MORE NEWS, 4-21 (NEW ENERGY LAW COMING THIS YEAR; NREL MAPS THE WIND; TENNESSEE SUN)

NEW ENERGY LAW COMING THIS YEAR
Congress to pass energy bill this year: White House
Ayesha Rascoe (w/Paul Simao), April 19, 2009 (Reuters)

"U.S. lawmakers will pass major energy legislation, possibly including measures to address climate change, by the end of this year…White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

"…[A]sked whether the bill would include a controversial cap-and-trade system aimed at curbing emissions of carbon dioxide, Emanuel said "'our goal is to get that done. We will see.'"

From NationalWildlife via YouTube.

"Democrats in the House Energy and Commerce Committee will begin hearings this week…Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman has said he wants the bill…to pass the committee in late May and the House of Representatives later in 2009.

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also a Democrat, said he hoped the Senate by the middle of 2009 would pass cap-and-trade legislation, which allows firms emitting more carbon dioxide than the limit to buy credits from those that emit less.

"No major bill addressing the issue has been introduced in the chamber…Democrats control Congress…But the attempt to enact new climate change laws at a time when the U.S. economy is in a deep recession has raised concerns among Republicans and some Democrats, who worry that doing so would raise costs for consumers and industry."

click to enlarge

"Emanuel said it was understandable that there would be some objections to a program of this magnitude, but…"…what I believe is we're going to alter how we deal with our energy policy…"

"Congress faces pressure to act on climate change following the Environmental Protection Agency's finding last week that carbon dioxide posed a danger to human health, possibly paving the way for federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions…"


NREL MAPS THE WIND
U.S. DOE's Renewable Energy Lab Maps Wind Resources With GIS
April 20, 2009 (ESRI via PublicWorls.com)

"During the 1970s, the United States experienced a significant energy crisis…Soon after President Jimmy Carter…established the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) was opened in Golden, Colorado. In September 1991, SERI was designated a DOE national laboratory, and its name was changed to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL is the primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development in the United States.

"NREL works to advance many renewable resources, including solar, hydrogen and fuel cells, biomass, and geothermal, but wind is currently the most developed renewable energy market…"

An NREL map. (click to enlarge)

"In May 2008, DOE released a groundbreaking report, 20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply. The report provides a road map to reaching this important goal, including identifying steps and challenges.


"As part of the research behind having 20 percent wind energy by 2030, NREL team members were tasked with updating wind resource maps….Using ArcGIS Desktop software (through a U.S. government license agreement), the NREL team can determine the most favorable locations for wind farms based on the cost of transmission, locations of load centers and wind resources, and the layout of the electrical grid. GIS-based modeling enables analysis of terrain, which significantly impacts the quality of wind at a particular site.

"The NREL team also examines economic development potential based on strong manufacturing centers and filters the data to exclude sites such as national parks and wilderness areas…For utility developers, NREL creates forecasting models…"


TENNESSEE SUN
Knoxville's solar grant aimed at education, demonstration
Larissa Brass, April 20, 2009 (Knoxville Business Journal)

"…Knoxville was tapped in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of 25 Solar America Cities and is receiving $200,000 from DOE, a $100,000 grant from TVA and two years technical assistance.

"In additional to education and public awareness initiatives - including installation of a 4.8 kilowatt solar array at the new downtown transit center and an exhibit at Ijams Nature Center - the effort is targeting businesses interested in incorporating solar energy into their operation or getting into the industry themselves."

Tennessee has solar assets and, in times like these, assets matter. (click to enlarge)

"A recent workshop for local businesses drew 75 participants…[and] focused on the basics of solar, including federal and state incentives available to those interested in investing in photovoltaic panels…Future workshops will help train city and and county government inspectors how to properly examine solar installations. Another, sponsored by TVA, will look at research and development in the solar industry…

"A project still in the works is a residential solar demonstration site…The city is now talking with Knox Heritage about incorporating solar into the planned renovation of a Victorian home near the World's Fair Park.

"The solar city program is also working to help revamp historic guidelines so that solar could be a part of renovations…Other programs will focus on workforce and technical training, and helping the city improve its own carbon footprint through an energy efficiency audit, which is also looking at ways solar could be incorporated into government buildings…"