MORE NEWS, 7-14 (TURBINE-MAKING CAN BE MICH’S NEW CAR-MAKING; ENERGY USE DOWN DOWN SOUTH; SOLAR TRENDS)

TURBINE-MAKING CAN BE MICH’S NEW CAR-MAKING
Wind Energy Turbines, An Emerging Sector of Michigan's Economy
Jeffrey Astrein, 12 July 209 (Michigan Polichy Network)

"…With a decline of manufacturing in the State of Michigan, particularly in the automotive industry, U.S. and European wind energy companies see Michigan's potential of manufacturing superior wind turbine supplies as well as providing domestic energy to nearby cities and states. The emerging wind industry in the United States recently surpassed Germany as the largest market for installed turbines and there are more than 35 companies in Michigan supplying components or services to the wind energy industry, a number that is quickly growing…"

Potential turbine manufacturing sites in Michigan. What car industry? (click to enlarge)

"Last March in Detroit, European wind turbine companies Vestas, Nordex, and Siemens expressed their needs for more domestic suppliers to manufacture critical components at the 2009 Michigan Wind Energy Conference. Northern Power, an energy based company in Vermont which focuses on community wind projects, is considering a contract manufacturing facility that will build wind turbines in Michigan and use components from companies located within the state. Across the country, wind energy companies are racing to meet the U.S. Department of Energy's [20% wind power by 2030] goal [that] will require an increase from 15,000 wind turbines currently installed in the U.S. to 140,000…This will create thousands of new jobs…"

This observation may be a little ahead of the curve, but LOOK AT THAT WIND ON THE LAKE! (click to enlarge)

"Recently, the Michigan Wind Energy Resource Zone Board selected four regions highly suitable for wind energy; three of them in West Michigan and one in the state's thumb… from preliminary findings in a report prepared by Public Sector Consultants Inc. and the Michigan State University Land Policy Institute based on wind resources, land availability, and energy production potential…The board will issue a final report for the PSC which will be used with other information to determine which areas will be designated as a "wind energy resource zone." …[T]he report has been submitted to local governments in the regions for their input…Public hearings are scheduled…"


ENERGY USE DOWN DOWN SOUTH
SC utilities say energy use down, despite the heat
July 13, 2009 (AP via Forbes)

"South Carolinians are cutting their energy use this summer, despite the heat.

"…[T]he four major utilities serving South Carolina say energy use is either flat or down a bit, compared to last summer."

This is not an unforeseen development. (EIA forecast from 2008 - click to enlarge)

"South Carolina Electric & Gas says residential use is down about 2 percent. Spokesman Robert Yanity says the economy is affecting the utility's 650,000 customers in the Midlands and Lowcountry.

"State-owned utility Santee Cooper says peak use has been down 10 percent this year, compared to the hottest days last year."

This is not an unforeseen development. (EIA forecast from earlier this year - click to enlarge)

"Duke Energy's Paige Sheehan says the Charlotte utility expects sales to be flat. Duke has 600,000 customers in the Upstate.

"Progress Energy says residential sales are growing, but industrial sales have dropped. Progress has about 200,000 customers in the Pee Dee."


SOLAR TRENDS
7 Trends That Will Dominate the Intersolar Show
Katie Fehrenbacher, July 13, 2009 (Earth2Tech via Reuters)

"The Intersolar conference, being held in downtown San Francisco this week…comes at a unique point in the development of the U.S. solar market: one of major hurdles and massive opportunities. It’s…the North American version of the massive German solar show, which delivers major news from the solar industry every year…

"…The U.S. solar market (both as a supplier and as a consumer) has the potential to be one of the largest in the world, and has a wealth of startups, many born out of the labs of U.S. universities and pumped full of venture capital dollars, that are trying to scale new technologies to bring down the price of solar to grid parity (so it’s equal to the cost of fossil fuels)…

"…[W]ith the passage of the stimulus package, the extension of the clean energy tax credits, and the climate bill that’s winding its way through the Senate, the U.S. is starting to offer important government support. At the same time…[there is] the international economic slump…dropping silicon prices (the key ingredient in solar panels), and…international competition. It’s a difficult landscape to navigate, but here are seven trends…"

click to enlarge

"1. How to Maneuver U.S. Federal Policy…how to tap into the new funds and opportunities from the U.S. federal government….the renewable energy tax credits (which provide a 30 percent tax credit for investing in clean power projects)…the stimulus package…[that] allocates around $43 billion in various funding forms… [including] billions in clean energy grants…as well as funds for renewable energy manufacturing tax credits, and building out transmission lines…Finally, there’s the climate bill, which… if passed would create… a cap and trade system that would deliver a decidedly friendlier solar climate, using market mechanisms…[and] a national renewable portfolio standard, which says utilities must deliver a certain percentage of their electricity from clean power by a certain year….

"2. Oversupply Up; Silicon Prices Down…tough margins for solar manufacturers…3. Will China Achieve its Solar Potential Soon?…The country’s emergence as a solar consumer will effect the international solar industry, creating a massive market…"

The utilities are buying in bigtime. (click to enlarge)

"4. Next-Gen Thin Film Makers Still Ramping Up…A few panels at the show will be focused on thin film technologies, and we’ll be looking for some good — as well as more negative — news…5. Chip Companies Making Solar Friends…The barrier for chip companies to enter the solar arena has recently started dropping…[and] could be a $6 billion market this year.

"6. Utilities Owning Solar…We’ll be listening to see if this is an emerging trend that many utilities at the show plan to follow…7. Solar Thermal’s Permitting and NIMBY Woes…Massive solar thermal plants that need large areas of dedicated land — and permits and approval from state and federal regulatory bodies — have long been frustrated over the long time tables and opposition from environmentalists…companies will be looking to discuss how to overcome hurdles in the permitting process, how to access these lands, and how to work with the BLM…"