QUICK NEWS, August 9: FIGHTING OVER LA SUN; SIEMENS DOMINATES OCEAN WIND; ON U.S. NEW ENERGY SPENDING; EFFECTS OF A NEW ENERGY STANDARD

FIGHTING OVER LA SUN
LADWP's Revived Solar Program Sparks More Industry Backlash
Jessica Lillian. 4 August 2011 (Solar Industry)

"The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has received approval from the Board of Water and Power Commissioners to relaunch its [Solar Photovoltaic Incentive Program], with several modifications. The LADWP says it will resume accepting applications for solar incentives starting Sept. 1 at 10:00 a.m PDT.

"The new plan incorporates input received from the public and the solar sector at a series of workshops…The program has been closed since April 9, when it was abruptly halted… to allow the utility to [catch up with a backlog]…[T]he revamped program will utilize an online automated application tool called PowerClerk, which is designed to streamline the process and increase transparency."

LA wants renewables, not this DWP-driven bickering (click to enlarge)

"However, although program funding was expanded to $60 million, as planned, incentive levels have been reduced - generating immediate outcry among local solar firms…The payment changes…reduce by 30% the rate for homeowners who purchase…and reduce by 40% for those who lease…These reductions ‘all but eliminate the economic benefits of solar for most homeowners’ and ‘stifle’ this critical local solar market…

"The solar payback period for LADWP customers will now reach as long as 14 years under the new system - more than 40% longer than elsewhere in the state…Solar lease holders - who constitute the majority of rooftop PV growth in Los Angeles - and the companies that serve them are expected to feel particularly severe economic pain… LADWP maintains that its new PV incentive rates…[follow the California Solar Initiative and] existing solar markets and…[have] a reasonable payback period…"


SIEMENS DOMINATES OCEAN WIND
Siemens secures order for sixth offshore-wind power plant in Germany; First time that private equity company invests in Siemens-offshore-wind power plant
4 August 2011 (Siemens)

"Siemens Energy has secured another order for an offshore wind power plant in Germany.

"For the [288 MW total capacity] project Meerwind Süd and Meerwind Ost the company will deliver 80 wind turbines with a capacity of 3.6 Megawatt (MW) and a rotor diameter of 120 meters each…[TO] WindMW GmbH (WindMW)… [C]ommissioning [will be] in 2013…For Siemens this is the sixth order for an offshore wind power plant in German waters."

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"Electricity from offshore wind power plants is soon expected to make a major contribution toward eco-friendly power supply in Germany, just as in other countries like the UK. Excellent wind conditions with high average wind speeds open up tremendous potential. By 2030, wind power plants with total capacity between 20,000 and 25,000 MW will be operating off Germany’s coasts…

"…[T]his is the sixth order for the construction of an offshore wind power plant for Siemens in Germany…[It] is the world’s largest supplier to the offshore market. At the end of the year 2010, there were almost 700 Siemens-wind turbines with a capacity of over 1,900 MW in operation...[Siemens also] has confirmed orders for about 4 Gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power plants…"


ON U.S. NEW ENERGY SPENDING
Are We Investing Enough in Clean Energy?
Andy Mannle, August 4, 2011 (Huffington Post)

"…[The] US Department of Energy announced loans and guarantees of $32 billion, including over $10 billion for solar projects…A group of 11 wealthy US families formed The Cleantech Syndicate to invest $1.4 billion in renewable energy companies over the next five years.

"Google and SolarCity created a $280 million fund to provide solar panel leases and ppas to households - the largest residential solar financing scheme to date…BofA and partners are financing $2.6 billion in commercial rooftop solar arrays -- the largest distributed solar deal in history…GE announced a $600 million investment to manufacture solar panels -- in a factory slated to be the largest in the US."

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"…[T]here's no doubt that billions of dollars are flowing into this market from government, private investors, banks and major corporations…[But] is it enough?

"Is it enough to stimulate the economy? Is it enough to combat climate change? Is it even enough to keep up with China?..."


EFFECTS OF A NEW ENERGY STANDARD
What Should a Federal Clean Energy Standard Look Like? The Congressional Budget Office weighs in.
Katherine Tweed, August 4, 2011 (Greentech Media)

"It’s going to be wind and biomass, and it’s going to cost some money…[according to The Results of Renewable or Clean Electricity Standards] from the Congressional Budget Office…

"…[T]he CBO assessed seven different scenarios for the standards. The study found that, depending on the structure of the policy, such as whether non-renewables (natural gas) would be worth partial credits or if alternative compliance payments were allowed, there were very different outcomes. But any national standard, the authors argued, would be better than the state-by-state approach that is currently happening…"

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"Electricity prices would increase in nearly every region for each scenario, whether it’s a CES or RES and whether or not there are alternative compliance payments. The increase, however, averages around 2 percent to 4 percent more than what customers pay now, which is less than an extra cent per kilowatt-hour…"

"The overlap of state and federal policies would be problematic, but [workable]…
Any successful scheme would have to include unrestricted trading where credits are bought and sold by utilities independently of electricity generation…Including options, such as natural gas-fired plants or even certain energy efficiency measures would help meet more stringent standards…[A]lternative options could be worth just a fraction of a credit compared to wind or solar…Neither an RES nor a CES will be as effective as a cap-and-trade program…"