Green Power

WRI introduces Five Easy Steps to Acquire Renewable Energy

The World Resources Institute recently made implementing renewable energy easier for offices and stores with essential information wrapped up in just 26 pages.  The "Switching to Green" guide provides a five-step outline for acquiring renewable energy. It also includes links to essential resources and brief examples of how companies have diversified their energy supply and supported the growth of clean energy technologies by incorporating renewable energy into their operations.  "Depending on your office's goals, you could have multiple renewable energy options, from local green power to a nationally sourced product," said Samantha Putt del Pino, author of the how-to guide.

The guide's five-step process includes:

• a discussion of the business case for buying renewable energy;
• an overview of delivery options, including some of the advantages and disadvantages of going green;
• cost-saving strategies that companies use;
• a breakdown of how to buy renewable energy, from understanding the data you need to signing a contract; 
• a description of how the carbon benefit of your office's renewable energy purchase is calculated.

Contact: World Resources Institute, 202-729-7600.  Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/19/2006.

Strategic Energy 'Goes Green' at Corporate Headquarters

Strategic Energy, a national provider of retail electricity to commercial and industrial customers, today announced it is powering its corporate headquarters with 100 percent renewable electricity.

Strategic Energy's purchase of 300,000 kilowatt-hours of Renewable Energy Certificates?an amount equal to its annual electricity usage?reflects its commitment to supporting electricity derived from non-depleting, natural energy flows such as sunshine, wind, water and hydrogen. RECs, also known as "green tags," have evolved in the deregulated era as an easy, cost-effective way for businesses to derive all or a portion of their electricity usage from renewable energy sources.

"Electric choice gives customers a host of new products and services to choose from to meet business objectives," said Jeff Buxton, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Strategic Energy. "As a pioneer in competitive electricity, we're proud to play our part to protect the environment and help promote the benefits of environmentally friendly products and services."

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., Strategic Energy is a leading supplier of retail electricity in competitive markets. Strategic Energy is licensed to serve customers in deregulated energy markets including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C. Strategic Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Great Plains Energy. For more information, please contact Art Miller, Strategic Energy, 412-644-3095, or Doug Colafella, Burson-Marsteller, 412-394-6618. Source: Business Wire, 10/19/2006.

Grand Targhee Ski Resort Joins BEF's SkiGreen Program

Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Wyoming announced that the company will offset 100 percent of its energy use by purchasing 10,500 megawatt-hours of renewable energy over the next three years, an increase of nearly 75 percent from its previous green power commitment. Grand Targhee Resort's Green Tag purchase is through a partnership with Bonneville Environmental Foundation's SkiGreen program that provides clean energy options throughout the snow-sports industry.

Grand Targhee's Green Tag purchase is another major step toward the resort's proven commitment to incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into every aspect of its operations. Grand Targhee's new Sustainability Charter includes initiatives such as using bio-diesel to fuel resort shuttle buses, groomers and snow removal equipment and, a recently installed a 660-watt photovoltaic system on the side of its Ski & Snowboard School building.

In the past three years, Targhee has contributed almost $600,000 in cash and in-kind donations to local non-profit organizations and has dedicated staff time and funding for on-going programs such as the Targhee Institute's Environmental Foundation that was established to support environmental programs in Teton Valley. Gillett continues, "Grand Targhee's plan for a sustainable future will ultimately depend on the success of the region to embrace sustainable decision making priorities. In addition to our improvements to onsite operations, Targhee is fully committed to working with our town and county planners to help build capacity for regional sustainability."

Bonneville Environmental Foundation Green Tags, also called renewable energy certificates, offset the global warming pollution impacts of conventional electricity generation, air and ground travel. Green Tags are created when renewable energy sources?such as solar and wind power?are substituted for energy traditionally generated by burning fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas. All of BEF's Green Tag products are independently certified by Green-e as sourced from 100 percent new renewable energy projects. Source: BEF Release, 10/23/2006.

GREEN-e Certifies Nature's Energy Program from Platte River Power Authority

The Center for Resource Solutions announced that Platte River Power Authority's Nature's Energy renewable energy program offered in four cities in Colorado is now Green-e certified. Colorado-based Platte River Power Authority is a part of the largest network of renewable energy providers who offer products certified by the nation's leading certification and verification program.

The Platte River Power Authority supplies wholesale electricity and services to the Town of Estes Park and the Cities of Fort Collins, Longmont, and Loveland. The renewable energy supplied by Platte River Power Authority comes from wind resources located in Colorado, Wyoming and Oklahoma and meets strict Green-e standards for eligible renewable energy.

The Green-e program is the leading renewable energy certification and verification program in the U.S., with 140 participating vendors who sold over five million MWhs of renewable energy in 2005. The program provides independent, third party certification to ensure certified renewable energy meets strict environmental and consumer protection standards.

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 strict 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. Source: Green-e  Press Release 2006, 10/19/2006.

For more information: http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/index.shtml

Renewable Energy Technologies

FPL Energy Dedicates 735 MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center--The World's Largest Wind Farm

FPL Energy, LLC a subsidiary of FPL Group, hosted about 200 guests near Abilene to dedicate the world's largest wind farm?the 735-MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center located in Taylor and Nolan County, Texas.  Texas State Representative Phil King and Dyess Air Force Base Commander Timothy Ray joined FPL Energy's Senior Vice President of Development Mike O'Sullivan and more than 200 local and regional guests to celebrate the commercial operation of the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center and all those that helped bring the facility to Texas.  "The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is a great example of a project put together by a terrific team that will benefit the state of Texas for many years to come," said Mike O'Sullivan, senior vice president of development for FPL Energy.

State Representative Phil King said, "The state legislature worked very hard last year to pass legislation to encourage the development of wind energy in our state. The Horse Hollow Wind project is an excellent example of the type of project we all envisioned."  

"Dyess is a true success story, and we're proud to be part of this community that's so dedicated to making our nation a little cleaner for our children and grandchildren," said Col. Timothy Ray, 7th Bomb Wing commander.

The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is spread across approximately 47,000 acres in Taylor and Nolan County, Texas. The facility is comprised of 291 GE 1.5 megawatt wind turbines and 130 Siemens 2.3 megawatt wind turbines. The first phase of the project consisting of 213 megawatts was completed in late 2005; phase two consisting of 223.5 megawatts was completed in the second quarter of 2006; and, phase three consisting of 299 megawatts was completed in September. FPL Energy now operates more than 1,600 megawatts of wind in Texas alone.  "We continue to receive tremendous support for our wind development efforts throughout Texas," O'Sullivan added. "This year alone we have invested nearly $1 billion, expanding our wind business in the state. We look forward to further expanding our wind presence in the state, bringing new investment, and the benefits of clean, renewable and cost-effective power to tens of thousands of Texans."

FPL Energy, through its subsidiaries, currently operates 48 wind farms throughout the U.S. with a gross capacity of nearly 4,100 megawatts--enough electricity to power more than one million average U.S. homes. FPL Energy is currently the largest owner and operator of wind turbines in the world and operates more than 1,600 megawatts of wind power in Texas alone.  Source: FPL Energy, LLC, 10/19/2006.

MHI Receives First Order for Japan's Largest 2.4 MW Wind Turbines

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, recently received a bulk order for 42 units of the MWT92/2.4 from PPM Energy Inc., an American electricity provider based in Portland, Ore. The order was received through Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas Inc., MHI's power systems operation base in the United States.  This marks the world's first order for the MWT92/2.4, at 2.4 MW the most powerful wind turbine manufactured by a Japanese company. The wind turbines on order will be used by PPM Energy for wind power generation.  The MWT92/2.4 is Japan's largest wind turbine in terms of both rotor diameter and rated output. With a tower height of 70 meters and a rotor diameter of 92 meters, the highest point reached by the blade tips is 116 meters above ground.  With 44.7-meter-long blades, the longest in its class, the MWT92/2.4 is capable of efficiently generating electricity even at modest wind velocity (about 8.5 meters per second). At the same time, the machine adopts MHI's proprietary "Smart Yaw" technology to fend off occasional gusty strong winds and withstand hurricane-force wind velocities. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/20/2006.

Myriad Energy-Saving Methods are Incorporated in Stockton House

Growing up on the family farm south of Stockton, Cheryl Marcum knew the value of not wasting resources. She and her siblings picked up walnuts for extra cash, and "egg money" from the family's chickens helped put Marcum through college.  "My family was very poor," Marcum recalled. "... By saving what we had we knew we had more."  Thirty-five years later, Marcum and her husband, Mitch Ross, have returned to her family's homestead and built a high-tech solar-powered home that mirrors their philosophy of treading lightly on the land.  They designed nearly every aspect of the home to reduce their need for electricity from utility companies that emit greenhouse gases by burning coal.  Marcum and Ross had not planned on returning to Missouri to build the solar home of their dreams.  Ross, a career Army officer, and Marcum, a civilian analyst who worked for the Federal government, were inspired to build a solar home after seeing homes built by college students competing in the annual Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C. 

The couple began educating themselves on solar homes and traveled hundreds of miles to tour homes built with solar technology.  Their jobs helped convince them their next home should use as little energy as possible.  "I was a military career officer, and as we studied national security issues, it was very clear to me that our energy policy was very much a national security issue," Ross said.

Solar photovoltaic panels on the roof?which turn sunlight into electricity?generate enough energy to power most of the 3,700-square-foot home on a sunny day.  The panels also will feed surplus electricity back to the electric grid. Eventually, the couple will get monthly checks from Associated Electric.  Solar-powered baths and showers come from a rooftop panel filled with antifreeze that picks up energy from the sun and heats water in a tank in the garage.  Reflective cardboard panels covered with sprayed-on soybean foam insulate the attic and seal the home from energy-robbing air leaks.  The home faces "solar south" to let the sun's warming rays stream through large south-facing, argon-filled windows during the winter.  A high-efficiency wood-burning fireplace blows heat into the comfortable living room. A vent in the ceiling can pull in the warm air and send it throughout the house.  The carpets and outside decking are made from recycled plastic pop bottles.  Marcum also carried on the recycling theme in a unique way.  About 80 years ago, her father and grandfather cut up big slabs of black walnut to use in their first home.  "But they couldn't afford to have the walnut milled for cabinets, so it got stored away on the farm for 80 years," she said.  She's using some of the wood for bathroom cabinets and is also having a desk for her office made from it. 

Finding the right person to turn their ideas into a home proved difficult. Marcum and her husband quickly realized they knew more about solar technology than most of the builders they contacted. Eventually, their search led them to a solar building pioneer, W. Orlo Stitt, who has designed energy-efficient subdivisions in Arkansas.  Stitt took the couple's drawings and developed a two- level home with concrete-filled Styrofoam block walls, a porcelain tile floor that absorbs the sun's heat and a ventilation system that brings outside air into the airtight home and extracts the heat from the home's stale air before venting it.  Finding a builder capable of incorporating all the energy-saving features they wanted was a concern, until they heard from friends and family about Ted Anderson of Anderson Construction in Stockton.  Marcum said they hired Anderson, though he hadn't built a solar house, because of his curiosity and interest in the project. 

Construction began in January, and the house was completed in August.  Anderson said most of the home involved basic construction techniques.  But the "ice house" roof put him and his crew on a steep learning curve.  A typical attic might reach 150 degrees in the summer. To get rid of that heat, Stitt had Anderson install a foil-backed cardboard barrier several inches away from the underside of the roof.  Sprayed with a 6-inch layer of soybean foam, the barrier ran from the attic floor to the roof peak and created a channel for hot air to rise and escape out the home's rooftop ridge vent.  "On the hottest summer day there was only two or three degrees' difference between the attic and the rooms below," Ross said.

Stitt said the additional energy conservation features added 10 to 15 percent to the home's overall cost.  The home will qualify for some energy conservation tax credits, but the bigger savings will occur over the life of the home, with greatly reduced energy bills, he said.  The extra cost might deter some people from considering an Energy Star-rated home, but it comes down to one's priorities, Stitt said.  "The photovoltaic panels aren't inexpensive, but when you think of it, they're about the cost of a sailboat or a fishing boat," he said. "It's a matter of what people want to have versus what they gotta have."  Because the home has so many unique features, Marcum and Ross plan eventually to place it on the National Solar Tour so people can see it.  The annual tour is sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society and is the same tour the couple took during their effort to find the perfect solar home. Source: Wes Johnson, News-Leade, 10/21/2006.

BP Solar Sticks with Silicon

It's boom time for solar power, as a rising tide of start-ups tout various approaches?from organic thin films to concentrating light with ?hologramsfor harvesting energy from the sun. But amid the flurry of nascent technologies, BP Solar, a 30-year-old subsidiary of oil giant BP, is betting that old-fashioned silicon still holds the most potential for cost-effective solar power in the next decade.

In its latest move, the company has developed a solar module?a collection of solar cells?using a new silicon-manufacturing approach that the company says drives down the cost of generating solar power. The new technology boosts power production 8 percent without a price increase, the company says. BP Solar will begin production of these modules by mid 2007.  Technology Review caught up with Lee Edwards, president and CEO of BP Solar, to ask about the new technology and other efforts at the company.

Technology Review: You say your new silicon prototype?which you call Mono2?increases efficiency of your solar cells without increasing the cost. What is Mono2?

Lee Edwards: Over the next 10 years, BP Solar believes that a silicon-based cell technology will continue to drive cost efficiency. This announcement of the Mono2 approach to creating the silicon wafer was driven by an acknowledgement of the two different types of silicon available: monocrystalline and multicrystalline. Monocrystalline silicon makes for high efficiency, but it's relatively expensive, and the solar-power industry competes with the microprocessor industry for this type of silicon. Multicrystalline is cheaper, but it is lower quality. Mono2, broadly speaking, gives the same electrical-efficiency benefits as monocrystalline wafers but uses a multicrystalline casting approach that is less expensive.

TR: How does it work? 

LE: In the traditional multicrystalline manufacturing, you basically put a bunch of rocks in a ceramic crucible, heat it to 1,500 degrees C, let it sit there for a day, and cool it slowly. You get a block of silicon, but the crystal structure is random. Some people say it's more visually appealing because of the way light reflects off it, but each one of those grain boundaries creates a barrier to electron flow. The beauty of our technique is that we've found, in our protected intellectual property, a way to essentially get a single crystal using another approach. The details are proprietary, but it's a combination of metallurgy and the process that allows us to do it.

TR: What's the efficiency or cost-per-watt benefit?

LE: When we say "efficiency," there are two components to it. There are some who love to advertise their cell-conversion efficiency, so you'll see 19 or 20 percent efficiency quoted. That is the amount of sunlight that hits the surface that is converted to electricity. When we talk about efficiency within BP Solar, it is the dollar-per-watt cost to convert sunlight into electricity. The Mono2 module can produce 8 percent more power for the same price as a module made from multicrystalline silicon modules on the market today. This decreases the price per watt.

TR: What other ways are you trying to squeeze extra watts from silicon?

LE: We've got two approaches within BP Solar to do that. One involves grooving the wafer itself with precision lasers that increase the surface area, allowing more sunlight to be converted to electricity. And the other is printing material on the front and the back to create electrical contacts that pull out the electricity without blocking too much sunlight in the process.

TR: But there's still the cost issue of installing solar modules. What approaches are you taking to reduce costs there?

LE: There are some innovations in the value chain that we're on the front edge of, including how you access your customer. In the U.S. we are selling products in more than 250 Home Depots, in California, New Jersey, and New York. Having in-store solar-sales capability basically simplifies the value chain so you don't have BP Solar selling to a group that sells to another group that goes out and markets the product. There's only the installer in between, and we endorse their capabilities.

Another aspect that we're looking at is how you actually construct a frame [for a solar module]. Rather than using extruded aluminum framing, we're looking at a cast polyurethane mold. It's stronger, it's lighter, it's easier to install, and it looks cool. And if you were really into the architecture, you could have different colors, different types of arrays. [Aesthetics] is a big barrier for going mainstream within solar because people don't want to feel like they've got a bunch of screen doors screwed into their roofs. And then the ultimate is if you make the solar as part of the roof, so you bring together building materials with the photovoltaic industry and say, Let's build a new roofing material that's pre-wired for new construction.

TR: Do you think that in the next couple of years we'll see more economically successful solar efforts?

LE: What's different now is that we've had a few years of high oil prices, we've had increased public pressure for policies that will allow for energy independence, and the environmental reality of making a difference in the carbon footprint of the planet is more accepted. So I think all those say there will be a big jump in continued demand. What we see is the demand forecast is significantly higher this year?and it just keeps getting bigger as more countries and more states enact policies to enable continued growth. Source:  By Kate Greene, Technology Review, 10/19/2006.

Sawdust, Wood Chips Now in Short Supply

It was problem waste once, sawdust and wood chips burned in countless "wigwam" burners that belched sparks and smoke through their screened-over tops at lumber mills across the West.  Some of the rusting hulks remain, but they're cold now. The chips and sawdust they burned are in short supply, valuable byproducts used for fiberboard, to generate energy and more.  And competition for the former waste products is on the rise.  Random Lengths, a Eugene-based forest products trade publication, says owners of fiberboard plants face a shortage.  The plants, including seven in Oregon, produce fiberboard used for kitchen countertops, cupboards and ready-to-assemble furniture.  But the drive for renewable energy spurred by incentives from the Oregon Energy Trust, a nonprofit organization funded by power companies, is creating competition for the sawdust.  Some plants are burning the material to produce heat used in industrial processes and to make steam-generated electricity.  On the horizon are biorefineries that can turn plant fiber, including sawdust, into ethanol, fuel for cars and trucks. 

Fiberboard mills already are feeling the supply pinch, said Pete Malliris, associate editor at Random Lengths. "Earlier in the year, when the market was screaming (for fiberboard), you had some (fiberboard) mills who could not increase production. They were unable to do it because they couldn't get enough raw material," he said.  A sawdust shortage could affect fiberboard manufacturers in Springfield, Eugene, Medford, Albany, Roseburg and Klamath Falls, Malliris said.  "It makes it tougher. It drives our costs up," said Rick Hogue, fiber manager for SierraPine's plant in Medford, who said he's been in bidding wars for sawdust with biomass buyers. "It's having an effect. There is no question about it."

 Oregon's fiberboard and particle board mills employ about 700 people, Hogue said. They're good, $20-an-hour jobs, he said, and the plants fatten property tax rolls. If biomass or biorefineries suck up all the wood and knock out the fiberboard makers, it would be a loss to the state, Hogue said.  A large fiberboard mill may use from 800 to 1,500 tons of raw wood fiber every day, Malliris said. 

Already, 10 industrial sites in Oregon use wood fiber biomass combustion boilers to power steam-driven generators that produce electricity, according to the state Energy Department.  That has picked up as state incentives come online.  Nationally, 200 companies many of them sawmills, are generating power from biomass, including wood fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.  That's a lot of competition for raw material.  Researchers anticipate that a biorefinery will be built in the next several years that could process 10,000 tons of biomass including wood fiber a day.  "They're serious competitors for the resource," Malliris said. It is not clear where such a refinery would be built.  But the shortages could help Oregon sawmills as their former waste products turn to profit.  Source: Worldlink, 10/17/2006.

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma to Receive Sleeping Bear Power

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma has agreed to a 25-year deal to buy power generated from the proposed 94.5-MW Sleeping Bear wind project in Harper County.  "This arrangement allows us to provide good, competitively priced energy for our customers that is also clean and renewable," PSO spokesman Stan Whiteford said.  Construction is scheduled to begin later this month, and the project is expected to be operational by spring 2007. The company was the last of the state's large utilities to commission a wind farm, but PSO now buys 63 percent of the state's wind-generated electricity. Sleeping Bear is being developed by Chermac Energy Corp.  Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 10/20/2006.

Anaheim Public Utilities Helps Celebrate Dedication of Geothermal Power Plant in Imperial Valley

Anaheim Public Utilities joined partner cities Glendale and Burbank earlier this week in celebrating the dedication of a second geothermal power plant in the Imperial Valley city of Heber. The three cities, as part of an agreement made in 2005 with the Southern California Public Power Authority, will receive a total of 20 megawatts of geothermal power from the Ormat Geothermal Power Project.

"Anaheim will eventually be getting 12 MW from the facility," said Marcie Edwards, Anaheim Public Utilities general manager. "We are currently receiving 6 MW with the remaining 6 MW scheduled in the coming months from this new plant."  The first plant at the complex opened earlier this year, bringing 10 MW of geothermal to the participating cities.

"This 25-year contract will supply enough electricity to power 10,000 single-story homes until 2032," Edwards said. "It is expected to add 3.2 percent to our renewable energy resources. We now have contracts in place to bring our renewables to 9 percent of our total energy resources. We expect to be at 10 percent by 2010 and 20 percent by 2015." 

Geothermal energy, produced from underground heat, is not only a more environmentally friendly source of energy, it is also more reliable and economical. It uses the heat from the ground to generate electricity at a plant.  "Geothermal energy is still more expensive than producing electricity by burning a fossil fuel such as coal," Edwards said, "but it is an infinite resource and is not dependent on oil and gas price fluctuations." 

Renewable resources are defined as non-fossil fueled resources. In addition to geothermal, they include wind, hydropower, solar, biomass, municipal solid waste and landfill gas. Anaheim's renewable energy resources also include 4 percent wind power and 3 percent large hydroelectric. Source: Anaheim Public Utilities, 10/20/2006.

GEO-Heat Center to Study Geothermal Heating for Utah Rail Maintenance Facility

The U.S. Department of Energy, in cooperation with the Utah Geological Survey, has funded a study to examine the feasibility of heating the Utah Transit Authority's commuter rail service center with geothermal energy.  The $15,000 study will assess the feasibility of using naturally occurring underground energy to help heat UTA's 165,000 square foot facility, located near the Wasatch Hot Springs in Salt Lake City.  The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's GeoPowering the West Program, was requested by the Utah State Energy Program, a part of the Utah Geological Survey.

Without geothermal energy, it is estimated that UTA could spend up to $15,000 per month heating the commuter rail center.  Using the natural energy that is thought to exist below the site may save UTA and taxpayers thousands of dollars a year.  If determined to be economically feasible, UTA would tap hot geothermal water to provide heat to the working areas of the repair and maintenance facility.  While not expected to be able to heat the whole facility, it is anticipated that the use of geothermal energy will significantly reduce use of natural gas.

The feasibility study will be carried out by engineers of the Geo-Heat Center located at the Oregon Institute of Technology.  The Center provides technical assistance for geothermal projects in the area of equipment and materials selection, feasibility studies, design, trouble-shooting and economic evaluations.  GeoPowering the West works with the U.S. geothermal industry, power companies, industrial and residential consumers, and Federal, state, and local officials to provide technical and institutional support and limited, cost-shared funding to state-level activities.  Results of the study are expected by the end of December, 2006.

The Utah Geological Survey is an applied scientific agency that creates, interprets, and provides information about Utah's geological environment, resources, and hazards to promote safe, beneficial, and wise use of land.  Source: Philip Powlick, News Release, 10/16/2006.

SunPower Announces High-Power, Higher Efficiency Solar Panel

SunPower Corp., a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency, commercially available solar cells and solar panels, recently announced its newest solar panel. The panel offers significantly higher power output and conversion efficiency than SunPower's current products.  The new SPR-315 solar panel uses the company's newly developed 22 percent-efficient Gen 2 solar cells and carries a rated power output of 315 W.  The design incorporates 96 of SunPower's Gen 2 solar cells that offer improved panel efficiency through a combination of enhanced cell architecture and improved packing density. Compared with conventional solar panels, the new SPR-315 lets customers generate up to 50 percent more power per square foot of roof area with half as many panels.  Commercial availability of the new SPR-315 solar panel is planned for spring 2007.  Contact: Julie Blunden, SunPower, 408-240-5577.  Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/18/2006.

For more information on Renewable Resources go to: http://www.repartners.org

Outreach, Education, Reports & Studies

Accelerating the Growth of a Major New Global Business Sector--Low Carbon Power

On the 20th October, Vivienne Cox, BP's Chief Executive for Gas, Power & Renewables, gave a speech entitled 'Accelerating the Growth of a Major New Global Business Sector--Low Carbon Power'. The speech was given at the 'Women in Business' conference at the London Business School. Source:  BP Release, 10/20/2006.

Sep/Oct 06 Issue of Refocus

The latest issue of Refocus is now available to keep you up-to-date with all the latest developments in the renewables industry.  Source: Tom Cox, Refocus, 10/20/2006.

AWEA Wind Energy Fall Symposium

Maximizing Wind Energy's Potential--Reaching 20 percent of the U.S. Electricity Portfolio, December 6-8, 2006, Phoenix, AZ.  Early Registration Deadline: Wednesday, November 1.  Take advantage of these low rates! Register for the AWEA Wind Energy Fall Symposium taking place December 6-8 in Phoenix, Arizona by November 1!

Following the success of last year's program, the American Wind Energy Association is pleased to organize the 2nd annual AWEA Wind Energy Fall Symposium being held December 6-8 at the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.  The AWEA Wind Energy Fall Symposium will provide a unique educational program designed for wind professionals involved in or looking to learn more about the business, policy and technical issues of the wind industry.  The Symposium will also provide outstanding business interaction and networking opportunities all at a luxury resort location nestled at the base of the South Mountain Preserve in Arizona.

Additional speakers will be announced shortly.  Reserve your hotel room at the Pointe South Mountain Resort by November 3rd to receive the discounted AWEA room rate of $149 as long as discounted rooms remain. Call 877-800-4888 and indicate you are with the American Wind Energy Association.  A limited number of sponsorship opportunities still remain for this event.  For more information, contact Lori Rugh at 661-821-2149.

Solar Tax Credit

Solar energy is a clean, renewable energy source. The production of solar energy on residential and commercial structures creates no pollutants and is starting to make serious financial sense. In 35 states, the concept of net metering is now an established fact. Net metering simply means you can sell energy from solar panel systems back to utilities, thus eliminating or seriously reducing utility bills. As oil and natural gas costs skyrocket, the Federal Government is doing even more to promote the use of solar energy.

In 2005, Congress enacted the Energy Policy Act. As part of the act, a tax credit was established for any person purchasing and installing residential solar energy systems for electric and water heating purposes. If you purchase and install solar systems for either of these purposes, you can take a 30 percent tax credit. If you install systems for both of these purposes you can double the tax credit. To avoid tax abuse, each tax credit has a cap of $2,000.

Importantly, tax credits are far more valuable than tax deductions. Tax deductions are taken from your gross income prior to figuring the amount of tax owed. Tax credits are a dollar for dollar reduction of the actual amount of tax you owe. For instance, if you prepare your tax returns and find you owe $5,000 to the IRS, a tax credit would be deducted from this $5,000 figure. In short, a tax credit gives you a lot more bang for your buck.  To claim the solar tax credit, there are a few restrictions and requirements. First, you can't claim the tax credit if you use the solar system to heat a hot tub or pool. Second, the system must be certified by a solar rating certification corporation to establish that you, in fact, installed a working system. Third, the system must be activated between January 1, 2005 and the end of 2007. Finally, you cannot claim the credit if the government gave you a grant or financing to purchase the system, to wit, no double dipping.

When solar energy is discussed as a potential alternative energy source, most supporters point to the environmental benefits. Ultimately, the benefits to ones bank account will really make the difference and the solar tax credit is a solid step in that direction.  Source:  Rick Chapo, 10/20/2006.

November 29th Renewables Conference: New Developments in Applications--Denver

This conference will examine alternative energy sources from an economic and practicality standpoint. Interconnecting standards and small renewable power production will be covered along with management of renewable energy credits and the challenge of meeting renewable portfolio mandates.  Source: RMEL, 10/20/2006.

Cynicism and Sustainability:  How We Shoot Ourselves in the Foot

People interested in sustainability sometimes respond to situations in ways that aren't productive. I was reminded of this recently when I was on the Sustainable Tomorrow TV show in Oregon City, Oregon, which features interviews, news, and ideas for action for work and home on a variety of sustainability-related topics. A caller was railing about corporations and greenwashing. I responded that demonizing a sector of our society is not particularly helpful.  For example, when Wal-Mart publicly adopted ambitious sustainability goals, a number of people sniffed, "Well, they're just trying to take the attention away from their labor practices." This tendency to point to what they are not yet doing is not productive. So let's unpack this common reaction and discuss better approaches.

We have a love-hate relationship with corporations. We buy their products, envy their leaders' income, and work for them. But we have a deeply entrenched suspicion of their motives. No corporation is completely sustainable yet so pointing out their deficiencies before acknowledging their progress is negative reinforcement. So perhaps when Wal-Mart takes its first sustainability baby steps, we should collectively say, "Bravo! If you do this right, you could be a powerful force for positive change. How can we help you take the next step?" Our tendency to disparage corporations for their imperfections only makes them want to hide their efforts for fear of raising unrealistic expectations or eliciting accusations of greenwashing. If we can make it safe to admit to early efforts and missteps, we can add more voices to the chorus of the sustainability movement, building a sense of momentum.

Sustainability encompasses so many aspects it's not surprising that each person or each organization targets the one or two that match their passions. It makes it easy to disregard one business' effort to eliminate waste if your concern is greenhouse gases. Would it be so hard to agree on a list of 6-10 key issues and start consolidating our efforts? We might just see more movement if we weren't so divided on what to do. I'm helping the State of Oregon build a toolkit for the twelve most effective actions a municipality can take to move toward sustainability. We hope this will create synergistic efforts among communities around the state. What if we had an international focus on common issues like climate change, toxins, natural resource conservation, and human rights? These may not encompass every single environmental and social concern, but who would complain if the focus made significant progress in those areas?

Thanks to the work of scientists, economists, academics and others, we know the unsustainable impacts we're having on the planet and what needs to be done to correct them. But because it's not clear to any of us how much we need to change today, we all tend to do what's convenient. To make this point on the TV show, I admitted to driving to the studio. I drove a Prius but I still generated greenhouse gases. Could I have walked the 20 miles each way? Probably. Could I have ridden my bike and done the interview with helmet hair? I suppose. But I didn't because it wasn't clear to me I needed to. We're all in this dilemma so we do what seems reasonable and hope it matters. Consciously or unconsciously, we are all hoping that we're doing enough fast enough so that we can have a soft landing. But crossing our fingers is no way to plan for the future of civilization.

Perhaps we need our best-guess timetable for society. How quickly do we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions? Just saying that faster is better doesn't help. How fast do we need to eliminate toxic chemicals from our air, water and soil? How quickly do we need to provide food, fresh water and family planning services to everyone in developing nations? The UN Millennium Development Goals provide a good starting place but they lack consequences for inaction. Let's set ambitious goals with more specific sustainable end-points and interim deadlines to spur meaningful action. We also need to develop powerful incentives for meeting these goals.

It's time to stop the hand-wringing and finger-pointing. Let's accept that we're all part of this unsustainable system. Let's make it easy for everyone to begin the journey by supporting initial efforts, sharing lessons learned, and heralding positive results. It took centuries to get into this mess and will likely take decades (at least) to get out of it. So the sooner we all start the journey, the better. Source:  Darcy Hitchcock, President of AXIS Performance Advisors, (10/23/2006.

The World Buys Green: International Survey on National Green Procurement Practices

2001 marked the start of the biggest research project on green purchasing ever undertaken in Europe. "The World Buys Green"  is the first publication from this international survey on national green procurement practices. It looks at Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden, as well as Japan and Canada and the U.S. It summarizes the findings in these countries and compares the strategies each country has chosen. A valuable information source for policy makers, researchers, and practitioners in the countries covered ? and in the countries still to follow them. Source: International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, 10/23/2006.

Eleventh National Green Power Marketing Conference

In its eleventh year, the National Green Power Marketing Conference has become the National Renewable Energy Conference. The conference agenda and supporting activities now encompass a wide range of renewable energy policy issues, national marketing expertise, and key information relevant to a broad marketplace for renewables.  With your participation and support, this will be the best conference in over a decade! Visit the  conference Web site and register today.  Contact Amber Sharick, 415.561.2100, at CRS for information on becoming a supporting organization or conference sponsor.  Source: CRS, 10/23/2006.

Scientists Predict Future of Weather Extremes

The planet will face more deadly heat waves, prolonged drought, intense rainstorms and other weather extremes by century's end, U.S. climate researchers said Thursday. The study looks specifically at how weather extremes could change from global warming caused by human emissions of greenhouse gas. Source: Environment News Service, 10/23/2006.

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News from Washington

Department of Defense Issues Report on Effect of Windmills on Radar

On September 27, the Department of Defense made public its long-awaited report entitled "The Effect of Windmill Farms On Military Readiness." The report concluded that wind farms located within radar line of sight of an air defense radar have the potential to degrade the ability of the radar to perform its intended function. The magnitude of the impact, according to the report, depends upon the number and location of the turbines.

The report resulted from a last-minute amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, enacted January 6, 2006, in which Congress mandated that the Secretary of Defense submit a report to Congress on the effects of wind farms on military readiness, specifically whether wind facilities interfere with military radar. The amendment also required the Department of Defense to report on technologies that could mitigate any adverse effects on military operations. The report was due within 120 days after the amendment of the Act. Source: Stoel Rives Energy Law Alert, 10/20/2006. 

FERC ruling on PURPA

FERC issued a Final Rule on PURPA mandatory purchase obligation for electric utilities, as mandated by Energy Policy Act. 

The Final Rule is a significant change from the proposed rule and reflects much of what AWEA requested.  While many people characterized the law as PURPA repeal, and the Commission's NOPR effectively would have repealed it in half of the country, the Final Rule allows for a closer inspection of whether market access is truly available and whether options exist other than selling to the local utility.  FERC believes this will maintain the QF option especially for community wind, and provide an incentive for utilities to join RTOs, both strong positives for the wind industry.  The Final Rule finds:

• Utilities in no regions are automatically exempt from PURPA purchase obligations (as AWEA requested).  Chairman Kelliher said "The proposed rule would have established an irrebuttable presumption that qualifying facilities have non-discriminatory access to the "Day 2" regional transmission organization markets. My colleagues and I were convinced by the record that this approach was not consistent with the statutory scheme." 
• Utilities in the Midwest ISO, PJM, ISO-NE, ERCOT and NYISO have a rebuttable presumption that QFs in their areas have meaningful access to markets.  A case by case determination will be made (as AWEA requested).
• In CAISO and SPP, utilities have a rebuttable presumption that QFs have transmission access, but not access to real time and day-ahead markets.
• Outside of these areas, the full burden remains on the utility to demonstrate that any QF has meaningful access to markets (as AWEA requested).
• For any QF under 20 MW in size, even in RTO areas, the burden remains on the utility to demonstrate meaningful access (as AWEA requested).  This is a big victory for community wind. 

Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff said "PURPA is alive and well." Commissioner Suedeen Kelly said "QFs are a desirable source of electricity" and "the existence of an Open Access Transmission Tariff is not enough" to be considered meaningful access to markets.  Commissioner Marc Spitzer said utilities and QFs will have their day in court under the case by case approach.  He said he looks forward to the day when the rule is not needed and that renewable resources have unfettered access to markets.  Source: Susan Williams Sloan, American Wind Energy Association, 10/20/2006. 

Small Business Takes Active Role in Supporting California's Global Warming Legislation, AB 32

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute held a Congressional briefing on Nov. 1 on the active role small business has taken in supporting California's recently enacted first-of-a-kind greenhouse gas legislation, AB 32, and why this can have significant implications for climate legislation nationally. Small business plays a significant role in the economy, accounting for over half (51 percent) of the nation's private sector output and 47 percent of all sales. Small business is by far the largest creator of new jobs. Small business in the aggregate is "big business." 

Green entrepreneurs and small businesses played a pivotal and unprecedented role in the enactment of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). For the first time the debate was cast not in terms of economics versus the environment, but in terms of mainly established large businesses that opposed the legislation versus mainly small and new businesses that supported it. Business supporters ranged from firms engaged in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and green building design and construction to socially responsible investment firms and venture capitalists.

Small business plays an important role in the use of energy, consuming 48 percent of all electricity and 39 percent of all natural gas used for commercial and industrial purposes in the United States. This affords great opportunities for small businesses to accrue benefits from carbon-cutting energy efficient technologies.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, AB 32, authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D- 46th) and Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D- 41st), was signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger on September 27. The bill establishes a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cap for the electric power, industrial, and commercial sectors; institutes a schedule for emissions reductions; and creates a program to monitor and enforce that schedule.  The initial goal of the bill is to reduce California GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

For more information, please contact Fred Beck at 202.662.1892.  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress to provide timely information on energy and environmental policy issues to policymakers and stakeholders and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path.  Source: Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 10/23/2006.

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State Activities, Marketing & Market Research

Extra Benefit for LI Wind Power Customers

Homeowners with windmills will be paid by the Long Island Power Authority when they generate extra electricity.  The LIPA Board of Trustees agreed Wednesday to allow homeowners who use wind energy to tie into the utility's electric meters. If their windmills produce extra electricity, the homeowners will be selling the electricity back to the utility.  LIPA already has a similar agreement with about 750 customers who use solar energy.  LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel said metering wind-generated power is the next logical step in helping customers to take advantage of all renewable and clean energy.  Source: AP New York, 10/19/2006. 

Solar World: Arnold a Friend of Solar

It's possible to take care of the environment at to take care of the economy at the same time, Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday.  "People were skeptical about that, but we've proven the skeptics wrong," Schwarzenegger said in his address to the Solar Power 2006 solar energy conference.  "If the last year is any indication, all of you will make (a lot of money) next year, and that's music to my ears," Schwarzenegger said.

Speaking almost entirely without notes, Schwarzenegger ticked off the recent developments in improving California's economy, including the creation of 65,000 new jobs. He said the state accomplished these things while also "taking care of the environment."   In the past year, Schwarzenegger has enacted several laws that will help his state say "hasta la vista" to fossil fuel-driven energy by encouraging the development of the solar energy industry.   Most prominent among them was his "Million Solar Roofs" initiative, signed into law in August 2006.  Also in 2006, California raised the "net metering cap"?the amount of money that utilities pay solar customers for the extra energy they contribute to the grid.

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric, one of the state's leading utilities, pays customers the retail price for this electricity, meaning people see a return on their investment in solar panels sooner.  The $3.35 billion program, to be implemented over the next 11 years, also requires that solar energy systems be a standard option for all new homeowners.  Schwarzenegger told United Press International that he considers the solar energy industry to be "very important."  

Schwarzenegger stressed in his speech that a major benefit of promoting solar energy was reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted to the atmosphere by fossil fuel-driven conventional electricity.  Greenhouse gases are thought to be a major cause of global warming.  Breaking the U.S. dependence on "foreign oil" is another reason Schwarzenegger supports solar, he said.  

According to investors who watch the renewable energy market, the idea of "energy security" is the main reason the public supports the use of alternative energy, and is one of the issues that will most affect their vote in the upcoming midterm election.   Schwarzenegger himself is up for re-election this year, after serving a three-year term. He also announced the launch this week of a new California Public Utilities Commission Web site  dedicated to helping Californians who want to go solar get all the information on the tax incentives available to them.  

A Pacific Gas & Electric employee who heard Schwarzenegger's speech told UPI that for speaking to a group of solar industry experts, the governor did a good job and seemed to know what he was talking about. The employee said he would probably vote for Schwarzenegger, and that the incumbent governor's support for solar played a big part in winning the employee's vote.   Besides California, in 2006 eight other U.S. states created programs to expand solar incentives or "require the use of solar as part of their renewable portfolio standard," according to a "Year in Review" report by the Solar Energy Industries Association. The states are New Jersey, Florida, Arizona, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Washington and New Mexico. Source: United Press International, By Leah H. Krauss, 10/19/2006.

Report Says Midwest Power Grid Prepared for Years of Demand

The electricity grid in the Midwest is stronger than in many parts of the country and should be able to handle power demand for years, a new national study found.  "It is an interesting picture across the country. Some parts of the country look pretty good, others look bad, while others are merely OK," said Stan Johnson, a spokesman for the North American Electric Reliability Council.  The council issued a long-term grid assessment this week that found some parts of the country with imminent problems. Problems with Ohio's transmission grid contributed in part to the August, 2003, blackout in several states and part of Canada.

The Federal Energy Policy Act in 2005 gave the reliability council new requirements for assuring power distribution. The group's report found that the 13-state territory that includes Ohio is generally in good shape. It projected that by 2015 demand for power could reach 220,400 megawatts, up from the current 191,600 megawatts.  Generation capacity for the territory will hit about 241,000 megawatts by the end of this year, giving the region a healthy reserve margin in case of peak demand.  The report said the amount of power is sufficient through 2012, but afterward new sources may be needed to maintain an adequate reserve. An additional 8,400 megawatts would be needed by 2015, it said. That is significant because FirstEnergy Corp.'s Davis-Besse nuclear plant near Oak Harbor generates just 940 megawatts.

About 47 percent of the territory's power comes from coal-fired plants, 14 percent is nuclear, and 28 percent is from plants that run on natural gas. Heavier reliance on gas, however, could pose problems.  Supplies of the fuel used primarily by small, standby plants are subject to delivery disruptions in major storms or hurricanes.  The Midwest region has added or will add 600 miles of extra high voltage lines and six substations in the next five years. FirstEnergy, which largely was credited with problems that began the 2003 blackout, has spent $450 million upgrading its transmission system and has budgeted up to $600 million more mission system and has budgeted up to $600 million more through 2011.  A grid operator, International Transmission Co., of Novi, Mich., has spent more than $400 million in upgrades since 2003 and plans up to $1.6 billion more through 2011. The firm controls most transmission lines in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The North American Reliability Council report said power grids could reach "unhealthy levels" in Texas and some other areas as early as next year, given the expected increase in demand and limited generation for those areas.  Projected to be adequate and reliable are the Southeast and Florida, but in regions such as Texas, the mid-Atlantic, the Rocky Mountain states, and New England, the capacity versus demands differences will be at "unhealthy levels" in the next two or three years, the report said.   Contact Jon Chavez  at 419-724-6128.  Source:  McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News--Jon Chavez The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, 10/20/2006.

Candidates Shed Light on Energy Proposals

Consider it the war of the energy plans. The three candidates for Illinois governor all have proposals that would harness the state's agricultural bounty to help fuel automobiles while developing the economy, though they differ on the scope of public assistance that should be offered.

Democrat Rod Blagojevich, Republican Judy Baar Topinka and Green Party nominee Rich Whitney also favor requiring electric companies to get increasing portions of their power from renewable sources, such as wind turbines, in the wake of an Illinois Commerce Commission resolution that sets voluntary goals, rather than binding levels, for utilities.  Blagojevich, who seeks re-election Nov. 7, has touted the steps his administration already has taken to spur the ethanol and wind-farming industries and recently won the endorsement of the Sierra Club's Illinois chapter. Topinka says the governor has allowed Illinois to fall behind Iowa and Nebraska in ethanol production, and she faults Blagojevich for not pursuing a legislative mandate on renewable power.

With input from the governor's office, the ICC last year approved a "Renewable Portfolio Standard" under which Illinois power companies will be encouraged to get 8 percent of their electric supply from sustainable sources by 2012. ICC officials suggested the deal with utilities may be in flux, though spokesmen for Commonwealth Edison and Ameren say the companies remain committed to renewable power.  "The much-ballyhooed Blagojevich initiative as adopted by the Illinois Commerce Commission is nothing more than a goal," Topinka wrote in a Copley News Service questionnaire about energy issues. Topinka has called for legislation that obligates utilities to follow the ICC's renewable-energy standards. Blagojevich said he'll now push for a law that requires an RPS of 10 percent by 2015. Whitney, the Green Party candidate, advocates a binding RPS of 22 percent by 2020.

Wind farms are expected to proliferate in rural areas of Illinois, giving property owners a revenue source as they lease their land to turbine operators.  On ethanol and other biofuels, Blagojevich proposes spending $225 million on nearly 30 production facilities. Topinka says she would assist such projects through creation of a $500 million loan pool for rural development, and she would offer another $15 million in yearly grants for biofuel initiatives. She promises to convert the state's automotive fleet to vehicles that use concentrated ethanol fuel or biodiesel by 2012. Blagojevich takes credit for starting the fleet conversion and widening the use of E85, which contains 85 percent ethanol.  Whitney said he supports ethanol development, but he does not suggest spending targets. He cautions that limited corn supplies will need to be supplemented with crop wastes and switchgrass; Blagojevich and Topinka also recognize there may be other organic fuel sources to tap.  "By some calculations, even if all the corn in the U.S. was used to make ethanol, it would only replace 21 percent of our current fossil fuel consumption," Whitney wrote in his energy questionnaire.  Blagojevich also would funnel $775 million into developing power plants to convert Illinois coal into cleaner natural gas. The $1.2 billion price tag for his combined energy initiatives would be financed in part by stepped-up tax collections on corporations, sales taxes on coal and other fees, his office said.  Topinka's campaign questions the feasibility of the governor's large-scale plans for coal-gasification, but, like Whitney, she supports development of the process.

Meanwhile, all of the candidates for governor have blasted the results of September's "reverse" power auction, which allowed deregulated utilities to buy electricity at fixed prices. Ameren estimates that its central Illinois residential customers will see their average monthly bills rise by 40 percent to-55 percent next year?26 to $33 for the typical customer?to reflect market and delivery costs. ComEd projected its residential bills would increase by about 20 percent.  Blagojevich, Topinka and Whitney all support legislative efforts to extend a state-imposed freeze on electric rates. The current freeze is set to expire Jan. 1, but Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, has asked Blagojevich to call a special legislative session to pre-empt the increase. The governor has said he won't comply with the request unless he's sure there are enough votes for a rate-freeze continuance.

On another pocketbook issue, Topinka says Blagojevich has done nothing as gasoline prices hit record levels in the past year. She has proposed a graduated reduction in the state sales tax on gasoline when prices spike. Whitney and Blagojevich say the idea is short-sighted and takes the focus away from the need for a long-range and diverse state energy plan. The governor said his comprehensive strategy would result in Illinois replacing half of its current supply of imported oil with homegrown biofuels. 

One environmental advocate said it's an unusual election year, considering both major-party candidates are emphasizing energy as a campaign issue.  "Both the Democrat and Republican candidates are stepping up in a clear and forceful way promoting clean-energy development in Illinois--that's new," Howard Learner, executive director of the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center, said in a recent interview. "That reflects both the clean-energy development opportunities for Illinois and the strong public interest and concern that we need to redirect our energy policy at the state level."

Learner, who serves as an unpaid task force member for Blagojevich, said the governor's energy plan is more wide-ranging than Topinka's. He said he wasn't familiar with Whitney's energy proposals.  Mike Ramsey  can be reached at 312-857-2323.   Source: By Mike Ramsey, Copley News Service, 10/22/2006.

Solar-Power Mandate Top Issue for Corporation Candidates

The hot topic for five candidates vying for two seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission is how much of the energy we use should come from the sun. Later this month, the commission will cast a final vote on a plan that will require regulated electric utilities to generate 15 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2025. That's a significant increase from the requirement for 2006: 1.25 percent.  For Republican incumbent Kris Mayes, of Phoenix, who would serve her last term if she wins re-election?commissioners are limited to two terms?approving the 15 percent mandate will be the "the most important accomplishment in the history of the Arizona Corporation Commission. The people of Arizona want it, it's reasonable, and it's going to take our state away from our addiction to fossil fuels," she said.  The current 1.25 percent mandate for renewable energy results in a surcharge of 35 cents on monthly electric bills. That surcharge would rise to $1.05 with passage of the new mandate, Mayes said. 

Fellow Republican Gary Pierce of Mesa agreed the people of the state support a commitment to renewable energy, but said the commission needs to be flexible on the 15 percent goal for the year 2025.  "The rules adopted by the commission need to be adjustable depending on what's going on in the marketplace," Pierce said.   Libertarian candidate Rick Fowlkes said he's all for an increased in renewable energy provided it takes place through free market competition, not through "market manipulation by government." 

"The minute that mandate goes into place, the companies that provide power by renewable sources are going to have a tendency to raise their prices," said Fowlkes, a structural engineer.  Democratic candidate Mark Manoil of Phoenix disagrees that a "hands off" approach by the commission would result in an uptick in renewables given Arizona's utility monopolies.  "If you don't have a regulator willing to to translate public policy into action through rulemaking like this, you see no change," Manoil said. Sierra Vista Democrat Ric Boyer's criticism of the renewable mandate is that it should have been done years ago.  "Compared to 1 percent, it's an ambitious start, but it shouldn't have taken us three years to do it," Boyer said.

The top two vote-getters from the field of five will earn four-year terms on the five-member commission. Contact reporter Thomas Stauffer  at 573-4197. Source: Thomas Stauffer, Arizona Daily Star, 10/22/2006. 

Power Execs Foresee Carbon Emission Caps

When Duke Energy Corp. CEO James E. Rogers considers global warming, he sees more than a costly quagmire for the U.S. power industry; he sees grand monuments. Notre Dame in Paris, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.  Rogers has adopted what he calls "cathedral thinking," a view that tackling climate change is a chance for the industry to leave a proud environmental legacy for future generations.  This philosophy may not deliver results as quickly as environmentalists would like, or sit well with all his counterparts, but it does aptly describe an approach toward reducing greenhouse gases that a small but growing number of power executives are embracing. 

Of course, shifting political winds are an equally persuasive force in an industry that accounts for almost 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.  Rogers and many other executives are convinced the United States is likely to join Europe in placing limits on carbon dioxide emissions--believed by scientists to cause global warming--perhaps as early as next decade. This rising expectation of mandatory carbon caps is reviving interest in nuclear power, accelerating the use cleaner coal-burning technologies and spurring investment in alternative fuels such as wind and biomass.

Some of the country's biggest power producers are even setting voluntary greenhouse-gas reduction goals now in hopes of gaining a competitive edge down the road.  Despite good intentions, however, it will likely be several decades before any meaningful progress is made on reducing carbon emissions, according to experts on energy and the environment. That is because half the country's electricity comes from burning coal?by far the largest industrial source of carbon dioxide?and the most promising technology for capturing these emissions and sequestering them underground is still in the experimental phase.

Meantime, the Edison Electric Institute, the industry's main trade association, is lobbying to prevent mandatory carbon caps, calling them an unnecessary financial burden at a time when the power industry needs to invest billions just to meet anticipated demand.  Rogers, who is the chairman of EEI through next June and welcomes economy-wide carbon caps, is at odds with the association's official position: it favors voluntary measures, a stance also advocated by the Bush administration.  U.S. electricity demand is expected to rise by about 1.5 percent a year, resulting in a 50 percent increase from current levels by 2030. The Electric Power Research Institute forecasts that, with today's technology, global carbon dioxide emissions will more than double by 2050 to 80 billion metric tons a year. The U.S. already accounts for more than 7 billion tons a year.

Increasing energy efficiency standards and deploying "improved versions" of today's power plants would substantially slow the rate of growth, according to EPRI, a non-profit that provides scientific and technical research on electricity. But in order to actually reduce annual global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, EPRI estimates that nearly half of the world's electricity would need to come from carbon-free fuels, such as nuclear, wind and solar. Today, carbon-free fuels account for a third of global power generation.  This is one reason why some U.S. power executives vow to fight carbon limits unless the constraints are carried out worldwide.  "The issue is global warming, not U.S. warming," said Mike Morris, the chief executive of American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio, the largest coal-burning utility in the country. Unless China, India and other developing nations also are forced to adopt costly alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, U.S. manufacturers--a major customer for AEP--will be at an unfair competitive disadvantage, Morris said.

A critical mass of pragmatists say it would be foolish to ignore the writing on the wall in terms of eventual Federal legislation.  In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last month signed legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants to 1990 levels by 2020.  In the Northeast, a regional "cap and trade" system of buying and selling emissions allowances is being developed to cut greenhouse gases from Maine to Delaware.  And more than 20 states require utilities to buy a share of their electricity from renewables such as wind, solar and geothermal energy.  Some opponents of mandatory carbon caps say the power industry would be better off with one Federal standard than a hodgepodge of state regulations with which to comply. But, either way, the basic principle of putting a price on carbon is gaining traction: the Congressional Budget Office said last month that any cost-effective U.S. policy on global warming will require emissions taxes or a cap and trade system similar to Europe's.  It is against this backdrop of legislative activity at the state level?and with help from Federal tax breaks included in last year's energy bill?that some utilities are tweaking their long-term strategies.

The growing long-term appeal of carbon-free power in the U.S. is exemplified by the phenomenal growth of wind power, which has quadrupled since 2000 to more than 10,000 megawatts nationwide. That said, wind still represents less than 1 percent of all U.S. power capacity.  Perhaps more telling is the resurgence of interest in the U.S. for nuclear power, whose image was battered by the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 and bruised by the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Concerns about nuclear waste also run high.  But sensing that public resistance to nuclear will wane as concerns about global warming rise, more than a dozen companies, including Duke, NRG, Entergy Corp. and Exelon Corp., have notified the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission that they plan to apply for licenses to build new reactors.

Notifications began pouring in after Congress passed an energy bill last summer that included tax credits and other perks to encourage nuclear power, which is also seen as a way to become less reliant on high and volatile natural-gas prices.  Constellation Energy Group Inc. of Baltimore, in a partnership with France's Areva called UniStar Nuclear, is considering building five new reactors, including one each at existing nuclear facilities in Maryland and New York. 

While nuclear presents a significant opportunity in the fight against carbon emissions, the country's unbridled dependence on traditional coal is a major obstacle.  More than 150 new coal plants have been proposed in the U.S., which has the world's largest coal reserves. And while there is much optimism about the long-term potential for "clean coal" technology, it will only be used in about 10 percent of the plants currently on the drawing board.  Even these so-called coal gasification plants will not solve global warming overnight. While they are far more efficient than older coal plants, the real promise rests in their compatibility with emissions-capture equipment. Unfortunately, "a laundry list of technical challenges" could take a decade or more to resolve, according to Revis James, director of EPRI's technology assessment division.

The dearth of simple carbon-free solutions leaves an executive like Duke's Rogers in a difficult position. Sure, he is making plans to add nuclear and coal-gasification power plants, but an important aspect of "cathedral thinking" is a recognition that addressing global warming requires immediate action.  For that reason, Rogers is promoting the need for greater energy efficiency whenever he can.  But in order for that to succeed, Rogers said elected officials and regulators will have to come up with financial incentives that will encourage utilities to sell less electricity.  "Hope," he said, "is not a plan."  Source: Brad Foss, Associated Press, 10/ 21/2006.

Nevada Power Seeks Geothermal Buy

Nevada Power Co. is asking state regulators to approve five power purchase contracts for a total of 124 megawatts of geothermal power from sites in Northern Nevada. The electric company filed the proposed contracts Friday.  The five projects, if approved by the Public Utilities Commission, will help Nevada Power satisfy the requirements for renewable energy use when they start operations in 2009 and 2010, said William Heck, manager of renewable energy for Nevada Power.  Most of the state's geothermal power is in Northern Nevada. Heck expects a north-south transmission line to be completed by then, enabling the geothermal plants to send their electricity directly to Nevada Power. "It all comes together about the same time," Heck said.

However, Sierra Pacific Power would use the power if a transmission line to Nevada Power was not immediately available.  Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power are planning the transmission line to give them their first direct connection to each other. It is part of the planned $3.7 billion Ely Energy Center, a coal-fired power plant the companies propose near Ely.  In addition to the geothermal contracts, the two utilities are considering proposals from developers of wind farms, biomass power plants and other geothermal projects in response to a request for proposals.  With contracts for the various kinds of renewable energy, "we hope to have a well-diversified portfolio (of energy)," Heck said.  Heck expects that, by June, the utilities will file several proposed contracts with the utilities commission to consider. 

Separately, representatives of Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power declined to confirm a report they are discussing participation in a 250-megawatt solar thermal project in Arizona, said spokeswoman Sonya Headen.  Other potential partners in the project are Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Sacramento Municipal Utility District, according to APS.  The utilities are considering a partnership because solar thermal power plants are most economical at the 250 megawatt size, compared to smaller sizes, and most utilities do not want to build a plant of that size without partners, said Barbara Lockwood, APS manager of renewable energy.  The solar thermal project would use the heat of the sun to make steam and turn generators. It may use heat storage technology so that it can continue to generate electricity for several hours after the sun sets or it might use natural gas as backup fuel at night, Lockwood said.

Nevada Power satisfied the non-solar requirement for green power last year by purchasing renewable energy credits from affiliate Sierra Pacific Power Co. of Reno. The utilities expect to comply with the state renewable energy requirement for all but solar power this year and to comply with the solar requirement in 2007.  Investor-owned electric utilities in Nevada are required to obtain 6 percent of their power from renewable resources this year, gradually increasing to 20 percent by 2015 and the following years. The utilities may substitute energy conservation programs for up to 25 percent of the total yearly requirements.Of that the total for renewable energy, 5 percent must come from solar power.  The geothermal contract would call for power supplies over 20 years.  Source: McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News--John G. Edwards Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/17/2006. 

For more information on marketing and research go to: http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/

Grants, RFPs & Other Funding News

Turlock Irrigation District Issues Renewable Energy RFP

Turlock Irrigation District issued a request for proposals  with the intent of securing an increased portion of its electric energy requirements from facilities that qualify as eligible renewable energy resources pursuant to California law and TID policy. TID will consider a traditional, pay-as-delivered electric energy purchase agreement, or a "hybrid" electricity purchase agreement involving prepayment for electric energy.  TID will also consider proposals for the sale of Renewable Energy Credits produced by eligible renewable energy resources. The RFP will be of greatest interest to those parties who currently have rights in, own, or propose to develop, an eligible renewable energy resource, or who own Renewable Energy Credit rights with respect to such a resource.

The RFP is consistent with TID's objective to obtain safe, reliable and adequate electric energy supplies for its customers at the lowest possible cost and in an environmentally acceptable manner.  Each year from 2007 through 2017, TID anticipates the need to increment its procurement of eligible renewable energy by at least 27,000 MWh/year.  Through this RFP process, TID will consider the acquisition of electric energy from one or more eligible renewable energy projects for up to all or any portion of its expected requirements. 

TID will give preference to projects that will be commercially available earlier in the acquisition period.  Eligible renewable energy resources include: bio-mass, digester gas, fuel cells, geothermal, hydroelectric, landfill gas, municipal solid waste, ocean thermal, ocean wave, solar photo-voltaic, solar thermal, tidal current and wind power.  In addition to these sources of energy, TID will also consider proposals for the sale of Renewable Energy Credits, also known as "green tags," without the associated energy.  The credits must be based on electric power generated by eligible renewable resources in the year in which the credits are sold to TID.  

Questions can also be directed to: Tom King, phone: 209-883-8230. TID must receive all proposals with the appropriate attachments by e-mail no later than 3:00 p.m. (PPT) on December 20, 2006.  Source:  Turlock Irrigation District (TID), 10-18-06. 

Region 5 Tribal Air Grants Request for Proposals

Environmental Protection Agency: U.S. EPA, Region 5 Tribal Air Grants Request For Proposals  FY 2007.   Source: Grants.gov, 10/23/2006. 

For more information on funding solicitations go to: http://www.repartners.org/grants.htm