Archive for May, 2009
Cutting Aviation Emissions with ‘Bottletop Technology’
Most of the time we ignore simple solutions dismissing them as too simplistic. But often we can achieve immeasurable amount of success with simple and practical solutions. We might think about the shape of wings and speed of airplanes but we don’t give much thought to an airplane’s wings in terms of reducing fuel [...]
Posted in: Environment, Inventions, Transportation
Vermont FITs Become Law: The Mouse That Roared
Vermont’s feed-in tariff legislation became law at the end of business on May 27, 2009. H. 446 is the first legislation calling for a full system of advanced renewable tariffs in the US to pass the legislature and become law. The bill includes changes to Vermont’s Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development Program (SPEED) that would implement a pilot feed-in tariff policy.
If Geeks Ran the Electric Grid
Once we thought the phone network was a “natural” monopoly. But history proved otherwise. Look beyond the electric grid’s “natural monopoly” and look backwards at telecom deregulation and the internet to see how big the Smart Grid can be for America.
Museum of Science, Boston Installs Windspire Wind Turbine for Nations First Rooftop Wind Lab
Seeking Innovation, Mariah Power Joins Innovative Experiment to Explore Small Wind Technology in Urban Settings
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, (MAY 29, 2009) – Mariah Power (www.mariahpower.com), a wind technology company that maximizes energy conversion from wind into electric power, announced its participation in the nation’s first rooftop Wind Turbine Lab at the Museum of Science (www.mos.org) in Boston, Massachusetts, with the installation of a Windspire wind turbine (www.windspire.info) on the Museum’s rooftop.
New Solar Stadium in Taiwan
It’s official now. Taiwan will hold the World Games 2009 in July. This international sporting event will include games like korfball, billiards, dragon boat racing and women’s tug-of-war. But why are we discussing World Games 2009 in an alternative energy spectrum? Actually Taiwan can boast of Asia’s first fully solar-powered stadium. The stadium gives [...]
Posted in: Future Energy, Industry, Solar Power
Most Viewed Stories for Week of May 25, 2009
A story about Sanyo’s more-efficient c-Si solar cell engaged the most readers this week. Nikon said it is reorganizing its lithography operation, cutting ~1000 jobs. Packaging is evolving toward 3-D, the latest transition perhaps spurred by bad times. VLSI Research reported the winners of its customer satisfaction survey, with Varian and Novellus on top. A debate whether the upturn really is happening, as Intel’s Paul Otellini contends, rounded out our Top 5.
Johnson Controls Completes Solar Project at Nation’s Second Largest Convention Center
MILWAUKEE (May 20, 2009) – Johnson Controls, Inc., the global multi-industrial leader in energy efficiency, sustainability and renewable energy has completed the largest renewable energy generation system of its kind in the southeastern United States. The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in central Florida now has a solar photovoltaic (PV) system made up of a 1.1 megawatt rooftop single-crystalline PV system, and four 10-kilowatt experimental PV systems located around the facility. An education center inside the convention center will display the system data, performance and solar energy information to the millions of visitors to this world class convention center.
New Biogas Network Under Development
A new dedicated biogas distribution network is being built in the German city of Lünen. Powered by agricultural waste, including cow dung and horse manure, 90,000 residents will benefit from the development, which will make the town the first in the world to build and manage a biogas network.
Vermont Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Act of 2009 to become law
Governor Douglas did not veto the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Act passed by the legislature and so it will become law. We tracked this bill as it worked its way through the House and Senate. According to Renewable Energy Vermont, the statute’s components, include:
- a standard offer price for certain types of renewable energy;
- clarification that thermal energy fits within the purview of the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF);
- regulatory incentives ensuring utilities can recover permitting costs for renewable energy;
- a requirement that ANR reconsider its policy prohibiting wind on State lands;
- improvements to residential and commercial-building standards;
- pilot downtown-community renewable-energy projects in Montpelier and Randolph (combined heat and power facilities);
- clean energy assessment districts that would allow towns, cities, and incorporated villages to use municipal bonds to finance residential renewable-energy or energy-efficiency projects; and
- limitations on the power of municipalities and deeds to prohibit residential installation of renewable-energy and energy-efficiency devices, such as solar panels and residential wind turbines
One of the more controversial aspects of the statute pertains to the inclusion of a so-called “standard offer” – which establishes a minimum price to be paid by consumers for certain types of renewable energy. In Governor Douglas’ letter summarizing his concerns about the statute, he compares the standard offer to PURPA, the 1978 statute that required utilities to purchase power from independent power producers under long-term fixed contracts. As an interesting aside, some proposals for a national renewable portfolio standard use amendments to PURPA as the legislative vehicle.
The standard offer requirements apply to renewable energy facilities that are 2.2 MW or less and would be available to generators until at least a total of 50 MW of qualifying capacity comes online in Vermont.
For most renewable energy sources, the contracts would range from 10-20 years, but solar contracts can range from 10-25 years. The statute requires the Public Service Board (PSB) to set a minimum price through a noncontested case docket. The PSB is required to open the docket before September 15, 2009. Until the PSB concludes its docket the minimum prices set by the statute are as follows:
- methane from a landfill or agriculture operation is $.12 per kWh for facilities up to 2.2 MW;
- wind power is $.20 per kWh for facilities up to 15 kW;
- solar power is $.30 per kWh for facilities up to 2.2 MW.
Until the PSB concludes its docket, the minimum price to be paid for electricity from solar and wind facilities between 15 kW – 2.2 MW, and certain biomass facilities, is the price equal to the average residential rate per kWh charged by all in-state retail electricity providers weighted by the retailers portion of the overall state load at the time the new facility comes online.
In the PSB docket setting the prices, the statute requires consideration of 2 factors: 1) a calculation of a generic cost of each form of renewable energy, and 2) a rate of return on equity comparable to the highest rate of return received by a Vermont investor-owned utility. The statute also gives the PSB broad discretion to make “adjustments” to the factors above to “ensure that the price provides sufficient incentive for the rapid development and commissioning” of the new renewable facilities.
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