QUICK NEWS, February 12: NEW ENERGY AND NATGAS ARE THE U.S. FUTURE; FLOATING WIND GETS GO IN OREGON; SOLAR LEASE FUND LEADERS BROKE OUT IN 2013

NEW ENERGY AND NATGAS ARE THE U.S. FUTURE BNEF: Despite bumps, US generation continues transition to renewables, natural gas

Michael Copley, February 5, 2014 (SNL)

“…Between 2007 and 2013, electricity generation from renewable sources, including large-scale hydropower, grew from 8.3% to 12.9% of the total U.S. power load. Gas-fired power plants provided 28% of the country's electricity last year, up from 22% in 2007…Industry leaders said the results show the kind of evolving energy industry that President Barack Obama outlined in his State of the Union address…[W]ithin the narrative BNEF presented are signs of subtler shifts in the evolving industries…[M]oney is focused now on small-scale distributed generation…[and] is funneling into the renewable energy industry from new sources: Public markets are contributing more while venture capital lately has retreated… from the clean energy space…[T]he price of natural gas moving forward [is expected to be] in the $3.50 to $5 range.” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

FLOATING WIND GETS GO IN OREGON Oregon could get West Coast's first wind energy farm: 5 floating offshore turbines

Gosia Wozniacka, February 5, 2014 (AP via Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

"…[T]he West Coast's first offshore wind energy farm…[a 30-megawatt pilot project made up of] five floating turbines off Oregon's Coos Bay…will be developed by Seattle-based Principle Power using floating wind turbine technology that has not been deployed in U.S. waters but is in use or under development in Europe and Asia…The Oregon facility would be 15 miles from shore, in about 1,400 feet of water. The turbines would be connected by electrical [lines that]…transmit electricity to the mainland…Several offshore projects are in the works on the Atlantic coast…[but they] are anchored to the seabed…[T]he West Coast has not yet seen offshore wind projects because the…ocean gets deeper more quickly…so turbine towers cannot be planted directly into the seabed…Fishermen on the southern Oregon coast have agreed to support the project…Proponents say better wind speeds are available at sea than on land, creating more electricity than other projects…The industry has grown chiefly in Europe, where several dozen offshore wind farms operate. China [and Japan are] also developing projects…” click here for more

Tweet

SOLAR LEASE FUND LEADERS BROKE OUT IN 2013 Solar Residential/Commercial Lease Funding Garnered $2.34 Billion in 2013

February 10, 2014 (Mercom Capital Group)

“The Top 5 companies in 2013 raising commercial/residential lease funds were...[Vivint Solar,] SolarCity, Sunrun, SunPower, and SunEdison [according to the Mercom Capital 2013 market report on solar]…[The year saw] another strong showing for solar lease, with a record year in…residential/commercial lease funds raised…[There were] 22 announced funds totaling $3.34 billion, a 69 percent increase over 2012. Almost $1 billion was raised in Q4 2013 alone…Most of the third party-financing market is based in the United States where high upfront costs were a major hurdle for potential residential and commercial customers…[Over] the last five years, SolarCity has led fundraising with close to $2 billion. SolarCity also had a successful IPO in 2012 and just announced an industry-first solar securitization deal. Sunrun, with $1.5 billion, is second on the list and a strong IPO candidate in the future. Vivint Solar, SunPower and Clean Power Finance have been the other top fundraisers…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet