MORE NEWS, 9-15: DEMAND UP FOR OFFSHORE WIND; ARNOLD TO ORDER NEW ENERGY; BAR CODE FOR EMISSIONS TRADING; $100 MIL, 700 JOB WIND PLANT BREAKS GROUND

DEMAND UP FOR OFFSHORE WIND
Denmark's DONG sees good demand for offshore wind
John Acher (w/James Jukwey), September 14, 2009 (Reuters)

"Denmark's DONG Energy…[has] enrolled around 20 corporate and municipal customers for power from its new Horns Rev 2 wind park…off the west coast of Jutland…in the North Sea…[It] will be the world's biggest, with 91 turbines and a total capacity of 209 megawatts…

"Customers include industrial groups such as drugsmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), enzymes producer Novozymes (NZYMb.CO) and insulation maker Rockwool (ROCKb.CO) and four municipalities…"

Turbine being installed at Horns Rev 2. (click to enlarge)

"The new wind park is expected to produce more than 800 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, which corresponds to the power consumed by about 200,000 Danish households.

"Denmark is a pioneer in wind energy, getting about a fifth of its electricity production from wind turbines, which is the highest share of any country's energy mix."

Horns Rev 2. (click to enlarge)

"In the first half of 2009, state-owned DONG Energy generated 9.2 terawatt hours of electricity, with renewables accounting for 1.2 TWh.

"The Horns Rev 2 wind farm will be overtaken by other large offshore wind projects.
DONG Energy plans to build a 102-turbine 367-megawatt wind farm in the Irish Sea and it is a partner with E.ON EONG.DE and Masdar in the London Array wind project in the Thames Estuary, the first phase of which will have capacity of 630 MW."


ARNOLD TO ORDER NEW ENERGY
Schwarzenegger may order a change in green energy rules; An order expected this week would require a third of energy to come from renewable resources -- possibly with no limit on importing such power from other states. He may seek to include nuclear power.
Marc Lifsher, September 14, 2009 (LA Times)

"After vowing to veto this year's biggest environmental bill, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to issue an executive order by midweek that would require all electric utilities to generate a third of their power from renewable resources, such as wind and solar power, by 2020.

"The order presumably would set no limit on how much of the green power could be imported from other states…Schwarzenegger [is also reportedly] considering directing the California Air Resources Board to look at broadening the state's definition of renewable energy sources to include large hydroelectric dams and nuclear energy plants."

Despite California's ample sun, its utilities are struggling to meet their solar energy targets and very well may not if out-of-state solar power plant contracts are excluded. (click to enlarge)

"Critics questioned whether Schwarzenegger's order would be binding once he leaves office at the end of 2010. The validity of the order would be subject to a variety of potential legal challenges [but could be buttressed by a future bill and has sufficient legal teeth to get the Air Resources Board to write tough renewable standards under the authority of AB 32, California's landmark law to curb global warming]…[H]ours after the end of the 2009 legislative session, Matt David, the governor's communications director, said the governor would veto a pair of bills passed by the Legislature that would order electric utilities to get at least 33% of their power from renewable sources by 2020 -- and with limits on how much could be imported from outside the state."

click to enlarge

"State law currently calls for generating 20% by 2010, a deadline that the utilities are unlikely to hit before 2013…SB 14 by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and AB 64 by Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank), were introduced this year to respond to a call from Schwarzenegger for legislative action to increase production of renewable energy in California…[but David called them ‘poorly drafted, overly complex bills’ and ‘protectionist schemes’ that would be counterproductive for the solar industry in California and drive energy prices.]

"The legislation was supported by environmental groups, consumer advocates, labor unions and some major utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Sempra Energy and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Raising the renewable energy requirement, they argued, would send a strong message to industry that California is serious…Unions and consumer groups also backed a provision in the bills that would require at least two-thirds of renewable energy be generated in-state…
Among the opponents were the California Manufacturers & Technology Assn., the Independent Energy Producers Assn., the California Farm Bureau Federation and other business and trade organization…They feared that limiting California utilities' use of energy credits in buying renewable energy from out-of-state generators would restrict electricity supplies and drive up prices…[The Governor opposes] any limitations on imports of green power…"


BAR CODE FOR EMISSIONS TRADING
APX Market Standards Accepted by SWIFT for Carbon Markets; New Communications Standards for Environmental Projects and Financial Instruments
Renier Musier, September 9, 2009 (APX, Inc.)

"APX Inc., the leading infrastructure provider for environmental and energy markets… announced two new communications and messaging standards for global environmental markets, the APX Universal Project Number™ (APX UPN) and the APX Environmental Instrument Number™ (APX EIN). The APX UPN provides a globally distinct identifier for carbon and renewable energy projects, while the APX EIN uniquely identifies tradable environmental instruments, including carbon credits, emission allowances, and renewable energy credits. The standards are supported by SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), the leader in standards and messaging for the financial services industry…"

click to enlarge

"As voluntary and compliance carbon regimes proliferate and evolve to be distinct from the UNFCCC, there is a need for globally distinct project and instrument identifiers…[1] Global voluntary markets with multiple standards continue to develop for credits from pre-CDM projects. The APX UPN and APX EIN will help ensure that such credits and forwards are not double sold and can be reliably tracked and transacted…[2] The US Federal compliance program, as proposed under legislation currently before Congress, calls for up to 1.5 billion international project based offset credits. A mechanism to ensure global uniqueness of projects, related credits, and emission allowances will be required.

"The standards will be available in Q4 2009, and will be deployed with APX’s new portfolio management, contracts, transaction, and risk management services…"


$100 MIL, 700 JOB WIND PLANT BREAKS GROUND
Nordex Celebrates Groundbreaking for Wind Turbine Plant, Details Hiring Schedule
September 11, 2009 (Globe Newswire via Reuters)

"Nordex USA, Inc., a leading manufacturer of utility-scale wind turbines…held a groundbreaking celebration at the construction site of its $100 million manufacturing facility in Jonesboro, Arkansas…[and detailed] plans to hire 700 people by 2014…

"Leaders from government, business and the community attended the celebration, expressing hope for the revitalization of American manufacturing and the birth of a new industry in Arkansas…"

A Nordex nacelle in the Rostock, Germany, plant. (click to enlarge)

"Nordex is already seeing a pick up in the market. It recently completed the 62.5 megawatt "Highland" wind farm in Pennsylvania and is working on further projects. Parent company Nordex AG attributes much of its profit growth to the U.S. market. The U.S. accounted for 12 percent of the company's global sales, up from roughly one percent in the previous year…

"Hiring will span about four years. Nordex plans to locally employ close to 100 people by the end of 2010…Recruiting will begin in January followed by hiring in the spring. The nacelle workforce will gradually reach up to 240 people as the plant approaches full capacity over the next two and a half years…Recruiting and hiring will follow a similar pattern for the rotor blade facility, which will be built in phase two of the construction…"

click to enlarge

"Besides direct hires, Nordex is also creating jobs through the contracting of services…H&M Company, Inc. of Jackson, Tennessee…is dedicating between 250 and 300 workers to the construction project…[and] the company is localizing its supply chain…

"The Jonesboro operation will be an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)producing one of the largest classes of wind turbines in the world, the 2.5 megawatt N90 and N100…The $40 million nacelle assembly plant will have 115,000 square feet of production space, 10,000 square feet for a Training Academy and 35,000 square feet of office space. The $60 million rotor blade facility is then expected to begin production in late 2012…Heating and cooling at the plant will be powered entirely by geothermal energy…"