A New Vision for US Wind Power

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Program, in close cooperation with the wind industry, is launching a new initiative to revisit the findings of the 2008 DOE 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report, and to develop a renewed vision for U.S. wind power research, development, and deployment. Included in this effort will be:

“No More Solyndras Bill” is back

It appears that the rebellion by some Republican Congressmen last week against the “No More Solyndras Bill” has been “dealt with” by Republican leadership. No details have emerged on how much blood was shed in putting down the rebellion.

The bill is named for a solar manufacturer that received a $500 million dollar loan guarantee and later filed for bankruptcy. Republicans have spent a year and a lot of money trying to find wrongdoing by the White House. They found none so they are trying to end of the loan programs all together.

New rules could boost New England renewable power

New England is decidedly short on coal mines and oil wells, but electricity grid watchers say a recent federal order could help the region finally unlock the power in the energy sources it does have.

A federal order issued last fall is intended to make it easier to construct transmission lines, costly and controversial projects that are notoriously tough to build.

Report finds U.S. states energy policies improving

U.S. states are continuing to embrace best practices and drive further improvements in core renewable energy policies, according to the 2011 edition of Freeing the Grid, a policy guide that grades all 50 states on net metering and interconnection procedures.

The report's methodology was adopted for use in the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot initiative, according to the Network for New Energy Choices, which produced the report in cooperation with Vote Solar, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, and the North Carolina Solar Center.

Nuclear concerns in Japan cause policy shocks internationally

The partial nuclear meltdown in Japan is causing mixed reactions for policy makers around the world, as they respond to concerns from citizens about the safety of this energy source. On the other side of the coin, these same policy makers are grappling with rising energy prices due to unrest in the Middle East. The question becomes: what source should we look to for our energy needs in the coming years? German Chancellor Angela Merkel has responded by moving away from nuclear production. Oppositely, here in the U.S. policy makers plan to move ahead with nuclear expansion, calling for increased security precautions. Secretary of the Department of Energy, Steven Chu made it clear nuclear would continue to be a part of the diverse package of energy sources U.S. policy makers will pursue.
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The rise of global food and energy prices may drive greater diversity in the energy market, and potentially the growth of the clean tech industry.

Innovating a clean energy future

By: Bryant Cannon, Legal Researcher

“In America, innovation doesn’t just change our lives. It is how we make our living.” – President Obama, 2011 State of the Union Address.

With the 2011 State of the Union followed by “Innovation Week” at the White House, the Obama Administration has made innovation, with a special emphasis on clean energy, central to its agenda and political fortunes. But to know the true measure of governmental support, and assess whether clean energy innovation will indeed flourish, it is necessary to take a probing look at the financial and policy tools deployed to usher in the highly touted clean energy revolution. Broadly, the policies promoted by the White House reaffirm what have been identified as the key to economic success for years – educating children and supporting advanced research will improve the supply of talent and ideas, facilitating market-driven mechanisms will incent entrepreneurs, and investing in infrastructure will promote the synergistic flow of people and ideas.

Agencies to expedite new transmission lines

A memorandum of understanding between nine federal agencies designed to make it faster and simpler to build transmission lines on federal lands was announced today. The goal of the agreement is to speed the approval of new transmission lines, reduce expense and uncertainty in the process, increase accessibility to renewable energy and jumpstart job creation. Expedited siting and construction of transmission projects on federal lands will be accomplished through a more coordinated approach to the various environmental reviews and administrative process required to permit a new line. Participating agencies will coordinate their review through a lead agency, designated by either the Department of Energy (DOE) or the participating agencies. Projects qualifying for coordinated review are high voltage transmission line projects that cross jurisdictions administered by one or more participating federal agency.

Authority granted to DOE to create the agreement comes under section 216(h) of the Federal Power Act, as amended by section 1221(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (16 U.S.C. § 824p). Under EPAct ’05 DOE is authorized to (1) serve as the point of contact for applicants, state agencies, Indian tribes, and others regarding proposed projects; (2) coordinate preparation of unified environmental documentation that will serve as the basis for all federal decisions necessary to authorize the use of federal lands for Qualifying Projects as defined in Section III; (3) coordinate all federal agency reviews necessary for project development and siting required by relevant federal environmental law; and (4) maintain a consolidated administrative record of all federal actions taken with respect to a Qualifying Project. Agencies with statutory jurisdiction over a qualifying project will conduct their review by following guidelines established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) found in Part 50 of Chapter 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations. FERC will retain jurisdiction over transmission projects in National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors as previously designated by the Secretary of Energy.

A more cohesive and streamlined review of transmission projects should result in two important developments. The first is an increase in the building of transmission lines to increase overall transmission capability relieving some of the stress currently on the lines. The second is to make it possible to access remote areas containing vast renewable resources and transmit power developed in those areas to population centers for sale. A lack of transmission capability has been the Achilles heel of renewable energy development, especially wind power. The long and expensive administrative processes have hamstrung transmission development in the past. This MOA is a signal that increased transmission capability to support new renewable energy developments is on the way.

Source:  Joseph Pallett