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The University has been selected to receive a National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Recognition award for its successful initiative to power the EMU on wind energy. In the April 2005 ASUO primary election, students voted 1,150 to 277 on a ballot initiative in favor of paying up to $2 per year per student for sustainability projects. As a result, the EMU became wind-powered on Earth Day.
As a former member of the Sustainability Committee, a sub-committee of the EMU Board, ASUO Student Senate President Stephanie Erickson worked on the initiative with University Sustainability Coordinator Steve Mital and two other students, Megan Edgar and Yoko Silk, who have since graduated.
“They were able to convince the administration and the students to get behind this,” said Kristy Jones, manager of campus climate education and action for the National Wildlife Federation. “That’s really an achievement.” Wind power is more environmentally friendly than other types of electricity because it does not generate waste or pollution, and it does not deplete the finite supply of natural resources such as coal, oil or natural gas, according to the Eugene Water and Electric Board Web site.
The University contracts with EWEB for its wind power, which comes from a wind farm in southeastern Wyoming, according to the EWEB Web site. For the EMU to run purely on wind power, it would have to have a turbine on or near the building. Instead, the wind power that the EMU uses is heavily diluted with other types of electricity — coal, gas fire, nuclear and hydroelectric, which use the same grid. This energy grid runs through 10 Western states, connecting the Wyoming wind farm to the University.
“In reality, where the electrons in the EMU originate could be anywhere in the grid,” Mital said. The extra money University students pay means there is more financial support for wind power in general, Mital said, and therefore a greater likelihood that wind power will become affordable and more widely used.
“People are only going to build wind farms if there are other people willing to pay for it,” Mital said. As a token of its support for wind power, the EMU will receive a ”green tag” from EWEB. This will be framed and hung in the EMU sometime during the school year, Mital said.
University Utilities Analyst Josh Ruddick said that without wind power, the EMU’s electric bill averages $110,000 per year. The wind power adds an extra $11,400. Because of a lower-than-expected price from EWEB, there is a $25,000 surplus from this year’s fee collections, which will be used to establish a fund for future sustainability projects, Erickson said. “That was the idea. We’d start wind-power in the EMU, then migrate to the rec center and other buildings on campus,” Erickson said. Source: By Eva Sylwester, Oregon Daily Emerald, 10/12/2005.
Direct Energy Business Services, a retailer of North American energy solutions provider Direct Energy Marketing, Ltd., recently announced its new renewable electricity initiative, dubbed “Be Green.” Under the plan, commercial and industrial customers can elect to offset either 10, 15, 25, 50, 75 or 100 percent of their electricity load that is supplied to the Ontario or Alberta grid with renewable energy from an EcoLogo-certified generation facility.
“We're seeing a growing appetite among Canadian businesses for renewable energy options,” said Direct Energy Marketing Canadian operations president Bob Huggard. “A number of market factors are also making renewable energy more significant to businesses, including continued upward pressure on non-renewable energy costs, a decrease in renewable energy prices, and increasingly, a focus on corporate social responsibility and environmental stewardship.” Contact: Lisa Dornan, Direct Energy Marketing, phone 403-290-6788. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/6/2005.
With gasoline prices continuing to spiral, students at Anaheim Transportation Academy recently completed a unique research and development project that saves energy, protects the environment and reduces operating expenses at Anaheim schools. Under a contract with the Anaheim Union High School District, Anaheim Public Utilities provided solar energy equipment and the services of a project manager for what students named the “Los Matadores del Sol” project.
The students wanted to see if solar energy could reduce the amount of electricity needed from the utility power grid to operate golf carts used for transportation by school staff on Anaheim campuses. After installing 11 SunCaddy™ 140-watt, 75-volt solar panels on the golf carts at Loara , Katella, Cypress and Anaheim High Schools, and also at Brookhurst and Dale Junior High Schools, they connected the solar panels to the golf cart batteries.
Each day, students gathered data regarding mileage, net amps used and net amps charged. They also conducted a field test at Anaheim High School to verify the solar energy panel helped charge the golf cart batteries during daily use. Comparing data taken from golf carts with the solar panels to golf carts without them, and taking into consideration such variables as weather and different drivers, the students determined the average energy savings to be 25.9 percent. The students submitted a comprehensive report of their findings to Anaheim Public Utilities.
“This has been a very rewarding project,” said Dina Predisik, resources program specialist for Anaheim Public Utilities. “The students had a practical, hands-on experience with solar energy. I think it has made them more aware of the benefits of this renewable energy source and the importance of exploring potential future applications.” For more information and to see photos of the project, please visit Anaheim's Website. Click on Public Utilities under city Departments and then Renewable Energy Video Tour. Source: Anaheim Public Utilities, 8/13/2005.
The Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore at 1001 Plandome Road is a lot greener today. During the congregation's annual meeting in May, RSNS members unanimously approved an annual budget to purchase all of its electricity from green energy sources. RSNS is at the forefront of an emerging trend of congregations, universities, Fortune 500 companies and even entire cities that see green energy as an important step toward reducing US dependence on foreign oil, fighting global warming and articulating their institution's socially-conscious values.
Conventional electricity generation is the nation's largest industrial source of air pollution. Green power electricity is partially or entirely generated from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact biomass and hydro resources, and generates electricity with low or zero greenhouse gas emissions (a major contributor to global warming). Furthermore, purchasing green power supports the development of new renewable energy capacity.
“A congregation's budget speaks to their values as much as any mission statement,” said Cantor Eric Schulmiler, the congregation's Prius-driving social action liaison, whose own home is partially powered by solar panels on his roof. RSNS is purchasing 100,000 kilowatt hours of wind, small hydro and bioenergy-generated electricity from Sterling Planet, a green power provider that is participating in the Long Island Power Authority's Green Choice Program. The U.S. EPA, using average avoided carbon dioxide emissions nationally, estimates that RSNS's green power purchase will eliminate the production of more than 138,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, an act equivalent to planting nearly 20 acres of trees, or taking a dozen cars off the road.
Following their decision to “go green,” RSNS became one of only 13 religious institutions nationwide to join the EPA Green Power Partnership, and one of only two in the entire country to qualify for the EPA's prestigious Green Power Leadership Club. The Green Power Leadership Club honors Green Power Partners that have made an exemplary green power purchase that significantly exceeds minimum Green Power Partnership purchase requirements.
“The EPA applauds the Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore for qualifying for the Green Power Leadership Club,” said Kurt Johnson, program director of the EPA's Green Power Partnership. “RSNS is providing an excellent example for it members, the community and other religious institutions.” Source: Manhasset Press, 9/16/2005.
Green Mountain Energy Company announced today the introduction of a new renewable energy product for Pennsylvania customers. The new product will give Pennsylvania customers the opportunity to support the development and growth of renewable energy at reduced costs to what they are paying today.
The product will help avoid a portion of a home's carbon dioxide pollution, a step in the right direction to preserving the environment for future generations. The new product launch coincides with the decision by Green Mountain Energy Company to no longer provide electric generation service to approximately 30,000 residential and commercial customers in Pennsylvania.
“We think this is a tremendous win-win situation for our current customers in Pennsylvania,” said Paul Thomas, CEO and president of Green Mountain Energy Company. “Current regulatory and market conditions have led to this evolution of our Pennsylvania business. By discontinuing electric generation service and providing this renewable energy option, our customers will see a lower electricity bill and will be able to continue their support of renewable energy growth and the building of new renewable facilities across the nation.”
Thomas continued, “Our Pennsylvania customers were among the first supporters of renewable energy in the nation. We want to reward that loyalty.” The new product from Green Mountain Energy Company will sell for just $9.95 a month (or $99.95 for an annual subscription). Through the purchase of this new product, Green Mountain Energy Company ensures that 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month is generated from 100 percent wind resources and delivered to the national power grid. By purchasing this new product for a year, a customer can help avoid more than 8,000 pounds of CO2 pollution — equivalent to not driving a car more than 9,000 miles.
Customers will be notified via letter beginning next week of the new product offering. Additionally, the letter will detail steps current Green Mountain Energy Company customers in Pennsylvania need to take in regards to their electric generation service. This transition will not result in an interruption in electricity service for Green Mountain Energy Company's Pennsylvania customers. Customers may select another provider or their service will automatically return to their local utility. Source: Business Wire, 10/11/2005.
Consumers looking to save money on electricity bills will be able to do so by purchasing wind power through Xcel's Windsource program. The company filed last week to increase an electric rate rider covering fuel costs starting November 1st, pending PUC approval. Windsource purchases are exempt from this rate rider and because natural gas costs are now higher than the price of wind power, the premium for Windsource will be negative. In other words, Windsource customers will receive a CREDIT of $1.55 per 100 kWh block per month rather than paying a premium of $0.97 per block. The average residential customer using 100 percent Windsource will save roughly $10 a month compared with a similar home not participating in the program. Businesses get corresponding benefits. Source: WRA, 10/12/2005.
The Vestas Group recently announced it has received an order for 127 of its V80 1.8-megawatt wind turbines for the Wild Horse wind facility in Kittitas County, WA. According to Vestas, the 228-MW Wild Horse facility will be owned by Puget Sound Energy, Inc.
“We are very pleased to be awarded another large project in the USA,” said Vestas Wind Systems A/S president and CEO Ditlev Engel. “We believe that wind power plants continue to be an attractive energy choice for utilities and the U.S. market remains attractive to Vestas.”
Vestas noted that it will supply, install and commission the turbines, as well as provide warranty, maintenance and service support for five years. The turbines are expected to be shipped next spring and the facility commissioned by the end of next year. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/4/2005.
BP Solar plans to build the largest solar energy power station in Portugal next year. The PV project should be completed in 2009 and will have a total cost of 250 mln eur. The town of Moura owns the majority of the firm which will oversee the solar power station project, Amper Central Solar. The plant will have 350,000 solar panels spread over 114 hectares near the southern town of Moura and will be able to produce 62 megawatts, more than six times the largest existing solar power station in Germany. Source: Forbes, 9/13/2005.
The Renewable Fuels Association congratulated The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC for beginning construction on its ethanol plant near Albion, Michigan. The plant will process about 20 million bushels of corn into 55 million gallons of ethanol and approximately 175,000 tons of distillers grains annually.
“The RFA congratulates The Andersons Albion Ethanol as it begins construction,” said RFA President Bob Dinneen. “Demand for affordable, renewable ethanol is skyrocketing. By filling this need, The Andersons Albion Ethanol will be helping consumers across the country and creating jobs in Michigan.” The plant’s general contractor is ICM, Inc. of Colwich, Kansas. ICM is also providing the process design.
“This is an exciting time for the industry and our Company,” said Mr. Neill McKinstray, The Andersons’ Director of Ethanol Services. “The Albion project will allow The Andersons to leverage existing capabilities and infrastructure in the fast-growing ethanol industry.” Currently, 91 ethanol plants nationwide have the capacity to produce over 4 billion gallons annually. There are 20 ethanol plants and three major expansions under construction with a combined annual capacity of over 1.1 billion gallons. Source: RFA Release, 9/15/2005.
Inside American Hydro Corp.'s Springettsbury Township 123,000-square-foot facility sit pieces of hydropower equipment that can generate 500,000 horsepower, weigh 500 tons and take a 6-million-pound press and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit to mold.
“We don't generally do nuts and bolts here,” explained John R. Degnan, the company's vice president of engineering. “It's all big stuff.” American Hydro was founded in 1986 when Germany-based Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation bought Allis-Chalmers in West Manchester Township. Allis-Chalmers was one of the last American-owned hydropower companies.
The same year Degnan, William H. Colwill, Selim A. Chacour and James R. Nolt Jr. — all engineers at Allis-Chalmers — formed American Hydro. The company engineers, manufactures and installs hydroelectric turbines that convert water energy into electricity.
Like many other hydropower companies in the country, it stands to benefit from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which President Bush signed last month. The act affords tax credits for upgrading hydropower facilities or adding on hydropower capabilities.
“The reasons the industry hasn't grown since the late '70s, early '80s is because the biggest barrier companies face when upgrading is money,” said Mark R. Stover, spokesman for the National Hydropower Association. The Washington-based trade association represents 145 companies.
The energy bill incentives could be worth as much as $150 million, “and should certainly inspire new growth,” he said. “The folks at American Hydro are innovative. They're working on new turbines that are more efficient,” said Stover, who visited the company last week. “They're pretty excited right now.”
Hydropower is the largest source of renewable electricity in the country, accounting for about 8 percent of all electricity, according to the hydropower association. Coal-fired power facilities are the largest electricity source, comprising 60 percent of the nation's electricity.
Because hydropower is the largest and oldest renewable energy source in the United States, but makes up such a small portion of all total electricity generation, those in the industry believe there is plenty of room to expand. New dams, adding capacity to existing hydropower facilities and putting hydropower onto non-hydropower dams are the three main areas where hydropower could expand, Stover said.
Right now there are about 30,000 megawatts of unused hydropower in the country, he said. About 4,300 megawatts are enough yearly power for about 1.6 million homes, Stover said. He added: “That's a lot of electricity.” Geographically, the only way to expand is internationally, Degnan said. “We are doing that, but at a very careful rate,” he said. “We're a healthy company. We profit regularly from year to year. We've had very few slow years in our nine-year history.” Source: York Daily Record via Energy Central, 10/9/2005.
Like five pinwheels 40 stories tall, the giant wind turbines of the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm will rise up out of the marshlands in the coming weeks, adding a different dimension to a skyline now dominated by casino architecture. The 380-foot structures could generate enough energy to power 20,000 homes a day. At a cost of $12 million, it will be New Jersey's first wind farm and the first such coastal facility in the United States.
“We call them kinetic art. They're sleek, tall and beautiful,” said Brent Alderfer, president of Community Energy Inc., a Wayne, Pa.-based marketer and developer of wind-generated energy. “Most people will never have seen anything like them.”
Community Energy, with partners such as Exelon and ComEd, operates eight other wind farm projects in the Northeastern United States and one in Illinois. There are about a half-dozen such companies marketing and producing wind energy in the country.
About 39 million watts of wind-generated energy are produced worldwide annually, with Germany accounting for 40 percent of this type of energy. The Atlantic City site will produce about 20 million kilowatt hours each year, Alderfer said. His firm will sell the energy to Atlantic City Electric Co., which will sell it to the Atlantic County Utilities Authority.
In August, a crew of about 50 workers began driving pilings about 60 feet deep in wetland areas surrounding the utility. Crews have assembled intricate rebar and poured layers of concrete to create sturdy bases for the five poles that will hold the windmill-like, three-blade turbines.
A dedication of the wind farm is set for late November; officials expect it to be generating power by December. Drivers on Route 30 and the Atlantic City Expressway, two routes that 34 million visitors a year use to travel to the resort, will have a clear view of the turbines straddling the marshes between the utilities authority's wastewater treatment plant.
The utilities authority's president, Richard Dovey, and others have fielded questions from residents who live in the adjacent Venice Park section of Atlantic City. “Their biggest concern was whether the turbines would be noisy,” said Dovey, who last year accompanied a group of residents to a wind farm in Somerset County, Pa., just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. “When they stood underneath one and could only hear a whoosh, most were convinced that it would be OK for Atlantic City.”
But Sylvia Washington, a senior citizen who has lived in Atlantic City her entire life, said she worries about the safety of the sea birds she likes to watch cavorting in the nearby marshes from the kitchen window of her Venice Park home. “I've always been one to worry about the little creatures,” she said. “And we won't really know how they are affected until the towers are in place.”
Electricity generated by the turbines will be sold directly to the Atlantic County Utilities Authority to operate its huge wastewater treatment plant, located adjacent to the turbines. Dovey estimates that the utilities authority's facility will use between 35 percent and 60 percent of the wind-generated capacity, providing about 50 percent of the utility's overall energy demand. Utility rates are not likely to be affected.
Some of the remaining energy needed to operate the facility will be provided by a large solar generator canopy also being installed on the site, as well as the traditional electric power grid. “This is a 'green energy' that makes sense for this facility to be able to get some control of its budget for energy costs that obviously continue to skyrocket every year,” Dovey said during a tour of the turbine construction.
Although it accounts for only 0.54 percent of the electricity used, wind energy is the fastest-growing source of alternative power in the world, with an average annual growth of about 34 percent over the last five years, said Tom Gray, a spokesman for the American Wind Energy Association.
This year scientists at Stanford University for the first time plotted a world map indicating wind-power potential across the globe, highlighting areas in North America such as the coastlines of the northeastern and northwestern United States and the Great Lakes region as having the greatest potential for wind energy production.
Dovey said installation of the $12 million wind farm here could potentially save the utilities authority more than double that amount in energy costs in the decades to come. Community Energy received a $1.7 million grant from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to build the project and has applied for a $1.92 million grant from Atlantic City Electric. The remaining costs will be funded by equity investments and debt financing. Source: By Jacqueline L. Urgo, The Philadelphia Inquirer via Energy Central 10/9/2005.
Engineering researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have developed a cheap solar energy cell made of common plastic. The cell’s design is described in the current issue of the journal Nature Materials. It is capable of being mass-produced and should cost about 10 to 20 percent of the price of traditional silicon solar cells.
“It’s clear, given the current energy crisis, that we need to embrace new sources of renewable energy that are good for our planet,” said UCLA engineering professor Yang Yang. “I believe very strongly in using technology to provide affordable options that all consumers can put into practice.”
The cost-effectiveness of solar cells is widely limited by the price of materials used in their manufacture. Silicon is used in almost 90 percent of solar cells currently made, contributing to a solar electricity bill three or four times the price of fossil fuels.
The UCLA researchers’ cell is made of an everyday plastic layer between two conductive electrodes. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, based in Golden, Colorado, has tested it and given the cell an efficiency rating of 4.4 percent. This means that the cell converts 4.4 percent of the sunshine that hits it into electrical energy, the highest score for any plastic solar cell so far published.
Professor Yang believes he can soon double that figure and has a target of 15 to 20 percent efficiency in mind for a cell with a lifetime of 15 to 20 years. This would bring the performance of plastic cells close to, if not slightly above, that of current silicon solar cells. Source: RedHerring.com, 10/10/2005.
Work scheduled for 2005 for the Calpine geothermal project at Medicine Lake has been halted by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in order to review concerns raised by the Telephone Flat Geothermal Project Oversight Committee at a meeting September 29th in Yreka.
The work had been temporarily halted after the meeting. The USFS and the BLM announced last week that no work will be done this year in order to further review the issues. “Due to the need for further review, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have decided to suspend the 2005 work scheduled for the project,” said northern California BLM public affairs officer Jeff Fontana.
Fontana did not offer details as to which concerns contributed to the decision. Calpine's plans to build two 49 megawatt geothermal electrical generating plants, called Fourmile Hill and Telephone Flat, near Medicine Lake, have encountered resistance from Native Americans, environmental groups and local residents.
Calpine's 2005 plans were to clear approximately 30 acres at four sites of timber, three for wells and one for a power plant, and build a 300 to 400 yard dirt road to the sites. Among the concerns Committee members voiced were:
Committee members include representatives from Pit River Tribe, Klamath Tribe, Shasta Nation, Native Coalition, Save Medicine Lake Coalition, Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, Medicine Lake Homeowners Association and county administrator Howard Moody representing Siskiyou County.
“I praise the federal agencies for their decision,” said Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center representative Peggy Risch. “The reversal of the original denial of the project placed additional conditions on the project. The public is very appreciative to the BLM and USFS for holding Calpine to the conditions for approval.”
A recently rejected federal lawsuit to stop the geothermal projects is under appeal. A second lawsuit by another group has been filed. Geothermal energy is produced by tapping underground reservoirs of hot water created by molten magma deep within the earth's crust.
Opponents' issues include desecration of sacred Native American grounds and culture, noise, loss of viewshed from drilling towers and potential chemical releases from sump ponds that will hold water brought up from the drilling. Calpine claims the energy is essentially clean and renewable. Calpine also says that emissions from geothermal energy as compared to fossil fuel emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are insignificant. Calpine says that geothermal energy is a better alternative to nuclear and coal fired plants. Source: By Paul Boerger, Mt. Shasta News, 10/10/2005.
Imagine being able to paint your roof with enough alternative energy to heat and cool your home. What if soldiers in the field could carry an energy source in a roll of plastic wrap in their backpacks? Those ideas sound like science fiction — particularly in the wake of the rising costs of fossil fuel.
But both are on the way to becoming reality because of a breakthrough in solar research by a team of scientists from New Mexico State University and Wake Forest University. While traditional solar panels are made of silicon, which is expensive, brittle and shatters like glass, organic solar cells being developed by this team are made of plastic that is relatively inexpensive, flexible, can be wrapped around structures or even applied like paint, said physicist Seamus Curran, head of the nanotechnology laboratory at NMSU. Nanotechnology, or molecular manufacturing, refers to the ability to build things one atom at a time.
The relatively low energy efficiency levels produced by organic solar cells have been a drawback. To be effective producers of energy, they must be able to convert 10 percent of the energy in sunlight to electricity. Typical silicon panels are about 12 percent energy conversion efficient.
That level of energy conversion has been a difficult reach for researchers on organic solar technology, with many of them hitting about 3 to 4 percent. But the NMSU/Wake Forest team has achieved a solar energy efficiency level of 5.2 percent. The announcement was made at the Santa Fe Workshop on Nanoengineered Materials and Macro-Molecular Technologies.
“This means we are closer to making organic solar cells that are available on the market,” Curran said. Conventional thinking has been that that landmark was at least a decade away. With this group's research, it may be only four or five years before plastic solar cells are a reality for consumers, Curran added.
The importance of the breakthrough cannot be underestimated, Curran said. “We need to look into alternative energy sources if the United States is to reduce its dependence on foreign sources,” the NMSU physics professor said.
New Mexico Economic Development Department Secretary Rick Homans added, “This breakthrough pushes the state of New Mexico further ahead in the development of usable solar energy, a vital national resource. It combines two of the important clusters on which the state is focused: renewable energy and micro nano systems, and underlines the strong research base of our state universities.” A cheap, flexible plastic made of a polymer blend would revolutionize the solar market, Curran said.
“Our expectation is to get beyond 10 percent in the next five years,” Curran said. “Our current mix is using polymer and carbon buckyballs (fullerenes) and good engineering from Wake Forest and unique NSOM imaging from NMSU to get to that point.” NSOM or near-field scanning optical microscopy allows them to scan objects too small for regular microscopes. The development is an outgrowth of the collaborative's work developing high-tech coatings for military aircraft, a program supported by Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Curran said. Source: New Mexico State University, 10/9/2005.
A recent article discusses the boom in geothermal heat pump installation that has taken place in recent months, resulting from the increase in gas and electric bills. Jack Spade, a Cleves heating and cooling contractor who has been installing geothermal systems for about 17 year says, “I'm installing about three systems a month. Last fall, I was doing about one system a month.” The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy say geothermal technology is the most efficient and environmentally friendly home heating and cooling system. The energy bill signed last month by President Bush includes a $300 tax credit for installing a geothermal system. Some cooperatives such as Butler Rural Electric in Oxford offer rebates for customers who install systems. According to an energy analyst for the Iowa Association of School Boards, schools are installing geothermal heating systems which can cut heating costs by as much as 90 percent. Source: GEA Update, 9/22/2005.
A wildlife education center, in the works for over ten years, is unveiled today. They'll be learning about the future of construction. That's right — building itself is an educational tool. It's one of the greenest structures in the state — which means it supposed to run completely on renewable energy. Around one-hundred people gathered to dedicate the new Mead Wildlife Area Education and Visitor Center.
It's something teachers like Beth Clouse of Auburndale have waited years for. She knows kids will benefit greatly from it. “Going on a field trip is so good for students,” said Clouse. And on those filed trips students will learn much more than just about wildlife. “We're building in a sensitive environment, this is a wildlife area, and although we need this facility, we want to make sure it is sensitive to the needs in the environment,” said Tom Meier. That's why biologists like Tom Meier wanted the building to have a zero net energy goal. Which means he hopes it will be completely self powered.
“We have all sorts of cutting edge renewable energy aspects to make this building sustainable,” according to Tom Meier. The building is the powered by a combination of energy sources. Including : geothermal, wind, sun, and even some you wouldn't expect. “We even have faucets in the bathrooms that are sensor faucets. So when you run the faucets there is a little turbine in the waterline that recharges the battery for the sensors,” said Tom Meier.
But organizers say the most unique thing about the building is that two thirds of it's funding came from private donations, which is very unusual for a state building. But donors like Clouse and others from the Auburndale schools knew the building needed to be built and wouldn't be here unless they helped out. “It's not just for us but it's for their children even,” said Clouse. The building will officially open next weekend — and several school tours are already booked for this fall. Organizers say it will be used everyday in the spring for school activities. Source: www.waow.com , 10/9/2005.
A new process developed by the University of Missouri-Columbia creates propylene glycol antifreeze that will meet every performance standard, is made from domestic soybeans and is nontoxic. Galen Suppes, chief science officer of the MU-based Renewable Alternatives, developed a process for converting glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel, into propylene glycol, which can be used as nontoxic antifreeze for automobiles. According to Suppes, the process appears to be most profitable and affordable because the price of glycerin is quite low as a feedstock compared to propylene glycol, and since glycerin is a byproduct of biodiesel production cycle, the technology can also reduce the cost of biodiesel production by as much as $0.40 per gallon of biodiesel. On top of that the market for propylene glycol is already established with a billion pounds produced every year. Source: Biomass Initiative Newsletter October 2005
WESTBOROUGH, Massachusetts, US, October 12, 2005 (Refocus Weekly) Achieving a cost-competitive offshore wind energy industry in the United States will require “significant advances in the technology and policy arenas,” concludes a document to guide development of offshore windfarms in that country.
“Many of the challenges require an integrated approach,” explains ‘A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development’ prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and GE. “Public acceptance of offshore wind facilities is linked to development of a credible planning and permitting process that ensures the recognition of public benefits from use of the resource.”
The framework was developed over the past year to identify the technical, environmental, economic and regulatory needs for the “responsible development” of offshore wind energy potential, as well as strategies for addressing them. The DOE estimates that 900,000 MW of wind generation capacity exists within 50 miles of the coastline, with the deep waters off the New England coast among the strongest in the country.
“Tapping into offshore wind energy, a free fuel source that is not impacted by fluctuating prices or volatile fuel import schedules, can offer long-term competitive electricity costs,” says Jim Lyons of GE. “At the same time, it will provide the U.S. with a means to add additional renewable energy into the nation’s electricity mix.”
“Further technology development will be key to this effort, particularly in deep waters where conditions are beyond the reach of current technology,” he adds. “The framework recognizes the need for a cost-effective evolution from today’s near-shore, shallow water sites to the future’s more remote, deeper water facilities.”
“A national collaborative can play an important role as it works to coordinate and leverage the resources to address the challenges in an efficient and synergistic manner,” the document concludes. “The level of resources needed to fund a collaborative approach will depend on the form the collaborative takes and on the roles its members play in providing and recruiting technical and financial support. Regional collaborative will also be useful for addressing regional and local planning challenges and needs.”
The next step in the process will be to create an organizational development plan for an offshore wind collaborative, with an initial focus on Atlantic off the Northeast coast. The plan will propose a clear role for the new partnership in implementing the agenda suggested in the framework, “making the case for establishing a multi-sector cooperative effort to address key aspects of the U.S offshore wind energy development strategy.”
“The framework represents the collective input and research of many recognized energy experts and specialists across a wide range of fields,” adds Gregory Watson of MTC. “The winds over deep ocean waters represent a potentially inexhaustible source of clean energy. Addressing the challenges facing the offshore wind industry through the strategies outlined in the framework will enable us to start harnessing this enormous resource in ways that are both environmentally and economically sustainable.”
“Wind energy has been the world’s fastest growing energy source on a percentage basis for more than a decade,” it adds. “If growth trends continue at the same pace, wind capacity will double approximately every three to four years. This trend can be largely attributed to the public’s growing demand for clean, renewable energy and to wind technology’s achievements in reliability and cost-effectiveness.” Source: Refocus Weekly, 10/13/2005.
The U.S. Navy has provided additional funding of US$2.8 million for development of a 1 MW wave power station off Hawaii. Ocean Power Technologies is building the facility at the Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu. The new contract will support development of its 150 kW PowerBuoy in the project, which will provide power for 500 to 1,000 homes.
“We are very pleased that the Navy continues to share with OPT a strong commitment to the success of the Hawaii program,” says chief executive officer George Taylor. “In addition to funding, the Navy provides its expertise in the areas of marine construction and systems operation in the dynamic ocean environment.”
“We are confident that this partnership will establish the foundation for OPT to provide its wave power stations to serve the grids of Hawaii and other environmentally-conscious markets,” he adds. The U.S. Navy has 200 bases around the world, many of which are suitable for wave power stations which would reduce dependence on shipments of fuel oil and provide other sustainable advantages.
OPT installed its first PowerBuoy near Kaneohe Bay in June, 2004, using local divers and workboat subcontractors to tow the generator to the deployment site and connect it to the anchor on the sea bottom. The unit is located 1 km off the coast in 30 m of water, and has a rated capacity of 50 kW.
Prior to installation, the station underwent an extensive environmental assessment by engineers in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, which featured evaluation of potential impacts on the seabed; fish and organisms; vegetation; and sea quality. A ‘Finding of No Significant Impact’ was issued following that evaluation.
In 2002, OPT received $4.3 million from the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research for the first major phase of the Hawaii project, and another $2 was provided in defence appropriations.
In June of this year, OPT signed an agreement with Total Energie Développement and Iberdrola for the development of a wave power station in France that could be up to 5 MW in size. Last year, it signed an agreement with Iberdrola, Sodercan and IDAE for a 1.3 MW wave power station off the coast of the Cantabria region in northern Spain.
OPT is the world’s first publicly-listed wave power company. Its wave energy systems are based on modular, buoy-like structures which respond to changing wave conditions. It converts wave energy into a controlled mechanical force which drives an electrical generator and officials claim the total operating costs will be 3-4¢/kWh for systems of 100 MW capacity, and 7-10¢/kWh for 1 MW plants, including maintenance and operating expenses, as well as the amortized capital cost of the equipment.
It says onshore wind is 5-10¢, offshore wind is 8-15¢/ and solar PV is 10-50¢/kWh. A 10 MW OPT power station would occupy only 4 acres of ocean space, and wave energy is the most predictable and dependable form of renewable energy, it adds. Wave energy does not threaten marine life, has no noise or visual pollution, and “helps reduce shoreline erosion.” Source: Refocus Weekly, 10/13/2005.
Space is still available for the 10th National Green Power Marketing Conference, set for Oct. 24 to 26 in Austin, Texas. The conference reviews the status of green power marketing in electricity markets and explores strategies to increase the development of renewable energy resources through customer choice programs. Conference organizers include the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Center for Resource Solutions.
This year's conference will celebrate and build on a decade of success by examining the growth of green power markets, with particular emphasis on communicating “best practices” for product design and marketing, and program implementation. Attendees will hear from national and regional experts on important topics such as best practices in green power product design, effective marketing strategies and tools for acquiring customers, defining renewable energy attributes and values, using green premiums to finance renewable energy projects, and the interplay of voluntary and compliance markets. For more information on the conference, access the Green Power Network. Source: Energy Analysis at NREL - August 2005
The Utility Wind Interest Group is pleased to announce its 2005 Fall Technical Workshop. This event will take place Nov. 8 to 9, preceded by meetings of the UWIG User Groups on Nov. 7 and a tour opportunity on the afternoon of Nov. 9.
Held at the Sacramento Convention Center, the UWIG Fall Technical Workshop will explore key issues related to deployment of wind energy across the US with a focus on the Western United States and Canada. It will include presentations and discussion on wind forecasting, utility transmission system operation; regional wind developments; and US, Canadian, and European work on wind interconnection and integration. Participants will learn about challenges and opportunities for integrating wind power to meet growing demands for clean energy. Topics Include:
Meetings of the UWIG User Groups will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento on Nov. 7. These are open to UWIG members and invited guests only.
Two tour opportunities are being offered in conjunction with this event:
Bus transportation to and from the tour sites will be provided. For more information, including details on registration and accommodations, visit the UWIG Web site at or contact Sandy Smith, 865-691-5540, extension 141. Source: UWIG, 9/14/2005.
The Federal Network for Sustainability is a voluntary, collaborative network of Federal agencies in the Western United States focused on fostering and furthering the concept of sustainability within the government through their individual programs and group initiatives.
The Solar Electric Power Association announced today that Pacific Gas and Electric Company and We Energies are the winners of its annual Awards for Solar Business Achievement. The awards were presented last week at the Solar Power Conference and Expo, an annual event hosted jointly by SEPA and the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company received the award for Public Awareness and Industry Leadership. “Pacific Gas and Electric Company is honored to receive this award,” said Beverly Alexander, PG&E Vice President of Customer Service. “PG&E believes that solar energy is an important component in its energy portfolio, and is thrilled to be recognized for its achievements.”
PG&E recently became the undisputed national utility leader in interconnected photovoltaics, installing 51 percent of the 51 megawatts of solar electric systems in the United States in 2004. PG&E's incentives and interconnections help place northern California third in the global solar market behind Germany and Japan. PG&E's self-generation incentive program has paid out $100 million in incentives to customers who installed photovoltaic systems.
PG&E also developed a Solar Schools Program in 2004, which provides funding to support public schools in underserved communities in northern and central California. The funds for this program are provided by shareholders. In 2005, up to $1.5 million in grants will be awarded to support the involvement of eligible schools.
“PG&E's combination of incentive programs, favorable net-metering and rate structures, public education and outreach activities, and charitable activities have significantly advanced the development of a strong and growing solar community within Northern California,” said Julia Judd, SEPA Executive Director.
We Energies received SEPA's Award for Development of a Sustainable Solar Business Plan. In June 2005, We Energies filed with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for the approval of an experimental tariff that provides a new option to its customers, a “Solar Buy-Back Rate.” Beginning October 1, We Energies will purchase the output of qualifying solar photovoltaic installations for up to 10 years, at the customer's option, at $0.225 per kWh. In exchange, the company will use the solar electricity produced to help supply its Energy for Tomorrow(R) green pricing program which has over 11,000 customer subscribers. The Solar Buy-Back Rate program is responsive to customers' requests for the inclusion of solar in the Energy for Tomorrow generation supply mix and for a customer incentive to install solar electric.
“We are very pleased to be recognized with the Development of a Sustainable Solar Business Plan award for our Energy for Tomorrow(R) Power Partner Program,” said Roman Draba, Vice President - Regulatory Affairs & Policy at We Energies. “Developing a unique rate and making solar PV part of our Energy for Tomorrow(R) program provides our customers with another option and demonstrates that, by working together, we can all contribute to improving our environment.” Source: Press Release from Solar Electric Power Association via Renewable Energy Access, 10/10/2005.
In the August-September 2005 issue of The Electricity Journal, GEA’s article, Promoting Geothermal Energy: Air Emissions Comparison and Externality Analysis was published. The first part of the article drew from GEA’s Guide to Geothermal Energy and the Environment, discussing the low air emissions from geothermal electric power facilities, and other benefits of geothermal such as high capacity factor and baseload capability. The second part attempts to quantify the vast externality benefits of geothermal energy through an analysis of potential monetary savings through the use of geothermal energy over other more traditional energy sources. Source: GEA Update, 9/7/2005
The Idaho National Laboratory has recently added a new set of geothermal maps to their website. The Temperature at Depth Maps depict estimated temperature in °C at depths of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 kilometers. The maps were prepared by the INL Geothermal Technologies Program, using data from the Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory. There are two maps for each depth, one with sedimentary basin thickness contours, and one without the sedimentary basin thickness data. The temperature contour interval used on the maps is 25°C with the lower boundary set at < 50°C and the upper interval set to > 250°C. Each map is provided in a high resolution PDF and JPEG format and also a lower resolution JPEG format. Source: GEA Update, 9/7/2005
The National Academies will establish an expert committee of approximately 14 members to carry out a scientific study of the environmental impacts of wind-energy projects, focusing on the Mid-Atlantic Highlands as a case example. The study will consider adverse and beneficial effects, including impacts on landscapes, viewsheds, wildlife, habitats, water resources, air pollution, greenhouse gases, materials-acquisition costs, and other impacts. Using information from wind-power projects proposed or in place in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands and other regions as appropriate, the committee will develop an analytical framework for evaluating those effects that can inform siting decisions for wind energy projects. The study also will identify major areas of research and development needed to better understand the environmental impacts of wind-energy projects and reduce or mitigate negative environmental effects. The approximate starting date for the project is April 21, 2005. A pre-publication report will be issued at the end of the project in December, 2006.
Safe passage to
the Pormised Land outlines a strawman proposal for ensuring
electricity supply adequacy by means of contracting obligations imposed
on load serving entities. The mandatory contracts take the form
of physically covered back stop call options with a high strike price
so as not to interfere with normal risk management practices. These call
options which can be covered by existing capacity, new investment in
generation, or curtailable load contracts are of one year duration and
a two year lead time so as to enable new entrant participation. The obligation,
which is based on forecasted peak load plus adequate planning reserves,
can be met with any forward or option contract that meets the physical
cover requirement, has the same delivery period, and has a strike or
forward price at or below the backstop strike price. The proposed mechanisms
is intended to facilitate smooth transition to an energy only market
where voluntary bilateral contracting and spot prices provide the needed
incentives for adequate investment in generation capacity. We also describe
a central procurement alternative that alleviates the credit problems
associated with carrying long term option contracts. The features of
the proposed approach are compared to those of the controversial LICAP
mechanism proposed by the NEISO and endorsed by FERC. Source: Shmuel S. Oren, University of California, Berkeley, 10/12/2005.
The state Energy Office is opening a solar energy class to home and business owners interested in reducing their monthly bills, officials said. Patrick Condon, the energy office's special projects coordinator, said the class is intended for professional electricians but will be open to the general public.
Condon said the Energy Office has been “inundated” with telephone calls since Hurricane Katrina caused oil and energy prices to rise sharply. Solar power is the most popular renewable energy system in the state, but few contractors know how to install and maintain solar panels.
“They're finding it difficult to keep up with all the inquiries,” Condon said. The 40-hour course at the Community College of Rhode Island's Training and Technology Center in Quonset is designed to close the gap. During the course, students will install solar panels on a makeshift roof and learn how to bolt them to the ground.
“This program is evidence that there's more of a demand” for solar power, said Robert Delaney of the CCRI Division of Lifelong Learning. Electricity generated by the panels can be used immediately or stored in a battery for later. “Interest in solar energy is definitely growing,” said Christopher Warfel, the head of a Block Island contracting firm who will teach the class.
The state offsets installation costs by providing a $4.50 reimbursement for every watt a solar system generates, Condon said. For example, a homeowner who installs solar panels capable of generating 1,000 watts of energy would receive a $4,500 reimbursement. The reimbursement money comes from a conservation surcharge on utility bills. “Without that, we would not have any incentives,” Condon said. Source: Boston.com, 10/12/2005.
The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service recently announced it now has lead authority for renewable energy projects, such as wave, wind or solar energy on offshore lands, and other projects that make alternative use of existing oil and natural gas platforms.
With its new authority, MMS has launched a new Website explaining outer continental shelf renewable energy and alternative use.
MMS noted that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 grants MMS management authority for these types of projects through an amendment to the OCS Lands Act. Since President Bush signed the act in August, MMS said it has been actively working to establish the OCS Renewable Energy & Alternative Use Program.
Under the act, MMS is required to issue regulations for carrying out its new authority by mid-May 2006. The act also designates that the coastal states will share in 27 percent of the revenues generated from alternative energy activities within the area extending three nautical miles seaward of a state's submerged lands. Therefore, MMS said it will establish, by mid-February 2006, a formula for sharing this revenue among coastal states within 15 miles of a renewable energy project. Ultimately, MMS will develop and execute an OCS Renewable Energy & Alternative Use Program that integrates these new uses with existing uses of federal offshore resources. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/6/2005.
The American Wind Energy Association has prepared a statement on the natural gas situation as described in the Energy Information Administration's Winter Outlook. Source: AWEA, 10/12/2005.
Sen. Lamar Alexander said he will introduce legislation next year to extend tax credits provided for the solar industry in the recently passed energy bill. “There won't be any more activity this year on tax credits, but next year and in the next session of Congress, I will introduce legislation to extend the tax credits and make them six-year credits,” said Alexander, who addressed the the Solar Energy Industries Association conference in Washington.
Alexander cautioned that there is no need to try to readdress the tax credit issue this year because lawmakers and the industry “should have a year's worth of experience about whether the federal tax credits have had an impact in helping homeowners businesses, improving new technologies and bringing down costs.”
He added, “If there is some of that after one year of experience that would help make the case for an extension of the tax credits.” While applauding the National Energy Policy Act of 2005 for recognizing solar's role in the energy mix, industry officials said that two years will not be enough time to spur significant investment in the technology.
“This is an effort being set up for failure,” said Rick Reed, president of solar water heating technology manufacturer SunEarth. “I am not going to invest, I am not going to buy capital equipment, and I probably won't hire more employees except an engineer or two” because of the tax credit, he said. “It's going to be a very small ramp-up.”
Ron Kenedi, vice president of the solar energy systems group at Sharp agreed. “On the customer side, by the time they made the decision [to purchase a solar system] and by the time they got the information they need to go forward with the project, the tax credit will be over,” he said.
Alexander, who for months has spoken in favor of restricting wind energy development, told reporters that the energy bill gave too much incentive for wind power at the expense of solar, biomass and geothermal energy. “We've done more than we needed to do for wind,” he said. “I think $3 billion over the next five years for giant wind machines is excessive — I'd rather put that in conservation efficiency, solar and other forms of carbon free energy.” He added that if the energy bill tax credits fail to stimulate significant growth in biomass and geothermal, he would “be willing to do more there” on the legislative side.
Stirling Energy Systems Chief Executive Officer Bruce Osborn said that while an extended lead time is needed for the industry, the federal tax provision could inspire a greater investment in solar on the state level. “The two year tax credit on the federal level is a good start,” Osborn said. “The point is that we need the support of the federal government to be the umbrella over the states' work to create a vision for this country.” Source: By Lucy Kafanov, E&E Daily reporter, 10/10/2005.
Higher energy costs exacerbated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could persist for several years, Samuel Bodman, US energy secretary, warned on Wednesday. Mr Bodman told a meeting of reporters: “Both oil and natural gas availability have been severely impaired and the effects of this will reverberate through the economy of this country for some time. The main thing that US citizens can do is conserve. We simply have to do it.”
He predicted that conservation could make “a major dent” in demand. US petrol imports last week hit a record 1.4m barrels a day, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Mr Bodman said: “We all need to be more thoughtful in how we use energy.” While the economy had thrived on relatively inexpensive energy, “those days, at least for the medium term, are behind us.”
He insisted, however, that raising petrol taxes to encourage conservation “would be more interference with the free market than we would like”. Some energy experts have argued that public education is no substitute for regulation. But the administration has resisted proposals to force companies to build more energy-efficient houses, air-conditioning units and cars.
Last week it refused to back more energy-efficient building standards for new homes, saying more research was needed. Bill Prindle, deputy director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, said: “The Department of Energy's action . . . is strikingly at odds with its public statements on the unprecedented need to help homeowners reduce their energy bills.”
Ann Womack Kolton, a department spokeswoman, defended the administration's record, saying that “if you're looking at energy efficiency, this department has been at the forefront of that.” The House of Representatives is due to vote on Friday on measures to stimulate the building of petrol refineries. Mr Bodman said the US would consider creating a petrol reserve to augment the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and would look at moving refining and other facilities away from the storm-exposed Gulf coast.
Mr Bodman, who travels to the Middle East next month, also said that greater oil production from Saudi Arabia should help lower prices over the next two to three years. The US crude oil benchmark, Nymex West Texas Intermediate, fell $1.11 to $62.79 a barrel as US natural gas prices hit a record high of $14.750 per million British thermal units. Source: By Edward Alden and Christopher, FT.com, 10/5/2005.
The Associated Press reported that North Dakota’s Public Service Commission has approved a site plan for a new 150-megawatt wind farm in Pierce County, ND. According to AP, the site will feature 100 turbines — more than twice as many as the state’s largest existing wind farm, which is located in LaMoure County. AP noted that Portland, OR-based PPM Energy will develop the project. Source: AP, 10/3/2005 via EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/5/2005.
Search Sixteen months after the Western Governors' Association adopted sweeping goals for clean power development and energy efficiency, a series of task force reports on various components of the plan are now available for review and comment.
While the task force reports are infused with a “can-do attitude” with regard to meeting the governors' goals, they also explore existing technical or cost barriers to implementing specific technologies, especially solar, geothermal and clean-coal. To that end, each document offers a list of policy and practical recommendations to alleviate these market barriers. A common-thread recommendation is to extend or make permanent a federal production tax credit for renewable resources and to apply greater public funds to needed research.
Taken together, these draft documents comprise an extensive library of state-of-the-art research and policy recommendations covering what it would take to develop 30,000 megawatts of clean energy in the West by 2015 and increase the efficiency of energy use 20 percent by 2020.
WGA adopted its Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative in June 2004, largely at the urging of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D). Following any revisions based on public comments received this month, the task force reports will be finalized, compiled and presented to the WGA's Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee by the end of the year, for potential adoption by the governors group next June.
WGA has posted draft reports on wind, geothermal, biomass, solar, clean coal and energy efficiency. Still to come are companion reports on advanced natural gas technologies and an overarching paper on regional electric transmission requirements. Working behind the scenes is a “quantification” group that will try to integrate the various reports and assess possible financial implications of meeting the ambitious goals.
As many as 250 individuals from industry, government and environmental organizations are active in the task forces, WGA says. “People are putting in a lot of effort to finalize these reports, and they are very optimistic we'll have no problem achieving the goals,” said Alex Schroeder, a WGA energy fellow. “Some of the recommendations will far exceed the goals,” he added.
For example, the wind task force has found the potential for 60,000 MW by 2015, which would be more than the expected growth in regional energy demand through the period. The energy efficiency report finds that electricity demand can be reduced by as much as 2 percent each year through widespread adoption of best practices by utilities, government agencies and businesses it identified.
“Even greater savings may be possible through adoption of other strategies not included in our Best Practices scenario, such as expanded R&D, technology transfer and pricing initiatives,” the report adds. Meeting the stated goal of a 20 percent reduction in energy use by 2020 could lower aggregate consumer bills by 23 percent and yield $53 billion in net economic benefits from avoided fuel purchases and avoidance of new construction for centralized power plants and transmission, it also found.
From the solar power task force came an estimate that “32,500 high-quality jobs will be created and a new manufacturing industry in solar energy will emerge in the West.” Source: By Arthur O'Donnell, Special to Greenwire, 10/11/2005.
New Jersey American Water debued a new 500-kilowatt, ground-mounted solar electric system at its Canal Road Water Treatment Plant in Somerset, NJ. According to New Jersey American Water, the system, which was designed and built by Dome-Tech Solar, includes more than 2,800 solar panels from RWE SCHOTT Solar.
New Jersey American Water anticipates it will be able to supplement 15 percent of the peak usage power needed to run the plant with solar energy and save approximately $125,000 a year in reduced energy costs. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/5/2005.
With oil prices surging and increased talk of global warming, venture capitalists are straying from their traditional focus on computer technology and biotechnology to put increasing sums into alternative-energy companies. Venture activity is way up in the past six months, with more energy companies presenting business plans to investors and more high-priced deals being done. Over the summer, four solar-energy companies attracted a stunning $60 million in a round of high- priced financings that generated the first whispers an investment bubble may be forming.
For venture capitalists, “it's a very nascent market,” says Warren Weiss, general partner at Foundation Capital. “It almost reminds you of looking at the Internet market 10 years before (browser pioneer) Netscape” unleashed the dot-com gold rush, he says. Weiss says that in the past 18 months his firm has made three energy investments in an attempt to identify where advances in technology — cheap, powerful chips, more capable software and broadband communications — will have an impact on the energy business.
“You couldn't do it 10 years ago,” he says. “We think the market is ready.” Weiss is not the only one to decide the time is right. Many white- shoe venture firms have named energy specialists and written funding checks, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Mohr Davidow Ventures, which became one of the year's more active firms with its first three investments.
“We see a great market opportunity,” says Erik Straser, general partner at Mohr Davidow, who studied the business for almost three years before getting involved. “There's lots of innovation.” Two of the firm's startups — Energy Innovations Inc. of Pasadena, Calif., and Nonosolar Inc. of Palo Alto — make solar cells while the third, Jadoo Power Systems Inc. of Folsom, Calif., makes fuel cells.
According to a recent survey, venture investments in alternative- energy companies jumped this year, although they remain a small slice of the overall business. Venture capitalists put $139.5 million into solar, wind and geothermal energy companies through the second quarter of the year, already surpassing the $95 million they spent in all of 2004, according to the National Venture Capital Association, Thomson Financial and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Other groups monitoring the market see a similar rise in spending, if not as steep. Nth Power, a venture firm focused on energy, calculates venture firms and venture arms of corporations put $690 million in emerging technology companies in 2004 and already close to $533 million through September of this year. The numbers are higher because Nth Power includes investments not only in energy producers but technology companies — such as software firms — that make products for the energy business.
“There's no doubt we are seeing quite a bit more activity,” says Tim Woodward, managing director at Nth Power. Cleantech Venture Network LLC also is seeing more funding take place. The research organization says $189.4 million went into energy-related venture deals in the second quarter, up 42 percent from the first quarter. The company also uses a broad definition of an energy company that includes startups making energy-generating equipment, as well as batteries and products to improve energy efficiency, such as low-power lighting.
More money is on the way. Between 80 and 100 funds are out raising new money to invest in “cleantech,” a term that includes energy companies and environmental businesses with transportation, water-purification and air-improvement projects, says Nicholas Parker, chairman of Cleantech. The recent surge in energy investing isn't hard to understand. With oil prices around $65 a barrel, alternative-energy sources become more competitive, especially with subsidies in many countries and new subsidies in the United States.
Venture capitalists also see opportunities in the fragile power- transmission grid. “The first shock to the system was the Northeast blackout” of 2003, says Woodward. Despite global warming, the potential demand for power remains enormous. Venture capitalists say there are good and bad sides to the surge in energy investing. On one hand, “it's easier to put together investment syndicates than it used to be,” says Peter Edwards, a partner at Altira Group LLC, an energy VC. On the other, “I would say there is more competition,” he says.
So far, the valuations being paid in energy deals remain reasonable. But prices are creeping higher, and some VCs say the danger of a bubble is real. “I think the (solar) market will absolutely continue to grow,” says Woodward. But “not every one of those companies will succeed.” Source: Tulsa World via Energy Central, 10/9/2005.
Hoping to utilize an old sugar mill to generate biobased electricity, a mainland company plans to circumvent the high energy costs associated with oil-based generation in Kaua'i, Hawaii. Collaboration with community leaders and studies of the situation indicate producing even a portion of Kaua'i's power from biomass could lower electricity prices for the region. Source: Biomass Initiative Newsletter October 2005.
The Public Utilities Commission held a hearing today on the implementation of a Renewable Energy Standard. Renewable energy mandate will boost renewable energy use by 800 percent, help stabilize energy prices and protect public health.
Consumer and environmental groups gathered before the hearing to highlight the benefits that renewable energy can bring to consumers, the economy and public health. The groups commended the PUC for working diligently to ensure the Renewable Energy Standard was implemented in a timely fashion and praised the General Assembly for passing legislation creating the standard in 2004.
“Making the shift towards renewable energy is a smart strategy to hedge against energy price increases and supply disruptions, such as those witnessed recently in the Gulf Coast,” stated Erich Stephens, Executive Director of People’s Power & Light. “Renewable Energy Standards can be considered consumer protection plans for energy prices. Increasing reliance on sources of energy that are locally generated and have a fixed cost mitigates the ever-increasing price of fossil fuels, and will ultimately help avoid the kind of energy price run-ups we’ve seen recently.”
“With utility rate hikes and a brutal home heating season on the horizon, consumers are going to feel the squeeze of high energy prices this winter and beyond,” said Matt Auten, Advocate with the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group . “Renewable Energy Standards are good news for consumers and are one of several long-term policies that states can adopt to help mitigate rising energy costs. Today is an important first step in the right direction, but a lot of work remains to promote energy efficiency and further improve our energy mix.”
Studies have shown that greater use of renewable energy can help take the pressure off natural gas prices, since energy generated by wind, solar and other renewable resources will displace electricity generated from natural gas power plants. And by reducing the demand for natural gas used to generate electricity, the price of natural gas used to heat homes will also be stabilized and moderated. Today, over one-third of New England’s electricity is generated from natural gas.
Renewable energy can also lower costs because even during peak energy usage periods, renewable energy has no fuel costs. By generating electricity at the same cost during peak hours as during normal hours, renewable energy sources reduce the demand on power plants during peak usage time, and this can reduce costs for consumers.
The Clean Energy Act was passed by the General Assembly in 2004. The Renewable Energy Standard provision requires that Rhode Island obtain increasing amounts of its energy from renewable resources every year, beginning in 2007. The target is for Rhode Island to get at least 16 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The Clean Energy Act also requires that electricity supplier disclose to consumers the sources of fuel used to generate electricity, and the pollution created in generating electricity. These energy source disclosure rules were adopted by the PUC earlier this year.
Currently about 2 percent of Rhode Island’s energy comes from renewable sources and the other 98 percent comes from other energy sources that are often dangerous to public heath and the environment.
“Burning fossil fuels is the leading cause of the kind of pollution that causes global warming, smog, acid rain, and that poisons of our lakes and streams with toxic mercury,” stated Chris Wilhite, Campaign Organizer for Clean Water Action. “Relying more on clean energy, like wind and solar, to power our homes and run our businesses means that we have the energy we need and a clean, healthy environment too.
In addition, the Renewable Energy Standard will also promote economic development and job creation. When the Clean Energy Act passed the General Assembly in 2004 it drew the support of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, TPI Composites as well as other businesses and labor unions from across the state. Source: RIPIRG Release, 10/12/2005.
Mike Johanns, the Secretary of Agriculture, announced in Utah the selection of 150 applications for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement grants in 32 states totaling $20,851,265. These Farm Bill grants leverage total projects of over $172 million.
This year was the most popular year yet for this 3 year old program. A total of 388 grant applications were received from 43 states requesting over $62 million. In addition to the grants, in July of this year, this program began accepting applications for loan guarantees targeted at larger projects. USDA also announced the first loan guarantees for $10.1 million for two projects totalling $20.2 million in total project costs. Source: NREL, 9/14/2005.
Imperial, CA-based IID Energy, a company that provides electric power to customers in the Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley and parts of San Diego County, recently issued a request for proposals seeking renewable energy resources for delivery beginning in 2007.
According to IID, proposals will be considered for biomass, solar thermal, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal, fuel cells using renewable fuels, low impact hydroelectric generation (under 30 megawatts), digester gas, municipal solid waste, landfill gas, ocean wave, ocean thermal, tidal current, renewable components of sales from other parties (green tickets), or renewable distributed generation on the customer side of the meter. Contact: Rosa Maria Gonzales, IID, phone 760-898-1877. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 10/4/2005.
Seeking grant applications for support of basic energy science fundamental research in the natural sciences and engineering leading to new and improved energy technologies and to understanding and mitigating the environmental impacts of energy technologies. Government Agency: Department of Energy's Office of Science Schedule: Applications may be submitted at any time. Source: Biomass Initiative Newsletter October 2005
Description: The EISG provides funding to small businesses, small non-profits, individuals and academic institutions for establishing the feasibility of new energy concepts. Qualifying entities outside of California are eligible. Projects must develop innovative and original energy concepts that address a clear market need, provide benefit for California electricity ratepayers and target one or more areas of interest: Industrial/agriculture/water end-use efficiency; building end-use efficiency; advanced generation; renewable generation; energy-related environmental research; strategic energy research. Government Agency: California Energy Commission Schedule: EISG has up to 4 cycles of grants a year. Biomass Initiative Newsletter October 2005.
Description: The U.S. Department of Agriculture requests applications for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Small Business Innovation Research Program. The purpose of the USDA SBIR program is to provide an opportunity for U.S. owned, for profit small business firms to submit innovative, applied, R&D projects that address important problems facing American agriculture, and have the potential to lead to significant public benefit if the research is successful. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, Animal Waste Management, Rural and Community Development, Aquaculture, and Wildlife. Up to $19.4 million expected to be available, award range $80K to $300K. Government Agency: USDA. Schedule: Responses for Phase I due September 1, 2005, responses for Phase 2 due February 2, 2006. Biomass Initiative Newsletter October 2005.
Description: The U.S. Department of Energy requests applications for the Inventions & Innovations Program. I&I supports energy-saving technologies in the conceptual and developmental stages of development. DOE is particularly interested in innovative technologies that fit within specific program areas, including biomass. Government Agency: DOE. Schedule: The deadline for submission is December 2, 2005. Biomass Initiative Newsletter October 2005.
USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, Office of Extramural Programs, Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program Grant. Source: Grants.gov, 10/13/2005.
This news item comes to you as a service of Western's Renewable Resources Program.
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