 |
|
|||||
|
Responsibility for the factual accuracy of each press release rests entirely with the individuals or organizations identified on the release. |
|
|||||
|
||||||||||
Duke University is now using wind power. While several universities have aimed to bring green power to their campus, none of them are doing it quite like Duke. To challenge students, Duke University has agreed to match up to 1,250,000 KWh worth of student purchases of wind power. This is the first time in the country a university has gone beyond just buying green power to engage their students in an educational campaign to support clean energy.
Duke University President Nannerl Keohane supports the challenge, saying, "This exciting and unique program challenges everyone in the University community to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their electricity. Choosing green power is the natural next step to meeting today's energy needs." The challenge money comes from savings generated by a cooperative energy conservation effort between Duke University and students in Duke Environmental Alliance.
Students who purchase wind power will have their impact matched by the Duke administration. Together Duke University could potentially avoid 4,050,000 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to planting 552 acres of trees or not driving a car 5,062,400 miles. The Duke Environmental Alliance will be running events during the month of April to promote the challenge.
"Most people don't realize that electricity generation is the single largest source of greenhouse gases in the US," said Channa Pickett of the Environmental Alliance. "Choosing to use clean, renewable energy is essential not only to our health and the health of our environment, but also our energy independence and national security." According to the Department of Energy, 70 percent of our nation's electricity is generated through the combustion of non-renewable fossil fuels.
"Everyone in the country now has the opportunity to choose clean, wind power. We want to make sure everyone at Duke knows that and has the opportunity to sign up," said Quayle Hodek, CEO of Renewable Choice Energy.
Reasons To Buy Wind Power
About Renewable Choice: Renewable Choice Energy (RCE), based in Boulder, CO is the country's leading grassroots renewable energy company. RCE works with clean power producers nationwide to increase domestic production of renewable energy resources, like wind power, by building demand for clean energy among consumers and industry. RCE accomplishes this through the sale of American Wind™, their Green-e certified renewable energy certificate product.
On May 5, Montana Governor Judy Martz signed into law a bill (HB 509) requiring the state's default electricity service providers (currently only Northwestern Energy) to offer green power options to their retail customers. An earlier requirement was part of an electricity law repealed by voters last year. The green power products must be supplied from "certified environmentally preferred resources," such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. The Montana Public Service Commission is tasked with approving the product offering(s) and ensuring that the resources have been certified as "meeting industry-accepted standards." The bill also extends the state's Universal System Benefits Charge through December 31, 2005. The charge generates about $13 million a year statewide to support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and low-income programs. Source: Green Power Network, 6/30/2003.
Boone Electric Cooperative, which serves about 25,000 customers in Boone County and portions of five other mid-Missouri counties, announced that it will offer its customers a wind energy purchase option beginning in July. The green power will be sold in 100-kWh blocks at a price of about $3.00 per month, or a rate premium of 3¢/kWh. The wind energy will be sourced from Aquila's 110-MW Gray County Wind Farm located in southeastern Kansas and be supplied by Associated Electric Cooperative, which provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, Oklahoma and southeast Iowa. Source: Green Power Network, 6/03/03.
Clean Power Markets, Inc. (CPM) recently announced the launch of the Wisconsin Renewable Resource Credit Program, "a tracking and verification program that provides an easier way for the state's electric providers to comply with Wisconsin's renewable energy legislation." According to CPM, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) contracted with CPM last year to develop and administer the Web-based system.
"For the first time, the reporting for calendar year 2002 was successfully completed online," said PSCW coordinator of renewable energy programs Paul Helgeson. "The system provides an easy way for the 118 utilities, cooperatives and aggregators to report their compliance with Wisconsin's [renewable portfolio standard (RPS)], and a means for us to verify that the information is accurate and complete."
CPM noted that the Wisconsin legislature established an RPS in 1999 requiring electricity providers "to meet an escalating percentage of their retail sales with renewable resources," with the option of purchasing renewable resource credits (RRCs) from providers "that have delivered excess renewable electricity to their customers." Contact: Jan Pepper, CPM, phone 650-949-5719, e-mail. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 5/22/2003.
Australian renewable energy generator Pacific Hydro, Ltd. recently announced it has formed a joint venture (JV) for "the research and development of a dual-purpose wave energy generator that is about to enter [the] prototype testing stage." According to Pacific Hydro, the JV, which will trade under the name Seapower Pacific Pty, Ltd., will develop new ocean wave generation technology designed to "produce pollution-free electricity with an optional capability to produce desalinated water."
Pacific Hydro noted that the wave generator has been under development since 1999 by Carnegie Corporation and marine engineering research and development company Seapower Pty, Ltd. Pacific Hydro said it will contribute its "development and hydroelectric generation expertise" to the JV. "Successful development of this multi-use unit will be a world first and could provide a new source of clean renewable electricity and desalinated water for Australians living in coastal regions as well as to other markets around the world," said Pacific Hydro general manager of business development and hydro operations Rob Grant. Pacific Hydro said research and testing of the first large-scale unit "is underway," with in-sea testing scheduled to commence "in early 2004." Contact: Rob Grant, Pacific Hydro, phone 03-9615-6411. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today. 6/6/2003.
Irish firm Airtricity has chosen GE Wind Energy to supply turbines to the Arklow offshore project; the first seven 3.6-MW turbines are expected to be operating this year. The site is located 6.25 miles (10 kilometers) off the east coast of Ireland. The first phase is expected to cost approximately $58.8 million (€50 million). GE Wind Energy will own and operate the project at first. Airtricity reportedly holds an option to purchase the project after two years. Airtricity has expressed the desire to eventually install up to 200 turbines on the site, which would make it the largest offshore project in the world. GE Wind Energy has developed the massive 3.6-MW turbine specifically for offshore applications. The rotors are more than 328 feet (100 meters) in diameter. The prototype was erected in Spain in September, 2002. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 6/13/2003.
Anchorage, AK-based Chugach Electric Association (CEA) recently announced it is conducting an evaluation to "measure the economics" of a 4.5-megawatt wind farm located at Bird Point on the edge of Chugach State Park (CSP) south of Anchorage. The utility said it expects to complete the study next month, with plans to apply for a permit from CSP if the $6.4-million project, which will feature three turbines, is deemed economically viable.
CEA officials said the utility is primarily focusing on a 1,500-square-foot site located in the "upper bench" area of Bird Point, which includes an existing road and power line. CEA engineer Steve Gilbert noted that the Bird Point wind farm, which could eventually generate 120 megawatts of electricity, would only be visible from "mile 99 of the [area's] Seward Highway" and would utilize turbines that spin slowly enough that they can be avoided by birds. "We've spent considerable time working with the conservation community, which is very supportive of wind energy in general," said Gilbert. "The general consensus among all of those groups is that even though there is some visual impact, it is worth the trade-off." Source: Alaska Journal of Commerce, 6/2/2003 via EIN Renewable Energy Today, 6/6/2003.
A group of municipal utilities in Iowa are proposing to build a unique power plant that will combine wind power with a compressed-air energy storage (CAES) facility. The proposed Iowa Stored Energy Plant (ISEP) will use a 100-megawatt wind power facility to pump air into an underground aquifer, compressing the air. During times of peak power demand, the compressed air will be supplied to 200 megawatts of combustion turbines that are fired with natural gas, allowing the turbines to operate at high efficiencies. The group places the cost of the ISEP at $215 million and hopes to launch the project this fall, with a startup date in mid-2006. See the ISEP Web site and Background page.
CAES plants work by replacing a combustion turbine's compressor with a source of compressed air. Nearly two-thirds of the natural gas supplied to a conventional combustion turbine is used to drive the compressor, so a CAES plant burns much less natural gas than a conventional combustion-turbine plant. Currently, two CAES plants exist: a 290-megawatt plant in Germany and a 110-megawatt plant in Alabama. A 2,700-megawatt CAES plant has also been proposed by CAES Development Company, LLC for construction in Norton, Ohio. See DOE's Distributed Energy Resources Web site and the CAES Development Company Web site. Source: EERE Network News, 6/3/2003.
United Solar Systems Corporation (Uni-Solar) and Independent Energy Solutions (IES) recently announced the introduction of the "SolarQuilt," a solar energy product "designed for all types of flat and low-slope roofing situations." According to Uni-Solar, the SolarQuilt is a "lightweight, simple-to-install, easy-to-maintain ballasted solution with a self-cleaning design." Additionally, the company said the product "can be easily installed on all existing roofing materials without penetrating the roof, and can be easily removed and re-installed when the roof is replaced."
"The SolarQuilt can be installed on any existing roof, including built-up roofs and bitumen roofs, and is therefore complementary to our building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) product line for membrane and steel roofs," said Uni-Solar president and chief operating officer Subhendu Guha. "We're pleased to partner with IES for this type of solution." Uni-Solar also noted that the SolarQuilt panels "are designed with a slight slope..., which allows water and dirt particles to run toward existing roof drains." Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 5/20/2004.
The Eighth National Green Power Marketing Conference will be held November 3 - 5, 2003 in Chicago, Illinois at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. A call for papers and sponsors will be forthcoming. Source: Green Power Network, 6/30/2003.
Refocus, the international renewable energy magazine, is distributed free of charge to all those who meet our circulation profile. To apply, simply fill in their Web registration form. If you would you like to be the first to know:
Then simply go to their Web registration form to apply for your free copy. Please feel free to forward this link to colleagues if you think they will benefit from a free subscription to Refocus. Source: Emma Welsh, Senior Marketing Manager, Refocus, 6/27/2003.
Is your utility interested in solar power? Get plugged into the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPS). Learn more about SEPA and their activities by reading the Spring/Summer Edition of the SEPA Record. The Record is also available online. Source: Solar Electric Power Association, 1800 M Street, NW Ste 300, Washington, DC 20036, 202-857-0898.
The new issue of Superconductivity News Update dated 27 June 2003 is now available. Source: Craig Cox, 6/27/2003.
How much does wind power cost? It would be nice if there were an easy answer to that question. However, because there are so many issues that go into the final cost, it is not simple to pin down. At the recent WINDPOWER conference in Austin, Tex., the presenters at the Fundamentals of Wind Energy pre-conference seminar laid out the issues that go into determining the cost of electricity from a wind power plant.
Thanks to the speakers at the pre-conference seminar. The material for this month's and next month's articles on the costs of wind power are derived from their presentations:
The main drivers that impact the cost of electricity from a wind plant are the following:
Money In: In order to determine how much electricity a wind farm could produce, the
first place to start is to get a good idea of the wind resource available. Since the energy in the wind is related to the cube of the wind speed [Power in the Wind (W/m2)= (wind speed)3 x ½(air density) x swept rotor area], small variations in the wind speed can lead to large changes in power output. For example, according to industry estimates from a couple of years ago, a wind farm at a site with wind speeds of 7.15 m/s (16 mph) would cost 4.8 cents per kWh, where one at a site with wind at 8.08 m/s (18.07) would cost 3.6 cents per kWh, a 25 percent reduction in cost.
In general, utility-scale wind farm developers look for wind speeds of greater than 7 meters per second (m/s, 15.66 miles per hour) at the height the generator will be placed. Wind speed measurement technology is improving, which helps developers more clearly define what the potential energy resource at specific sites and different hub heights will be. Electricity production is also related to the swept rotor area, which is a factor of the square of the length of one blade. Since energy production is exponentially related to size, but the cost of the turbine is related linearly to size, the drive toward larger turbines has been one of the main factors behind wind power's dramatic reduction in costs. Another main element in determining how much electricity a wind farm can produce is the reliability of the technology how much of the time the wind farm is available to operate. Where some of the early wind turbines that were installed in California were available to produce electricity less than a third of the time, today's technology is available to take advantage of good winds more than 98 percent of the time.
Money Out: After determining how much electricity a wind farm could produce, the next question is how much it will cost to build and maintain. The benchmark figure that the wind industry uses to calculate costs for installing a wind plant is $1 million per megawatt of installed capacity. According to Gates, about 70 percent of a project's cost is the turbine itself. Other industry analysts confirm that about 10 percent goes toward legal and financing fees, and about 20 percent goes toward construction. In addition to the economies of scale related to turbine size discussed earlier, larger wind farms also bring economies of scale in construction and transaction costs. Assuming the same wind speed of 8.08 m/s, the same wind energy analysis as above estimates that a 3-MW wind farm would produce electricity that cost 5.9 cents per kWh, whereas a 51-MW wind farm would produce power for 3.6 cents per kWh, a nearly 40 percent drop.
A rule of thumb for operations and maintenance costs is about one-half to two-thirds of one cent per kWh generated. The other main cost factor that must be put into the final cost of energy calculation is the capital recovery cost, or how much money needs to be returned to the debt and equity providers. For debt, the longer the term of the loan and the more secure the power purchase agreement, the lower the interest rates will be. For equity, returns vary with risk. According to Gates, because the technology is a relative newcomer, the perceived risk of a wind farm may be higher than the actual risks, which leads to higher requirements for returns on investment. After calculating how much electricity the wind farm is likely to produce and how much it will cost to finance, build, and maintain it, one can get a good idea of what the electricity will cost to produce. Other revenue streams such as the value of the production tax credit and "green credits" help to provide an adequate after-tax income to the owner, while keeping the price of electricity low enough to compete with other resources.
In the best wind resource areas with the value of the production tax credit taken into account, wind has been reportedly selling on the wholesale market for prices less than three to four cents per kWh, a level that compares well with the cost of power from new coal or gas-fired facilities. So, while it is still not easy to answer the question of how much wind power costs, it is easy to see that the costs have come down dramatically in the past two decades, and will continue to decrease as the wind industry continues to mature and innovate. Some opponents of wind power say that the hidden costs that wind power imposes on the transmission system are high because the system must be prepared to absorb wind power's variability without reducing reliability. Next month, the Windletter will examine what the costs are of maintaining reliability on an electrical system with a portion of wind in the portfolio. Source: May AWEA Wind Letter, 6/6/2003.
The presence of commercial-scale wind turbines does not appear to harm "viewshed" property values, according to a study the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) presented on May 20 at WINDPOWER 2003, the annual Conference and Exhibition of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in Austin, Texas.
The REPP study is the first to systematically analyze property values data in order to examine the charge often voiced by wind farm opponents that wind development will lower the value of property within view of the turbines. Wind power has grown at an average rate of 24.5 percent in the U.S. over the past five years, and there are now utility-scale projects in 27 states across the country. A search by REPP for either European or U.S. studies on the effect of wind development on property values showed that no systematic review had yet been undertaken.
"We are pleased to see that the first systematic study on the issue of property values and wind power development yields the good news for landowners that wind projects do not harm viewshed property values," said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. " It will be important to continue to collect data as more projects come online, and make the results available to all interested parties, including local communities, landowners, and siting authorities." "REPP gathered an extensive database and examined over 25,000 property transactions," said REPP Research Director George Sterzinger. "If there were any systematic harm to property values from wind power projects, it would have shown up in the data."
The REPP study looked at wind development projects with a generating capacity of 10 megawatts (MW) or more that were installed in the U.S. from 1998 to 2001, and analyzed data from the projects for which there were enough sales or other data to support statistical analysis. The study found no evidence that property values decreased as a result of the wind farms. In fact, the study found that "for the great majority of projects the property values actually rose more quickly in the view shed than they did in the comparable community. Moreover, values increased faster in the view shed after the projects came on-line than they did before." The research group noted that values may have risen because of factors other than wind. The full text of the study is available on the Web. Source: Tom Gray, AWEA, 5/29/2003.
DOE, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) will all work together to encourage the use of woody biomass products as a source of energy, the agencies announced last week. Secretaries Abraham, Veneman, and Norton signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes consistent policies and procedures across the three agencies to support the use of woody byproducts from forest thinning and other land management practices. The agencies agreed to explore opportunities to create a reliable,
sustainable supply of woody biomass and to encourage the formation of stable markets for converting that biomass supply into energy. The agencies will also support Indian Tribes that wish to make use of their woody biomass resources. See the DOI press release. Source: EERE Network News, 6/24/2003.
In their just completed national survey of corn producers, the American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF) found a strong majority level of support among farmers on a range of important wind energy issues. The survey, conducted by Robinson and Muenster Associates, Inc. of Sioux Falls, South Dakota during the first half of April 2003, polled 511farmers in the fourteen states that represent 68.2 million acres, or eighty six percent (86 percent) of the 79 million acres that will be planted to corn in 2003, based on the U.S.D.A. National Agricultural Statistics Service. The ACGF random, scientific survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percent at the ninety-five (95 percent) confidence level. The largest number of farmers surveyed was in Iowa, which represents 16 percent of the prospective 2003 corn plantings. Following this initial survey summary release, more comprehensive data will be made available on the ACGF website.
"93.3 percent of nation's corn producers support wind energy, 88.8 percent want farmers, industry and public institutions to promote wind power as an alternative energy source and 87.5 percent want utility companies to accept electricity from wind turbines in their power generation mix," said Dan McGuire, ACGF Program Director and project director of the organization's Wealth From The Wind program. "It's great to see such a strong majority of farmers in agreement on these critically important wind energy and economic issues." On federal-level issues, the survey shows that 82.2 percent of corn producers support the Energy Title in the farm law and want to see that program continued and funded at the current $23 million level or greater for the purpose of renewable energy loans and grants.
"77.9 percent believe farmers should be offered financial incentives such as production tax credits and a strong majority want to see such state-level incentives to encourage the development of wind energy," added McGuire. "When provided the example of the wind energy incentives put in place by the Minnesota Legislature, the resulting expansion in the number of wind farms and then, when subsequently asked if other state legislatures should follow Minnesota's lead and pass similar wind power incentives, 77.7 percent said yes." The survey also found strong support on these national policy issues: 76.7 percent agreement on the need for the country to be more energy independent for national security reasons and the belief that Congress and the Administration in Washington, DC should make a major commitment toward the promotion of wind energy; 82.2 percent agree that rural electric cooperatives should help support and promote wind energy; and, 75.7 percent want federal action to encourage upgrading of existing electric transmission lines and construction of new lines as a ‘farm-to-market' road to deliver electricity from wind farms to consumers. Source: E-mail from Larry Flowers, 6/30/2003.
More than 25 national and regional conservation groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Endangered Species Coalition, today called on Interior Secretary Gale Norton and other federal officials to assess the impacts of planned extensive wind power development on Appalachian mountain ridges on migratory birds, before these projects are constructed. In a letter to Secretary Norton and others, the groups cited documented bird kills by existing wind turbines in the region, and urged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to develop appropriate criteria for siting and construction of these facilities under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to kill migratory birds.
"Wind power should be a part of our energy future, but it won't live up to its environmentally friendly reputation if we're not careful about how and where we build it," said Mike Senatore, director of the legal department at Defenders of Wildlife. "If we do it right, we'll have another source of clean energy. If we do it wrong, we'll kill hundreds of thousands of migratory birds every year." Current plans for the wind turbines, which can rise as much as 400 feet above the surrounding terrain, call for hundreds of the structures along ridges in the Appalachian range that are documented migratory routes for songbirds, hawks, and many other migratory species. Existing turbines have been implicated in the deaths of warblers and other songbirds in West Virginia and elsewhere. The letter notes, "Because most of the rapidly increasing number of 'windfarm' proposals in the Appalachians are still in the development and pre-construction stages, now is the time for the [U.S. Fish and Wildlife] Service to provide necessary federal oversight before extreme damage is done - as happened in the case of communication towers - and ensure that the Appalachian ridges do not become a gigantic deathtrap for migratory songbirds and raptors."
The groups warned that wind development must improve on the dismal record of communication tower construction, which occurred rapidly and with little thought for wildlife or environmental impact. The FWS conservatively estimates that communications towers kill approximately 4 to 5 million migratory birds every year. Wind power projects are often highly concentrated; there are currently proposals for more than 500 wind turbines within an approximately 15 mile radius along ridgetops in Maryland and West Virginia alone. Environmental reviews on these and other projects are happening in a very cursory manner, as companies rush to complete construction by the end of 2003, when a federal tax credit for wind power is due to expire.
The letter was submitted to the Interior Department by Meyer & Glitzenstein, a public- interest law firm in Washington D.C. It was sent on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife, the National Audubon Society, Endangered Species Coalition, The Humane Society of the United States, The Center for Biological Diversity, International Wildlife Coalition, Animal Protection Institute, Friends of Blackwater, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Audubon-Pennsylvania, Appalachian Voices, Friends of the Allegheny Front, Friends of Backbone Mountain, Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, Maryland Alliance for Greenway Improvement and Conservation, Conservation Science Institute, Center for Native Ecosystems, Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project, Coalition to Save Perins Peak, Alliance for Chemicalfree Environment, Endangered Habitats League, Cumberland Countians for Peace & Justice, Obed Watershed Association, United Church of Christ, Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, Restore: The North Woods, Wildlands CPR, Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Inc., and numerous individual scientists and environmental advocates. Copies of the letter are available. Source: Tom Gray, AWEA, 6/30/2003.
Notice of July 14, 2003 Renewables Committee Hearing on RPS Phase 2 Implementation Issues and Renewable Portfolio Standard: Renewables Committee Draft Decision on Phase 2 Implementation Issues are available online. The Energy Commission's Renewables Committee (Committee) seeks input from interested parties on the Renewable Portfolio Standard, Renewables Committee Decision on Phase 2 Implementation Issues - Draft Report. The report represents the Committee's proposed recommendations to the Energy Commission on Phase 2 issues in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) proceeding. The Energy Commission established the RPS proceeding on March 5, 2003 in response to Senate Bill 1078 (SB 1078, Sher, Statutes of 2002, Chapter 516) and Senate Bill 1038 (SB 1038, Sher, Statutes of 2002, Chapter 515). SB 1078 and SB 1038 were both signed by Governor Davis on September 12, 2002.
The Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission have established a collaborative process to develop rules to implement the state's RPS. The two agencies have also designated collaborative staff who works together on both agencies' proceedings. The Committee developed the report based on input received at a two-day collaborative staff workshop on May 12 and 13, 2003. The topics discussed at the workshop included certifying in-state renewable energy resources, establishing guidelines for making supplemental energy payments, and developing a tracking and verification system. The report is available on the Energy Commission's website. A hard copy of the report may also be obtained by calling Janet Preis at (916) 654-4530.
After the hearing, the Committee will finalize the report to reflect comments received at the hearing, with the final report expected to be released on September 5, 2003 and submitted to the Energy Commission for possible adoption at the September 17, 2003 Business Meeting. Once approved, the Energy Commission will implement the decisions contained in the report through guidelines. Public Utilities Code section 385.5(h)(1) gives the Energy Commission the authority to develop guidelines to implement portions of the RPS under SB 1078; these guidelines are exempt from the formal rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act. In early November, the Committee intends to release the first draft of the guidelines for supplemental energy payments and certification of in-state renewable resources. Source: E-mail from CEC, 7/1/2003.
On April 16, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius' signed into effect HB 2018 which, among its provisions, mandates the development of standardized interconnection requirements for distributed, renewable energy resources up to 5 MW. The bill calls on the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to establish the standards by September 1, 2003. While the section of the bill dealing with interconnection (Section 32) is not very detailed, Rep. Tom Sloan, the author of the bill, claims the intent is for the bill to cover all utilities, including co-ops and municipals, not just the jurisdictional utilities of the Kansas Corporation Commission.
To begin a process that will lead to the satisfaction of the law's requirements, Jim Ploger, Energy Manager of the KCC, in conjunction with IREC and the North Carolina Solar Center will coordinate an Interconnection Workshop scheduled for mid-July. This kickoff workshop will be hosted by and located at the KCC in Topeka, Kansas. Presenters will include nationally recognized IREC interconnection consultants Chris Cook of E3 Energy Services, LLC and Chris Larsen of Larsen Consulting Solutions, Inc. Source: Lynn Albers, NC Solar Center via June 2003 IREC Interconnection Newsletter.
307 tourists at places considered among the most beautiful in Scotland were surveyed. They have no negative feelings about wind turbines on the sites they had planned to tour. Eighty percent of those surveyed hoped to tour a wind farm. The complete survey on the Scottish Renewables Forum website. Source: ATTRAnews staff via Energy Newsbriefs 6/26/2003.
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and Greenpeace recently announced the launch of a new report titled "Wind Force 12," a "strategic blueprint that outlines how the wind industry, currently a 7-billion euros [(about $8.2-billion)] sector, is able to grow to 75 billion euros [(about $88.2 billion)] annually by 2020." Specifically, EWEA said the report "details the feasibility for wind power to provide 12 percent of the global electricity demand by 2020."
"Europe is not rich in oil, coal or gas, but we have huge wind resources and European companies are world leaders at converting it into energy," said EWEA chief executive Corin Millais. "Wind power technology is the 'Microsoft of Europe' waiting to be unlocked." Acording to EWEA, the report demonstrates how "by 2020, 1,231 [gigawatts] of wind power can be installed creating 1.79 million jobs, with an electricity cost reduction of 40 percent and with a cumulative savings of 10,921 million tons of [carbon dioxide]."
"With the Kyoto Protocol about to come into force, some governments have been quicker than others to recognize that we are moving towards a 'carbon-constrained' economy," said Greenpeace official Steve Sawyer. "Wind energy is currently the most economically attractive renewable energy technology, and countries in a leadership position now will reap benefits as others join the bandwagon." Contact: EWEA. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 5/27/2003.
The July issue of American Indian Report will explore the ways Tribes across the country are harnessing their natural resources to take part in the growing renewable energy industry. In this timely issue American Indian Report will highlight examples of successful Tribal energy projects and efforts. We will also talk to representatives of Tribal energy operations, energy companies and state & federal agencies involved in Tribal energy & environmental programs. Whether they are looking to power a few homes, an entire reservation or a casino: Tribes are finding success with hydro, solar and wind and other renewable power systems. Advertise your energy-related product, service or solution in this issue to reach interested Tribal leaders from across the nation. Tribes have long been involved in safeguarding their land and natural resources to protect future generations. Tribal governments and leaders are actively involved in their Energy programs - from negotiating lease and subsurface agreements, protecting the environment and realizing the cultural and financial value of water and other natural resources. See the report. Source: Native American Energy Efforts: Powering the Future- July 2003.
For a comprehensive listing of grants, RFPs, and other funding news, go to the Public Renewables Partnership Web site.
This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
|
