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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named the City of Santa Clara, Calif., a Green Power Community, making the city only one of 14 communities to receive such an honor. Santa Clara ranks as the second largest Green Power Community, both in terms of population and size of its green power commitment-57 million kilowatt-hours annually. Together, the 14 communities are protecting the environment by purchasing nearly 300 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually.
"Santa Clara is known for its concern for the environment, so it is wonderful to receive national recognition for our ongoing commitment to renewable energy," says Patricia Mahan, mayor of Santa Clara. "This is a true community effort spearheaded by our municipal utility, and supported by the thousands of individual residents and businesses participating in the Santa Clara Green Power program."
Santa Clara Green Power is a voluntary renewable energy program offered by Silicon Valley Power (SVP), the City of Santa Clara's municipal electric utility. What makes the Green Power Community status of great importance is that these individual renewable energy purchases by thousands of Santa Clara residents and more than 130 businesses are above and beyond the standard utility electricity mix, creating more demand for clean energy. While SVP is already one of the cleanest and greenest utilities in the nation, its Santa Clara Green Power program allows customers to match 100 percent of their use with renewables.
"EPA applauds our community partners for protecting our environment by purchasing green power," says EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By voluntarily shifting to renewable energy, the community of Santa Clara, California, is proving you don't need to wait for a signal in order to go green."
It is fitting that the City of Santa Clara's municipal government is leading the charge as a green power champion. The City recently committed to more than a million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually for all municipal facilities-more than one-quarter of the output of one large-scale wind turbine.
"We are excited that our City has made an additional commitment to green power totaling more than one million kilowatt-hours," says Larry Owens, Division Manager, Marketing and Customer Services for SVP. "The City of Santa Clara, along with the thousands of others buying Santa Clara Green Power, is a great indication of leadership by example."
The City is not alone in its leadership; there are eight major institutions in Santa Clara currently purchasing green power at levels ranging from two million to eight million kilowatt-hours annually: Agilent Technologies, Applied Materials, Santa Clara University, Yahoo!, Westfield Valley Fair, Terremark, National Semiconductor and Marriott Santa Clara. Source: City of Santa Clara, 4/30/08
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released its annual ranking of leading utility green power programs on April 22.
Under these voluntary programs, consumers can choose to help support additional electricity production from renewable resources such as solar and wind.
More than 800 utilities across the United States offer these programs.
Using information provided by utilities, NREL develops "Top 10" rankings of utility programs in the following categories: total sales of renewable energy to program participants, total number of customer participants, customer participation rate, green power sales as a percentage of total utility retail electricity sales, and the lowest price premium charged for a green power program using new renewable resources. Read more. Source: Wind Today, 4/23/08
For many people, the idea of receiving energy from the wind conjures up far away visions of old wooden windmills, spinning gently in the breeze.
But for the residents of Rock Port, Missouri, receiving energy from the wind is about to become reality, as the town is set to become the first in America capable of meeting 100 percent of its electricity demand from wind power. "This is a great development for the city of Rock Port and for all of America," said Tom Carnahan, president of Wind Capital Group, the developer of the Loess Hills wind power facility in Rock Port that is generating the energy to meet all the city's needs. “By generating enough clean, renewable electricity to meet all of Rock Port’s energy needs while also generating additional revenue for their tax base, the Loess Hills facility is a shining example of the benefits of wind energy development.”
Wind Capital Group's Loess Hills facility, located on agricultural lands within the city limits of Rock Port, produces up to 16 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually, which exceeds the 13 million kWh Rock Port uses each year, making the city the first in America capable of meeting its entire annual electricity demand from wind energy. Electricity generated from Loess Hills not used by homes and businesses in Rock Port will be purchased by the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC) for use in other communities across Missouri. Read more. Source: Wind Today, 4/14/08
Visit U.S. DOE EERE Green Power Network for more information.
When California launched the nation's biggest solar incentive program at the beginning of 2007, the idea was to transform the landscape by installing a million solar rooftops throughout the Golden State.
Now a progress report reveals that fogbound homeowners in San Francisco and Northern California are rushing to "Go solar" at a much higher rate than residents in sunny San Diego and the rest of Southern California.
The difference is practically like night and day.
Solar proponents offer a variety of explanations for the difference, but most agree that utility and government support have been stronger for installing rooftop solar systems in Northern California.
But that could change in San Diego. San Diego Gas & Electric Co. officials and clean-energy advocates say new optional electricity rates that took effect last week are expected to help energize local participation in the statewide solar program.
The California Solar Initiative was intended to spread the benefits of clean energy and fundamentally alter the industry's economies of scale by spending $3.4 billion over 10 years to subsidize solar installations. The program provides rebates to homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations that install rooftop solar panels, also known as photovoltaic systems.
Yet most of the residential applications for solar rebates during the first 15 months came from Pacific Gas & Electric's service area, according to the progress report prepared by the California Public Utilities Commission. Read more. Source: Bruce V. Bigelow, Union-Tribune Staff Writer, 5/4/08
It isn't easy being green. That's not just Kermit the Frog talking, but the lament of many in the energy business. Solar and other alternative energy technologies aren't yet affordable alternatives to traditional power plants powered by fossil fuels or hydro-electric dams, said Rick Lovely, general manager of the Grays Harbor PUD.
That's why the PUD is excited by the possibility of owning the power plant at the Cosmopolis Pulp Mill, he said.
Evergreen Pulp is negotiating with the Weyerhaeuser Co. to purchase the mothballed mill. The public utility district plans to buy the mill's electric-generation facilities from Evergreen Pulp and then enter into an operating agreement with the California-based company for the company to run the facility. Power would be generated through the burning of wood waste.
By generating power at the mill, the PUD would take a step toward meeting the mandate of a 2006 ballot initiative that requires utilities to acquire at least 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020, Lovely said.
The "green energy" requirement is phased in. Power providers must get 3 percent from approved "green" sources by 2012, 9 percent by 2016 and 15 percent by 2020. The PUD already meets the 3 percent threshold. Hydroelectric doesn't count, or the PUD's power from the Bonneville Power Administration would more than cover the initiative's requirements. Read more. Source: Leif Nesheim, The Daily World, 5/3/08
Raser Technologies, Inc., announced today that they will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for beginning the construction phase of the first geothermal power plant built in Utah in 20 years. The groundbreaking ceremony in Beaver County, Utah will be followed by a press conference at the Energy and Geoscience Institute (EGI) building on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. Senator Orrin Hatch, US Senator from Utah, has accepted Raser's invitation along with state and county government officials to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony and press conference and will be available to discuss Utah's efforts to reduce emissions from power production facilities and its efforts to meet the state's newly legislated renewable portfolio standard to increase the amount of renewable power. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for May 9, 2008, at the power plant project site in Beaver County at 11:00 a.m. local time. The press conference is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time at the offices of EGI on the University of Utah's campus at 423 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Raser previously announced the initial results of drilling the geothermal production well on the site and stated that the results suggested sufficient heat and flow of geothermal fluids to produce the planned 11 megawatts of geothermal power. Raser also recently announced a power purchase agreement to sell the power produced by the plant to the City of Anaheim and anticipated delivery of the power before December 15, 2008.
"We are pleased with the progress we have made on this geothermal power project and anticipate the completion of the project within the next six months," stated Brent M. Cook, Raser's Chief Executive Officer. "Our geothermal power plant is designed to provide baseload renewable energy with virtually no harmful emissions. We have already begun to take delivery of the UTC power generation units and expect that the remainder will be ready once site preparations are completed." Source: Raser Technologies, Inc., Richard Putnam, Investor Relations, 801-765-1200, 5/6/08
On April 22, 2008, as the nation celebrated the 38th anniversary of the first Earth Day in the U.S., the board of directors of Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) launched a program to make renewable earth energy to heat and cool their members' homes much more affordable.
Under the ground breaking provisions of DMEAs Co-Z Loop Tariff, the cooperative will pay for the installation of a residential ground-source heat pump's loops-normally about half the system's cost. DMEA will own and maintain the loop as utility plant, charging the residential co-op member signing up for the loop tariff an affordable monthly fee, analogous to the monthly base charge members pay for electric service. DMEA's geothermal loop tariff will run $15-$29 a month for most homes.
A geothermal heat pump is the most energy-efficient heating and cooling option for most homes, but it has a higher upfront cost, explained Dan McClendon, DMEA's general manager. Our new loop tariff brings down the initial cost of a geothermal heat pump close to that of a conventional system, enabling the homeowner to save 30-70 percent on their operating cost, compared to natural gas or propane.
Heating and cooling are by far the largest components of most homeowners energy use and expenditures, noted Paul Bony, DMEA's manager of member services and marketing. The geothermal loop tariff is an exciting advance to our ongoing efforts to help our 27,000 member-owners manage rising energy costs.
The anniversary of Earth Day was an appropriate time to announce the DMEA board's new program. According to a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, GeoExchange is the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning system available.
Today, more than half a million geothermal heat pump units are installed in the U.S., resulting in an annual savings of 4 billion kWh of electricity, eliminating the need for 20 trillion BTUs of fossil fuels, cutting peak electrical demand by 1.3 million kW and slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million tons of CO2.
Those 500,000 installations are equivalent to:
If every school district that needed to replace heating and cooling systems over the next 10 years decided to install GeoExchange systems, the total energy savings over that time would exceed $11 billion. The electricity required to power one million homes for 1 year would be saved, if every school that could use GeoExchange did so.
We reconcerned about the impact of rising energy prices in general in addition to upward pressure on our own rates, said McClendon. The price of propane is directly correlated with the price of petroleum which is breaking historic highs. The price of natural gas is rising on the futures market. GeoExchange is an excellent way for homeowners to insulate themselves from rising fossil fuel costs and this new program should enable many more homeowners to fuel with Mother Nature. Source: DMEA Release, 4/23/08
Nevada Geothermal Power Inc. today announced that an updated Status Report of Resource Development at the Blue Mountain Geothermal Project, Humboldt, County Nevada dated April 21, 2008 has been released by GeothermEx, Inc. The report gives a new estimate of the MW capacity of the resource, results of production well testing, and the review of the proposed injection strategy for the project.
The MW capacity of the Blue Mountain resource is now estimated to have a minimum value of 40 MW net (90 percent probability) and a most-likely value of 57 MW net. The analysis indicates sufficient heat in place to support NGP's larger development of the 49.5 MW gross (38.8 MW net) geothermal power plant.
"Resource drilling at Blue Mountain has indicated a larger and more prolific resource than originally anticipated. Consequently, the Blue Mountain project has been increased in size from 37.5 MW (gross) to 49.5 MW (gross). The larger plant will result in increased revenues to NGP. Read more. Source: CNNMoney.com 2/24/08
North American Windpower online magazine provides a summary of recent wind power projects and contracts. Source: North American Windpower, 5/7/08
The latest issue of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) WindLetter is now available. Source: AWEA, 4/30/08
In the old Aesop fable, wind and sun battle over which is the stronger. The wind blows hard, but the sun shines hot. They both do their best to get a traveler to remove his jacket.
In the fable, sun wins. But in real-life policy questions over solar power and wind energy – over which provides the more cost-effective source of clean energy – it appears that wind has sun on the ropes. At least for the moment.
Both provide an environmentally friendly alternative to coal- and gas-fired electricity, and both emit none of the greenhouse gases associated with global warming. But solar power – despite several advantages over wind — is much more expensive, say experts.
"You get more bang for your buck from wind energy than from solar energy," said Ryan Wiser, who leads renewable-energy research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
As the public expresses growing concern over global warming and rising utility bills, consumer advocates say it's more important than ever to balance the costs and benefits of wind power, solar power and other forms of renewable energy.
It's not a question of whether the United States should pursue clean-air strategies — but rather which ones, and at what cost. Who stands to save money and who stands to pay more? Is nuclear power part of the solution? Read more. Source: R.A. Dyer McClatchy Newspapers, 4/28/08
The latest issue of the RE Weekly News e-newsletter is now available. Source: RenewableEnergyWorld.com, 4/25/08
The latest issue of North American Windpower is now available. Source: North American Windpower, 4/25/08
Learn more about renewable resources.
California, a front-runner in the race to curb global warming, today unveiled a newly redesigned Web portal to help centralize state climate change activities and research.
The newly redesigned Website allows businesses, consumers, government officials and the environmental community to easily access information about California's progress in meeting its aggressive climate change goals.
"Easy to use and comprehensive are two important features for people looking for climate change information on the Internet," commented Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, Chairman of the California Energy Commission, the agency responsible for the site's redesign and maintenance. "This portal is the perfect window to obtain a better understanding of climate change and the actions California is taking to reduce its impacts."
The climate change portal's reorganization provides information about climate-related activities of state agencies, the efforts of the Climate Action Team and the research and work of other organizations such as universities and national laboratories.
An exciting new feature is the interactive calendar that lists climate change events and activities in various agencies. The portal also offers a detailed history of California's climate change activities, information on current research, policies and programs. Source: CEC Release, 5/6/08
Search wind power-related events by month or view the entire list. Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Web developer are welcome to download an Excel file (Excel 107 KB) containing a list of these events to expedite inclusion on their Web sites. Last updated 5/1/08.
Wind Powering America also makes its calendar available through an RSS Feed that includes news and events. Source: Julie Cardinal, Wind Powering America Webmaster, NREL, 5/2/08
NREL has developed several Job and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models, available for download from the Energy Analysis Web site. The JEDI models are easy-to-use, spreadsheet-based tools that estimate the economic impacts of constructing and operating power generation plants at the state level. First developed to model wind energy development impacts, JEDI recently expanded to offer more technologies. Models have been developed and are now available for download to estimate job and economic impacts from dry mill corn ethanol and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. Additional models estimating the jobs and economic impact from other technologies will be available in the coming months. The site provides more information about JEDI, as well as free downloads. Source: Energy Analysis at NREL, 5/1/08
Using pooled regional time-series data and panel data estimate, we quantify the impact of monthly ethanol production on monthly retail regular gasoline prices. This analysis suggests that the growth in ethanol production has caused retail gasoline prices to be $0.29 to $0.40 per gallon lower than would otherwise have been the case. The analysis shows that the negative impact of ethanol on gasoline prices varies considerably across regions. The Midwest region has the biggest impact, at $0.39/gallon, while the Rocky Mountain region had the smallest impact, at $0.17/gallon. The results also indicate that ethanol production has significantly reduced the profit margin of the oil refinery industry. The results are robust with respect to alternative model specifications. Source: Xiaodong Du, Dermot J. Hayes, April 2008, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development – Iowa State University
The Sunbeam eNewsletter from the American Solar Energy Society featured several interesting articles regarding renewable energy on Tribal lands.
Here are some other articles and information:
Source: Sunbeam eNewsletter from the American Solar Energy Society, 4/30/08
The May 2008 issue of the Small Wind Newsletter is now available online. The newsletter is published by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Source: IREC, 4/29/08
There's a new standing order in corporate America and it goes almost exactly like this: Be much more efficient in your energy usage.
A sea change is occurring in the way U.S. businesses view energy consumption, according to a March 24-28 ChangeWave survey of 1,400 respondents knowledgeable about their company's energy spending.
Nearly three-in-five respondents (57 percent) say their company is concerned about reducing energy usage, and these heightened concerns are leading to a transformational shift in corporate energy consumption – with an extraordinary 26 percent of respondents saying their company has used less energy than normal during the past six months. In comparison, only 16 percent of respondents say they've used more energy over this time period.
In a related finding, nearly one-in-four respondents (23 percent) report their company's spending on energy-efficient products and technologies will Increase over the next six months – three-times the percentage that see a Decrease (8 percent). Read more. Source: Seeking Alpha, 4/27/08
Selling less electricity because of solar generation is not a sustainable business model over the long term for electric utilities. Can the solar "threat" be turned into a solar "opportunity"? What if utilities could become part of the value-chain as part of the solar business? SEPA has been working with a consultant to introduce the concept of utility solar business models into the utility community, and two utility and solar industry working groups have been meeting since November to flesh out the concept. Find out what business models might exist today and what new opportunities utilities may have in the future. Title: "Utility Solar Business Models" Speaker: John Nimmons, Nimmons and Associates Date: May 8th, 2008 Time: 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST (1 hour in duration). Register online (enter SEPA as the discount code). Cost: Free to SEPA members. $25 non-members. Source: SEPA, 4/24/08
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed maps which illustrate the daily average solar resource per month in the US. The information is based on grid cells of approximately 40 km by 40 km in size. In our last issue we featured the first of two sets of maps. This second set of maps represents the solar resource available for concentrating solar power (CSP) systems on a two-axis tracker.
View the annual accumulated PV map. Monthly averages are below:
See NREL's maps for more information. Source: SEPA, 4/24/08
The sponsoring organizations include:
The target audiences for these workshops are utility professionals who are interested in learning about geothermal technologies – including geothermal heat pumps (GHP) and geothermal power production – or who want to learn how to improve on existing programs. Attendees will become knowledgeable about the cost effectiveness of geothermal technologies and how they compare with other resource options. The utility professionals would be those who are in charge of customer energy efficiency programs, resource acquisition, and/or long term planning. I hope you have the time to attend either workshop. It will be a very productive and informative event. To register contact Guy Nelson, team leader, Utility Geothermal Working Group, 541-994-4670. Source: Guy Nelson, 4/25/08
The May 2008 issue of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's Connecting to the Grid newsletter is now available online. This month's Feature Article, Regional Recap, and Table of Contents appear below. Source: IREC, 4/25/08
The Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's has produced the first annual status report on state renewable energy standards (pdf). UCS contributed information and technical commentary on the report. Source: UCS, 4/25/08
The following notable WINDPOWER speakers will share their insights into the valuable role of wind energy and how it relates to the overall energy industry, the environment, the local community and the business world.
Welcome and Opening Sessions (Mon, June 2nd, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Exhibit Hall B3, 3rd Floor)
General Session, Growing the Wind Energy Business – This session will feature a panel of wind energy industry leaders. The focus of their discussions will include their perspectives on the wind industry's future, major opportunities and challenges while the industry is growing rapidly.
Moderator: Michael Skelly, Advisor, Horizon Wind Energy
General Session (Tues, June 3rd, 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Exhibit Hall B3, 3rd Floor)
Moderator: Greg Wetstone, Senior Director of Governmental & Public Affairs, American Wind Energy Association
See the latest schedule at a glance. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 4/25/08
The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition Web site provides addresses to all the E85 stations around the country. Source: E85fuel.com, 4/25/08
Renewables 2007 Global Status Report gives an integrated perspective on the global renewable energy situation that wasn't available in 2004. It is the product of an international team of over 140 researchers and contributors from both developed and developing countries, drawing upon wide-ranging information and expertise. The report was first produced in 2005, was updated in 2006, and is now being issued again in early 2008. Source: Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, 4/23/08
Learn more about educational resources.
Possibly as a reaction to the currently volatile U.S. housing market, lawmakers have provided relief to home-builders in the form of a tax credit extension. The extension was issued in February for energy-efficient homes built under regulation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The $2,000 tax credit will now include homes purchased for residential use prior to Jan. 1, 2009. Read more.
Builders aren't the only ones concerned with cost. Consumers are also looking for ways to save money on energy-efficient homes. A new type of mortgage may be the answer. It's called an energy-efficient mortgage, or green mortgage, and home-buyers could see as much as $1,000 back on the purchase of their house if they qualify.
Other financial assistance for consumers and businesses includes "power-purchase agreements" in which some solar companies reduce installation costs up to as much as 10 percent of the original cost, in exchange for variable price rates.
There is little question that innovative financing and packaging of green energy options, will attract increasing interest among builders, bankers and others wishing to expand green energy choices to reach more people and more markets. Source: EERE Program News, 4/29/08
Learn more about legislative activities.
Geothermal energy has the potential to meet a large portion of the nation's energy and power needs. It can help the country diversify its renewable energy portfolio and enhance energy security. Geothermal energy is safe, clean and reliable. With these benefits in mind, the US Department of Energy (DOE) developed the GeoPowering the West program.
The program seeks to address barriers to geothermal utilization and identify opportunities for project development. Several western states are receiving support from DOE to operate working groups to tackle relevant issues and educate a broad audience about geothermal energy applications. The working groups focus on all categories of geothermal energy: electricity production; direct use and district heating; and geothermal heat pumps (geoexchange). Source: Sustainable Business Solutions, Inc., 5/7/08
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) State & Stakeholder Newsletter tracks a range of market-oriented news, services and outreach tools valuable to the renewable energy community. From webinars to white papers to workshops and interviews with renewable energy newsmakers, you'll find the latest news about IREC members and other renewable energy stakeholders in this newsletter which is distributed semi-monthly to email subscribers and published on IREC's website. There is no fee for this newsletter. Source: IREC, 4/30/08
The Western Governors' Association has launched a new initiative – the Western Renewable Energy Zones project – aimed at bringing more renewable resources online within the Western Interconnection as quickly as possible. All interested parties are encouraged to attend the kickoff meeting of the WREZ Steering Committee on May 28 from 1-5 p.m. at the Sheraton City Center in Salt Lake City. Steering Committee members include governors, Canadian premiers and public utility commissioners, or their representatives. Federal officials from the U.S. Departments of Energy, Interior, and Agriculture, as well as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will serve as ex officio members.
The goal of the project is to identify renewable energy zones based on common transmission needs, developable potential, timeframes, and the cost of development. Conceptual transmission plans to priority zones will be prepared to facilitate the environmentally sensitive development of the most cost-effective renewable resources. All feasible renewable resource technologies will be evaluated.
A Technical Committee comprising representatives from the states and provinces will coordinate stakeholder participation and the development of reports for the Steering Committee to consider. Stakeholder work groups will be created to: (1) develop criteria and perform the technical analysis for zones; (2) address environmental, land use and permitting issues; and (3) consider modeling options related to generation and transmission development and coordinate stakeholder involvement. Questions about the meeting may be e-mailed to the project manager, Rich Halvey. Source: NWCC, 4/29/08
Gary L. Benson envisions a steam-powered utopia. Benson is a consultant for the development group NovaTech, which aims to build a self-sufficient community in Provo's Ironton, a former industrial area, by tapping steam to provide electricity and heat for homes and businesses. There are even plans for erecting greenhouses to grow food. He attended a 2 day workshop on geothermal energy last week at Southern Utah University in Cedar City. The workshop brought together experts on the potential use of subterranean steam as a renewable-energy source.
"I am on a learning curve so I can know enough about geothermal to make reliable projections concerning the use of steam," Benson said. "There have been a lot of utopian communities before, both religious and secular, but none completely economically independent like we plan." Those at the workshop learned where steam resources are, how they can be captured for various uses – from power generation to heating – and the importance of snagging state-sponsored incentives to encourage development.
Utah's western desert has vast potential, but the steam is expensive to locate and develop. The SUU event featured a visit to a steam-powered nursery in Iron County, an exploratory drilling operation in Beaver County and PacifiCorp's Blundell plant, north of Milford. Started in the 1970s, the Blundell facility draws steam from the Roosevelt thermal reservoir to produce about 35 megawatts of electricity a year.
The company, which has owned the plant for two years, operates two generating units and has just finished a third, which could double the generating capacity. Once the steam is pumped out of the ground to power turbines, it is reinjected to the reservoir, where it can be heated to about 500 degrees and used again, said plant manager Garth Larsen.
Robert Blackett, a geologist with the Utah Geological Survey, sees great potential for developing steam reservoirs in the Great Basin. "The biggest reasons it has not been developed are the upfront expense and risk of not finding what is hoped for." But that may be changing. "I'm getting a lot more calls of people interested in it," Blackett said.
Sam Liu, an engineer and analyst with the state's Division of Public Utilities, cites some advantages of steam – especially when compared with solar and wind. "The sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow." mhavnes@sltrib.com. More information on Utah's energy programs is available at geology.utah.gov/sep. Source: By Mark Havnes, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4/28/08
Michigan needs a strategic clean energy development plan that implements smart policies and practices to capture readily achievable environmental, public health and economic development benefits. This sustainable development strategy is good for the environment and the economy. The Clean Energy Development Plan proposes policies to implement underutilized energy efficiency technologies and to aggressively develop renewable energy resources. By diversifying a power supply that has relied on old, highly polluting coal and nuclear plants, Michigan will reduce pollution, improve electricity reliability, create new "green" manufacturing and installation jobs, and provide renewable energy "cash crops" for farmers. The Clean Energy Development Plan provides the strategies to achieve these goals.
The Clean Energy Development Plan – Michigan should seize the opportunity to develop its clean energy resources: modern energy efficiency technologies and wind, biomass and solar power. The Clean Energy Development Plan achieves large environmental, public health and economic development benefits with only modest increases in cost. Moreover, investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy will diversify the region's electricity portfolio, thereby improving reliability. Read more. Source: RePowering the Midwest, 4/28/08
Source: John Deere Wind Energy and Wolverine Power Cooperative, 4/27/08
Wind turbines now generate enough electricity to serve 4.5 million homes in the United States, according to the latest ranking from the American Wind Energy Association. Read more. Source: Renewable Energy Focus, 4/25/08
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter kicked off Earth Day 2008 by issuing three climate-change executive orders, announcing a new residential insulation rebate program, and introducing the first 13 Colorado participants in The Climate Registry. The first executive order, EO D 004 08, focuses on greenhouse gas emissions. The order:
The other two executive orders were EO D 010 08, which establishes an agricultural sequestration offset program and EO B 007 08, which establishes a Colorado Climate Advisory Panel. The orders support Colorado's Climate Action Plan, which was announced in November 2007. (See the article in the November-December issue of Conservation Update, published by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.)
Also on Earth Day, Ritter announced the Insulate Colorado program to help homeowners insulate their homes and reduce energy consumption. With 44 statewide partners, the program will provide rebates to participating homeowners for up to $300 per project.
And finally, Ritter announced Colorado's first 13 reporters to The Climate Registry. The registry was established by states, tribes, and provinces in North America as a mechanism to measure greenhouse gas emissions consistently across industry sectors and borders. Businesses, local governments, and organizations that participate agree to calculate, verify, and publicly report their greenhouse gas emissions annually. The 13 reporters are American Energy Assets; Cameron-Cole, LLC; Hogan and Hartson; Kleinfelder, Inc.; Newmont Mining Corporation; Platte River Power Authority; Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC); Shell Oil Company; State of Colorado; Suncor Energy (USA) Inc.; Symbiotic Engineering, LLC; Tri-State Generation and Transmission; and Xcel Energy.
The governor made the announcements at an Earth Day event held at the 100-year-old governor's residence, where new attic insulation and a 9.8-kilowatt solar array were recently installed. The governor plans to have a geothermal exchange system installed later this year that will help heat and cool the residence.
"On Earth Day, it is only fitting to acknowledge that climate change is arguably the greatest environmental challenge of our time," Ritter said. "Its effects will impact our environment, our economy and our quality of life well into the future. Adapting to climate change will certainly be a challenge, but it also will present tremendous opportunities for us." Source: EERE State Activities and Partnerships, 4/25/08
The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and Crofton Hills Wind Farm jointly signed a 20-year power purchase agreement that will result in the construction of a second wind farm between Bloomfield and Crofton, Neb.
The 42-MW Crofton Hills Wind Farm will become operational in 2009 and is expected to annually produce enough energy to supply an amount of electricity equal to that consumed by approximately 13,000 Nebraska residences in a year. The project is a direct result of NPPD's efforts to expand participation in wind development by issuing a request for proposals last July for wind projects of up to 100 MW.
That request yielded 10 proposals from seven different developers that NPPD eventually pared to three projects for further negotiations. The Crofton Hills Wind Farm is the second project of its type to reach a successful agreement with NPPD. Under terms of the agreement, Community Wind Energy Transmission (CWET), LLC, will operate and manage the facility, and NPPD will purchase the output. The final negotiated price is proprietary, but compares favorably with the cost of NPPD owning and operating such a project and with energy prices in the open market, NPPD said.
John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said, "We applaud the Crofton area landowners, Knox County public officials, NPPD Board of Directors and management, the Cedar-Knox County Rural Electric, the Legislature, Governor Heineman, and all the organizations involved in the landmark projects that have been developed so far. Nebraskans worked together to fashion a unique wind development approach that will help our public power state develop our enormous wind resources in the most economically beneficial way, while enhancing the benefits of our unique public power state. This is collaboration at its best," Hansen concluded.
Gale Lush, Chairman of the American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF), stated, "This locally-owned wind farm model offers Nebraska farmers and landowners the economic structure to deliver another form of competitive, sustainable, renewable energy to Nebraska consumers, without depleting our precious water resources and without using fossil fuels for power generation. This benefits public power, our environment, and our rural communities."
According to NPPD President and CEO Ron Asche, the power purchase agreement between NPPD and CWET is the second of its kind in Nebraska. The first was the previously announced 80-megawatt Elkhorn Ridge wind project, also north of Bloomfield (see Wind Energy Weekly #1283).
"This community-based project will be a rural economic development engine for the Crofton area, for the Knox County tax base, and for the Nebraska economy," said ACGF Chief Executive Dan McGuire. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 4/25/08
Following unanimous Senate concurrence with an Ohio House bill, legislation to establish a 12.5 percent-by-2025 renewable electricity standard (RES) is headed to the desk of Governor Ted Strickland (D). The governor is expected to sign the bill, but has offered no public statement regarding the final legislation.
Assuming that wind energy constitutes 75-95 percent of the 12.5 percent standard, the bill would establish a market for between 5,000 MW and 7,000 MW of new wind capacity by 2025. Annual mandatory benchmarks begin with 0.25 percent in 2009 and 0.5 percent in 2010, then add 0.5 percent per year through 2014, followed by an additional 1 percent per year through 2024. In terms of early-year impact, a reasonable estimate for new megawatts induced by the legislation for 2012 (ostensibly built by end of 2011) would be 650-750 MW.
Inclusion of specific annual requirements in the bill was a major accomplishment for AWEA and AWEA members, as an earlier bill that passed the Senate last fall included no such benchmarks. Following the advocacy of the wind industry, strong early-year benchmarks became a priority for Speaker Jon Husted (R), who then championed them and ensured their inclusion in the final bill. Companies particularly active in the effort included Babcock & Brown, Gamesa, GE, Horizon, Iberdrola, Invenergy, JW Great Lakes, Owens-Corning, and Webcore. "Early year benchmarks were not in the picture when we engaged this legislation in February," said Hans Detweiler, AWEA's manager of state legislation and policy. "Industry did a great job of coming out publicly to support the early annual standards, and that public involvement paid off."
The legislation also has national significance. Ohio, as a major industrial state, ranks fourth in power consumption (behind only Texas, California, and Florida) and this market will move the needle nationally for renewable energy. The legislation can also be expected to jump start interest in wind manufacturing in Ohio's world-class manufacturing sector, which may bring advantages of scale and cost to the whole industry. Furthermore, 25 states plus the District of Columbia have previously enacted mandatory renewable energy standards, so Ohio's addition to this group means that a majority of all states now have such standards. "As Ohio goes, so goes the nation," said Erin Bowser of Environment Ohio.
The renewable energy provisions are generally consistent with national best practices following efforts by Speaker Husted to improve the bill. The bill contains strong enforcement provisions, including "alternative compliance payments" of not less than $45 per MWh, and requires that at least half of the energy used to satisfy the standard be generated in Ohio (the other half can be from outside Ohio if delivered into the state). The bill also includes a force majeure clause patterned on Pennsylvania's, a small solar set-aside that ramps up gradually to 0.5 percent by 2025, and a 3 percent cost cap provision. The wind industry's only reservation with the bill was the cost cap provision, which may require close attention during regulatory implementation. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 4/25/08
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DOE announced on Monday that it will make up to $7.5 million available to U.S. industries and universities to support the research and development of advanced water power systems, including systems that draw on free-flowing water; ocean waves, tides, or currents; and other water-based resources. Technologies that generate power from free-flowing water are often referred to as "hydrokinetic" technologies. Funding is available for industry-led projects involving in-water testing, development, and deployment of advanced water power technologies.
Funding is also available for projects that facilitate the market penetration of marine and hydrokinetic technologies, including projects to assess wave and tidal energy resources, develop international standards for the technologies, investigate issues with electric grid integration, develop best practices for locating projects, and identify and mitigate potential impacts on navigation. Additionally, universities can apply for funding to establish National Marine Renewable Energy Centers, which will serve as integrated, standardized test centers for marine and hydrokinetic technologies. The centers will also serve as information clearinghouses and will conduct research to advance marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies.
The solicitation is part of DOE's effort to establish a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities to expand the production of renewable energy from marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies. The new effort was authorized by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which President Bush signed in December. DOE anticipates selecting up to 14 recipients for the in-water testing and market facilitation topics, and up to 3 for the National Marine Renewable Energy Centers. Source: EERE Network News, 5/7/08
DOE announced last week that it will provide up to $60 million for concentrating solar power (CSP) projects that focus on advanced thermal energy storage or heat transfer fluids. The DOE funding will go toward both new research and development projects and demonstrations of technologies already under development. DOE anticipates that 10 to 25 industries or academic institutions will be selected to receive this funding, which will be distributed over the next 5 years. With a mandatory private industry cost share of 20 percent for research and development, and a 50 percent cost share for demonstrations, more than $75 million could be invested in these projects. Applications are due by July 10. Read the full solicitation.
CSP systems collect thermal energy by absorbing and concentrating energy from the sun. Today's largest systems employ either arrays of parabolic mirrors, which focus the sun's heat on an absorber tube carrying a heat transfer fluid, or "heliostats," which are flat mirrors that focus the sun's heat on a thermal absorber mounted to the top of a "power tower," through which a heat transfer fluid is pumped. The parabolic mirrors can also be replaced with linear Fresnel reflectors. In all those cases, the thermal energy captured by the heat transfer fluid is used as a heat source for a boiler, which generates steam to drive a turbine. Dish-shaped mirrors generally focus the sun's heat on a heat engine, but they can also employ a thermal absorber through which a heat transfer fluid is pumped.
Heat transfer fluids with the capacity to store a lot of thermal energy can be combined with thermal energy storage systems to allow such CSP systems to continue operating after the sun has set, helping to meet peak power demands on hot summer evenings. Thermal energy storage also helps CSP plants to operate continuously on partly cloudy days. Because of these advantages, inexpensive thermal energy storage is considered a key technology for making CSP systems cost-competitive by 2020. Source: EERE Network News, 5/7/08
Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program, has issued a Request For Information (RFI) to commercial utility-scale wind farm developers, owners, operators, energy service companies (ESCOs) and financiers who may be interested in forming partnerships with the US DOE in the delivery of wind energy to Federal facilities in Albuquerque, NM. This RFI is part of a comprehensive strategy to meet and exceed statutory renewable energy goals for federal agencies; DOE is taking a leadership position in accelerating the development of utility-scale wind projects at DOE sites that have adequate land with wind resources in Class 3-7 regimes and transmission/distribution capacity.
The Kirtland Air Force Base and the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) are involved in this project. Sandia is primarily interested in on-site wind plants that will be privately owned and operated, with the DOE/NNSA, as a wholesale energy customer, purchasing the energy through a power purchase agreement (PPA) contract.
Sandia seeks to solicit industry input regarding the type of information, data, conditions, resources, environmental constraints, contracting mechanisms or parameters, etc. that potential industrial partners would expect/require to be in place in order to respond to a RFP for a wind farm(s) installation and operation on Federal land. The project size may exceed 30 MW. The resource location is also located near tribal and US Forest Service lands that have indicated wind resource potential.
The RFI process will include an industry day on June 10 in Albuquerque, NM where interested developers can attend to obtain information and ask questions. The RFI response deadline is July 3, 2008. Check Federal Business Opportunities for additional information. Parties interested in being considered for this opportunity are requested to register. Source: Sandia National Lab, 5/14/08
The U.S. Department of Energy requests proposals for Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) to accelerate the rate of scientific breakthroughs needed to create advanced energy technologies for the 21st century. The EFRCs will pursue the fundamental understanding necessary to meet the global need for abundant, clean, and economical energy. Through this initiative, DOE seeks to bring together the skills and talents of multiple investigators to enable fundamental research of a scope and complexity that would not be possible with the standard individual investigator or small group research project. $500 million expected to be available, up to 50 awards anticipated. Responses due 10/1/08. For more info, contact Emiela Bradford. Refer to Sol# DE-PS02-08ER15944. Source: Grants.gov via WSU 4/4/08
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This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
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