QUICK NEWS, 6-10: NEW ENERGY, NEW JOBS, [R]EVOLUTION; OFFSHORE WIND ORGANIZES; BIG PRIZE TO LOW-COST SUN; A FIGHT OVER THE PRICE OF WIND

NEW ENERGY, NEW JOBS, [R]EVOLUTION
Greenpeace energy blueprint shows governments how investing in green energy jobs can save the climate and end fossil fuel addiction
7 June 2010 (Greenpeace International)

"The renewable power industry could support 8.5 million jobs by 2030…if governments seize the opportunity to invest in a greener future, according to…[a new report from] Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC).

"Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable World Energy Outlook, provides a detailed practical blueprint for cutting carbon emissions while achieving economic growth by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and energy efficiency. This phase-out of fossil fuels offers substantial benefits such as energy security, independence from world market fuel prices as well as the creation of millions of new green jobs…"

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"The Energy [R]evolution scenario shows how to create about 12 million jobs, that is 8.5 million in the renewables sector alone, by 2030. Under business as usual global renewable power jobs would be only 2.4 million of the global power sector’s 8.7 million jobs. By implementing the Energy [R]evolution 3.2 million or over 33% more jobs globally will be created in the power sector…

"The sustainable future of the planet is rooted in the investment in people and local communities who can install and maintain renewable energy sources, rather than further subsidising dirty and finite fossil fuels. The overall annual market for renewable technology will increase from around US$100 billion today, to more than US$600 billion by 2030."

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"Key to making the Energy [R]evolution a reality is creating a system in which investment costs are shared fairly under a global climate regime. One such mechanism, discussed in the report, is the Greenhouse Development Rights framework (GDR)…which calculates national shares of global greenhouse gas obligations based on a combination of responsibility (contribution to climate change) and capacity (ability to pay)…

"Global CO2 emissions under the Energy [R]evolution scenario would peak in 2015 and drop afterwards. Compared with 1990 CO2 emissions will be more than 80% lower by 2050 if the energy supply is based almost entirely on renewable energies. By 2050 around 95% of electricity could be produced by renewable energy…"


OFFSHORE WIND ORGANIZES
10 eastern states join wind energy consortium
June 9, 2010 (AP via Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

"The governors of 10 East Coast states have joined federal authorities to form a consortium that will promote the development of offshore wind energy.

"U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said…the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium will promote safe and environmentally responsible development, enhance the nation's energy security, and create jobs."

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"…[A] regional renewable energy office has been set up to coordinate and expedite the development of wind, solar and other renewable energy resources off the Atlantic coast. Salazar in April authorized the nation's first offshore wind farm off Cape Cod.

"The states are Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina."


BIG PRIZE TO LOW-COST SUN
Solar cell inventor wins tech prize
June 9, 2010 (UK Press Association)

"A Swiss scientist has won the 800,000 euro international Millennium Technology Prize for inventing low-cost solar cells used in renewable energy…

"Michael Graetzel, director of the photonics and interfaces laboratory at Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne, in Lausanne, was awarded the 2010 prize by the Technology Academy of Finland for his innovation, which led to the development of electricity-generating windows and mobile solar panels."

Graetzel dye-sensitized cells (from Wikipedia - click to enlarge)

"The academy described finding ways to replace the diminishing fossil fuel supply as one of mankind's greatest challenges, adding that the sun is…the most obvious…[and that] Graetzel cells [also called dye-sensitized cells] provide a more affordable way of harnessing solar [by using titanium dioxide nanoparticles and a molecular]…

"It was the fourth…biennial Millennium Technology Prize… launched by the [Finland] government and industry in 2004. It is given for achievements in energy and the environment, communications and information, new materials and processes as well as health care and life sciences."

schematic of the Graetzel cell (click to enlarge)

"The previous winner, in 2008, was American Professor Robert Langer from MIT for developing bio-materials used in combatting cancer and heart disease.

"Other winners include Japanese Professor Shuji Nakamura for inventions in laser technology and LED lighting, and Tim Berners-Lee, the MIT scientist credited with inventing the World Wide Web."


A FIGHT OVER THE PRICE OF WIND
US Utilities Target Costs Of Keeping Up With Wind Generation
Mark Peters, June 9, 2010 (Dow Jones Newswires via Wall Street Journal)

"Utilities increasingly are looking to pass on new costs they say come from growing amounts of wind power being added to the nation's electric grid.

"The on-again, off-again nature of wind farms forces utilities to ramp up and down the output of their coal- and natural-gas-fueled power plants to balance supply and demand. That creates wear and tear on plants and cuts performance, adding costs…[Xcel Energy] has started a study of the expense of backing up wind generation…with an eye on charging operators new rates. Westar Energy Inc. (WR) already has won initial approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, known as FERC, to collect costs…[but] faces a fight from the wind industry. The outcome of these early efforts are expected to play a critical role in shaping how costs are treated nationally…"

Better solution than raising power prices 1 (click to enlarge)

"The issue creates challenges for wind developers and utilities alike. The dispute comes as the wind industry fights to stay cost competitive amid a slump in natural-gas prices and without a federal policy pegging a price for greenhouse-gas emissions. Passing on the costs would pressure wind-power developers…Westar estimates the new charges in its Kansas utility territory would add less than 2% to the hourly generating costs of a typical wind farm.

"In looking to pass on costs, utilities face their own challenges, as they try to publicly back wind farms, which elected officials and the public support, while also trying to pass on costs to operators they say their customers are absorbing…Most of the research will focus on ramping up and down the output of its coal-fired plants, which aren't designed for the variability, leading to higher maintenance costs…"

Better solution than raising power prices 2 (click to enlarge)

"Southwestern Public Service added it will consider asking FERC to put in place new rates to charge wind operators once it assesses the costs…Westar already has gone to FERC pushing to levy new rates…The costs range from ensuring enough generation is in place to back up a growing number of wind farms to the loss of potential opportunities to use its plants to supply its own customers or sell the power to other suppliers.

"FERC has approved the new charges, and yet the American Wind Energy Association continues to fight the decision. Gramlich said FERC's ruling discriminates against wind power, since all generators on the grid need back up and benefit from extra power reserve. The trade group contends Westar wants to charge 38 times more than the actual cost of backing up wind generation…The same issue is emerging in markets where utilities have been broken up and electricity is sold at market prices. The issue sparked a fight among wind and natural gas generators in Texas' power market…"