QUICK NEWS, November 10: A NEW KOCH-BROS ATTACK ON WIND; SOLAR’S BOOM; BUSINESS TO QUADRUPLE DEMAND RESPONSE

A NEW KOCH-BROS ATTACK ON WIND The Koch brothers’ underhanded attack on wind energy; The duo's anti-Obama spin on a bipartisan issue is beyond despicable

Lindsay Abrams, November 7, 2014 (Salon)

“…A coalition of conservative groups lead by the Koch-affiliated American Energy Alliance (and including the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity, the Koch-affiliated Competitive Enterprise Institute, among others) are…urging congressional Republicans to allow a key wind energy tax credit to expire…According to the American Wind Energy Association, capacity and construction drop a full 84 percent when the wind production tax credit (PTC) isn’t available. In a letter addressed to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the groups warn that Democrats will try to extend the PTC during the lame-duck session. Forget that doing so will save jobs and promote clean energy, they argue: cooperating would be tantamount to endorsing climate action…[But unlike the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, wind] has bipartisan support…

“Last March, 144 Congressional members, lead by Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) called for the PTC’s renewal…Terry Branstad, a Republican, once wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal calling them out for trying to politicize the PTC…Even Joni Ernst, Iowa’s newly elected Tea Party senator…has publicly supported the wind credit…The letter itself is proof that the [fossil-fuel baron] Koch brothers…fear that their cronies in the federal government aren’t on their side…” click here for more

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SOLAR’S BOOM Here Comes the Sun: America's Solar Boom, in Charts; It's been a bit player, but solar power is about to shine.

Tim McDonnell, Novemeber 7, 2014 (Mother Jones)

“…By 2016, solar power will be as cheap or cheaper than electricity from the conventional grid in every state except three [according to an energy analyst at Deutsche Bank]. That's without any changes to existing policy…[Within a few years,] in most of the United States, there will be no economic reason not to go solar…In the past decade, the amount of solar power produced in the United States has leaped 139,000 percent. A number of factors are behind the boom: Cheaper panels and a raft of local and state incentives, plus a federal tax credit that shaves 30 percent off the cost of upgrading…Still, solar is a bit player, providing less than half of 1 percent of the energy produced in the United States. But its potential is massive—it could power the entire country 100 times over…[Obstacles include] pushback from old-energy diehards, competition with other efficient energy sources, and the challenges of power storage and transmission. But with solar in the Southwest already at "grid parity"—meaning it costs the same or less as electricity from conventional sources—Wall Street is starting to see solar as a sound bet…” click here for more

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BUSINESS TO QUADRUPLE DEMAND RESPONSE Demand Response for Commercial & Industrial Markets; Market Players and Dynamics, Key Technologies, Competitive Overview, and Global Market Forecasts

4Q 2014 (Navigant Research)

“Demand response (DR)… was implemented [in the 1970s] as a component of the energy conservation focus of demand-side management (DSM) programs to encourage consumers to use less electricity during peak hours or to shift their energy use to off-peak times. Utilities have offered interruptible rates to commercial and industrial (C&I) customers for many years…Since 2010, C&I DR programs have matured…As DR has become a larger part of the resource base, regulators and other market participants are calling for tighter requirements to ensure reliable operations and efficient markets…[Market factors] like low natural gas prices and coal and nuclear retirements [will] affect the growth path…Currently, almost all of the C&I DR activity is taking place in the United States…[but] over the next 10 years…all world regions continue or start the pilot phase of DR and then build out full-scale markets or programs. According to Navigant Research, global C&I DR capacity is expected to grow from 26.8 GW in 2014 to 132.3 GW in 2023…” click here for more

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