Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
jpak
jpak's Journal
jpak's Journal
April 3, 2014
HALLOWELL — Around two dozen solar power proponents rallied outside the Maine Public Utility Commission office Wednesday to protest proposed electricity rate changes they say will discourage individuals from investing in renewable energy sources.
Supporters of solar energy put on yellow t-shirts Wednesday outside of the Public Utility Commissions offices in Hallowell before a hearing for Central Maine Power’s request for a rate increase. About two dozen people attended the gathering.
yellow “Solar for ME” T-shirts handed out by members of out-of-state advocacy groups before filing into the building for the public hearing on the proposed changes.
Advocates and users of renewable energy – from homeowners with solar panels to larger institutions such as private colleges – have objected to a part of Central Maine Power Co.’s proposed new rate plan that would levy a charge for customers who generate their own power.
CMP also is trying to raise the fixed monthly fees it charges residential and small-business customers, while lowering the variable price.
<more>
Maine fans of solar power rally against CMP rate plan
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Fans_of_solar_power_rally_against_CMP_rate_plan_.htmlHALLOWELL — Around two dozen solar power proponents rallied outside the Maine Public Utility Commission office Wednesday to protest proposed electricity rate changes they say will discourage individuals from investing in renewable energy sources.
Supporters of solar energy put on yellow t-shirts Wednesday outside of the Public Utility Commissions offices in Hallowell before a hearing for Central Maine Power’s request for a rate increase. About two dozen people attended the gathering.
yellow “Solar for ME” T-shirts handed out by members of out-of-state advocacy groups before filing into the building for the public hearing on the proposed changes.
Advocates and users of renewable energy – from homeowners with solar panels to larger institutions such as private colleges – have objected to a part of Central Maine Power Co.’s proposed new rate plan that would levy a charge for customers who generate their own power.
CMP also is trying to raise the fixed monthly fees it charges residential and small-business customers, while lowering the variable price.
<more>
April 3, 2014
Is the Green Mountain state about to become the green power state? As the battle over net metering policy is being fought in state legislatures across America, one small state has given solar advocates a big win – Vermont.
Governor Peter Shumlin signed legislation into law yesterday that will nearly quadruple the net metering cap utilities have been using, from 4% to 15% of peak load. The bill enjoyed bipartisan support, passing 136-8 in the state house and unanimously in the state senate.
Vermont may rank among the middle of the pack in America’s solar industry, but the new law is a significant validation of the value of solar energy for consumers and the overall economy, and shows utilities can work with distributed generation without falling into the “death spiral” fueling so many state-level fights.
The new cap means retail electric customers will now be compensated for sending solar energy they don’t consume back onto the grid, up until net metering payments surpass 15% of peak demand from the previous year or from 1996, whichever amount is greater. Vermont currently has 3,600 net metering projects.
<more>
Vermont Boosts Solar By Nearly Quadrupling Net Metering Cap
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/03/vermont-boosts-solar-by-nearly-quadrupling-net-metering-cap/Is the Green Mountain state about to become the green power state? As the battle over net metering policy is being fought in state legislatures across America, one small state has given solar advocates a big win – Vermont.
Governor Peter Shumlin signed legislation into law yesterday that will nearly quadruple the net metering cap utilities have been using, from 4% to 15% of peak load. The bill enjoyed bipartisan support, passing 136-8 in the state house and unanimously in the state senate.
Vermont may rank among the middle of the pack in America’s solar industry, but the new law is a significant validation of the value of solar energy for consumers and the overall economy, and shows utilities can work with distributed generation without falling into the “death spiral” fueling so many state-level fights.
The new cap means retail electric customers will now be compensated for sending solar energy they don’t consume back onto the grid, up until net metering payments surpass 15% of peak demand from the previous year or from 1996, whichever amount is greater. Vermont currently has 3,600 net metering projects.
<more>
March 30, 2014
Once all its costs are accounted for, the price of commercial solar power has pulled even with retail electricity rates in Italy and Germany, according to a new report.
The analysis is the third installment in a regular report by the consulting firm Eclareon, done on behalf of an international group of sustainable energy interests. This installment was also the first to look at solar power in the commercial sector rather than the residential sector. It looked at a standard 30 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system for your average commercial building, and the built a methodology to assess its “leveled cost of energy” (LCOE) in seven different countries: Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain.
The LCOE of any source of power — solar, natural gas, coal, wind, etc — accounts for everything that goes into determining that electricity’s cost: installation, maintenance, investment, the electricity itself, depreciation, and so forth. The goal is to give a more complete picture of each power source’s economic position vis-a-vis its rivals.
According to Eclareon’s analysis, solar’s LCOE in Italy and Germany is now at “grid parity,” meaning it’s even with retail electricity prices in general in those countries. Spain’s already gotten there as well, and Mexico and France are coming up.
<more>
Solar Power Is Now Just As Cheap As Conventional Electricity In Italy And Germany
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/24/3418145/solar-grid-parity-italy-germany/Once all its costs are accounted for, the price of commercial solar power has pulled even with retail electricity rates in Italy and Germany, according to a new report.
The analysis is the third installment in a regular report by the consulting firm Eclareon, done on behalf of an international group of sustainable energy interests. This installment was also the first to look at solar power in the commercial sector rather than the residential sector. It looked at a standard 30 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system for your average commercial building, and the built a methodology to assess its “leveled cost of energy” (LCOE) in seven different countries: Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain.
The LCOE of any source of power — solar, natural gas, coal, wind, etc — accounts for everything that goes into determining that electricity’s cost: installation, maintenance, investment, the electricity itself, depreciation, and so forth. The goal is to give a more complete picture of each power source’s economic position vis-a-vis its rivals.
According to Eclareon’s analysis, solar’s LCOE in Italy and Germany is now at “grid parity,” meaning it’s even with retail electricity prices in general in those countries. Spain’s already gotten there as well, and Mexico and France are coming up.
<more>
March 30, 2014
A proposed $250 million distributed solar project appears to have held its own in a Minnesota regulatory process that put it in competition with three natural gas options.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Thursday ordered Xcel Energy to pursue a power-purchase agreement with a Twin Cities solar developer to meet part of its projected generation shortfall later this decade.
Geronimo Energy’s 100 megawatt solar proposal will be paired with one or more natural gas projects, to be determined later, to provide up to 500 megawatts of new generation Xcel expects to need by 2019.
The agreements would be subject to further review by the PUC.
<more>
In bid against gas, Minnesota regulators say solar can proceed (100 MW)
http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2014/03/27/in-bid-against-gas-minnesota-regulators-say-solar-can-proceed/A proposed $250 million distributed solar project appears to have held its own in a Minnesota regulatory process that put it in competition with three natural gas options.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Thursday ordered Xcel Energy to pursue a power-purchase agreement with a Twin Cities solar developer to meet part of its projected generation shortfall later this decade.
Geronimo Energy’s 100 megawatt solar proposal will be paired with one or more natural gas projects, to be determined later, to provide up to 500 megawatts of new generation Xcel expects to need by 2019.
The agreements would be subject to further review by the PUC.
<more>
March 15, 2014
China's geothermal energy potential roughly equals 853 billion tonnes of standard coal, and has the potential to replace coal in energy consumption, the country's energy regulator said on Thursday.
Current annual exploration of geothermal energy has reached only about three million tonnes, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA).
Exploration of geothermal energy will facilitate the restructuring of energy consumption as coal consumption amounts to about 66 percent of China's total energy consumption.
<not much more>
China's geothermal energy could replace coal
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/848321.shtml#.UySooz9dWbsChina's geothermal energy potential roughly equals 853 billion tonnes of standard coal, and has the potential to replace coal in energy consumption, the country's energy regulator said on Thursday.
Current annual exploration of geothermal energy has reached only about three million tonnes, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA).
Exploration of geothermal energy will facilitate the restructuring of energy consumption as coal consumption amounts to about 66 percent of China's total energy consumption.
<not much more>
March 15, 2014
<snip>
Capacity factor, as many EarthTechling readers know, is a measure of how much energy a generator produces over a period of time as a percentage of the maximum it could produce. So you take the total amount of energy produced in, say, a year, and divide by the amount of power the generator would produce had it run continuously at 100 percent.
Wind power capacity factors vary considerably by site, but generally people think around 30 to 35 percent when they talk about capacity factors for wind. But in Denmark in 2013, 13 offshore wind farms, totaling installed capacity of 1,271 megawatts, together had a capacity factor of 42.7 percent.
<more>
Offshore wind power's eye-popping capacity factors
http://earthtechling.com/2014/02/offshore-wind-powers-eye-popping-capacity-factors/<snip>
Capacity factor, as many EarthTechling readers know, is a measure of how much energy a generator produces over a period of time as a percentage of the maximum it could produce. So you take the total amount of energy produced in, say, a year, and divide by the amount of power the generator would produce had it run continuously at 100 percent.
Wind power capacity factors vary considerably by site, but generally people think around 30 to 35 percent when they talk about capacity factors for wind. But in Denmark in 2013, 13 offshore wind farms, totaling installed capacity of 1,271 megawatts, together had a capacity factor of 42.7 percent.
<more>
March 15, 2014
2013 marked many records for the expansion of wind energy in Denmark. At year end, more than 33% of Danish electricity was supplied from wind turbines and 656 new MW were connected to the electricity grid - of which 307 MW were land-based.
The share of wind power in the Danish electricity grid reached roughly a third of the total Danish electricity consumption in 2013 (33,2%).
This marks an increase of 3,12 percentage points, which is the second-largest ever recorded in Denmark, only surpassed by a 6,27 percentage point increase in 2011.
Measured in terms of megawatt, 2013 surpassed all previous years with a net increase of 609 MW, excluding older dismantled turbines, bringing the total Danish wind capacity to 4,772 MW at year end:
<more>
2013: A year of record highs for Danish wind energy
http://www.stateofgreen.com/en/Newsroom/2013-A-Year-of-Record-Highs-for-Danish-Wind-Energy2013 marked many records for the expansion of wind energy in Denmark. At year end, more than 33% of Danish electricity was supplied from wind turbines and 656 new MW were connected to the electricity grid - of which 307 MW were land-based.
The share of wind power in the Danish electricity grid reached roughly a third of the total Danish electricity consumption in 2013 (33,2%).
This marks an increase of 3,12 percentage points, which is the second-largest ever recorded in Denmark, only surpassed by a 6,27 percentage point increase in 2011.
Measured in terms of megawatt, 2013 surpassed all previous years with a net increase of 609 MW, excluding older dismantled turbines, bringing the total Danish wind capacity to 4,772 MW at year end:
<more>
March 15, 2014
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Feb. 18, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hydrogenics Corporation(Nasdaq:HYGS) (TSX:HYG), a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and hydrogen-based power modules, today announced that it will be a participating partner of the Power-to-Gas Biological Catalysis ("BioCat"
Project in Denmark. The "BioCat" installation will use hydrogen made from excess wind power to convert biogas from sewage sludge into cleaner methane gas. This new Danish energy project will illustrate how future energy systems can be better integrated.
The "BioCat" project has received 27.6 million DKK (€3.7 million) in funding from the Danish research pool ForskEL. The consortium is led by Electrochaea, a developer of methanation technologies for Power-to-Gas applications, and the Danish transmission system operator for power and gas, Energinet. Other partners in the BioCat consortium include Hydrogenics, Audi, NEAS Energy, HMN Gashandal, Spildevandscenter Avedore, and Insero Business Services.
For this project, Hydrogenics will install a 1 MW water electrolysis plant in Spildevandscenter Avedøre, one of the largest wastewater treatment facilities in Denmark. The site will use surplus electricity from the grid to produce hydrogen using Hydrogenics' electrolyzer, and the hydrogen will then be combined with carbon dioxide from raw biogas and fed into a separate bioreactor - in which microorganisms will perform a catalytic reaction to produce pipeline-grade renewable methane. The facility will be operated in different modes to demonstrate its ability to produce methane under dynamic operations, including while providing ancillary services to the electricity grid. The product gas will be injected into a nearby gas distribution system, and the by-products - oxygen and heat - will be recycled onsite in the wastewater treatment process. The biomethanation technology was developed by Electrochaea.
The 1 MW electrolyzer from Hydrogenics will contribute to electricity balancing through the services of NEAS Energy, thus ensuring optimal use of available wind power and demonstrating the full potential of electrolysis for grid management and regulation. The upgraded methane will be supplied to the local gas distribution system and traded by HMN Gashandel, a Danish energy service and gas distribution company managing gas grids, biogas upgrading plants, and grid injection facilities.
<more>
Excess Wind Power Turned Into Gas in Denmark Using Hydrogenics Technology
http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/excess-wind-power-turned-into-gas-in-denmark-using-hydrogenics-technology-20140218-00145MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Feb. 18, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hydrogenics Corporation(Nasdaq:HYGS) (TSX:HYG), a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and hydrogen-based power modules, today announced that it will be a participating partner of the Power-to-Gas Biological Catalysis ("BioCat"
Project in Denmark. The "BioCat" installation will use hydrogen made from excess wind power to convert biogas from sewage sludge into cleaner methane gas. This new Danish energy project will illustrate how future energy systems can be better integrated.
The "BioCat" project has received 27.6 million DKK (€3.7 million) in funding from the Danish research pool ForskEL. The consortium is led by Electrochaea, a developer of methanation technologies for Power-to-Gas applications, and the Danish transmission system operator for power and gas, Energinet. Other partners in the BioCat consortium include Hydrogenics, Audi, NEAS Energy, HMN Gashandal, Spildevandscenter Avedore, and Insero Business Services.
For this project, Hydrogenics will install a 1 MW water electrolysis plant in Spildevandscenter Avedøre, one of the largest wastewater treatment facilities in Denmark. The site will use surplus electricity from the grid to produce hydrogen using Hydrogenics' electrolyzer, and the hydrogen will then be combined with carbon dioxide from raw biogas and fed into a separate bioreactor - in which microorganisms will perform a catalytic reaction to produce pipeline-grade renewable methane. The facility will be operated in different modes to demonstrate its ability to produce methane under dynamic operations, including while providing ancillary services to the electricity grid. The product gas will be injected into a nearby gas distribution system, and the by-products - oxygen and heat - will be recycled onsite in the wastewater treatment process. The biomethanation technology was developed by Electrochaea.
The 1 MW electrolyzer from Hydrogenics will contribute to electricity balancing through the services of NEAS Energy, thus ensuring optimal use of available wind power and demonstrating the full potential of electrolysis for grid management and regulation. The upgraded methane will be supplied to the local gas distribution system and traded by HMN Gashandel, a Danish energy service and gas distribution company managing gas grids, biogas upgrading plants, and grid injection facilities.
<more>
March 15, 2014
The development of a huge 1.1GW solar power plant project in China’s Gansu Province has begun, with China-based solar manufacturer and developer, China Singyes Solar Technologies Holdings, announcing the commencement of the 300MW ‘first phase’ in Hongshagang Industrial Park in Minqin County, Wuwei.
Development of the 1.1GW PV plant was announced by Singyes in December last year, as part of a broader deal with the Minqin County government to establish an environmental industry and clean energy development zone, including a solar R&D base.
This 300MW first phase of the solar power plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, and have an average annual power generating output of 480 million kWh. The overall project has a planned construction period of five years.
Singyes, which is listed on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, has been enjoying a good run, lately – last week bucking a broader market slump to hit a record high at $HK12.58 during the Friday session.
<more>
1,100 MW Solar PV Project Now Under Construction In China
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/14/commission-1-1-gw-pv-solar-project-commenced-china/The development of a huge 1.1GW solar power plant project in China’s Gansu Province has begun, with China-based solar manufacturer and developer, China Singyes Solar Technologies Holdings, announcing the commencement of the 300MW ‘first phase’ in Hongshagang Industrial Park in Minqin County, Wuwei.
Development of the 1.1GW PV plant was announced by Singyes in December last year, as part of a broader deal with the Minqin County government to establish an environmental industry and clean energy development zone, including a solar R&D base.
This 300MW first phase of the solar power plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, and have an average annual power generating output of 480 million kWh. The overall project has a planned construction period of five years.
Singyes, which is listed on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, has been enjoying a good run, lately – last week bucking a broader market slump to hit a record high at $HK12.58 during the Friday session.
<more>
February 28, 2014
Press reports of Texas completing new transmission lines for wind describe an energy boom with a difference — this is carbon-free wind energy. The grid operator in Texas, ERCOT, says agreements are already done for 7,500 MW of new wind power, most of which will be using the new transmission lines by 2016. That will put installed Texas wind around 20,000 MW. There are 15 U.S. states with 1,000 MW or more, but Texas wind is already twice as big as the next largest wind states, California and Iowa.
For size comparison, ERCOT’s winter demand for electricity can hit 57,000 MW, and summer demand peaks upwards of 68,000 MW. The energy from wind varies with the weather and time of day, as does the electric demand. Line these up, and see how much has wind actually contributed: on Christmas Day, 2013, wind supplied 26 percent of ERCOT’s electricity use. On January 29, 2013, Texas wind power produced 32 percent of total electricity needed.
How has this happened?
This is a great story of collective action, mandated by the Texas state legislature. It all started with the Texas RPS law, signed by Governor Bush. Once Texans found wind could be profitable, the legislature raised the RPS and set out this transmission planning-and-building requirement known as CREZ. Eight years in the making, from designing the transmission to completion.
During these eight years, many advocacy efforts tried to describe how to duplicate this in other regions. Texas does all its electricity policy and planning in one city, Austin. There isn’t any other state involved, and the electricity sector is largely exempt from Federal energy market rules. These unique circumstances have not been available to another transmission-for-wind effort.
<more>
How Texas Made Wind Energy a Real Player
http://blog.ucsusa.org/wind-energy-in-texas-431Press reports of Texas completing new transmission lines for wind describe an energy boom with a difference — this is carbon-free wind energy. The grid operator in Texas, ERCOT, says agreements are already done for 7,500 MW of new wind power, most of which will be using the new transmission lines by 2016. That will put installed Texas wind around 20,000 MW. There are 15 U.S. states with 1,000 MW or more, but Texas wind is already twice as big as the next largest wind states, California and Iowa.
For size comparison, ERCOT’s winter demand for electricity can hit 57,000 MW, and summer demand peaks upwards of 68,000 MW. The energy from wind varies with the weather and time of day, as does the electric demand. Line these up, and see how much has wind actually contributed: on Christmas Day, 2013, wind supplied 26 percent of ERCOT’s electricity use. On January 29, 2013, Texas wind power produced 32 percent of total electricity needed.
How has this happened?
This is a great story of collective action, mandated by the Texas state legislature. It all started with the Texas RPS law, signed by Governor Bush. Once Texans found wind could be profitable, the legislature raised the RPS and set out this transmission planning-and-building requirement known as CREZ. Eight years in the making, from designing the transmission to completion.
During these eight years, many advocacy efforts tried to describe how to duplicate this in other regions. Texas does all its electricity policy and planning in one city, Austin. There isn’t any other state involved, and the electricity sector is largely exempt from Federal energy market rules. These unique circumstances have not been available to another transmission-for-wind effort.
<more>
Profile Information
Member since: 2002Number of posts: 41,758
