QUICK NEWS, 2-11: CAPE WIND A GREAT BARGAIN; SUN & THE BIG APPLE; HOW CLEAN IS AN EV? CLEAN!; F-I-T STREET LEGAL

CAPE WIND A GREAT BARGAIN
New Study: Cape Wind Will Reduce Regional Electricity Prices by $4.6 Billion
February 10, 2010 (Business Wire via Market Watch)

"Cape Wind will reduce wholesale electric prices for the New England region by $4.6 billion over 25 years, according to a new report…"

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["Analysis of the Impact of Cape Wind on New England Energy Prices by Charles River Associates] found that Cape Wind will place downward pressure on the wholesale clearing price of electricity by reducing operations of higher priced and polluting fossil fueled units. This will result in average savings of $185 million per year in New England…

"The project will also create 600-1,000 clean energy construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs as it becomes America's first offshore wind farm. Cape Wind has been undergoing a comprehensive review by 17 Federal and State agencies over the past eight years with each succeeding environmental report giving it a very positive review…"

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"Cape Wind's proposal to build America's first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal would provide most of the electricity used on Cape Cod and the Islands from clean, renewable energy - reducing this region's need to import oil, coal and gas. Cape Wind will create new jobs, help stabilize electric costs, contribute to a healthier environment, increase energy independence and establish Massachusetts as a leader in offshore wind power…"


SUN & THE BIG APPLE
Con Edison Calls for More Solar Power
February 9, 2010 (Market Wire via CNNMoney)

"Con Edison has filed a proposal with the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to support the development of 25 megawatts (MW) of solar energy resources in New York City by 2015…

"The [16,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually] avoided would be the equivalent of taking 2,400 passenger vehicles off the road, and the 25 MW of solar energy would power more than 38,000 room air conditioners (6,000-7,000 BTUs) when the sun is at its brightest…Con Edison suggested the State set aside $24.8 million of its renewable energy funds for these programs for residential and commercial customers in New York City."

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"The proposed incentives would target smaller solar projects. One would provide customers with rebates based on the production of their solar panels. There is also a program to encourage solar generation in areas where it could provide the greatest benefit to the electric system, as well as a program to encourage solar in the low-income residential market in New York City.

"In addition, the company is proposing that the State set aside $4 million for a residential program for customers in New York City and Westchester County to use solar energy for hot water…Con Edison would also monitor solar energy development in Westchester to encourage market opportunities there."

click thru to play ConEd's The Power of Green game

"The incentives would be in addition to a proposal to spend $125 million over five years throughout the entire Con Edison service area for larger installations. Combined, the proposed program funding would achieve more than 100 megawatts of new solar capacity in the company's service area -- enough to offset 60,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year.

"…New York State has become a leader in renewable energy, particularly with the development of large renewable energy projects upstate. Producing smaller projects in New York City, however, has been more challenging…Con Edison wants to reduce the time it takes to get approval to install solar panels from one year to 100 days. Under the "100 Days of Solar" program, Con Edison would sponsor a task force that would include representatives from government agencies, the solar industry and nonprofits to streamline the process…Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies…"


HOW CLEAN IS AN EV? CLEAN!
What's the carbon footprint of an electric car?
Tom Fowler, February 5, 2010 (Houston Chronicle)

"…I've always assumed that one big coal-fired electric turbine would be cleaner and more efficient than a million individual internal combustion engines. At the very least it would be easier to try to monitor and scrub the emissions from that one big stack vs. all those scattered/mobile tailpipes….But having never crunched the numbers I asked…an Austin green energy and technology consultant…[to] calculate the carbon footprints of an electric vehicle and a gasoline vehicle…

"His rough estimate…Electric vehicle: 0.14 lbs of CO2 per mile…Gasoline vehicle: 0.71 lbs of CO2 per mile…[The calculation starts with] kilowatt hours. Very roughly, one pound of coal generates 1 kWh of electricity…"

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"The next question is, how much energy does [a battery electric vehicle] use to go, say, 100 miles on the highway and in the city? …The battery holds 24 kWh of charge and Nissan says it has a range of over 100 miles…That's 0.24 kWh per mile, or, roughly…four miles/pound of coal…[One pound of coal produces roughly 2.9 pounds of carbon]…that's 3/4 lb of carbon produced for every mile…[T]hat's roughly 3/4 lb of carbon produced by every one pound of coal burned, or roughly 1/5 lb of carbon produced for every 1 lb of coal burned.

"For gasoline, it's 19.4 lbs of carbon produced for every one gallon of gas burned up in a vehicle…[For] a car that meets the 2010 CAFE standard of 27.5 mpg as our comparison…That's 19.4/27.5 = 0.71 lbs of carbon produced for every mile driven…"

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"…Electric Vehicle: 0.19 [Lbs of CO2 per mile]…Gasoline Vehicle: 0.71 [Lbs of CO2 per mile]…Assuming $0.11/kWh price for electricity and $2.50/gallon gas…Electric Vehicle: $0.055 [Cost/Mile to Drive]…Gasoline Vehicle: $0.09 [Cost/Mile to Drive]…In other words, a new car's fuel expense is almost twice that of an electric vehicle's and it emits almost 3X the carbon…

"[And the] calculation is based on the assumption that all the electricity is made by burning coal, which it isn't…[If the electricity comes from] 20% due to nuclear [creates zero CO2], 30% x .25 due to natural gas (gas is roughly 3/4 cleaner than coal) or roughly 8%…So, we need to subtract [28% of carbon emissions]… Electric Vehicle: 0.14 [Lbs of CO2 per mile]…Gasoline Vehicle: 0.71 [Lbs of CO2 per mile]…In other words, a NEW gasoline car emits 5X as much CO2 as an EV plugged into a typical existing US grid…"


F-I-T STREET LEGAL
Study Shows States Can Legally Implement Feed-In Tariffs
February 10, 2010 (Environmental Leader)

"States can offer feed-in tariffs (FIT) but the programs must be tailored to meet federal requirements, according a legal analysis report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)…FIT programs are designed to promote renewable energy production.

"The January 2010 [Renewable Energy Prices in State-Level Feed-in Tariffs: Federal Law Constraints and Possible Solutions] shows how states can implement feed-in tariffs and still comply with federal law...[in] two legal ways...under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)…

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"Under PURPA, feed-in tariffs are legal if they are “voluntarily” offered by the utility, or if the tariffs are based on “avoided cost” and any additional payments necessary to make workable tariffs, which are derived from renewable energy credits, subsidies and utility tax credits…Under FERC, feed-in tariffs are legal if they are cost- or market-based…[I]f the tariffs are cost-based, each contract must be reviewed by FERC, and if they are market-based, the seller must provide a 'market-power' report to FERC every three years…

"These conditions could be averted in some cases if FERC grants exemptions from PURPA for generators of less than 20 MW, allowing them to sell at any price without FERC approval…The report also indicates that Hawaii, Alaska and most of Texas are exempt from the Federal Power Act…"

(from the California Energy Comission (CEC) - click to enlarge)

"Some clean-energy proponents claim that the high, fixed-rate payments associated with feed-in tariffs, which help cover the higher cost of renewables production, are more likely to drive the alternative energy industry…[and] FIT policies may be a less expensive way to jumpstart renewable energy development compared to other policies including renewable energy certificates.

"The Washington state legislature recently introduced a bill that would clear the way for feed-in tariffs modeled on Germany’s, and California’s public utility commission is looking to expand its limited feed-in tariff approved last year…[S]everal other states including Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Hawaii, Florida and Vermont have approved some form of a FIT program or have proposals under consideration."