QUICK NEWS, December 17: THE SOUTH COULD RISE ON OCEAN WIND; SOLAR PANEL PRICE DROP SLOWS; WHAT CUSTOMERS THINK OF THE SMART GRID

THE SOUTH COULD RISE ON OCEAN WIND Southeast US needs to rethink policies for offshore wind to succeed, advocates say

Michael Copley, December 12, 2013 (SNL)

“The southeastern coast of the U.S. offers vast opportunities for offshore wind energy development, but regulatory and utility structures in the region currently provide few options for overcoming the sector's high cost of development, according to Perrin Dargan, an attorney with K&L Gates...[O]ffshore wind, therefore, is ultimately too expensive for utilities…Perhaps the industry's best hope, Dargan said, would be for lawmakers to allow utilities to recover the cost of ongoing construction of offshore wind projects through electricity rates, as some are currently able to do on fossil fuel assets…[N]o commercial offshore wind farms [are] operating or even under construction in the U.S…[The Southeast] holds 63% of the East Coast's shallow-water wind resource…” click here for more

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SOLAR PANEL PRICE DROP SLOWS Spot PV Module Price Trends in November

December 2013 (pvXchange)

"…Downturn in prices for Japanese and German crystalline modules on the European spot market slowed down in November. Even prices for modules from China gave way again. Only the prices for imports from Southeast Asia stabilized with a slight upward trend towards December…2013 was a stable year as far as the general price development is concerned…Prices for Chinese and Southeast Asian modules are currently only 18-25% below the prices for products from Europe and Japan. In January 2013 China’s module prices were still 36% below those of Japanese products. Since then the Japanese market has cooled…bringing more Japanese and Korean goods to Europe…[M]odules from Japan and Korea have put the largest downward adjustment behind them with just under 15%...German modules [fell] 10% and China modules increased 7.5%. In 2012 prices fell by 30% on average…” click here for more

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WHAT CUSTOMERS THINK OF THE SMART GRID Smart Grid Consumer Survey; Consumer Attitudes and Opinions about Smart Grids, Smart Meters, Smart Thermostats, Home Energy Management, and Demand Response

4Q 2013 (Navigant Research)

"As smart grid rollouts continue in the United States, albeit at a pace slower than in previous years, utilities and vendors are looking for ways to maximize the impact…[S]mart grid and smart home technologies continue to face different levels of consumer awareness, interest, and acceptance. In addition, consumer expectations…are likely higher than what can be achieved and the price they are willing to pay for these offerings is lower than what the market currently supports. Navigant Research’s Smart Grid Consumer Survey shows that while smart grid products and services have the potential to save consumers money by reducing their energy consumption, end-user interest remains moderate to low…” click here for more

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