QUICK NEWS, August 7: U.S. SUN GROWING JOBS, CUTTING COSTS, SPREADING OUT; NEW ENGLAND GOVS UNITE ON NEW ENERGY; WIND COULD CARRY SWING STATE OF IOWA

U.S. SUN GROWING JOBS, CUTTING COSTS, SPREADING OUT Growing Number of Sub-500 kW PV Projects Provides US Job Creation and Cost Reductions; Encouraged by incentives and power requirements, agricultural land in the US is being converted to renewable PV energy

July 23, 2012 (SolarBuzz)

“While large-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar projects often grab the headlines, the recently-released NPD Solarbuzz United States Deal Tracker report indicates that 40% of PV projects currently underway in the United States are less than 500 kW in size…[C]ommercial PV projects between 50 kW and 500 kW…are often overlooked as opportunities for downstream PV suppliers and installers…[M]ore than 1,300 projects fall into this category with a cumulative PV generation of up to 200 MW.

“Smaller PV installations often have a greater impact on communities than larger ones…[Besides the] supply of electricity…[they] cost less to install, are easier to gain permit approval, and have fewer barriers for project financing. And these projects are often installed at no cost to [hosts such as schools], municipal buildings, zoos, hospitals, and even retail stores…40% of all mid-size commercial installations in the United States (planned, under construction, or completed since January 2010) are these smaller projects…1,756 US solar projects had been completed, 338 were being installed, 13 were delayed, and another 1,174 are at the planning stage.”

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“California currently accounts for over a quarter of the total US project pipeline, stimulated by the state’s aggressive 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard target, and benefiting from the recent trend of solar projects reallocated from concentrated solar power to PV. The top six state pipelines in megawatt terms are California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Hawaii…

“Land in the United States that had previously been used for agricultural purposes is now tending to be sacrificed to renewable energy when this presents a more profitable financial option, often encouraged by incentives or power requirements…[C]olleges have recently started using sheep to maintain the grass under PV arrays, and a test market is currently being constructed in North Carolina for a 4 MW installation to be used as a sheep and lamb farm and monitored for herd management. To date, this may be the most viable approach to utilizing agricultural land for energy production, creating a “win-win” for all involved…”

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NEW ENGLAND GOVS UNITE ON NEW ENERGY New England Takes Step Toward Clean Energy Revolution

Angela Beniwal, 1 August 2012 (Renew Grid)

“Governors from the six New England states have [unanimously] decided to move forward with a process to jointly procure renewable energy in the near future…The states plan to release a joint request for proposals (RFP) in 2013…The New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE) will be in charge of developing and implementing a plan…

“In 2009, the New England governors adopted the New England Governors' Renewable Energy Blueprint, which includes technical analysis from ISO New England (ISO-NE) that identifies significant renewable resources in the area…[A] request for information (RFI) issued by NESCOE in 2011 that resulted in over 4 GW of generation and transmission proposals…”

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“The RFP is expected to be technology agnostic; however, the New England region has quite a bit of wind energy potential…The 2010 New England Wind Integration Study from ISO-NE found that up to 12 GW of onshore and offshore wind could be developed in the region, potentially meeting up to 24% of the region's annual electricity needs. The study estimated that adding 12 GW of wind power and building new transmission lines would cost between $19 billion to $25 billion…[ISO-NE] supports this collaboration…

“A status report on the RFI from NESCOE stated that transmission projects in various stages of development had been identified and could possibly facilitate the delivery of the additional renewable energy…[E]conomies of scale and utilizing market forces to help reduce the delivered cost of renewables are some of the benefits of procuring energy as group…[T]he states in New England are not large enough to warrant big renewable generation and transmission investments by themselves…”

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WIND COULD CARRY SWING STATE OF IOWA Attitudes toward Wind Power in Iowa

July 30, 2012 (Public Opinion Strategies)

“…[Poll findings that have grown in intensity over the years…[show] an overwhelming majority of Iowa voters see wind energy as an important part of the state's economy…an important resource for creating jobs…[and] say that a candidate's position on developing domestic wind may influence their vote for President or Member of Congress. An overwhelming majority of Iowa voters would be less likely to support an anti-wind candidate for office…

“…More than half of voters (57%), including 41% of Republicans and 59% of Independents, would be less likely to vote for a candidate for President if that candidate did not support expanding American wind power generation…Sixty three percent (63%) of Iowa voters, including over 51% of Republicans, and 68% percent of Independents, would be less likely to vote for a Congressional candidate who did not support expanding wind power…”

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“…A strong majority of Iowans (63%) think that America’s energy needs can be met by renewable energy, and 48% of Iowa voters prefer that the state rely on wind energy to meet future energy needs…A plurality (46%) of Republicans think that America’s energy needs can be met by renewable energy, along with 69% of Independents, and 75% of Democrats…Wind energy is the number one choice future energy sources in each of the state’s new Congressional districts, favored by 55% of CD 4 voters, 49% of CD 3 voters, 48% of CD 2 voters and 39% of CD 1 voters…

“Eighty five percent (85%) of Iowans believe that wind energy has been good for the state’s economy, and 83 percent believe that it has helped bring new jobs to the state…Seventy five percent (75%) of Republicans and 87 percent of Independents think wind energy has been good for the state’s economy…Seventy three percent (73%) percent of Republicans and 88 percent of Independents believe that wind energy has helped bring new jobs to the state…”

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