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The Green-e Program of the Center for Resource Solutions announced today that Element Markets, LLC has been approved to transact Green-e certified Renewable Energy Certificates. Founded in 2004, Element Markets operates as an asset manager and works with clients that range from developers to utilities to end-use customers who need to understand REC markets. Element Markets helps them understand the market and achieve value for the RECs they have or procure the RECs they need. Element Markets offers solutions to businesses looking to mitigate the impacts of their business practices with emissions credits and renewable energy certificates. This ensures that environmental assets, liabilities, and trading strategies are managed at their optimum commercial level over a long-term basis.
Through participation in the Green-e program, Element Markets may source and package their RECs for Green-e certification. The agreement will enable Element Markets to offer Green-e certified renewable certificates on a national basis through their REC option, available to business customers who voluntarily want to reduce their environmental impact by purchasing RECs. Eligible generators who transact through Element Markets will be able to sell their renewable certificates in the market as Green-e products, thereby enhancing the value of the certificates and expanding the markets available to them.
Through the display and recognition of the Green-e logo, the national symbol for renewable energy excellence, a growing number of consumers are able to easily identify high quality, certified renewable energy options, as well as everyday consumer products that are made with Certified Renewable Energy. Providers of Green-e certified renewable energy agree to abide by the Green-e Code of Conduct, and meet Green-e disclosure and truth-in-advertising requirements. All Green-e marketers undergo an annual verification audit to document that the company purchased or generated enough quantity and type of renewable energy to meet customer demand and marketing claims. Over 100 marketers and utilities throughout North America now offer Green-e certified renewable energy products. Collectively these suppliers sold 3.5 million MWh of Green-e certified renewable energy in 2004.
The Spring Edition of the Green-e News is available online. Source: PHPlist, San Francisco, CA, 5/18/2006.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell was recognized today for its leadership in clean energy purchasing. In January, UMass Lowell purchased enough clean wind energy Renewable Energy Certificates to cover 13 percent of its annual load for three years. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs announced that, with this purchase, UMass Lowell is the first agency in the state to purchase renewable power.
With this significant wind energy purchase, The University of Massachusetts Lowell is contributing to cleaner air and water, combating global warming, facilitating national security, and reducing impacts on the Cape from sea level rise. Moreover, they are providing an example of responsible energy purchasing for over 12,000 students, taking a leadership position in our nation's energy future. "This purchase makes good business sense, especially when your business is education," commented Think Energy President Mark Crowdis.
UMass Lowell is a member of the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Purchasers program, an aggregate purchasing group convened and advised by Think Energy, Inc. and the Center for Resource Solutions. Together, CRS and Think Energy guide MREP members to cost-effective clean energy purchasing opportunities with the best terms and contracts. In January 2006, eight MREP members and allies made a collective purchase of more that 20,500 MWh of RECs, enough to power over 22,800 homes in Massachusetts for one month.
Renewable Energy Certificates represent the environmental and social benefits of clean energy production. The RECs purchased by MREP members are supplied by Community Energy, Inc. and are generated from 100 percent new wind energy.
For more information about UMass Lowell, contact Jennifer Hansen at 978-934-3108. Technical questions about the UMass Lowell REC purchase should be directed to Mark Lukitsch at 978-934-2606. Source: CRS Release, 6/10/2006.
This update summarizes recent green power marketing activity, including news and information on competitive green power marketing, utility green pricing programs, renewable energy certificates, green power pricing, and related market activity. Additional information on green power markets and products, as well as links to the companies mentioned below, can be found on the U.S. Department of Energy's Green Power Network Web site. Source: U.S. Department of Energy's Green Power Network, 5/3/2006.
When it was rebuilt in 2003, Redmond High School reflected the Lake Washington School District’s desire to conserve energy and explore renewable sources of energy. The school was built with an innovative ground-coupled water source heat pump system, also known as a geothermal heat pump. Now the school has added another renewable energy feature, a first for a King County school, in a photovoltaic or solar electric system.
The system is complemented by a modern, web-based data system. A computer screen is set inside a kiosk in the school’s main hallway, surrounded by a host of renewable energy information posters. The screen alternates between displays showing the PV system’s real-time energy production and an interactive presentation explaining how generating electricity from the sun actually works. The PV system provides the school with a modest amount of solar power and the students with a learning tool. In addition, the experience has spurred the Lake Washington School District to consider PV as a potential power source. The district will pilot a solar power program this year with its portable classrooms. These self-contained buildings have high-demand energy systems. “The PV panels are easily visible in the school’s main courtyard, which really exposes them to our students as well as the sun. Now, with the educational kiosk in the main hallway, our students can see how the project is performing,” said Forrest Miller, director of support services.
Puget Sound Energy funded the system through a program dedicated to supporting renewable energy projects within its service territory. The Bonneville Environmental Foundation manages the program on its behalf. “We appreciated the opportunity to complement the innovative energy design features at the Redmond High School with a solar power system,” said Mike Richardson, manager of renewable energy customer programs at PSE. “This is the first school solar project we’ve supported, and it proved to be an ideal location, in large part because of the support from the school and the district.”
The solar power system includes six Sharp NT-175U1 modules, allowing for a peak capacity of approximately 1050 watts. One 1800-watt SMA inverter converts the DC output from the solar panels to useable AC power. The system is expected to generate more than 1,000 kilowatt-hours per year of renewable electricity. The data acquisition and monitoring system, from Fat Spaniel Technologies, Inc., will allow students to collect system performance information for presentation and analysis. More information on the system’s performance is available on the Web. Source: B. Jeppesen, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, 5/3/2006.
Monroe Litho, Rochester, NY, will move entirely to wind-generated power after signing an agreement to purchase 1.8 million kilowatt hours of power annually. While wind-generated power is more expensive, says the firm in a statement, Monroe has taken steps to offset these costs by increasing productivity. These steps include the addition of a 6-color 40'' Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102. "We think differently from most printers," says CEO Chris Pape. "We take corporate social responsibility very seriously. Going to 100 percent wind power was the next logical step in our environmental efforts."
In 2004 Monroe became the seventh printer certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (about 80 printing firms currently are). The company says it also buys inks in recyclable barrels instead of 5-lb. pails, recycled 400 tons of post-consumer waste paper last year and cut VOC emissions 29 percent in the last five years. Last year, Monroe says it obtained 25 FSC-certified print orders; this year it expects that number to double. The company has 82 employees and annual sales of about $14 million. Source: Industry News, 6/14/2006.
Mid Valley Market, a family-run grocery store in Odell, Oregon, is now partnering with BEF to use clean, renewable energy. Owners John and Kathie Alley are leading the way towards sustainable energy use with their Green Tag commitment, which offsets 196,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. Their support for renewable energy is just one green element of their businesses; they have also invested in energy efficiency improvements, offer biodiesel at their retail fuel pumps and utilize solar water heating at the attached laundromat. Through the forward-thinking practices of small businesses such as Mid Valley Market, the demand for clean, low impact energy sources keeps growing. Source: BEF's Summer Newsletter, 6/14/2006.
Brookfield Power’s Salmon river hydro project in New York state has been certified as low impact by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. This is the first project in New York state to receive an eight-year LIHI certification, versus the typical five-year recognition. The Salmon river project consists of two existing hydro power plants – Bennetts Bridge and Lighthouse Hill – located in the towns of Redfield and Orwell, Oswego County, New York. The installed capacity of the project is nearly 30MW at Bennetts Bridge and 7.5MW at Lighthouse Hill.
In 2003 and 2004, Brookfield Power received LIHI certification for 24 of its New York hydro power facilities. By adding the two Salmon river facilities, 26 out of 72 hydro power facilities owned and operated by Brookfield Power in New York State have LIHI certification, with a total capacity of nearly 260MW. To receive the certification, Brookfield Power had to demonstrate that its projects met LIHI’s eight, environmentally rigorous, low impact criteria addressing: river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, threatened and endangered species protection, cultural resources, recreation use and access, and whether or not the dam itself has been recommended for removal.
Brookfield Power successfully completed LIHI’s application process, which included a public comment period, review by an independent technical consultant, consultations with state and federal resource agencies, and evaluation by the LIHI Governing Board, which includes leaders in the river conservation and renewable energy fields. Source: waterpowermagazine.com – 5/17/2006.
Die Beck Energy GmbH, a company that specializes in the development and construction of large-scale solar power plants, has begun construction of the solar park "Markt Bibart I" in Markt Bibart in cooperation with Bos.ten AG from Regensburg.
The final output capacity will be 3160kWp, which is enough to power about 1000 private homes. Bernhard Beck, CEO of Beck Energy and Michael Drysch, CEO of Bos.ten both took part in the ground-breaking ceremony for what will be the world's largest solar power plant utilizing crystalline thin-film technology. The electricity from the facility will be fed into the power grid of utility provider N-Ergie AG. The whole solar power plant will be fitted with Blitzstrom CTS modules manufactured by First Solar, their most significant features being high efficiency, cost effectiveness and a comprehensive end-of-life recycling management.
Since June 2005, First Solar is offering to take back modules after their service life for recycling. They will then be reprocessed and the materials re-introduced into the production cycle. This life cycle management demonstrates the leading role of First Solar in the pv industry when it comes to maximizing the environmental benefits of solar technology. Beck Energy is in close co-operation with First Solar and is favouring CTS technology for large-scale solar power plants. Inverters for "Markt Bibart I" will be supplied by technology partner SMA Technologie AG. The dc branch of the solar power plant will be operating with 800VDC, thus significantly reducing copper losses. Completion of the project is set for 2007. Source: Clean Edge News, May 5, 2006.
How can you stay connected to the news you need without having to wade through non-essential information?
It's time you discover HydroNews.net! This new electronic news product focuses exclusively on hydro. Developed and published by seasoned news professionals, HydroNews.net delivers the most concise and reliable market intelligence you'll find today. Source: Leslie Eden, 6/15/2006.
Constellation NewEnergy, a subsidiary of power marketer Constellation Energy Group Inc., on Wednesday said it plans to buy all of the solar energy power output from a new plant owned by the city of Brockton, Mass. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The plant produces 425 kilowatts of electricity, or enough to power Brockton's city hall and a portion of its police station's load. Over one year, it avoids the emission of about 595,300 pounds of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to taking 45 cars off the road.
Shares of Constellation Energy rose $1.50, or 2.9 percent, to $53.83 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $50.40 to $62.60. Source: The Associated Press, 6/14/2006.
It's refreshing, but also a bit disconcerting, to hear some of the glowing predictions for primary agriculture in the years ahead. Optimistic predictions in the past have seldom come to fruition. Why should this time be different? There's no denying that a huge structural change is underway, as ethanol and biodiesel are embraced as partial replacements for petroleum products. It's hoped this burgeoning demand will result in tighter world stocks and, therefore, higher grain prices. There have often been analysts predicting that the growing demand for food was going to do the same thing.
In most of the past 10 years, grain prices have been so low that many producers have had to draw on their equity just to stay in business. Growing a wider array of crops and producing for specialized markets have helped, but have been no panacea. Stocks-to-use ratios for grain are often hitting the rock-bottom levels that caused dramatic price rallies back in the 1970s, but the world never seems to run short and the value of grain has fallen out of sync with the inputs needed to produce it.
It's a little hard to believe the world is on the precipice of a new era, but that's exactly the message from analysts such as Ron Witherspoon. Based in Regina, Witherspoon is with Interactive Management Group. He spoke June 12 to the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association's annual con in Estevan. At a time when more grain farmers than ever are questioning why they're in agriculture, Witherspoon is saying that owning farmland in Saskatchewan is a good thing. "We are the biomass sheiks," says Witherspoon, referring to our huge land base and production. He believes high oil prices are here to stay and that increasing production of ethanol will force increases in grain prices. Witherspoon says there have been no new petroleum refineries in the U.S. in the past 30 years and many of the existing ones are in the path of hurricanes; plus, maintaining a steady supply of Arab oil is tenuous at best.
Meanwhile, American ethanol production is booming, consuming billions of bushels of corn each year. Consumption is going to increase by many more billions in the years ahead. Some U.S. senators are already lobbying for a 25 percent blend in gasoline. By comparison, Canada is talking about a renewable fuel standard of 5 percent by 2010. Even though Canada is going a lot slower, we'll benefit from the changes in the American grain market.
Right now, the profit margins are huge. Many progressive farmers on this side of the border have been burned with investments in value-added ventures and livestock enterprises. While those kinds of enterprises make sense on the landlocked Prairies, margins are tight. Management errors and undercapitalization have exacted a toll.
Another exciting development is biogas. Livestock can be fed the byproducts from ethanol production. In turn, the manure can be used to generate methane that can be burned for heat and for the production of electricity. There are a growing number of working examples across the country, most of which are modeled after designs being used in Europe. No one can predict with certainty how the future will unfold, but agriculture as an energy source seems destined to drive the kind of structural change that we haven't seen in decades. Source: Kevin Hursh, Special to The StarPhoenix, 6/14/2006.
The devastation in the forestry industry has created greater awareness in Northern Ontario to consider creating green fuel projects from the region’s abundant wood waste, says a leading bio-products expert. But building a new bio-economy in Ontario from the forest scrap heap won’t happen overnight. Dr. David Deyoe says that despite the big push to develop bio-renewable fuels, demand is way ahead of supply, in terms of available technology. Much of today’s current conversion technology, such as gasification and pyrolysis processes, remains in the prototype testing stage and is likely three to five years away from commercialization. And it will require a greater commitment from industry to embrace change towards making new value-added chemical products and for government to create a new regulatory framework to better utilize wood waste.
Deyoe, a Ministry of Natural Resources senior biotechnology advisor, has been a much sought-after speaker in the last year-and-a-half, delivering about 40 presentations across Northern Ontario on the emerging economic trends in using forest biomass for fuel. Deyoe is in the early stages of preparing a forest biomass supply model, a kind of primer to stimulate some ideas for business and job opportunities and to help governments shape a provincial and national bio-energy policy. In the past, when wood waste wasn’t being buried or left behind, it was used by industry as hog fuel and for composite wood products. But Deyoe says business has been slow to explore other opportunities in utilizing unused sawdust, bark, treetops and stumps for green fuel, specialty chemicals and polymers.
Mill closures due to high energy prices and global competition have had one-industry towns such as Opasatika, Atikokan, Dryden, Kenora and Hearst eager to pursue new value-added opportunities with an almost Scandinavian zeal. The potential of a new economy was realized when a California bio-engineering company, MEMS USA, stepped forward in January and proposed building a $150 million US wood waste-to-ethanol fuel plant in Hearst using scrap and residue from area mills, harvest sites and from a landfill. In March, Deyoe was preparing to take his message to industry leaders, mill managers and government policy makers at the Forest Leadership Conference in Toronto.
Deyoe is part of a public-private partnership of his own. He is working with Dr. Peter Fransham of the Ottawa-based Advanced Refinery Inc., in a green fuel venture to build a bio-refinery pilot plant at a logging site north of Sault Ste. Marie, later this year. He says talk of converting forest biomass into fuel is really nothing new, harkening back to the oil crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. But once prices stabilized, little technological or political progress was made to advance new alternative fuels. But this time around, with China and India’s “phenomenal” consumption of fossil fuel and greater public awareness of the effects of global warming, renewable fuels are looking better all the time.
Whether the jobs created from a new bio-economy will replace the 42,000 jobs lost in Ontario mill closures over the last five years, depends on the industry making some transformational changes, says Deyoe. It also depends on the companies having the cash on hand to make those kinds of investments. “There are opportunities, but the industry is not well positioned to capitalize on those regardless of how much money the province is able to put up to support the industry.”
Well before a bio-economy can even take root, Deyoe says there’s a myriad of regulatory issues to work through to address both environmental and economic concerns, including the questions of who owns the forest slash at a harvesting site. The Ministry of Natural Resources has no resource calculation on the amount of forest biomass that exists on harvest, mill or in landfill sites in Northern Ontario. Deyoe says some research data exists but not enough to make definitive policy statements. He is collecting information for Ontario’s first forest biomass inventory and plans to develop some models indicating how much supply is out there, what type it is, how it can be accessed, along with a financial analysis and forest management planning model to help businesses make better decisions. Source: By IAN ROSS, 6-16-2006.
Two hundred school officials and architects from around the state were in Ottoville today to hear the advantages of having schools with geothermal heating and cooling systems. The conference, sponsored by Ohio’s electric cooperatives, was held at Ottoville schools. The school building was the first to be constructed under the Ohio School Facilities Commission to use geothermal heating and cooling, which is the use of thermal energy from the ground. Ottoville Superintendent Ken Amstutz said the school took a risk at being the first but has since been saving $100,000 a year. The building opened in 2003. He said the school’s utility costs average 58 cents per square foot, compared to most schools that average from $1.50 to $1.75 per square foot. The conference included speakers from the facilities commission and the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium in Washington, D.C. Franklin Brown of the commission said more schools are becoming interested in geothermal heating and cooling. Spencerville schools’ new building, currently under construction, will have it. Source: By Beth L. Jokinen, 6/14/2006.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's board of commissioners recently approved a long-term purchase agreement to buy 82 megawatts of wind power annually over the next 16 years from PPM Energy, Inc. The agreement provides for the purchase of 234,000 megawatthours of wind power per year.
LADWP will purchase the wind power from the Pleasant Valley Wind Energy Center in Uinta County, WY starting July 1. The department has agreed to pay a fixed amount of $63/MWh for the term of the agreement. Over the 16-year period, LADWP estimates that the energy delivered will cost between $236 million and $280 million.
LADWP general manager Ron Deaton said he expects to bring two additional wind energy agreements with PPM for board and city council approval sometime in "the near future." The two projects will increase the city's renewable energy portfolio by an additional 1.2 percent. Contact: Carol Tucker, LADWP, at 213-367-1815. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 6/6/2006.
Q: I like the idea of generating my own electricity with solar cells. I will save on electric bills and have electricity when the utility's power goes off. Are solar-cell systems available for home use?
A: The proper term for solar-cell systems that produce electricity is PV. PV systems are available for providing electricity for homes, and some homes use it exclusively. The technology has been advancing quickly, and it is becoming more efficient and less costly. Still, at today's electric rates from utility companies, it would take a long time to pay back the initial investment in a PV system for your home. They most often are used on remote homes where it is difficult to run electric lines.
This does not necessarily mean you should not consider installing a PV system on your home. Solar cells have a very long life with some systems offering a 20-year warranty. No one really knows how high electric utility rates will be in 20 years. PV is clean power, so your children will not have to deal with as much pollution and problems from global warming. Also, PV can provide emergency power when the utility's electricity goes off. In April, Texas experienced brownouts from air-conditioning use on a hot afternoon. If the bird flu hits, rolling brownouts are forecast because utility employees will not be able to go to work. The tornado season already has been severe this year.
Most people install a PV system and remain attached to the utility company's power. You can start out with a relatively small system and gradually add more solar-cell panels as your budget allows or as utility rates increase. Check with your local utility company to see if it will buy excess electricity from you or allow it to run your electric meter in reverse. A large area of PV cells will be needed. Many of the newest PV designs are built into roof shingles. From the ground, these are barely distinguishable from standard shingles.
Plan on installing efficient appliances and making some minor lifestyle changes. For electricity during the night or cloudy stormy weather when the power might go off, install battery sets to store the electricity. Your PV system supplier can help you determine how much storage capacity you need. To get the highest electricity output from your PV system, install standard panels on special racks that follow the sun throughout the day. These racks use no electricity and rely on the sun's heat and gravity to rotate the racks. Source: Cleveland.com, 6-15-2006.
The use of ethanol and biodiesel can “significantly reduce global dependence on oil,” according to a report from the Worldwatch Institute and the German Agencies for Technical Cooperation and Renewable Resources.
Last year, daily global production of green fuels surpassed 670,000 barrels, equivalent to 1 percent of the world’s market for transportation fuel, explains ‘Biofuels for Transportation: Global Potential & Implications for Sustainable Agriculture & Energy in the 21st Century.’ Oil accounts for 96 percent of transport fuel, but production of biofuels has doubled since 2001 and “is poised for even stronger growth as the industry responds to higher fuel prices and supportive government policies.”
The report assesses the opportunities and risks associated with large-scale development of biofuels, and includes information from existing studies on biofuel use in Brazil, China, Germany, India and Tanzania. Brazil is the world leader in green fuels, with half its crop of sugar cane providing 40 percent of its non-diesel transport fuel. In the United States, where 15 percent of the corn crop provides 2 percent of the non-diesel transport fuel, ethanol production is growing even more rapidly and this growth may allow the U.S. to overtake Brazil as the world leader this year. Both countries are producing ethanol at less than the current cost of gasoline, and biofuels could provide 37 percent of U.S. transport fuel within the next 25 years, and 75 percent if automobile fuel economy doubles, the report explains. Biofuels could replace 20 percent to 30 percent of the oil used in the European Union during the same time frame.
The large-scale use of biofuels carries significant agricultural and ecological risks, and it is “essential that government incentives be used to minimize competition between food and fuel crops and to discourage expansion onto ecologically valuable lands,” explains project manager Suzanne Hunt of Worldwatch. “The report also finds that biofuels have the potential to increase energy security, create new economic opportunities in rural areas, and reduce local pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases.”
The long-term potential for green fuels is in non-food feedstock that includes agricultural, municipal and forestry wastes, as well as fast-growing cellulose-rich energy crops such as switchgrass. The combination of cellulosic biomass resources and ‘next-generation biofuel conversion technologies’ will compete with conventional gasoline and diesel fuel without subsidies in the medium term, the report predicts.
The report recommends that biofuel policies should focus on market development based on sound fiscal incentives and support for private investment, infrastructure development, and the building of transportation fleets that are able to use the new fuels. It is critical to expedite the transition to the next generation of biofuel feedstock and technologies, which will allow for dramatically increased production at lower cost, while minimizing environmental impacts. Maintaining soil productivity, water quality and other ecosystem services is essential, it cautions, and environmental sustainability principles and certification systems are important for protecting resources as well as maintaining public trust in the merits of biofuels.
Continued rapid growth of biofuels will require development of a true international market in green fuels, which is not impeded by trade restrictions. The World Bank says biofuel industries require 100 times more workers per unit of energy produced than the fossil fuel industry, and the ethanol industry is credited with providing 200,000 jobs in the U.S. and 500,000 direct jobs in Brazil. Energy crops have the potential to reduce GHG emissions by more than 100 percent (relative to petroleum fuels) because crops also sequester carbon in the soil as they grow. “Despite controversy about the energy balance of biofuels, there is an emerging consensus that all common biofuels contain more useful energy than is required to produce them,” the report explains. Source: Refocus Weekly, 6/14/2006.
While solar photovoltaic power projects are now being built throughout the United States, California continues to be the U.S. leader in large PV power plants. Kyocera Solar, Inc. recently supplied solar modules for a 457-kilowatt solar installation at the Electrical Training Institute of Southern California, a higher education and advanced technology facility located in the City of Commerce, near Los Angeles.
Completed in April, the solar electric system is operated jointly by the Los Angeles County Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 11. And in northern California, Fetzer Vineyards is adding a 901-kilowatt PV system to the roofs of its bottling plant and Red Wine Barrel Room. The project will be installed by 3 Phases Energy, LLC and MMA Renewable Ventures, and will supply 80 percent of the bottling plant's electricity needs. Fetzer has long been a leader in renewable energy, having installed a 40-kilowatt PV system and bought 100 percent green power back in 1999. See the press releases from Kyocera Solar and MMA Renewable Ventures.
Despite California's leadership, we have to look to Europe to see the true record-breaking PV systems. Last week, GE Energy Financial Services, PowerLight Corporation, and Catavento Lda broke ground in Serpa, Portugal, on the world's largest PV power project, an 11-megawatt solar power plant . And voltwerk AG of Germany has commissioned SunTechnics GmbH to build a 1.7-megawatt PV power plant in the Bavarian town of Mering. The power plant will be built with thin-film solar technology, making it one of the largest thin-film solar power plants in the world, if not the largest. For more information, visit PowerLight and voltwerk. Source: EERE Network News, 6/14/2006.
Australian minister for environment and heritage Ian Campbell recently released a discussion paper on a proposed national code for the construction of wind farms, which the minister believes "would provide the basis for consistency, certainty and community confidence in wind power as a future source of energy."
According to Campbell, the number of wind turbines in the country has grown from 20 in 1996 to 444 today, with an additional 130 currently under construction. Campbell primarily attributes the growth to the "investment stimulus" provided by the federal Mandatory Renewable Energy Target. "The rapid growth of wind farms in Australia has generated significant community and industry concern and debate," said Campbell. "While there is a great deal of support for the wind industry, I have received a large number of letters from people across Australia unhappy with the consultation processes, and the location and size of proposed developments. The multiple planning and regulatory arrangements operating across jurisdictions frustrate and confuse them, raising the legitimate question as to why there is no national standard." The National Code for Wind Farms discussion paper is available online. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 5/3/2006.
Since 1998, state clean energy funds in the U.S. have committed nearly $400 million to 234 utility-scale renewable energy projects totaling 2,249 MW of capacity, according to a report released today by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in conjunction with the Clean Energy States Alliance. The report's findings derive from a March 2006 update to an LBNL database designed to track project and incentive information on all utility-scale renewable energy projects that have been supported by CESA-member clean energy funds.
Of the 2,249 MW of new renewables capacity currently supported, 1,116 MW have been built to date, leaving 1,133 MW still in the development pipeline. This backlog is partly a reflection of unforeseen difficulties in the development process, such as permitting challenges, difficulty securing a power purchase agreement, and periodic lapses in the federal production tax credit.
Wind power continues to be the most favored technology, having captured more than 60 percent of total funding provided (at nearly $250 million), and accounting for more than 80 percent of the total capacity supported (at 1,878 MW). States are increasingly using new and innovative incentive structures to support projects. While 78 percent of aggregate funding has been awarded through real-time production payments (e.g., x¢/kWh over a y-year period), a few states now offer variations on that theme. For example, rather than pay for production over time as the project generates power, several states have instead awarded an "advance production payment" as a lump-sum at the inception of commercial operations. The lump sum is secured by a letter of credit that declines over time as the project generates power and thereby earns the incentive. Other states have made advance purchases of a project's tradable renewable certificates — the state provides the funding at the start of commercial operations, and in exchange receives TRCs over time.
Both approaches — i.e., the lump-sum production incentive and the advance purchase of TRCs — provide capital early in the project's life, when capital-intensive renewable energy projects most need it. Yet, unlike a regular grant with no strings attached, both incentive types still hinge on the project generating power, and therefore not only encourage good performance, but also are less likely to trigger a corresponding reduction in the value of the federal production tax credit. All-told, 90 percent of all incentives awarded to date can be considered production-based. Other innovative incentive structures include providing 10-year price insurance on a project's TRCs, either through an outright purchase, or by creating price floors through the use of options and collars. Finally, several states have experimented with the use of debt to finance wind projects. Source: Clean Energy States Alliance, 5/4/2006.
The nomination period has opened for the sixth annual Green Power Leadership Awards. Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Center for Resource Solutions, the Green Power Leadership Awards are competitive awards that recognize outstanding commitments and achievements in the green power marketplace in the following three categories:
Purchasers — includes members or prospective members of the U.S. EPA's Green Power Partnership
Suppliers — includes renewable electricity providers, renewable energy certificate marketers, project developers and equipment vendors
Market Development — includes individuals, companies, and other industry leader
The Awards will be presented on December 4, 2006 in conjunction with the Eleventh National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in San Francisco, California.
Nominations must be received by 5:00pm PDT on August 4, 2006. Please see the 2006 Green Power Leadership Awards Web site for nomination details. For questions about the Purchaser and Supplier Awards, please contact Pam Bloch Mendelson at 303-275-4819. For questions about the Market Development Awards, please contact Keri Bolding at 415-561-2100.
On May 22, the Utility Wind Integration Group announced the release of an assessment on the integration of wind generation into utility power systems. The document, titled "Utility Wind Integration State of the Art," was introduced at the IEEE Power Engineering Society Transmission & Distribution Conference in Dallas.
The assessment summarizes a number of the key points raised in a series of articles on wind integration that appeared in the November/December issue of the IEEE Power Engineering Society's Power & Energy Magazine. UWIG produced the summary in cooperation with the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The assessment does not support or recommend any particular course of action or advocate any particular policy or position on the part of APPA, EEI, or NRECA.
Also, to find out how to make our future meetings better, as well as obtain guidance from our membership on arrangement and locations for our 2007 meetings, we have put together a short survey. This questionnaire is intended to solicit feedback from you on your meeting experience (if you have attended our meetings) as well as provide us input on where and how often we will have meetings next year.
Your input will be strictly confidential and this is an opportunity for you to provide significant feedback, even if you have not attended our meetings in the past. The survey will be open until June 16 and the results will be shared with the UWIG Board of Directors Meetings Committee and used to help determine the meeting schedule for 2007.
Finally, UWIG will be exhibiting in booth 641 at the American Wind Energy Association Windpower conference in Pittsburgh next week. If you are attending, please stop by and say hello. Source: Sandy Smith, Utility Wind Integration Group. 6/7/2006.
The Utility Wind Integration Group released a very important document, a 4 page summary of the state of the art in wind integration. IT IS A MUST READ!!! It was written by UWIG in cooperation with the Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the American Public Power Association which together represent nearly 100 percent of the U.S. electric industry. The document provides a concise set otatements on wind's reliability FROM THE UTILITIES PERSPECTIVE. AWEA believes this document will be of great use in interactions with utilities, regulators, other policy makers, NIMB We hope it is of great use to you in your company's interactions with these audiences as well. Please spread it far and wide.
According to UWIG's executive director Charlie Smith: "This document is a summary of the best information available from around the world on what we currently know about integrating wind power plants into electric utility systems. This summary was produced with the cooperation of the three utility industry associations representing nearly 100 percent of the utilities in the United States. The message is very positive; we don't see any fundamental technical barriers at the present time to wind penetrations of up to 20 percent of system peak demand, which is far beyond where we are today."
Smith noted that the document focuses on wind's impacts on the operating costs of the non-wind portion of the power system and on wind's impacts on the system's electrical integrity. "The consensus view is that wind power impacts can be managed with proper design and operation of the system." Source: Rob Gramlich, Policy Director, American Wind Energy Association – 5/23/2006.
SEI's upcoming PV Industry Week promises to be an exciting workshop. Representatives from manufacturers, distributors, installers, and researchers will make presentations. Industry representatives will provide technical training on their specific products and services. You can also earn NABCEP continuing education credits.
Anyone interested in working in the PV field will be sure to gain a lot from this informative week. (Note: To register you must have attended SEI's PV Design & Installation workshop or have permission from SEI's instructional staff). Carbondale, CO, July 31 - August 1. Source: PV Industry Week, 6-15-2006.
The 17th annual Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair held at the ReNew the Earth Institute, MREA educational facility. Source: SEI Newsletter Issue 42 - June 2006.
Mark your calendars for the Southwest Renewable Energy Conference August 2-3, 2006, Flagstaff, Ariz. The Southwest Renewable Energy Conference is a forum for the exchange of ideas and information about renewable energy. The conference program covers a wide range of information to encourage thoughtful evaluation and discussion on the development of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy on tribal, federal, state and private lands.
Topics will include:
Climate change risks, regulations and mitigations strategies
Global energy markets and their effect on renewable energy
The water-energy nexus
Utility acquisition of renewable energy resources: To buy or build
Financing renewables
Making renewable energy projects attractive to utilities
Transmission policy and planning
Tribal energy projects in the Southwest – Lessons learned
Costs of wind project integration
Renewable energy credit markets and solar initiatives
Western Governors' Association – Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative
Registration is now open. For further information, contact Kristine Newton at 303-384-0414, or Shelly Collings at 720-233-5590. Source: Southwest Renewable Energy Conference, 6-15-2006.
The Geothermal Resources Council will convene its 2006 Annual Meeting at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, CA on September 10-13, 2006. Committee organization and planning for the event is underway. Check the GRC website for more information about the meeting – and the companion Geothermal Energy Association Trade Show – as it becomes available. See you in San Diego! Source: Geothermal Resources Council – 6/15/2006.
A growing portion of U.S. states' electricity is being provided by renewable energy, according to a report released today by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. States are using increasingly aggressive and ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards in order to spur economic development and create a reliable and diversified supply of electricity, as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conventional pollutants. As of mid 2006, 22 states and the District of Columbia have implemented an RPS; well over half of the American public now lives in a state in which an RPS is in operation.
The Pew Center report, "Race to the Top: The Expanding Role of U.S. State Renewable Portfolio Standards," authored by Barry Rabe of the University of Michigan, builds on earlier Pew Center analyses of the state role in climate policy development. The proliferation of RPSs at the state level provides real-world models of whether a federal RPS may be a feasible option to increase the nation's use of renewable energy sources as part of a larger energy and climate change policy. "If we are to successfully address climate change, we must increase our use of renewable energy. States are leading on renewables, as they are in so many aspects of climate policy," said Pew Center President Eileen Claussen. "Engagement between states and federal policymakers on this issue has been surprisingly limited, and is long overdue."
In addition to examining challenges and opportunities inherent in policy design and implementation, the report includes case studies of five states — Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Massachusetts and Nevada. The author explores the political and economic advantages and pitfalls in each state, and finds an unusually high degree of bipartisan support and rapid expansion of RPSs at the state level. Economic development and job creation also emerge as drivers in virtually every state. Despite the many advantages of state-level RPS policies, the report finds that states also face challenges. States increasingly are grappling with electricity transmission capacity constraints, differential treatment of various renewable sources as well as facility siting concerns. The biggest challenge in the future will likely revolve around the need for interstate collaboration and dialogue as the questions of cooperation across state boundaries arise. Ultimately, federal and state regulators will need to work together in the event of adoption of a federal RPS.
States are already beginning to cooperate regionally and that pattern is likely to continue, but there is much the federal government could do to enable a significant expansion of renewable energy. The Pew Center's recent Agenda for Climate Action recommends that renewables be a key element of a climate-friendly energy path for the U.S. It describes the areas in which federal efforts are needed, including R & D funding and technology development, and notes that there are many ways in which the federal government can support and encourage ongoing state renewables initiatives. These may involve incentives for uniform grid interconnection standards at the state level, or the creation of a uniform system for tracking renewable energy credits across the country. In designing federal policies, Congress should recognize the regional differences in renewable resources and existing state-level policy actions. A complete copy of this report — and previous Pew Center reports — is available on the Pew Center's Web site. Source: U.S. Newswire - 6/14/2006.
Welcome to Power Engineering's first specialized e-newsletter for the renewable energy power industry. This special edition renewable energy e-newsletter features the most important renewable energy related news, with articles by industry experts and reviews on products and services that directly affect the renewable energy generation industry. In this issue, Power Engineering brings you exclusive features on energy storage, wave power, geothermal investing and a biomass case study from renewable energy professionals. The e-newsletter also offers the top news in the green energy market and some of the latest renewable energy projects and contracts in the field. Renewable Energy subscribers may access complete current and archived stories online.
The Bureau of Land Management released last week a preliminary map that shows potential energy corridors on Federal lands in 11 Western states. DOE, BLM, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Department of Defense are preparing to designate energy corridors for future electric transmission lines and pipelines for oil, natural gas, and hydrogen. The map released last week was developed using comments received during a public scoping period in the fall of 2005. Once the map is finalized, the four federal agencies will prepare a draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to identify the impacts of the energy corridors.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required the designation of new energy corridors to help minimize the time it takes to site and approve projects, as well as reducing environmental effects and conflicts with other uses of Federal lands. Individual projects proposed for these corridors will still be required to meet the National Environmental Policy Act and will be analyzed individually for their environmental impacts. The public is invited to comment on the proposed map; comments are due by July 10th. Source: Energy Connections, 6-15-2006.
Western governors today committed to take action on a number of fronts to bring on-line substantially more clean and diversified energy resources, improve energy efficiency and ensure there is adequate transmission available at a reasonable cost well into the future. They also said the country could help reduce its reliance on unstable foreign oil supplies by supporting additional research and development of cleaner, alternative transportation fuels. Additionally, they called for a full and vigorous discussion regarding the reduction and mitigation of greenhouse gases, adaptation policies and other global climate change measures. "The West is where the action is for clean energy, reducing emissions, and new energy jobs and growth," Richardson said. "I appreciate the Western governors' strong support for these trend-setting energy and climate initiatives." Source: WGA Release, 6/14/2006.
Despite physical disruptions, last year was another dramatic period in global energy markets with energy prices rising to new highs while dramatic weather impacts both strengthened energy consumption and weakened production. Although markets continued to work efficiently and there was no shortage of physical supplies, energy security became a major worldwide concern among both producing and consuming nations.
“Supply availability has continued, but at the cost of high prices,” said BP chief economist Peter Davies speaking today at the launch of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2006. “Market adjustments are beginning and will continue. There has been a price effect already with coal and gas prices falling and oil consumption growth slowing sharply and inventories rising.” Published annually by BP, the Review contains detailed data on worldwide energy production and consumption with this latest edition including data up to the end of 2005. Source: BP Release, 6/14/2006.
Austin Energy recently released an interesting and comprehensive study on PV that should be of great interest to you.
The two primary objectives of this study were to:
1. Quantify the comprehensive value of distributed PV to Austin Energy in 2006.
2. Document evaluation methodologies to assist Austin Energy in performing the analysis as conditions change and applying it to other technologies. Source: SEPA, 6/16/2006
U.S. Representative Mark Udall (D-CO) recently joined a bipartisan group of senators and representatives in introducing a congressional resolution calling for a new national renewable energy goal of producing 25 percent of the country's energy supply from U.S. farms and rural communities by 2025. Udall noted that the initiative, dubbed 25x'25, has garnered increasing support over the last two years, with more than 140 organizations from the agriculture, forestry and environmental communities so far endorsing the vision. Other lead sponsors of the resolution include Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO).
Contact: Office of Representative Udall. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 6/7/2006.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently announced that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld state government's authority to lessen the water quality impacts of hydroelectric dams and other federally licensed activities within their borders. "The Supreme Court's decision upholds the authority of states to set conditions on the operations of hydroelectric dams that would affect river health and water quality, threaten fish and wildlife habitat, and diminish recreational and economic opportunities on rivers," said DEP. Earlier this year, DEP joined the friend of the court brief in the S.D. Warren v. Maine Board of Environmental Protection case to support Maine's right to regulate dams on its rivers under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act. Warren, which owns and operates five contiguous hydropower run-of-river dams that provide electricity to one of its paper mills, applied for water quality certification under the act when renewing its hydro licenses. Maine's board approved the certification in 2003, with conditions to mitigate the water quality impacts of the dams. Warren appealed the conditions, claiming the state overextended its authority. Contact Kurt Knaus, DEP, phone 717-787-1323. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 5/15/2006.
Southern Arizona may be the sunshine capital of the country, but when it comes to electricity, that doesn't mean much. However, the Arizona Corporation Commission wants to significantly increase the production of "renewable" energy like solar power—a move which could cost utility customers substantially. While the target for last year was only 1 percent of total energy sold, with 60 percent of that coming from solar facilities, none of Arizona's utility companies could achieve the goal. Tucson Electric Power came closest, meeting about two-thirds of the target. Despite the shortfall, the commission in March radically raised the standards. Listing advantages such as future reliability, as well as price comparisons with other fuel sources, the ACC voted to slowly increase the renewable energy requirement to 15 percent by 2025.
"We agree with the commission about the need to expand the 'environmental portfolio,'" says TEP spokesman Joe Salkowski, "but we have some concerns about the amount of money it will take to achieve the goals. ... There is a balance between costs and benefits, and we need to strike that balance with our customers and the community."
TEP has already invested more than $32 million on developing renewable energy, including burning methane gas from the Los Reales landfill at its coal-fired plant on South Palo Verde Road. It has also installed one of the world's largest "solar" farms, a 44-acre facility in Springerville, Ariz.
Even though the Corporation Commission permits utility companies to collect a small environmental energy surcharge from their customers, TEP has still lost in excess of $7 million in the renewable-electricity business. To meet its recently expanded goals, the commission will allow TEP to increase the monthly surcharge, suggesting a household figure of $1.05, or triple the current allowance. Given the ACC renewable energy mandate, Salkowski says the company believes the figure will have to be even higher than that. How these additional funds will be spent by the utility remains under discussion, but Salkowski points out the commission is placing great emphasis on "distributed generation." This category of energy production can include a number of renewable sources, but is often associated with solar collectors located at a customer's home.
The ACC has mandated that within six years, 30 percent of its new energy standard must be met by this type of electricity, with half being supplied from residential locations. Presently, however, TEP produces only a minuscule amount of power from residential "distributed generation." The utility has two programs in place to encourage this type of energy. One of them is GreenWatts, a fund into which TEP customers can voluntarily pay to invest in renewable sources of power. With approximately 1,500 participants, TEP has received more than $310,000 in "green" revenue. The utility's other program is SunShare, which helps people buy solar equipment and pays for any excess energy they provide to the company. Despite the financial incentives, less than 200 households have taken advantage of this program.
Valerie Rauluk, a solar consultant and member of the Tucson-Pima Metropolitan Energy Commission, criticizes TEP for its shortcomings with "distributed generation." She believes the company must do much more to encourage individual participation. "To date, TEP has been more interested in building large (renewable energy) facilities on its own property," Rauluk says. "Arizona Public Service (of Phoenix) has set a customer rebate level that made more sense. It was $4 a watt compared to $2.70 for TEP. Plus, it was easier to participate in the APS program, so they had no problem getting customers."
Salkowski disputes those figures, pointing out that both have been lowered recently, and that program participants largely chose the equipment purchase subsidy, not the electrical rebate. He also emphasizes that, on a percentage basis, TEP has more solar customers involved than APS. Despite the opinion of TEP, Rauluk is convinced the Corporation Commission's renewable-energy goals can be accomplished. "Absolutely," she says of meeting the targets, "if the incentive structure (for household solar use) is designed right."
SunShare participant Tracy Williams has nothing but good things to say about the program. In addition to its tax advantages, financial rebates for solar equipment and lower electricity bills, she lists TEP's cooperation and friendliness. For his part, Salkowski wonders how TEP can convince more customers to invest in a solar system where the financial payoff may be longer than 10 years. Home builder John Wesley Miller, an outspoken proponent of solar energy, has the same question. "If people have $150,000 to spend on a house," Miller says, "and a solar system costs $10,000, they'll opt for a bigger house instead. We need to educate them to longer-term thinking, to look at the environmental profits from a long-term investment."
Miller, whose Armory Park del Sol subdivision has solar hot-water heaters as well as solar energy producers as part of every home, also thinks changes need to occur in the building industry. To encourage that, he is involved with a "green" building committee of the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association and is having conversations with Pima County officials about providing "green" building incentives. "We need to focus on the sustainability of 'green' building, through energy and water conservation, encouraging recycling and waste reduction," Miller says. Source: By Dave Devine, 5/18/2006.
The state will spend $100,000 to have a solar energy system installed on a government office building in Annapolis. The system, consisting of 56 high-efficiency solar modules, will be put on the roof of the Maryland Department of General Services' Central Services building. It's part of a pilot program to combat spiraling energy costs. "As energy costs continue to rise, it is incumbent on the state to explore alternative energy sources," Gov. Robert Ehrlich said in a statement Wednesday after the Maryland Board of Public Works approved the six-figure allocation for the project.
The Republican governor said the project was the first of its kind undertaken by a Maryland government agency and "it will guide future decision making in regards to renewable energy sources." Ehrlich and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly find themselves embroiled in the political fallout of planned electricity rate hikes by state utilities in the wake of a 1999 plan by state lawmakers to deregulate the industry in Maryland. Baltimore Gas and Electric plans to raise residential rates 72 percent starting July 1. The Board of Public Works approved a $100,000 design and installation contract to Aurora Energy LLC, an Annapolis company. State officials say the solar panel will produce 9,520 watts of electricity and is expected to generate $3,300 in savings annually for taxpayers. Source: Baltimore Business Journal, 5/17/2006.
State officials and business leaders are holding a press conference tomorrow in Massena to announce the first business to come about from their $10 million funding agreement with NYPA. At the Business Development Corporation for a Greater Massena's Industrial Park (the former site of Alfe Systems) in Massena at 9:30 am tomorrow plans will be unveiled for a Biomass Gasification plant in Massena.
ZeroPoint Clean Technology of Potsdam will announce their plans to construct a biomass gasification facility for the production of ethanol and other clean fuels at the Industrial Park. “We’re working diligently to make St. Lawrence County a hub for new businesses whose products and services support energy independence and environmental sustainability, and jobs that have a long-term future,” said Senator James Wright.
Pending SPEC support, construction of the Biomass facility could begin this summer with initial plans to create 20 jobs. ZeroPoint is also expected to expand its Potsdam headquarters by 10 jobs. The company will seek to utilize the resources of local universities as well as hire local labor and university graduates. ZeroPoint will make a presentation to the SPEC board in the very near future. Source: Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc., 05/17/06.
With thousands of megawatts in new wind, geothermal and solar generation due on line in California over the next five years to meet California's renewable generation targets, the California Independent System Operator Corporation is working on a comprehensive strategy to integrate these renewable resources into the wholesale power grid.
Today, California ISO staff presented a comprehensive renewable resource integration plan to the Board of Governors and encouraged the public to provide comments. Some of the elements of the plan will need Board approval down the line. More information about the renewable plan is available on the California ISO website.
Current California state law and regulation requires investor-owned utilities to obtain 20 percent of the power delivered to their customers from renewable resources by 2010. By 2020, 33 percent of their deliveries must be renewable power. "These are important and ambitious goals, not only in terms of developing renewable resources, but also in terms of integrating these renewable power plants into the California ISO's planning and operations," said California ISO President and CEO Yakout Mansour.
Renewable energy resources, like wind, solar and geothermal, produce less pollution than fossil-fueled power plants and provide other benefits as well. However, these technologies also pose unique challenges that need to be addressed. For instance, wind and solar generation fluctuate with the weather and the season. Also, renewable powerplants are typically located far from populated areas, so they may require new transmission lines to deliver their output to consumers.
Because of these issues, the California ISO developed a four-part program to make sure the grid is ready for the coming boom in renewable generation. The four parts of the plan are: Transmission Upgrades, Market Integration, Operations Tools, and updating the Participating Intermittent Resource Program. Currently, the California ISO evaluates a proposed transmission project to determine if it is needed for reliability or if it provides significant economic benefit. The California ISO is considering asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to create a third category of transmission project that would facilitate development of transmission projects that increase access to renewable resource areas. Finally, the PIRP program was implemented in 2004 to remove barriers and encourage renewable generators to participate in the ISO market structure. The program has been successful, but now, two years after its inception, the California ISO is exploring some program enhancements that will help now, and in the future, under the Market Redesign and Technology Upgrade program.
"We are in the process of developing the infrastructure to bring on line the forecasted renewable resources," said California ISO Vice President of Operations Jim Detmers. "We are confident that we will be able to incorporate all the green power we know is coming and put it to work for the people of California." The California ISO is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation charged with managing the flow of electricity along California's open-market wholesale power grid. Source: California Independent System Operator Corporation, BUSINESS WIRE, 6/14/2006.
ONE of the country's first ever applications to put wind turbines in a conservation area has been given the thumbs-up. There are fears the new technology could prove noisy for its neighbours – but the environmentally-friendly development is among the first of many likely to be seen in Islington. Electricity in the housing and business development in Baldwin Terrace, Islington, by the internationally renowned environmental specialists, Edward Cullinan Architects, will be supplied by five wind turbines on the roof. The architectural firm, currently housed in one of the two buildings to be developed, will move next door and demolish its old office to build a six-storey block of 12 flats.
At a planning meeting to decide on the development, committee chairman Councillor George Allan welcomed the scheme but said: "This is only about the third application in the borough we've had for wind turbines. We know a lot about flues and extractor fans but we don't know some of the basic facts about wind turbines – how long they last, if the thing starts to make a funny noise and the impact on nearby residents." He added: "Eventually the turbines will wear out and the cost will presumably go to leaseholders. They may be saving electricity but they'll also have to be saving up to replace the mechanisms themselves."
Robin Nicholson, a director of Edward Cullinan Architects, said: "We have looked very carefully into maintaining access to the roof so the turbines can be maintained." After the meeting he said he was delighted with the decision and added: "It's probably one the first of its kind approved in a conservation area in the country." More Source: Islington Gazette, 6/14/2006.
All UK central government departments and their agencies will be carbon neutral within six years, Environment Secretary David Miliband pledged Monday. This promise to reduce carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming is part of the government's attempt to "model environmentally sustainable behavior to business and consumers," he said. Becoming carbon neutral means that government bodies must prevent as much carbon emissions as they produce. See the full article at: Source: ENS World News, 6/14/2006.
The GCC countries like the idea of standing atop a sea of oil, and the proposal to introduce renewable energy (including solar and wind power) to the GCC might appear as logical as carrying coals to Newcastle. But a closer look shows that solar power could complement the energy mix of the GCC countries perfectly:
• It would spare more of the precious oil and gas for exports and as feedstock for the local petrochemical industry
• It could result in GCC leadership in a technology that is new and relatively labor-intensive
• It would help the GCC to comply with international environmental standards like the Kyoto protocol
The GCC countries currently have the highest growth rate in oil consumption worldwide (4.5 percent vs. 2.5 percent for Asia and 1 percent for the US) and already use 17 percent of the oil they produce. The International Energy Agency projects a rise in worldwide oil demand from 80 mbpd today to 120 mbpd in 2030. Hopes to meet this projected demand rest on the Gulf countries, as production in other regions is declining (notably in the US and the North Sea). Although the IEA believes that this will be possible once huge investments are made, Saudi Arabia has already sounded a note of caution, while authors associated with the 'peak oil' debate (Matthew Simmons, for example) have questioned whether the Gulf countries are capable of production increases at all. The recent debate in Kuwait about overstated oil reserve figures also hints at this.
In any case, the importance of energy exports from the Gulf will increase dramatically over the years to come, and the less oil and gas the GCC countries use for their own consumption, the more they can stretch the lifetime of their most precious export good.
The Gulf countries do not have a lot of wind, but everybody who had to walk around the block on a hot summer day in Dubai knows that there is solar energy out there, and loads of it. In fact, the sun supplies 15,000 times more energy than is currently used worldwide. In the UAE, the Lootah Group has made a start last year by organizing a conference on alternative energies and the Emirates Hydrogen Society is establishing itself as an important network of clean energy players in the UAE. Some insular examples for the usage of renewable energy are already discernible: Solar powered parking meters were the only electrical devices that kept working during Dubai's power blackout last year and Dubai has also witnessed the building of the first apartment complex in the Middle East to use solar power for air conditioning during the daytime, something which cuts utility bills by at least a third. The Bustan Rotana Hotel also made positive experiences by installing solar thermal devices for hot water generation on its roof.
Finally, probably the most important initiative for renewable energies in the Gulf comes from Abu Dhabi: The Masdar project of Mubadala wants to establish a center of excellence in the field of alternative energies. It will comprise a research institute, a special economic zone, an innovation center and a clean development company to pursue commercial opportunities in carbon monetization. It aims to attract technology leaders in the field, provide venture capital for projects and thus wants to transform Abu Dhabi from a mere technology importer to a technology exporter. Ultimately it is hoped that the project will prepare Abu Dhabi for the post-fossil fuel era and will help to maintain its share in the world energy market over the coming decades.
Hopefully projects like Masdar will lead to large-scale efforts to develop solar power as an important component of the GCC energy mix. Concentrated solar power plants, which harvest solar energy with huge mirrors, can heat a liquid and thus fire an otherwise conventional power plant providing electricity to whole towns. They also could power the very energy-intensive desalination plants and produce hydrogen for cars and fuel cells. In California, CSP plants already provide electricity for over 350,000 peoples. Photovoltaic devices on buildings produce electricity directly from the sunlight. Combined with storage facilities (like new generation batteries and pressurized air) for times when there is no sunlight, they could decentralize energy supplies and reduce dependency on grids.
Most importantly however, solar power technologies are young – much younger than the Internet or computers, which also needed initial government support to become viable large scale applications. Solar power still offers low barriers of entry, ample space for technological improvements and enhanced economies of scale. They are relatively labor-intensive as well, in terms of the installation and maintenance of devices. Thus, they would be an ideal means to spur economic development in the GCC countries; their comparative advantage due to climatic conditions is obvious, their considerable unemployment problem could be ameliorated, and they would start to venture into the field of technology. Rather than announcing identical new real estate projects every month, the GCC countries would gain an advantage in a technology that will almost certainly play a decisive role in this century as the only viable long-term alternative energy source for today's hydrocarbon-based economies. Source: United Arab Emirates, 6/15/2006.
An action plan will be developed to determine how wind turbines can provide 20 percent of electricity in the United States. The American Wind Energy Association, U.S. Department of Energy and DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have committed to develop an action plan, and technology officials joined policy, public outreach, utility and project development stakeholders at the wind power conference in Pittsburgh to start the process. After soliciting input from stakeholders in environmental groups, utilities, investors, educators and communities, the action plan will be unveiled at the 2007 wind power conference to be held in Los Angeles next June.
“In his Advanced Energy Initiative, the President described his vision of changing the way we power our homes and businesses by increasing energy efficiency, alleviating price pressure on natural gas, lessening dependency on imported fuels, and fostering alternatives for power production, including wind energy,” said Andy Karsner, assistant secretary of renewables with DOE.
“Wind is an abundant and free domestic energy resource,” says Randall Swisher of AWEA. “Coupled with modern technology, wind energy displaces the need for fossil generation and reduces U.S. dependence on imported energy.” He adds, “Wind energy works – for our economy, environment and energy security.”
In February, president George Bush said areas of the U.S. with good wind resources could provide 20 percent of total U.S. electricity demand. In recent years, studies have focused on the feasibility of integrating greater amounts of green power into grids in New York, Minnesota and Germany, and have “established confidence in the goal to supply up to 20 percent of America’s electricity from wind.”
Currently, the California Energy Commission and California Independent System Operator are studying the limits of existing systems to absorb up to 33 percent of the state’s power from renewables. Every 1,000 MWh of wind generation avoids 600 tons of CO2 emissions, and 22 man-years of employment are created for every MW of wind turbine capacity that is manufactured, installed or serviced. “As the United States moves toward a clean energy future, an integrated portfolio approach, including renewables and wind, will become increasingly important,” the study concludes. Source: Refocus Weekly, 6/14/2006.
Congressman Lamar Smith heads to Washington Tuesday to sell his solar energy plan. He shared it with Austin citizens on Monday. "The answer to much of our nation's energy needs comes up every morning," Smith said.
Tuesday, Smith plans to introduce the Solar Utilization Now Act, or SUN Act, in the House of Representatives.
City Manager Toby Futrell says Austin has led the move to solar energy the last few years, but she says we need more incentives to keep up the effort. "The incentive programs are absolutely critical to us, doing the very best job we can on providing as much alternative energy opportunities in a community," Futrell said. The bill calls for a joint effort between state and private sectors to apply for federal grants. Source: kxan News, 6/13/2006.
The new issue of the Nebraska Energy Quarterly is now available.
Articles and news items in this issue include:
* Energy Tax Credits for Homeowners and Businesses
* Building an Energy Efficient Home in Lincoln
* Easy Ways to Save Energy
* Save Money While Staying Cool this Summer
* Energy Use on Farms and Ranches
* Regular features such as Dollar and Energy Saving Loan Questions and News Bytes
Source: Nebraska Energy Quarterly, 6/15/2006.
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund recently issued a request for proposals for up to 85 megawatts of renewable energy-generating projects. The RFP is for the second round of Project 100, an initiative promoting the development and deployment of Class I renewable energy resources. Proposals must be submitted by July 17. Under Round 1 of the program, which ended in December 2005, three projects totaling 34 MW were selected and recommended to local utilities Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating. Out of these, in-state projects totaling 19 MW have been forwarded to the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control.
CCEF noted that changes in Round 2 include the requirement that all projects be located in Connecticut, an increase in the maximum size of a project from 15 to 30 MW, and the availability of additional benefits for in-state manufacturers of the generating equipment. Contact: Charlie Moret, Connecticut Innovations, phone 860-563-0015. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 3/15/2006.
ComEd and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation announced today nearly $200,000 in grants to support the installation of solar photovoltaic electric generation systems at 14 schools in ComEd's service territory in northern Illinois. The selected schools, located in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Ogle and Winnebago counties, will each receive funding to install a 1 kilowatt PV system to convert sunlight to electric power (enough energy to power about five average homes), and to integrate a specialized curriculum covering renewable energy sources.
The funding for each selected school includes $10,000 from ICECF to pay for the cost of the system and $3,000 from ComEd to fund support from the Foundation for Environmental Education to facilitate the installation and develop the classroom curriculum. Additionally, the ICECF is developing a Web site, which will highlight the real-time generation data of each of the solar power systems in the program. Teachers will be able to use this real time data in lessons on renewable energy for science, math and other disciplines.
The schools selected for the 2006 solar PV grants are: Glenbard Township HSD #87 (Carol Stream), Clarendon Hill Middle School (Clarendon Hills), Prairie Crossing Charter School (Grayslake), Union Ridge SD #84.5 (Harwood Heights), Nelson PSD #8 (Nelson), Odell CCSD #3435 (Odell), Pontiac Christian School (Pontiac), Rhodes SD #84.5 (River Grove), Keith County Day School (Rockford), Lutheran High School (Rockford), Roselle SD #12 (Roselle), Stillman Valley High School (Stillman Valley), Hawthorne Middle School (Vernon Hills) and Four Winds School (Warrenville).
ComEd's commitment to a greener environment includes providing a $225 million endowment in 1999 to create the ICECF as an independent foundation and more than $100 million to the City of Chicago to support energy efficiency and renewable technology. The solar PV program, now in its fifth year, began as the ComEd Solar Schools initiative and was created to raise student awareness of renewable energy resources and demonstrate the benefits of solar power. ComEd's solar efforts, including more than 50 solar PV installation projects in Chicago alone, have helped make Illinois fifth in the United States in terms of installed photovoltaic capacity. Since its foundation, the ICECF has provided more than 2,000 grants totaling more than $100 million to improve energy efficiency, advance the development of renewable energy resources and to protect natural areas for people in communities all across Illinois.
For more information about the program, contact the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation at 312-372-5191, or contact the Foundation for Environmental Education at 614-470-0435. Source: ComEd, 6/14/2006.
Idaho Power Co. issued a request for proposals last week for 100 megawatts of electricity to be produced by geothermal generation. The project is expected to be on line by 2008. Geothermal generation uses underground natural heat sources to power a turbine that drives a generator. Idaho Power will hold a pre-bid meeting June 29 in Boise for all interested parties. The deadline to respond is Aug. 11. Source: Idaho Statesman, 6/13/2006.
This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
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