HEADLINES

The Solar and Wind Expo: Americans are Using Less Energy But ...


Lately the whispering has been about solar panel manufacturers filing bankruptcy. This is not an affliction exclusive to the solar or wind industry. Bank of America ...
 
Japan must revise renewables law to get results: experts

Reuters

By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's new feed-in-tariff energy law, aimed at promoting renewable energy, will need attractive pricing and revisions to flesh out of vague provisions if it is to help wean the country from nuclear power, ...
 
University of Maryland, Eastern Shore Announces Formation of a Renewable ...

MarketWatch (press release)

The new company will focus on creating renewable energy projects at multiple sites on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. The company's goal is to develop systems capable of generating 100 to 150 megawatts from wind, solar and biomass projects. ...
 

Electric vehicle charging stations are installed at three more ...
Examiner.com

... as part of Maryland's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (EVIP). ... according to Malcolm Woolf, the Maryland Energy Administration Director. ...
 
Green jobs economy has hits and misses in Maryland

Baltimore Sun

At the national level, President Barack Obama's administration has pushed for development of renewable energy, more efficient cars and other elements of a ...
 
Oil Declines After U.S. Fuel Supplies Increase as Demand Falls

San Francisco Chronicle

Futures decreased as much as 2.2 percent after the Energy Department said gasoline supplies rose 1.94 million barrels last week, the biggest gain since June. Fuel use fell 3.8 percent to 18.7 million barrels a day. Refineries operated at 87 percent of ...
 
Ethanol Production in U.S. Falls 1.9%, Energy Department Says

San Francisco Chronicle

14 (Bloomberg) -- Ethanol production in the US fell 1.9 percent to 879000 barrels a day last week, according to an Energy Department report. Output slid to the lowest level since the week ended July 29. Stockpiles climbed 0.4 percent to 17.2 million ...
 
Nissan halves price, size of electric vehicle quick charger

ZDNet (blog)

By Heather Clancy
September 14, 2011, 3:54am PDT Increasingly, it is obvious that one of the most lucrative businesses associated with the electric vehicle movement is the one that will keep them on the road: the charging infrastructure. ...

HEADLINES

FACTBOX-US energy companies restoring operations after Irene

Reuters

Nearly 5.5 million customers on the East Coast were without power in 14 states on Monday, according to a report from the US Department of Energy. Outages were most severe in New York state, which had about 940000 customers without power, ...
 
German 1st Half Renewable Power Production At Record High

NASDAQ

FRANKFURT -- Renewable energy sources like wind or solar farms produced around 14% more electricity in Germany in the first half 2011 than in the same period a year-earlier, marking an all-time high, the country's energy industry association BDEW said ...
 
Clear the way for a greener electric grid

Baltimore Sun (blog)

By Michael J. Kormos They're part of a growing move to expand the use of renewable energy sources, like wind and the sun, to produce electricity. Examples are everywhere. Construction of a 50-megawatt wind farm was just completed in New Mexico. ...
 
3 Electric Cars You Can Buy Soon (And 3 That'll Blow Your Mind)

TIME

View Comments For American drivers interested in electric vehicles, the options have been limited. The only true EV currently sold in the marketplace is the Nissan Leaf, and until recently it's only ...
 
Solar Stunner: America is a $1.9 Billion Exporter of Solar Products

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Solar isn't just about the module. When looking at polysilicon production, equipment for manufacturing lines, power electronics, solar hot water tanks, and any number of other domestically-produced products, the US actually offers a good-sized ...
 
SJC To Hear Cape Wind Challenge

Worcester Business Journal

By Livia Gershon Associated Industries of Massachusetts says the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is set to hear its arguments for voiding an agreement between National Grid and Cape Wind on Sept 8. AIM has been a vocal opponent of the 15-year deal ...
 
make green a reality visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

Headlines

Ford EVs to come with household solar-panel option

CNET

Buyers of Ford's electric vehicles will have an option to have SunPower's rooftop solar panels installed for about $10000 after a federal tax rebate. The companies estimate that the 2.5-kilowatt array will generate enough juice, ...
 
India Plans to Relax Solar Rules

Wall Street Journal

He said the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is planning to increase the size of the projects that will be awarded and also extend the timeline for arranging finances by one month to seven months. "If the size goes up, more time is needed to tie-up ...
 
Renewable Energy Consumption Passes Nuclear

EarthTechling

Renewable energy consumption in the United States recently exceeded current and historical consumption levels for nuclear energy, a government study reports. According to the US Energy Information Administration, during the first quarter of this year a ...
 
A Fifty Million Dollar Tipping Point?

InvestorIdeas.com (press release)

August 10, 2011 (Investorideas.com renewable energy/green newswire) At a press conference on July 21, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he was contributing $50 million to the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. ...
 
MEA Lawton Loan Recipient Receives High Performance Building Awa

Citybizlist (press release)

BPG financed the energy efficiency improvements with a low-interest loan from the Maryland Energy Administration's Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program and a rebate from Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). "Energy efficiency is a smart investment ...
 
Detroit's Big Three win Energy Department grants

The Detroit News

Washington -- The Energy Department said Wednesday it is awarding more than $175 million over the next five years to 40 projects for advanced technology vehicles. The projects were selected out of 400 applicants are in 15 states and include about $40 ...
 
Scientists slam US DOE fracking panel make-up on eve of release of report


Platts

The scientists said that the experts EPA chose for its study were vetted to ensure those scientists had no ties to industry, "we would like to see similar standards for the Energy Department's Natural Gas Subcommittee." They called for Deutch, ...
 
Dow Corning Sponsoring U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 To Help ...

MarketWatch (press release)

MIDLAND, Mich., Aug 10, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- To spur growth of the solar industry and support education, Dow Corning has announced that it is a sustaining sponsor of the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, which will be held Sept. ...
 

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. ...