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• Webcast series highlights renewables guidebook
  
• Bills contain renewable energy incentives
  
• WECC to host green tag tracking system
  
• Governor signs California solar energy funding bill
  
• Western seeks Energy Services specialist
  

Webcast series highlights renewables guidebook

On the first Monday of every month through April, small- and medium-sized public power utilities can participate in a free webcast to learn how to expand the role of renewable resources in their energy supply portfolio.

The series, which began on November 1, is based on a new resource by the American Public Power Association's Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Developments Program entitled A Guidebook to Expand the Role of Renewables in an Energy Supply Portfolio. Sponsors include Western, the APPA DEED program, the U.S. Department of Energy GeoPowering the West Program and the U.S. DOE Wind Powering America Program.

The guidebook draws on strategies other utilities have used to increase their percentage of renewable energy and provides a step-by-step process for considering renewable resources, especially wind and geothermal, in smaller public power system resource portfolios. Each webcast will review a core chapter in the guidebook.

To register for the series, contact Debbie Rock, Western Area Power Administration, at 720-962-7271. Representatives from public power utilities will have priority over non-utility participants if more than 40 people register for any single webcast.

Bills contain renewable energy incentives

The president signed off on two long-awaited bills that could stimulate renewable energy production.

The $140-billion corporate tax bill targets a wide array of businesses from exporters to manufacturers, entertainment companies and oil and gas producers, electricity providers that use renewable fuels, and alternative fuels companies.

Public Law 4520, the American Job Creation Act of 2004, includes the first major revision and expansion of the Section 45 Production tax credit since it was established in 1992. The new law expands Section 45 to include new geothermal facilities as eligible for the credit.

Tax provisions in the bill also target the ethanol industry. The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit extends the ethanol tax incentive to 2010 and eliminates any impact of the ethanol program on the Highway Trust Fund. Modifications to the Small Ethanol Producer Tax Credit allow cooperatives to fully participate in the program. A new tax credit for biodiesel is also in the law.

WECC to host green tag tracking system

The Western Electric Coordinating Council recently agreed to be the home for the electronic tracking system for renewable energy certificates, known as the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System.

At the July 29, 2004 WECC board of directors meeting, the board passed a resolution approving WECC as the institutional home for the WREGIS program by a vote of 25 to 1. This important milestone reflects the region’s commitment to establish WREGIS as the single institution in the West responsible for tracking renewable energy generation and issuing renewable energy certificates.

At WECC, the WREGIS program will be self-funded through participant fees, and staffed by individuals hired to administer and conduct the functions and responsibilities of WREGIS. The accounting system and database will track renewable energy generation and ownership of renewable energy certificates in 11 western states, two Canadian provinces and northern Baja California.

Governor signs California solar energy funding bill

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 135, a bill that provides additional funding for photovoltaic system incentives in the state of California for the Emerging Renewable Resources Account.

Passed by the legislature at the end of August, the “stop-gap” bill gives the California Energy Commission permission to spend $60 million, to be collected between 2007 and 2012, for small solar system rebates. The commission would otherwise not have access to the money until 2007, leaving a two-year gap in rebates.

Eligible distributed emerging technologies are photovoltaic, solar thermal electric, fuel cell technologies that use renewable fuels, 50-kW or smaller wind and other distributed renewable emerging technologies that meet the emerging technology eligibility criteria established by the commission.

According to the governor, Assembly Bill 135 accelerates bridge funding for solar energy rebates in California and is consistent with his plan to create one million solar systems.

Western seeks Energy Services specialist

Western’s Upper Great Plains regional office is announcing an opening for an Energy Services specialist position in Billings, Mont.

As regional central point of contact for UGP’s overall Energy Services program, the position is responsible for planning, developing, coordinating and implementing the region’s Energy Services activities. Duties include, but are not limited to:

The salary range for this GS-12 position is $58,665 to $76,261. Western will be accepting applications for the Energy Services specialist at DOE’s Jobs Online. Contact UGP Human Resource Specialist Nancy Goddard, 406-247-7418, with questions regarding this announcement.