SMART METERS DOWN IN U.S., UP GLOBALLY

Smart Meter Unit Shipments in North America Peaked in 2011 and will Decline 42% by 2013, while Global Market Continues to Grow

2Q 2012 (Pike Research)

“Smart meters and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) have transformed a placid, 140-year old electricity metering market into a high-tech, high-growth juggernaut. In 2008, less than 4% of the global installed base of 1.5 billion electricity meters could be considered ‘smart,’ but 4 years later this penetration has grown to over 18%, and is forecast to exceed 55% by 2020…

“…[G]lobal growth will continue…[but growth] peaked in North America in 2011, and annual smart meter shipments are expected to decline sharply. According to a new report from Pike Research, unit shipments of smart meters in North America were 12.4 million in 2011 and will decline to 7.2 million by 2013, a 42% drop over just 2 years. After 2014, they will begin a gradual rise through the end of the decade."

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“…The global smart meter market…[will grow] at a compound annual growth rate of just under 5% between 2010 and 2020…[with] very dynamic and even volatile regional market characteristics…These swings make the market both enticing and challenging…

“Pike Research’s analysis shows that, while the North American market faces dramatic near-term contraction, the European market is beginning a similarly dramatic growth period. The Asia Pacific region will continue to outpace all other regions, driven by major deployments in China, utilizing a different breed of smart meter technology…[O]ver the next 8 years…penetration rates reach 64% in Europe in 2020 and nearly 70% in Asia Pacific…”

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LA LOVES ITS SUN

Most Los Angeles Residents Support Rooftop Solar Increase

4 May 2012 (Solar Industry)

“A significant majority of voters in Los Angeles support an increase in local solar power, according to a new poll conducted by public research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) for the Vote Solar Initiative.

“A total of 87% of respondents said that the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) should use more electricity generated from solar. (Seventy-nine percent said the LADWP should use more wind power.) The utility currently gets less than 1% of its power from solar generation.”

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“Three-quarters of respondents specifically feel that LADWP should be doing more to expand the use of local rooftop solar in Los Angeles. Four out of five support LADWP's increasing its local solar goal to 1,200 MW.

Support for this goal remains strong across the political spectrum, with majorities of Democratic, Republican and independent voters all expressing support…”

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WIND STILL BREAKING TEXAS RECORDS

Wind Power Expected To Help ERCOT Manage High Electricity Demand This Summer

4 May 2012 (North American Windpower)

“The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state's grid operator and manager of Texas' wholesale electric market…expects to use a variety of resources - including wind power - to meet anticipated electric demand this summer.

“ERCOT says its generation outlook is improved by more than 2 GW of wind power, which tends to be available to the grid during the late afternoon, when it is needed most in the summer. Wind power generation in the ERCOT region continues to break records, and instantaneous wind power served nearly a quarter of ERCOT load twice in April.”

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“Another 48 MW of commercial-scale solar power - including about 20 MW that went online this spring - also has been added to the grid…[N]early 2 GW of [conventional power plant] capacity that had been…taken offline for an indefinite period of time…[has been returned] to service…[and] about 1.5 GW of demand-response resources, which include energy users that reduce or drop their energy use at ERCOT's request if generation reserves drop below 1.7 GW [will be available]…

“ERCOT expects to have a total of nearly 74 GW of generation resources available to serve summer needs. The grid operator’s summer assessment assumes weather will be warmer and drier than the 15-year historical average, but less extreme than in 2011…”

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FEDS PUSH THE GREEN BUTTON

Obama Administration Announces New Industry Commitments To Green Button Initiative

4 May 2012 (Renew Grid)

“The Obama administration has announced that six new utilities and electricity suppliers will commit to providing more than 15 million households with access to data about their energy usage by utilizing an online ‘Green Button.’ The goal of the program is to help consumers reduce waste and lower their electricity bills.

“Green Button is an industry-led effort that allows electricity customers to download their household or building energy-use data in a consumer- and computer-friendly format.”

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“The utilities and electricity suppliers making new commitments…Chattanooga EPB, serving 170,000 customers in Tennessee and Georgia…National Grid, which serves 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island…[PacifiCorp/ Pacific Power]…serving more than 1.7 million customers as Rocky Mountain Power in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho…Oregon, Washington and California…PPL, serving 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania; and…TXU Energy, serving approximately 1.8 million retail electric customers in Texas.

“These utilities join 15 others that have already agreed to base their Green Button functions on a common technical standard developed in collaboration with a public-private partnership supported by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology. Adoption of a consensus standard by utilities across the Nation facilitates the entry of creative software developers and other entrepreneurs interested in designing and marketing new products and services based on Green Button data.”

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GOVT STUDY FINDS NO RATE BUMP WITH RENEWABLES STANDARD

EIA: Clean Energy Standard Would Not Increase Electric Rates

Laura DiMugno, 4 May 2012 (Renew Grid)

“A new analysis released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has found that, contrary to popular belief, the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, introduced in March by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., would not raise electricity rates, at least in the first 10 years following its enactment.

“Under Bingaman's proposal, beginning in 2015, large retail utilities - excluding those in Alaska and Hawaii - would be required to obtain 24% of the electricity they sell through clean energy sources, with the mandate increasing by 3% each year through 2035.”

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“The bill does not limit the mandate to renewables like wind and solar, but also includes…low-emissions and clean energy resources such as renewable biomass, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear power or qualified waste-to-energy, as well as ‘clean’ coal with carbon-capture technology…According to the EIA report, because the proposal includes a variety of energy sources…it would lead to an increase in all of these sources of generation.

“Wind power would benefit substantially - in fact, along with biomass, the most of any other resource…[U]nder a clean energy standard (CES), U.S. installed wind energy capacity would more than double from 39 GW in 2010 (48.6 GW currently) to 92 GW in 2035…[and] wind energy production would increase from 95 TWh in 2010 to 268 TWh by 2035 under the CES…The EIA also forecasts that the legislation would lead to improved industrial efficiency and reduce the power sector's greenhouse-gas emissions by 20% in 2025 and by 45% in 2035.”

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EU UTILITIES LOOK TO OFFSHORE WIND

Utilities boost investments in offshore wind power; Demand for offshore wind aided by rising fossil-fuel prices

Sara Sjolin, May 2, 2012 (MarketWatch)

“Electricity to power European televisions and toasters will increasingly come from energy generated at sea as utility companies shore up offshore wind-energy capacity amid rising fossil-fuel prices and political pressure.

“Over the past three years, yearly installed capacity from offshore wind turbines has more than doubled in Europe to 866 megawatts in 2011, exceeding growth rates for its onshore counterpart, according to the European Wind Energy Association, or EWEA…New onshore installations rose only 10%...[and] new installed capacity at sea accounted for 10% of the total new installations in the European Union, up from 5% in 2008…”

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“The surging demand for offshore wind farms is set to continue, industry experts say, as political goals to reduce carbon emissions and geopolitical concerns in fossil-fuel-producing countries increase demand for clean alternative energy…[Offshore wind] will count for 8% of the global market in 2016…In 2011 offshore wind accounted for 2.5% of the global wind-energy market…

“Utility firms have also kick-started projects offshore. In 2011, 80% of installed offshore capacity was developed by utilities, with DONG Energy, Vattenfall and E.ON AG (DE:EOAN) the biggest players…The goal is to reach an energy mix where 85% of the electricity is generated from renewable energy by 2040 to reduce dependency on fossil fuels…[T]he European Union has a binding target of reducing carbon emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2020…[and] is looking at scaling up the target to a 30% reduction by 2030…”

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LOUISIANA’S SUN SHINING

Louisiana's Solar Market Beginning To Bloom, Boosting Economy

4 May 2012 (Solar Industry)

“Louisiana is currently home to approximately 1,832 solar PV installations totaling nearly 11 MW of installed capacity, according to a new report from the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association (GSREIA).

“Installation figures increased by 77% from 2010 - with more than 1,000 new units added, and installed capacity more than tripled. Jobs also more than tripled from 2010; in 2011, the industry provided full-time employment to nearly 800 individuals.”

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“If these trends continue, Louisiana could reach more than 2,500 full-time solar jobs in the coming years, GSREIA says, citing research from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“…Initial reports show that solar installations and capacity increased dramatically from previous years, signaling success of the state's renewable energy incentives and prompting increased revenue and job growth…”

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