New Powerline Study Finds that Local Wind Energy Generation Can Avoid the Need for New Lines
A study released this week in Minnesota shows there is an abundant opportunity for new community-based energy development (C-BED) throughout Minnesota. The study’s conclusions affirm those of a previous utility study that found that significant amounts of wind energy can be injected into the existing transmission system at costs far lower than building new transmission lines to more distant wind farms.
Can residential rooftop solar compete with new utility-scale concentrating solar electric plants? Only if federal and state incentives are amended to level the playing field. This May 2008 report explores the economics of solar PV and concentrating solar and shows how local ownership is hindered unless government solar incentives change. 
A wind turbine can power up to 600 homes, but 600 homeowners can't get together to own a wind turbine. Why? Because federal law makes local ownership virtually impossible. The federal wind-energy incentives -- up for renewal this year -- discriminate against local ownership and favor absentee ownership. They also severely restrict the number of investors who can finance wind-energy generators.
A debate between advocates of distributed and centralized renewable energy systems is just beginning. It is overdue. Consideration of scale in renewable energy systems has been delayed in part because we first had to bring solar energy in all its forms to market, and in part because the distributed nature of renewable energy resources seemed inexorably to lead to their being harnessed in distributed fashion. Only recently have we begun to realize that a renewable energy future does not inevitably mean a decentralized energy future. 
A typical 2 megawatt wind turbine provides enough electricity for around 600 average American homes. So why is it nearly impossible for those same 600 households to pool their resources and own a wind turbine? A new policy brief by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) shows how removing two barriers to owning and investing in renewable energy projects can pave the way for true energy independence.
Regulations coming into force in April and May 2008 will bring a wealth of energy and environmental information to homebuyers in the United Kingdom. Potential buyers will get an Energy Performance Certificate and a mandatory comparison of the new home to the requirements contained in the UK's Code for Sustainable Homes as part of home information packets (HIPs) prior to purchasing the home. 
Updating a pathbreaking 2003 report, ILSR's March 2008 report, 
Last month the Internal Revenue Service today announced 312 projects that are now eligible to be financed with tax-credit bonds under the Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREB) program. Approximately, $477 million was available for this round of applications. The CREB program was created by the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005 and expanded under the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006.
A new policy brief from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance concludes that universal dividends are a critically important tool to create the political will and public acceptance for a carbon cap. Universal dividends have the potential to hold harmless a large segment of consumers while we move to a low-carbon economy. Moreover, the universal dividend honors the principle that the sky belongs to all of us equally. Private investment in clean and efficient technologies will be driven by a carbon cap that leads to steady reductions over time of GHG emissions and carbon-based fuels.
Several European countries and the Canadian province of Ontario have recently adopted feed-in tariffs, a mandated, long-term premium price for renewable energy paid by the local utility company to renewable energy producers. A new study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) shows how feed-in tariffs could turbocharge Minnesota’s renewable electricity standard, reduce costs, and spread the economic benefits across the state.
The California Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007 (AB 1470), creates a 10-year program aimed at installing 200,000 solar water heaters in homes and businesses using a $250 million fund. The law authorizes the California Energy Commission to “impose the surcharge at a level that is necessary to meet the goal ...” The surcharge will be applied to natural gas consumption on a per Btu basis and is estimated that it will cost the average residential natural gas user an additional 13 cents per month. The bill was signed into law on October 12, 2007. 
A survey in northern California reveals a wide range of fees assessed to homeowners that install on-site solar power systems. The Sierra Club's Loma Prieta, S.F. Bay and Redwood chapters compared the charges and fees in 131 municipalities. The report recommends on that a $300 fee is an appropriate ceiling level that would comply with state law. 
This column by ILSR's John Farrell argues that in their desire to expand renewable-energy production, activists and policymakers focus almost entirely on “more,” rather than “better.” Twenty-seven states have renewable-energy standards, requiring utilities to produce or sell 10, 20, even 30 percent of electricity from renewable sources in the next two decades. The U.S. House just passed an energy bill with a national renewable-energy standard and a drastically higher biofuels mandate. This tunnel vision on “more” overlooks the substantial benefits that local ownership can bring to our energy future. 
Congress and most state legislatures have or are developing renewable energy policies with a single objective: get more renewables. Our new study, Wind and Ethanol: Economies and Diseconomies of Scale, finds that this single minded focus ignores the potential economic benefits from locally owned and more modestly scaled facilities. The focus should on better renewable energy projects not simply more.
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released the results from their Small Wind Turbine Global Market Study, reporting that high up –front costs are preventing small wind systems from reaching their growth potential. The small wind industry has been experiencing annual growth in the range of 14-25% since 1985. AWEA says that Increased federal incentives could double the growth rate. 
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) has issued the 5th edition of its Connecting to the Grid guide. The report and survey addresses new and lingering interconnection issues relevant to all distributed generation (DG) technologies. The guide hopes to assist state regulators and other government officials, as well as utility representatives, DG stakeholders and consumers interested in the development of state-level interconnection standards.
On July 16, 2007, the West Hollywood City Council voted unanimously to pass the Green Building Requirements and Incentives for Private Development Ordinance that applies a suite of energy conservation and renewable energy requirements to both residential and commercial development. Some provisions apply to new building projects while others apply to remodeling projects at existing buildings.
This column by David Morris and Peter Barnes argues for a three pronged strategy on climate protection. First, a comprehensive emission cap. Second, a carbon auction for suppliers of carbon fuels. And lastly, a universal and equal distribution of revenues from that sale. Three keys to an effective and equitable strategy to reduce global warming. 
On June 28, 2007, the Illinois Senate and House approved a joint resolution that adopts a policy that calls for carbon-neutral state buildings by 2030. They are the first state to address this particular green building initiative, a derivative of the Architecture 2030 Challenge, through a legislature. New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson adopted a similar but weaker policy by executive order in January of 2006.
San Francisco's Mayor has approved a local power plan that could achieve a 51 percent renewable energy portfolio by 2017. The Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) plan creates an innovative new financial structure using municipal revenue bonds ("H Bonds") to make San Francisco energy independent and finance construction of a 360 megawatt solar power network and make investments in energy conservation efforts.
On May 7th, Washington's Governor signed a new law that effectively reverses a January 2007 Washington Supreme Court decision. The State Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Seattle municipal utility could not purchase carbon offsets with ratepayer money. This case originated from ratepayers that were protesting Seattle City Light's purchases of carbon offsets to counter the utility's greenhouse gas emissions. 
In mid-May, Los Angeles' Mayor announced a new climate change action plan that calls for the LA municipal utility to increase its renewable energy portfolio to reach 35 percent by 2020. This in combination with about 50 other proposed actions will work to reduce GHG emissions in the city of angels to 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. 
Responding to concerns and evidence put forward by solar power companies and advocates, Governor Schwarznegger has pledged to fix a flaw in California's Solar Initiative that has caused a reported 78 percent drop off in proposed photovoltaic installations in the state. A new law that took effect on January 1, 2007, requires interconnected solar projects that receive state incentives to accept "time of use" (TOU) electricity tariffs that can potentially add significant costs to the homeowner or business if their solar system's capacity can't cover all their electricity consumption.
This March 2007 report from the California Energy Commission provides a nice state-based, how-to perspective on policy options to increase the use of small scale DG along with larger combined heat and power projects. California's roadmap is designed to increase the penetration rate of CHP and DG from 17 percent of 2004 peak capacity (56,435 MW) to over 25 percent by 2020 (expected peak demand of 70,776 MW). 
On April 2nd, the Internal Revenue Service issued a notice soliciting applicants for the next round of Clean Renewable Energy Bonds allocations. The CREBs program provides governmental entities, municipal and cooperatively owned utilities an incentive to develop renewable energy projects. Ultimately, an interest free financing tool, CREBs are a substitute for renewable energy production tax incentives that these entities are not able to use because of their tax exempt status. Applications must be filed by July 13, 2007.
A recent speech by ILSR Vice President, David Morris, focuses on ways to ensure that our nation's move to have 25 percent of our energy consumption come from renewable energy by 2025 will maximize the benefits to the communities in which these fuels are produced and harvested. 
As of today, 111 college Presidents have signed on to an initiative, The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, that commits their campuses to become carbon neutral. Second Nature, ecoAmerica and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) initiated the campaign to leverage the unique responsibility and leadership that institutions of higher education can have in addressing global warming at the local level.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required that DOE, in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), conduct a study of the potential benefits of cogeneration and small power production. The final report, The Potential Benefits of Distributed Generation and Rate Related Issues that May Impede Their Expansion, is now open for public comment until April 2, 2007.
A recent column by David Morris published on Alternet provides a review of George Monbiot's new book Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning. The book picks up where Al Gore left off on global warming, offering real solutions without sugar-coating the large personal sacrifices they will require.
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), a group that has long been been tracking state-level developments related to net metering and distributed generation interconnection activities, has released its first monthly summary of state-level activities required under the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005).
A modest tax incentive proposal in Boulder, Colorado, creates a solar renewable energy fund from local sales tax revenues on solar energy equipment. About one third of the revenues will go for partial sales tax rebates and the other two-thirds will go to upgrade and fund new solar projects in the city at low income and nonprofit organization sites.
The Arizona Corporation Commission voted yesterday on the final rules for implementing a 15 percent renewable energy standard by 2025. The rules state that 30 percent of the renewable standard is to be derived from distributed energy resources – small-scale technologies located close to where energy is used, such as roof-top photovoltaic projects or solar hot water projects.
Citizens in cities and states across the country will be casting their votes on some interesting energy issues on November 7th. Ballot initiatives ranging from a renewable energy portfolio requirement in Grand Forks, ND to increasing taxes to fund global warming programs in Seattle, WA will give citizens an opportunity to decide directly which path their communities will take. Democratic energy in action!
The Freedom Tower and other buildings on the redeveloped World Trade Center site will be partially powered from a suite of on-site fuel cell power plants totalling 4.8 MW. According to NY Governor Pataki, the buildings will meet LEED's gold standard for green buildings. 
Finding that wind power provides their customers and business with financial benefits rather than increased costs, Nodak Electric Cooperative announced that they have dropped their green pricing premium altogether for the 650 customers who signed up to purchase renewable energy.
California has moved renewable energy and environmental responsibility to new levels with the passage of a solar power bill and two pieces of greenhouse gas emissions legislation. The solar power law raises net metering ceilings for utilities by five times from their previous levels. One climate bill will establish a cap on greenhouse gas emissions in California and could lead other states to take a similar step. The second climate bill establishes a greenhouse gas performance standard applicable to baseload power plants selling to the California market. 
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has announced a plan to create San Francisco’s first neighborhood powered entirely by clean, renewable energy. The community would be on a 93-acre parcel at a site of the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, where Lennar/BVHP is about to begin construction of more than 1,600 new residential units and 300,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. 
London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, wants there to be at least one carbon neutral development project in each of the city's 32 boroughs by 2010. To that end, the London Energy Partnership has released an instructive paper titled, Toward Zero Carbon Developments - Supportive Information for Boroughs, that will provide the advice necessary to make it easier for the goal to be met and exceeded.
Hear ILSR vice president David Morris talking to Inside Renewable Energy on the successful campaign for a new law in Minnesota that requires the state to give priority to plug-in hybrid vehicles and to take steps toward establishing a flexible fuel vehicle industry.
After supporters gathered more than 1.1 million signatures, California voters will see an interesting measure on the November 7, 2006, ballot. The "Clean Alternative Energy Act Initiative" would assess a 1.5-6.0 percent tax on oil companies operating in California to fund alternative fuels and renewable energy development. 
Starting in June 2007, home buyers in England will be able to look at an energy performance certificate for the property before they purchase it. The assessment will advise consumers on which energy measures - ranging from insulation to solar panels - could cut carbon emissions from their home and improve their energy rating. 
The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) has released of an assessment on the impact and issues related to the integration of wind energy into existing utility power systems. The key conclusion from the group is that they don't see any fundamental technical barriers to wind energy penetrations of up to 20 percent of system peak demand.
Taking an important step towards making ethanol production more reliant on renewable energy, the Central Minnesota Ethanol Cooperative is nearing completion of a biomass-fueled energy system at its ethanol plant near Little Falls, MN.
In late January, Pacific Gas & Electric submitted an application to establish a three-year demonstration program termed the Climate Protection Tariff (CPT). The new tariffs would allow PG&E's customer's the option of paying a premium to completely negate the climate change impacts associated with their electricity and natural gas consumption.
A December 2005 Energy Saving Trust report concludes that small wind and solar along with residential cogeneration technologies could provide a substantial portion of the UK's domestic energy needs by 2050.
The Board of Water and Power Commissioners for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) wants the municipal utility to meet their renewable portfolio standard (RPS) seven years earlier than a previous goal required. LADWP will start meeting directly with neighborhood councils, homeowners, businesses and other stakeholders to discuss the plan.
Baintree Electric Light Department (BELD) is partnering with Climate Energy to install and test out a 1 kW Micro-CHP (combined heat and power) systems. The units consists of a natural gas-powered Honda generator tied to a high-efficiency furnace.
Great River Energy (GRE) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a total of 120 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy resources. At least 20 MW and up to 120 MW may come from Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) proposals if the cost of the C-BED projects are not more than 10 percent above the cost of non C-BED projects.
Over three years, Klickitat County in southern Washington, studied the potential impacts of future energy projects within its borders and came up with a plan to direct those projects to the most appropriate areas.