QUICK NEWS, June 9: CHEAP WIND CUTS MICH ELEC RATES; CBS GUIDE TO HOME SOLAR; NEW MEXICO GOES GEOTHERMAL

CHEAP WIND CUTS MICH ELEC RATES Cheap Michigan Wind Energy Set To Save Consumers $15 Million Annually

Silvio Marcacci, June 9, 2015 (Clean Technica)

"Higher consumer prices are often cited by fossil fuel interests to oppose state renewable energy targets, but…[Michigan utility] DTE Electricity has asked regulators to let it cut monthly residential electricity rates, citing fast-falling wind energy costs as it works to comply with the state’s 10% by 2015 renewable portfolio standard (RPS)…[Millions of customers could save $15 million per year and state legislators would] get a powerful new reason to expand the current RPS after it is reached and expires…Assuming DTE’s request is approved, the surcharge will disappear from the bills of its 2.1 million electricity consumers in January 2016. Michigan’s other major utility, Consumers Energy, eliminated its 53-cent renewable energy surcharge in July 2014. Both utilities also say they will meet the 10% renewables goal by the end of this year…[T]he US Energy Information Administration just projected wind power would be cheaper (on average) than any other type of generation except the most efficient natural gas technology by 2020…” click here for more

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CBS GUIDE TO HOME SOLAR What you need to know about home solar power

June 9, 2015 (CBS MoneyWatch)

“…The combination of falling prices, financial incentives, and increasing environmental awareness makes solar power a tempting option…In some arrangements, you could even sell some of your unused power back to the utility…[To decide if] solar is right…Check for…neighborhood covenants or city ordinances that preclude or limit solar…Set your goals and tolerances…Evaluate your needs and site capabilities…by checking your past utility bills for usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh)...Total all costs for the panels, installation labor, taxes, and any other initial costs, and then subtract any tax incentives…Research vendors [and lease and purchase options]…Solar panels can save you money in energy costs, increase the value of a home, and help you do your part to conserve the planet's resources. Unless you live under a black cloud, why wouldn't you at least investigate the possibilities?...” click here for more

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NEW MEXICO GOES GEOTHERMAL Meeting looks at tapping the Jemez Mountains for geothermal power

Staci Matlock, June 2, 2015 (Santa Fe New Mexican)

“…The [U.S.] Forest Service has launched a years long process to determine where companies can explore and potentially build utility-scale geothermal power plants in [New Mexico’s] Jemez Mountains. The plants generate electricity by recirculating water heated by the earth’s core to turn turbines…Geothermal exploration will be excluded from some parts of the Jemez Mountains to protect endangered wildlife, hot springs and other protected resources…The Bureau of Land Management is in charge of the geothermal leases, but the Santa Fe National Forest has to first prepare an environmental assessment about the potential impacts of leasing the land for geothermal development…If the Forest Service approves the leasing plans, BLM will hold a competitive bid…Companies that win the leases will have to go back to the Forest Service to have individual geothermal projects approved…New Mexico has vast potential…” click here for more

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