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The U.S. DOE Green Power Network (GPN) provides news and information on green power markets and related activities. The site provides up-to-date information on green power providers, product offerings, consumer protection issues, and policies affecting green power markets. It also includes a reference library of relevant papers, articles and reports. The Green Power Network is operated and maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Information on green power product offerings is available by state. It is organized according to the three distinct markets for green power — utility green pricing (regulated electricity markets), green power marketing (competitive electricity markets), and renewable energy certificates (available nationwide). For a more detailed description of the differences between these markets, see our green power market overview and our section on buying green power.
For current news on U.S. green power markets, see our featured story on the front page and other recent green power news on our news page. If you would like to receive our green power news by email, you may subscribe to our monthly email news update online. Our events section highlights upcoming green power events, including the annual National Green Power Marketing Conference. In addition, our features section includes a list of featured publications on various topics related to green power marketing.
See our State Policies page for information on policies that encourage the development of green power markets. These include policies requiring or encouraging electricity suppliers to offer green power options to consumers, net metering, and policies requiring fuel mix and environmental disclosure.
Our Buying Green Power section discusses how consumers can purchase green power. It includes a selected list of large purchasers of green power, including businesses, government agencies, and universities. It also contains information on consumer protection issues, including links to green power certification programs, marketing guidelines, and tools that consumers can use to evaluate green power options.
For publications related to green power, links to related web sites, as well as tables, maps and other data on green power markets, see our Information Resources section. This section also includes our estimates of the amount of renewable energy capacity that is supported through green power marketing efforts.
Finally, we post green power solicitations under our Financial Opportunities section. To receive notification of new solicitations by email, you may sign up for our RFP Update on-line. Source: GPN., 12/2/08
Check off everyone on your holiday list this year with a gift of clean energy and receive a FREE solar car kit! BEF Carbon Offsets benefit more than just the recipient; consider this a gift of renewable energy for everyone.
By purchasing carbon offsets through the non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation, you can help offset all of the carbon associated with everyday activities and power the development of clean wind and solar energy.
From now until Dec. 31st, all purchases of $160 or more will receive a FREE solar car kit. These solar car kits are one of the more popular activities that we provide to the students and teachers in our national Solar 4R Schools program to encourage students to build solar-powered cars of their own design and to demonstrate the importance of renewable energy. Now you can give this educational gift to others—It's fun for the whole family!
Solar Car not your thing? Donate your car to our Solar 4R Schools program in an effort to promote clean energy to kids across our country.
Be sure to enter the following promo code when purchasing BEF Carbon Offsets: HOLIDAY08. Source: Bonneville Environmental Foundation, 11/25/08
Wal-Mart is emerging as a major customer for renewable energy products, with a significant wind power deal announced last week.
The retail giant announced that it would purchase energy from a Duke Energy wind farm to meet about 15 percent of the power needs of its 360 Texas stores starting in April, 2009.
Duke Energy reports that its NoTrees Windpower Project will generate about 150 megawatts of electricity when fully completed later in 2009. The company also calls this one of the first deals where a major retailer has agreed to purchase power from a specific renewable energy project.
"Our customers want energy products and services that keep them competitive, yet respond to environmental concerns," said Duke Energy executive David Marks.
Wal-Mart notes that the energy savings from this project would be equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of about 25,000 cars.
This is not the only renewable energy project Wal-Mart is involved with. The company announced earlier this year that it would launch a pilot project placing solar panels on 22 of its stores in Hawaii and California, which it says will cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10,000 metric tons a year. Source: Washington Energy News, 11/24/08
Visit U.S. DOE EERE Green Power Network for more information.
The round metal building with its green dome looks only slightly out of place next to barns full of mooing cows. It takes up about a third of an acre, inconspicuous on the sprawling Scenic View Dairy farm, surrounded by dirt roads and acres of tasseled corn.
Inside, stinky manure from 3,500 cows and 9,400 pigs is being fermented and turned into electricity. What's left afterward is a rich, dark pile of soft biofiber that looks like mulch and smells only faintly of its origins. It goes back into the barns as bedding for the cows. Liquid that is leftover is sprayed as fertilizer onto nearby corn, soy, alfalfa and wheat crops. Read more. Source: Detroit Free Press, 12/07/08
One hundred wind turbines located more than 1,200 miles away are benefiting area electric cooperatives.
Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative and Jones-Onslow Electric Membership Corporation have joined other electric cooperatives in the state in participating in a 150-megawatt wind farm in Iowa. It's part of a larger joint project between North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation and five other generation and transmission cooperatives across the country.
The project is believed to be the first time several cooperative utilities from different regions have banded together to benefit from a large-scale wind project. Read more. Source: jdnews.com, 12/07/08
A recent conference hosted by Brazil brought more than 70 countries together to advance biofuel production around the globe and discuss the beneficial impacts. The U.S. delegation was lead by Ag Secretary Ed Schafer, who highlighted the fact that Brazil and the U.S. are leading the way each in their own niche; the U.S. with corn-based ethanol and Brazil with biofuels made from sugar. However Schafer says diversifying the feedstocks is recognized as critical as the world moves toward second-generation biofuels. Read more. Source: Farm Futures, 12/08/08
Critical Power Solutions International, a subsidiary of Critical Solutions Inc, reportedly has upgraded the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ renewable energy towers with the latest solar and wind power technologies.
Located at two separate BOP sites in the United States, the towers are being used for remote site surveillance and communications, as well as crowd and prisoner control. Read more. Source: GreenTMCnet.com, 12/04/08
My previous articles on General Motors and the EV1 generated quite a bit of reader feedback, and many of you asked the same question:
If GM could build the EV1 to go up to 150 miles on a full charge 10 years ago, why can the Volt only go 40 miles on a full charge today?
Excellent question. Surely, battery technology has advanced in the past 10 years, right?
Yes, but that's not the real problem. Read more. Source: Investor's Daily Edge, 12/05/08
FloDesign Wind Turbine, a spin-off from the aerospace company FloDesign based in Wilbraham, Mass., has developed a wind turbine that could generate electricity at half the cost of conventional turbines by using technology associated with jet engines. The new design, which surrounds the blades with a shroud that directs air towards the blades, generates as much power as a conventional wind turbine with blades twice as large in diameter. The smaller blade size and other factors allow the new turbines to be packed closer together than conventional turbines, increasing the amount of power that can be generated per acre of land.
The company recently raised $6 million US in its first round of venture financing and has announced partnerships with wind farm developers. (Source: Technology Review, December 1, 2008)
Contact: FloDesign Wind Turbine, 413-596-5900. Source: EP Overviews, 12/4/08
Using the tremendous power of the oceans, either in the form of wave motion or temperature gradients, is touted as an exciting new prospect in the search for new, green alternative energy sources.
There are a couple constraints, however, with conventional wave motion in the number of locales they can be installed and that the turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently. Most of the worlds waterways flow slower than three knots. Read more. Source: Progressive Politics Examiner, 11/30/08
The United States Army might be fighting two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but that has not stopped the military behemoth from opening a third front against global warming. The progress it has made in that conflict is highlighted in the Army's first annual Sustainability Report [PDF] released in September.
One reason for the first-of-its-kind report is that Congress wants the world's most powerful army to take the environment into account when its 522,000 active soldiers go to work every day. Another is that the military is realizing that green strategies help save money in the long run. Read more. Source: Greenbiz.com, 12/01/08
Used coffee grounds may be garbage to most of us but, to chemical engineers at University of Nevada, they are a versatile source of green energy. Narasimharao Kondamudi, Susanta Mohapatra, and Mano Misra proposed that the solid waste from coffee brewing can do a lot more than act as compost for gardens. They set out to see if they could extract oils from old coffee grounds and chemically convert those oils to biodiesel.
Spent coffee grounds are about 15 percent oil, which is only slightly less than many of the other biodiesel feedstocks. Since the world produces over 16 billion pounds of coffee per year, there is a constant and cheap supply of solid coffee waste. Kondamudi, Mohapatra, and Misra also predict that biodiesel from coffee grounds would be more stable than those from other sources because coffee contains antioxidants that would slow down degradation. Read more. Source: ARS Technica, 11/25/08
To get a sense of just how bright and sunshiny the future looks to the solar-energy industry, consider The Graph: It's a standard affair, projecting solar's share of global energy production over the coming century. The Graph was created by a scientific organization that counsels the German government, but it has since become a prized piece of propaganda, embedded in glossy brochures and PowerPoint presentations by solar companies from California to gray-skied Saxony. Read more. Source: Fast Company, December 2008
Premier Power announced today it has completed 51 percent of the massive "Meca Trackers" project being installed on the West County Wastewater District in Richmond, Calif. The project is expected to be operational by Jan 15th 2008. The Richmond water district installation is comprised of 90 of the nation's largest bi-directional solar tracking arrays. Each of the 90 solar arrays designed and engineered by Premier Power stands over three and a half stories tall (forty five feet tall by forty five feet wide) and each continuously tracks the sun for maximum efficiency. Each tracker and panel array sit on platforms made with over forty four thousand pounds of concrete specifically designed to distribute the weight for application in wetlands. Read more. Source: MarketWatch, 12/01/08
An economy in recession means less demand for electricity and less need for new renewables at this time, according to Avista Corp.
The Spokane, Wash.-based utility confirmed in late November 2008 that it will delay construction of a planned 50-megawatt (MW) wind farm five miles south of Reardan, Wash., that it purchased the rights to in May. Instead of starting construction on the $125 million project in 2009 as had been planned, the utility is pushing construction back to 2012 and now expects to bring it online in 2013. Read more. Source: Sustainable Industries, 12/02/08
It’s easy to spot Steve Rigoni’s place in Pavilion — just look for the wind turbine spinning high above his house.
“I look at it as my midlife thing,” Rigoni said. “Some people get a Corvette, or a new woman — I got a windmill.”
His 10-kilowatt Bergey Windpower rig is hardly a wanton spree, however. While it cost him $25,000, after state incentives, it has nearly wiped out electric bills that used to average $120 to $140 a month. Read more. Source: The Buffalo News, 12/02/08
Plutonic Power Corporation and GE Energy Financial Services are jointly submitting two bids for hydroelectric power projects costing more than $4 billion CDN ($3.2 billion US) under BC Hydro's 2008 Clean Power Call. The projects would be Canada's largest single private sector hydroelectric generation investment with approximately 1,200 MW of run-of-river hydroelectric capacity in the Toba and Bute Inlets along British Columbia's southwest coast, where GE and Plutonic Power Corporation are already building a 196 MW hydroelectric project. (Source: Market Wire, November 25, 2008)
Contact: Donald McInnes, CEO Plutonic Power, 604-669-4999. Andy Katell, GE, 203-961-5773. Source: EP Overviews, 12/1/08
As with any marriage, there is usually some fine-tuning during the first days and weeks.
That’s no different at the red-brick Quabbin Administration Building and Visitor Center at Winsor dam, where the 70-year-old steam-heating system has been wed to a custom-designed and built state-of-the-art wood-chip-fired boiler.
The Visitor Center was downright toasty last week when William E. Pula, regional director of the Quabbin and Ware River watersheds, talked about the conversion of the 20-year-old, oil-fired system to the Hurst/Messersmith boiler that will burn approximately 350 tons of wood each year. Read more. Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 11/30/08
In the U.S. region, Conergy employees at three locations recently participated in a unique team-building event. Employees at each location donated materials installation labor to local non-profit organizations. “The Conergy Community Challenge provides a way to give all Conergy employees, many of whom are in operational roles such as HR, Financing and IT direct, hands-on experience with solar power. It also connects our employees to the community enabling them to see first hand how our products can help the community in which we live and work,” says Kim. McLawhorn, Conergy Americas CEO.
At the California location, Conergy employees took a day off to donate their time to the Shasta Women’s Shelter office in Redding, Calif. In addition to installing the system, Conergy donated a 5.7-kW, STC photovoltaic system at cost to the non-profit organization. Working with suppliers and local businesses, Conergy was able to find supporters to cover the entire cost of the system. This solar energy system will help SWR reduce their annual operating costs, freeing up money to further meet the needs of the community they serve.
Conergy employees in the Denver office took time off to install a 2-kW photovoltaic system on a new home for Habitat for Humanity. “Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is so excited to work with Conergy as our first solar sponsor on one of our 11 homes on Altura Street,” said Chuck Watkins, Habitat Metro Denver’s director of Operations. “Conergy’s outstanding employees have provided the means and manpower to launch a successful pilot solar program.”
Denver Habitat was so pleased with their first PV system, they are working with Conergy to make the entire 11 home development a solar neighborhood.
At Turquoise Trail Charter Elementary School in Santa Fe County, Conergy employees from the Santa Fe and Albuquerque offices installed a solar power 2-kW system. It will provide approximately 3,500 kilowatt-hours of energy to the school each year. The system features powerful data logging capability for monitoring and recording daily performance, which are used by the fifth- and sixth-grade classes to chart daily solar irradiance and energy production. "We are excited about this opportunity to 'walk the talk' and help our students learn about ways they can make a positive impact on the environment” said Turquoise Trail Principal Sandy Davis. Source: Conergy, Inc., 11/25/08
The ABC recently had a report on plans to power north-west Queensland with low temperature geothermal power using hot water from the Great Artesian Basin. Read more. Source: The Oil Drum, 11/29/08
The latest news from North American Windpower is now online. Source: North American Windpower, 12/5/08
View the latest issue of the RE Weekly News e-newsletter. Source: RenewableEnergyWorld.com, 12/12/08
Learn more about renewable resources.
FPL Energy, developer of South Dakota’s first major wind farm, has pledged $10,000 to support the South Dakota Wind for Schools program, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission announced. FPL Energy joins Babcock & Brown and Iberdrola Renewables in providing funds to defray some construction expenses associated with installing small wind turbines at schools participating in the program.
FPL Energy owns and operates the South Dakota Wind Energy Center in Hyde County. The 27-turbine project was the state’s first commercial wind farm when it began operating in 2003.
Eight school districts are participating in the Wind for Schools program including Sanborn Central in Forestburg, Douglas in Box Elder, Faith, Selby, Aberdeen, Elkton, Stanley County and Memorial Middle School in Sioux Falls. The 1.8-kilowatt turbines and accompanying science curriculum are intended to provide hands-on alternative energy education to students.
“We are grateful to FPL Energy for their generous support of the Wind for Schools program,” said PUC Chairman Gary Hanson. “It’s clear that we have a very strong wind energy industry in South Dakota.” Source: South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, 12/04/08
Along with several leading renewables industry organizations, the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative is co-sponsoring a series of webinars on wind and renewable energy-related issues. The first, entitled Transmission and Wind Integration into the U.S. Electrical System, will be held Wednesday, Dec. 17, noon-2:00 p.m., Eastern Time.
Other sponsors of the webinar series include National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, American Public Power Association–DEED program, Western Area Power Administration, U.S. DOE Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Utility Wind Integration Group, Northwest Public Power Association and American Wind Energy Association – AWEA Utility Working Group.
To register, please contact Ryan Harry of BCS Incorporated at 303-425-6800. Source: NWCC, 12/02/08
Nearly all of the 23 presentations given at the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII are now online. This Oct. 28-29th meeting covered the most recent wind and wildlife research on topics such as fatalities, habitat, cumulative impacts and mitigation. Presentations from the introductory session, held Oct. 27, will be available soon on a linked Web site. Source: NWCC, 12/02/08
DOE helps Native American Tribes learn how best to develop the rich wind and solar energy resources existing on many tribal lands.
The program provides financial and technical assistance to Native American tribes for the evaluation and development of renewable energy resources, and provides education and training to help build the knowledge and skills essential for sustainable energy projects.
Since 2002, DOE has invested $16.5 million in 93 tribal energy projects. The funds have been used to assist the Tribes in quantifying their resources and empowering them to make decisions about how those renewable energy resources will be developed. Some recent stand-outs are the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
The Jemez Pueblo is looking to solar power for economic revenue.
For the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe the answer may be wind.
The Tribal Energy Program is centered on education and training. Each year, program participants gather to share their successes and lessons at the Tribal Energy Program Review. This building of knowledge and skills is essential to developing, implementing and sustaining energy development and conservation on tribal lands.
According to Lizana Pierce, Program Project Manager, the 2008 Program Review Conference in Denver (Nov. 17-20) was the most successful one yet. The session is open to all Tribes and this year more than forty Tribes shared lessons learned and experiences in developing clean energy projects and incorporating energy efficiency on tribal land. Two hundred people attended.
Related links about Tribal Energy Program. Source: EERE Program News, 12/02/08
The Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) improves responsiveness, effectiveness, and accessibility of codes and standards to U.S. solar stakeholders at all levels. The Solar ABCs enhances the practice of developing, implementing and disseminating solar codes and standards in the following ways:
In addition, the Solar ABCs focuses on planning, as needed, to support the new technologies of the Solar America Initiative Technology Pathway Partnership (TPP) award winners. Source: Solar America Board for Codes and Standards, 12/01/08
DOE announced last week that it is opening a competitive solicitation for five more venture capital firms to participate in the Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program, which places entrepreneurs in DOE's national laboratories to conduct technology assessments, identify market opportunities, and accelerate them for commercialization. Each laboratory will host one entrepreneur at a given time, and that entrepreneur will be supported by up to $50,000 from both DOE and the venture capital firm. Each entrepreneur will then work with their assigned laboratory to license an identified clean energy technology and to develop a start-up business around it. Read more.
DOE has also streamlined academic and industrial access to the high-tech user facilities at its national laboratories. In late October, DOE unveiled two pre-approved, standardized model agreements for the use of its designated user facilities, including one agreement for proprietary research and a separate agreement for non-proprietary research. Read more. Source: EERE Network News, 11/26/08
The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG), National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, American Public Power Association, American Wind Energy Association, Western Area Power Administration and DOE's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program are presenting a wind interconnection workshop Jan. 21-22, 2009, at Western’s Electric Power Training Center (EPTC) in Golden, Colo.
This workshop will focus on the interconnection of wind turbines to electric cooperative and public power distribution systems as well as other distributed generation applications. The workshop will begin with an overview of wind energy, distributed wind applications, economics, and development issues and opportunities. Following the overview, participants will use tools developed by UWIG to assess the impact of wind generation on distribution systems. Training will include an introduction to the theory behind the use of each applet and practical examples of their use using actual cooperative feeder data. Additionally, EPTC instructors will discuss North American Electric Reliability Corporation and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulations pertaining to wind energy and offer tours of the center.
Participants will have the opportunity to observe a demonstration of the EPTC’s miniature power system, which includes a wind farm simulator developed in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Wind Powering America Program. There will also be an optional tour on Jan. 23 of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s National Wind Technology Center.
Workshop registration is $300 and is limited to the first 30 registrants. Register online, or contact Bob Putnam of CH2M Hill, at 315-751-2638 for more information. Source: Western Area Power Administration, 11/25/08
Nominations for Wind Cooperative of the Year for 2008 are now being accepted. All electric cooperatives that are members of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association are eligible. Cooperatives can also nominate themselves, and their is no cost to nominate.
The Wind Cooperative of the Year Award is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program.
The 2008 winner will be recognized at the NRECA TechAdvantage Conference in New Orleans, La., Feb. 11–14, 2009. All nominations are due by close of business on Jan. 5th, 2009. For more information, contact Randy Manion, Western Area Power Administration, 720-962-7423. Source: Public Renewables Partnership, 11/25/08
The Public Renewables Partnership effort led by Western Area Power Administration on behalf of the U.S. DOE Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program is offering 10 travel scholarships of $500 each to electric cooperatives and public power utilities to attend the upcomming Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) Spring Workshop April 1-3, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pa. To qualify for the scholarship, your employer must be a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association or the American Public Power Association, have never previously attended a UWIG meeting, and have submited a scholarship request and be in reciept of a confirmation e-mail from Western. Please note, one scholarship per utility. To secure your scholarship, please contact Randy Manion at 720-962-7423. Source: Public Renewables Partnership, 11/25/08
As part of an ongoing series of radio interviews on wind energy aimed at a rural stakeholder audience, DOE Wind Powering America (WPA) and the National Association of Farm Broadcasters produced an interview with Dave Drescher, John Deere Wind Energy Vice President. During the interview, Drescher describes how John Deere recognized that investments in wind energy benefit rural America and the world. John Deere Wind Energy has plans for 700 MW to be in production by the end of 2009. WPA plans to release a second interview with Drescher on Dec. 1. Source: U.S. Department of Energy, 11/25/08
Learn more about educational resources.
Memo to Barack Obama on ways to revamp the nation's energy policy and boost the economy: Think big. Act boldly.
That's the emerging consensus of policy experts, Bay Area clean- tech leaders and even hardened politicians who know the obstacles. They are urging the president-elect to seize a rare opportunity and dramatically accelerate the nation toward a clean energy economy.
"We can't lose this moment," said Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania at a forum last week. "We have to do things in a big way." Read more. Source: iStockAnalyst, 12/08/08
The Institute’s business-friendly approach advocates more of everything-more domestic oil and gas, more nuclear power, more coal, more renewable energy, and above all, for the federal government to cut through regulatory thickets that have hamstrung U.S. energy modernization in recent years.
The key message from the Institute’s transition plan is that U.S. economic and security interests have suffered due to the lack of a comprehensive national energy plan that addresses how we can get more energy and how we can use less. Source: GEA Weekly Update, 12/2/08
House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) and Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) today announced that Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) will succeed Rep. Udall as Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan caucus. Udall is leaving the House for the Senate, after winning the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO). Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) will assume Van Hollen's former post as one of two Democratic Vice-Chairs of the caucus. The other Vice-Chairs of the Caucus are Reps. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Ron Kind (D-WI) and Greg Walden (R-OR).
"Through the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, Zach and I have worked for years to increase Congress' knowledge of and interest in these technologies that are already contributing to our energy use across the country and will do much more in the future to help revive our economy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels," said Udall. "I am very pleased Chris has accepted this new responsibility with the Caucus. I will look forward to continuing to work with Zach, Chris and the other Caucus Members from my new position in the Senate to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency issues across the country."
“The renewable energy and energy efficiency industry is the best opportunity for us to have a robust U.S. export economy again,” said Wamp. “Domestically, we can diversify our resources with new supplies of energy through advanced technologies. With its long history, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus provides the platform for us to educate, advocate and even legislate on clean energy technologies. Congressman Van Hollen will be a welcome addition to this bipartisan group at a time when energy will be an important part of the agenda in the 111th Congress.”
"I am delighted to be joining Congressman Wamp as Co-Chair of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus," said Van Hollen. "Whether you're talking about national security, economic renewal, international competitiveness or environmental stewardship, a strong majority of members on both sides of the aisle clearly understand that building America's clean energy future holds the key. I look forward to working with Zach and the rest of the bipartisan membership to make the Caucus a vital and vibrant nerve center for these issues in the 111th Congress."
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus was founded in the House of Representatives on February 5, 1996, by Representatives Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Scott Klug (R-WI), David Minge (D-MN), Bill Richardson (D-NM), Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Dan Schaefer (R-CO), and Karen Thurman (D-FL). Current Caucus membership includes 216 Members of Congress from 44 states, the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories. Source: GEA Weekly Update, 12/2/08
President-elect Barack Obama is considering a stimulus package that will include a heavy dose of spending on environmentally friendly projects aimed at creating “green-collar jobs” and saving energy.
While the package will focus on short-term outlays for traditional infrastructure projects to jumpstart an economy now officially declared to be in recession, it will also include longer-term measures to safeguard the environment. Read more. Source: Bloomburg.com, 12/02/08
The U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP) is pleased to announce a Request for Information (RFI) regarding geothermal workforce education development and retention.
The deadline for responses is January 30, 2009. We are excited for the opportunity to work on this topic and look forward to receiving your responses! Source: U.S. Department of Energy, 11/26/08
Posted online now are tables for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008: Energy Tax Incentives. Source: Washington State University, 11/25/08
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced in early November that it will hold a competitive lease sale for geothermal energy development on 61 parcels totaling nearly 200,000 acres in the states of Utah, Oregon and Idaho.
The lease sale will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Dec. 19 and will include 47 parcels in western and southwestern Utah, totaling 146,339 acres; 11 parcels in Oregon, totaling 41,362 acres; and 3 parcels in south central Idaho, totaling 8,676 acres. The lease sale targets three states that have significant geothermal energy resources but have seen limited development so far: to date, Utah has only two geothermal power plants, Idaho has one, and Oregon has none.
See the BLM press release on the Utah parcels, the BLM notices on the parcels in Oregon (PDF 297 KB) and Idaho (PDF 44 KB), the Geothermal Energy Association's list of geothermal power plants, and the state profiles from DOE's GeoPowering the West initiative. Source: GEA Weekly Update, 11/24/08
The Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition (DRSG) released today its policy recommendations for the incoming Obama Administration and the 111th Congress. The recommendations are designed as options for how demand response and smart grid technologies can help policymakers meet their goals in the areas of economic stimulus, infrastructure enhancement, green job creation and climate change mitigation. Read more. Source: MarketWatch, 11/24/08
Learn more about legislative activities.
The Turlock Irrigation District (TID) Board of Directors in Washington state has approved the purchase of the Tuolumne Wind Project, located along Washington's Columbia River, in one of the most productive wind resource areas in the nation. The 62-turbine, 137 MW facility, expected to be completed in March of 2009 at a cost of approximately $200 million US, will join TID's existing green energy producing Don Pedro Dam and Powerhouse, small-scale canal hydroelectric power plants and geothermal power plant in the Lake County Geyser Steam Field in TID's renewable portfolio. [Source: Turlock Journal, December 3, 2008]
Contact: Larry Weis, General Manager, Turlock Irrigation District, 209-883-8300. Source: EP Overviews, 12/08/08
Stirling Energy Systems Solar One, LLC has submitted an Application for Certification (AFC) to construct and operate the Stirling Energy Systems Solar One Project in San Bernardino County, Calif. The proposed project would be for a 850-MW solar dish system with construction planned to begin in late 2010. Although construction would take approximately 40 months to complete, renewable power would be available to the grid as each 60-unit group is completed. [Source: California Energy Commission, December 2, 2008]
Contact: Christopher Meyer, Project Manager, California Energy Commission, 916-653-1639. Stirling Energy, 602-957-1818. Source: EP Overviews, 12/8/08
A Gainesville utility's plan to buy solar-powered electricity is raising hopes of alternative-energy advocates who want to greatly expand use of renewable power in Florida.
The plan would make Gainesville Regional Utilities the first American testing ground for a system that made less-than-sunny Germany a world leader in solar technology.
The utility wants to sign 20-year contracts to buy power from customers who set up solar cells at their property. The contracts would lock in a permanent price for each kilowatt-hour of power at a rate that's high enough to make selling solar power profitable for some customers. Read more. Source: Jacksonville News, 12/04/08
Wisconsin farmers are doing their part to help make a greener state.
The Wisconsin Farmers Union is one of several groups taking part in the "Homegrown Renewable Energy Campaign." The goal is to increase renewable energy sources, which will create jobs in the state and reduce carbon emissions.
While the campaign will help the enviroment, the organization says it will also help farmers.
"We can grow grasses, we have manure on our farms we are turning into electricity," says Pam Porter with the Wisconsin Farmers Union. "Farmers are innovators and will be part of the future, so the farmers union sees this as a great jobs opportunity."
Clean Wisconsin, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, and RENEW Wisconsin are teaming with the union for the campaign.
Part of the campaign includes a proposal to build two wind turbines at the Organic Valley distribution center in Cashton.
Organic Valley spokesperson Jennifer Harrison says the company is in talks with Western Technical College, Gundersen Lutheran, Best Energies Inc and the village of Cashton to partner on the project. Source: WKBT-Channel 8, 12/03/08
In hopes of slowing global warming and creating “green jobs,” Congress and the incoming administration may soon impose a mandate that the nation get 10 or 15 percent of its electricity from renewable sources within a few years.
Yet the experience of states that have adopted similar goals suggests that passing that requirement could be a lot easier than achieving it. The record so far is decidedly mixed: some states appear to be on track to meet energy targets, but others have fallen behind on the aggressive goals they set several years ago. Read more. Source: New York Times, 12/04/08
With emissions caps on global warming gases looming in Washington, venture capitalists and policymakers convened at the University of Texas this week to figure out how to make a buck off the new energy economy.
The largely upbeat tenor of the Clean Energy Venture Summit , sponsored chiefly by Austin Energy and the Clean Energy Incubator at UT, was in contrast to comments made just a week before by Gov. Rick Perry, who said an environmentally driven regulatory regime would harm the Texas economy. Read more. Source: Austin Statesman, 12/05/08
What if some nuns in Wrentham decided to put up a wind turbine? And then high school officials in Worcester? And a Canton bank chairman? And pretty soon, the question wasn't where do wind farms belong, but how many windmills can we squeeze in to every last available space? That day is coming. Read more. Source: Boston Globe, 11/30/08
Even as more than 1,000 workers get ready to walk out of Chrysler LLC's Newark car plant for the final time next month, state economic development officials and some business leaders think manufacturing still has a future in Delaware. Read more. Source: The News Journal, 11/30/08
As Wyoming shifts to wind power as its main source of energy, land has appreciated in the state, leading landowners to band together as they deal with real estate agents for wind power developers.
So far eight Wyoming wind associations have been formed, while similar groups have also been established in Colorado, Montana and New Mexico. Among the birthing pains of new organizations like the Bordeaux Wind Energy Association is ranchers are just learning to be open about discussing money matters since landowners traditionally dealt individually with prospective land buyers. Read more. Source: AHN, 11/28/08
The Western Governors’ Association addressed a letter to President-elect Obama on Nov. 20, urging him to “ensure swift adoption and implementation of an energy plan that will provide affordable and clean energy to sustain our economy, stimulate greater energy efficiency, strengthen our energy security and independence, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The letter outlines policies and incentives to help states and the nation move aggressively to develop renewable energy resources. The governors said a national energy policy must promote energy efficiency; reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a scale necessary to contribute to climate stabilization; maximize the economic development opportunities offered by clean energy; ensure energy costs are affordable and support a sustainable, growing economy; increase the proportion of energy supplies that come from domestic resources and friendly trading partners; and minimize adverse environmental impacts.
A long-term national public investment of tens of billions of dollars annually will be needed, along with a similar investment from the private sector, they said. This would result in near-zero greenhouse gas emissions from new coal-fired electricity generation in 10 years and from existing generation no later than 2030; dramatically increased energy from wind, solar, geothermal, hydro and biomass resources; expansion and upgrade of the electricity transmission grid and storage capabilities; advanced vehicle and battery technologies and alternative transportation fuels; and next generation energy efficiency technologies and practices. See .Source: GEA Weekly Update, 12/2/08
It's a utopian idea: Point panels at the sun and get electricity without mining coal or uranium, drilling for natural gas or burning anything in a power plant.
But the reality of solar energy is a bit more complicated.
Utilities are boosting the amount of solar energy flowing through Arizona's power lines, aiming for a goal of 15 percent of the state's power from renewable sources by 2025. Read more. Source: The Arizona Republic, 12/02/08
Ontario is turning to wind turbines to help create jobs and power a green energy future.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty helped open a 44-turbine wind farm near Port Alma, on the shores of Lake Erie on November 13. The Kruger Energy Port Alma Wind Power Project will produce enough clean electricity for 30,000 households. Read more. Source: MarketWatch, 12/01/08
Two proposals that could shape how Fort Collins residents live and work in the years to come are headed for City Council.
Council members tonight will weigh adoption of a proposed Climate Action Plan, which sets goals and methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and a revised policy aimed at slowing growth in the city's energy consumption.
The climate plan and energy policy would work hand in hand, city officials say, because energy use and carbon dioxide emissions are so closely related. Read more. Source: The Coloradoan, 12/02/08
The Western Governors’ Association and the U.S. Department of Energy launched the Western Renewable Energy Zone (WREZ) project in May 2008. Its central goal is to expedite the development and delivery of clean energy from those areas of the West with vast renewable resources. Participating in the project are 11 states, the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and areas of Baja California, Mexico that are part of the Western Interconnection. The public comment period for the WREZ project begins February 2009. Source: Western Governors' Association, 12/01/08
It ain't easy being green – especially in the desert.
The Phoenix region knows that all too well and, it seems, is constantly reminded of its shortcomings.
The Valley is lashed in national surveys for its poor air quality, derided for its urban sprawl and mocked for its searing temperatures and growing heat island.
But, despite these challenges, city boosters, business owners, environmentalists and academics all say Phoenix has a unique opportunity to become truly sustainable. Read more. Source: The Arizona Republic, 11/25/08
With unemployment on the rise, many newcomers to the job field are turning their attention toward green-collar jobs, and Oklahoma State University is taking advantage of the wide open field.
"You can't work in a place like that and not have a fear of it, but I think it's a healthy fear," says Jeff Blurton who is enrolled in the wind turbine technology class at OSU-OKC. Read more. Source: KSBI-TV Channel 52, 11/25/08
California enjoys a reputation as a leader in clean-energy technology, but bringing new renewable-power projects to life in the most populous U.S. state has proven surprisingly tough.
Permits that would allow construction of a wind farm in Santa Barbara County and a large-scale solar facility in San Luis Obispo County are being held up by the state Fish and Game Department, which wants the companies to buy development rights to more than one thousand acres of land, at a cost of between $3,000 and $8,000 an acre. The land would be set aside for wildlife displaced by the projects. Read more. Source: Cattle Network, 11/25/08
Amid the pressures of the global financial crisis, some ask how we can afford to tackle climate change. The better question is: Can we afford not to?
Put aside the familiar arguments—that the science is clear, that climate change represents an indisputable existential threat to the planet, and that every day we do not act the problem grows worse. Instead, let us make the case purely on bread-and-butter economics. Read more. Source: San Francisco Chronicles, 11/25/08
HB 5218 was introduced by Representative Kathleen Law in September 2007.
A bill known as the Renewable Energy Sources Act would create a renewable energy payment program that would guarantee a return on investments in renewable energy projects in Michigan for at least 20 years. The act would guarantee long-term, fixed prices for electricity generated from renewable sources sold into the power grid. Read more. Source: Michigan Policy Network, 11/26/08
Waste methane power could create more than 100,000 Ohio jobs in the engineering, manufacturing, steel fabrication and biological processes sectors, according to Schmack BioEnergy President, Mel Kurtz. The company recently installed a methane power system at the Akron, Ohio sewage plant and is currently planning an $ 8 million US plant in Zanesville. Schmack BioEnergy is also ready to commence construction of a $10 million plant in Columbus that will process enough municipal and industrial waste to eventually produce electricity for 1,300 homes annually. (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 23, 2008)
Contact: Schmack BioEnergy, 216-986-9999. Source: EP Overviews, 11/26/08
Oklahoma residents and business owners who purchase geothermal heat pumps will be eligible for a 5% state tax credit under a proposal unveiled by state House Speaker Chris Benge.
The Associated Press reports that this is the second time this year that Benge, R-Tulsa, has proposed tax credits for alternative energy usage - earlier in 2008, he introduced legislation that would offer tax credits to encourage the use of compressed natural gas in automobiles and other vehicles.
"It will take an all-of-the-above solution to help wean our state and our country from our dependence on foreign oil, and geothermal is a local technology that can move us in that direction," says Benge. [SOURCE: Associated Press] Source: Alternative Energy Retailer, 11/23/08
You can see federal energy tax policy in action, rising out of the ground on the mesa south of Albuquerque as workers rush to finish the new Schott Solar factory.
If all goes according to schedule, some 350 workers will begin turning out power systems next spring that generate electricity from the sun. Federal tax policy, which provides tax breaks for installing solar energy, is a big reason why. Congress' decision last month to extend the tax breaks, industry officials say, is vital to the future of the U.S. renewable energy industry.
"It's critically important for our business," said Zane Rakes, who heads Schott's growing operation, as he stood in the cavernous hall that will soon house the German industrial firm's first U.S. solar energy production lines. Read more. Source: Trading Markets, 11/24/08
On Nov. 17, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed off on an executive order to increase the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, once again setting the bar for other states to follow.
California’s previous RPS was already the most stringent in the country, demanding that state utilities generate at least 20 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2010. The latest version increases that to 33 percent by 2020. Schwarzenegger said it’s an aggressive target and will require a new look at some of the state’s environmental regulations in order to achieve the goal. “This executive order will clear the red tape for renewable projects and streamline the permitting and siting of new plants and transmission lines,” he said. “With this investment in renewable energy projects, California has a bright energy future ahead that will help us fight climate change while driving our state’s green economy.”
Acceptable forms of renewable sources for the state’s standard include biomass, solar, wind, anaerobic digestion and landfill gas. The California Energy Commission is charged with implementing the program and plans to create a “one-stop” permitting process in order to reduce the application time for proposed projects. Among the current pending projects are several that involve biomass-based energy production which are scheduled to go on line by the end of 2009.
As of November, 28 states have enacted some type of RPS and several more states have set renewable energy goals. Missouri was the most recent state to pass a renewable energy mandate that will now require its state utilities to produce 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2021. Source: Biomass Magazine, 11/24/08
Washington State's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Horizon Energy's Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project's "Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council Permit" previously signed by Governor Christine Gregoire. Horizon's proposed 65-turbine, 100-MW project will be located 12 miles northwest of Ellensburg in Kittitas County. Previous details of the $165 million US project were reported in our Sep. 25, 2007 issue. (Source: Seattle Times, November 20, 2008)
Contact: Horizon Wind Energy, 713-265-0350. Source: EP Overviews, 11/24/08
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Five major global financial corporations have agreed to adopt a new framework that will guide the sector toward addressing and managing climate change across their products and services.
Credit Agricole, HSBC, Munich Re, Standard Chartered and Swiss Re voluntarily agreed on Tuesday to adopt the best practices called "The Climate Principles." The code was developed in conjunction with the nonprofit Climate Group.
"A rising tide lifts all boats, which is why we have decided to launch a global framework that will unify the response of a sector that is vital to accelerating action on climate change," said Climate Group CEO Steve Howard in a statement. "The current global turmoil has reinforced the fact that global problems require global solutions."
The code is intended as a guide to help financial and insurance institutions manage climate change across a broad section of services and products, unlike the Carbon Principles, a framework adopted earlier this year by several U.S. banks which focuses on project financing, such as coal-fired power plant projects, according to Climate Group Spokesman Neal McGrath.
"The Climate Principles are global, cover the entire spectrum of financial services and so are much broader in scope," McGrath said via email.
The Principles address facets such as asset management, retail banking, insurance and re-insurance, project finance, investment and corporate banking. For example, the insurance sector will use the Climate Principles to advise clients on climate risks while financiers will ask clients to estimate and reduce emissions from their projects. Source: GreenBiz.com, 12/03/08
The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 11/26/2008 . If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis. Read more. Source: Grants.gov, 11/26/08
The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 12/01/2008. If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis. Read more. Source: Grants.gov, 12/01/08
The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 09/29/2008 . If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis. Read more. Source: Grants.gov, 9/29/08
The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 10/21/2008 . If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis. Read more. Source: Grants.gov, 10/21/08
The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 09/12/2008 . If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis. Read more. Source: Grants.gov, 9/12/08
The New York Power Authority has issued a Request for Information (RFI ) on the purchase of up to 6 MW of solar PV energy resources to be installed on the roofs of certain facilities owned or leased by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2 MW phases commencing summer 2009 through 2011. The deadline for responses is December 12, 2008. [Source: Green Power Network, Dec. 1, 2008]
Contact: John Markowitz, Engineer, New York Power Authority, RFI Details. Source: EP Overviews, 12/5/08
The Scottish Government has announced details of the $15 million US (£10 million) Saltire Prize to be awarded to the team that successfully demonstrates the best commercially viable wave or tidal energy technology capable of powering thousands of homes. The winning team must demonstrate, in Scottish waters, a commercially viable wave or tidal energy technology that achieves a minimum electrical output of 100 GWh over a continuous two year period and is judged to be the best overall technology after consideration of cost, environmental sustainability and safety factors. [Source: EERE News, Dec. 3, 2008]
Contact: Saltire Prize details. Source: EP Overviews, 12/05/08
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