QUICK NEWS, September 22: SOLAR GROWING JOBS; NEW ENERGY FACES CONGRESS; UNI BECOMES WIND BUILDER; JAPAN FLOATS SUN-WIND-WAVE DEVICE

SOLAR GROWING JOBS
National Solar Jobs Census 2011 Finds Solar Companies Hiring Faster Than Rest of Economy; Preliminary data finds new job creation in solar despite overall down economy
September 19, 2011 (Solar Foundation)

"The Solar Foundation today announced that 100,237 Americans are now working in the U.S. solar industry, according to preliminary data from the “National Solar Jobs Census 2011: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce.” Solar businesses added 6,735 new workers in all 50 states since August 2010, which represents a 6.8 percent growth rate. The National Solar Jobs Census 2011 measured solar employment during the period between August 2010 and August 2011."

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"The U.S. solar industry’s job growth outpaced the overall economy and fossil fuel electric generation when compared to overall economic data from Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI). During the same 12-month period, jobs in the overall economy grew by a mere 0.7 percent, while fossil fuel electric generation lost 2 percent of its workforce…"


NEW ENERGY FACES CONGRESS
Congressional Committee Could Target Renewable Energy Funding
Jessica Lillian, 20 September 2011, (North American Windpower)

"A total of $1.2 trillion in spending cuts looms as the U.S. Congress' Joint Select Committee (JSC) begins work on trimming the U.S. budget. For the renewable energy sector, the most important message right now is that during the JSC negotiation process, no department, program or incentive is considered safe from the axe…

"The 12-member committee, led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, is working under an extraordinarily tight deadline - by Washington standards. The Congressional Budget Office must review and score a completed proposal from the JSC [federal spending through fiscal year 2021] by Nov. 23, and Congress will vote by Dec. 23…[or] sequestration will force across-the-board spending cuts…"

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"Whether through a JSC decision or sequestration, several key renewable energy funding programs and incentives - as well as the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) renewable energy research initiatives - could fall victim to cuts…These provisions - many of which expire at the end of this year - include the U.S. Department of the Treasury's popular Section 1603 cash-grant program…

"The investment tax credit and production tax credit may have a better chance of long-term survival, but their extension still faces an uphill battle… historical discrepancies, coupled with the current political climate, suggest reduced - or, at best, flat - funding levels for the DOE in the future…[L]obbying efforts from various industries have kicked into high gear, and for the renewable energy sector, now is the time to jump into the fray…"


UNI BECOMES WIND BUILDER
New Renewable Energy Company Will Focus On Large Community-Owned Wind, Solar Projects In Maryland
14 September 2011 (North American Windpower)

"The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) has announced the formation of a renewable energy development company, called Eastern Shore Energy LLC (EES)…[that] will focus on creating renewable energy projects at multiple sites on the lower eastern shore of Maryland. The company's goal is to develop systems capable of generating 100 MW to 150 MW from wind, solar and biomass projects.

"The regional initiative is the result of a partnership between the Maryland Hawk Corp. (a nonprofit affiliate of the university) and National Renewable Solutions LLC of Minneapolis, an affiliate of National Wind LLC."

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"Eastern Shore Energy LLC is currently studying the feasibility of three wind projects within Somerset and Worcester counties and expects to identify additional sites over the next several months…

"The company’s next steps will be to install anemometers on towers in the two target counties to collect wind data, and to seek participation of public and private landowners in the company’s prospective development projects. ESE expects this initiative will be a long-term commitment of five to seven years but hopes to have its first project ready for construction in the next 24 to 36 months."


JAPAN FLOATS SUN-WIND-WAVE DEVICE
Japan develops hybrid offshore platform; Japanese researchers are developing a platform to harvest ocean energy, but wind turbines and solar arrays are to be installed above water.
Craig Morris, 27 July 2011 (Renewables International)

"Japanese researchers…[have tested] a hybrid offshore [solar and wind] generator…[T]he turbine has already been tested in the Chinese desert…[and are now] installing the 3.6 kilowatt turbines on an 18-meter floating, semi-submersible platform in Hakata Bay to test their suitability in local wind and wave conditions…[and] see how the turbines and the platform hold up in saltwater.

"The platform itself is 18 meters in diameter and will be put into the water in the fall of 2011. The platform is to be able to generate power from waves and the tides. Shaped as a hexagon, the platforms can be locked into each other to provide a uniform single structure that can be expanded."

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"In a second stage, a larger platform 60 meters across will be installed two kilometers off the coast. The wind turbines installed on top are then to have a capacity of 100 kilowatts...In stage 3, the platforms will reach a diameter of 150 meters and use full-fledged two-megawatt wind turbines. Part of the remaining space between the turbines atop the platform can then be used to harvest solar energy, making the hexagon a harvester of wind, ocean, and solar energy.

"The nuclear accident in the Fukushima is focusing attention in Japan on the potential of renewable energy…[and] phase out nuclear power…"