QUICK NEWS, March 26: WIND, ENVIROS AGREE ON BIRD PROTECT MEASURES; SOLAR’S BLESSINGS, DISPLAYED; NO GLIDE PATH FOR WIND

WIND, ENVIROS AGREE ON BIRD PROTECT MEASURES
American Wind Wildlife Institute Welcomes Wind Energy Guidelines, Stands Ready to Support Effective Implementation
March 23, 2012 (American Wind Wildlife Institute)

"The American Wind Wildlife Institute (AWWI)…welcomed the release by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of Wind Energy Guidelines to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife and their habitats related to land-based wind energy facilities and said it stands ready to support effective implementation. AWWI is a partnership of conservation nonprofits, wildlife agencies, and wind energy industry members…"

[Abby Arnold, Executive Director, AWWI:] "Facilitating the timely and responsible development of wind energy while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat is the shared goal of the conservation organizations and wind energy companies that founded AWWI… "

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"…Several of the conservation organizations and wind energy companies that commented on or participated in the development of recommendations regarding the guidelines are AWWI partners…[and regard the] voluntary guidelines [as] an unprecedented pathway…to increase renewable wind energy on the ground, while employing scientifically sound strategies to protect a very broad range of avian species and habitats…"

[Taber Allison, Director of Research and Evaluation, AWWI:] "Reliance on the science played an important role in the development of the guidelines and will continue to do so in their implementation…For example, as companies assess the potential level of impact to certain species at a proposed location, it is important that they have access to information about the possible range and presence of a species, models to predict behavior and possible interactions, and tools to mitigate impact that are all grounded in the science.”


SOLAR’S BLESSINGS, DISPLAYED
Growatt North America Releases New PV System Monitoring System
19 March 2012 (Solar Industry)

"Growatt North America, a PV inverter supplier…has introduced a new solar monitoring system…[T]he proprietary hardware and software package is designed to provide a complete and user-friendly presentation of PV system performance in real time…[It] covers exact net and production history (in 15-minute, hourly and daily increments); the environmental impact of the system; power meter details; and inverter model product details. Data can be embeddable live into a website location or downloaded into a .CSV format."

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"The report-generation software meets or exceeds all current requirements for renewable energy subsidies and rebates, and presents data in dynamic and easy to understand graphic displays…The product will be available for all Growatt inverter solar PV installations and includes free access to the proprietary Web-based dashboard, as well as free software updates…"


NO GLIDE PATH FOR WIND
Wind Industry Should Mull Tax Credit Phase-Out, Baucus Says
Kathleen Hunter, march 20, 2012 (Bloomberg News)

"…U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said… that phasing out the [wind industry’s] tax credit might be the most realistic way to keep it from expiring altogether at the end of the year…[The industry hasn’t endorsed a phase-out, American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode said, and a full one-year extension in the first part of this year remains its top priority]…

"The production tax credit provides an incentive for installation of wind turbines, based on the number of kilowatt- hours generated. For wind, the credit will cost the government $1.3 billion in fiscal 2012…Similar credits are available for energy produced from other renewable sources…Given the tight budget outlook, the idea of phasing out the wind credit rather than extending it has drawn support from Republican senators."

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[Senator John Thune, R-SD:] “If you can demonstrate a glide path to getting where you don’t need the credit any more, phasing it out over time, I think it’s going to be a lot more palatable politically to try to get an approach like that through.”

[Senator Kent Conrad, D-ND:] “We are making great progress at getting wind to be almost viable without help, but we’re not there yet…” [and Senator Ben Cardin, D-MD:] “It would be, I think, ill-advised to start talking about a finite policy on wind without knowing how it affects the other sources of energy…So I’m for a straight extension. I think that gives us the time to try to come up with a rational energy policy"