CHINA Q3 WIND FINANCIALS BLEAK

Sinovel, Goldwind Forecast ‘Arduous’ 2013 as Turbine Sales DropNovember 19, 2012 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) “Sinovel Wind Group Co. (601558) and Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co. (002202), China’s biggest makers of wind turbines, forecast a difficult 2013 after reporting a decline in sales in the third quarter… “…[Sinovel foresees] grid constraints, slowing growth and [a challenging] economic environment…Goldwind also predicts tough market...

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CAPE WIND PPA APPROVED

Massachusetts DPU Approves Cape Wind's PPA With NSTAR27 November 2012 (North American Windpower) “Following an eight-month proceeding, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has approved the 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) between NSTAR Electric Co. and Cape Wind Associates for the Cape Wind project, a 468 MW offshore wind project planned for Nantucket Sound… “The DPU concluded that the benefits of the contract exceeded its...

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SOLAR PRICES CONTINUE TO FALL

Costs Of Solar Energy Rapidly Declining Throughout U.S. Market27 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “The installed price of solar photovoltaic power systems in the U.S. fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to the latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report produced by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)…The median installed price of residential and...

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BIG MICHIGAN WIND GOES ONLINE

Lake Winds Energy Park Begins Serving Customers; Consumers Energy's First Wind Park in Operation, Made Possible by Michigan's Energy Reform LawNovember 22. 2012 (PR Newswire via MarketWatch) “Consumers Energy's $250 million Lake Winds Energy Park began serving electric customers…[with its] generating capacity of 100 megawatts. It consists of 56 wind-generation turbines…The utility's investment in Lake Winds was made possible by Michigan's landmark...

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LA BUYS NEVADA SUN

Los Angeles City Council Approves PPAs For K Road Moapa Solar21 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to approve a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with K Road Moapa Solar to provide up to 250 MW of solar power…[from the K Road Moapa solar power installation] on the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians tribal land north of Las Vegas.”click to enlarge“…[T]he project is expected to create 400 jobs during peak...

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NEW ENERGY PROGRAM WORKS FOR WISCONSIN

LA BUYS NEVADA SUN Los Angeles City Council Approves PPAs For K Road Moapa Solar21 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to approve a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with K Road Moapa Solar to provide up to 250 MW of solar power…[from the K Road Moapa solar power installation] on the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians tribal land north of Las Vegas.”click to enlarge“…[T]he project is expected to create...

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GEORGIA GETS INTO SOLAR

Commission Green-Lights Georgia Power's 210 MW Solar Initiative21 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) has…[unanimously] approved Atlanta-based utility Georgia Power's new solar initiative - the Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative (GPASI). “Through the GPASI, the utility will acquire 210 MW of additional solar capacity through long-term contracts over a two-year period…[It is] the largest voluntarily developed...

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THE COMPETITIVENESS OF WIND, 2

Learning From Kansas: Why Utilities Are Embracing Wind Energy, Part 2 (continued from Wednesday) Alan Claus Anderson, Britton Gibson, Luke Hagedorn & Scott W. White, 20 November 2012 (North American Windpower “One of the benefits that renewable energy sources - such as wind and solar - provide is price certainty. When utilities add renewable energy generation to their portfolios, they can lock in power supply at a known price for up to 20 years…Eighty...

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SMART GRID ENABLES COMMUNITY WIND

Smart Grid Project Helps Keep Surplus Wind Power LocalJoseph Bebon, 18 November 2012 (Renew Grid) “…The small city of Summerside, located on Canada's Prince Edward Island…decided [in 2003] to build and own…the Summerside Wind Farm…[T]he 12 MW project was commissioned in 2009…[T]he taxpayers own the wind farm and sell the power to the municipal utility, Summerside Electric…Summerside Electric purchases another 9 MW of wind power from West Cape Energy…[The...

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GOOGLE PUTS $75BIL MORE INTO WIND

Google extends commitment to green energy with $75 million investment in Iowa wind farmNovember 15, 2012 (AP via Washington Post) “Google is investing $75 million in an Iowa wind farm as part of its effort to encourage development of cleaner energy sources…[The deal] gives Google Inc. a stake in the Rippey Wind Farm in Greene County, Iowa. RPM Access LLC is the primary owner. [Google’s investments in renewable energy now exceed $990 million]…”click...

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BEHIND SUN NUMBERS, 3

Delving Into The Numbers: Latest Solar Jobs Census Shows Strong Growth (Continued from Monday and Tuesday)15 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “The National Solar Jobs Census…[just released by The Solar Foundation (TSF)]…reveals positive growth once again in solar employment. Several of the business subsectors analyzed posted increases in their job numbers, and all indicators point to further good news in 2013… “[Among] the most important numbers [were]…29,742:...

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THE COMPETITIVENESS OF WIND, 1

Learning From Kansas: Why Utilities Are Embracing Wind Energy, Part 1 Alan Claus Anderson, Britton Gibson, Luke Hagedorn & Scott W. White, 20 November 2012 (North American Windpower) “In Kansas, wind energy generation is at least equivalent in cost - and often cheaper - than traditional sources of energy, according to academic studies that analyzed the costs of various types of generation in the state. “The best standard for this type of analysis...

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U.S ELECTRICITY USE DOWN 3.5% IN 2012

Short-Term Energy OutlookNovember 6, 2012 (U.S. Energy Information Administration) “Residential sales of electricity in the United States are projected to fall by 3.5 percent in 2012…[This] reflects the mild winter temperatures in the first quarter of this year, particularly in the south where many households heat using electricity. Residential electricity sales decline by 0.5 percent in 2013 as lower electricity demand for space cooling during the...

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WIND’S INCENTIVE PHASE OUT RUMORS

Multiyear Wind Energy PTC Phase-Out Getting Bipartisan AttentionLaura DiMugno, 15 November 2012 (North American Windpower) “While a one-year extension of the wind energy production tax credit (PTC) remains alive in an omnibus tax-extenders bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee in August, some policymakers say the incentive could ultimately be renewed in a different form…[S]ome members of Congress - including a handful of anti-renewables House...

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BEHIND SUN NUMBERS, 2

Delving Into The Numbers: Latest Solar Jobs Census Shows Strong Growth (continued from yesterday)15 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “The National Solar Jobs Census…[just released by The Solar Foundation (TSF)]…reveals positive growth once again in solar employment. Several of the business subsectors analyzed posted increases in their job numbers, and all indicators point to further good news in 2013… “[Among] the most important numbers [were]…20,000:...

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BEHIND SUN NUMBERS, 1

Delving Into The Numbers: Latest Solar Jobs Census Shows Strong Growth15 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “The National Solar Jobs Census…[just released by The Solar Foundation (TSF)]…reveals positive growth once again in solar employment… “Several of the business subsectors analyzed posted increases in their job numbers, and all indicators point to further good news in 2013…[The] census showed that the solar sector employs workers in all 50 U.S....

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WORLD OFFSHORE WIND OVERVIEW

Offshore Report 20134Q 2013 (Pike Research/BTM Consultant/Navigant) “Highlights of offshore wind power development in 2011highlights of offshore wind power development in 2011 included…Cumulative installation of 3.99 GW…More than 5 GW under construction…Nearly 100 GW offshore project portfolios identified globally…Europe is the largest offshore wind continent, the UK is the largest offshore wind market…”click to enlarge“Seven out of the Top 10 wind...

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DEVELOPER BUILDS IN KANSAS WIND

NTR's Wind Capital Opens Post Rock Wind Farm in Kansas; 201 MW Wind Farm to Power Over 70,000 HomesNovember 19, 2012 (NTR Wind Capital Group) “…[Leading renewable energy investor NTR Group’s Wind Capital Group]…dedicated its Post Rock Wind Farm at a ceremony in Ellsworth, Kansas…Construction of Post Rock commenced in 2011..The project was completed on time and on budget…Commercial operations commenced on October 4th of this year…”click to enlarge“…Post...

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BUFFETT BUYS MORE WIND

MidAmerican Acquires Two Wind Projects Linked With Tehachapi Transmission Project9 November 2012 (Renew Grid) “MidAmerican Wind - a subsidiary of MidAmerican Renewables, whose parent company is MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., [a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway] - has completed the acquisition of the 168 MW Alta Wind VII and the 132 MW Alta Wind IX projects from California Highwind Power, a subsidiary of Terra-Gen Power LLC.”click...

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$3/4 BIL TO AES FOR SOLAR POWER PLANTS

AES Solar Wraps Up Financing Exceeding $750M12 November 2012 (Solar Industry) “AES Solar, the joint venture company of AES Corp. and Riverstone Holdings LLC, has completed three financings totaling $752 million. The capital is backing construction of the 266 MW Mount Signal project in California and a portfolio of three projects in France totaling 22.4 MW. The financing also provides AES Solar with a corporate revolving credit facility. “AES Solar...

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ALL WIND WANTS IS WHAT NAT GAS GOT

In a shale state, give wind power its respective dueJeff Perkins, November 12, 2012 (Pennsylvania Patriot-News) “…Shale gas [went from a billion cubic feet to 400 billion between 2008 and 2010,] has revolutionized the commonwealth’s energy industry…[and might provide] energy independence and economic growth, but that progress could come at the cost of our natural resources, our communities and our health. “…Since the 1970s, the federal government...

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POLITICAL GRIDLOCK COSTING GREEN JOBS

With Policy In Question, Wind Energy Jobs Plummet In Third Quarter9 November 2012 (North American Windpower) “More than 10,800 U.S. jobs in the clean energy and related sectors were announced in the third quarter, but that number represents a drastic drop from the second quarter, when 37,000 clean energy jobs were announced, and from the first quarter, when 46,000 jobs were created, according to a new report by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2)…...

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HOW THE OBAMA WIN HELPS IOWA WIND

The experts: 5 things the Obama victory means for IowaNovember 6, 2012 (Des Moines Register) [Dianne Bystrom, director, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics/Iowa State University:] “…A slowly recovering economy…Continued and expanded access to afffordable health care, especially for the uninsured, women, unemployed college graduates and senior citizens…Continuing tax credits for Iowa’s wind energy industry…An affirmation of the Iowa...

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SOLAR POWER TOWER AND TROUGHS FOR SO AFRICA

Abengoa’s first solar power tower outside Spain to be built in UpingtonTerence Creamer, 6 November 2012 (Engineering News) “Leading renewable-energy group Abengoa, of Spain…has started construction on two solar power projects in South Africa…the 50 MW Khi Solar One power-tower concentrating solar power (CSP) project…[and] a 100 MW parabolic trough CSP plant, dubbed KaXu Solar One…[Both will be] in the sun-drenched Northern Cape province…[T]he Khi...

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OCEAN WIND ADVANCES IN DELAWARE

NRG Energy gets lease for offshore Delaware projectCarl Levesque, Octtober 26, 2012 (Wind Energy Weekly) “The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has reached agreement on a lease for commercial wind energy development in federal waters covering 96,430 acres that are located approximately 11 nautical miles off the coast of Delaware… “The agreement marks the first lease completed under Interior’s “Smart from the Start” approach to facilitate...

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SUN COULD SHINE FOR JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA

New Study Finds that Solar Power Is a Bargain for Ratepayers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania5 November 2012 (PR Newswire via RenewablesBiz) “…[S]olar power in New Jersey and Pennsylvania delivers value to the electric grid that exceeds its cost by a large margin, making it a bargain for energy consumers…Energy providers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are required to buy certain amounts of solar power each year. They pay a premium for that solar power...

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NEW YORK GOES BIG ON NEW TRANSMISSION

NY panel offers plan for up to 3,200 MW of new generation, transmissionCarl Levesque, October 26, 2012 (Wind Energy Weekly) “…The five-member Energy Highway Task Force…gave New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo a blueprint that includes 13 recommended actions to advance the governor's push to modernize the state's energy system [that will add as much as 3,200 MW of electric generation and transmission capacity as well as renewable power generation through public...

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IKEA GOES ALL NEW ENERGY

Ikea uses sun, wind to become energy independent; As more U.S. businesses embrace renewable energy, IKEA plans to announce Tuesday that it will rely on the sun and the wind to produce all the power it uses at its stores and buildings by 2020.Wendy Koch, October 23, 2012 (USA Today) “Energy independence by 2020? …[G]lobal home furnishings retailer Ikea…[announced] plans to achieve that goal with solar and wind power…[T]he Swedish retailer says it...

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TIME TO BUY SUN?

Order Cancellations Drive PV Book-to-Bill Ratio into Negative Territory…Capacity Rationalization and Equipment De-Bookings Provide Further Delay to Next Technology Buy CycleOctober 22, 2012 (SolarBuzz) “Production equipment order cancellations and push-outs by solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers during 2012 exceeded $3 billion by the end of Q3’12, according to new research [from NPD Solarbuzz]…This has resulted in a significant reduction in order...

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ATLANTIC CITY WIND ENDURED SANDY AND BACK ON LINE

The wind farm that withstood Hurricane SandyRos Davidson, 2 November 2012 (Windpower Monthly) “…Three of the Jersey Atlantic project’s five 1.5MW GE SLE turbines [withstood Hurricane Sandy after 90 mph winds smashed into the New Jersey coast and] were operating again by Friday…The remaining two turbines [are expected to] be up and running in the next few days… “…The project, operated by Infigen Energy, is at [the Atlantic County Utilities Authority...

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MORE AND MORE JOBS IN SOLAR

The Solar Foundation Reports 13% Growth in U.S. Solar Jobs; Annual National Solar Jobs Census finds more than 119,000 employed by solar industry November 2, 2012 (The Solar Foundation) “The Solar Foundation (TSF)…third annual National Solar Jobs Census found that the U.S. solar industry employs 119,016 Americans…[an] addition of 13,872 workers and a 13.2% employment growth rate over the previous year…TSF also revised the 2011 total jobs number from...

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MORE NEW ENERGY ALL THE TIME

Americans use more efficient and renewable energy technologiesAnne M. Stark, October 8, 2012 (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) “Americans used less energy in 2011 than in the previous year due mainly to a shift to higher-efficiency energy technologies in the transportation and residential sectors. Meanwhile, less coal was used but more natural gas was consumed according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National...

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POLITICS CAUSES & SPOILS GE’S RECORD WIND YEAR

GE to set US record in 2012 for wind turbine installationsRichard A. Kessler, October 19, 2012 (ReCharge) “General Electric this year will set a company record for wind capacity installations in the US, breaking its previous high of 3.99GW in 2009, the most for any turbine vendor there in a calendar year…GE also has the four next highest US wind capacity installs including 3.58GW in 2008, 2.54GW in 2010, 2.34GW in 2007 and 2GW last year…Vestas is in sixth place with 1.96GW installed in 2011. “…GE’s own market research aligns with AWEA’s forecast...

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