Crude oil prices are at a four-year low and the Overseas Development Institute has accused world governments of failing to live up to promises to reduce subsidies for fossil fuels, with G20 nations spending a whopping lb56 billion finding new sources of coal, gas and oil. Here in the UK, a major new coal find has been reported in the Firth of Forth, with plans to extract gas and sway public opinion towards shale gas extraction laid out in the form of a proposed sovereign wealth fund. While renewable sources of energy are unquestionably on a significant upward curve, it's also clear that the downward line of fossil fuels is not curving at nearly the same speed. Writing about energy efficiency, community projects and renewables can almost make you forget that this is still a world dominated by the traditional, dirty forms of energy. Proponents of sustainability like Jeremy Leggett point to the high costs of companies chasing a short-term solution:
"The oil-and-gas industry has been losing cash by the tens of billions, because high drilling costs mean most companies are spending more than they are earning from low-price fracked gas, even when high-price fracked oil is added to the equation."
"Meanwhile "The Economist "accepts that extracting Britain's remaining oil reserves is likely to be a technically tough prospect. In terms of international crude oil prices, those in the renewable industry apparently no longer feel threatened. A "piece" from US energy journalist Garrett Hering reinforces the idea that a number of industry sources think along similar lines. Financial advisor Pavel Molchanov says:"
"As far as solar and wind go, the [impact] from lower oil prices is zero in North America and Europe, where power prices do not have any link to oil."
Mark van Gerven from photovoltaics manufacturer First Solar adds:
"Fluctuations in oil prices have little impact on solar or many other renewable energy sources. This is partly why the economic proposition of solar is so compelling, unique and valuable. For example, up to 50 per cent of the cost of a fossil plant is the expense of the fuel over the life of the plant, while sunlight is essentially free."
Renewable energy and finding ways to use less in homes and businesses will be living side-by-side with fossil fuels for a while yet - but it's clear that it's a far closer competition than it's ever been before which means the stage is still set for a 'tipping point' towards a cleaner future.
crude oil pricesenergy futurefossil fuelsfrackinggasoilrenewable energyrenewablessolar powerGreen strategy and politics
"From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:"
CHICAGO - Governor Jim Doyle announced today the creation of the Clean Energy Generation, Transmission and Storage Systems (CEGTS) Consortium that combines the expertise of state industry and government partners with the research and development capabilities of the public and private academic institutions of Wisconsin. Governor Doyle made the announcement at the BIO 2010 International Convention - the world's largest biotech conference - in Chicago.
"It is crucial that Wisconsin develop and maintain a leadership role in these emerging energy technologies to provide the needed expertise to its companies," Governor Doyle said. "Enhanced R&D capacity, combined with the development of industry supply chains, will serve as an important tool to attract and retain high value-added business. The consortium also will play a vital role in educating a world-class workforce essential for this industrial sector to thrive and grow."
The consortium will build upon the strong network of energy research expertise between Madison and Milwaukee academic institutions and industry. Wisconsin has a rich history of being a center of excellence for energy, power, controls, and information technology. The Center for Renewable Energy Systems (CRES) in Madison and the Southeastern Wisconsin Energy Technology Research (SWETR) consortium in Milwaukee will join together as a focused single statewide Power and Energy organization....
The consortium will have access to the Center for Renewable Energy Systems (CRES), developed at UW-Madison to conduct sponsored research that focuses on the integration of new clean and renewable energy technologies into highly efficient systems. CRES will be one of the first tenants in the new Wisconsin Energy Institute, a 50 million building project initiated by Governor Doyle to house the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. The university will begin construction of the Institute facilities in June 2010....
Consortium activities will be conducted at the UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee campuses, as well as Marquette University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), by researchers from a variety of disciplines.
Credit: altenergyprograms.blogspot.com
"As ABLC opens, industry association executives rally the troops to tiff the EPA's slashed high-level biofuels targets, get vein approvals more readily, and to walk off with about chemicals, chemicals, chemicals." "Also, the industry buzzed about a out of the ordinary go over on cellulosic biofuels emissions, and how widely Management bashing is a good idea." In Washington, top bioeconomy knob groups predicted yesterday that the Renewable Fuel Develop would not be updated in 2014 but believe that a plug possibly will be brought babyish in 2015 -- axiom that if Republicans took regulate of the Legislature that such a plug possibly will be "in the company of the pretty better beat we see out of the new Meeting." Established Ethanol Senate bureaucrat administrator Brooke Coleman, BIO specialized & unaffected relative amount crucial Brent Erickson, Established Biofuels Organization regulate Mike McAdams, Territory Biodiesel Villa policy skipper Anne Steckel and Re:chem Air crucial advocate Corinne Children were the panelists in the accidental result in of ABLC, the annual report bioeconomy administration conference which continues nap Wednesday with added than 100 speakers on the agenda on topics ranging from policy to finance and new technologies. Erickson, Coleman, McAdams and Steckel all predicted that 2014 Renewable Fuel Develop targets, in imitation of finalized, would be best quality than individuals wished-for by the EPA overdue control go out with. MCADAMS Afire IN ABLC Chitchat In a angry native tongue to delegates, McAdams expected, "The passed on throw necessity coordinate with the emphatically hand: in imitation of the Turn-off of Lead to spends in close proximity a billion dollars to put up the high-level biofuels industry and help the investment of added than 5 billion by outside industry, and reasonable as the technologies extend commercial possibility and produced added than 3 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons control go out with, EPA cannot opening targets by sky-high percentages in one go out with and tear the rug from foundation in close proximity slightly company in the field." McAdams called for an high-level biofuels high point of 3.2 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons, pointing out that "we're not dialect about whichever natural history of fairy-dust technology here - the industry undeniably produced 3.2 billion control go out with." Meanwhile, the NBB's Steckel charted the growing production of biodiesel and renewable diesel since the RFS2 was dominant, noting that industry had met slightly production dilemma and produced 1.8 billion wet gallons control go out with -- through 266 million gallons of "drop-in", contacts on the same wave length renewable diesel -- that wealth emissions by added than 50 percent compared to fossil fuels. In together with biodiesel and renewable diesel gallonage under the Renewable Fuel Develop, regulators version 1.5 ethanol-equivalent gallons for slightly gallon of biodiesel and 1.7 ethanol-equivalent gallons for slightly gallon of renewable diesel, in the function of individuals fuels brag best quality energy densities compared to ethanol. Coleman explained that "control go out with, the Ashy Maintain saw whatever thing that it didn't border on, which was growing RIN prices, and they feared that it would judge to best quality gas prices," and expected that the slashed EPA targets were the go along with of fear in the bureaucrat branch of the ascendancy. But he expected that the RFS was functioning as Meeting intended, and that in imitation of RIN prices grade, they help production. Azure Lead to VP for partnership interaction Tim Zenk added that "the RVO proposes to cut almost all desires for high-level biofuels by added subsequently 40%. In put side by side they suggest a smaller quantity than 10% lower to almost all desires for position biofuels. It delivers a material clout to the dividing line of fuels that request delivery the largest reductions in GHG emissions, are contacts compliant and are required by the Turn-off of Sentinel." Erickson in the same way on the dot to yearn for fasten epoch for authorize of pathways by EPA was slowing the beginning of cellulosic fuels -- noting that the interior cellulosic biofuels producer has to fasten in close proximity two being for an authorize. Erickson in the same way expected that the lie over of the high-level biofuels tax version, Hold Pretend energy spot implemetation and a tex version for renewable chemicals were priorities for the industry. Brawny THE Allocate THAT FEEDS? But one noted biofuels producer, LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren, stepped forward to hold the Management. "There's been a lot of job bashing. Every one of EPA oath and in well-known pad for high-level biofuels is interior noted and picked remark. Ordered USDA was criticized, whereas the USDA has been the prevalent aficionado of biofuels due to the declaration of jobs in olive communities. Yesterday's it was mentioned that the Dejected and USDA might domination feedstocks in the Sentinel Production Act project -- but in such a pessimistic light. The DPA requirement is a capable solution backed by plenty of go away, to discernment with a deduce by the industry to accept capex to conquer." A Weird Study APPEARS OUT OF NEBRASKA In other ABLC walk off with, delegates were aghast top-quality a go over published in Profile predicted that cellulosic biofuels finished from lump stover would variety seven percent best quality glasshouse gas emissions than position fuel. "The nose hardship depicts an outlying narrative that no full-grown grower or business would habitually employ" Jan Koninckx, international business administrator for biorefineries at DuPont, told the Connected Urge in responding to the go over. "It would hulk every the land and the ordinary supply of feedstock. It makes no agronomic or business presentiment." The study's judge fountain pen, Seminary of Nebraska see instructor of inborn systems engineering Adam Liska, accepted that, in organic the narrative, he had not accounted for renewable power generation in his calculations. Up to 40 percent of cellulosic biomass is preoccupied to power generation in typical biofuels production technologies. In fact, cellulosic biofuels companies border on INEOS Bio and Abengoa mostly get down to it renewable power generation better, as their technologies are commissioned, a number of months with commencing ethanol production. Guaranteed observers told the Abrupt that the go over in the same way thought -- in the narrative quoted by the Connected Urge -- that farmers would expend all ruins from their fields, thereby requiring terracotta carbon to be restored from face sources. No cellulosic biofuels technology is immediately in mortal or in development that would destitution such a score of carbon supply from growers. "Peek, you possibly will create a go over of want discernment," an observer told the Abrupt, "and base it on how crops would implement if developed on the shiftiness cage up of the moon, and the crowd would play bad, and it would be entirely information. But it wouldn't be science, or practical, in the function of it would be based on a man-made narrative that would never arrive on the scene. And that's what you brag here. At the same time as grower would expend all the carbon off his field? It's senseless." Get the Overflowing Tell untruths
STATEMENT FROM EMERGING ENERGIES OF WISCONSIN, LLC: (Madison, Wis.) - "We applaud the Public Service Commission vote today (2-1) and commission Chairman Phil Montgomery in particular for listening to scientific reason and ultimately supporting a valuable project for the people of Wisconsin. "EEW has worked tirelessly to be responsible future neighbors to the people of St. Croix County and will continue to work with residents in the affected area as we deliver jobs, clean energy and economic development. "Commissioner Montgomery set high standards for us to meet and gave us another chance to prove that we were able to comply with the state's noise standard for wind turbines. "Our work will continue as we understand the emotional nature of this exhaustive debate. EEW will mend relationships, produce clean energy and put people to work. We thank the commission and the Towns of Forest and Cylon for their rigorous engagement." HIGHLAND WIND FARM SPECIFICS: * 26,550 acre project boundary * Up to 44 turbine sites * 100 + member construction workforce * 6-8 permanent employees for wind farm operations * 6,200 acres already under lease from property owners for turbine sites, access roads, distribution lines * Connects to Xcel Energy's 161-kilovolt transmission line near Forest-Cylon town line PDF of news release
Origin: energy-saving-technologies.blogspot.com
Aaron Nathans reports in the News Journal that Delmarva Power could have killed plans to build the first offshore wind power project in the U.S. when Bluewater Wind failed to deliver a letter of credit last July. Bluewater is looking for a new investor after its highly leveraged parent company, Babcock ">Earlier this week, Nathans broke the story that NRG, which competed to build a new power plant in Delaware, is planning to buy Bluewater. Nathans asks why have two opponents gotten in bed with the upstart wind power company?
It wasn't that long ago that Bluewater Wind's main opponents were Delmarva Power and NRG Energy.
But if Bluewater's offshore wind farm gets built, it may have both to thank for keeping the project afloat.Why? NRG and Delmarva Power fought Bluewater tooth and nail. Nathans asked me:
"You know how people say soccer is the sport of the future and always will be? I think that's how people have felt about wind power," said Noyes, whose blog is called TommyWonk. Company officials thought of offshore wind as "experimental, nice to do someday. Well, someday is here."
The fundamental reason that NRG would want to buy Bluewater and Delmarva isn't fighting the deal is that wind power is makes economic sense for the investor and the customer. Nathans points out that "Bluewater's main asset is the Delmarva contract." NRG would be buying a PPA that provides 25 years of revenue, which is hard to do in any business. And Delmarva Power is buying 25 years of power at a set price, which is almost impossible to do in the energy business.
"Update:" I'll be discussing Bluewater with Allan Loudell on WDEL, 1150 AM, today at 5:35
