THE COST OF THE SAN ONFRE NUCLEAR OUTAGE

Extended nuclear plant outages raise Southern California wholesale power pricesMarch 26, 2013 (U.S. Energy Information Adminstration) “The outages of both units at Southern California Edison's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), starting in January 2012, have created a persistent spread in wholesale power prices between Northern and Southern California. “Historically, wholesale power prices for Northern and Southern California tracked...

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A WIND OPPONENT PROVED WRONG BY THE MARKETPLACE

Wind blowing against Alexander's energy arguments; Sen. Lamar Alexander has long opposed a tax credit for wind energy and thinks that modern windmills are a blight on the landscape, but the sector continues to grow in some areas of the country.Paul C. Barton, March 26, 2013 (USA Today) “…[U]tilities, including [Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander’s] Tennessee Valley Authority, are finding they like wind power more and more…[but] Alexander,...

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APPLE LIKES NEW ENERGY

Apple Inc. Powering Data Centers With 100% Renewable Energy26 March 2013 (North American Windpower) “Technology giant Apple Inc. says that all of its data centers now use 100% renewable energy, including power from wind, solar, geothermal and hydro resources…[It has also achieved use of] 75% renewable energy [at its facilities] worldwide - through a combination of on-site solar and fuel cell projects, renewable energy credits, and direct purchase...

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GOOGLE WANTS MORE WIND Thanks To PTC Extension, Google 'Actively Looking' To Procure Wind Energy12 March 2013 (North American Windpower) “Encouraged by the extension of the production tax credit (PTC), Google will continue to work with utilities to procure wind energy to power the company's data centers…[T]he company is actively looking at wind projects in the Midwest… “Google is leading a growing number of industrial users that serve as wind power...

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MINNESOTA SOLAR STANDARD MOVES AHEAD

The Making of a Midwestern Solar Energy StandardJohn Farrell, March 14, 2013 (Institute for Local Self-Reliance) “…[The Minnesota state legislature House Energy Policy Committee] voted 8-6 to approve a 4% by 2025 solar energy standard, with an innovative new approach to financing solar power. It’s a powerful first step for what would be one of the more robust policies to support distributed, local solar power in the country… …[The] Solar Standard…sets...

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CHEAPER TO SCRAP SAN ONOFRE THAN RESTART IT

San Onofre: Restart plan would cost customers $150M more than replacement power; Edison financials show keeping reactor shut down three times cheaper than startupAdam Russell, March 22, 2013 (Friends of the Earth) “…[After both reactors at the crippled San Onofre nuclear power plant being offline for 14 months, restarting one of them] this summer would cost Southern California Edison’s customers three times as much as keeping it shut down and buying...

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CHINA’S $243BIL NEW ENERGY INVESTMENT GAP

China Faces $243 Billion Climate Finance “Gap” Per Year By 2020, Exploring Reforms To Expand Clean Tech Investment22 March 2013 (The Clean Revolution) “China will need to raise up to US$243 billion of additional funds per year by 2020 in order to adequately finance action to curb the impacts of climate change and invest in low carbon development, according to… [Shaping China’s Climate Finance Policy, [commissioned by the Chinese government’s powerful...

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MARYLAND OKS OCEAN WIND RULES, FUNDING

Off-Shore Wind Energy Legislation Passes in MarylandPerry Stein, March 19, 2013 (NBC Washington) “After more than three failed attempts, [Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s] proposal to encourage the development of a wind energy industry in the state finally passed the General Assembly. “The legislation calls for dozens of gigantic wind turbines along Maryland’s Atlantic coast and would require residents to pay up to an extra $1.50 a month on their...

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MICROGRID BIZ QUADRUPLES TO $40 BIL BY 2020

Market Data: Microgrids; Forecasts for Commercial/Industrial, Community/Utility, Campus/Institutional, Military, and Remote Microgrids: 2013-20201Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “The microgrid market is currently moving into full-scale commercialization with the launch of dozens of successful pilot programs globally, decreasing costs of solar photovoltaic (PV), and a relaxing of prohibitions against distributed generation operation during times of grid...

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STUDY DISCREDITS ‘WIND TURBINE SYNDROME’

Wind turbine sickness 'all in the mind': studyLenore Taylor, March 15, 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) “…'Wind turbine sickness' is far more prevalent in communities where anti-wind farm lobbyists have been active and appears to be a psychological phenomenon caused by the suggestion that turbines make people sick, a study has found…63 per cent of Australia's 49 wind farms had never been the subject of any health complaint from nearby residents…[and] 68 per cent of the 120 complaints that have been made came from residents living near wind farms heavily...

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ENERGY-STAR CITIES

Top 10 U.S. Cities With The Most Energy Star-Certified Buildings18 March 2013 (Renew Grid) “…Launched by the [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] in 1992, Energy Star is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency…[C]ertified buildings typically use at least 35% less energy than average buildings…In 2012, the EPA says, more than 20,000 Energy Star-certified buildings across the U.S. helped save...

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BIGGEST CONCENTRATING SUN PLANT YET GOES LIVE

Masdar, Total and Abengoa Launch Shams 1, the World’s Largest Concentrated Solar Power Plant in Operation; The inauguration of Shams 1, a 100 MW solar thermal plant, is a major milestone in the development and deployment of renewable energy in the Middle East.March 17, 2013 (Abengoa Solar) “...Shams 1, the largest concentrated solar power plant (CSP) in operation in the world...[was built by] Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company…French energy...

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NEW MONEY FOR NEW ENERGY

New Push to Securitize Renewable-Power PactsRyan Tracy and Cassandra Sweet, March 14, 2013 (Wall Street Journal) “The Obama administration and some on Wall Street are laying the groundwork for bundling renewable-power contracts into securities, part of an effort to make it cheaper to finance alternative energy…The initiative aims to extend to renewable energy a financial tool already used in the mortgage and credit-card industries. The securities...

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WORLD SUN TO GO ON SHINING

Reaching New Heights: Cumulative PV Demand to Double Again by 2015Michael Barker, March 15, 2013 (SolarBuzz) “Although [solar PV] end-market demand in 2012 did not achieve the levels many had hoped for, it still set a new record in terms of annual installed capacity…reaching a 100 GW cumulative installation level for PV systems. “…[The recent trend continued of] cumulative demand doubling every two years. It took more than 30 years for global cumulative...

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DISTRIBUTED WIND TO DOUBLE IN 5 YEARS

Small Wind Power; Demand Drivers, Market Barriers, Technology Issues, Competitive Landscape, and Global Market Forecasts1Q 2013 (Pike Research/Navigant) “…[T]here are many signs the [small wind turbines (SWTs)] industry is maturing, including the expanded role of SWT certification, hundreds of manufacturers located around the world, expanding dealer networks, and a growing number of national and regional industry associations… “…There are also a...

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NEW ENERGY TRENDS

Clean Energy Trends: The Future is all About DeploymentRon Pernick, March 12, 2013 (Clean Edge) “…[As highlighted in] Clean Energy Trends 2013 report, the fundamental global market drivers for clean technology remain largely intact. Intensifying resource constraints loom large. Unprecedented climate disruption in the U.S. and abroad is putting resiliency and adaptation front and center. And President Obama has signaled a strong commitment to expanding...

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SUN AND MONEY TOGETHER AT SUNEDISON

MEMC Creates SunEdison Capital, Proposes Company-Wide Name Change13 March 2013 (Solar Industry) “MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. has formed SunEdison Capital, a new division within its SunEdison subsidiary… “SunEdison Capital will focus on aggregating capital to develop, build and finance the long-term ownership of solar power plants. As part of this effort, the division will develop internal and external capital funds and facilities, playing a key...

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THE FIGHT FOR NEW ENERGY IN NO CAROLINA

New Bill Seeks To Repeal N.C.'s Renewable Energy MandateLaura DiMugno, 14 March 2013 (North American Windpower) “…New legislation proposed in the [North Carolina's] House of Representatives would repeal North Carolina's renewable portfolio standard (RPS), the major driver of renewable energy development in the state…North Carolina's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, passed in 2007, is 12.5% by 2021 for investor-owned utilities...

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HOW TO BOOST EV SALES

What Will It Take To Boost The Overall Success Of EVs?7 March 2013 (Renew Grid) “Charging stations and battery-swap locations are the most crucial to developing a sustainable electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, according to respondents to a recent survey by PwC...[T]he global hybrid and EV market share [is projected to] reach 6.3% by 2020. As municipalities continue to work with the private sector to meet future demands and develop ‘smart cities,’...

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PRES TO TALK ENERGY

Obama Confers With Energy, Oil Executives on Second-Term AgendaRoger Runnigen, March 8, 2013 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) “President Barack Obama has conferred with more than a dozen oil, natural gas and clean-energy executives, as well as academic advisers, at the White House in advance of an energy-policy speech [March 15 at the Argonne National Laboratory, near Chicago. It was billed as a meeting on Obama’s second term ‘clean energy agenda,’…and coping...

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A TOOL TO KNOW THE SUN

Sun Number Develops New Solar Analysis and Sales Tool12 March 2013 (Solar Industry) “Sun Number LLC has released a new tool designed to improve solar companies' capabilities to analyze the solar potential of properties and close sales with customers. “The tool, developed with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot program, utilizes high-resolution aerial data, advanced GIS technology and proprietary algorithms to produce instant analyses...

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THE VALUE OF SOLAR

Austin Energy’s Value of Solar Tariff: Could It Work Anywhere Else? Austin’s solar policy framework may just be too weird to duplicate.Anne Lappe, March 8, 2013 (Greentech Media) “Last fall, Austin Energy become the first utility in the U.S. to offer a ‘Value of Solar Tariff’ (VOST) to its residential electricity customers…[It is] an alternative to net metering, the bill credit mechanism that has driven most customer adoption of solar in the U.S…[U]tilities...

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IRS SOON TO DEFINE ‘IN CONSTRUCTION’ FOR WIND

Insider: Clarity On PTC 'Begin Construction' Language Expected SoonMark Del Franco, 5 March 2013 (Nrth American Windpower) “…[The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)] has imposed an internal deadline of March 31 to clarify what it means for a wind project to be considered under construction, per the ‘begin construction’ language included in the [version of the production tax credit (PTC) signed into law in January]…[T]he IRS [repotedly] recognizes the urgency…to resolve the issues and release the guidance to wind energy developers. “Historically, the...

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HOW ENERGY STORAGE WILL GROW

Energy Storage Systems for Ancillary Services; Frequency Regulation, Voltage Support, Spinning Reserves, Electric Supply Reserve Capacity, and Load Following: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts1Q 2013 (Pike Research/Navigant) “Ancillary services are…required to maintain safe, reliable, and secure transmission of energy on the grid. Designed to respond to the technical challenges of generating, transmitting and distributing electricity, these services…balance...

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THE EMERGING VIRTUAL POWER PLANT OPPORTUNITY

Virtual Power Plants; Demand Response, Supply-Side, Mixed Asset, and Wholesale Auction Smart Grid Aggregation and Optimization Networks1Q 2013 (Pike Research/Navigant) “…[A] virtual power plant (VPP)…[uses] software systems to remotely and automatically dispatch and optimize generation, demand-side, or storage resources (including plug-in electric vehicles and bi-directional inverters) in a single, secure web-connected system. VPPs can provide extraordinary...

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YEILDCO, NEW ENERGY FUNDING W/O TAX CREDITS

Beyond Old Incentives: Unlocking A New Source Of Solar Project CapitalAndrew Redinger and Daniel Brown, 5 March 2013 (Solar Industry) “…[T] he U.S. power market…[from 2008 to 2011] experienced a 1% compounded annual increase in installed capacity. Electricity sales statistics have been flat over the same period…By contrast, wind installations have increased by 21%, and solar installations have increased by 73%...despite the fact that the levelized...

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WARREN BUFFETT, NEW ENERGY BARON

Buffett’s MidAmerican Has 6% of U.S. Wind, Will Own 14% of SolarWill Wade, March 1, 2013 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) “Warren Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. accounts for 6 percent of U.S. wind-energy capacity and will generate about 14 percent of the nation’s solar power when it finishes three solar farms under development.”click to enlarge“When the projects are complete, the company will have invested about $13 billion in its renewable-energy...

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WSJ GETS RENEWABLES WRONG

Fact check: WSJ goes astray on California's integration of windMichael Goggin, 2013 February 28 (Into the Wind/AWEA) “…[A] Wall Street Journal piece by Rebecca Smith] on the growth of renewable energy in California and the effect on its electric utility system…makes several incorrect and unsupported assertions…Fact #1: It is unlikely that the state will experience a shortage of flexible power by 2017…Fact #2: Nuclear and fossil fuel power plants...

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EUROPE DROVE SOLAR IN 2012

PV in Europe represented 16.5GW of global 29GW demand in 2012 Tim Murphy, 1 March 2013 (PV Tech) “For 2012, Europe retained its dominant position in global PV demand reaching 16.5GW, according to [Solarbuzz]…Strong demand from Europe was due primarily to premium incentives that remained in place during 2012, along with lower installed system prices (ISPs)… “It was also a year in which European incentives declined in value, as administrators closely...

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PUBLIC TURNS TO NEW LIGHTBULBS

Nearly 30 Percent of US Homes Have Ditched Incandescent Light Bulbs; A new survey shows that Americans are changing their lighting habits. But awareness of new technologies is still mixed.Katherine Tweed, March 1, 2013 (Greentech Media) “…[A] new survey from Sylvania… shows that 29 percent of U.S. households are free of incandescent bulbs…[though] are unaware of the phase-out of energy inefficient light bulbs, even as concerns about energy efficiency...

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WIND MANUFACTURING COMES BACK IN IOWA, KANSAS

Siemens Restaffing Wind Turbine Manufacturing Facilities In Iowa, Kansas25 February 2013 (North American Windpower) “After the uncertain fate of the production tax credit (PTC) led Siemens to lay off approximately 37% of its U.S. wind energy workforce last year, the company is now in the process of restaffing its operations in Fort Madison, Iowa, and Hutchinson, Kan…Although the tax credit has been renewed, Siemens' decision to hire more workers...

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CALIFORNIA’S ENERGY PLAN

A Glimpse Into The Future Of Renewable Energy In CaliforniaJessica Lillian, 1 March 2013 (Solar Industry) “California's solar market - the U.S.' largest - now stands at the edge of a new era. Although the PV portion of the [$2.2 billion] California Solar Initiative (CSI) - the state's primary incentive program for customer-sited solar generation - has all but wound down, industry advocates are optimistic that other drivers, including the state's...

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HAWAII UTILITY OPENS UP TO NEW ENERGY

Hawaiian Electric Offering Waivers To Qualified Renewable Energy Projects1 March 2013 (Renew Grid) “Hawaiian Electric Co. [HECO] says it is seeking qualified utility-scale renewable energy projects that developers can place into service quickly at a low cost per kilowatt-hour. If one or more such projects are identified, the utility will work with the developer to seek a waiver from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Competitive Bidding...

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U.S. WIND GETS ITS MOJO BACK

Extended U.S. Tax Credit Blows Fresh Air Into Wind ProjectsHousley Carr, February 27, 2013 (Engineering News-Record) “Wind-farm construction in the U.S. nearly ground to a halt after ending in a frenzy late last year. But the pace of turbine installation is set to pick up substantially later this year, largely thanks to the recently enacted extension of the federal production tax credit, say utility and wind-sector experts… “The tax-credit extension...

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