OHIO WIND PRODUCERS GET HIGH

It IS a stimulating idea, but we're not talking illegal substances. We're talking excitement WITHOUT breaking the law! We're talking making life more exciting, not making it SEEM more exciting.

Energy producers capture speedier wind
April 19, 2007 (AP via Yahoo news)
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WHO
Activist group Environment Ohio, motivated by the political leadership of Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and State House Speaker Jon Husted

WHAT
Ohio has enormous wind energy potential: Environment Ohio advocates taking advantage of new technology to build windmills up to 330 feet in height, where faster winds will generate more megawatts of electricity.

WHEN
The political leaders are working on goals such as those suggested by Environment Ohio for 20% of renewables by 2017.

WHERE
Northwesten Ohio as typified by Bowling Green.

WHY
By building the higher windmills, Ohio can take advantage of 17 MPH+ prevailing winds to generate significant megawatts of electricity. With a political mandate, Ohio can easily move up from its meager seven megawatts of production (41st among US states) and approach Texas US leading 2768 megawatts of electricity generation by wind.

QUOTES
"The map shows Ohio is considerably more windy than previous research," said Dennis Elliot, a principal scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

READYING THE MIDWEST GRID FOR NEW ENERGY

First Phase Of SMART Study Addresses Electric Transmission Options For Midwest
2 July 2010 (Renew Grid)

THE POINT
Setting aside momentarily the many and varied opinions about what is or is not practical, the only real reason anybody would NOT want the people of this good earth to get as much of their energy as possible from the infinitely renewable resources of the sun, the wind, the crust's deep heat and the rivers' and oceans' flowing waters is because they have vested interests in the toxic and destructive energy businesses.

Scrutiny of fossil fuel industry statements is telling. They say the sun and the wind are wonderful but there is not enough of them. Not enough sun? Have they ever been to Arizona? Not enough wind? Have they ever been to South Dakota?

What they mean, of course, is that the infrastructure to capture the solar and wind assets is inadequate. Funny thing about that: In the 1970s, when international tensions led to oil embargoes, oil shortages and gasoline lines, some very farsighted people said it was time to turn to the sun and the wind. Guess what the wise men of the fossil fuel industries said in reply? The wind and the sun are wonderful but there is not enough of them. So now, when the pioneers of today's New Energy industries hear such shortsighted, self-serving drivel, they put their heads down and redouble their efforts to build and plan.

The dedicated work of the New Energy industries over the last decade is paying off. Phase 1 Report: Strategic Midwest Area Renewable Transmission (SMARTransmission) Study, from Quanta Technology for American Transmission Co., Exelon Corp., NorthWestern Energy, Xcel Energy, MidAmerican Energy Co. and subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., proves it. These power companies and utilities, the people who bear the enormous responsibility of keeping the lights turned on and the A/C running, are making plans to build new wires to carry the new gigawatts of wind and the sun power now becoming a part of the nation's electricity supply.

The essence of the report: This ad hoc consortium of electricity producers and utilities, powerhouses in a conservative economic sector, are being told by their own research group that there are at least 3 practical transmission plans through which the heartlands (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio) can bring online 56 more gigawatts of wind energy capacity and thereby meet a proposed national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) requiring regulated utilities to obtain 20% of their power from New Energy sources.

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In some advocates minds, these powerful corporations’ sudden interest in the New Energies raises a question: Is this a change of heart or an end run? Do they really think the sun and the wind are their future or are they using them as an excuse to build new wires that will ultimately do more for the centralized power plants of the Old Energies than they will for the New Energies’ more distributed generation?

Some of the most passionate of New Energy advocates, among them folks who have dedicated their lives to stopping the proliferation of coal plants, believe any new transmission that gets built using the excuse that it is needed to carry New Energy will ultimately be used to carry fossil fuel-generated electricity produced along with the spew of greenhouse gases.

“…The idea is for someone, anyone, other than the project proponents to pay…other than those owning the infrastructure to pay…” wrote attorney Carol Overland about a proposal for expanded transmission purportedly dedicated to wind in Minnesota at No CapX 2020, “[and it’s] not wind, it’s electric generation connecting to the grid, be it wind, coal or whatever! Transmission service providers must be open to all, wind, coal, hydro, nuclear…”

The spokespeople for the New Energy industries are unanimous in their call for new, high capability transmission. Calls also come from leaders of both major political parties, including former President Bill Clinton, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and Obama-administration adviser John Podesta of the Center for American Progress, Senator and former Presidential nominee John McCain (R-Ariz) and energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens. Major national environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund back new transmission plans.

The more activist, grassroots and local organizations tend to side with Overland and view the motives of the big power producers skeptically. Until the MRI is invented that sees into the human heart, motives will remain unknowable and the question of these companies' intentions will be one of the most important unanswered questions confronting the community of New Energy advocates. The ultimate proof will be not in what wires they are interested in but in what kind of energies they back.

More details at SMARTransmission and No CapX 2020

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THE DETAILS
The Strategic Midwest Area Transmission (SMART) Study is the first phase of a comprehensive effort to plan transmission expansion in the Upper Midwest. It is ostensibly to sustain the reliability of the electricity supply as more New Energy is brought aboard.

Project partners: American Transmission Co., Exelon Corp., NorthWestern Energy, Xcel Energy, MidAmerican Energy Co. and Electric Transmission America (a joint venture among subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.) The partners sponsored the study by researchers at Quanta Technology LLC.

The report is on the first phase of the study. It compared 8 hypothetical extra high voltage (EHV) additions to the existing grid that could carry the 56.8 gigawatts of wind needed to the proposed national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) requiring regulated utilities to obtain 20% of their power from New Energy sources.

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The study’s next phase, to be reported on in the Fall, will evaluate comparative costs of the 3 transmission proposals found to be practical in phase one: (1) Primarily 765 kV extra-high-voltage transmission, (2) 765 kV combined with some high-voltage direct-current transmission (HVDC) lines, and (3) a combination of 345 kV and 765 kV transmission lines.

States in the study area: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

The study area: Portions of the Midwest ISO, PJM Interconnection and Southwest Power Pool.

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The 8 hypothetical plans: (1) An exclusively 345 kV expansion, (2) two combination 345 kV and 765 kV expansions, and (3) 5 exclusively 765 kV.expansions.

The winners, because they performed better in the reliability analyses: (1) 2029 Revised Conceptual EHV Transmission Alternative 2, a combination of 345 kV and 765 kV facilities; (2) 2029 Revised Conceptual EHV Transmission Alternative 5, primarily 765 kV facilities; and (3) 2029 Revised Conceptual EHV Transmission Overlay Alternative 5A, primarily 765 kV with a long HVDC transmission line.

The hypothetical transmission build-outs in 2019 and 2024 would deliver the 2029 capacity. The Phase 1 study includes a sequencing for the build-outs. The specific locations for the build-outs would be in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), Midwest Independent System Operators (Midwest ISO), PJM Interconnection, and Mid-Continent Area Power Pool (MAPP) and dependent on where wind projects are developed.

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The sequencing prioritizes build-outs that most efficiently meet 2029 transmission goals. Development locations, the amount of new generation capacity, retirements of older infrastructure and load growth will alter it.

Other options considered in the study: (1) High gas and low carbon future generation portfolios, (2) high and low wind generation scenarios, (3) imports of electricity from the SPP region, and (4) high and low load demands.

The Phase 1 study results will be delivered to Regional Transmission Organizations to serve in planning regional transmission projects. They will make final decisions.

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Phase 2 metrics for the economic evaluations of costs and benefits will include: (1) The Adjusted Production Cost (APC); (2) environmental costs (including SO2, NOX, and CO2); and (3) the load cost.

Further planning will be necessary to integrate transmission overlays into the existing grid. Final planning may introduce other variables and necessitate alternative long-range projects that accomplish similar system performance.

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QUOTES
- John Procario, President/Chair/CEO, ATC: "Our participation in this and other regional studies is key to ensuring the continued reliability of the electric system grid while also achieving the public policy goals for the integration of greater amounts of renewable energy…"

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- From the report” “The revised EHV transmission overlay alternatives developed in Phase 1 are designed to reliably and efficiently integrate 56.8 GW of wind energy in the Midwest and help states to satisfy renewable energy standards and goals.”

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- From the report: “Transmission infrastructure is critical to the interconnection and delivery of energy. SMARTransmission seeks to ensure that the system is efficient and capable of interconnecting wind and other generation resources.”

NEW ENERGY EVERYWHERE

Energy Self-Reliant States
John Farrell and David Morris, October 2009 (The New Rules Project)

SUMMARY
There is no reason for any state in the union to resist transition to the New Energy economy on the grounds it lacks resources to profitably participate and successfully compete. They can and that is clearly demonstrated in Energy Self-Reliant States, by John Farrell and David Morris.

The study looks at New Energy potentials in each state. It estimates not technical potentials but commercial potentials. It concludes that all of the 36 states that now have Renewable Electricity Standards (RESs) or New Energy goals can meet them with their own in-state resources. 64% of those states could meet their entire electricity needs with in-state resources and 14% more could meet 75% of their electricity needs with in-state resources.

A cost-benefit analysis suggests regional and local generation of New Energy is the most efficient way to transition to a New Energy economy, especially when the impact of New Energy development on local and state jobs and revenues is added to the calculation.

Dan Juhl, Minnesota community wind developer: "I live out on the Buffalo Ridge...I look out my window and I see hundreds of wind turbines. When I look at those turbines I'm happy and I'm sad... Most of those turbines are owned by our friends, the foreign multinationals. Out of two counties in Minnesota we export about 80 million dollars a year to France, Florida, Italy, Portugal, Spain. All of our energy future is going out the door when we could be turning that into something real for us."

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COMMENTARY
Some argue that the key to fully developing U.S. New Energy potential is a national high voltage New Energy transmission superhighway to deliver resources from the remote regions where New Energy is abundant to the urban load centers where there is a virtually insatiable appetite for energy.

Only such a national New Energy transmission superhighway, they argue, can deliver the Southwest’s sun, the Midwest, Great Lakes and Offshore Atlantic coast winds, the Mountain West’s geothermal and the Pacific Coast’s ocean power to cities around the nation.

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It is true that energy-abundant regions generate power at the lowest costs. PV-generated electricity in Nevada is 20% cheaper than PV-generated electricity in Iowa and 35% cheaper than in Pennsylvania. North Dakota wind generated electricity is 30% cheaper than Ohio wind generated electricity.

Most of the time, however, these price variations smooth out when the cost of transporting the electricity is included in the calculation. Example: The cost of North Dakota wind generated electricity to Ohio ratepayers – after including the cost of constructing new transmission and the cost of electricity losses during the 1,000-mile transmission – is the same as or higher than the price of locally generated electricity with minimal regional transmission upgrades to deliver it.

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Over 40 states plus D.C. could meet 25% of their electricity needs with rooftop solar photovoltaic energy. Most of those states can produce even more of their electricity from solar with ground photovoltaic arrays and have more than adequate land to do so.

The advent of the widespread use of battery electric vehicles represents both a higher level of demand for electricity and the potential to add abundant distributed storage capacity that will further facilitate the use of intermittent wind and solar energy generated electricity.

The need in the area of transmission may not be a national system but upgraded regional transmission, subtransmission and distribution systems.

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State and local programs are leading the way toward innovation. Efficiency Vermont has proven the efficacy of aggressive conservation. Berkeley has developed a breakthrough finance program for rooftop solar PV.

Many state programs acknowledge the importance of keeping New Energy development local. Ohio’s RES requires half of its mandate to be met by in-state production. Colorado and Missouri credit in-state generation 1.25 times toward the meeting of their standards. Minnesota’s New Energy plan incentivizes local wind development. Washington state incentivizes solar projects using in-state manufactured panels and has increased incentives for community-based solar development.

No state has yet achieved more than 10% of its generation from New Energy sources and it very well could be some time before even the states with the capacity to generate 100% of their power from their New Energies can build the infrastructure to reach 10%, much less 100%. Besides building solar panels, wind turbines, wave-tide-current installations and drilling geothermal plants, the development of regional transmission upgrades and making real the potential for large-scale storage will likely be necessary.

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~12 states have adequate New Energy commercial potential to EXCEED their own energy demand.

31 of the 50 U.S. states have adequate commercial New Energy potential to entirely meet their electricity demand.

10 other states can meet at least half of their electricity demand with their own New Energy.

Southern states from Kentucky to Louisiana have the least commercial New Energy potential. Yet even those states could meet 25% or more of their electricity needs with their New Energy resources.

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Onshore wind dominates the Northwest, Midwest and New England. Solar PV is the most abundant New Energy source in the inland Southeast and Southwest. Offshore wind is the biggest source in the mid-Atlantic states.

The report’s authors describe their estimates as “conservative” because there are technologies that are available but were not included in the calculations, like ground mounted PV, concentrating solar power plant technology, and low temperature geothermal.

Of those who misunderstand New Energy’s potential, many also fail to realize how significant a reduction in energy demand the implementation of effective Energy Efficiency will make. Energy Efficiency is a necessary and inevitable adjunct to the building of a New Energy infrastructure and the emergence of a New Energy economy.

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By assuming the implementation of Energy Efficiency, the report can legitimately assume no increase in electricity consumption despite economic and population growth. A very aggressive efficiency program at the state and local levels could even reduce total energy demand.

If every state simply matched California’s electricity intensity (electricity use per dollar of GDP per person), most would get overall reduced demand, at least in the short-term.

Will all this cost too much?

Using available state specific cost data for wind and rooftop solar and “reasonable” estimates for the other New Energies and Energy Efficiency implementations, the report makes a “very rough estimate” of the costs of electricity self-reliance.

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Things to know about the cost calculations:
1-While the report assumes very aggressive Energy Efficiency implementation and a 20% drop in demand, overall energy demand reductions are actually rare (though it has happened in this recession as well as consistently in California, New York and D.C., where aggressive policies were implemented).
2-The report assumes states will choose the lowest cost new generation but they may pursue supply diversification or other ends.
3-The estimated prices assume present federal incentives and could change with changing future policies.

Included in the cost estimates:
1-Capital and financing,
2-Operations and maintenance,
3-Fuel costs, and
4-Federal tax credits.
5-Levelized costs without profit margins intended to approximate wholesale electricity prices.

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Most notable conclusions about costs:
1-Western states will have the lowest costs for transition because they will implement greater efficiency gains and they have adequate conventional geothermal and onshore wind to be fully self-sufficient.
2-California will lead the transition because it has long had the most aggressive Energy Efficiency in the U.S. (since the 1980s) as well as some of the best New Energy resources.
3-Arizona will follow close behind California because of its abundant solar PV resource.
4-Cost will be low in the Midwest because of abundant onshore wind.
5-The Southeast will encounter higher costs in getting to energy self-reliance because it must develop offshore wind to do so.
6-The Northeast will likely only get to self-reliance through the aggressive development of solar PV.
7- Outliers: Indiana, Vermont, and Maine have greater onshore wind resources than their neighbors and will therefore get to energy self-sufficiency at lower costs.

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In its conclusion, the report asserts that energy self-sufficiency is “well within the technical and financial capability of most states” through the use of solar PV, wind, geothermal and other New Energy resources as well as the ingenuity of ever-increasing efficiency.

States have been and are expected to continue being the driving force behind the transition to energy self-sufficiency. Their role going forward will in part be driven by the pursuit of their share of the $1 trillion expected to be invested in developing New Energy infrastructure over the next 2 decades. That money will produce “profound economic and social benefits.”

Example: Plains states that can expand their wind power to provide 20% of their electricity will create nearly 158,000 jobs, 20,000 of which will be permanent wind project jobs, and over $1.6 billion a year in local economic benefits.

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Widely distributed energy self-sufficiency will serve as a safety valve preventing an event like the 2003 East Coast blackout in which a tree branch fell on an electric line in Ohio and 12 states were in the dark for days.

In addition, local ownership of the energy infrastructure confers responsibility and self-reliance on project owners which tends to motivate higher levels of efficiency and innovation.

Finally, the transition to energy self-sufficiency must begin with a shift in federal and state energy policies to reflect the shift in priorities.

Example: For the next 10 years while the New Energy infrastructure is built, according to the report authors, policy would be more effective if it is aimed at maximizing Energy Efficiency and conservation and effectively using existing transmission, subtransmission, and distribution lines and incentivizing the development of distributed New Energy generation instead of aiming at the immediate development of a New Energy superhighway, .

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QUOTES
- From the study: “In 2009, the nation is involved in a vigorous and far reaching debate about the scale of future energy systems. As we shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy a new question looms before us. Will we embrace a centralized renewable energy future characterized by greater federal involvement in planning, or will we meet local and state needs with local and state-based strategies? The ubiquitous nature of renewable energy argues for a decentralist energy approach…”
- From the study: “Even as FERC and Congress and environmental groups, spurred by independent renewable power producers (some of the biggest of whom are subsidiaries of regulated utilities) rush to pre-empt state authority and accelerate the construction of a new $100-200 billion interregional transmission network, the case for state-focused planning has never been stronger.”

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- From the study: “For it is at the state, not the federal level, that comprehensive, least cost energy planning is used. It is at the state – not the federal or multi-state regional level – that efficiency, demand reduction, distributed generation and other commercially available strategies are often evaluated together. It is at the local level that new technologies like smart grids, electric vehicles, distributed storage, and rooftop solar will have their major impact…”

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- From the study: “…Perhaps the most important reason to make states the principal actors in energy planning is that their collective economic self-interest is consistent with the national interest Every state could create thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, of dollars in economic development through a vigorous strategy of energy efficiency and renewable energy.”
- From the study: “The potential is clear – most states can be energy independent by relying on homegrown, renewable resources. At least thirty-one could satisfy 100 percent of their electricity needs from in-state renewable energy (assuming sufficient distributed storage or distributed generation capable of generating on demand). At least 40 states could satisfy supply half their electricity with domestic renewable resources…And significant improvements in energy efficiency could significantly increase these numbers…

QUICK NEWS, May 31: SMALL GEOTHERM BIG IN CALIF; GREAT LAKES WIND FOR OHIO; 125 MW OF CPV; RARE EARTH PRICE SPIKE

Distributed Geothermal in California Can Add 7% of Supply What Feed-in Tariff Prices Are Necessary?
Paul Gipe, May 24, 2011 (Wind-Works)

"Small, geographically dispersed geothermal power plants could provide 7% of California's electricity supply [and compliment development of more variable renewable resources as it moves to meet its new state standard requiring 33% of its electricity to come from renewable energy by including geothermal energy in Governor Brown's as yet unannounced feed-in tariff policy]…Geothermal energy is a renewable resource using the heat of the earth to generate electricity and heat homes, offices, and factories.

"California leads the world in geothermal energy development. However…[t]here has been very little geothermal development in the state since… the early 1980s…Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI), [a 2008 engineering consultant Black & Veatch study, detailed] the cost to develop 244 proposed geothermal power plants at sites [from 8 MW to 1,000 MW] in California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia…"

from Paul Gipe's Wind-Works - click to enlarge

"While many geothermal projects are connected at transmission voltages, they differ from typical central-station plants. Many individual geothermal projects are relatively small. Of the 244 proposed projects in the RETI database, 185 or three-fourths are less than 20 MW in size…[and would] qualify as distributed generation under Governor Jerry Brown's proposed feed-in tariff…90% of the proposed geothermal projects in the RETI data base are less than 50 MW…

"Projects less than 50 MW would account for 40% of all proposed geothermal generating capacity, some 3,300 MW. These plants would produce 40% of all potential geothermal generation, about 22 TWh per year (7% of current supply) or 1.7 times more electricity than at present…"

from Paul Gipe's Wind-Works - click to enlarge

"The consultants estimated the cost of electricity from the plants…[if delivered from] Independent Power Producers, municipal utilities…[or] from Canada or Mexico. Within the category of Independent Power Producers (IPP), cost estimates were further subdivided into the cost for IPPs without any federal subsidies, the cost for IPPs with Production Tax Credits (PTC), and the cost for IPPs with Investment Tax Credits (ITC)…

"While federal investment subsidies currently exist in the form of the PTC and ITC for many renewable energy technologies, their future is uncertain…[and] investors are wary of financing projects when the future of tax credits or other "incentives" is questionable…For IPP projects without access to federal subsidies, tariffs for geothermal projects less than 20 MW in California would…[run] from a low of $0.13/kWh to as much as $0.30/kWh. Tariffs for projects from 20 MW to 50 MW would vary from a low of $0.10/kWh to a high of $0.18/kWh…Projects that could be developed quickly and take advantage of the federal ITC while it remains available would be significantly less expensive…For projects less than 20 MW, tariffs would vary from a low of about $0.09/kWh to a high of $0.20/kWh. Projects from 20 MW to 50 MW in size would require tariffs in the range from a low of $0.08/kWh to $0.13/kWh…"


GREAT LAKES WIND FOR OHIO
How Ohio got a headstart on offshore wind
Rikki Stancich, 20 May 2011 (Wind Energy Update)

"Fresh water ice, reluctant residents, and a dearth of vessels conspire against…[development of] the Great Lakes’ whopping offshore wind potential…But where many before have tried and failed…[The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo)] has taken a pragmatic approach…Working closely with residents, publicly elected officials, and local businesses, LEEDCo has identified a pathway for rolling out a socially acceptable, financially viable, local economy-boosting offshore wind programme in Lake Erie."

Dr Lorry Wagner, president, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo): "...We could be described as a pre-developer…[I]n Ohio, much of the offshore wind development planning has been based on monthly meetings with stakeholders since 2006. Stakeholders here in Ohio are generally supportive of offshore wind…[W]e learned from…the UK’s Round 1, where organizations paid close attention to the key issues that were raised…[and from] the top-down approach taken in Michigan, Canada and New York State, where developers and/or the government announced their intention to build massive gigawatt projects without prior consultation. People don’t like [that]…"

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Dr Lorry Wagner, president, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo): "...Lake Erie is pretty shallow and for the pilot we are building in water depths of 19 meters. For the rest of the project the water depth will be less than 25 metres. The lakebed soil is a combination of glacial till (clay rubble and muck) and then bedrock…[I]t is unlikely that monopiles will be cost effective…[T]he leading candidate is a gravity base foundation… [F]our innovative foundations designed to reduce costs [are possibilities]…"

Dr Lorry Wagner, president, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo): "...We are collaborating with the Cold Regions Laboratory of the US Army Corps to understand [freshwater] ice load and forces and European design of foundations for icing and how to optimise that design to be more cost effective…The traditional (sea water) solution uses an ice cone at the water line to avert pressure from the ice. So we’ll begin with something traditional and model with turbine simulation software to optimize…"

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Dr Lorry Wagner, president, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo): "...[To build 1 gigawatt of offshore wind in Lake Erie, we] need purpose-built vessels in the Great Lakes…Another challenge is the port facilities…[T]he industry will probably be served by multiple ports…[W]e are hopeful that the Canadians will come onboard on both building a grid and building vessels…North to South, it is only 45 miles…Most projects will be 10-20 miles out, so they will virtually be back-to-back…At one time, there was a proposed 1000 MW cable between Canada and Pennsylvania…"

Dr Lorry Wagner, president, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo): "Over the course of the next five years [the obstacles] will get sorted out…The Great Lakes are huge and Lake Erie itself is quite large; if the whole lake could be developed it has the potential for more than 60 gigawatts…The other Lakes have even more potential…"


125 MW OF CPV
SDG&E signs new contracts with Soitec for 125 megawatts of solar power in San Diego; Project agreements follow April signing of three solar power generation contracts in the San Diego area
May 18, 2011 (Soitec)

"San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and subsidiaries of Soitec Solar Development, LLC, a renewable energy company managed by Soitec (Euronext Paris)…[signed] two additional 25-year contracts for a total of 125 megawatts (MW) of solar energy to be generated in the utility’s service territory. The energy will be produced using Soitec’s Concentrix™ concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology with solar modules manufactured in a new Soitec factory to be built in the San Diego area.

"These new agreements are separate from the three San Diego contracts the two companies signed in April for 30 MW of CPV-generated solar power. Combined, the five contracts…represent five separate projects capable of generating a combined total of 155 megawatts of clean, renewable solar power, or enough energy to supply more than 60,000 homes. Both of the new proposed projects will be located in San Diego County and will be situated near SDG&E electric substations…"

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"…[The new] announcement confirms the attractiveness of Soitec’s renewable energy technology – which generates large amounts of power with industry-leading efficiency and low environmental impact – in areas such as Southern California with abundant sunshine…

"Soitec’s new manufacturing facility will have an annual production capacity of 200 MW and will supply all of SDG&E’s projects with Soitec’s exclusive Concentrix CPV technology, which produces power at a much higher efficiency relative to standard solar panels. At full capacity, Soitec’s San Diego operations facility will generate up to 450 direct jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs. The factory location is expected to be announced this summer, with completion within 18 months of construction start…"


RARE EARTH PRICE SPIKE
Chinese rare earth metals prices soar
Leslie Hook, may 26, 2011 (UK Financial Times)

"A gravity-defying leap in the price of Chinese rare earth metals has triggered fears that the cost of components used in a range of goods from mobile phones to hybrid cars could soar…The three to fivefold jump in prices since January comes after China, the world’s biggest producer of rare earths, has clamped down on domestic output.

"The implications could be far-reaching. Although annual consumption of the metals is small relative to that of other commodities, rare earths are found in everything from fluorescent lights to wind turbines. They are very difficult, if not impossible, to substitute."

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"Industrial buyers are in shock after witnessing the price of rare earths such as cerium oxide jumping 475 per cent in just five months, amid falling supplies…

"Rare earths came under the spotlight after China, which produces more than 90 per cent of the world’s total output, started to reduce export quotas two years ago. Beijing’s influence aroused concern when exports of rare earths to Japan were temporarily suspended after a diplomatic dispute."

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"Following that de facto embargo, governments around the world, particularly Washington and Tokyo, have stepped up their efforts to develop other sources of supply. But those efforts will take years. In the meantime, Beijing has tightened regulations on its own polluting rare earths sector as part of a programme to clean up Chinese mines. Many expect China’s rare earth production to fall as a result…

"In the face of concern from industry and from global capitals, China has insisted that it will continue to be a reliable supplier of rare earths. However, rising prices fit neatly with China’s ambition to end its role as supplier of cheap rare earths to the world…"

MORE NEWS, 6-16 (SUNDAY ENERGY, ORMAY DO NEW ISRAEL SUN; IRISH UP WITH ILLINOIS WIND; COAL COMPANY BUYING SUN)

SUNDAY ENERGY, ORMAY DO NEW ISRAEL SUN
Sunday Energy forges new ground in Israel with Ormat
Emma Ritch, June 3, 2009 (Cleantech Group)

"Isrsael- based Sunday Energy…inked a deal to build the largest rooftop solar installation in the Middle East…At just 1 megawatt, the installation isn’t huge by global standards. But in Israel, where total installed capacity at the end of 2008 was 1 MW, it’s the beginning of a new solar market…

"Sunday is installing the solar system on about 15,000 square meters on top of a factory owned by Reno, Nev.-based geothermal developer Ormat Technologies in Yavneh, Israel. The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2010, generating energy worth NIS 60 million ($15.15 million) during the next 20 years through a power-purchase agreement with Israel Electric Cooperative, the state-owned utility that is the sole supplier of electricity in the country."

The next energy power in the Middle East? (click to enlarge)

"Israel Electric will pay NIS 1.98 (50 cents) per kiloWatt-hour for solar installations up to 50 kW—four times the going price of electricity for consumers. The tariff for installations larger than 50 kW but smaller than 5 MW is still being decided…[O]pportunities in solar market in Israel aren’t widely known, so players are trying to educate pension funds and hedge funds in order to drum up project financing…

"The Israeli tariffs guarantee a return of about 12 percent to 15 percent for 20 to 25 years…The National Infrastructures Ministry said the tariffs are designed to help Israel reach 20 percent of energy supplied by renewable sources by 2020."

Solar producers are gearing up all over the Middle East. This sun is the prize.(click to enlarge)

"In March, Israel's National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer gave the approval to issue a license for the country's first solar thermal plant…[a 100-kilowatt facility] using heliostats and a solar receiver…The country's largest solar installation—just 50-kilowatts—was connected to the grid in December…

"Sunday has installed less than 1 MW to-date, but has 55 MW of signed deals in the pipeline. Sunday expects to install between 4 MW and 6 MW before the end of 2009, and 15 MW next year…The self-funded company [founded in 2007] is seeking...Series A financing and project financing...[Sunday Energy plans to] invest NIS 500 million ($133 million) in the next two years for photovoltaic solar arrays…[T]he company is also looking outside of Israel for underserved markets…The Middle East is considered one of the biggest future markets for renewable energy, but few installations are in place today…"


IRISH UP WITH ILLINOIS WIND
Irish investor blows into Illinois with $1 billion for wind farm projects; Mainstream Renewable buys 3 farms outside Chicago
Becky Yerak, June 15, 2009 (Chicago Tribune)

"Three Illinois wind farms within 100 miles of Chicago were acquired... by an Irish energy company making its first U.S. investment amid hopes that President Obama's economic stimulus package will bolster the renewable energy business.

"Dublin-based Mainstream Renewable Power bought the assets, which are at various stages of development [from local wind farm developers FPC Services for an undisclosed price] and plans to invest $1.69 billion over four years to fully develop them…The farms have the potential to generate 787 megawatts by 2013."

Mainstream Renewables is in the process of becoming an international wind power. (click to enlarge)

"The most advanced is the 120 megawatt Shady Oaks project in Lee County. When fully built in 2010, it'll generate enough green electricity to power about 30,000 homes…Its construction is expected to employ about 120 people, and ongoing employment for about a dozen people when it begins operating.

"The 467 megawatt Green River project, also in Lee County, is expected to begin construction next year…The 200 megawatt Boone County project is in earlier development stages…"

Illinois has fair winds throughout the state. (click to enlarge)

"The Illinois projects are Mainstream's second North American deal in three months, having earlier announced a Canadian wind farm project. It has also announced plans to build a wind farm in Chile.

"Mainstream was founded in 2008 to develop, build and operate wind energy, solar thermal and ocean current plants by partnering with governments, utility companies, developers and investors across North America, South America, Europe and South Africa…Barclays Capital has a 14.6 percent stake in Mainstream."


COAL COMPANY BUYING SUN
AEP to buy power solar power in Ohio
Scott DiSavino (w/David Gregorio), June 15, 2009 (Reuters)

"American Electric Power Co Inc signed a long-term power purchase agreement to buy all of the output of a 10.08-megawatt solar energy facility to be built in Ohio…

"Through the 20-year agreement signed with Wyandot Solar LLC, a subsidiary of Germany's juwi solar Inc…[AEPs] Ohio subsidiary will purchase all output and renewable energy credits from the Wyandot Solar facility to be built in Salem Township in Wyandot County near an AEP substation."

This doesn't mean AEP "gets" New Energy, it means AEP gets that its customers are starting to get New Energy. (click to enlarge)

"Construction of the photovoltaic facility on about 80 acres of land is expected to begin in November, with commercial operation seen by mid-summer 2010…The facility will use PV modules from First Solar Inc manufactured in Perrysburg, Ohio…AEP did not disclose terms of the agreement…Based on an industry estimate of about $6,000 per kilowatt, a solar photovoltaic system would cost about $60 million.

"AEP…[which generates most of its electricity by burning coal and is one of the nation's two biggest emitters of CO2] owns and operates more than 38,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities, and transmits and distributes electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states…"

AEP is very interested in transmission - but for New Energy or for coal? (click to enlarge)

"As the United States prepares to reduce manmade greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, AEP is investing in renewable sources of power, energy efficiency and carbon capture and storage technologies, along with new high voltage transmission lines to transport renewable power to consumers…The U.S. electric power sector produced about 2.4 billion metric tons of CO2 (about 2 billion metric tons from coal-fired generation) in 2008, about 41 percent of nation's total CO2 emissions.

"The Wyandot agreement is AEP's first for commercial solar energy in its growing renewable portfolio. AEP's wind energy portfolio currently is 1,783 MW, including 310 MW of wind generation owned and operated by AEP in Texas and 1,473 MW of wind energy acquired through long-term power purchase agreements…On June 1, AEP issued a request for proposals seeking long-term purchases of up to 1,100 MW of additional renewable energy resources as part of its goal to add 2,000 MW of new wind or other renewable energy by the end of 2011."

QUICK NEWS, 11-24: FERC FOUL-UP OR FOUL PLAY?; BAHRAIN BUILDING NEW ENERGY; BEST STATES FOR SUN; TAKING AN EV HOME

FERC FOUL-UP OR FOUL PLAY?
Wind industry fears FERC slip-up on proposed grid rules
James Cartledge, November 22, 2010 (Brighter Energy)

"The American Wind Energy Association said… there could be a “mistake” in proposed new grid connection rules from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

"…FERC said…[reforms] would make it easier for renewable energy projects to connect to America’s electricity transmission networks…But the wind industry trade association said it believed the proposed rule allows conventional power generators to remain ‘largely exempt’ from integration costs they impose on the system from any unexpected or emergency shutdowns, while renewable energy generators would have to pay ‘more than their share’…"

New Energy needs FERC to connect it to its customers. (click to enlarge)

[AWEA:] “We hope this was a mistake. Mistakes like this can be fixed before proposed rules turn into final rules. AWEA will provide FERC an alternative method that treats all generators fairly which we hope will be included in any final rule.”

"Under the proposed rules…conventional power generators do not have to pay for the back-up resources that grid operators require when conventional power plants shut down unexpectedly. These costs add up to billions each year… However, variable energy producers like wind farms and solar power plants would have to pay for these back-up electricity supplies, even when outages are caused by large fossil fuel plants or nuclear generators, the wind industry fears."

FERC needs to get busy getting wires built. (click to enlarge)

"AWEA also accused FERC of overstating costs of connecting up and managing renewable energy supplies on the grid in its proposals, calculating the variability of clean energy projects in isolation of other energy sources transmitting power through the grid…

"Noting the FERC’s intention to help reduce the discrimination faced by new renewable energy generators on the grid, the AWEA said it was ‘gravely concerned’ that the proposals as currently drafter would ‘exacerbate’ the discrimination…FERC’s proposals are currently open for public comment for a two-month period."


BAHRAIN BUILDING NEW ENERGY
Bahrain plans to set up wind energy plant
November 22, 2010 (Trade Arabia)

"Bahrain is to set up a wind energy plant to produce electricity soon, said the Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority chairman Dr Abdulhussein Mirza.

"Dr Mirza said a Japanese company had just concluded tests on wind velocity in Bahrain and would submit the evaluation results soon…"

Bahrain and the other Middle East-North Africa (MENA) nations are missing the opportunity. (click to enlarge)

[Dr. Mirza:] 'American company Petrosolar has also been engaged to explore the solar energy available in Bahrain…'

Bahrain is among the MENA nations with bad air. (click to enlarge)

"The minister had earlier said Bahrain was set to build two new 'hybrid' power plants for solar and wind energy at a cost of around $8 million.

"He said the two plants, to be initially set up on an experimental basis, would each produce five megawatts of energy…"


BEST STATES FOR SUN
Who would benefit most from solar energy? Study ranks states
November 22, 2010 (Arizona State University)

"Americans have become more and more concerned with the idea of using cleaner energy sources and creating new jobs through the use of solar energy. [Optimal Deployment of Solar Index] from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University takes a closer look at which states might benefit the most both from generating solar energy and from consuming that energy. These are believed to be the first state rankings of their kind…

"The study…ranks states based on several criteria. To find out where we should ideally create solar energy for the country, Croucher looked specifically at solar insolation, whether a considerable amount of energy can be generated in each state, as well as the cost of doing so there…"

click to enlarge

"…[T]he top states for solar energy consumption are Hawaii, Delaware, Alaska, Wisconsin, Maryland and Ohio. This list takes into account the current carbon emissions from electricity in each state and whether electricity prices are high there."

click to enlarge

"However, it doesn’t make much sense for states like Delaware and Wisconsin to try to generate their own solar energy. Croucher says that’s why it’s so important to consider both the generation and consumption lists together…

"Traditionally, most states have simply looked at using solar energy for their own benefit. Croucher also considered this using five criteria: solar insolation, how many jobs would be created, the cost to deploy, the carbon emissions from electricity in the state now, and whether electricity prices are currently high in the area…"


TAKING AN EV HOME
How to prep your house for an electric car?
November 22, 2010 (USA Today)

"…How you prep your house for [an EV] varies widely, depending on the model, your home's wiring and how quickly you want to charge it.

"The batteries that power electric cars can be charged by plugging them into a standard wall socket or nearly twice as fast with a charging station. Yet a station could cost at least $2,000, including installation, and possibly $4,000 higher if you need a new electrical panel…"

From Charge Net (click to enlarge)

[AP:] "The main thing to consider is…If your commute is short, or there's a charging station near your office, you might not need much of a charge at home. You can get away with topping off your battery overnight."

From Aerovironment (click to enlarge)

"…The $41,000 Chevrolet Volt and the $33,000 Nissan Leaf, both of which are slated to go on sale next month, have different batteries and charging requirements…
…The Volt has a relatively small battery because it also has a gasoline-powered generator that powers the car when the battery runs out. Chevy expects the car to be able to go 25 to 50 miles on electricity and then an extra 300 miles or so with the help of the gas motor. A standard socket will fully charge the Volt in about eight hours. A charger will do it in four. [Chevrolet says a charger is optional]…

"…The Leaf is powered entirely by electricity, and therefore has a much bigger battery. Nissan says the Leaf can go about 100 miles on a full charge. It will take 20 hours to do this with a standard outlet, and eight hours with a charger. Nissan strongly recommends a charger…"

QUICK NEWS, 4-26: WHAT? WORRY ABOUT WARMING?; WIND & FEDS IN ECO PACT; SUN-MAKING EQPMT IS HOT; TEXAS PICKS WIND OVER NUKES

WHAT? WORRY ABOUT WARMING?
Fewer Americans, Europeans View Global Warming as a Threat; Worldwide, 42% see serious risk, similar to 2007-2008
Anita Pugliese and Julie Ray, April 20, 2011 (Gallup)

"Gallup surveys in 111 countries in 2010 find Americans and Europeans feeling substantially less threatened by climate change than they did a few years ago, while more Latin Americans and sub-Saharan Africans see themselves at risk…42% of adults worldwide…see global warming as a threat…[That has not changed] in the last few years, but increases and declines…in some regions reflect the divisions on climate change between the developed and developing world.

"Majorities in developed countries that are key participants in the global climate debate continue to view global warming as a serious threat, but their concern is more subdued than it was in 2007-2008. In the U.S., a slim majority (53%) currently see it as a serious personal threat, down from 63% in previous years…"

click to enlarge

"…[Concern] has also declined across western, southern, and eastern Europe…even more precipitously than in the U.S. In France, for example, the percentage saying global warming is a serious threat fell from 75% in 2007-2008 to 59% in 2010. In the United Kingdom, ground zero for the climate data-fixing scandal known as Climategate in 2009, the percentage dropped from 69% to 57% …

"…Latin Americans, who already were among the most aware of climate change and the most likely to view global warming as a personal threat, became even more aware and more concerned in 2010. Seventy-seven percent of Latin Americans claim to know at least something about climate change, and nearly as many see it as a personal threat (73%)…[perhaps because of] bad rainy seasons and flooding that leaders in the region…"

click to enlarge

"In sub-Saharan Africa, where populations are likely to be vulnerable to the effects of climate change, awareness is still among the lowest in the world, but was up in 2010. Nearly half of the adult population in the region (46%) say they are aware of climate change, up from 38% in 2007-2008…[T]he percentage who perceive climate change as a serious threat [also] increased slightly…

"The feuding between rich and poor nations at climate talks in Bangkok in April demonstrates the obstacles that remain before the world…[F]ewer Americans and Europeans, whose nations are central players in these talks, feel threatened by global warming today than they did in recent years. However, majorities in many of these countries still see climate change as a serious threat, which means the issue remains personally important…"


WIND & FEDS IN ECO PACT
FWS, Wind Industry Collaborate To Promote Endangered Species Conservation
20 April 2011 (North American Windpower)

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and wind energy companies have signed a memorandum of understanding, pledging to work together to develop a wind energy habitat conservation plan (HCP) for the FWS' Midwest region…[to] conserve threatened and endangered species that may be affected by wind energy facilities in eight Midwestern states.

"A multi-species, regional HCP approved by the FWS would include measures for long-term conservation of federally endangered Indiana bats and members of other protected species that may be incidentally harmed or killed by wind turbines or other activities associated with the construction and operation of wind energy facilities…[in] Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan."

The endangered Indiana bat. The wind industry is moving to protect it. (from Wikipedia - click to enlarge)

[John Anderson, director of siting policy, AWEA:] "It is the industry's expectation that development of the regional HCP will streamline the permitting process, allowing effective conservation of wildlife and easing the [FWS'] administrative burden, while also allowing for more wind energy to be deployed nationally…"

"Under the HCP, wind developers will acquire an incidental take permit, which will exempt otherwise lawful activities (i.e., construction and operation of a wind energy facility) from the prohibition of take [i.e., harming, harassing, or killing endangered or threatened species] under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)…"

The Indiana bat ranges over the states participating in the new HCP. (from Wikipedia - click to enlarge)

"The FWS has awarded [the] states…an ESA grant of approximately $3.3 million to develop a broadly constructed HCP designed to address the potential impacts of wind energy. The wind industry…[will] provide the required 10% matching funding…

"The Conservation Fund, an environmental nonprofit, will lead the strategic conservation work…[W]ind industry applicants…work with the FWS and states to develop the HCP."


SUN-MAKING EQPMT IS HOT
The Road Ahead: PV Manufacturing Expansion And Equipment Purchases
21 April 2011 (Solar Industry)

"Following a year of favorable market demand growth (139%), PV cell manufacturers have embarked upon aggressive expansion plans in support of ambitious shipment guidance for this year. Consequently, the scale of expansions announced is creating a $15.2 billion revenue opportunity for PV equipment suppliers this year - an increase of 41% year over year (Y/Y), according to a new report from Solarbuzz.

"Although Y/Y growth for crystalline silicon (c-Si) equipment spending (including the ingot, wafer, cell and module manufacturing stages) for this year would amount to 31%, thin-film spending would grow by an incredible 71%. Underpinning this thin-film growth is a resurgence of investments in amorphous silicon and copper indium gallium diselenide technologies, which account for 78% of planned thin-film capacity expansions."

click to enlarge

"Tier-one expansions remain dominated by aggressive schedules announced by publicly listed Chinese c-Si producers, followed by cell producers in Taiwan and thin-film leader First Solar. Companies with revised year-end nameplate capacity targets include JA Solar (expanded to 3 GW), Trina Solar (1.9 GW), Neo Solar Power (1.8 GW) and Jinko Solar (1.5 GW).

"In the past 12 months, manufacturers in China and Taiwan accounted for 82% of the $3.6 billion revenues allocated to new c-Si cell equipment worldwide…"

click to enlarge

"Adding to the c-Si expansion activity, thin-film manufacturing capacity is scheduled to grow by 70% between the first quarter of this year (Q1'11) and the first quarter of 2012 (Q1'12) as the second thin-film investment cycle draws to a conclusion. Within this period, 65 thin-film expansion phases are projected to be implemented, with a combined nameplate capacity of 4.8 GW…

"Capacity expansions are consistent with leading cell manufacturers' guiding 2011 shipment growth rates of 55%. However, market demand is forecast to increase by only 12% this year, as incentive tariff cuts are implemented across major European markets…This imbalance is expected to have a profound impact on the equipment supply chain, starting with a reset of capacity growth plans during the second half of the year (2H'11)…With tool lead times typically three to six months, the full impact of these changes will be felt hardest during 2012, Solarbuzz predicts…"


TEXAS PICKS WIND OVER NUKES
Wind Power Beats Nuclear Power in Texas
April 21, 2011 (Clean Technica)

"Texas has more wind power than it can use, and…NRG Energy, Inc. has backed out of a plan to build two new nuclear reactors in the state…[tho] the stated motivation for the decision was the [Fukushima] nuclear disaster…[I]t’s also clear that rapid growth in the alternative energy field is rapidly chipping away at nuclear power, helped along by new grid and energy storage technologies. This triple threat is undermining the…[idea that nuclear power provides] the most abundant and reliable energy bang for the buck…

"…On a global scale, energy capacity from renewable sources passed up nuclear for the first time last year [before the Fukushima nuclear incident]…[T]he fossil fuel [industries ship] coal and petroleum around the world. For renewable energy, massive transmission projects…are at hand…[and incipient] advanced energy storage technologies [will] enable renewable energy to be shipped in [reusable or recyclable] battery-type devices…"

California, too, found wind a vastly more affordable source of electricity than nuclear, even before Fukushima. (click to enlarge)

"The wind surplus in Texas could have a ripple effect on energy investments in other states…Pattern Energy…has proposed building a 400-mile line connecting wind power from Texas to existing transmission lines that serve Alabama and several other southern states. Unlike the decades-long process involved in siting and building new nuclear facilities, the company anticipates a permitting and construction process of about five years. Also slated for Texas is a gigantic new wind power storage facility, which other states are already eyeballing for the Pacific Northwest renewables…

"…The primary reason [for NRG’s decision reportedly] is a months-long safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission following the tsunami in Japan, which could jack up the cost of the project due to design changes and other factors…[There is also] uncertainty over financing, which was supposed to come from Fukushima’s owner Tokyo Electric Power…[Also,] there is no [Texas] regulatory structure that would basically guarantee NRG a captive [market]…The two new reactors would have to compete on price along with every other form of available power…"

Texas, which is suffering a terrible drought, might also note that nuclear is water intensive and wind needs no water. (click to enlarge)

""For all its advantages, nuclear energy is a high risk endeavor. Those risks are becoming increasingly untenable – and incredibly expensive – as existing plants get older. New York’s aging Indian Point nuclear facility has started to raise alarm bells…[and New York’s] Shoreham nuclear power plant, had to be decommissioned before it ever went online, partly because planners failed to account for population growth in nearby suburbs. Ratepayers were stuck with the tab and the facility still sits there, sucking up valuable real estate…"

"…NRG’s partner Toshiba is still intending to move ahead with the permitting process. Toshiba signed onto the project just two years ago in 2009, which is pretty much a blip on the screen in nuclear construction terms, so it’s no surprise that the company hasn’t thrown in the towel yet. However, given that wind power is set to take off not only in western U.S. states but all up and down the East Coast as well, the prospects for nuclear look pretty dim."