QUICK NEWS, October 7: SOLAR AND THE SHUTDOWN; OCEAN WIND TEST CENTER READY TO GO; BIG OPPORTUNITY IN CLOSING COAL PLANTS

SOLAR AND THE SHUTDOWN Could the US Government Shutdown Slow Solar PV Market Growth?

Christine Beadle and Michael Barker, October 3, 2013 (SolarBuzz)

“In this, the first week of the US government shutdown, there are already potential ramifications for the US solar PV end market. One of the primary impacts on the US market could be project delays…[O]ver 2 GW of PV projects stand to be affected by delays, as they are already in the BLM approval/review process…[I]f the shutdown continues….all pending applications in the 19 Solar Energy Zones across CA, NV, AZ, CO, NM, and UT could suffer delays…[T]he full impact of the shutdown on end-market development cannot be fully quantified without knowing how long the shutdown will last...” click here for more

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OCEAN WIND TEST CENTER READY TO GO Massive rig arrives at SC wind turbine center

Bruce Smith, October 3, 2013 (AP via Fort Mill Times)

“Moving slowly on a floating crane and a barge…[a] four-story tall gearbox and a giant steel connecting ring in a mammoth box were brought down the Cooper Rover to Clemson University's Wind Turbine Drive Train Testing Facility [which will be the world's largest wind turbine test unit]…The $100 million facility will be dedicated in November and the first tests of prototype turbine drive trains are expected in the summer of 2014…There are only two other such testing facilities, one in Spain and one in Colorado. But the Clemson site will test far larger…drive trains for wind turbines that can produce 15 megawatts…[and] have blades reaching 100 yards above the ocean surface…” click here for more

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BIG OPPORTUNITY IN CLOSING COAL PLANTS Closing Coal Plants – A Billion Dollar Industry

Angela Garrone, October 2, 2013 (CleanEnergy.org)

“According to a new report, closing and decommissioning coal plants will account for a multibillion dollar industry by the end of the decade. New research by Navigant Research asserts that between now and 2020, companies that demolish facilities, haul away debris and salvage polluted land could bring in more than $5 billion in revenue. Retiring and demolishing old coal plants, it turns out, could serve as an economic boost and job creator – a fact that pro-coal advocates never mention…[W]hile there is no universal price tag for decommissioning coal plants, a plant between 350 and 500 MW in size could cost roughly $18.9 million to decommission…” click here for more

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