QUICK NEWS, March 15: CONGRESS APPROVES TURBINE TOWER MAKERS FIGHT WITH CHINA; SOLAR O&M PROVIDER GUARANTEES PRODUCTION; BIG MONEY IN SMART METERS

CONGRESS APPROVES TURBINE TOWER MAKERS FIGHT WITH CHINA
Senate, House Vote To Continue Wind Tower Trade Proceedings Against China
9 March 2012 (North American Windpower)

"Both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives have passed bipartisan legislation that enables countervailing-duty proceedings to continue against allegedly unfair subsidized goods - including wind turbine towers - from China and Vietnam.

"The legislation overturns a decision made by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) and confirms that the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has the authority to continue to apply countervailing duties to non-market economies, such as China's."

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"According to the House Ways and Means Committee, if the CAFC's decision were allowed to stand, the DOC could be forced to end countervailing duties against products from China. In addition, the six ongoing investigations against Chinese and Vietnamese products would be terminated. If this were to happen, the committee says, some duties that already have been collected would have to be refunded.

"The bill also addresses a finding by the World Trade Organization (WTO) that there may be a ‘double counting’ of Chinese subsidies for countervailing and antidumping on the same good. Under the new legislation, the DOC would be able to adjust anti-dumping duties to address double counting…[T]he legislation was [reportedly] drafted with input and support from the Obama administration [and likely to be signed by the President]…"


SOLAR O&M PROVIDER GUARANTEES PRODUCTION
ESA Renewables Initiates Solar Power Production Guarantee Program for O&M Division; New program guarantees specific monthly energy production for solar energy generating systems under an ESA operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement
8 March 2012 (ESA Renewables)

"ESA Renewables, (ESA), a leading turnkey solar solutions provider, announced the launch of their Solar Power Production Guarantee. This new program guarantees specific monthly energy production for solar energy generating systems under an ESA operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement. Should the photovoltaic system fail to meet ESA’s annual guaranteed power production levels, ESA will compensate the solar farm owners the difference between guaranteed and actual energy generated…

"Once an asset manager contracts with ESA for O&M, engineers will visit the solar farm and perform a complete audit and analysis. To make projections for future production levels and guarantee that rate on return, ESA will analyze current and historic data including energy production levels, panel and inverter compatibility, ratios, high efficiencies, tilt of panels and weather variants."

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"Upon completion of the audit, ESA will make any necessary system upgrades and install their renewable energy Monitoring System. The company will then chart projected production levels and execute a guarantee with the facility owners to meet these expectations. Should a system fail to reach projected levels, for any reason, ESA will compensate the renewable energy plant owners the variance between the two numbers based on a set cost per kilowatt hour (kWh)…

"ESA’s proprietary monitoring and control system is used to manage O&M services…[It allows any renewable energy] plant owners and operators access to simplified, centralized, reliable and secure historical and real-time data from the power plant. Effective monitoring reduces PV system downtime, increases performance and allows operators to make informed decisions as to O&M servicing. ESA’s monitoring solution also automatically alerts system managers of events to allow for quick response…"


BIG MONEY IN SMART METERS
Worldwide Smart Meter Shipments to Surpass 140 Million Units Annually, According to IDC Energy Insights' Worldwide Quarterly Smart Meter Tracker
March 7, 2012 (IDC Energy Insights)

"…IDC Energy Insights' Worldwide Quarterly Smart Meter Tracker found that worldwide smart meter shipments in the fourth quarter of 2011 (4Q11) grew 11.8% over the previous quarter (3Q11) and were up 23.8% when compared to the fourth quarter of 2010…[IDC] expects annual smart meter shipments to surpass 140 million units worldwide by 2016, up from 25.4 million in 2011. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.9% over the 2011 to 2016 forecast period.

"…[D]eveloping markets [are expected] to drive smart meter growth through 2016…[T]he revival of the Canadian market and an uptick in shipments to Central and Eastern Europe were the primary drivers in the closing quarter of 2011. In 2012, smart meter shipments in Europe will accelerate as country-level planning continues to progress and the pathway towards the European Commission's ‘20-20-20’ targets finally begins to materialize…"

"Shipments will also ramp up significantly in the Asia/Pacific region as the massive markets in China and India begin to integrate advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The Japanese market is also gaining momentum with the renewed focus on conservation in the wake of Fukushima, while utilities in Oceana are learning to manage the consumer backlash that emerged from previous deployments.

"…[T]hrough 2016, activity will shift from North America and Europe to the developing world…Smart meter vendors [will develop] a wide array of solutions to fit…a pronounced difference between AMI in mature markets and upcoming emerging market deployments. Utilities in emerging markets tend to focus more on billing and theft deterrence rather than customer engagement or next-generation smart grid applications…[E]merging markets have displayed a greater degree of price sensitivity…[than] more mature AMI markets."