in two stages: in March 2005, USDA would begin receiving grant applications while the remaining $11.4 million, which will convert into an estimated $200 million in guaranteed loan funds, would be delayed pending the publishing of the application guidelines for the guarantee loan program. The period for receiving grant applications closed on June 27.
Section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill established the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements loan and grant program to encourage agricultural producers and small rural businesses to create renewable and energy efficient systems. The loan guarantee funds made available this week will be used to support a wide range of technologies including wind energy, biomass (including anaerobic digesters), geothermal, hydrogen, and solar, as well as energy efficiency improvements.
Funds will be set aside through August 31 for renewable energy and energy efficiency guaranteed loans. Final details on how to apply for these funds were published in the Federal Register on July 18. Any funds not obligated under the guarantee loan program by August 31 will be reallocated to the competitive grant program as of that date. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA’s Web site at. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 7/22/2005.
This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
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