Examining Solar Renewable Energy Credits

As the interest and commitment to renewable energy continues to grow across the country, many states are creating Renewable Portfolio Standards or RPS. These standards mandate that a certain portion of the electricity produced by utility companies must come from renewable sources. This has created the “solar carve out” in many states which has given birth to the SREC market.


SRECs or Solar Renewable Energy Credits are a quantitative unit that can be bought, sold and traded by owners of solar systems. This is one of the ways in which Solar is made affordable since selling SRECs allows the home or business owners to recoup some of their initial cost incurred installing a solar PV system. SRECs have no set price. They “float” like any traded stock or commodity and are subject to market forces – much like the Dow, Nasdaq or S&P 500. Currently seven jurisdictions have developed SREC markets (Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the District of Columbia). Many more are in the process of developing Renewable Portfolio Standards or some form of Renewable Energy Credit. As interest in renewable technology expands, so will the markets.

Of the states with extant SREC markets, Massachusetts is unique. The state has set up a controlled marketplace that allows SREC prices to fluctuate between $300 and $600 per SREC. The state maintains this “floor” price by holding an auction at the end of the year to sell off unwanted SRECs. If the state cannot sell the remaining SRECS it will adjust the capacity requirement for the coming year and also extend the life of the SRECs. This managed approach prevents a glut and gives the Massachusetts SREC market a stability that is unseen in other states.

In the end, all SREC markets will fluctuate and no market is recession proof. However, the return on investment that solar provides can never be taken away. Regardless of SRECs, solar systems inevitably provide clean, efficient and free electricity from the sun. Their benefit to the environment by reducing our use of fossil fuels is also well established. Inevitably oil and natural gas are going to run out. We should not wait until that happens to make our decision on whether we want to live with our planet or against it.

By Richard Harrod


Researching Safer Nuclear Energy or show lack of vision?

New York Times (blog)

On Tuesday, the Energy Department, handing out research grants in all kinds of energy fields that are low in carbon dioxide emissions, is announcing that it will give $39 million to university programs around the country to try to solve various nuclear ...
 
Verizon will be proving ground for energy efficiency, green power

ZDNet (blog)

By Heather Clancy
August 9, 2011, 9:50am PDT Summary: Along with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the giant telco plans to publish a series of blueprints for energy efficiency across buildings, data centers and the smart grid. ...
 
Wind News: Major investments Underway in US and Abroad

SustainableBusiness.com

According to a new manufacturer survey of the German wind energy institute DEWI, a total of 356 wind turbines with an overall capacity of 793 MW have been installed in Germany in the first half of 2011. This is a 20% increase compared to last year's ...
 
 
US invests more cash into solar power

UPI.com

"The Agua Caliente Solar project will bring hundreds of jobs to Arizona, while helping increase the reliability of renewable solar power," Chu said in a statement. The Energy Department said the United States had a dominant position in the solar energy ...
 
Clean Energy Stocks Fall as Solar Sector Hit by 'Triple Whammy'

Bloomberg

Renesola Ltd. (SOL), a Chinese maker of solar panels, led declines in solar stocks, closing down 18 percent at $2.76, after the US credit rating downgrade caused investors to retreat from riskier assets. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., a China-based ...
 
Home turbines might churn soon in Brandon

Sioux Falls Argus Leader

He already has a 4200-watt photovoltaic solar system on his roof and a geothermal pump in the basement, and he's begun using natural gas to power his energy-sucking appliances. He wants to install a 200-watt, 48-volt wind turbine that weighs 13 pounds ...
 
Is This Audi's All-Electric City E-Tron? We Think So (Video)

All Cars Electric

But spy-shots, and a few interesting YouTube videos tell us all we need to know: Audi is working on an all-electric pod car which certainly offers more protection from the elements than Renault's crazy Twizy urban electric vehicle. It looks better too, ...
 
Campaign launched to protect clean energy jobs in Pennsylvania

BrighterEnergy.org

Clean energy campaigners in Pennsylvania have warned that programs supporting ... (DEP) Office of Energy and Technology Deployment is set to be disbanded, ...

Maryland Govenor Martin O'Malley attended the launch of Maryland’s first solar tracking electric vehicle charger

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley,
Rob Lundahl, V.P. of Energy Systems
of ATR Corp and other dignitaries
at yesterday's dedication 

ATR continued it's tradition in innovative engineering yesterday when it launched Maryland's first tracking solar car charging station in Bethesda. The Solar Car Charger incorporates a 1,410 watt sun tracking array to supplement electric vehicle charging requirements. Standard Level II Car Chargers are mounted to the base of the tracking pole and conveniently situated to service two vehicles at once.



The new charging station
with a Nissan Leaf and
a Chevy Volt waiting
for charging. 



Sun Tracking provides up to 30% more power which is converted to AC and fed into the utility grid for generation credit. Car chargers are similarly connected to the local power grid and maintain 100% availability.

The solar power production and power suppied to EV's is monitored for a complete energy system accounting and analysis and it is available to the owner over the internet.




Tuesday's Headlines

Why are the big banks getting off scot-free?
Salon.com by Yves Smith

For most citizens, one of the mysteries of life after the crisis is why such a massive act of looting has gone unpunished. We've had hearings, investigations, and numerous journalistic and academic post mortems. We've also had promises to put people in jail by prosecutors like Iowa's attorney general Tom Miller walked back virtually as soon as they were made.


Yet there is undeniable evidence of institutionalized fraud, such as widespread document fabrication in foreclosures...

Duke Energy to Sell Renewable Power from New Texas Wind Farm to CPS Energy

PR Newswire (press release)

Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, will build, own and operate the 200-megawatt (MW) Los Vientos I Windpower Project in Willacy County, approximately 120 miles south of Corpus Christi and 20 miles inland from the Gulf of ... 

Underwater 'windmills' may feed power grid

Boston Globe

The equipment looks like a jet engine, but uses technology similar to what's in windmill-powered electric generators, such as those proposed for Cape Wind, the energy project planned for Nantucket Sound. Free Flow has also applied for more than 150 ...
 
Yosemite Installs Largest National Park Solar Array

EcoGeek

The whole system is made up of 2800 solar PV panels. The $4.5 million installation will save the park $50000 a year on energy costs and the park also expects to receive $700000 in energy rebates from PG&E over the next five years. ...
 
 

Headlines

Samsung deal, wind turbines becoming hot election issues
The Beacon Herald

And everywhere from Huron and Perth counties to Sudbury and Wolfe Island and the shores of Lake Erie green power, more accurately wind power, is a hot topic. It reared its head around here this week as news of a wind turbine farm within sight of ...
 
Blackstone to invest €2.5bn in German wind farms
Siliconrepublic.com

WindMW GmbH, a company majority owned by funds managed by Blackstone, has completed the financing for "Meerwind, which will be the first German wind farm to be fully financed by private investors. The 288-megawatt 80-turbine wind farm will be situated ...

US wind up in Q2 but could stall if tax credit expires
EcoSeed (blog)

By Oliver M. Bayani Wind energy manufacturing and construction jobs that have been a bright spot through the recession, said AWEA. However, analysts from the American Wind Energy Association warned that the market's recovery could stall if the ...
 
U.S. Debt Deal Kills Off Prospects of Renewable-Power Support
Bloomberg

The department said in May it stopped work on a loan guarantee for Cape Wind off of Massachusetts because there wasn't enough money for all applicants. The first US offshore wind farm is projected to cost $2.6 billion. Funding for the loan guarantee ... 
 
International utility hones local focus
Boston Globe

Because Massachusetts has some of the highest energy costs in the nation, National Grid has taken heat on its decision to purchase expensive power from Cape Wind. Can you explain the company's thinking? I continue to fully admit that the cost of this ...
 
Cape Wind saga gets big-screen treatment
The News Journal

This October 2008 photo released by Rebirth Productions shows filmmakers Daniel Coffin (left) and Robbie Gemmel on location in Woods Hole, Mass., recording a scene for "Cape Spin." The feature-length documentary is about the battle over the Cape Wind ...


In Pennsylvania, produce buyers question safety of drilling near farm market ...
The Republic

Industry officials and the state Department of Environmental Protection secretary criticized that research, noting the authors have supported gas industry competitors and limited their study to an area known for contaminated water wells. Pennsylvania ...
 
Nissan Provides City of Lincoln, UK with Pair of Charging Stations
EV World

Drivers of electric cars may be pleased to hear that the city of Lincoln is set to benefit from two new car charging points provided by Nissan. The Japanese manufacturer was prompted by last Sunday's (July 31st's) episode of Top Gear, which showed ...
 
Electric vehicles to swamp Indian & Chinese markets
Financial Express

New Delhi: With Reva already having made an entry in the Indian electric-car market and GM and Renault having it in their pipeline, electric vehicles (EVs) may become major market players in emerging markets of India and China. ...
 
Commercial Solar Hot Water Arrives in the Midwest
RenewableEnergyWorld
 
If you live in the Midwest, and if you are a solar energy aficionado, you have had great reason to be jealous of most, if not all, of the rest of the country. The great states of Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts...
 
CONSTELLATION ENER : Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Encourages Customers ...
4-traders (press release)

4, 2011 – Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) today announced that the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has made available more than $850000 in additional funds intended to encourage customers to take advantage of BGE's Home Performance with ...
 

IN THE NEWS

Maryland adds $850000 for home performance rebate program; nearly 1000 have ...

Washington Post

By AP, ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Energy Administration is adding $850000 to the state's home performance rebate program. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown made the announcement on Thursday. The program offers a 35 percent rebate on certain home energy ...
 
O'Malley appoints electric vehicle council

Annapolis Capital (blog)

Malvin Nolen Duncan Jr., sales manager for Holt Electrical Contractors. Frederick Hilton Hoover Jr., an attorney and former director of the Maryland Energy Administration. Marisa Shockley, president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association. ...
 
Philips Wins Prestigious Department of Energy L Prize

CleanTechnica

Unfortunately, this light source uses 10% of its energy output for light and wastes the other 90% as heat. The the US Department of Energy (DOE) recognized that energy efficient alternatives needed to be made readily available and become the new ...
 
Road Test: 2012 Chevrolet Volt

National Post

That said, the Volt competes in a segment — extended-range electric vehicles — that it alone occupies. It earns this unique (for now) designation by being powered by a 111-kilowatt (149-horsepower) primary electric motor fed, alternately, ...
 
Solar Power for Electric Vehicles

REVE

Solar energy powered electric car chargers are bound to appease critics who say that electric cars with lithium ion batteries are as clean as the energy that feeds them. SolarCity has teamed up with ClipperCreek to provide electric car chargers ...

SCORE ONE FOR WIND IN MARYLAND



Location staked



We’d like to share a success story with you regarding wind power in Maryland. Our friends and continuing sponsors at ATech Energy have been awarded a contract to install an Endurance Wind Power turbine at Chesapeake College on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Atlantic Tractor/ATech Energy partnered and financially participated with Chesapeake College in order to make the College’s vision a reality. The tower will be on a 120 ft. tower for an overall system height of 150 ft.



Crews removing the tower from the semi



The turbine will be the centerpiece of the College’s development and construction of its wind and solar education facility, the Center for Leadership in Environmental Education (CLEEn), at its Wye Mills campus. The center will model emerging renewable energy technologies while providing education and training opportunities for students and small businesses. The college is a leader in energy conservation and sustainability initiatives, and this project demonstrates its commitment to environmental sustainability. The college sees this commitment as a global and regional responsibility, and as a way to enhance economic development on the Eastern Shore.

For more about the CLEEn project, follow this link: http://www.chesapeake.edu/about/cleen.asp

Precise packaging allows for two
 sections to be carried inside a
bigger one

The turbine is being installed now with the classrooms to follow at a later date. ATech will install an Endurance Wind Power model E-3120 50kw turbine on a 120ft tower for an overall system height of 150ft. Atlantic Tractor/Atech Energy partnered and financially participated with Chesapeake College in order to make the College’s vision a reality.

The 120ft tower arrived on site last week and construction has begun on the foundation for the tower. The tower will be erected in about 30 days, allowing time for the concrete to cure. The turbine will arrive in about 30 days and be installed on the tower around the first of September.



Tower sections awaiting installation



Foundation with
heavy rebar



Workers prep first section of tower



 



Score a point for wind power in Maryland!

Other News:

“A Tale of Two Shale States” Response

American Rivers (blog)

For example, recently the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined Chesapeake Energy nearly $1.09 million for contaminating the drinking water of 16 families with natural gas, and, separately, for an explosion at a condensate storage ...

DOE announces that Philips has won the 60W-replacement-lamp L Prize

LEDs Magazine

After an 18-month evaluation process including field and lab testing, the DOE has announced that Philips Lighting North America has won the 60W-replacement-lamp category in the L Prize competition that's focused on the development of energy-efficient ...

$50 Million To Aid US Solar Manufacturing

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

By Renewable Energy World Editors New Hampshire, USA -- The US Department of Energy is boosting domestic solar PV manufacturing with a $50 million investment over two years. The infusion of money comes as part of the department's SUNPATH program, ...

Fracking Radiation Targeted By DOE, GE

Forbes (blog)

By JEFF MCMAHON The Department of Energy and General Electric will spend $2 million over the next two years to remove naturally occurring radioactive materials from the fracking fluids produced by America's booming shale-gas industry. ...

Ford Focus Electric Gets Ready To Make Some Noise

Online PR News (press release)

Ford is using Facebook to get feedback from its fans on its Ford Electric Vehicles page, allowing them to vote on four sound clips ranging from something reminiscent of the Jetsons' spaceship to a muffled jet engine. There is also a clip using engine ...



To make green a reality visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

Latest News

Gas Drilling Bringing Jobs to Pennsylvania, but How Many?

Wall Street Journal

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry says industries related to natural-gas extraction directly and indirectly created just over 13000 jobs in the state in 2010. "It's still a relatively small part of the state's overall economy, ...
 
Germany Shows How Renewable Energy Should Be Done

DailyFinance

By Travis Hoium, The Motley Fool Posted 7:06PM 08/01/11 Investing Germany is doubling its efforts to be a renewable-energy power over the next 50 years, and it's expanding beyond just solar power. After the country put the kibosh on exploding solar ...
 
Worcester pursues solar project grant

Delmarva Now

The county in March 2010 was awarded a $299692 grant by the Maryland Energy Administration to fund an energy-efficient project, according to county spokeswoman Kim Moses. They have since developed an alternate project that would construct a bank of ...
 
Where Your Power is Going in Your Home

KBTX

With the calls for energy conservation, we wanted to know a breakdown of just how the average home uses power. According to the Department of Energy, water heating accounts for between 14 and 25 percent of power use. Appliances and electronics account ...
 
BMW Teases Us With Two Electric Concepts

Wired News

The i3 and i8 join the Mini E and Active E electric 1-Series — in BMW's e-lineup, and they are the first BMWs designed from the ground up for e-drive. They're also the first projects from the BMW i brand, which in addition to electric vehicles will ...
 
It's AAA to the electric vehicle rescue

ZDNet (blog)

AAA will soon be able to aid electric vehicle drivers who stray beyond the range of their vehicles. Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues. ...
 
GE to produce 228 wind turbines for 2 projects

BusinessWeek

General Electric Co. and Wind Capital Group said Monday that they reached a deal for 228 wind turbines along with operations and maintenance services for a pair of projects in Oklahoma and Kansas. Under the agreement, GE will supply 94 of its 1.6-100 ...
 
 
 

THE HOUSING CRISIS IS KEEPING RENEWABLE ENERGY DOWN

How is this possible, you say.

The housing bubble and ensuing burst created much carnage in our society. Governments borrowed and grew without check. Homeowners leveraged against their ever-growing equity like drunken sailors. Now the entire country is nursing a hangover.

The worse part of this equation is that the bill is due and no one seems to be able to pick up the check. The recent debt crisis’ events (that I will not go into detail in this blog) have the entire world looking at the United States as an example of what can happen without good leadership. The country borrows too much on things that are not essential and the citizens follow suit.

And the only thing we have to show for it is a high number of foreclosures; which in my opinion is the biggest hindrance to our recovery. Go into any city with boarded up houses and you can bet that not much economic activity is going on there. This problem is now prevalent and growing.

The collapse of the U.S. Housing Bubble had a direct impact not only on home valuations, but the nation's mortgage markets, home builders, real estate, home supply retail outlets, Wall Street hedge funds held by large institutional investors, and foreign banks, increasing the risk of a nationwide recession. Concerns about the impact of the collapsing housing and credit markets on the larger U.S. economy caused President George W. Bush and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, to announce a limited bailout of the U.S. housing market for homeowners who were unable to pay their mortgage debts.

In 2008 alone, the United States government allocated over $900 billion to special loans and rescues related to the U.S. housing bubble, with over half going to the quasi-government agencies Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration. On December 24, 2009, the Treasury Department made an unprecedented announcement that it would be providing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unlimited financial support for the next three years despite acknowledging losses in excess of $400 billion so far.

There are many sides to the argument of why the housing market has not recovered. Banks say they are trying to help homeowners in trouble, but there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. The political right wants the banks to be left alone without regulation although there is plenty of evidence to suggest that is what got us here. The left says they are for the working man, but there is plenty of evidence that that is just not quite 100% true. If it were, wouldn’t we be celebrating the appointment of Elizabeth Warren to the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? The President could appoint this highly qualified financial crime fighter, but he chose not to.

One thing is certain, when a person or family buys a house they automatically want to take care of it and the neighborhood around it, they invest in their home; which in turn helps create a healthy economy where everyone thrives. If this segment of our economy were in better shape and homeownership were up, solar panels, wind turbines and all other types of renewable energy would finally begin to thrive the way it should.

We all need to do as the President said about the debt crisis (I know I said I would not mention it in this blog, sorry): call your Member of Congress, Senators and all your local politicians and tell them that the next thing that should be fixed is the housing market in a way that is truly just and fair to all involved regardless of who got us here. If we all do this, homeownership for all could again be an attainable American dream.

By George Lopez

To make green a reality visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/