Watch the Copenhagen Conference live

Copenhagen 24/7 is a pioneering interactive TV channel that enables viewers to watch the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on their computers as it unfolds, live, hour by hour. Millions of viewers are expected to tune in December 7-19, 2009 during the climate summit, which has been called ‘the most important conference since World War II’.

I embedded it on the upper right corner of the blog. Enjoy

300 MW more wind

US energy utility Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L) has issued requests for proposals to add up to 300MW of additional wind energy generation in the 2010 - 2011 timeframe.

KCP&L currently owns and operates the Spearville Wind Generation Facility, a 100.5MW wind farm in Spearville, Kansas that became operational in 2006. The Spearville Wind Generation Facility generates enough electricity annually to supply approximately 33,000 homes. If fully developed, the wind projects contemplated in these RFP’s would provide a clean source of power for a further 100,000 homes, KCP&L said.

The first request invites companies to submit proposals to construct and own a 100.5MW addition at the Spearville Wind Generation Facility and sell the power to KCP&L under a 20-year power purchase agreement starting in August 2010.

The second request has two parts, the first part invites companies, as an alternative to the Spearville addition, to submit proposals to provide KCP&L with 100MW of wind power through a power purchase agreement starting in August 2010. The second part invites companies to submit proposals for up to an additional 200MW of wind power starting in October 2011. Proposals under the second part could include power purchase agreements or arrangements where KCP&L would own and operate the facilities after development and construction.

Big one. Go for it.

Solar Industry Growing; Obstacles Remain

This is an excerpt from the byliner of the alternativeenergymagazine

1. What growth rates are solar industry professionals expecting for their businesses over the next few years?
A majority of solar industry professionals indicate a boom in business over the next couple of years. 76.5 percent of respondents forecasted overall growth for their U.S. businesses—even in 2009. That number jumps to 92.6 percent in 2010 and 95.1 percent in 2011. In fact, many are expected to register a growth rate of more than 25 percent in 2010 (37.3 percent) and 2011 (55 percent).

2. Has the recession had an impact on growth and how does that influence future growth?
Respondents indicated that the recession has not had a crushing impact on the U.S. solar industry. 64.9 percent claim that the industry has dealt with the economic challenges in a positive manner—which helps position solar businesses for a sales upswing in the near future.

3. What obstacles/challenges are solar businesses still facing?
Despite the anticipated growth, obstacles still remain. Respondents indicate that the main obstacles facing the industry include lack of financing (81.8 percent), little support from utilities (62.9 percent), lack of customer knowledge (61.3 percent), and insufficient level of incentives (59.1 percent).

4. Do solar businesses feel the government has done enough to help improve the economic climate for the solar industry?
Although a majority (64.4 percent) did not apply for government stimulus money, many indicate that legislation has to further spur the market with incentives and direct grants out of the stimulus budget to unlock solar projects.

5. Without government assistance is the solar industry self sustaining and viable moving into the future?
From what we are projecting, it could be 3-5 years for utility scale and 5-10 years for commercial or smaller residential to become viable throughout the U.S. The success of solar manufactures highly depends on their cost structure. Companies compete not only against their solar peers but also against other sources of electricity. Governmental support is paramount, as this depends on local and state incentives as well as local electricity prices. Electricity out of solar can already be offered at a lower price on a project basis compared to what traditional electricity providers are offering.

The solar industry is a challenging place to be. It is yet to be seen whether this young industry will be able to apply growth and operational strategies that proved successful in other industries. The solar industry, if compared with a company’s lifecycle model, is in the research and development phase. Therefore, companies compete generally based on innovation—and then at a later stage—on price. However, what is challenging about the solar industry is that, we see both levels of competition occurring at the same time.

6. What strategic initiatives are solar businesses pursuing to stimulate growth in 2010?
There is a great need for leading companies to improve their operational efficiencies—according to 75.3 percent of the respondents—and to place more emphasis on their strategic plans, such as increasing U.S. production (50.6 percent)).

In anticipation of strong demand and harsh competition in 2010 and 2011, approximately half of those we polled will increase their assembly and production; while 38.6 percent will go about expanding market share through transactions—such as joint ventures, mergers or acquisitions.

Moreover, available funds for fewer projects have given installers and developers power that they did not have before. They are placing pricing pressure on the client side to their suppliers, the rest of the value chain. Thus, it is not surprising that nearly two thirds (63.2 percent) of the respondents state that material cost reductions are important within their supplier negotiations.

Competition is fierce, and although players compete mainly via cost, solar businesses regard their sales and marketing efforts as critical to revving up the U.S. growth engine. In fact, 82.9 percent report that sales and marketing will be stepped up in the coming year. Again, this speaks to the lack of knowledge customers have about solar products, services and prices.

7. In this highly competitive marketplace, what communications tools and techniques are solar businesses planning to use to generate awareness, spur customer knowledge and differentiate themselves? What other communication tools should they be considering?
Awareness and differentiation are important in the nascent solar industry. Increased communication was cited by survey participants as a strategic priority and references were made to a wide array of traditional, digital and social media techniques and platforms.

Interestingly, respondents said they favor more indirect methods to gain visibility, including search engine optimization that unlocks value from existing content, as well as media coverage earned from outreach to professional journalists and industry bloggers.

This may indicate an opportunity for channels like corporate blogs, mobile marketing and Twitter. A next step is to strategically integrate these types of digital media tools into the mix, which can help companies establish clear voices and engage in more interactive conversations with their audiences.

Community Wind Case Studies

This presentation profiles nine community wind case studies: Hull, Massachusetts; Kodiak, Alaska; Lamar, Colorado; Pretty Prairie Jr. - Sr. High School, Kansas; Hyannis, Massachusetts; Waverly, Iowa; Luverne, Minnesota; Rosebud Sioux Tribe, South Dakota; and Jefferson, Iowa. Local ownership (municipality, rural electric cooperative, landowner LLCs, tribes, small business), variety of applications (utility generation portfolio, net metering, IPP, wind-diesel, self generation), range of wind turbine and project size, and financing options (municipal bonds, USDA and DOE grants, state grants and production payments, CREBs, innovative green tag arrangements, piggyback structure) are discussed.

The First US Solar Powered Highway Goes Online In Waterstate

While Globe Specialty Metals, a producer of high-grade silicon for use in solar panels, announced this week that it is reopening a silicon plant in Niagara Falls - western New York (I visited the site) The Solar Highway Pilot Project goes online.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Wind - Fox Islands Maine Project had its 1st Turkey - Bluwater Stays Hungry

The largest community-owned wind facility on the East Coast and the largest off-shore wind farm in New England is now open for business.

This press release says the Fox Islands Wind Project in Maine features three large-scale wind turbines that will generate 4.5 megawatts of electricity for the islands of Vinalhaven and North Haven, providing cheap, clean energy to the islands’ residents, who currently pay twice the national average for their power, for decades to come:

Governor [John] Baldacci and Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree joined leaders of the Fox Islands project to dedicate the wind energy project, a model for communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

“The Fox Islands community wind project demonstrates that a local community can harness the power of a local, renewable resource and become an example to the rest of the State and the nation,” said Gov. Baldacci. “This new wind installation puts Maine at the cutting edge of renewable energy development, and proves that coastal wind is a viable, low-cost energy source.”

The turbines’ dedication is the result of strong support from the entire Fox Islands community since the project’s inception. In a nearly unanimous vote in July 2008, island residents ushered in a new era of renewable power in Maine by approving the project, and the arrival of the turbines earlier this summer was hailed by local residents. Several other island and coastal communities are now looking at community wind power as a viable alternative to traditional energy sources.

The GE Power & Water-supplied turbines can generate about 11,600 megawatt hours of electricity per year and reduce carbon emissions by a total of 5,400 tons.

Several New England-based companies and organizations, including the Island Institute, Cianbro Corporation, EOS Ventures, Diversified Communications and Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, collaborated on the effort.

More information is available here.

And more cool pictures of the project are available here.

A couple of events this week could bring the hope of wind farms off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia … better known as the Delmarva … closer to reality.

The Ocean City (MD) Dispatch reports that on Monday, Bluewater Wind, which already has an offshore wind farm project well underway in Delaware and a conceptual plan for a second one off the coast of Maryland, was taken over by NRG Energy Inc., a major player in energy production and distribution in the region. Then, on Tuesday, the governors of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form a tri-state partnership for the deployment of offshore wind energy in the mid-Atlantic coastal region:

Viewed individually, each event represents a gentle nudge in the direction of future wind farms off the mid-Atlantic coast. Together, however, they represent a significant move toward the development of the alternative energy source in the three states that comprise Delmarva. First and foremost, the MOU agreed upon by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine on Tuesday creates a formal partnership that could pull together the region’s significant offshore wind resources.

“No one state will be able to do this independently of the other states in the region,” said Bluewater Wind’s Dave Blazer. “There will have to be some spillover. It’s a pretty exciting development in this effort and should be beneficial for the region as a whole.”

Blazer explained the MOU essentially opens the door for the three states to partner and pool its collective resources on things like economic development, research and development and job training, for example. O’Malley agreed the MOU represents a significant step in the collaborative effort to develop offshore wind resources off the coast of the three states.

The article goes on to point out that Bluewater Wind already has a 25-year, 200-megawatt power purchase agreement with Delmarva Power and Light that has already been approved by the Delaware Public Service Commission as well as other state agencies. Maryland and Virginia are a bit further behind in their wind energy developments, but the new memorandum of understanding between the three states is expected to push their efforts forward as well.

New York Solar Thermal Roadmap, The Process

We have been working on the Solar Thermal Committee of New York State for a while. Now, we are entering the hot phase of our roadmap process. I wrote an overview over the action plan - the process document - that was conformed by the Committee.

If you want to support our efforts, please use this link to share the document:

http://renewables-usa.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-york-solar-thermal-roadmap-process.html

We need participants and additional sponsors. Our current sponsors are shown to the right.

new york solar thermal roadmap

WSJ: Solar Panel Makers Seek Local Ties

Today's WSJ: Solar panel makers, taking cues from industrial products like air-conditioners and Andersen windows, are racing to roll-out networks of installers across the U.S. and internationally as they try to establish their brands in the residential market.

SunPower Corp., Suntech Power Holdings Co. and others are enlisting hundreds of locally-owned installers with partnerships that offer training, sales support and help with marketing and advertising.

Poco Solar Energy workers install panels in Gilroy, Calif. The company says some customers are asking for panels by brand.

With the dealer networks, the manufacturers hope to build brand awareness in what many see as a commodity product. But the moves come as solar-panel manufacturers battle weak demand due to the recession and an oversupply of panels.

Most panel makers sell directly into the utility market and use distributors to reach consumers. Now some are betting that by cutting out distributors and working directly with small local installers, they can increase the loyalty of installers to one brand while raising profits.

Smaller rival SunPower, which is based in San Jose, Calif., has about 900 installers, including 200 in the U.S. In addition to sales and distribution support, SunPower offers its installers access to training programs and co-marketing funds.

By agreeing to work directly with a panel manufacturer, small installers say they pay less for panels than from larger distributors. They also have credit agreements, can get help arranging loans for customers and are offered technical support.

While national statistics on the solar-panel market are sparse, California's solar subsidy program provides data that are often used as a proxy for U.S. demand.

Using data from the subsidy program as well as its own forecasts, market-research firm iSuppli Corp. estimates that residential installations will make up roughly 20% of total U.S. demand in 2009.

NY Renewable Energy Win on The Horizon

We really do have a renewable energy and energy efficiency win on the horizon. But we try not to take these things for granted, so we are pushing extra hard given the political climate in Albany.

The program, to recap, is called PACE, and it is changing the way people finance clean energy investments across the nation. Simply: it allows people to roll the high upfront costs of a smart investment into longer term payments. Get the full story here.

But in order to secure victory, we need the word to be shouted from roof tops (where the solar panels should be). We need thousands of people to speak in unison (the same thousands who will get jobs from energy efficiency investments). Simply: We need you to take action. Then we need your cousin Mary to take action in Queens. Then your brother Larry in Rhinebeck. Then your half-brother’s brother in law’s girlfriend in Rochester to do the same.

Post this to your Twitter feed, or Face book page:

NY's so close to a clean energy finance program. Tell Albany you heart clean energy: http://tinyurl.com/yf9xjqe

U.S. Solar - Manufactuting or not? The Market is Getting Dicey

Good morning renewable folks. There is lot's of talk about the viability of solar manufacturing in the U.S. vs. in China. Now members of the senate step up to assists the claim - which I fully agree with - that it is. It just depends. It depends on the efficiency the company and its production process can come up with and it depends on the framework. I could think of at least 8 strategies that work. But the central planned government in China not only doesn't have to go through a democratic consensus in its decisions to support/ build an industry - also nobody asks about reason for or after action. So millions of dollars are poured into the pockets of solar companies to flood markets with their more than heavily subsidized products.

The U.S. solar industry however, is the most competitive market space solar companies have seen - ever. Lots of potential there - for comps as well as for employees. No wonder that the trio of U.S. senators this week introduced a bill to spur solar manufacturing jobs in the United States.

Through additional tax credits, they aim to encourage more companies to make solar equipment in the U.S., creating jobs and building up the country’s clean energy economy.

Many — from politicians and environmentalists to investors – have pinned great hopes on green jobs. Clean energy could create 850,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States, according to recent research.

Lets just say that number is ridiculous.

However, the latest proposal could create 315,000 U.S. jobs along the value chain, according to Solar Energy Industries Association, which is pushing for the bill and whose numbers are, according to their objective, slightly off as well.

But would the extra tax incentives be enough to keep solar power companies producing in the United States? A decade ago, the United States produced more than 40 percent of the world’s solar photovoltaic cells. In 2008, the United States made only 5 percent of the world’s solar cells. Also there used to be more than 400 manufacturers of solar thermal technology - before legislation cut incentives and a year later only 5 had survived the epic death.

Those numbers seem bleak. But the solar jobs landscape is not so black and white.

Chinese companies Suntech and Yingli have plans to start manufacturing in the United States. At the same time, the largest U.S. solar company First Solar has announced plans to open a massive plant in China and U.S.-based Evergreen Solar is speeding up its strategy to outsource to China. Solarworld (which again is rumored to be taken over by Exxon) keeps building plants in the U.S. BP and GE closed plants.

BP Solar is downsizing one of its U.S. facilities as it attempts to reduce its unit costs by 25 percent by the end of 2010. In March, the British firm said it would end module assembly at its plant in Frederick, Maryland, although silicon casting, wafering, sizing and solar cell production will continue.

General Electric announced its plans to stop manufacturing crystalline silicon panels at its plant in Newark, Delaware at the end of the year and close the plant by the end of June 2010, laying off 82 employees.The company said in a statement that "current challenges in the solar industry, including industry pricing that is below the cost of manufacture" is responsible for the closure. GE says it will shift resources away from crystalline silicon modules to focus on inverter and thin film solar technologies.

There is a lot of capacity going in the ground in Asia. But I think as companies do their own homework and do cost comparison it is compelling that the costs in China or low — low capital costs, low labor costs, low overhead costs. And so I think it will be difficult to be a worldwide supplier of scale and not have some operations in China.

Picture credit FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How an Entire Town Leveled By a Tornado Is Rebuilding Green

I just saw this and thought it a good fit to my last post.

Melissa Knopper, at Alternet writes:

How an Entire Town Leveled By a Tornado Is Rebuilding Green

On May 4, 2007, an EF5 tornado cut a 1.7-mile path of destruction through Greensburg, Kansas. Winds reaching speeds of 205 miles per hour uprooted trees, demolished homes and leveled the town. Eleven people died and 95% of the buildings were destroyed beyond repair.

The town, whose population has dropped from 2,000 to 800 following the storm, responded with a first-of-its-kind commitment: to rebuild its businesses, schools and homes to meet the highest environmental standards. The motto on the town’s website captures the enthusiasm: "Greensburg: Better, Stronger, Greener!" Town officials passed a resolution that all future municipal buildings over 4,000 square feet would meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum designation. And word of the commitment created a media frenzy, including a reality TV show about Greensburg on Planet Green with eco-celebrity host Leonardo DiCaprio that’s now in its second season. President Obama even gave Greensburg a specific mention during his address to Congress in February.

Greensburg Mayor Bob Dixon says all that outside attention has given the town an advantage with attracting corporate sponsors and new businesses. While the rest of rural America is being hit hard with the economic downturn, high unemployment and layoffs, Greensburg’s emphasis on green living has given the town a buffer. ...

Recent high school graduate Taylor Schmidt, who helped found the Greensburg High School Green Club, now looks at his hometown with a new eye. "Before the tornado, our city was dying. Our biggest export was youth," Schmidt says.

"Now, people are moving here to see what we will become." Town officials are rebuilding their infrastructure with room to grow.

In the photo above, as reported on the Greensburg GreenTown blog, citizens sign the blade of a wind turbine being installed three weeks ago as part of wind farm that will become operational next March. "100% renewable energy, 100% of the time" has been the vision for Greensburg since just after the storm. How could Greensburg lay claim to the mantle of America’s model green community without being powered by renewable energy?

At Friday’s groundbreaking for the Greensburg Wind Farm, the folks gathered under the tent on an appropriately windy day (gusts up to 35 m.p.h.) heard speaker after speaker praise local leadership for having the vision and foresight to pursue the dream of a town powered by the wind. People from all over the country gathered at the site south of Greensburg to be a part of this auspicious occasion. There were John Deere Wind Energy representatives from Iowa, Native Energy and Green Mountain Coffee people from Vermont, and Aveda folks from Minneapolis. Suzlon (manufacturer of the wind turbines and folks that will be managing day-to-day operations) sent two of its people, the US Department of Energy was represented by people from Washington, D.C., and its National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado, and USDA-Rural Development had both Kansas representatives and people from the federal level. The Kansas delegation included our Lt. Governor and State Treasurer, and people from the Kansas Power Pool.

More Wind Land

Good morning. Here is a link to a terrific story done by a National Public Radio correspondent in South Dakota about the impact a wind manufacturing facility is having in Howard, South Dakota.

"On the edge of town two wind turbines churn against a grey sky. The turbines help power the businesses in Howard, including the Knight and Carver blade plant. Howard is pushing for local energy independence. For community leaders this is about a transformation into a whole new economy, based on green jobs and green energy. The wind isn't going to stop blowing on the Great Plains. In the end energy independence in America might depend on places like Howard, South Dakota."

Why is wind working here? Because it makes sense out of a cost perspective.

The main sub-components that make up a wind turbine, such as tower (26.3%), blades (22.2%) and gear box (12.91%) have the largest share of total wind turbine cost. Note that the numbers refer to a large turbine in the commercial market (5 MW as opposed to the 2 to 3 MW machines that are commonly being installed). Wind turbines are priced in proportion to their swept rotor surface area and generally speaking in proportion to roughly the square root of their hub height. The size of the generator of a wind turbine plays a fairly minor role in the pricing of a wind turbine, even though the rated power of the generator tends to be fairly proportional to the swept rotor area.

That is why I expect even more manufacturers to come on line in the U.S. wind market. With currently proposed state RPSs and an assumed share of 70-80% of wind, there is a market of more than 100,000 MW to be explored right now. To be clear- hat is the gap between required RPS and existing wind capacity. And large scale production in large areas in the U.S. ask for assembly of the gear box and blade and tower production in the U.S. can be a decisive advantage.

The above mentioned community story is one that is unfolding all over the United States, and we should be telling it--Americans need to understand the value of wind energy, and see how it is changing people's lives for the better. I say it all over the place - there needs to be paradigm shift in people's mindsets. The technology is here, it's viable. People Listen, and pass it around: wind and solar technologies are of-the-shelf technologies. They can be used in cost efficient manners, now.

Companies Need To Know When To Move Into US Market

Stephen ambushed me with an interview at Solar Power International about what solar companies need to know to make a move into the US market - here it is:

About the Future

As everyone who has a blog that gets read by at least some people, I receive press releases rather frequently. Although I ignore most - no news therem but ads only, this one was interesting, as it picked up on one of the most crucial elements of renewable energy - storage. I had several discussions with companies who have innovative technologies at the solar trade show in Anaheim, especially about CSP storage.

For starters - why is storage important? Because sun and wind are intermittent. The easiest way to deal with the intermittency of the sun is cheap storage — and thermal storage is much cheaper and has a much higher round-trip efficiency than electric storage. Also - large scale CSP is cheaper (see here what storage is cheaper) than other renewable sources (has some large downturns too) - By the way - just before I forget - PV companies are mostly sold out right now. I expect two things to happen midterm - the U.S. will really really take off (speak with companies about setting-up factories all the time, it feels like the most recent fashion statement to have a factory in the U.S.). Second - there will be a huge consolidation in the market. Prices will drop even more than the 30-40% we have seen now. But I am so far from what I wanted to write about, excuse me but it's early in the morning, let me re-digress.

The ability to provide power reliably throughout the day and evening in key locations around the world (including China and India) is why CSP delivers 3 of the 12 – 14 wedges needed for a climate solution.

Now “A Santa Monica, Calif., company called SolarReserve has taken a step toward making that a reality, filing an application with California regulators to build a 150-megawatt solar farm that will store seven hours’ worth of the sun’s energy in the form of molten salt,” as the NYT’s Green Inc. reported Wednesday. “Heat from the salt can be released when it’s cloudy or at night to create steam that drives an electricity-generating turbine.” And SolarReserve has a big-time Fortune 50 clean energy partner:

United Technologies has licensed the technology to SolarReserve and will guarantee its performance — a crucial advantage for the startup when it seeks financing from skittish bankers to build the Rice solar farm.

Here are more details:

The Rice Solar Energy Project, to be built in the Sonoran Desert east of Palm Springs, will “generate steady and uninterrupted power during hours of peak electricity demand,” according to SolarReserve’s license application.

So-called dispatchable solar farms would in theory allow utilities to avoid spending billions of dollars building fossil fuel power plants that are fired up only a few times a year when electricity demand spikes, like on a hot day.

SolarReserve is literally run by rocket scientists, many of whom formerly worked at Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of the technology giant United Technologies. Rocketdyne developed the solar salt technology, which was proven viable at the 10-megawatt Solar Two demonstration project near Barstow, Calif., in the 1990s….

As many as 17,500 large mirrors — each one 24 feet by 28 feet — will be attached to 12-foot pedestals. The mirrors, called heliostats, will be arrayed in a circle around a 538-foot concrete tower.

Atop the tower will sit a 100-foot receiver filled with 4.4 million gallons of liquid salt. The heliostats will focus the sun on the receiver, heating the salt to 1,050 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquefied salt flows through a steam-generating system to drive the turbine and is returned to the receiver to be heated again.

SolarReserve isn’t the only developer planning to tap molten salt to store solar energy. Abengoa Solar, for instance, intends to use salt storage at its 280-megawatt Solana solar trough plant outside Phoenix.

That project, however, will heat tubes filled with synthetic oil to create steam and transfer some of the heat to salt-filled storage tanks. By using salt for both steam and storage, SolarReserve can generate higher-temperature steam, which will allow the Rice power plant to operate much more efficiently, according to Kevin Smith, SolarReserve’s chief executive.

“Consequently, our system can capture three times the energy for the same pound of salt,” Mr. Smith wrote in an e-mail message. “Plus they have additional ‘bolt on’ equipment, plus multiple heat transfer steps to go from oil to salt to oil and then to steam for electricity generation.”

SolarReserve’s plant will be built on private land — the site of a former World War II-era Army airfield — near the desert ghost town of Rice. The company will air-cool the power plant, avoiding controversies over water use that have dogged other solar projects….

The company said it is negotiating with California utilities to buy the electricity generated from the Rice project and expects the solar farm to go online in October 2013, barring unforeseen delays.

Politics

One interesting story for operation, one interesting bit of information for the framework. One- The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is the first Export Credit Agency (ECA) to adopt a comprehensive Carbon Policy to help U.S. manufacturers produce renewable energy and climate-friendly technologies for the world market. The policy also includes a commitment to improve the bank’s transparency in the tracking and reporting of CO2 emissions from projects that it supports. I have been involved with Ex-Im in projects. It can be a very valuable source for direly needed cash. The Ex-Im Bank says now the Carbon Policy is in keeping with the Obama Administration’s commitment to help create new jobs through the promotion of “green” technology (Ex-Im Bank is the official export-credit agency of the United States).

As a part of this policy the Ex-Im Bank has established for the first time a $250 million facility to finance renewable energy exports, including solar, wind and geothermal energy! The policy also commits the bank to be a leader in financing of climate-friendly technologies made by American workers, including those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency

Second story - All seven Republicans in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee boycotted voting on the Senate climate bill, allowing the bill pass to pass 10-1 in the morning hours of Nov. 5. Funny stuff. Still surprises me, how interest makes laws or influences the process in the U.S. in such an obtuse way. Sen. Max Baucus, (D-Mont.) was the lone “no” vote. Now, the bill must wind its way through five other committees before reaching the full Senate floor, where it will need 60 votes to pass, reports the Wall Street Journal.

As written, the bill would require companies and other large polluters to possess permits for each ton of GHG emissions allowed into the atmosphere. The bill has a goal of reducing U.S. emissions 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050, using 2005 as a baseline.

Critics have said that the climate bill would result in undue price pressure on consumers, but a study from Stanford showed that electricity rates would rise only 23 percent over the next 30 years.

Last week, Baucus said the bill is “too ambitious” for setting a GHG emissions reduction target of 20 percent by 2020. Baucus also says that the legislation would not do enough to reign in the EPA on regulating CO2 emissions.

Also in dissent, George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) warned the committee about moving too fast, posing the question, “Why are we trying to jam down this legislation now?”

Republicans cited a need for more time to analyze the bill as their reason for boycotting the Nov. 5 vote. Right.

Democrats have felt pressure from the White House to show at least some progress in advance of the Dec. 5 Copenhagen climate talks, reports Reuters.

If the bill is watered down even more, liberal supporters may drop their support entirely. And that would have been it with such an effort for the next ten years, that's the sad truth.

Wind 3

Good morning everyone. Back from Ca. - the show was pretty amazing - I have my eye on wind. Wind power out West is booming… and that’s a bit of a problem. No, not a problem because of all of the clean energy the wind is producing. But the aging infrastructure to get that power to the people who can use it is loaded to the max, and this article from UPI says it’s time for an update:

Future wind projects mean the region’s electrical grid must be expanded, which won’t be without controversy, said Brent Fenty, who heads the Oregon Natural Desert Association, which is tracking transmission proposals.

“There’s no question that we are changing the face of the state right now. And the important part is that we do that in a way that is responsible and reflects our values,” Fenty told The (Portland) Oregonian.

Hundreds more wind turbine projects are planned for Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, most of them on private land. New power lines to carry that energy, however, must be built on public lands and carry a long-term impact, said Erik Fernandez, spokesman for the group Oregon Wild.

“If we do this the wrong way, there’s going to be a large price tag environmentally,” Fernandez said.

So I guess that’s the right kind of problem to have: too much green power. Now, if some upgrades that are in the works, such as the Tres Amigas Super Station in Clovis, New Mexico that aims to link major wind and solar projects with the U.S. population centers come to fruition, all this bounty of wind power should be a blessing. Furthermore - the economist argues climate change is not happening. OK, I know, but just assume governments realize or argue it is not. The young blossoming industry would collapse like a deck of cards.

U.S. solar businesses poised for strong growth says our poll

I'm off to the airport, but as promised, here are the results of our opinion poll (excerpts of our release, to be out at 9.30). The U.S. solar industry is positioning itself for a sales upswing in 2010 that could pave the way for aggressive expansion in the years beyond.

U.S. solar executives expect to see significant growth for their businesses in 2010 and 2011, according to results from the 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Monitor. The 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Monitor is an opinion poll conducted by Droege & Comp., an international management consultancy offering an energy/utilities competency, and Gibbs & Soell, an independent global public relations firm with communications expertise in advanced manufacturing and energy.

The 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Monitor

Here the key findings:

• 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Monitor finds that professionals within the solar industry value chain predict strong growth for their U.S. businesses in 2010 and 2011.
• Respondents indicate that more favorable legislation and heightened marketing will be keys to the expansion of their businesses.
• The majority of participants forecasted growth for their U.S. businesses in 2010 (92.6 percent) and 2011 (95.1 percent). Many expected to register a growth rate of more than 25 percent in 2010 (37.3 percent) and 2011 (55.0 percent).
• The majority (64.9 percent) indicated the recession has not had a crushing impact on the U.S. solar industry, which has dealt with economic challenges in a positive manner.
• Respondents identified the main obstacles to growth as the lack of financing (81.8 percent), little support from utilities (62.9 percent), lack of customer knowledge (61.3 percent), and insufficient level of incentives (59.1 percent).
• Awareness and differentiation are important in the nascent solar industry. To create demand in the coming year, 82.9 percent report that sales and marketing communications will be stepped up.

In anticipation of strong demand and harsh competition in 2010 and 2011, 60.2 percent of respondents said they will boost their U.S. supply. Approximately half of those polled will increase their assembly/production, while 38.6 percent will go about expanding market share via transactions, such as joint ventures, mergers or acquisitions.

“This is clearly a pivotal time for solar companies to gather together at Solar Power International,” said Julia Hamm, executive director of Solar Electric Power Association, a non-profit resource for information about solar technologies, policies and programs which is co-presenting this year’s Solar Power International event. “Record participation in this year’s show and the overwhelmingly positive outlook indicated by the 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Monitor illustrate the industry’s strong appetite for ideas and partners that can help stimulate immediate growth.”

Competition is fierce, and players compete mainly via cost. We see the need for leading companies to improve their operational costs and to put more emphasis on their strategic plans. I am excited to discuss these results in Ca this week.

Weekend round-up

Before wrapping up my presentations for the SPI I thought I share some interesting news with you

Solar

• I will post the results of our opinion poll on Monday morning. Let me tell you, results are promising.

• New Jersey utility PSE&G is soliciting proposals from developers and third-party-owned sites for the development of 5 megawatts of roof and ground-mounted solar systems to be owned by PSE&G and that will provide rental income to property owners.

• China's ENN, which makes thin-film solar panels and develops solar farms, is teaming up with Duke Energy Generation Services to bid on contracts for utility-scale solar farms and large commercial solar projects in the U.S. Duke will bring its expertise in navigating through public hearings and the legal hurdles of getting large-scale projects off the ground along with technology for building them to the 50/50 partnership, while ENN will provide expertise for building solar farms and possibly solar panels, said a Duke spokesman. The various projects could employ panels from different vendors. Yes, China is so much more aggressive in the market approach. I feel like Europeans are sleepers while Chinese have insomnia.
  

Wind
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported in its third quarter market report that the U.S. wind energy industry installed 1,649 MW of new power generating capacity in the third quarter —- an amount higher than either the 2nd quarter of 2009 or the 3rd quarter of 2008 -— bringing the total capacity added this year to date to over 5,800 MW. AWEA also reported that wind turbine manufacturing still lags below 2008 levels, in both production and new announcements.

According to AWEA, since the early July announcement of rules to implement the stimulus bill, the wind industry has seen over 1,600 MW (enough to serve the equivalent of 480,000 average households) of completed projects, and over 1,700 MW of construction starts. These projects equate to about $6.5 billion in new investment. AWEA does not expect the fourth quarter of 2009 to be as strong as the fourth quarter of 2008 since the 5,000 MW now under construction is nearly 38% lower than the over 8,000 MW under construction at this time last year.

The total wind power capacity now operating in the U.S. is over 31,000 MW, generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of nearly 9 million homes, avoiding the emissions of 57 million tons of carbon annually and reducing expected carbon emissions from the electricity sector by 2.5%.

The Solar Thermal Roadmap Event

... was splendid. I do not need to write about it, as Paul did. click. It was also written about in the Solar Glazing Magazine and the Midhudson News.

Left to write - Vinni Cozzolino, CEO of The Solar Energy Consortium, Frank Falatyn, Chairman of TSEC, Anthony Collins, President Clarkson University, Congressman Maurice Hinchey, Ron Kamen, President NYSEIA and me. Not sure who took it (before I could smile ;-)), probably credit is to Paul.

I like the video Paul put in - very educational and beautiful Spanish in there. By the way, we will publish the results of our opinion poll Monday morning. If you are interested in interviews/ the results, please meet us at the SPI in Anaheim or email.

Wind yes, Transmission no - still

Earlier this week, National Wind CEO Leon Steinberg, challenged President Obama to take a stand by insisting that legislators pass an energy bill establishing a federal oversight committee to implement an interstate transmission highway. Steinberg likens the challenge as similar to President “Ike” Eisenhower’s initiative of creating a federal interstate system. The only difference is that while the nation’s interstate system is for cars, the transmission highway is for electricity.

The Midwest is prime real estate for wind energy, especially Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa enabling the states to produce more energy than the people need. However, today, it is nearly impossible to capture and transfer the excess energy from wind turbines for use in overpopulated areas like California. The next logical step is to design a way to do just this all while providing lower cost energy to consumers.

Just like the biofuels industry is struggling to increase the blend wall (if not the country can’t meet the 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022), the electrical industry cannot meet President Obama’s goal of 25 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2025 if the grid is not overhauled and upgraded.

Steinberg writes in an op-ed piece, “President Obama’s goal of securing 25 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025 is restricted by state regulators who act only in the interests of their state and disregard the potential benefits of new, high capacity, interstate transmission line.” If the country is serious about energy security, he continues, then the President should emulate Eisenhower’s approach and, “demand action by Congress to bring our energy infrastructure into the 21st century.”

As many have said and will continue to say, including Steinberg, our government needs to get out of its own way in order to usher in new environmental and economic security for generations now and to come.

Wind good, Money bad

Wednesday’s Wind Energy Day in New York City, as proclaimed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, turned out to be an eventful and informative one, both for the public and members of the wind industry.

General themes coming out of the event: the federal grant program created under the economic stimulus package has had a positive effect on the industry as well as the project finance environment. Wind power installation numbers for the quarter were stronger than expected, thanks to the grant program. Still, the manufacturing side of the industry continues to lag as turbine inventories and previous orders continue to satiate demand for the time being.

In spite of the overall encouraging news, project finance deals remain more elusive (and take longer to get done) than they once were, developers said at the conference. Debt deals can get done for certain very high-class projects.

U.S. in parts getting closer to solar boom

Good morning. It is getting colder on morning jogs. But my mind is all about the sun. If you are part of the U.S. solar market, have you taken our survey yet (3 minutes of your time)? While our symposium for the Solar Thermal roadmap is getting closer, I am also writing a whitepaper on turnarounds and growth strategies for solar companies with a minor focus on the U.S. market. I feel like real time occurrences are taking over my predictions. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed several bills Sunday that will tweak the way California's electricity market works, encouraging solar power and phasing out some rules created during the state's electricity crisis.

One bill will require California utilities to buy surplus solar power from homeowners who generate more than they use. Another bill will expand the state's "feed-in tariff," a system that sets a price for renewable power that utilities buy from businesses with midsized solar arrays.

Another piece of legislation will raise the electricity rates of customers who use relatively little power, ending a rate freeze put in place during the energy crisis of 2000-01. The same bill also will allow a limited number of large electricity customers - such as businesses or schools - to leave the utilities and buy power from other companies.

The governor this weekend carried out his threat to veto two related bills that would have forced the state's utilities to get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Schwarzenegger argued that the bills placed too many restrictions on the utilities, and he decided to pursue the same 33 percent goal through an executive order instead.

California already has a feed-in tariff, but it only covers renewable power projects capable of generating 1.5 megawatts or less. Under SB32, the limit is increased to 3 megawatts.

Finally, the Republican governor signed a bill that will end an 8-year-old freeze on electricity rates for some utility customers.

Interesting to see how the utilities will react.

Participate in the Solar Industry Monitor 2009 by DROEGE & COMP. and Gibbs & Soell

Are you out of the solar community? Are you part of the U.S. solar market? Well then -

We invite you to participate in the Solar Industry Monitor 2009 by DROEGE & COMP. and Gibbs & Soell. Please take this 3-5 minutes easy-to-answer survey, which intends to assess the current state of the U.S. solar industry.

Please consider taking it today. Taking the survey grants you access to the analysis of the results.

Click Here to take survey

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Weekend Past time

Just wait and see - How you lose

In between conference calls, I have been sifting through industry news. That it would be a "big mistake" for the Congress to approve an energy bill this year without placing a cap on greenhouse emissions, said a White House's top climate and energy adviser yesterday, so Reuters.

"We think that would be a big mistake," Carol Browner told business leaders at a clean energy forum. "I think you have to keep these programs coordinated because they do impact with each other."

Browner played down the significance of having a climate change bill approved by both chambers and signed into law before international climate negotiations begin in Copenhagen in December to try to hammer out an agreement to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol on fighting climate change.

It is really ridiculous to see, how the already diluted law gets postponed into its death. After several delays, at least Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer last week unveiled their climate bill that calls for a 20 percent reduction in smokestack emissions by 2020 from 2005 levels. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he hopes to combine the climate bill with a comprehensive energy package approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee earlier this year. But some moderate Senate Democrats have said they would prefer to simply pass the energy package, which would require utilities to generate more electricity from renewable sources and allow more oil and gas drilling off Florida's Gulf coast. Spill spill spill. I understand that any climate legislation in the Senate likely faces an uphill battle, as lawmakers from heavy industrial states in both parties have raised concerns about burdening companies with additional energy costs. But seriously, what are the alternatives? Where is the next industry boom comin from? Let's wait a little longer and the boat has shipped for the U.S. European manufacturers are miles ahead - wait a little longer and Chinese and Indian firms will take the remaining spots.

Do you get that??

And there are other issues as well (rest of comment)

DOE accelerates loan program

Today the Department of Energy announced the creation of the Financial Institution Partnership Program to accelerate the loan guarantee program. The announcement included a solicitation funded with $750m for DOE loan guarantees, expected to support more than $4b in loans from private lenders to cleantech companies. In contrast to previous loan guarantee solicitations, today’s round is targeted at private banks through a new program that increases the responsibilities of participating lenders. So far only one company has ever received a DOE guaranteed loan, and it came from the Federal Financing Bank which is part of the Treasury Department. The DOE is hoping the private banks will perform the due diligence faster than government entities.

After speaking with staffers in the DOE loan guarantee office, I remain cautious on the overall program. The loan guarantee program is attractive to investors because it received $6b from the stimulus bill to support $60b in loans to cleantech companies. It is available to companies on virtually all parts of the cleantech value chain, and does not prevent project developers from also claiming an Investment Tax Credit or Treasury Grant. Unfortunately, the program is subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires an environmental review lasting anywhere between 3 months and 2 years. Downstream project developers are most likely to face the multi-year review because their applications affect substantially more acres of land. Today’s announcement will allow private banks to accelerate the NEPA process by contributing their own due diligence, but I doubt there will be any radical changes to the timelines due to the nature of the regulations.

I expect the program will favor upstream cleantech companies. The only company that has secured a guaranteed loan is Solyndra Inc., a private thin-film solar company that recently received $527m! to construct a new manufacturing facility. Solyndra’s application avoided the highest level of NEPA review, due in part to the relatively small amount of acres that will be affected.

Sun on henhouse

Happy Birthday

to me. I will treat myself to a fabulous Wiener Schnitzel out of the bottle.

"Our version puts the schnitz in the schnitzel with a light carbonation. You can even taste the squeeze of lemon and potato salad on the side!"

Oh sweet American life.

Windy SF

Windmills might soon be going up all over San Francisco, as a a task force is recommending that the city start putting up the turbines at places like Treasure Island, the San Francisco Zoo, city parks, and the city airport as demonstration sites for how urban wind farms could help power the city.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the recommendations come after a year-long study of the potential of wind power in the city:

We should absolutely harness the wind, said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who as a city supervisor in July 2008 joined Mayor Gavin Newsom in convening the urban wind power task force, which is publishing the report.

Now if we could just harness the hot air that comes out of City Hall and the Capitol, we’ll have an answer to global warming, Ammiano quipped.

The ideas proposed in the San Francisco study are intended to help the city reach its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. While turbines are typically associated with farms and rural areas, cities like San Francisco are increasingly interested in using what is considered a cleaner energy generator.

City hall itself might even sport its own urban wind farm one day. Go San Fran

NO NO NO - Cultural issues

You, who read the blog frequently, know that I am dedicated to the energy and power industry. And that from a business and industry perspective. It is not all flowers and saving the world from turning to dust or thinking - I'll let my children deal with it. I am an optimistic realist. Sometimes my ravenous sustainable emotional thinking comes through and enrages my usually calm analyzing mind. OK, it's never really calm. Call me volcano. BUT without becoming distractedly funny -the Toronto Film Festival winner, Collapse, is a big hit, but for all the wrong reasons.

It documents the collapse of major economies, specifically America, with the advent of Peak Oil. Collapse is a one-man show examining the thoughts and theories of former police officer, reporter, and radical thinker Michael Ruppert. Back in 2001, Ruppert predicted last’s year’s economic collapse with eerie accuracy and has plenty more theories about the future. Chris Smith films Ruppert’s ramblings with stunning cinematography courtesy of legendary cinematographer Edward Lachman. Ruppert’s claims are frightening at first, but as the film goes on it becomes clear that the man is not completely sane.

What’s fascinating about the movie is this tension between Ruppert’s brilliant proclamations and occasionally wacky comments. By the end it’s difficult to decide how to feel about Ruppert. The man is either a genius or a lunatic, but he’s an incredible character regardless. Collapse is a fascinating documentary that examines both the world’s current problem with consumption and an incredible fringe intellectual.What is particularly objectionable to me is Ruppert’s view, that alternative energy is a pervasive (and elusive) myth that will lead us into a false sense of security. People believe that junk. It's a novelistic view that people take for scientific fact.

Alternative energy, particularly solar and wind (and biomass and geothermal and tidal and hydro if I think of it), is far from a myth. The obstacles that face it – lack of interest and funding on the part of government (75 percent of subsidies still go toward fossil fuels) – could easily be removed, and rather quickly, if those who have the money to make a difference weren’t convinced they will survive the coming meltdown without any oil (or any help from the rest of us).

Hydrocarbons as a whole are a bet on a winning racehorse that dies at the finish line. Solar, which delivers energy without pollution, is a racehorse hampered by having its legs tied. Surely, if a solar thermal installation in Africa (Desertec) could power 15 percent of Europe, a solar installation in the Mohave Desert could power all of California, with parts of Arizona and Oregon thrown in for good measure.

The obstacle, in both cases, will be environmental policy, but surely there are parts of American deserts that don’t represent critical habitat, or at least parts that could be withdrawn as critical habitat (and the rest put into solar) that would save us from the probability of Ruppert’s Collapse.

Another obstacle is transmission. This obstacle, created by decades of public utilities paying shareholders and CEO’s instead of tending to infrastructure upgrades, could be easily solved by taking some stimulus money and matching it with utility profits, which could be repaid through another form of renewable energy credits.

The secret is to get all the power brokers sitting at the same table to give up their egos and their private agendas to preserve what is currently the most endangered species of all; man (too much?). The prevailing idea – that there are too many of us – is one supported by Malthusian malcontents who think they will be preserved from the great decimation by virtue of their wealth; status; point of view; or worthiness. I really like the utility guys, they do business. And lots of them see an opportunity in the smart grid. But renewables are part of that and this is what most don't want to see.

Humanity is a house of cards, or – as John Donne noted – an island. America now needs to mount a concerted effort to insure its own island isn’t swamped by the effects of Ruppert’s Collapse, and there is no better way to do that than by promoting alternative energies like solar with an unbeatable team of power, money, expertise and a willingness to think outside the box (can you think inside the box?) of environmental structures. Or is there?