QUICK NEWS, February 1: CONGRESS ON VERGE OF RUINING WIND IN 2013; WHAT SOLAR POWER PLANTS NEED; BIG MONEY IN ZERO ENERGY

CONGRESS ON VERGE OF RUINING WIND IN 2013
Iberdrola Suspending New US Wind Farms Without Tax Credit – Executive
January 25, 2012 (Dow Jones Newswire via Fox Business)

"… Spain's Iberdrola SA (IBDRY, IBE.MC) has suspended planning for new wind farms in the U.S... anticipating that Congress may not extend a popular tax credit for the industry…Rich Glick, vice president of government affairs for Iberdrola Renewables…[said] there would be ‘close to zero’ megawatts of wind power built in the U.S. in 2013 if the credit isn't extended soon…

"…[A] broader legislative deal to give payroll tax breaks to U.S. workers is being debated]. If the wind provision isn't included in that bill…to be voted on [by the end of February]… it might not be considered again until after the November elections…Wind farms that are producing electricity by the end of this year can claim the credit, and industry observers say 2012 could be a record year for wind installations as developers race to complete projects…"

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"But the wind industry is scaling back future plans now because it takes years to plan a project and they can't count on any future tax credits…Acciona Wind Power North America… said the company's turbine assembly facility in Iowa might be able to keep its workforce at about 125 without the credit by shipping the turbines to wind farms in Canada, Mexico, or elsewhere. But it could be ramping up production and hiring more people if the credit were still in place…

"The American Wind Energy Association and other trade groups support a bill that would extend the credit by four years. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.)…suggested it should be part of ongoing negotiations on the payroll tax…[but] Rep. Fred Upton (R., Mich.), said provisions to delay enforcement of Environmental Protection Agency rule on industrial boiler emissions and to expedite the approval of the cross-border Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada should also be part of the deal. Many Senate Democrats oppose both…"


WHAT SOLAR POWER PLANTS NEED
SEIA, LSA Submit Recommendations For Solar Energy Development On Public Lands
31 January 2012 (Solar Industry)

"The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Large-scale Solar Association (LSA) say they have submitted comments on the supplemental draft programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for solar energy development in Southwestern states… issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM)."

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"…[The] key principles…critical to the development of utility-scale solar power plants on public lands…[are]Flexibility for solar power plants to be responsibly developed outside of designated solar energy zones…Near-term identification of new solar energy zones suitable for project development…Coordination of transmission build-out in areas where solar energy development is occurring; and…Continued allotment of the resources and staff necessary for BLM staff to efficiently process pending project permit applications…"


BIG MONEY IN ZERO ENERGY
Revenue From Net Zero Energy Buildings to Reach $1.3 Trillion by 2035
January 31, 2012 (Pike Research)

"…[T]he goal of designing zero energy buildings, or buildings that consume as much energy as they produce through on-site and renewable energy systems, has emerged as the next major frontier. A number of countries and regions have already established long-term targets and regulations requiring zero energy building construction that will come into effect over the coming years, some as soon as 2016…

"…[S]tringent regulations will accelerate adoption around the world…According to a new report from Pike Research, worldwide revenue from zero energy buildings will grow rapidly over the next two decades, reaching almost $690 billion by 2020 and nearly $1.3 trillion by 2035. That represents a compound annual growth rate of 43%, with much of that growth occurring in the European Union…"

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"…[T]he European Union’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which governs EU building energy codes, will require nearly zero energy construction in public buildings by 2019 and in all new construction by 2021. The exact language of these new building codes is still being established, but it is clear they will drive significant investment in zero energy building technologies over the next few decades…

"…Similar regulations have come into effect or are being discussed in the United States and Japan. While the technologies required to make zero energy buildings possible, such as efficient lighting and HVAC systems, improved insulation, solar photovoltaic and other systems, can add significant upfront cost, advances in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies will improve system performance and reduce costs…"