SUN TO HIT $134BIL BY 2020

Solar PV Market Forecasts; Installed Capacity, System Prices, and Revenue for Distributed and Non-Distributed Solar PV3Q 2013 (Navigant Research) "…Following years of solar PV module oversupply and unsustainable, often artificially low pricing, 2013 is expected to be the year that the global solar PV market begins to stabilize. Market activity is shifting from Europe to Asia Pacific and, potentially, the United States…There is also considerable opportunity...

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WORLD RENEWABLES TO RISE

World energy use to rise by 56 percent, driven by growth in the developing worldJuly 25, 2013 (U.S. Energy Information Administration) “Over the next three decades, world energy consumption is projected to increase by 56 percent… largely in the developing world, where growth is driven by strong, long-term economic growth. Half of the total world increase in energy consumption is attributed to China and India…Although petroleum and other liquids remain...

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VIRGINIA LOOKS OFFSHORE FOR WIND

112,800 acres off Virginia coast to be auctioned for wind energyTamara Dietrich, July 23, 2013 (Hampton Roads Daily Press) “Nearly 112,800 acres off the coast of Virginia are set to be auctioned in September for wind energy development — the second such competitive lease sale in the country, the federal government announced…The move was praised by federal and state officials and environmental groups for its potential to create jobs, strengthen the...

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JERSEY STOPS OFFSHORE WIND ON COST

New Jersey BPU rejects offshore wind projectChris Mondics, July 21, 2013 (Philadelphia Inquirer) “New Jersey utility regulators dealt a setback…to [the proposed Fishermen's Energy Atlantic City wind farm] off the beaches of Atlantic City, saying they were not satisfied that the project's economic benefits would outweigh the added cost of wind energy…The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously to accept a staff finding that the [25 megawatt] project's...

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COLORADO XCEL RE-EVALUATES NET METERING ON COST

Colorado's Xcel Energy Signals For Change Of Direction On Net Metering25 July 2013 (Solar Industry) “…In filing its 2014 Renewable Energy Standard (RES) compliance plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Xcel Energy says it intends to add 42.5 MW of new generation in 2014, including 24 MW of on-site (“small”) solar and 6.5 MW of community solar through the company’s Solar*Rewards program…The RES compliance plan also asks the CPUC...

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PIPELINE BUILDER REJECTS KEYSTONE DEAL ON COST

TransCanada Rebuffs EPA’s Call for Keystone Clean EnergyJim Snyder & Jim Efstathiou Jr., July 18, 2013 (Bloomberg News) “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says TransCanada Corp. (TRP) should be required to buy renewable power to run pumps along the route of its proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a measure the company said is unworkable and unnecessary…The EPA, in an April filing with the State Department, also said the U.S. should work with...

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REAGAN’S SEC-STATE TALKS ENERGY AND CLIMATE

A Republican Secretary of State Urges Action on Climate ChangeDavid Biello, July 24, 2013 (Scientific American via Yahoo News) “…[George Shultz, Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and key negotiator for the Montreal Protocol, one of the most effective global climate treaties ever:] “…In the energy area, we have to be constantly aware of three big objectives. Number one: we have to think of energy as a strategic commodity that is very...

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CHINA, EU SETTLE SOLAR TRADE DISPUTE

EU reaches 'amicable solution' with China on solar panel disputeJuly 27, 2013 (AFP via The Economic Times) “China and the European Union defused their biggest trade dispute by far on Saturday with a deal to regulate Chinese solar panel imports and avoid a wider war in goods from wine to steel…After six weeks of talks, the EU's trade chief and his Chinese counterpart sealed the deal over the telephone, setting a minimum price for panels from China...

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WHEN INTRODUCING WIND

PSU study: Residents more responsive to wind farms if involved in processDan Seufert, July 17, 2013 (Plymouth State University via Plymouth Magazine) “Plymouth State University's Viewshed Valuation Pilot Study of residents' attitudes on the value of scenic views affected by wind farms found discontent among Groton residents, where a wind farm went online…[The study] found widespread individual values-based opposition in the Plymouth area to current...

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ARIZONA UTILITY BUYS WIND

TEP to buy power from wind farm near Willcox, 1st of its kind in areaDavid Wichner, July 19, 2013 (Arizona Daily Star) “Tucson Electric Power Co. has won state approval to buy power from a planned wind energy farm…that would be the first utility-scale project of its kind in Southern Arizona…The Arizona Corporation Commission approved the 20-year power purchase agreement between TEP and Red Horse Wind 2 LLC, which was formed by Houston-based Torch...

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NEW ENERGY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND UTILITY BOTTOM LINES

Consumer Solar Panels Undercutting Utilities’ Bottom Line19 July 2013 (Smart Meters) “A new Fitch Ratings analysis predicts that within the next five years rooftop solar power and energy-efficiency programs will reduce utility earnings and profit margins and depress investment in new transmission projects within five years… Fitch Ratings point to… utilities’ efforts in Louisiana and Idaho to penalize customers that add rooftop systems…[that] were...

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THE INTERCONNECTION CHALLENGE

Cost of Interconnecting Power Projects to the Grid; What the heck is deliverability, and why does it matter in project development?Tam Hunt, July 19, 2013 (Gereentech Media) “Every renewable energy project must interconnect to the grid under “reliability” standards. This means that the project won’t cause the grid to fail due to the project’s exporting power -- or failing to export power…There is a second level of interconnection, however, in places...

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UTILITIES AND U.S. RATEPAYERS

Congratulations, Utilities! Customer Satisfaction Is Way Up In The U.S.July 17, 2013 (Renew Grid) “Despite ongoing severe weather across the U.S. resulting in longer outage periods per event, customer satisfaction with residential electric utilities has increased substantially from 2012 driven primarily by improvements in billing/payment, price and outage communications, according to a new report from J.D. Power…Editor's note: A recent study from...

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CALIF SHOWS SUN THE WAY

CPUC Report Demonstrates California’s Continued Solar SuccessJuly 2013 (California Public Utilities Commission) “The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)… annual report on the progress of the California Solar Initiative…[shows] the program has installed 66 percent of its total goal, with another 19 percent reserved in pending projects. This equals an estimated 1,629 megawatts (MW) of installed solar capacity at 167,878 customer sites in...

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THE GRID AND NEW ENERGY

Putting more wind power on the grid; Wind farms should get a big share in the energy development zones in the Mojave and Colorado deserts.Editorial, July 23, 2013 (LA Times) “Wind turbines tend to be overshadowed by solar power projects, which get most of the attention from the public and policymakers. That's the case again in a new government plan for renewable energy projects in the California desert. Though the wind industry shouldn't get all...

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CA REGULATORS SAY PUT WIRES UNDERGROUND

Portion Of The Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project Going UndergroundJuly 15, 2013 (North American Windpower) “The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has granted a request from the City of Chino Hills to put underground a segment of Southern California Edison's Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project (TRTP)…The CPUC agreed with the City's assertion that the design of the above-ground line "ignores community values and places an unfair...

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IT’S RENEWABLES AND NATURAL GAS NOW

Renewables Outpace Coal, Oil And Nuclear In The U.S. During First Half Of YearJuly 19, 2013 (Renew Grid) “Renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, biomass, hydro and geothermal, accounted for 24.93% of all new U.S. electrical generating capacity installed in the first six months of this year for a total of 2,144 MW, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) latest Energy Infrastructure Update report…[R]enewables provided...

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TX REGULATORS WAIT FOR NEW ENERGY

ERCOT delays vote on target; Chairman sees ‘some validity’ in concerns on electricity reserves. Laylan Copelin, July 16, 2013 (Austin American-Statesman)   Reacting to objections from industrial customers and others, [the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) the managers of the state’s primary electricity grid…postponed a vote on whether to increase the target for electricity reserves….The issue pits two cogs of the state’s robust economy...

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SOLAR TECHNOLOGY STANDARDIZING

PV roadmaps: For years, PV technologists have clung on to learning curves and roadmaps for the PV industry…Finlay Colville, July 2013 (PV Magazine) “The strong competition from hundreds of PV manufacturers during 2010 to 2012 has played a key role in pricing and trade cases being played out globally today. However, despite so many companies seeking to gain market-share, the supply landscape remains dominated by just ten suppliers that have provided...

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NEW YORK STATE LOOKS TO OFFSHORE WIND

New York’s Atlantic Ocean Study to Support Ocean Industries Development and Offshore Wind Energy; Study is Significant Step in Strengthening New York State’s Ocean-Based Economy and Protecting EnvironmentJuly 10, 2013 (New York State Department of State) “The New York State Department of State (NYSDOS)…released a comprehensive study on the physical, biological, wildlife and geographic characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean impacting New Yorkers. The...

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TAKING GEOTHERMAL HOME

Geothermal Heat Pumps; Residential and Commercial Applications for Geothermal Heat Pumps: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts3Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “One of the most mature and stable platforms of renewable energy usage, geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) were first used in the 1940s, and current systems became commercially available in the 1970s. Today, GHP systems are being deployed in nearly every region of the world and in residential, commercial,...

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WORLD MONEY COMES BACK TO NEW ENERGY

Q2 2013 Global Green Investment at $53.1B; Big growth outside EU not enough to counter Europe’s faltering markets.Jeff St. John, July 11, 2011 (Greentech Media) “The latest global green energy investment figures are in, and while the United States and China are way up, Europe remains way down -- a reminder of just how important a role government policy continues to play in the industry’s attempted post-recession recovery…Bloomberg New Energy Finance...

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THE SMART METER DOLDRUMS

Smart Meters; Smart Electric Meters, Advanced Metering Infrastructure, and Meter Communications: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts3Q 2013 (Navigant Research) "The smart electric meter market has entered a slow growth phase worldwide…[but] deployments will continue over the next several years, with smart meter penetration rates rising steadily in North America and in Europe…[B]oth France and the United Kingdom are on the verge of large-scale smart...

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CALIF LOOKS TO THE PACIFIC FOR NEW ENERGY

California, catch the next big energy wave; 'Blue' projects that harness ocean energy are taking off elsewhere. Why not here?David Helvarg, July 13, 2013 (LA Times) “The first U.S. offshore wind turbine hooked into the U.S. power grid in June…off the coast of Maine, using a floating wind-generator prototype well suited for the deep ocean water typically found off the coast of California…Less than a month later, Britain inaugurated an offshore wind...

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ARIZONA UTILITY CUTS NET METERING

APS Offers New Solar Plan For Arizona Customers12 July 2013 (Solar Industry) “Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) is submitting a plan to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) that will change the rate protocol for rooftop solar customers… The plan is built around two options. Under the net metering option, future rooftop solar customers would be compensated through the current net metering structure and pay a charge for their use of the grid, based...

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PLUG IN VEHICLES AND THE MILITARY

Alternative Drive Vehicles for Military Applications; Hybrid, Plug-In, and Biofuel Vehicles for Tactical and Non-Tactical Military Markets2Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “The U.S. military is the largest single consumer of energy and fossil fuels on the planet…To capture the economic, environmental, and strategic benefits offered by alternative fuels, the military is investing heavily in various types of alternative drive vehicles (ADVs), including hybrid...

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MIDWESTERN UTILITY WANTS WIND FOR OK, TX, NM

Xcel to Buy 700 Megawatts of NextEra, Infinity Wind PowerEhren Goossens, July 11, 2013 (Bloomberg News) “Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL), the biggest U.S. provider of wind power, plans to boost its wind capacity by about 14 percent to reduce fuel costs…Xcel’s Southwestern Public Service unit is asking regulators for permission to buy power from almost 700 megawatts of wind farms in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico…The deal will save customers $590 million in...

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500MW WIND PROJECT FOR ARIZONA

Arizona wind farm to produce 500MW, power 175,000 homesGraham Templeton, July 5, 2013 (Geek) “…Wind energy exploits,not a natural resource, but a natural feature, and has very few negative side-effects…To generate substantial amounts of power requires significant investment in large scale wind farms — and now BP Wind Energy is doing just that. Nicely out of the way about 40 miles from Kingman in Mojave County, Arizona, this wind farm is set to produce...

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OCEAN ENERGY RISING

Ocean Tidal Energy and Offshore Wind Energy Gaining Energy Department’s AttentionBrian Gabriel, June 28, 2013 (Business Administration Information) “The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is beginning to show strong support for the emerging field of ocean energy…[which] includes tidal energy, wave energy and offshore wind energy…Energy from the ocean tides and offshore wind could prove to be a substantial source of energy in future years…”...

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GRADING THE STATES FOR SUN

Which US states are hot for solar power (map)?Rani Molla, July 5, 2013 (GigaOm) “Solar power technology is proliferating across the U.S. as costs drop and awareness grows…But the political atmosphere for solar power varies greatly state to state…[C]lean energy advocacy group Solar Power Rocks…ranked states based on a methodology that factors in five years’ of data regarding solar incentives, policy, infrastructure and metering, and assigned states...

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MEDIA AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Study: Media Still Largely Fail To Put Wildfires In Climate ContextMax Greenberg, July 3, 2013 (Media Matters) “…Major television and print media outlets improved over last year in connecting climate change to wildfires in Colorado, New Mexico, California and other Western states, but still generally failed to mention the link. Only 6 percent of total wildfire items mentioned climate change, including 9 percent of major print coverage and 4 percent...

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CHINA-JAPAN SOLAR BOOM TO DRIVE WORLD

Explosive Growth in Japan and China to Drive Annual Solar Photovoltaic Demand Above 35 Gigawatts…Strong risk to solar PV supply-chain at year-end if Japan and China project pipelines fail to materializeJuly 2, 2013 (SolarBuzz) “During the second half of 2013, global solar photovoltaic (PV) demand is forecast to reach 20 gigawatts (GW), up 22% Y/Y. This increase, driven largely by aggressive PV development in China and Japan, will drive full year...

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1,000MW WIND PROJECT FOR NM

New Mexico To Lease Land For 1 GW Wind FarmJuly 5, 2013 (North American Windpower) “The New Mexico State Land Office is seeking lease bids for the El Cabo wind farm, a proposed 1 GW wind energy project that would be built on state trust land…[T]he project would be located on 33,600 acres in Torrance County and built in several phases over the next 10 years…” click here for moreclick to enlargeTweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagN...

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MONEY COMING TO WIND

Banker: Capital for wind projects has 'never been more available' than right nowAndrew Engblom, June 28, 2013 (SNL) “Many utilities are closing in on their renewable portfolio targets and have relatively little need for new power, but there is ample capital available to finance projects able to get power contracts…Wind and solar finance may have years ago been a niche, but with investors looking for safe and steady returns on capital wind projects...

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THE $10 TRILLION OPPORTUNITY

Climate Change Is the Next $10 Trillion OpportunityJigar Shah, July 2, 2013 (Yahoo Finance) “With a 20% shift in our annual infrastructure spending from 20th century technology to 21st century technology we can drive a new global $10 trillion economy by 2020…That was an undercurrent in a powerful speech President Obama delivered…demanding EPA set new standards for climate change to reverse its effect on our health and the environment. That bold action...

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DEMAND REPSONSE GROWING, BECOMING AUTOMATED

Market Data: Demand Response; Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Demand Response Participation and Sites, Load Curtailment, and Spending: Global and Regional Market Sizing and Forecasts2Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “While demand response (DR) can be considered a relatively mature market in the United States, it is just emerging in other regions…The adoption of automated demand response (ADR) looks especially promising, specifically in Asia Pacific,...

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SO CAROLINA REVALS SUN’S NET METERING

South Carolina Considers Lifting Cap On Solar PowerWilliam Pentland, June 29, 2013 (Forbes) “South Carolina may soon join the ranks of states that have reconsidered the wisdom of imposing restrictive caps on net metering for customer-sited solar power systems…[T]he South Carolina Public Service Commission said it would convene a public workshop to evaluate changes to the 100-kilowatt net metering cap for solar…[which] has prevented customers, including...

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TRUST IN UTILITIES FALLING

Warning: Survey Says Consumers Are Losing Trust In Their UtilitiesJuly 1, 2013 (Renew Grid) “[J]ust 24% of consumers trust their utility to inform them of actions they can take to optimize energy consumption - a decrease of nine percentage points from 2012…[According to an annual survey by Accenture], this is the lowest level of trust since [the] multi-year global research program was launched four years ago. Furthermore, customer satisfaction has...

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NEW MEXICO ADDS NEW ENERGY

PNM plans to add more solar, wind to portfolioJuly 1, (Seattle Post Intelligencer) "New Mexico's largest electricity provider says it has a plan for adding more solar and wind power to its portfolio…[The Public Service Company of New Mexico proposal] must be approved by state regulators…[It] calls for building three solar generating stations in the Albuquerque area and purchasing more electricity from a wind farm in Cibola County…With the proposal,...

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WORLD’S BIGGEST SOLAR TEST CENTER

A&M’s Killeen campus announces partnership on solar testing facilityLaylan Copelin, June 126, 2013 (Austin American Statesman) “Texas A&M-Central Texas and a California company, PPA Partners, are announcing a partnership… that officials say will create the world’s largest solar testing site…The Center for Solar Energy will include a 50-megawatt solar farm on 500 acres that will be capable of testing 100 different solar technologies simultaneously...

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AUSTIN, TEXAS, APPROVES 570 MW OF NEW WIND

Austin Energy receives approval to purchase 570 MW of wind powerBryan Schutt, June 29, 2013 (SNL) “The Austin City Council…approved three new wind contracts totaling 570 MW, a decision that will push Austin Energy well ahead of its goal to use 35% renewable energy resources by 2020…Even with a short-term wind contract expiring in 2015, the new contracts will bring Austin Energy's total wind portfolio to 1,225 MW. The contracts have terms up to 25...

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BIG MONEY IN HIGH POWER NETWORKS

Direct Current Distribution Networks; Remote and Grid-Tied Systems for Data Center Microgrids, Telecom/Village Power, Commercial Buildings, and Military Applications: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts2Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “The market for direct current (DC) distribution networks is not a single, cohesive sector. Rather, it consists of several disparate opportunities…Navigant Research forecasts that, under a conservative forecast scenario,...

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A CLOSER LOOK AT FUTURE SOLAR

Harvard Project Crunching Numbers On New Organic PV MaterialsMichael Puttre, 27 June 2013 (Solar Inudustry) “Borrowing a process used to discover new drugs and a networking technique used to search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, a team of researchers at Harvard University has published an initial material properties database for organic photovoltaic (OPV) applications…” 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.twitt...

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US INDICTS CHINA WIND CO FOR STEALING AMSC CODES

Sinovel Corporation and Three Individuals Charged in Wisconsin with Theft of Amsc Trade Secrets; Theft of Trade Secrets Allegedly Cheated Amsc of More Than $800 MillionJune 27, 2013 (U.S. Department of Justice) “A manufacturer and exporter of wind turbines based in the People’s Republic of China, two employees of that manufacturer and a former employee of a subsidiary of AMSC, a United States-based company formerly known as American Superconductor...

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THE SLOWLY GROWING FUEL CELL VEHICLE MRKT

Fuel Cell Vehicles; Light Duty Vehicles, Transit Buses, and Scooters: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts2Q 2013 (Navigant Research) “…The biggest challenge for automakers will be reaching sufficient volume to bring down system and balance of plant costs – which is leading several automakers, including Daimler, to form technology partnerships. The transit bus market also needs high volume to bring down costs. Europe continues to lead on fuel cell...

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