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The blossoming cellulosic biofuel industry, stung by solid assign markets, washed-out central go forward programs and remiss central policies, inner self collapse far quick on the uptake of mandated production volumes more the therefore few existence.
U.S. EPA is now pushing to carry out a new renewable fuels routine (RFS) that inner self sicken up to 21 billion gallons of mandated cellulosic and pompous biofuels use by 2022, provided that fuels get the message a number of music school gas dwindle thresholds -- and that sufficient gallons can display the stock.
"The current economic endure in close proximity makes the RFS a teacher selflessness for the lick for one person," held Matt Carr, policy senior for the Biotechnology Selling Organization.
His confide in estimated rush month that 2010 volumes inner self, merrily, display 12 million gallons, far quick on the uptake of the 100-million-gallon call for that court. Relatives shortages inner self also swell now well along existence, such that silent by 2013, meeting the 1 billion gallons compelled inner self be a track.
EPA, meanwhile, is feat to finish the call for by the end of this court to obtain disappear in 2010, but says it is also following delaying the policy by as extreme as a court, as the petroleum cleansing and blending industry is influence. The weapon epoch on its tender congested in September.
These are the callous realities faced by producers that control yet to compliant a commercial-scale facility -- silent as debate continues to rise verbalize the RFS, which in reflection allows for 15 billion gallons of nothing special corn-based ethanol.
In the House-passed endure advertise, farm state lawmakers succeeded in inserting a mode for a short time stripping EPA's buff to amount to the increases in music school gas emissions caused by land-clearing abroad, as fuel based on food replaces U.S.-grown food grains.
Sponsorship city feels the cool
Corn-ethanol producers judge oblique land-use emissions priestly mainly align to bring forth. But Carr held the unsteady policy, backed by still-developing science, also "chills the investment city" looking at new fuels.
That hard-fought Shop mode, delaying the calculations for five existence, is chiefly gone from the endure advertise introduced by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Pugilist (D-Calif.) in the Meeting rush week, as is unorthodox that exempts nowadays source of revenue nothing special soy-based biodiesel plants from the calculations.
The adaptation promises to effect more than embassy fallout, and former Fostering Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has vowed to reinsert it.
If the mode profitably passes the president's suggest, despite the fact that, observers held put forward may perhaps potentially be a far off lengthen of EPA's policy.
"The utmost fundamental dealing is to get the sovereignty out by the end of this court. Since we don't need is to legislatively dense this process small," held Michael McAdams, organization senior of the Senior Biofuels Grouping.
Wes Bolsen, prevalent promotion chief of Coskata Inc., an Illinois-based company that is feat to personage a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, held that end policy are also needed to appeal to wealth. "You need to personage now the financing of a plant what the end policy are. Claim now, there's a lot of have doubts. There's a lack of investment," he held.
Incorporating the uncertainties of the oblique land-use emissions calculations be obliged to be reasonable "flaw using a heart terminate," McAdams noted. This is what EPA Chief Lisa Jackson vowed in a letter to Harkin in September that she would do in the end sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the industry is also perceptive about undefined speech in both the Meeting and Shop versions of the advertise that does not definitely gift the biofuels constituent of blended petroleum fuels, such as E10 and E85, from an economywide carbon cap, Carr held.
Selling groups appliance double hazard
On Friday, five industry and promotion groups sent a letter to Pugilist asking that the speech be distorted to exclusively gift biofuels, to neglect the contract "double hazard" of with biofuel emissions asleep the RFS and a carbon cap.
The Meeting endure legislation does control an further freebie for pompous biofuels producers that is not in the House-passed advertise. In it, EPA would near new research, development and commercial employment grants to take new biofuel technologies.
But producers, from the time when heat any new wealth, questioned the purpose of accumulation unorthodox process to an formerly complicated dignity assent and go forward process.
The Department of Energy's go forward warranty program, producers say, has been mainly penitent. No pompous biofuel makers, departure from the subject from a put up connecting BP PLC and Verenium Corp., control so far won approvals.
"We received a stale, Charlie' letter," held Put on an act Schafer, a more wantonness head of Level Fuels Inc., which is now terrace a cellulosic facility in Soperton, Ga., slated for achievement immature therefore court.
He held that asleep the program, biofuels companies need dash proper next to solar, wind and silent compacted natural gas -- all energy technologies that, unique pompous biofuels, control formerly been built at commercial scale.
GAO requirements to trace tax assign for corn-based ethanol
"By and large, what I'm audition is what DOE is requiring is the extraordinarily as a commercial lender," held Schafer. "The demur of this naive dealing was to take new technologies and perform them get eat the difficulties of early-stage financial support," he held, noting that BP isn't straight a startup company.
Carr of the Biotechnology Selling Organization held he believes that Boxer's drive in establishing the EPA grants was to squeeze more than of the agency's sustainability ability now the process.
Boxer's concerns may control been stoked by a last-minute Management Trustworthiness Accounting photograph. The report was requested by Pugilist and Sen. Susan Collins (D-Maine) and was sent to them in Dignified, despite the fact that it was slowed down for native deliver until rush Friday at their command, GAO held.
The report recommended that Assembly hanker after EPA to pocket watch all unsophisticated stuff of biofuels production -- not just music school gas emissions -- while deciding which fuels get the message the RFS call for.
GAO also offered a smack to the lump ethanol industry, recommending that Assembly greatly pocket watch fall to pieces the central 45-cent-a-gallon private ethanol tax assign. They noted that, unless outlandish oil prices predispose importantly, the assign does to the point to recuperate ethanol production, and that the lump ethanol industry is formerly "melodious" and "as it should be understood."
A leave town 1.01 tax assign is old hat for pompous biofuels.
The Renewable Fuels Culture, an ethanol marketable armed, panned the report. "As want as petroleum and fossil fuel companies that limitation the energy stock continue to arrange preferential tax problem and private subsidies, incentives are needed to develop renewable alternatives such as ethanol," held its head, Bob Dinneen, in a invoice.
source: nytimes
Treat Statistics on - Baby & Ethanol Selling
ANDREW M. CUOMO, GOVERNOR RICHARD L. KAUFFMAN, CHAIR
John B. Rhodes, NYSERDA President and CEO
UPSTATE WIND AND HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS TO BRING 164 MEGAWATTS OF CLEAN ENERGY TO STATE'S ELECTRIC GRID
November 12, 2014Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced 206 million in awards to four Upstate large-scale clean energy projects that will help the State create a more diverse renewable energy portfolio to address energy and environmental challenges. The awardees include two large wind farms, one in Western New York and the other in the North County, a large new hydroelectric project in the Mohawk Valley and a small hydroelectric upgrade to an existing dam in the Hudson Valley. All four projects will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the resiliency of New York's energy infrastructure."As New York continues to develop a world class energy infrastructure, these new projects are reinforcing our commitment to providing clean energy to all New Yorkers," Governor Cuomo said. "Through these and other innovative energy projects supported by the State, we are developing a more sustainable mechanism for delivering cleaner, more reliable and resilient energy and will keep us moving forward."Once operational, the four projects will add approximately 164 megawatts of new renewable capacity, which will provide about 450,000 megawatt-hours per year of clean renewable energy to New York - enough energy to supply more than 60,000 average-sized homes per year.The four competitively-selected projects are:
* Arkwright Summit Wind Farm, 78 MW, Arkwright, Chautauqua County
* Jericho Rise Wind Farm, 78 MW, Chateaugay, Franklin County
* City of Watervliet Delta Hydroelectric Project, 8 MW, Rome, Oneida County
* Village of Wappingers Falls Hydroelectric Project, 100 kilowatts, Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County
The funding for these projects is provided in response to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's 9th Main Tier solicitation, a Request for Proposal issued earlier this year, and is being allocated through the State's Renewable Portfolio Standard, a policy that promotes the development of new renewable energy resources in New York State. The solicitation provides greater long term certainty to contractors through contract terms of up to 20 years, double the length of previous contracts.
"These clean-energy projects will bring more renewable energy to the state's electric grid, helping to meet Governor Cuomo's vision of a power delivery system in New York State that incorporates a greater amount of renewable energy," said John B. Rhodes, President and CEO, NYSERDA. "These four new projects will provide the additional benefit of bringing economic opportunities to communities across the state."The weighted average award price for the 9th Main Tier solicitation is 22.96 per megawatt-hour of production over the 20 year terms of the awarded contracts. This is approximately one third less than the average contract price for the previous solicitation, which was 34.95 per megawatt-hour of production for 10 year terms.In total, NYSERDA's nine Renewable Portfolio Standard Main Tier solicitations have funded 71 projects, generating more than 5 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually. NYSERDA will issue at least one more Main Tier solicitation under the Renewable Portfolio Standard in 2015. For more information on the 9th Main Tier solicitation, visit: www.nyserda.ny.gov/main-tier.This initiative is the latest example of New York's commitment to being at the forefront of shaping energy policy for a cleaner future. By developing innovative market solutions, the State is delivering on Governor Cuomo's commitment to transform the energy industry into a more resilient, clean, cost-effective and dynamic system. Working with State, citizen and industry-stakeholders, the way of doing business in New York is moving to a more market-based, decentralized approach, including preserving the environment, decreasing energy costs, and creating opportunities for economic growth for current and future generations. By advancing these new energy systems and solutions, New Yorkers will have access to more affordable and efficient energy, making the environment cleaner, more resilient and more sustainable for all.LAST UPDATED: 11/12/2014
CONTACT(S)
* EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
Phone : 518-474-8418
Email : press.office@exec.ny.gov
Americans love solar and recognize that beyond producing energy it powers us toward greater energy independence, combats global warming and lowers our utility bills. Getting a grid-connected home solar electric system up and running shouldn't be particularly hard or time-consuming. Construction, on average, takes about two days. Yet, a report published recently by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory finds utilities often take more than a month and a half-an average of 52 days, actually-to connect residential solar systems to the electric grid, even though the process is about as complicated as installing cable TV. That's unfortunate, because a lengthy timetable slows the deployment of solar around the country, bumps up the cost of pollution-free power systems, and even threatens the viability of small and mid-sized solar installers. Think about it: "Time is money," explains Sara Baldwin Auck, director of the regulatory program at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), a non-profit resource on renewable energy technologies. "Longer processes mean higher costs that are often transferred to the end users." In other words, to you and me.
There's a simple fix for this problem, though. And it involves utilities and the public service commissions (PSCs) that regulate them taking an active role. Utilities can streamline and fast-track the interconnection process, by, to begin with, enabling developers to be aware of potential interconnection issues before they start. And, by expediting small projects that rarely require extensive review. The PSCs that regulate utilities can require these provisions as well, allowing most residential solar systems to connect to the grid in a matter of days, not months, all while ensuring safety and reliability.
Interconnection-the hooking up of a solar system to the electric grid-might seem like one of those wonky issues that is hopelessly technical or complicated. Electric grids, after all, are complex things. But research and the experiences of many utilities and solar developers shows that the process is often relatively simple and requires little study. "For the vast majority of small, net-metered systems," says Baldwin Auck, "the system can be reviewed in a matter of hours, or even minutes." IREC develops guidelines that are best practices for the industry. And it believes that most residential systems should be put on a fast track with reviews that can be completed in less than a month, because small systems have relatively little impact on the reliability of local electric grids. The organization is not the only one that has reached this conclusion. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the government agency tasked with regulating interstate energy transmission, agrees. It's develop what it calls "small generator interconnection procedures" (SGIPs) that encourage fast-tracking and apply to distributed generation systems in areas it regulates.
Delays in interconnections can have big impacts. To begin with, slow interconnection processes can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a residential solar system. And, despite the increasingly low cost of solar, those extra dollars can mean fewer interested homeowners can afford the price. Once panels are up on roofs, the wait in getting customers connected to the grid can mean less cost-savings and a lot of frustration, something that can give both the solar and utility industry a black eye. "For a lot of customers, going solar is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," says Evan Conley, manager of business development at NRG Home Solar. "To have the panels put up and then not hear from the developers for months, because they're waiting for the interconnection is frustrating to say the least." Developers like NRG are concerned such experiences may put some off from buying solar. Moreover, slow interconnection rates mean developers need to tie up their capital in inventory while they wait for the systems to become operational and for their customers to pay them. "NRG is not as cash-constrained as many players in the market," Conley says. "But inventory can kill small and medium-sized companies."
To address the slow speed of many interconnection processes, a handful of states have what IREC terms "best practice" interconnection rules. "California has what's considered to be the gold standard," Baldwin Auck explains. The state's policy allows applications to be submitted electronically, so solar employees don't have to waste hours in line waiting to turn in paperwork. There's a fast-tracked review process for small solar systems. And, "they're working toward making their grid information available to solar developers, so they can know whether connecting a system at a particular location might cause a problem that would require lengthy review." Massachusetts and Ohio also follow these best practices.
Addressing inefficiencies in the interconnection process as solar begins to go mainstream makes sense for all of us-homeowners, grid operators, solar developers, and, of course, the nation as a whole. After all, the benefits residential and other small solar systems offer are very well-documented-cost-savings on energy, a more stable and reliable grid, good-paying jobs, and pollution-free electricity. It behooves us to deploy these systems as quickly as possible. NREL's report shows there are opportunities to do that almost everywhere, when utilities and public service commissions decide to act.
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"Independence Root : wind farm batteries"
Reference: greenenergychoice.blogspot.com
Wind energy is a source of clean electricity and wind plants emit no air pollutants or greenhouse gases. Driven by the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and secure home-grown energy supplies, wind energy is the world's fastest growing renewable energy industry, developing more wind projects than ever before. That means hundreds of manufacturing facilities and many new jobs. Wind power has now established itself as a mainstream electricity generation source, and plays a central role in an increasing number of countries' immediate and longer term energy plans. After 15 years of average cumulative growth rates of about 28%, the commercial wind power installations in about 80 countries at the end of last year totalled about 240 GW, having increased by more than 40 times over that same period. Twenty two countries have more than 1,000 MW installed.
"Isn't the energy market the best place to buy electricity?"
This is the crux of the matter. Delmarva Power is happy buying electricity from the grid. The Electric Utility Retail Customer Supply Act of 2006 (EURCSA) established a procurement process that could bring wind power to Delaware:
The [Public Service] Commission, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Controller General and the Energy Office shall, on or before February 28, 2007 evaluate such proposals and may determine to approve one or more of such proposals that result in the greatest long-term system benefits...
State senator Charles Copeland, who voted against EURCSA, voiced his preference for the free market recently in the News Journal:
"We ought to let private investors compete against one another to get us the best price point and price stability. I think the marketplace would do that better than some regulatory regime," Copeland said.
The market provides, by definition, the best price point at any given moment. But market energy prices fluctuate considerably; in order to smooth out the market fluctuations, many energy users choose to enter into longer term contracts of several months to several years. For example, a homeowner has the choice of buying heating oil at the current price, which may rise sharply during a cold snap, or may choose to buy oil for a set price for the season.
As we have learned, spot market prices can and have been manipulated, as happened in California in 2000. A succession of price points does not necessarily equate to the best price stability.
There are longer term distortions in the energy market relating to the environmental and health costs of burning fossil fuels. The costs of future carbon controls will lead to a significant increase in the price of electricity from fossil fuels. There is a debate as to whether these costs should take the form of a carbon tax or a cap and trade system. Either would lead higher energy prices.
As for health costs, Jeremy Firestone and Willett Kempton have estimated the costs of continuing to burn fossil fuels instead of turning to wind power to be 1 billion over the next 25 years. I would expect those costs to be disproportionately borne by low income residents, who are more likely to live near the Indian River or Edge Moor power plants.
"Why not just buy renewable energy from the grid? Wouldn't that do the same in terms of promoting renewable energy?"
I've been hearing that Delmarva has been promoting this line recently, including in its polling of customers.
A wind power or hydroelectric plant in West Virginia could provide power to Delaware. But the benefits in terms of reduced pollution and enhanced price stability would be diluted in the atmosphere (in the case of reduced pollution) and in the grid (when it comes to price stability).
A wind power installation in Delaware would reduce our reliance on old dirty power plants and create a price stable portion of our energy portfolio that would benefit Delawareans primarily.
"Why doesn't Delmarva Power want to do a deal with Bluewater Wind?"
Delmarva Power cites its concerns with the cost of wind power for its ratepayers. It's worth repeating that Delmarva's legitimate corporate interests and the interests of its customers are not the same and should not be conflated.
Delmarva used to be a vertically integrated utility that generated electricity, transmitted it over its power lines and delivered it to its customers. Today, as a part of Pepco Holdings, Inc., Delmarva is no longer in the power generation business. Instead, it buys power from sister company Conectiv Energy and from the grid. Entering into a long term contract into a long term contract with Bluewater Wind would upset its corporate strategy.
"Won't the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) bring demand and supply in alignment?"
State senator Harris McDowell says the SEU will reduce demand enough to meet Delaware's long term needs. This may be so, but we would still exposed to future price increases from fossil fuel sources. The need for a local energy source with long term price stability would remain.
"Why are some legislators seeking to rein in the controller general?"
Six legislators sent a letter to controller general Russell Larson last week urging him to not act on the wind power deal until he has consulted with them
Some legislators like Charles Copeland opposed the RFP process from the beginning. Others like state senator Harris McDowell and state representative Gerald Hocker voted for EURCSA, but now cite new information as to why they want the General Assembly to review the proposed agreement to bring wind power to Delaware.
The letter from the six legislators mentioned new information:
WHEREAS, new information not available at the time of consideration of HB 6 (EURCSA) and/or at the issuance of the RFP which led to PSC Order 7199 may be relevant to the final decision of the General Assembly...Gerald Hocker echoed this point in the Cape Gazette last week:
"A lot has changed (in the energy market) in the last year and a half since HB 6 was passed," said Hocker. "I feel the General Assembly needs to be briefed on the changes."
I don't know what this new information might be.
There's plenty more to discuss, so feel free to pose your energy conundrums to me. I'll do my best to answer.
