Alternative Energy Provisions in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Although the Act can be seen as merely a stopgap measure for the alternative energy industry, it is worth noting that enactment of these provisions in this political environment, with the extraordinary pressure on deficit reduction that Congress is facing, demonstrates the breadth and depth of the bipartisan support that alternative energy has in this country. This bodes very well for the future of the domestic industry.
Buffett holding makes big solar purchase
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., a unit of Warren Buffett's conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA, Fortune 500), has purchased two solar power projects in a deal valued at between $2 billion and $2.5 billion.
MidAmerican, the electric utility, said Wednesday it has purchased the Antelope Valley Solar Projects from SunPower Corp (SPWR).
Based in Los Angeles and Kern in California, the projects convert energy from light into electricity. The companies said the combined projects are the largest solar photovoltaic power development in the world.
The projects are still under development, and are expected to be completed by the end of 2015. They are expected to create 650 construction jobs.
SunPower's stock price surged 20% at the open of trading Thursday.
Turnkey Photovoltaic Robotics
A turnkey automation provider like Reis, with extensive experience in solar module manufacturing specifically, can help you derive the best configuration for your product and your business plan.
Fuel Cells: The Perfect Power Partner
Fuel cells have an unmatched combination of benefits, leading the companies profiled to collectively save millions of dollars in electricity, labor and fuel costs while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of thousands of metric tons per year.
Organic PlaCSH Solar Cells with 175% Increased Efficiency Developed
NSL Scientists have overcome the core issue of Solar Cells: The unavailability to fully capture light that enters the cell and light reflecting from the cell. The Scientists rectified this issue using a nano structured sandwich of metal(gold) and plastic that collects and traps light.
Conservation Not Technology will be our Saviour
In this interview with James Stafford of OilPrice.com, Economist Chris Martenson covers two main thoughts --- Don't Fall for the Shale Boom Hype -and- Conservation Not Technology will be our Saviour
Standardizing EV Systems and Components
SAE International is excellent for activity within the automotive industry. However, other Standards Development Organizations (SDO) such as IEC, ISO, UL and NEMA have different areas of responsibility.
Wind-energy tax credit extended for one year
Congress late Tuesday voted to extend a tax credit on wind energy that many said was key to the survival of the wind-power industry.
The credit's one-year extension was included in the measure to avert the fiscal cliff.
The credit saves 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy produced over 10 years by new wind-energy facilities.
As approved by Congress Tuesday, the extended credit will apply to projects begun in 2013 but not operational until 2014.
Wistful hopes for US offshore wind energy
Despite its promise, the American wind industry is caught in the crosswinds of American politics — and that uncertain situation set up a surreal contrast when wind enterprises gathered here to tout their technologies.
The American Wind Energy Association’s conference exhibition hall was full of European and multinational firms that are busy plunging scores of turbines into their waters. German developers talked about how the industry has transformed rusting homeland harbors into bustling ports, while British officials boasted that industry investment in offshore wind will leap from $8 billion in the last decade to $80 billion in the next eight years.
Representatives of American firms could only watch wistfully and wish the US government cared as much about wind energy as Europe does. Peter Duclos and Tim McAuliffe were two of those wistful watchers. Gladding-Hearn, their Somerset, Mass., company, specializes in ferries, patrol boats, pilot boats, and tugboats. They want to make boats to transport workers and equipment out to turbines.
“Some people estimate that for every 10 to 15 turbines, you need a vessel to get the technicians out there,” said Duclos, the company’s president. “And every active shipyard means other companies making more piping, electronics, even more business at the local liquor store.”
If the East Coast had a thriving offshore-wind industry, the ship-building company could double its current workforce of 100, added McAuliffe, the company’s engineering liaison.
2013: A Cloudy Forecast for Renewable Energy, With a Silver Lining
So what’s the real forecast for wind and solar power?
That’s dependent—as it always is with the power sector, whether it’s renewable or fossil fuels—on policy. For the wind industry in the U.S., continuation of the tax credit would be vital. It pays wind-farm owners 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity they produce over 10 years. If Congress fails to renew the tax credit, Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts installations could fall by 88% next year to just 1.5 GW, at the cost of nearly 40,000 jobs according a study sponsored by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
A quick check at the headlines will show how unlikely renewal is in the current political atmosphere. It’s so bad that the AWEA, in an effort to get fiscal conservatives on their side, this month proposed a six-year phaseout of the credit. But while a bill to renew the credit was passed by the Senate Finance Committee in August and is sponsored by a Republican—Senator Chuck Grassley of wind-rich Iowa—little has happened since, and producers are getting ready for the fallout. Already turbines makers have announced hundreds of layoffs.
As for the solar industry, the low costs for modules that have driven installation are a double-edged sword for manufacturers, who increasingly can’t make money off their products at current prices. That’s also led to something of a trade war—the U.S and Europe have charged Chinese solar manufacturers, with ample help from Beijing, of selling solar modules at below cost. The European Union opened up an anti-dumping investigation in September, and the U.S. slapped tariffs on Chinese solar panels. That might be good for domestic manufacturers, but a trade war would likely hold back global growth of solar power.
China Tries to Fix Solar Panel Problems with Mergers, Reduced Gov. Support
In response to troubles with its solar panel manufacturing , China is trying to get producers to merge.
Beijing, in particular, is facing problems with its solar panel industry and plans to fix it by reducing government support for the industry, encouraging mergers and blocking local leaders from supporting domestic producers.
Beijing's solar problems stem from rapid expansion over the past decade. It offered grants and low-cost loans, which led to many producers crowding the market. The end result was too many producers that flooded the market with supplies and were forced to lower prices in order to compete. The industry is now about $17.5 billion in debt.
Further complicating Beijing's solar issues is conflict with both the U.S. and Europe. Last month, a U.S. trade panel supported tariffs as high as 250 percent on imports of sola panels from China. This occurred after it was discovered that Beijing was subsidizing imports in an inappropriate way and affecting jobs abroad.
More Than a Third of U.S. Solar Installers Say Permitting Requirements Limit Growth
Clean Power Finance today unveiled a nationwide study of solar permitting and the obstacle it poses to the widespread adoption of residential solar. The study, the largest of its kind to date, provides quantifiable evidence of the negative effects complex permitting regulations have on U.S. solar installers and also on the authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), including municipalities and utilities, who oversee permitting processes.
Clean Power Finance undertook the study as part of preparations for the National Solar Permitting Database (NSPD), a free, online database of permitting requirements from across the U.S. that is funded in part by Clean Power Finance and in part by a Department of Energy SunShot Initiative grant. The study's objective is to establish baseline metrics prior to the deployment of the NSPD that can be compared to metrics taken after the NSPD is fully implemented, and to provide direction to the industry about areas for improvement.
"Strong initial interest in the National Solar Permitting Database makes it clear that people want to address permitting obstacles but aren't quite sure where to start," said James Tong, senior director at Clean Power Finance and project lead. "This study provides valuable data that will help identify areas for improvement and cooperation that will bring down costs for everyone and advance the adoption of solar."
GE Reaches Milestone for Wind Installations as US Industry Heads for Cliff
GE last month celebrated its 20,000th wind turbine installation, a gargantuan achievement given the US power generation giant only stepped into the sector in 2002 when it purchased the wind power assets from recently bankrupted Enron.
In many ways, GE's meteoric rise tracks the growth of the global industry. From a cumulative global capacity of 31.1GW globally, the US and China each hit the 50GW milestone this year, and Europe's installed capacity reached 100GW.
"Ten years ago we had 2,000 units across the globe, today we have over 20,000 units. It's gone from being a very small part of power generation installs over the last four years," said Matt Guyette, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer for GE Wind.
The US wind industry has added more than 35% of all new generating capacity over the past five years, second only to natural gas, and more than nuclear and coal combined, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
U.S. Wind Energy Trade Group Chief Bode Quits After Four Years
Denise Bode, chief executive officer of the American Wind Energy Association, will quit Jan. 1, the day that tax credits for the industry are set to expire.
Rob Gramlich, currently senior vice president for public policy, will take over her duties as interim CEO after she steps down, according to a statement today from the Washington-based trade group.
Bode was hired in January 2009 to help lock in federal and state incentives for the wind industry. Congress has yet to act on a one-year extension of the 2.2-cent-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit. The expiration of the tax credit will cause the loss of about 37,000 jobs, the industry group has said.
“Rob Gramlich will provide the steady hand needed to represent the industry during this critical period,” Bode said in the statement.
The tax credits for wind-energy producers have faced repeated expirations during the past two decades, creating uncertainty for turbine manufacturers including General Electric Co. and Vestas Wind Energy Systems A/S.
Solar Training and Certification
Each state in the US has different requirements for installing PV systems. Some states, like Colorado, require a certain number of NABCEP certified installers per job, whereas in North Carolina, you must be an electrician to sell or install a PV system.
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