QUICK NEWS, August 2: COAL USE AT NEW LOW; NEXTERA IN BIG ON NEW ENERGY; CHALLENGES FOR INDIA’S SUN; CITY WAIVES NEW ENERGY PERMIT FEES

COAL USE AT NEW LOW
First-quarter 2011 coal share of power generation lowest in over 30 years
July 27, 2011 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

"The share of electricity generated by coal during the first three months of this year was at its lowest first-quarter level in more than 30 years. The U.S. electric power sector generated about… 26.5 [terawatthours (TWh)] less than the amount generated during the first quarter of 2010—despite the fact that the overall total level of generation in the United States increased by less than 1%...

"...The amount of coal-fired generation in the first quarter of 2011 corresponds to a 46% share of total generation, which is 3 percentage points lower than the same period last year and 6 percentage points lower than the first quarter of 2008."

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"The decline in the share of generation provided by coal is offset by increased generation fueled by other energy sources, particularly natural gas. In the eastern U.S., the spot price of coal has risen steadily for nearly two years, while natural gas prices have remained comparatively low…

"...[C]oal has historically been the dominant fuel used in the electric power sector [in the Midwest]. During the first quarter of 2011, coal's share of generation in the Midwest fell from 70.5% in 2010 to 66.9%, while the region's fuel share for natural gas gained 2 percentage points…"


NEXTERA IN BIG ON NEW ENERGY
NextEra to Spend Up to $5.8 Billion on Wind, Solar Power by 2014
Ehren Goosens, July 27, 2011 (Bloomberg News)

"NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE), the largest U.S. wind-energy producer, plans to spend as much as $5.8 billion in the next three years to build wind and solar projects…The company’s NextEra Energy Resources LLC unit plans to spend from $2.3 billion to $2.7 billion through 2014 on solar projects, and $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion on wind farms, Lewis Hay, [chief executive officer, said]…

"The projects will supply electricity for power purchase contracts it has already completed or expects to complete in the coming years…[The company has] signed more long-term power purchase agreements for new wind projects…in the first seven months of 2011… [than] in all of 2010… "

NextEra's Blue Sky project would add 200 megawatts to California's grid -- if it gets past local wind opponents (click to enlarge)

"NextEra signed 632 megawatts of contracts for wind farms since the first quarter, including 469 megawatts for projects in Canada that received contracts from the Ontario Power Authority and are expected to enter service in 2013 and 2014.

""The company has power contracts totaling more than 1.1 gigawatts of wind projects in the U.S. and Canada that entered service this year or are expected to do so by 2012…[and] expects to add by the end of next year as much as 2 gigawatts of wind power to the 8.3 gigawatts it has in operation now."


CHALLENGES FOR INDIA’S SUN
India's PV Future
Vincent Kapur, (PV Group)

"…India has become a hot topic among those looking for the next big market to emerge for photovoltaics. PV technologies are being imported to India from other nations with vastly different fundamental energy situations…[T]echnology deployment models which have seen success in Europe and North America will not succeed in this market…

"A common misconception, particularly among the community of investors looking at the Indian market, is that PV systems are essentially plug-and-play…India possesses a very broad geographic territory which has yet to be blanketed with full access to grid power. Local and inter-regional distribution and transmission networks will require serious upgrades, expansions, and overhauls…[F]inancing for grid-tied projects will have to cover the necessary extra costs and delays are certain…A greater concern is the reliability of the grid…"

It may not be as easy as it looks (click to enlarge)

"One thing that India has plenty of is atmospheric particulates, especially due to heavy use of coal as well as innumerable open cooking fires…This is one cause of frequent blackouts. Another effect of pollution is a reduction of direct incident sunlight available, limiting the effectiveness of PV systems which rely on concentrator lenses…

"India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy plans to implement its National Solar Mission (NSM) with the stated objective to ‘establish India as a global leader in solar energy’ through creation of favorable ‘policy conditions’. This has naturally raised concerns about cheap PV modules flooding into the market from neighboring China…Despite the limitations of most conventional models, PV will definitely make a positive impact on India’s energy portfolio in the near future…Armed with the right strategy, businesses can position themselves to take full advantage of the what may turn out to be an energy revolution for India…"


CITY WAIVES NEW ENERGY PERMIT FEES
Hermosa Beach approves solar power, wind energy fee waivers
Douglas Morino, July 27, 2011 (Daily Breeze)

"Moving forward on promises to aggressively pursue eco-friendly initiatives, the Hermosa Beach City Council has approved extending permit fee waivers for solar panel projects and reduce fees for small wind energy systems.

"On average, city fees in 2009 for solar installations were about $641 per system. The City Council will re-evaluate the fee in August 2012. Fees for wind turbine systems permits can climb to $3,256. Those fees will be waived for a two-year period."

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"…So far this year, there have been permits issued for seven new systems.

"The council… also waived preferential parking permit fees for electric and natural gas vehicles, in addition to reducing building fees by up to 50 percent for buildings that are certified as environmentally friendly."