QUICK NEWS, 2-15: WIND GENERATES U.S. JOBS, REVENUES; GETTING PV SOLAR SOONER; SOLAR PWR PLANT PROTECTS DESERT’S WATER; THE 2-WHEELED EV

WIND GENERATES U.S. JOBS, REVENUES
American Wind Energy Association Response to American University Study/ABC World News Story
February 11, 2010 (American Wind Energy Association)

"ABC World News aired a story on February 9 based on a report by the American University purporting to show how stimulus, or Recovery Act, funds were being used to create jobs overseas. Their story could not be further from the truth. The Recovery Act funds have actually saved jobs and provided an economic stimulus to communities all across America…[There are a number] of inaccuracies and distortions…"

[ABC/AU:] "But the study found that nearly 80 percent of that money has gone to foreign manufacturers of wind turbines." [Fact via AWEA:] "100% of Recovery Act money goes to wind projects built in the US. The convertible tax credit program referenced above does not go to turbine manufacturers. Every penny of the money from the Recovery Act is provided as a tax credit for investment in American wind projects built in the U.S. Over 50 percent of turbine value, such as towers, blades, nacelle assembly, and some internal components are made in the US."

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[Russ Choma, Investigative Reporting Workshop, American University via ABC/AU:] "Most of the jobs are going overseas..." [Fact via AWEA:] "Not true. Jobs in construction, transportation, civil and electrical engineering, and operations and maintenance are American and cannot be outsourced. Jobs in these areas were created and saved as a direct result of the Recovery Act and we have substantiated that. The reporter from AU provided no evidence of jobs created elsewhere."

[ABC:] "Even with the infusion of so much stimulus money, a recent report by American Wind Energy Association showed a drop in U.S. wind manufacturing jobs last year." [Fact via AWEA:] "Jobs increased in wind farm development and decreased in manufacturing ending the year with no losses overall in the industry. Were it not for the Recovery Act, we estimated a loss of as much as 40,000 jobs."

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[ABC/AU:] "Several of the large European turbine manufacturers had limited manufacturing facilities in the United States. One reason so much money is going overseas is that there is not much of a wind power industry in the United States." [Fact via AWEA:] "The U.S. wind industry employs approximately 85,000 workers. In 3 years, we went from 2 turbine manufacturers with facilities in the U.S. to 9 and 4 more have announced plans for factories here. It takes time to ramp up an industry, but the US wind industry been going at full-speed since 2005 and prior to the financial crisis, adding, expanding or announcing over 55 new manufacturing shops in 2008…"

"…[Wind industry representatives requested bu] were not given the opportunity to refute [the story’s inaccuracies and distortions]…The Real Story…is [it’s] about time that we start attracting investment to make America #1 in wind energy jobs, production and manufacturing…Governors and economic development offices around the country know that and are reaching out to wind farm developers and turbine manufacturers to attract wind turbine investment and factories because they know it will mean jobs for their constituents…"


GETTING PV SOLAR SOONER
Addressing Institutional Barriers; Opportunities for Streamlining Solar PV Project Timelines
January 27, 2010 (SolarTech and CalSEIA)

"…This paper focuses on proposing methodologies for improving overall project end-to-end cycle times for distributed generation solar PV projects [to benefit City and County Governments, Installers /Integrators, Solar technology consumers and the California solar industry]…

"…City and County Governments would have a high quality, repeatable and highly manageable project delivery process…Installers /Integrators would have a uniform and automated process from permit jurisdictions and would provide a higher level of service to consumers…Solar technology consumers would benefit for the reduced time and possible reduced costs in implementing solar…[and the] California solar industry would benefit from the multiple positive gains due to improved efficiencies…"

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"…As a solar PV system moves from the initial customer request to the final system commissioning, a number of members of the solar market network must interface and complete a chain of steps…In 2009, SolarTech identified the most obstructive steps in the request-thru-commissioning process and identified the various steps between the Institutional Participants and the other members of the solar market network as one of the more significant barriers…

"…[P]olicies, regulations, standards, and business practices of institutions create barriers preventing adoption of distributed generation PV in California…SolarTech and CalSEIA have identified two key areas which create institutional barriers in California: lack of key standards within and across business process interfaces, and long installation cycle times…"

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"Installing a distributed generation (DG) PV system that makes use of a CSI rebate or incentive involves many steps…[T]he overall process time is long compared to the physical time required to actually install the system…[T]he typical 4kW – 5kW basic residential installation will take only 3-5 days onsite, (or ~20kW/week for larger systems). However, the total elapsed project time can be upwards of 100-120 days. The time drivers in these processes are not the person-hours required to complete the tasks, but rather delays within each step and between each step, increases administrative costs and adding risk or uncertainty to revenue, cash flows, and profitability. A few examples…[1] Most applications are written manually…[2] Redundant data requirements…[3] Broad variation in permitting requirements…[4] Uncertain inspection scheduling…

"…Several in the PV industry – primarily system purchasers and contractors – experience the impacts of long cycle times…SolarTech is currently focusing on reducing permitting time in one of several areas…At the national level, the U.S Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Program has a program dedicated to market transformation for solar technologies and has several technical outreach programs aimed towards overcoming knowledge gaps in several institutions, which could help reduce project cycle times. Also at the national level, Solar ABC’s has developed a recommended permit expediting process (as a component of total project cycle times) for small scale systems (less than 15 kW)…"


SOLAR PWR PLANT PROTECTS DESERT’S WATER
Tree deal revives Southwest desert solar plan; Developer NextEra's proposal to cut down hundreds of thirsty tamarisk trees may provide a blueprint for resolving similar environmental disputes over solar farms in the desert.
Todd Woody, February 14, 2010 (LA Times)

"…[I]n California City…[a] sprawling desert community east of Bakersfield… NextEra Energy…a subsidiary of utility giant FPL Group…[wants] to build a solar power plant in the area that would consume a large amount of water…[and cut down tamarisk trees], a water-hungry invasive species…[R]emoving them could help recharge the aquifer in this arid region…

"The tree deal is just one way that what threatened to become another intractable fight over the environmental effect of desert solar power plants is turning into a blueprint for the resolution of similar disputes…in the desert Southwest have split the environmental movement and divided local communities. For solar developers and some green groups, the projects are desperately needed in the fight against climate change; others see them as a threat to unique and fragile ecosystems."

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"Water has become a particular flash point. Solar thermal power plants use mirrors to heat liquids to create steam that drives an electricity-generating turbine. The steam must be condensed and the hot water cooled for reuse. The cheapest and most efficient way to do that is wet cooling, which lets the heat evaporate but requires the constant replacement of water…By last fall, NextEra's 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project was mired in a war over water. The company wanted to tap more than half a billion gallons a year from freshwater wells to cool the solar farm…State policy prohibits the use of drinking water for power plant cooling, and local residents lined up at public hearings to express concern that the solar farm would drain their aquifer…

"With energy commission staffers and NextEra at loggerheads, executives warned last year that they might have to abandon the $1-billion project -- and the hundreds of construction jobs it would create -- because they claimed that Beacon wouldn't be sufficiently profitable unless they could use well water…"

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"But NextEra is now talking with two local municipalities, California City and Rosamond, about buying reclaimed water to cool the power plant. That would allow the company to sidestep a fight over water use while giving the cities a market for their treated wastewater…Energy commission staffers filed documents two weeks ago that would let the Beacon project proceed as long as it used reclaimed water for cooling…

"The compromise offers other environmental benefits as well. Treated wastewater contains salt and nitrates, and by piping it to Beacon rather than returning it to the aquifer, the cities can improve the basin's water quality…[and] NextEra proposed to remove thirsty tamarisk trees to help recharge the aquifer. A native of the Mediterranean, the tamarisk was brought to the American West in the 19th century for use as a windbreak…An acre of tamarisks can consume 1 million gallons of water annually…Regulators welcomed NextEra's proposal to remove tamarisks, which have taken over 1 million acres in the West…The proposal is still in the planning stages, and it's unclear how many trees would be removed and just how much water would be saved…"


THE 2-WHEELED EV
Electric Two-Wheel Vehicles; Electric Bicycles, Mopeds, Scooters, and Motorcycles:
Market Analysis and Forecasts
Dave Hurst and Clint Wheelock, 1Q 2010 (Pike Research)

"Electric two-wheel vehicles come in a variety of forms with electric bicycles (e-bikes), scooters (e-scooters), and motorcycles (e-motorcycles) being the most common. Most countries define e-bikes as vehicles that have pedals and can be human-powered as well as powered by a low-powered motor with limited speed capabilities. China, however, does not require e-bikes to have pedals, but limits them simply to 20 kph (12 mph)…

"The demographics of those using e-bikes align with key socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral trends…In North America, consumers tend to be baby-boomers (age 45 to 65) and affluent…In many Middle Eastern, African and Latin American countries, the consumers tend to be working and young. The United Nations forecasts substantial growth…within populations aged 15 to 64."

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"Other trends contributing to the adoption of electric two-wheel vehicles include the growth of e-bikes as a fitness tool in North America and Europe. In Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, increased urbanization and growing wealth contribute to the need for (and ability to purchase) reliable transportation…[P]eople increasingly accept electric two-wheel vehicles as capable forms of transportation…[and] the cost of ownership…remains low [enough so that]…the market is likely to remain strong…

"One of the most important barriers to the market…is the lack of an established distribution channel…[M]anufacturers are trying to find a combination of independent dealers, mass retailers, and online sales…[This remains] one of the most difficult aspects of the electric two-wheel marketplace."

Plug-in 2-wheelers at a Shanghai rally. (click to enlarge)

"Pike Research anticipates that the global market for such vehicles is poised for strong growth…China is currently the largest marketplace…commanding 98% of the global market in 2009. China’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% between 2009 and 2016 will contribute to Asia-Pacific’s sales of 78.6 million electric two-wheel vehicles in 2016 (with a CAGR of 8.9% for the region overall). Outside Asia, Pike Research forecasts Western Europe as having the largest market for electric two-wheel vehicles with 1.941 million vehicles for a CAGR of 17.3% between 2009 and 2016.

"In the e-bike market, the Western European region will garner a disproportionate share of revenue ($2.4 billion in 2016), relative to unit sales. Western Europe will account for 3.4% of the global e-bike marketplace by 2016, generating 12% of the revenue from the global market. A similar, albeit smaller scale, market dynamic will exist in North America by 2016, when North America’s share of global sales will be 1.9%, which will represent 5.6% of the global revenue ($1.2 billion in e-bike revenue in 2016). Overall, Pike Research sees astrong opportunity for growth…"