MORE NEWS, 7-8 (FEDS FUND FARM & RANCH SMALL WIND; TOYOTA PLUG-IN BY 2012; KICKING THE COAL HABIT)

FEDS FUND FARM & RANCH SMALL WIND
USDA Small Wind Turbine Grants Cover 25% of All Costs - Applications due July 31, 2009
July 7, 2009 (PR Newswire)

"Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners have until July 31, 2009 to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants. The grants provide funds to purchase and install small wind turbines (or other renewable energy systems). Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners are eligible for grants to cover 25% of the total installed cost of the small wind turbine system. These USDA grants, when used in conjunction with the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), can help a farmer install a small wind turbine system for roughly 50% of the normal cost.

"These incentives, when coupled with the cost savings realized from producing one's own electricity, can result in impressive investment prospects…[I]n locations with 11 mph average wind speeds and with utility rates of $0.12 per kWh, a farmer could realize a 12% annual rate of return on her investment and a payback of 8 years…[I]n certain locations where the local utility cooperative (or rural electric association) offers a rebate to its members…farmers may realize an even greater return on investment and a shorter term payback."

Looks like its about to boom even bigger. (click to enlarge)

"The grant program is designed to assist farmers and ranchers who gain 50% or more of their gross income from agricultural operations. Rural small businesses with less than 15 employees are also eligible. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) offers examples of farmers and small business owners who have successfully installed small wind turbine systems on their property…[A]pplications must be submitted to local USDA Rural Development offices by July 31, 2009. It may take up to 2 weeks for a farmer to fully complete an application thus it is recommended to begin the process as soon as possible.

"For more information…Renewable Options & Investments (david@renewable-roi.com, 517-812-3285) …USDA Rural Development Offices (http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/scrty/sdirs.html)… Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) (www.dsireusa.org)…American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) (www.awea.org)…"


TOYOTA PLUG-IN BY 2012
Toyota to mass produce plug-in hybrids from 2012 –Nikkei
Chang-Ran Kim and Nobuhiro Kubo (w/Valerie Lee), July 4, 2009 (Reuters)

"Toyota Motor Corp plans to start mass producing plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012, with a projected first-year output of about 20,000 to 30,000 units, the Nikkei business daily reported…

"Toyota has said it would start leasing 500 plug-in cars globally by the end of this year, primarily for government and corporate use, but has not said when it would commercialise them."

Who will emerge from the pack? (click to enlarge)

"Plug-ins can be cleaner than regular hybrids as they can run purely on electricity but the need for more batteries makes them expensive.

"Toyota wants to price its plug-in hybrids at a comparable price to Mitsubishi Motors Corp's all-electric car, which debuts this month to fleet customers in Japan at 4.59 million yen ($47,800) before government subsidies, the Nikkei said…Toyota's new Prius gasoline-electric hybrid costs less than half that, starting at 2.05 million yen in Japan."

Unless it recharges Japan. (click to enlarge)

"Toyota's plug-ins will be able to run 20-30 km (12.4-18.6 miles) on battery power alone at full charge…Toyota has said the car will be powered by lithium-ion batteries developed and produced by its joint venture with Panasonic Corp…

"Toyota's plug-in hybrids would fan competition against General Motors Corp's much-hyped Chevy Volt plug-in, which can also be charged at home through an electric socket…GM is aiming to launch the Volt -- a showcase vehicle for its effort to reinvent itself after filing for bankruptcy last month -- by the end of 2010 and plans to have a total 14 hybrid models in production by 2012."


KICKING THE COAL HABIT
Los Angeles will end use of coal-fired power
Bernie Woodall (w/Marguerita Choy), July 2, 2009 (Reuters)

"Los Angeles will eliminate the use of electricity made from coal by 2020, replacing it with power from cleaner renewable energy sources, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

"Consumers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest city-owned utility in the United States with 1.45 million electricity customers, will see higher power bills in the fight against climate change, he added in his inaugural speech for his second four-year term as mayor…"

A prominent investment banker seems to think coal has some problems. (click to enlarge)

"California does not have any coal-fired power plants, a leading contributor to greenhouse gas pollution, but the LADWP now gets 40 percent of its electricity from coal plants outside the state…Coal and natural gas-fired power now account for 76 percent of the electricity delivered by the LADWP. By 2020, the LADWP expects to cut its carbon emissions by up to 60 percent from 1990 levels, according to the mayor's office.

"Villaraigosa said the LADWP will meet its goal of getting 20 percent of its power from renewables by 2010…The LADWP also wants to cut overall electricity use by 1 percent a year for the next 10 years…through energy efficiency…Deputy Mayor David Freeman said the LADWP will continue to use power from the coal-fired 2,250-megawatt Navajo Generating Station in Arizona until 2019…negotiations have not yet begun on how and when the LADWP will leave its contract as lead owner of the 1,800-megawatt coal-fired Intermountain plant in Utah…"

What is economically recoverable may not be very abundant. (click to enlarge)

"Villaraigosa and Freeman said the elimination of coal-fired power will…one day increase rates but [the LADWP 12 cents per kilowatt-hour rate] will remain competitive with the 15.5 cents per kwh of the average Southern California Edison customer…The Navajo plant can deliver power at 3 cents per kwh, and the Intermountain power is between 4 to 5 cents per kwh.

"Freeman said that coal power costs will rise as rules limiting carbon dioxide, including a cap-and-trade system, are implemented…But "costs to society" such as higher medical bills for lung-related diseases, including asthma, will drop…"