TODAY’S STUDY: SCIENTISTS ON THE POSSIBILITY OF NEW ENERGY

Renewables: Energy You Can Count OnApril 2013 (Union of Concerned Scientists) Ramping Up RenewablesRenewable energy is providing reliable electricity today in the United States and around the world. From 2007 to 2012, electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar nearly quadrupled nationally. This growth is part of a transition away from dirty, coal-burning power plants—which harm public health and destabilize our climate—toward cleaner,...

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THE NAT GAS VEHICLE MARKET

Market Data: Natural Gas Vehicles;Global Natural Gas Vehicle Sales and Refueling Infrastructure Forecasts: 2013-20202Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “…While the price of natural gas is contributing to growth in many different vehicle segments, from passenger cars to heavy duty over-the-road trucks, other factors, such as increased vehicle availability, a shortage of oil refining capabilities, tightening emissions restrictions, and increased energy security,...

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WIND COMING BACK

Port Operator: U.S. Wind Market Beginning To Resurrect Following PTC ExtensionMark Del Franco, June 20, 2013 (North American Windpower) “The late extension of the production tax credit (PTC) has certainly crimped wind development activity this year. However, Washington-based Port of Vancouver USA says it is beginning to see some rumblings of activity regarding turbine component shipments slated for U.S. projects…”click here for moreclick to enlargeTweet!function(d,s,id){var...

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SOLAR STILL GROWING FAST

U.S. Solar Market Insight: Solar accounts for 48% of new electric capacity in Q1 2013June 11, 2013 (Solar Energy Industries Association) “The U.S. installed 723 megawatts (MW) of solar energy in Q1 2013, which accounted for over 48 percent of all new electric capacity installed in the U.S. last quarter. Overall, these installations represent the best first quarter of any given year for the industry…’ click here for moreclick to enlargeTweet!function(d,s,id){var...

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GLOBAL NEW ENERGY TO $244 BIL IN 2012

Renewable Energy: World Invests $244 billion in 2012, Geographic Shift to Developing CountriesJune 2013 (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century) “…19% of global final energy consumption in 2011 (the latest year for which data are available), with a little less than half from traditional biomass. For only the second time since 2006, global investments in renewable energy in 2012 failed to top the year before, falling 12% mainly due to...

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A LAB FOR MATCHING NEW ENERGY AND THE GRID

Energy Department, NREL Announce New Research Center to Boost Clean Energy Technologies on a Smarter GridJune 20, 2013 (U.S. Department of Energy) “The Energy Department and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today announced the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) in Golden, Colorado, as the latest Energy Department user facility and the only one in the nation focused on utility-scale clean energy grid integration. The facility’s...

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NEW PV TEST CENTER

Fraunhofer CSE and Fraunhofer ISE joint testing venture ranks performance of PV modulesJune 18, 2013 (Fraunhofer ISE) “The Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems CSE in Boston and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg announce the release of the first report from their PV Durability Initiative (PVDI). PVDI’s robust testing protocol generates scores that enable the credible rating of PV modules based on their...

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GLOBAL NEW ENERGY ADDED 115GW IN 2012

Renewable Energy: World Invests $244 billion in 2012, Geographic Shift to Developing CountriesJune 2013 (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century) “…In terms of power generation capacity, 2012 was another record year with 115 GW of new renewables installed worldwide, equivalent to just over half of total net additions. REN21’s Renewables 2013 Global Status Report demonstrates that the right policies can drive the successful integration...

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PRESIDENT COMING AFTER CLIMATE CHANGE

Obama to address climate change in speech TuesdayDavid Jackson, June 23, 2013 (USA Today) “Environmentalists who have been prodding President Obama to address climate change get their answer this week...” click here for moreTweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs...

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U.S. OFFSHORE WIND GETS $200 MIL BOOST

PensionDenmark Invests in Wind Farm Offshore NantucketPeter Levring, June 18, 2013 (Bloomberg News) “PensionDanmark has pledged $200 million in funding for a wind farm in Nantucket Sound, in the first committed investment in Cape Wind Associates LLC’s proposed 468-megawatt park offshore Cape Cod…” click here for moreclick to enlargeTweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js....

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THE LOCAL HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS FROM WIND

…[W]ind farm expected to contribute millions to local economyScott Cloud, June 11, 2013 (Newkirk Herald Journal via Winfield Daily Courier) “…[An Oklahoma wind farm] set to begin construction by the end of the year, will provide $480 million to the local economy over the next 25 years…The project will include approximately 130 wind turbines that will produce 130 megawatts of power. The wind farm area encompasses more than 12,000 total acres… “…[T]he...

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CHINA BUYING INTO NEW ENERGY WORLDWIDE

China's Overseas Investments in the Wind and Solar Industries: Trends and DriversJune 2013 (World Resources Institute) “Shifting to a low-carbon economy will require current emitting countries and projected future emitters to rapidly scale up their investments in renewable energy. In recent years, major emerging economies like China, India, and Brazil have been catching up with leading developed country investors in Europe and the United States....

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THE 2012 TOP GREEN UTILITIES

NREL Highlights 2012 Utility Green Power Leaders; Top 10 programs support more than 4.2 million MWh of voluntary green powerJune 5, 2013 (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) “The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)… released its assessment of leading utility green power programs. Under these voluntary programs, residential and commercial consumers can choose to help support additional electricity production from renewable...

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THE MLP, A NEW WAY TO FINANCE RENEWABLES

MLP Parity Act: Disrupting Distributed EnergyWilliam Pentland, June 10, 2013 (Forbes) “…Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced the Master Limited Partnership Parity Act, which would allow renewable energy power generators to take advantage of the tax benefits of master limited partnerships…MLP boosters believe that passage of the legislation would likely be a game-changer for the renewable energy industry, attracting...

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CALIFORNIA SOLAR MATCHES POWER LOST BY NUKE SHUTDOWN

Solar power breaks through 2,000 megawatt thresholdJune 7, 2013 (California ISO) “Solar power shines, setting a new all-time high output of 2,071 megawatts (MW) at 12:59 p.m. today, June 07, 2013. This [amount more than doubled since last September when solar peaked at 1,000 megawatts] of energy…[and] is enough to power more than 1.5 million homes across sunny California.” click to enlarge“California is the largest producer of solar power in the...

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NUMBERS SAY UTILITIES WANT WIND

The Numbers Don't Lie: U.S. Utilities Continue To Embrace Wind EnergyJeff Anthony, 6 June 2013 (North American Windpower) “Evidence that utilities are increasingly turning to wind energy is well documented, and recent announcements show this trend accelerating…Utilities are increasingly recognizing the hedge value against fossil fuel price volatility and the zero fuel risk premium that wind energy brings to a generation portfolio. “By the end of...

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U.S.-CHINA DEAL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

U.S., China agree to reduce use of hydrofluorocarbonsSteve Holland, Paul Eckert, Peter Cooney and Paul Simao, June 8, 2013 (Reuters) “…[U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed] to cooperate in fighting climate change by cutting the use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs… “…[They will work] together and with other countries to use the expertise and institutions of the Montreal Protocol to phase down the consumption and production...

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NUMBER ONE IN SUN HARDWARE

Would the leading PV equipment supplier please stand up?Finlay Colville, 4 June 2013 (PV Tech) “…PV capital equipment spending and technology adoption is barely capturing an afterthought today…[T]he dearth of action could lead to the conclusion that technology innovation and the PV industry are mutually exclusive (aside from the R&D efforts of a small handful of historic technology innovators)…[But that] is just a symptom of a reset phase for...

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GOOGLE BUYS MORE WIND

Google Does It Again: Buys Wind To Power European Data Center4 June 2013 (North American Windpower) “Continuing its plan to purchase the output from wind farms to provide energy for its data centers…Calif.-based Google is applying a similar strategy in Sweden…[It] plans to buy all of the wind power from a 72 MW (using 3 MW turbines) wind farm in northern Sweden that will be built and operated by Swedish developer O2. “Google says it has committed...

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BIG MONEY IN MEASURING THE WIND

Wind Forecasting and Data Analytics; Sodar and Lidar Remote Sensing Devices, Site Assessment and Permanent Met Towers, and Meteorological Software for Wind Forecasting: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts2Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “…[W]ind is now a mature source of commercial power generation…Wind forecasting practices and technologies are a key element of [the] rapid deployment of wind plants, and also help provide a solution to the increasing...

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NEW JERSEY UTILITY IN HUGE RE-INVESTMENT IN SUN

It's Official: PSE&G Spending Half A Billion On SolarJoseph Bebon, May 30, 2013 (Renew Grid) “…[T]he New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) officially signed off on Public Service Electric and Gas Co.'s (PSE&G) proposal to invest up to $446 million in new solar installations throughout the state… “PSE&G plans to lend customers about $200 million over three years to support 97.5 MW of new solar installations under the Solar Loan III...

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MAKING SOLAR PANELS BETTER

Solar Industry Anxious Over Defective PanelsTodd Woody, may 28, 2013 (NY Times) “…Worldwide, testing labs, developers, financiers and insurers are reporting…[solar panel failures a short time into their expected 25-year life span] and say the $77 billion solar industry is facing a quality crisis…[But there] are no industry wide figures…And when defects are discovered, confidentiality agreements often keep the manufacturer’s identity secret, making...

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U.S. SUN DEMAND TO JUMP 20% THIS YEAR

Solar Photovoltaic Demand in the US to Grow by 20% in 2013 to 4.3 Gigawatts…Strong Contributions from Utility-Based Projects and Renewable Portfolio Standards to Drive 2014 US Solar PV Above 5 GWJune 3, 2013 (SolarBuzz) “Demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in the US is forecast to grow significantly during 2013 and post another record high of 4.3 gigawatts (GW), an increase of almost 20% compared to 2012…Solar PV demand from the US market now...

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NEW 900MW WIND PROJECT FOR WYOMING

Wyoming company plans 300-turbine wind farm...AdamVoge, May 29, 2013 (Casper Star-Tribune) “…Wyoming Wind and Power, based in Cheyenne, will build a 300-turbine, 900-megawatt wind farm on private land in eastern Platte County and western Goshen County. The facility — moving forward under the name Wyoming Wind Farm — will begin first production in 2016 with full operations scheduled by December 2019…Company officials and associated contractors used...

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THE BEST COUNTRIES FOR NEW ENERGY

A 'New Era' For Global Renewable Energy Industry31 May 2013 (Solar Industry) “A new era is dawning in the renewable energy industry….According to the Ernst & Young 10th anniversary edition of the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI), global annual clean energy investment totaled $269 billion in 2012, representing a five-fold increase on 2004…The sector now competes for investment with more traditional energy sources, and new...

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THE WORLD WANTS BETTER ECONOMICS

Public Backing for Going Beyond GDP Remains Strong: Global Poll29 May 2013 (Ethical Markets) “The public around the world remains strongly in favour of replacing GDP with a broader way of reporting national progress, according to a new global poll…conducted by GlobeScan on behalf of Ethical Markets, business think tank Tomorrow’s Company and the ICAEW…It shows that…68 percent of citizens on average - in the countries surveyed favour replacing GDP...

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THE TRUTH ABOUT WIND

Judge wind energy honestlyJeanie Kaidy, May 30, 2013 (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) “Every energy source, traditional or alternative, comes with economic and environmental drawbacks…Considering the cutting-edge technology that is currently emerging, a more honest cost benefit analysis should not be restricted solely to wind power, but to wind power versus all other traditional fuels… “…There are several ways to overcome [wind’s variability]…State-of-the-art...

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TALKING PLUG-IN CARS WITH THE PRESIDENT

EV Advocate Goes the Extra Mile to Talk Electric Cars with President Obama; Paul Scott spent his own savings to get the president’s attention on EVs.Paul Scott, May 31, 2013 (Greentech Media) Editor’s note: Electric vehicle advocate Paul Scott just spent $32,400, a chunk of his retirement savings, for a ticket to President Obama's June 7 Santa Monica fundraiser. A co-founder of Plug-In America who has been instrumental in the movement that inspired theWho Killed the Electric Car? movie, Scott explains below what he wants to say to the president...

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