QUICK NEWS, 4-20: NAT GAS STUDY CHALLENGED; CAPE WIND GETS BIG GO; WIRES KEY TO OCEAN WIND; TOP 10 SUNMAKERS IN 2010

NAT GAS STUDY CHALLENGED
Cornell Gas Study Stirs Heated Debate
Tom Zeller Jr., April 18, 2011 (NY Times)

"…Many of the reactions [from researchers and policy analysts] echo earlier complaints [about the study of natural gas emissions] that some of the methane leak data on which the study’s conclusions were based are thin (a fact that the authors, including the lead author, Robert Howarth of Cornell University, conceded).

"Others critics continue to suggest that the authors unduly amplified the greenhouse gas footprint of unconventional gas development by measuring the global warming potential of leaked methane over a 20-year time frame, rather than the 100 years more commonly used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…[That ups] methane’s global warming footprint unnecessarily, allowing the authors to…[conclude] unconventional natural gas development is worse than coal."

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"Indeed, Melanie Kenderdine, the executive director of the M.I.T. Energy Initiative…[has said the hundred-year period should be lengthened, not shortened]…Dan Lashof, the director of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council…suggested…values for 20, 100 and 500 years [should be considered]…

"Mr. Howarth, [the paper’s lead author,] said that the majority of peer-reviewed papers on the greenhouse gas footprint of conventional gas have tended to consider both the long- and short-term time scales…[but] major scientific organizations [do not support extending it]…"

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"…Michael A. Levi, the David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and Environment at the Council on Foreign Relations [said]…Howarth’s gas-to-coal comparisons are all done on a per energy unit basis…[but] modern gas power generation technology is a lot more efficient than modern coal generation, so a gigajoule of gas produces a lot more electricity than a gigajoule of coal. The per kWh comparison is the correct one…[C]orrecting for [this] strongly tilts Howarth’s calculations back toward gas…

"…[Howarth replied that] per kWh is the ‘correct’ analysis only if the question is simply one of generating electricity from natural gas vs. coal…70 percent of natural gas in the U.S. is used for purposes other than for generating electricity, such as home and commercial heating, hot water heating, transportation, and industrial energy uses…For these purposes, natural gas has no efficiency advantage…For the 30 percent of natural gas used to generate electricity, there is indeed an efficiency advantage for natural gas over coal which is stated] explicitly in the paper…[M]ore points and counterpoints [are expected]..."


CAPE WIND GETS BIG GO
Regarding the US Department of the Interior’s Approval Of the Cape Wind Construction and Operations Plan (COP)
April 19, 2011 (Offshore Wind Development Coalition)

[Jim Lanard, President, Offshore Wind Development Coalition:] “This is a major milestone for the offshore wind industry. The approval of Cape Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan (COP) is another significant step towards the establishment of the offshore wind industry here in the United States…”

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[Jim Lanard, President, Offshore Wind Development Coalition:] “…Offshore wind has the potential to create tens of thousands of high-skilled jobs and many economic development and manufacturing opportunities along our coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and in the Great Lakes. This COP will serve as a guide for other offshore wind developers as they continue to actively pursue leases in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes.”

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[Jim Lanard, President, Offshore Wind Development Coalition:] “Cape Wind has fought a valiant fight to provide Massachusetts’ residents with clean, stable-priced and renewable energy. The strong leadership demonstrated by the federal government, along with the key role played by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and his state officials, will allow the US to finally begin to catch up to European countries that have been generating emission-free offshore wind energy since 1991…”

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[Jim Lanard, President, Offshore Wind Development Coalition:] “…Establishment of a robust offshore wind industry requires a federal – state partnership. The model established in Massachusetts will serve our industry well as we continue to develop more offshore wind farms off our coasts. We hope that the precedent set today will enable other offshore wind developers to gain their approvals without having to run the ten-year marathon that Cape Wind had to endure.”


WIRES KEY TO OCEAN WIND
Networked Transmission Deemed Key to Lowering Costs of Offshore Wind Energy
April 18, 2011 (Atlantic Wind Connection)

"Networked transmission systems are key to lowering costs of offshore wind energy, many different experts have concluded. In Europe, there is a concerted effort to establish a high-voltage, direct-current “Supergrid” to connect the continent’s booming offshore wind energy development with the onshore transmission system.

"A coalition of companies…known as 'Friends of the Supergrid' define the concept as…[a direct current transmission system to move New Energy-generated electricity in remote to load centers and enhance electricity markets]…"

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"Europe has charged ahead of the U.S. in developing offshore wind energy resources, and is now pursuing offshore backbone transmission systems as a means of creating economic and operating efficiencies and lowering costs. National Grid in the UK has analyzed the integration of offshore wind energy resources and concluded that an offshore networked approach to transmission offers a 25% cost savings over linking wind facilities using individual radial lines."

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"The Atlantic Wind Connection project offers U.S. policymakers the opportunity to learn from the experience in Europe and integrate an offshore transmission backbone from the start to allow large-scale development of the wind energy resource and lower costs for consumers.

"…Habib Dagher, director of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded DeepCWind Consortium at the University of Maine…called AWC ‘a critical project’ that will separate the building of transmission from the building of the wind farm, which in turn [eases the burden on investors and developers]…"


TOP 10 SUNMAKERS IN 2010
PV Modules 2010 Top Ten Rankings Released by IMS Research
April 13, 2011 (IMS Research)

"Suntech was the largest PV module supplier in 2010, growing its shipments by more than 130% over the previous year, to ship more MWs than any of its competitors. First Solar, which held the top spot in 2009, fell to second place, increasing its shipments by less than 50% although the total market more than doubled.

"IMS Research’s latest analysis of the global PV supply chain, based on shipment data from hundreds of suppliers…[showed market conditions allowed] all suppliers [to] grow their shipments…[S]ome suppliers were able to benefit more than others: Chinese Tier-1 suppliers Canadian Solar and Hanwha SolarOne (formerly Solarfun) both gained two places in the rankings; in fact, all the suppliers in the top ten gaining rank were Chinese…[and both] suppliers losing rank were Western, headquartered in the US. One Western supplier bucking this trend was REC, which moved quickly up the rankings to become the eleventh largest supplier of PV modules in 2010…"

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"Another clear winner in 2010 was JA Solar, another large Chinese supplier, which increased its production by nearly 180%, becoming the largest producer of PV cells, having been only the fifth largest producer in 2009.

"IMS Research predicts a slowdown in growth for the PV module market in 2012, as many major European markets cool following amendments to incentive schemes. Detailed analysis of supply and demand dynamics in this market is available from IMS Research…"