QUICK NEWS, June 27: ABOUT THE (NON-EXISTENT) U.S. SOLAR F-I-T; THE WIND MONEY IS IN MAINTENANCE RIGHT NOW; FED RULE WILL GET NEW ENERGY ON THE WIRES

ABOUT THE (NON-EXISTENT) U.S. SOLAR F-I-T What Is Holding Back Solar Feed-In-Tariff Programs In The U.S. Market?

21 June 2012 (Solar Industry)

“Feed-in tariffs (FITs) have spurred the installation of more than three-quarters of global solar capacity. Germany's FIT - perhaps one of the best-known programs - has led to the development of more than 50,000 MW of solar power and wind power domestically since its inception in 1990…[but] FITs continue to fail to make inroads in the U.S…[which] instead relies on a patchwork of often inconsistent federal and state incentives…

[“…U.S. CLEAN Programs; Where Are We Now? What Have We Learned?] by John Farrell, senior energy researcher at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), recaps the frustrating path of the U.S.' FIT programs and makes recommendations…FIT programs - generally branded as Clean Local Energy Accessible Now (CLEAN) contracts in the U.S. - currently exist in 14 states. However, installed capacity under all of the programs totals just 132 MW…[and could only reach] 1% or less of each jurisdiction's total electricity scales. In comparison, the cap-less German [FIT] market already has allowed at least 20% electricity…”

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“Another shortcoming of the U.S.' CLEAN programs may be their emphasis on large-scale solar projects. Unlike in Germany, where individuals own 40% of the current renewable energy market, few U.S. programs allow participation by owners of residential PV arrays…The Sacramento Municipal Utility District's (SMUD) program, for instance, leads the U.S. in terms of installed CLEAN capacity, with two-thirds of the country's total, but…[a] single 30 MW array took up half of SMUD's capacity…The ILSR believes that small-scale, locally owned PV projects represent a more effective use…

“…[T]he German government's ongoing management of its FIT program has not been without controversy. Last year's boom in PV installations, followed by an announcement of drastic FIT rate cuts, resulted in political wrangling and negotiations that have yet to be resolved…[and] the U.S.' electricity market and regulatory environment differ from Germany's…[but] the U.S. can learn…important FIT/CLEAN program management lessons from Germany [especially about price differentiation]…”

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THE WIND MONEY IS IN MAINTENANCE RIGHT NOW Vestas Signs Maintenance Deal With EDPR

25 June 2012 (North American Windpower)

“[World-leading but floundering turbine] maker Vestas has signed its largest-ever service and maintenance renewal agreement with EDPR, under which Vestas will service more than 1,100 wind turbines across 30 wind projects in the U.S. and Europe for up to seven years…[T]he service agreement represents a total capacity of nearly 1.9 GW…”

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“…About 70% of the turbines covered in the agreement are in the U.S., while the remaining wind power plants are in Spain, France, Romania, Portugal and Italy. Vestas says it will use local service teams and six regional performance, diagnostic and surveillance centers to monitor the wind turbines…[Vestas] expects its service business to make up a growing part of income in the future as more wind turbines come off of warranties…”

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FED RULE WILL GET NEW ENERGY ON THE WIRES FERC: Renewable Energy Integration Rule Eliminates Undue Burdens

22 June 2012 (Renew Grid)

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a final rule that promotes the more efficient operation of the transmission system amid increasing integration of variable energy resources and benefits electric consumers by ensuring that services are provided at just and reasonable rates.

“The rule adopts two reforms…[one] requiring transmission providers to offer customers the option of scheduling transmission service at 15-minute intervals…[and the other] requiring generators using variable energy resources to provide transmission owners with certain data to support power production forecasting…”

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“The rule finds that transmission customers are exposed to excessive imbalance service charges because they cannot adjust their service schedules within each operating hour. Intra-hour scheduling gives customers the tool they need to manage that exposure when generation output changes within the hour…The rule allows transmission providers to submit alternative proposals that are consistent with or superior to the 15-minute scheduling reform. Any alternative proposal will need to provide equivalent or greater opportunities for transmission customers to mitigate generator imbalance penalties and for the public utility transmission provider to lower its reserve-related costs.

“…[P]ower production forecasts help transmission providers manage reserves more efficiently, [but] the forecasts are only as good as the data on which they rely. By requiring new interconnection customers whose generating facilities are variable energy resources to provide meteorological and operational data to transmission providers engaging in power production forecasting, transmission providers will better be able to manage resource variability…FERC will continue to evaluate proposed charges…”

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