QUICK NEWS, May 24: RECOVERY ACT BUILDING EV CHARGERS; NEW ENERGY ON PUBLIC LAND; FEDS END NEW ENERGY LOAN BACKING; A D.C. ENERGY DEAL?

RECOVERY ACT BUILDING EV CHARGERS
Secretary Chu Highlights More Than 1,800 Electric Vehicle Chargers Installed Under the Recovery Act; Investments in Electric Vehicles Helping to Reduce America's Reliance on Imported Oil
May 13, 2011 (U.S. Department of Energy)

"As part of the Obama Administration's comprehensive plan to address rising gas prices and reduce oil imports one-third by 2025, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu... announced that to date, more than 1,800 electric vehicle chargers have been installed under the Recovery Act. Coulomb Technologies, ECOtality, General Motors and others have been moving forward to install the charging stations as part of the Administration's investments in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing and alternative vehicle infrastructure. Secretary Chu made the announcement at an event…[that] marked the installation of the 500th electric vehicle (EV) charger by Coulomb, which received a $15 million award under the Recovery Act…

"Since 2009, DOE has invested more than $5 billion in grants and loans to spur the growth of America's electric vehicle and advanced battery manufacturing industry. These investments are supporting U.S. manufacturers and small businesses as they expand to better compete in this fast-growing global market."

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"Under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, which received $400 million under the Recovery Act, companies are developing, deploying and analyzing EVs and EV infrastructure, and educating the public to help accelerate the market adoption of advanced electric-drive vehicles. The eight projects under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, including Coulomb's project, represent the world's largest electric vehicle demonstration project and will result in the deployment of over 13,000 grid-connected vehicles and over 22,000 charging points in residential, commercial, and public locations nationwide by December 2013. Through these cost-shared projects, DOE will collect information about how consumers use and charge electric vehicles, which will be critical to informing the broader rollout of electric vehicles and chargers nationwide.

"Coulomb's project includes the deployment of electric vehicles, including 2,000 GM Volt, 200 Ford Transit Connect, 100 Ford Focus EV, and 100 Smart EV vehicles, as well as establishing 4,600 EV charging locations nationwide. The vehicles and charging infrastructure will be deployed in residential, workplace, and public locations in Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., New York, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., Redmond, Wash., Sacramento, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., Southern Michigan, and Washington, D.C. In addition to DOE's investment, Coulomb is providing $22.9 million in cost share for a total project value of $37.9 million…"

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"To further build on the foundation laid out under the Recovery Act, DOE recently announced the availability of $5 million in electric vehicle funding for local governments and private companies to continue to accelerate installation of electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure. Communities will work to develop plans and strategies for EV deployment, update their EV permitting processes, develop incentive programs, or launch other local or regional initiatives that improve the experience of EV users and help bring these highly energy-efficient vehicles in the marketplace. These projects will leverage the best practices and lessons learned from the initial deployment projects under the Recovery Act…

"Additionally, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is joining with Google Inc. and various industry leaders to provide consumers with consistent, up-to-date information about the EV charging stations in communities nationwide. Drawing on Google Maps, this new collaboration will coordinate an online network of all U.S. charging stations and will serve as the primary data source for GPS and mapping services tracking electric vehicle charging locations…"


NEW ENERGY ON PUBLIC LAND
Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands Highlighted in Interagency Report to Congress
May 9, 2011 (U.S. Department of the Interior)

"…[T]he Obama Administration continued to make significant gains last year in expanding renewable energy initiatives on public lands and offshore areas, according to a detailed… joint USDA and DOI report, New Energy Frontier – Balancing Energy Development on Federal Lands…[It documents] development of renewable and conventional energy from federal lands and Outer Continental Shelf areas…[and describes] the Administration's plan of action… to spur the development of environmentally responsible commercial-scale wind, geothermal and solar projects in the West and to open appropriate areas of the Atlantic Ocean to wind turbine farms…

"…[It also discusses the development of] the next generation of biofuels and wood to energy options…President Obama is committed to reducing the nation’s net imports of oil by one-third by 2025 and in support of this goal the administration plans to break ground on four biorefineries in the next two years…[to permanently reduce] dependence on oil. USDA is doing research into new biofuel production methods and has established five regional research centers working on the science necessary to ensure biofuels can be produced profitably from a diverse range of feedstocks. USDA is also offering support to build the infrastructure needed to deliver the fuel to consumers at the gas station."

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"Among the departments’ major renewable energy initiatives last year…[1] Interior’s Bureau of Land Management approved nine large-scale solar projects, with a total generating capacity of 3,682 MW…[2] USDA launched a major new Wood-to-Energy Initiative that seeks to build a forest restoration economy by integrating wood-to-energy activities within the larger forest products sector…[and in] National Forests, USDA has helped remove 86,927 tons of biomass to produce energy…[3] Identified 24 solar energy study areas in six western states, comprising more than 1,000 square miles, being analyzed in detail… for large-scale solar energy production…

"…[4] USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program can provide funding for the development of renewable energy projects on public lands…In the past two years, REAP has assisted in more than 270 wind energy projects…[5] Utilized the ‘Smart from the Start’ approach used in processing solar projects in the West to guide the Atlantic OCS wind energy initiative…[for] development of the region’s vast offshore wind resources…[6] Expanded the 25 wind energy facilities on BLM lands in the West by approving four new projects…[7] Through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, USDA has provided funding for the development of new tools to better evaluate the impact of expanded biofuel production…"

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"…[8] Worked to increase geothermal energy production on public lands, approving four priority geothermal projects in Nevada since 2009…[and oversee] 58 [producing] geothermal leases…on BLM lands and 120 [producing] geothermal leases…on U.S. Forest Service lands…[aiming for] 12,210 MW of electrical generating capacity from 244 geothermal power plants by 2025.

"The report also details how traditional oil and gas resources produced from Federal lands and waters, which presently account for about 30 percent of the Nation’s energy supply, will continue…[and] details the needed regulatory reforms undertaken to strengthen the safety and oversight of offshore exploration, development and production in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster…"


FEDS END NEW ENERGY LOAN BACKING
DOE Wrapping Up Renewable-Energy Project Loan Guarantee Program
Cassandra Sweet, May 17, 2011 (Dow Jones Newswires via Nasdaq)

"The U.S. Department of Energy…has stopped accepting applications for loan guarantees to help finance new solar, wind or other renewable energy facilities...[Some] applications [are still] pending…The loan guarantee program for renewable energy generation projects, called " Section 1705," after the portion of the 2009 Recovery Act that supports it, expires Sept. 30 and only projects that can start construction…by that date will [still] be considered…

"The agency has issued roughly $1.6 billion in loan guarantees for 19 renewable energy projects to date. Loan guarantees for roughly $800 million in remaining funds will be issued to companies that have already applied…whose projects are most likely to meet the Sept. 30 construction deadline…The DOE placed another group of applications "on hold"…[I]f the program received more funding in the future, those applications could be revived."

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"The DOE[has] notified [involved] companies… First Solar Inc. (FSLR) said pending applications it filed for solar farms it is developing were moving forward…SunPower Corp. (SPWRA, SPWRB), which obtained a $1.2 billion conditional loan guarantee for a 250-MW solar farm it plans to build in California, has not applied for any additional loan guarantees…

"First Solar Inc. (FSLR) received a $967 million conditional loan guarantee for a 395-megawatt solar farm it plans to build in Arizona. First Solar's project finance team met with DOE staff… to move the company's pending applications forward…"

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"In a separate announcement, the DOE said… it awarded a $90.6 million conditional loan guarantee to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) unit Cogentrix to build a 30-megawatt solar farm in Colorado.

"U.S. solar-panel maker Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. (ASTI), which had applied for a government loan guarantee--under a different DOE program--to expand a factory, said last month that it withdrew that application…[because] requirements under the loan guarantee program did not correlate with [its] business plan…"


A D.C. ENERGY DEAL?
Despite partisan divides on energy, White House science adviser sees room for compromise
Andrew Restuccia, May 16, 2011 (The Hill)

"Despite huge partisan divides in Congress on energy policy, President Obama’s science adviser… sees the potential for compromise.

"…[White House science adviser John Holdren] pointed to two potential areas of compromise: reducing the country’s dependence on oil imports and promoting innovative energy technology.
But he also acknowledged that getting energy legislation through Congress will not be an easy task."

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"…[Holdren said]…the administration can take a number of steps using existing authorities…

"Obama has outlined a goal of cutting the country’s dependence on oil imports by one-third by 2025. While there is bipartisan support for the goal, lawmakers remain divided on how to reach it."

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"House Republicans passed three bills in recent weeks aimed at a dramatic expansion of offshore oil drilling. The bills [were stopped] in the Senate, where Democrats [unsuccessfully pushed] legislation to slash billions in tax breaks for the largest oil companies.

"Holdren…stressed the importance of educating consumers about their energy choices…[He] has previously lamented what he called an ‘education’ problem in the United States on climate change."