QUICK NEWS, February 3: ALTERNATIVES TO OIL COMING ON; WHY BUFFETT SEES WIND AS A WINNER; FLA UTILITY IN BIG SOLAR BUY
ALTERNATIVES TO OIL COMING ON New Study Shows Alternative Fuel Supplies Could Triple on the West Coast
Simon Mui, January 31, 2015 (Energy Collective)
“…For every fifteen gasoline stations you drive by, on average only one will offer an alternative fuel option. That virtual monopoly by the oil industry may soon change, based on Potential Low-Carbon Fuel Supply to the Pacific Region of North America from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) and E4Tech…[T]he Pacific Coast region can greatly diversify its fuel mix through an abundance of low carbon fuels, which could provide over a quarter of our transportation energy by 2030, a three-fold increase versus today's levels…These potential supplies of low-carbon fuels can be largely driven by [already adopted or proposed] clean fuel standards…in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and California, creating one of the world's largest clean fuels markets…A mix of alternative fuels, such as clean electricity, renewable diesel, biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol, and biomethane, could be utilized to reduce the carbon-intensity of fuels by 14 to 21% by 2030…” click here for more
WHY BUFFETT SEES WIND AS A WINNER A company’s perspective on why wind energy matters
Jonathan M. Weisgall, January 31, 2015 (The Hill)
“…A Berkshire Hathaway company, MidAmerican Energy, is about halfway done with building up to $1.9 billion worth of wind farms in Iowa [– the biggest economic development project in Iowa history]…We like wind because it is a hedge against fossil prices. We know the 30-year cost for our wind farms. You can’t say the same for a gas plant…[W]ind helps the resource diversity of the grid, improving our energy security…The availability of wind resources gave Iowa a competitive advantage over other states when the state was competing to get [tech] companies to invest…[because they] want long-term assurance of stable prices…[O]ur rural customers…have benefitted from wind resources because it provides property taxes to the county and lease payments to landowners. For example, our $1.9 billion project is going to result in landowner payments of more than $3 million a year. Farmers see wind as a cash crop…[And] we’re pursuing wind resources because it is a proven technology that can address federal environmental policies…Berkshire Hathaway sees it as a good investment.” click here for more
FLA UTILITY IN BIG SOLAR BUY FPL proposes to almost double Florida's solar power by end of 2016
Ivan Penn, Janaury 26, 2015 (Tampa Bay Times)
“…[Florida Power & Light, Florida's largest investor owned utility, plans] to build three new solar farms that would nearly double the state's solar capacity…The utility proposes to add 225 megawatts of solar to the state's current 229 megawatts by the end of next year…FPL is still refining the details of the project so the utility did not provide cost estimates. But the company said there would be no significant impact on customer rates…Duke Energy Florida's argument against any immediate deployment of solar power in its service area [is that it is too expensive], though the utility also has been exploring possible sites…Tampa Electric is [also] exploring solar…[Pressure is mounting] on Florida's utilities and on Tallahassee from grass roots organizations that are calling on the Sunshine State to live up to its name by tapping the sun for more of its electricity needs…Floridians for Solar Choice — a coalition of tea party and Christian Coalition conservatives as well as liberals, environmentalists and retailers — has launched a petition drive to add an initiative to the 2016 ballot that would allow those who generate electricity from the sun to sell the power directly to other consumers...That would create competition for the investor owned utilities such as FPL, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric and Gulf Power…” click here for more
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