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#Post#: 2076--------------------------------------------------
Small Scale generation now produces ONE QUARTER of world electri
city
By: AGelbert Date: October 23, 2014, 2:30 pm
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Oct 20, 2014
Authors Amory B. Lovins Chief Scientist
Titiaan Palazzi Special Aide OCS
Micropower’s Quiet Takeover
[move]Small-scale, low-carbon generation now produces
one-quarter of world electricity :o ;D[/move]
In a cover story and article 14 years ago about the emergent
disruption of utilities, The Economist’s Vijay Vaitheeswaran
coined the umbrella term “micropower” to mean sources of
electricity that are relatively small, modular, mass-producible,
quick-to-deploy, and hence rapidly scalable—the opposite of
cathedral-like power plants that cost billions of dollars and
take about a decade to license and build. His term combined two
kinds of micropower: renewables other than big hydroelectric
dams, and cogeneration of electricity together with useful heat
in factories or buildings (also known as
combined-heat-and-power, or CHP).
Besides being cost-competitive and rapidly scalable, why does
micropower matter? First, as explained below, its operation
releases little or no carbon.[1] Second, micropower enables
individuals, communities, building owners, and factory operators
to generate electricity, displacing dependence on centralized,
inefficient, dirty generators. This democratizes energy choices,
promotes competition, speeds learning and innovation, and can
further accelerate deployment—because “vernacular” technologies
accessible to many diverse market actors, even if individually
small, tend to deploy faster in sum than a few big units
requiring specialized institutions, complex approvals, intricate
logistics, and hence long lead times.
Thanks to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which tracks investments
and generating capacity, and the global expert network
REN21.net, which tracks capacity and (where known) electrical
output, global progress in renewables has become rather
transparent. Starting in 2005 and updated with a fifth edition
in July 2014, RMI’s Micropower Database added a third source:
industry sales data for cogeneration equipment. Tracking
renewables, minus big hydro, plus cogeneration, this database
documents the global progress of distributed, rapidly scalable,
and (as we’ll see) no- or low-carbon generators.
The update’s most astonishing finding: micropower now produces
about one-fourth of the world’s total electricity (Fig. 1).
(Excellent Graphics at link:)[
img]
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/8.gif[/img]
HTML http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2014_10_20_micropowers_quiet_takeover
Micropower’s climate implications
Operating modern renewables is essentially carbon-free, except
for minor subsets fueled by biomass grown using unsustainable
practices that gradually deplete soil carbon.[2] Of the
estimated 3–5 percent of cogeneration fueled by biomass, most is
in the forest products industry, whose biomass wastes produce
most of its electricity and process heat.
Cogeneration in refineries often burns waste fuels that would
otherwise be uselessly flared. Similarly, much industrial
cogeneration harnesses waste heat previously thrown away. Where
extra fuel is burned to make electricity as well as heat,
typically far less is burned than when making them separately.
If cogeneration also produces cooling and other services, it can
convert as much as 93 percent of fuel energy into useful work,
both in industry and in buildings. Moreover, the natural gas
that fuels most cogeneration is only about half as
carbon-intensive as the coal-fired power-only generation it
often displaces.[3]
Big hydroelectric dams and nuclear power are also carbon-free in
operation. Thus in 2013, nearly half of the world’s electricity
was produced with little or no carbon release: 8.4 percent by
modern renewables [4], 10.2 percent by nuclear power (set to be
overtaken by modern renewables in 2015), 15.5 percent by
cogeneration [5], and 13.5 percent by big hydroelectric dams
(excluding the 2.8 percent small hydro classified under modern
renewables).
The other half came from power-only plants, burning mainly coal.
Those plants cost more to build, and often more just to run,
than their competitors, so their orders are fading, their
operations are dwindling, and over decades, they’ll retire in
favor of cleaner, cheaper substitutes—both micropower and
efficient use.
Winners and losers
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/looksmiley.gif
Far from recognizing that they’re being rapidly overtaken, many
advocates of coal or nuclear power stations don’t even
acknowledge
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/gen152.gif
micropower
as an important competitor —even as it grabs their markets and
destroys their sales. In 2009, a senior strategic planner for a
major nuclear vendor told me micropower was trivial—having
failed to find it in official databases of utility-owned central
power stations, without understanding the difference. And even
at minor market share, micropower can have major effects. The
solar 4.7 percent of Germany’s 2013 generation destroyed the
incumbent utilities’ business model and wiped a half-trillion
Euros off their market cap.
Yet by the end of 2013, the rapid output growth of both modern
renewables and cogeneration (Fig. 1) had eclipsed shrinking
nuclear power by 3.34-fold in capacity and 2.35-fold in output.
Modern renewables alone, those other than big hydro dams,
reached 1.95 times nuclear power’s capacity in 2013 and should
exceed its annual electricity output by 2015. This role reversal
(Fig. 2) is accelerating, due mainly to economics and to modular
renewables’ extraordinarily dynamic scaling mechanism.
The trends are even clearer when we look at where today’s money
is invested, because power plants built long ago tell us only
about the past, while those now being ordered reveal the future.
More new renewable capacity than fossil-fueled plus nuclear
capacity was added in 2013. As orders grow for renewables but
shrink for central thermal stations, Bloomberg New Energy
Finance expects that by 2030, new renewable capacity, including
big hydro, will exceed new thermal capacity by 7.4-fold (Fig.
3), without even counting cogeneration.
For micropower as for cellphones and personal computers, the
race goes to the quick—but photovoltaic power worldwide is
scaling up even faster than cellphones. Advocates who assume
renewables can’t do much without a breakthrough in bulk storage
of electricity are in for a rude awakening.
Banking giant UBS calls the big, slow, lumpy, expensive coal and
nuclear plants “the dinosaur of the future energy system: Too
big, too inflexible, not even relevant for backup power in the
long run.” Such obsolete technologies are less at risk from
regulatory mandates than from market defeat by a swarm of agile
competitors that their promoters don’t even recognize. What a
sad epitaph—Devoured by Invisible Ants.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/5yjbztv.gif
[1] Carbon emissions embodied in the energy and materials used
to produce different kinds of energy equipment are separate,
relatively small, and broadly consistent with their relative
economic costs, so they’re not further examined here. New hydro
dams that flood big areas can also release large amounts of
methane from the rotting of submerged vegetation.
[2] U.S. woodchip exports, chiefly for cofiring Britain’s Drax
coal plant, raise such concerns but aren’t in RMI’s database
because Drax is a giant power-only station, not a smaller
cogenerator.
[3] However, this comparison ignores the unknown degree of
methane leakage from both the gas and the coal systems, the
export of displaced coal that is then burned abroad, and
cogeneration’s potential displacement of some carbon-free
generation.
[4] RMI’s estimate of 2013 electricity production exceeds the ~6
percent stated by the authoritative REN21.net global expert
network. That’s because RMI includes 191 GW of small hydropower
<50 MW, based on Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF)
transaction-based capacity data, while REN21’s 6-percent figure
excludes all hydropower.
[5] Conservatively excluding large industrial installations:
RMI’s database includes all cogenerating turbines up to 30 MW,
but fractions decreasing down to 5 percent for ≥120 MW.
This article originally appeared on Forbes.com.
HTML http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2014_10_20_micropowers_quiet_takeover
#Post#: 2078--------------------------------------------------
the Caribbean is blessed with world-class amounts of renewable r
esources
By: AGelbert Date: October 23, 2014, 5:23 pm
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Oct 23, 2014
Authors Jesse Morris Manager
Kaitlyn Bunker, Ph.D. Associate
Four Reasons Why Natural Gas is the Wrong Choice for Electricity
in the Caribbean
SUMMARY:
1: Efficiency and Renewables are Cheaper than LNG and Diesel
2: LNG Infrastructure Isn’t Cheap
3: LNG = Energy Price Volatility
4: Small-Scale LNG Faces Serious Contractual Challenges
A Bridge to Nowhere
Given the abundant wind and solar resources available in the
Caribbean, and the still-falling costs of installing renewable
generation compared with converting existing diesel resources to
LNG, choosing renewables over LNG now is a smart economic
decision.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
As
the case of San Andres illustrates, sinking capital into LNG
would be a poor decision for most Caribbean islands facing
similar challenges. There’s simply no reason to build this
expensive, unnecessary natural gas bridge when the cost-saving
benefits of renewables and efficiency can be captured here and
now.
FULL ARTICLE WITH COST COMPARISON BAR GRAPH and detailed
information at link:
HTML http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2014_10_23_four_reasons_why_natural_gas_is_wrong_for_electricity_in_the_caribbean
[img width=60
height=60]
HTML http://www.smile-day.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Smiley-Thumbs-Up2.jpg[/img]<br
/>
#Post#: 2197--------------------------------------------------
THE ROAD AHEAD: A ROLE FOR REINVENTING FIRE: CHINA
By: AGelbert Date: November 13, 2014, 6:21 pm
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THE ROAD AHEAD: A ROLE FOR REINVENTING FIRE: CHINA
In partnership with China’s Energy Research Institute, Energy
Foundation China, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
Rocky Mountain Institute is 18 months into a 24-month study
called Reinventing Fire: China. The project is a pan-Pacific
cooperative research effort to reimagine China’s future energy
system as one that is clean, connected, distributed, and secure.
Reinventing Fire: China is a pathway designed to enhance energy
and environmental security without compromising economic growth.
The initiative’s analysis aims to measure the economic, social,
and environmental benefits of rapidly deploying renewables and
energy efficiency technologies in China. To do so, it focuses on
an economy-wide analysis of the four energy-producing and
-consuming sectors of the economy: buildings, industry,
transportation, and electricity.
While the analysis is still being refined, [b]the project team
believes China might be able to more than double its 2030
target[/b] of 20 percent non-fossil supply economically by 2050.
Full article at link below:
[color=blue] The United States and China's Joint Climate Policy
Announcement—What It Means
HTML http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2014_11_13_usa_and_china_joint_climate_policy_announcement_what_it_means
#Post#: 2253--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: November 25, 2014, 5:50 pm
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11/21/2014 06:29 PM
Toyota Marks New Era With Sales of Fuel-Cell Cars
HTML http://www.runemasterstudios.com/graemlins/images/2thumbs.gif
SustainableBusiness.com News
Next month marks the start of a new era as Toyota begins sales
of the world's first mass produced hydrogen fuel-cell car.
Mirai goes on sale in Japan this year, and in Europe and the US
(east and west coasts) toward the end of 2015. Toyota's goal is
to sell 700 cars next year, 3000 by the end of 2017, and "tens
of thousands" within 10 years. It has 200 pre-orders from
government agencies and corporations.
"We are at a turning point in the automotive industry," says CEO
Akio Toyoda. When we introduced the first hybrid car in the
world (the Prius), people said we couldn't break through, and
now we will do it again."
Indeed, while Prius means "to go before," Mirai means "the
future" in Japanese. The Prius "paved the way by demonstrating
the future of mobility would include electric motors."
[img]
HTML http://www.trbimg.com/img-54691272/turbine/la-fi-hy-toyota-mirai-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicle-20141116[/img]
Toyota Mirai fuel cell car
"After surviving millions of miles on the test track and 10
years of testing on public roads, in freezing cold and scorching
heat, after passing extensive crash tests and after working with
local governments and researchers around the world to help make
sure it is easy and convenient to refuel, we are ready to
deliver," he says. They also cut the cost 95% over 20 years of
R&D.
HTML http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Environment/Pix/pictures/2014/11/21/1416564427984/Mirai-means-future-in-Jap-017.jpg
Toyota Mirai fuel cell car
Mirai, with two hydrogen tanks under the seats, has a range of
400-435 miles, and can accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in 9
seconds. A powertrain with an electric motor and fuel cell stack
replaces the gasoline engine.
In the US, it will retail at $57,500, ending up around $45,000
after federal and state incentives. Filling up will cost more
than gas at first but will cheaper in the long run, Toyota says,
and California will provide it free to Mirai owners.
Where the Hydrogen Stations Are
"It was a big challenge when we first introduced the Prius in
1997 and it's an even bigger challenge this time because there
is no infrastructure," notes Yoshikazu Tanaka, deputy chief
engineer for Toyota's next generation vehicle development.
Imagine launching a completely new car where there's hardly any
place to fill up! There are two commercial fuel stations in
Japan, and 43 under construction, according to the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry, with plans for 100 by the end of
2016 - subsidized partially by the government.
Germany also plans to have 100 stations by 2017, and in the US,
Hydrogen Highways are being built in California (60 stations by
2016) and in the Northeast (12 stations).
Toyota says it's not the number of stations that are important,
however, but where they are located. California, for example,
would do just fine with 15% of its gas stations.
Mike Chino, writing for Inhabitat, describes the Mirai this way:
"The Toyota Mirai drove like a dream - it floats along the road
and the ride is virtually silent save for the sci-fi sound of
the hydrogen pump and the whirr of the electric drivetrain. The
car's electric motors give it plenty of torque and a sprightly
pickup, and the vehicle's touch-sensitive controls are a
pleasure to use. A counter on the dashboard displays how many
miles you can drive until it's time to fill up.
The refueling process was a breeze at the Fountain Valley
station [Orange County, CA]. It took a few seconds for the pump
to pressurize, and then I attached the gas-like pump to the
hydrogen valve and locked it in. The mechanics are remarkably
similar to the way a standard gas pump operates, and the entire
process took less than five minutes. The fact that it can be
powered by human waste is testament to how versatile fuel cell
vehicles can be."
The final judge of fuel-cell cars will be where the hydrogen
comes from - natural gas? solar or wind energy? or in this case,
from biogas at a nearby wastewater treatment plant.
Last month, the US Department of Energy announced a $1 million
prize for completing the fuel cell car puzzle - developing an
affordable way for people to fill-up their cars right at home.
They are also working on a standard design for commercial
stations.
Read our article, Get Ready For Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars, Coming
Next Year.
Honda - which is working with GM to commercialize hydrogen
vehicles - postponed the debut of its fuel-cell car until 2016,
and VW (Golf HyMotion), Hyundai, Audi (H-Tron Quattro) and BMW
all showed off their hydrogen concept cars at the Los Angeles
Auto Show:
Website:
HTML http://inhabitat.com/tag/los-angeles-auto-show/
HTML http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26022
#Post#: 2260--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: November 26, 2014, 2:47 pm
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A Big Change in How the IEA Views Renewables
Michael Kanellos
November 26, 2014
SNIPPET:
[quote] ... some other notes from the 2014 report
•Subsidies for fossil fuels are four times greater those given
to renewables >:(. Fossil fuel subsidies come to approximately
$550 billion a year
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183404.bmp.<br
/>Subsidies to renewables come to around $121 billion. Renewable
subsidies will rise to $230 billion by 2030 but then drop to
$205 billion by 2040.
•Global investment in power infrastructure will total $21
trillion by 2040. A significant portion will go toward upgrading
transmission and distribution networks. It’s needed. The average
age of transformers in the U.S. is 42 years. The average
lifetime expectancy of a transformer is 40 years.
•Nuclear shifts to non-OECD nations. In 2013, there were 434
nuclear reactors worldwide >:(, supplying 11% of the world’s
power, far down from the 18% market share in 1996. Nuclear’s
market share will grow to 12% by 2040 >:(, but the big change
is the locations of the reactors. The bulk of the 380GW coming
on line will be in China and other non-OECD nations while the
majority of the 148GW retirements will come in North America
;D, Europe and Japan ;D. Still, nuclear remains one of the
“limited options” ::) for controlling emissions.
•Watch Sub-Saharan Africa. The region has tremendous potential
for solar, geothermal, wind and natural resource extraction
HTML http://www.runemasterstudios.com/graemlins/images/2thumbs.gif.<br
/>In the last five years, 30% of new oil and discoveries were ma
de
there. It will also be a hotbed of grid experimentation. 950
million people will get access for the first time to regular
sources of power by 2040 and 70% of those new customers in rural
areas will get power through microgrids and off grid
systems.[/quote]
A. G. Gelbert
November 26, 2014
The slow transition to a 100% renewable energy world
civilization is inevitable. And that includes shutting down of
all nuclear power plants and the bioremediation of all the
polluted sites that dirty energy has visited us with.
That said, it may be too late already to avoid massive die offs
in the human population. The die offs in thousands of other
species are already part of our new "normal" insanity of
corporate profit over planet.
Some people welcome a drop in out human population. They are
stupid. Why? Because the millions that may die from our overly
slow foot dragging in the transition to renewable energy ARE NOT
part of the upper 20% that does over 80% of the environmental
damage. In other words, the pollution and pillage will continue
even with a much reduced human population. The problem is in our
leaders, not in the masses.
The scientists have warned us. That's all they can do. Our
leaders either get real or we have had it.
The 1%'s Responsibility to Shoulder 80% of the COST of a 100%
Renewable Energy World:
HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2013/10/one-percents-planetary-assets-equals-80-responsibility-for-funding-a-100-renewable-energy-world<br
/>
Fossil Fuel Fascism in Action (3 minute lesson on our Orwellian
world):
HTML http://viewrz.com/video/fossil-fuel-fascism-in-action
Corporate Business model in ONE MINUTE:
HTML http://viewrz.com/video/the-corporate-business-model-is-psychopathic<br
/>
When you are in a hole, you are supposed to stop digging. If we
don't, then our species should have our scientific name changed
from Homo sapiens to Homo SAPS. The biosphere is not impressed
with our so called "intelligence" and "advanced" tool making. We
are succeeding in killing off a large part of the biosphere
which constitutes the human life support system and seed corn.
If that is not stupid, suicidal evolutionary dead end behavior,
I don't know what is.
If we survive it MUST be through a paradigm shift in our
government and civilizational structure. I'm not holding my
breath for Homo SAP to do it, but here's how it MUST be done, if
we are to avoid extinction and achieve harmony with the
biosphere:
Golden Rule Government: A Lawful System Based on Caring instead
of Conquest:
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/corruption-in-government/msg2043/#msg2043
#Post#: 2296--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 1, 2014, 2:32 pm
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Japan Should Continue Its Road Towards Renewables
Dolf Gielen, Director of Innovation & Technology, International
Renewable Energy Agency
December 01, 2014
The power sector crisis in Japan has entered a new stage. The
recent refusal of Japanese utilities to grant grid access to new
renewable energy projects should not be seen as a failure of
Japan’s renewable energy policy, but as a consequential and
necessary phase to extend Japan’s technological leadership into
the power sector.
Through its feed-in tariff for renewables projects, Japan
catapulted from a laggard into a frontrunner of renewable energy
deployment in less than two years. From July 2012 to the end of
June 2014, more than 11 gigawatts (GW) of renewables were
installed and an additional 60 GW of renewable projects have
been approved. In comparison, Japan’s total installed power
generation capacity equates to around 280 GW.
At a national level, the renewables contribution (4 percent) is
also much lower than the renewables contribution to power
production in other countries. Although Japan’s grid
infrastructure is unique, small countries like Denmark (47
percent), industrial power houses like Germany (25 percent), and
relatively isolated countries like Portugal (58 percent) have
achieved much higher annual penetration shares.
So why are Japanese utilities calling for an indefinite time-out
to review the impacts of renewables on the stability of the
grid? The main technical challenge for Japan lies in its grid
infrastructure, which is essentially broken up into 10 separate
grids, each operated by a separate monopolistic utility.
Although there are interconnections in place, the utilities have
traditionally tried to balance supply and demand within their
own region and cross-regional trade accounts for less than 5
percent of all power consumed. A more formidable technical
barrier is the fact that half of the country operates at 50 Hz
while the other half operates at 60 Hz electricity frequency.
Indeed, with large wind resources in northern Japan and demand
centres in the South, new grid extensions are needed to ensure
that the almost zero-cost production of wind can be used to
replace the expensive and import-reliant coal, gas and oil-fired
power stations in the South. However, such extensions are also
expensive and unaffordable for those utilities that are already
cash constrained. The imminent establishment of a national grid
operator, which will take over the responsibilities for
operating the grid and supporting interregional trade in March
2015, adds to the inaction of utilities today.
However, this is not the full picture. Only 0.074 GW of wind has
been installed in the last two years and only 1 GW of wind
capacity is in the pipeline. Almost all (98 percent) of newly
installed projects in the last two years are solar photovoltaics
(PV). Solar PV can be installed locally and its production
patterns, especially in summer, are perfectly compatible with
the peak in electricity demand for air conditioning on hot days
when the sun is shining ;D. Residential rooftop PV, which
accounts for 2.4 GW or 22 percent of installed capacity in the
last two years, perfectly matches demand profiles ;D and can
reduce the need for more expensive options to balance the grid.
Furthermore, community-scale systems (up to 50 kW) require
certified inverters, and installations above 50 kW are subject
to a permitting and consultation process with the local utility
to determine the connection to the grid and inverter choice.
In essence, this means that grid operators have a number of
possibilities to ensure that solar PV systems and other
renewables are adequately integrated into the grid. Moreover,
Japanese companies are technology leaders in a whole suit of
technical solutions that can aid utilities in the integration of
renewables into the grid. These technological solutions include
smart grid technologies, electricity storage solutions like
batteries and flywheels, fuel cells and microgeneration to name
a few. Widespread deployment of such advanced technologies at
home will open up markets abroad.
But the challenge is not only a technical one. Japan’s Diet
passed the Electricity Business Act on 11 June. This Act fully
opens the retail electricity market to so-called Power Purchaser
and Supplier in 2016. This means that any company is now allowed
to sell electricity, including to households. This opens up a
new market for companies like real-estate companies, IT
suppliers, gas suppliers and other service providers to 84
million customers. Together with the rise of independently owned
generation capacity, this could mean that utilities are caught
between a rock and a hard place.
In all, it seems that the 10 utilities are currently caught in a
perfect storm. ;DThey have experienced an influx of companies
developing new power generation, they are cash constrained due
to the shutdown of their nuclear power stations after Fukushima
in 2011, they face imminent investment to ensure interconnection
options and upgrades of their existing grids, they will be
subject to economic competition from newcomers on the market,
and there are also plans to unbundle them.
Now, the question is whether one-sided action from the utilities
to refrain from connecting new renewables projects to the grid
will remove these clouds? An alternative is to take a
longer-term perspective. This means that the short-term
commercial constraints of the utilities need to be recognized,
but that all stakeholders need to work together towards a 21st
century grid that will turn Japan from a resource-importing
country to one that will be relying on its own natural
resources.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/301.gif
Because progress on renewables is expected to continue. Before
2016, solar PV panels on Japanese households may be cheaper than
buying electricity from the grid. :o
HTML http://www.runemasterstudios.com/graemlins/images/2thumbs.gif<br
/>Wind resources are abundant and can considerably contribute to
the cheap power needed to maintain a competitive industry. The
many existing small hydro plants can be upgraded to provide
reliable and flexible back-up generation, biomass and geothermal
resources are available to provide low-cost heat, and Japan’s
oceans provide abundant natural resources through offshore wind
and ocean energy technologies. Japan has 25 GW pumped hydro
electricity storage capacity that is idling due to the nuclear
shut down, perfectly suited for storage of surplus solar PV
electricity.
Considering this future, it is important that instead of a
stand-off all stakeholders come together to resolve the current
issues and look forward towards a bright future. The engagement
of Japanese academics in a new Committee examining the grid
stability issue is indeed a good start. Important lessons can be
drawn from best practices abroad where grid issues have been
resolved, for example in Germany and Italy. And once the current
situation is resolved, Japan should take its experience and
manufacturing know-how and bring its solutions to other
countries that soon will also be transforming their power
sector.
HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/12/japan-should-continue-its-road-towards-renewables#comment-137797
A. G. Gelbert
December 1, 2014
The problem that the 10 grid systems in Japan have is not an
energy problem or even an infrastructure problem; it is a
welfare queen greed problem. Yes, as long as we are human, greed
is part of the package but that does not excuse allowing it to
get so predatory and economy stifling that conscienceless humans
are allowed to profit from inefficiency.
In Japan, we may have a new, somewhat humorous and definitely
ironic, definition of "gridlock".
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/4fvfcja.gif
Ever since Little John wanted to charge Robin Hood for crossing
the stream over a log, we have had that problem of gate keepers
that hamper progress in the service of greed. >:(
Alternating current is used in grids BECAUSE it is EFFICIENT to
send current LONG distances from the generating source. This is
not hard. This is old technology.
As the article points out, PV is all over Japan so their is no
excuse for not allowing the national government to beef up the
transmission lines from the high wind areas in the north to the
low wind areas with high electrical demand in the south. No
excuse EXCEPT the corrupt status quo gravy train of grid
operator gate keeping welfare queen greed. ;)
Excess greed is the real issue. I hope Japan addresses it
properly. Turf battles over energy transmission rights need to
end, not just in Japan, but all over the world. Trying to hamper
people from setting up their own renewable energy generating
systems by repealing incentives is wrong and will backfire. The
Koch brother types in Japan don't understand that there just
like they are too greedy to understand it here in the USA.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183337.bmp
Right here, in the USA, Renewable Energy threatens the design of
our electrical grids. WHY? Because the grids were originally
designed around centralized fossil fuel power plants near large
populated areas.
Yes, we have a national grid divided into "islands" that have
been written about here often. BUT, the really high powered
transmission lines from the vast wind and geothermal sources we
have in the USA have NEVER been built because the fossil fuel
power plant structure never needed them. And believe me, that is
the corrupt status quo that many are defending with tooth and
nail.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183337.bmp
The U.S. Government owns 28% of the land in the USA. Are you
going to tell me that they could build giant hydropower
facilities from the 1930's to the late 1940's (providing fully
33% of grid power at that time!) along with the large
transmission lines needed to send that power to population
centers but CANNOT do exactly the same thing for wind and
geothermal? ??? Of course they can!
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But that is a threat to every fossil fuel power plant near
populated centers now belching out poisons from coal (and other
fossil fuels), not limited to CO2, along with generating the
profits (and welfare queen subsidies).
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So, we see excessive greed acting as a gate keeper welfare queen
to stifle beefed up transmission lines from wind and geothermal
sources. >:(
The population is waking up to that game here as well as in
Japan so they are rushing to put PV everywhere they can, thereby
creating demand destruction for the fossil fuelers.
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The fossil fuelers greedballs have responded, not by waking up
and reining in their excessive greed, but by attempting to roll
back subsidies for renewable energy in state laws This greedy
(and quixotic) behavior just makes people more determined
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to answer this
unjustified gate keeper corruption with increased energy
independence.
We need more cooperation from the grid operators. They need to
accept that the new normal is renewable energy and coal and
fossil fuels have to go.
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Once they accept that, they will back robust transmission lines
that help balance the demand.
If they don't do that, we will all eventually refuse to do
business with them. The writing is on the wall here and in Japan
as well. They either rein in their gate keeper greed or they go
bankrupt.
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TINA to a Low Carbon Economy
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/climate-change/global-warming-is-with-us/msg2114/#msg2114
#Post#: 2304--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 2, 2014, 1:54 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
German Utility EON To Ditch Fossil Fuel Arm, Focus on Renewables
[img width=200
height=130]
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Stefan Nicola, Bloomberg
December 02, 2014 | 1 Comments
BERLIN -- EON SE’s plan to spin off its fossil fuel plants marks
a watershed moment in Germany’s renewables effort that will
likely bolster the country’s already leading position in clean
energy.
EON’s announcement is the culmination of a push to wind, solar
and other alternative energy forms that the German government
began 14 years ago with subsidies to reduce the country’s
reliance on fossil fuels for power production. That plan gained
added momentum in 2011 with a decision to close the country’s
nuclear reactors following the Fukushima accident.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bold move is already beginning to pay
off, with Europe’s largest economy for the first time getting
more electricity from renewables this year than any other
source. About a quarter of Germany’s power now comes from green
energy, compared with 6.2 percent in the U.S. and 4.8 percent in
France.
“We are in the midst of a giant transformation process of our
energy system,” Deputy Environment Minister Jochen Flasbarth
told reporters yesterday in Berlin. “Renewables are the
increasingly dominant factor in the German energy mix. EON’s
decision is a piece of the puzzle.”
The government intends to go further, setting goals to increase
the use of alternative energy sources to as much as 45 percent
of all power generated by 2035 and boost that figure to 80
percent by 2050. Germany, where the eastern countryside is
already dotted with thousands of wind turbines, plans to do that
in part by expanding large-scale offshore wind plants that can
produce more reliably because the breeze is steadier at sea.
Closing Reactors
Merkel decided after the Fukushima accident in Japan to close
the country’s eight oldest nuclear reactors and shutter the
remainder by 2022. To reach stricter climate protection targets,
Germany tomorrow will unveil details of a plan demanding
additional emissions cuts from electricity produced using fossil
fuel.
“Germany has some of the most ambitious climate protection
targets and is radically rebuilding its energy system,” said
Sven Diermeier, an analyst at Independent Research GmbH in
Frankfurt who follows EON and rival RWE AG. “And now EON is
attempting the most radical rebuilding so far of any large
European utility.”
Germany’s push has come at a cost for the country’s utilities,
energy-intensive industries and consumers. The influx of
renewable power on the grid has undermined wholesale prices and
decimated the profitability of coal and gas plants. At the same
time, the taxes on electricity that subsidize renewable energy
production has led to Germany having the second-highest
household power prices in the European Union, according to
Eurostat.
Subsidies
German consumers have paid a total of 106 billion euros ($132
billion) through the surcharge on their power bills to finance
the clean-energy expansion. The annual cost may peak this year
and drop slightly to 22 billion euros in 2015 as the government
begins reducing subsidies for the industry.
Despite the expense, the shift has broad public support. A poll
earlier this year showed 71 percent of Germans back the decision
to close the nuclear reactors and 67 percent think the country
isn’t doing enough to move to renewables, according to the
Allensbach polling company.
Against this general backdrop, power companies in Germany are
increasingly staking their future on green energy. EON after the
split in 2016 will concentrate on renewables, distribution and
marketing to households and consumers. The spun-off entity will
include conventional power generation, global energy trading,
exploration and production.
Renewables Focus
“There’s a new world becoming reality that’s driven by
customers,” EON Chief Executive Officer Johannes Teyssen said
today in Berlin of the plan to split the utility.
Vattenfall AB, owned by the Swedish state, wants to get rid of
its German coal operations to focus on renewables, while ENBW
Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG last year doubled its asset sales
goal to 3 billion euros to free up cash to invest in clean
energy. RWE, Europe’s biggest corporate emitter of greenhouse
gases, said yesterday it didn’t plan to follow EON’s lead. RWE
last year generated more than half of its power in Germany with
lignite, the dirtiest fossil fuel.
“Spinning off coal, gas and oil from the core business is a
smart strategy for a future-oriented company,” said Patrick
Graichen, head of Agora Energiewende. “I’m sure additional
utilities will follow suit -- not just in Germany, but
worldwide.”
Electric Cars
Merkel is also trying to reduce the country’s emissions by
pushing Germany’s auto industry to build more electric cars
after French, Japanese and American carmakers got off to an
early lead. Including vehicles like Bayerische Motoren Werke
AG’s i3 city car and an electric version of Daimler AG’s Smart
two-seater, German auto manufacturers will offer 17 electric-
powered models by the end of 2014, and another 12 will be going
on sale next year, according to the country’s VDA automotive
industry group.
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The chancellor today threw her support behind incentives to
reach her goal of having 1 million electric cars on German roads
by 2020. The country is behind on the effort in part because the
government has previously balked at subsidies like those offered
in France, where consumers receive as much as 6,300 euros to
help cover the higher cost of low-emission vehicles. Electric
car sales in Germany last year amounted to about 7,600 vehicles,
while in France demand was almost double that at 14,400.
“There’s a lot to do,” Merkel said during a press conference in
Berlin. “We see that further subsidies are necessary.
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We must speak with the
German states about that.”
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg
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A. G. Gelbert
December 2, 2014
Germany gets it. It's time the rest of the world did too!
Watch this one minute clip to learn why Natural Capitalism is
the only REAL Capitalism. Modern so-called "Capitalism" (i.e.
Crapitalism!) actually SHRINKS, DEGRADES and DESTROYS Capital!
HTML http://viewrz.com/video/real-money
The Next Revolution: Discarding Dangerous Fossil Fuel Accounting
Practices.
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/>
TINA to a Low Carbon Economy
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/climate-change/global-warming-is-with-us/msg2114/#msg2114
#Post#: 2310--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 2, 2014, 9:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Report from the Future ;D
Denmark plans to be off coal by 2025 and free of all fossil
fuels by 2050. Danes use more wind power per capita than anyone
else in the world, half of Copenhagen gets around by bike, and
they're making a fortune by supplying three out of four of the
world's offshore wind turbines. Plus -- really great pastries!
HTML http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2015-1-january-february/feature/leading-edge
#Post#: 2324--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 4, 2014, 2:32 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
NextEra Buys Hawaii’s Biggest Utility To Study Renewable Energy
in the Island State
The move may also help remedy some of HECO's solar power
interconnection problems. [img width=060
height=055]
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Mark Chediak and Ehren Goossens, Bloomberg
December 04, 2014 | 2 Comments
San Francisco and New York -- NextEra Energy Inc., North
America’s largest generator of wind and solar power, will take
over Hawaii’s biggest electricity company in what the company
sees as a proving ground for its push into green energy.
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. has been among the utility
owners most vulnerable to challenges caused by distributed solar
power, [b]in a state with the most expensive electricity rates
in the nation.[/b] As customers defect to generating their own
electricity from rooftop systems, the utility has said it aims
to cut rates by 20 percent over the next 15 years by increasing
renewable energy to 65 percent of its electricity mix.
“It makes a lot of sense for NextEra with all the renewables
that Hawaiian Electric was going to do,” Tim Winter, an analyst
at Gabelli & Co. in Rye, New York, said in a telephone
interview. NextEra is “the premier renewable energy builder and
developer and really good at transmission.”
NextEra Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Robo said he
sees Hawaiian Electric, which serves 95 percent of Hawaii’s
population, as a testing ground for the expected transition from
fossil-fuels to power generated from the sun and wind.
“You can think about Hawaii as a postcard from the future of
what’s going to happen in the electric industry in the United
States,” Robo said by phone yesterday. “As renewable generation
gets cheaper, as electric storage becomes more efficient and
possible, all electric utilities are going to have to face
this.”
About 11 percent of Hawaiian Electric customers have rooftop
solar systems, the highest penetration in the U.S., according to
the Honolulu-based utility owner.
Solar Incentives
Solar electricity, helped by federal and state tax incentives,
is already as cheap as utility-supplied power in 10 states
including Hawaii, Deutsche Bank AG said in a report published in
October.
NextEra can use its expertise in integrating more renewables and
transitioning to cleaner fuels while lowering customer bills in
Hawaii, Robo said. Hawaii relies on expensive imported oil for
its generators. NextEra has experience in weaning its Florida
utility, FPL, off the fuel, reducing its reliance by more than
99 percent since 2001, he said yesterday during a conference
call with investors.
“Given NextEra’s track record, I would think they would probably
increase the operational efficiency of the company, which over
the long-term should lead to lower customer bills,” said Paul
Patterson, a New York-based analyst for Glenrock Associates LLC.
LNG Imports
NextEra, the nation’s largest buyer of natural gas :P, can also
use its expertise to help Hawaii import liquefied natural gas to
burn to make electricity, said Hawaiian Electric Chairman and
CEO Constance Lau in a conference call with investors.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity for us to accelerate clean
energy here in Hawaii,” Lau said in a telephone interview.
Holders of Hawaiian Electric will receive 0.2413 shares in Juno
Beach, Florida-based NextEra plus a 50-cent one-time dividend
for each share they own, the companies said yesterday in a joint
statement. As part of the deal, Hawaiian Electric will also spin
off the parent of American Savings Bank.
Including an $8 a share estimated value for the bank spinoff,
the deal values Hawaiian Electric at about $33.50, the companies
said during an investor presentation. That gives a total value
of about $3.4 billion.
Without the spinoff, the sale values Honolulu-based Hawaiian
Electric at $25.69 a share, or $2.6 billion.
Including debt, the total value of the transaction is about $4.3
billion.
Shares Jump
Hawaiian Electric rose 17 percent to $33.00 after the close in
trading in New York. NextEra was unchanged at $104.39.
Hawaiian Electric was incorporated in 1891 from a royal charter
by King David Kalakaua, before Hawaii became part of the U.S.,
according to the company’s website.
The deal requires approval from state and federal regulators, in
addition to shareholders. It’s expected to be completed within
about 12 months. NextEra won’t make any “involuntary workforce
reductions” at Hawaiian Electric for at least two years after
the close, the companies said.
Citigroup Inc. is serving as financial adviser to NextEra
Energy, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is legal counsel.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is advising Hawaiian Electric, with
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP as legal counsel.
2 Comments
SEAN O
December 4, 2014
Am I the only one that finds it ironic, that NextEra is based
out of Florida, and is the biggest Commercial Solar/Wind, and
yet have 0 wind/solar installations in Florida, and the Florida
utilities are the ones beating down, consumer laws?
The article mentions hauling in NG, quite frankly, at 30-40c/kwh
for electric, they can generate enough solar for well below that
cost and even make lowly hydrogen to provide night time power
and still be below that cost. They don't need to be hauling in
NG. They can easily be self-sufficient.
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A. G. Gelbert
December 4, 2014
SEAN O,
I agree. This is very strange.
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Is this
about aiding the renewable energy transition or is it about a
"testing ground" to see if fossil fuels (see LNG) can keep a
grip on centralized power production under the guise of
"Renewable Energy"? [img width=80
height=40]
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height=40]
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It bears watching what actually happens to renewable energy in
Hawaii, a state that could and should have been 100% Renewable
Energy powered decades ago.
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If Portugal, a much larger area with less Renewable energy
potential than Hawaii, can reach 58% Grid Renewable Energy,
there is ZERO excuse for Hawaii not being well over 100% to the
point of electrifying all their transportation too.
"Renewable energy in Portugal was the source for 58.3%[1] of the
country's electricity generation in 2013. In the first 10 months
of 2014, renewable energy production supplied 62% of
consumption: 32% from hydro, 24% from Wind, 6% from biomass and
1.3% from solar.[2]"
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Portugal
When you take even a cursory look at the VAST sun, wind and
geothermal resources Hawaii has, it is obvious that the fossil
fuel industry gamed the energy production in Hawaii from the
start.
I hope that common sense prevails in Hawaii. they need fossil
fuels like a hole in the head AND the pocket!
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#Post#: 2336--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
By: AGelbert Date: December 6, 2014, 2:39 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
A “Business” Model for Expanding Renewable Energy: The New
Mexico Production Tax Credit
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Maria Blais Costello
December 05, 2014 | 2 Comments
The State of New Mexico now has a total renewable generation
capacity that is over 1 million kilowatts. ;D This huge
milestone for renewable energy in New Mexico would have not been
realized so soon without the NM Renewable Energy Production Tax
Credit (REPTC).
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The REPTC is not just a credit on taxes owed, it is a refundable
credit and can be allocated at any time to a new owner of
renewable electric generation. The program supports
utility-scale wind, biomass, and solar projects by providing a
refundable corporate income tax credit for companies that
generate electricity from renewable energy resources.
For wind and biomass, the credit is applicable on the first
400,000 MWh of electricity in each of 10 consecutive taxable
years. There is a 1 cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) credit for wind
or biomass, and between 1.5–4 cents per kWh for solar
generation. For solar, the credit is applicable only to the
first 200,000 MWh of electricity in each taxable year. To
qualify, an energy generator must have a capacity of at least 1
MW and be installed before January 2018.
This innovative program involved collaboration between
utilities, industry, and state government. It has resulted in
long-term economic and societal benefits, leveraged private
investment, and increased renewable energy deployment.
Making a Change to Renewables Easier
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The Energy Conservation and Management Division (ECMD) of the
State of New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources
Department develops and implements effective clean energy
programs—renewable energy, energy efficiency, alternative fuels,
and safe transportation of radioactive waste—to promote
environmental and economic sustainability and to protect public
health and safety for New Mexico’s citizens. In 2003, ECMD began
implementing the REPTC with several distinct initiatives and a
long-term strategy.
Quantifying the potential for renewable energy: The ECMD began
this effort by developing “investment grade” wind maps for the
state using an international firm whose reputation was
acceptable to investment bankers. With this data, wind
developers and investors became more comfortable in developing
projects. Projects were advanced by at least three years because
developers had reliable data at an early stage with which to
base decisions.
The additional New Mexico 10-year production tax credit made
wind and solar attractive investments. Since the inception of
REPTC, 10 wind and 21 solar projects have been completed,
leading to 2,246,000 MWh in annual energy production.
There are now 794 MW of wind and 232 MW of solar operating in
New Mexico. These projects created approximately $2 billion in
construction activity over the past ten years. :o ;D A waiting
list for the tax credit includes another 677 MW of wind and 65.5
MW of solar. [img width=80
height=70]
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Helping Utilities to Meet the RPS: The existence of REPTC has
also made it easier for electric utilities in the state to
cost-effectively meet the targets in the state’s Renewable
Portfolio Standard (RPS). Senate Bill 418 was signed into law in
March 2007 and added new requirements to the states RPS. Under
the new law, regulated electric utilities must have renewables
meet 15 percent of the electricity needs by 2015, and 20 percent
by 2020. Rural cooperatives must have renewable energy account
for 5 percent of their electricity needs by 2015, increasing to
10 percent by 2020. Renewable energy can come from new
hydropower facilitates, from fuel cells that are not
fossil-fueled, and from biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal
resources. The REPTC has assisted utilities in meeting this
standard by providing a fiscal incentive. Since October 2007,
the REPTC has been a refundable tax credit and can be allocated
at any time to a new owner of the renewable energy generation
project.
Revenue generated by land leases: Utility-scale renewable energy
projects have become a steady source of revenue for the State
Land Office. The New Mexico State Land Trust receives direct
revenue from leasing public lands to wind, solar, and geothermal
power plants. The projects qualify for the tax credit for ten
years, but continue to produce renewable energy far beyond the
10-year incentive, as state land leases are commonly up to 30
years in length. Projected lease revenue for the next 38 years
from renewable energy and transmission projects is projected to
be $574 million.
Renewable energy projects are also leasing private land. This
has become an important supplemental income source for a number
of ranchers. Land leases, construction jobs and permanent
maintenance positions are additional ways that renewable energy
farms are supporting rural communities. A wind turbine typically
generates about $20,000 in annual income to farmers and
ranchers. PV systems also generate income to the land owners.
A Net Economic Benefit
For wind and biomass, the credit is $0.01 per kilowatt hour
(kWh) and applies to up to 400,000 MWh for each certified
generator in each of ten consecutive tax years. The statewide
cap of the credit for wind and biomass is 2,000,000 MWh of
production per year. For solar, the credit ranges between $0.015
and $0.04 per kWh (an average of $0.027/kWh) and applies to the
first 200,000 MWh for each certified generator in ten
consecutive tax years. The statewide cap of the credit for solar
is 500,000 MWh.
Maximum tax liability for the state each year for the
wind/biomass and solar tax credits combined is $33,500,000. In
contrast, as noted above, the revenue for the next 38 years from
renewable energy and transmission projects for state-owned land
leases is projected to be $574 million, which spread relatively
equally over that time frame will be $15 million per year, and
will continue for an estimated 28 years beyond the 10-year tax
incentive.
Without this tax incentive New Mexico would possibly have a
small amount of wind energy, but it would in no way been able to
create the substantial land lease revenue it has now with many,
large-scale wind farms throughout the state. Creating the REPTC
was New Mexico’s planned approach to make the state RPS
acceptable to all stakeholders. In turn, this tax incentive
leveraged private investment to benefit New Mexico. Since the
REPTC was instated in 2003, several other states have examined
the NM REPTC as a model for creating their own programs.
Highlights
•The Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Program has brought
wind and solar developers to invest in New Mexico, leveraging
state investments. Interest has grown to the point that the
state now has a project waiting list and legislators are
considering increasing the cap on the annual energy production
available for this credit.
•As a result of the program, 794 MW of wind capacity and 232 MW
of solar capacity have been installed, representing just the
beginning of clean energy development in New Mexico.
•The long-term benefits of the incentive program far outweigh
the costs of the ten-year incentive program, resulting in
continued economic benefits from and investments in renewable
energy in the state.
Learn More about this Program
The New Mexico Renewable Energy Tax Credit Program was one of
eight recipients of the 2014 State Leadership in Clean Energy
Awards, an initiative of the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA)
to highlight exemplary state and municipal programs that advance
clean energy markets. (See my previous blog from November 24,
2014.) CESA will be hosting a webinar featuring this program on
December 8th. The webinar is free to attend, but registration is
required. You can learn more and register here.
2 Comments
A. G. Gelbert
December 6, 2014
Thank you, Maria Blais Costello, for this information. It's this
kind of nuts and bolts, honest cost benefit analysis math doing
that will enable the transition to 100% Renewable Energy.
Anumakonda Jagadeesh
December 6, 2014
Excellent. Other Developing countries can adopt this.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
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