QUICK NEWS, August 16: U.S. NEW ENERGY GETS A GENTLEMAN’S C; TRUMP VS. OCEAN WIND; SHALE GAS ‘OMINOUS’; U.S. SUN BRIGHT

U.S. NEW ENERGY GETS A GENTLEMAN’S C
Doerr Gives U.S. a ‘C’ for Alternative-Energy
Ari Levy, August 3, 2011 (Bloomberg News)

"John Doerr, head of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’s alternative-energy practice [and member of the White House Council on Jobs], said he would give the U.S. a C grade for development of green technology, which trails innovation in Internet and biotechnology.

"His grade would have been a D or F without $20 billion in loan guarantees for clean-energy projects under President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan and collaborative work between the government and private sector, Doerr said…"

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"Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill provided tax breaks and other incentives to projects such as those focused on developing alternative sources of energy, modernizing the electricity grid and creating advanced batteries…[but] the marketplace has been slow to emerge because of a lack of privately funded research and development, and the failure of the financial markets to support the industry, Doerr said…

"…The U.S. spends more money on potato chips than clean energy research and development…[but there] are some positive signs, Doerr said. Automakers last week agreed to double the fuel economy of the vehicles they sell in the U.S. to a fleetwide
average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025…"


TRUMP VS. OCEAN WIND
Scottish 100MW offshore project opposed by Donald Trump
10 August 2011 (Windpower Monthly)

"A Vattenfall-led consortium has filed for consent to build an 11-turbine offshore project off the Scottish coast. However, the project is set to be opposed by US entrepreneur Donald Trump…

"The project is owned by Aberdeen Offshore Wind Ltd, a company owned 75% by Vattenfall and 25% by Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) to test and demonstrate up to 11 next-generation offshore wind turbines and other technology in Aberdeen Bay."

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"However, Trump's organisation — which is planning to build a £750 million housing and golf course complex nearby — has said it will oppose the plans. The wind farm would be located 1.5 miles from the coast…Trump plans to open the golf course at the 500 hectare estate next July…

"Coincidentally, Trump's plans have faced much opposition from local residents who believe his development will harm the environment."


SHALE GAS ‘OMINOUS’
You Think Contaminated Water is All You’ve Got to Worry About with Fracking? Think Again.
August 12, 2011 (Natural Gas Watch)

"The natural gas industry has embraced hydraulic fracturing, or fracking…[But] there are legitimate concerns…To date, most of those concerns have centered around the potential for water contamination…[A] recent report from researchers at Duke University linked hydraulic fracturing to increased methane content in well water.

"But the potential fallout from fracking operations doesn’t end at the water table.
An assessment of the potential impact that natural gas development will have on the communities located within the Marcellus Shale play states that the affect will be nothing less than, 'ominous.'"

Note all the heavy vehicles needed for fracking (click to enlarge)

"The assessment, a confidential document not meant for public distribution, was done by the New York State Department of Transportation and intended to be used by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as they make policy decisions about the extent to which hydraulic fracturing will, or will not, be permitted…"

[From the assessment:] “…the Marcellus region will see a peak year increase of up to 1.5-million heavy truck trips, and induced development may increase peak hour trips by 36,000 trips/hour…[I]t will be necessary to reconstruct hundreds of miles of roads and scores of bridges and undertake safety and operational improvements…The annual costs to undertake these transportation projects are estimated to range from $90 to $156 million for State roads and from $121-$222 million for local roads. There is no mechanism in place allowing State and local governments to absorb these additional transportation costs…”


U.S. SUN BRIGHT
Price Collapse Stimulates US PV Market Growth in 2H’11…; US to Reach 12% Global Market Share by 2015
August 9, 2011 (Solarbuzz)

"Despite a struggling domestic economy, the US solar photovoltaic (PV) market will double in 2011, according to the latest Solarbuzz® United States PV Market Report. 2011 growth rates vary significantly by market segment, an outcome of the vast movements in incentives and policies at the federal, state and local government level over the past 12 months…

"The US is forecast to become the third-largest solar photovoltaic market, behind Germany and Italy in 2011. While the US currently comprises 5% of the world PV market, Solarbuzz projects an increase to 12% by 2015…"

(from Solarbuzz - click to enlarge)

"US growth in solar has been supported by a combination of incentives and policies instituted at the federal, state and local levels. At the federal level, the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the Treasury Cash Grants continue to play an important role…At the state level, among various policies, Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) are driving the expansion of the utilities segment, which increased from 17% of the on-grid PV market in 2009 to 31% in 2010.

"In 2010, California still dominated the US PV market…Following California were New Jersey, Arizona and Colorado. Newcomers to the state top 10 list in 2010 included Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Mexico…Most of the states in the top 10 list incorporated drivers such as state RPS and compliance methods (including RFQs, rebate incentives, and REC financing) that influenced the dynamics and deployment of the market…"