QUICK NEWS, October 5: NEW ENERGY BIGGER THAN NUKES; FOSSIL FUELS’ BIG ADVANTAGE; BIG BIG BP WIND FOR KANSAS

NEW ENERGY BIGGER THAN NUKES
EIA data shows U.S. production of renewable energy greater than nuclear power
October 3, 2011 (Electric Light & Power)

"…[R]enewable energy has passed another milestone as domestic production is now greater than that of nuclear power and continues to close in on oil…During the first half of 2011, renewable energy sources (biomass & biofuels, geothermal, solar, water, wind) provided 4.687 quadrillion BTUs of energy or 12.25 percent of U.S. energy production.

"By comparison, renewables accounted for 11.05 percent of domestic production during the first half of 2010 and 10.50 percent during the first half of 2009. (On the consumption side, which includes oil and other energy imports, renewable sources accounted for 9.45 percent of total U.S. energy use.)"

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"Energy production from renewable energy sources in 2011 was 17.91 percent more than that from nuclear power, which provided 3.975 quadrillion BTUs and has been declining in recent years. Energy from renewable sources is now equal to 79.83 percent of that from domestic crude oil production, with the gap closing rapidly…

"Looking at just the electricity sector…for the first half of 2011, renewable energy sources (biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) accounted for 13.97 percent of net U.S. electrical generation — up 26.14 percent from the same period in 2010…[N]uclear power's contribution to net U.S. electrical generation totaled 19.12 percent representing a decline of 3.8 percent compared to the first half of 2010 and a drop of over 5 percent compared to the first half of 2009…[C]oal-generated electricity also dipped by 4.8 percent from its mid-year 2010 level…[N]atural gas increased by 2.4 percent."


FOSSIL FUELS’ BIG ADVANTAGE
Fossil-Fuel Subsidies May Rise to $660 Billion, IEA Says
Tara Patel and Catherine Airlie (w/Rob Verdonck and Alessandro Vitelli), October 4, 2011 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

"Fossil-fuel subsidies may rise to $660 billion in 2020 from $409 billion in 2010, according to the International Energy Agency.

"The biggest payers of subsidies are energy producers Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia, the IEA and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said today at a presentation of a joint study. The report recommends changing the subsidies to curb government spending and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions…"

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"The poorest 20 percent of the population got 8 percent of the $409 billion last year…More than 1 billion people in the world have no access to power and these subsidies aren’t getting to them [and are going to the middle and upper classes]…

"The support compares with $57 billion in 2009 for renewable sources, including wind turbines, wave machines and solar panels, rising to $110 billion in 2015, according to IEA figures published last year. Higher subsidies for fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide may undermine efforts to deal with climate change…"


BIG BIG BP WIND FOR KANSAS
BP to build $800 million Kansas wind farm in 2012
Braden Reddall (w/Gary Hill), October 3, 2011 (Reuters)

"BP Plc…[plans] to build an $800 million wind farm in Kansas next year…providing a lift for the U.S. wind power industry as its outlook dims with the looming expiry of federal tax credits..."The 419-megawatt Flat Ridge 2 wind farm will include 262 General Electric turbines spinning about 43 miles southwest of Wichita…[It] will be the largest installation for both the state and BP Wind Energy.

"Subject to permits, BP will start work on the 66,000-acre (26,700-hectare) project within the next three months, employing as many as 500 people at the peak of construction with a target of commercial start-up by the end of 2012."

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"Most of the electricity will be sent out of state, with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc signing a power purchase agreement for 314 MW that will help power its 875,000 members in Missouri, northeast Oklahoma and southeast Iowa…BP Wind Energy said it was actively marketing the remaining capacity to other customers in the Midwest.

"But the U.S. wind industry faces a tough road ahead. Wind energy specialist MAKE Consulting has just trimmed estimates for turbine demand, citing lower expectations for China and the United States -- the latter due to uncertainty about production tax credits due to expire next year…The politics of renewable energy have also been greatly complicated by the troubles surrounding federal loan-backed solar company Solyndra…"