Major NY Solar Bill Close to Becoming Law

Momentum is high for major solar legislation in New York State, but it’s a race to the finish to get it passed before lawmakers go home for the year.

RWE's Renewables Unit Calls For More Reform of German Energy Policy

Germany urgently needs to press ahead with reforming its energy market, but a series of elections, including general elections in the autumn, could mean standstill for much of 2013, said utility RWE AG's (RWE.XE) renewable energies chief Thursday.

Speaking to journalists at the company's head office in Essen, Hans Buenting, managing director of RWE Innogy GmbH, said that the government's top priority in terms of energy policy this year should be a reform of the renewable energies law to help contain the spiraling costs of subsidizing "green" technologies like wind and solar power.

Germany plans to be 100 per cent Renewable by 2050

Fully twenty five percent of Germany’s energy pie is now renewable energy – compared to six percent in the United States.

And Germany is pushing to transform from fossil fuels to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

The USA is stalled, dead in the water.

If the Germans can do it, why can’t the USA?

California Bills for Biogas

As part of the package of 19 clean energy bills that California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law on September 27, there are three in particular that will provide a boost to anaerobic digestion and biogas projects in the state.

The first of these, SB 1122, will require electric utilities to purchase in aggregate 250 MW of capacity from bioenergy projects that commence operation on or after June 1, 2013.

Developers rush to be Japan's first new renewable players

On June 18, 2012, Yukio Edano, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) accepted the recommendation of an advisory committee on the new renewable energy industry and adopted a comprehensive system of feed-in tariffs in order to put Japan on the path to a more sustainable energy mix.

As the move had been widely expected following the adoption of the Renewable Energy Act (REA) (effective July 1, 2012), numerous Japanese companies have been positioning themselves to take advantage of the unusually generous rates.

Ukraine improves legal base for renewable energy investment

The State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine is continuing to improve the legislative and regulatory base to improve conditions to attract investment in renewable energy in Ukraine, Agency Head Mykola Pashkevych has said.

"We are constantly working on improving the legal base. In close cooperation with profile associations and international experts we are monitoring all of the latest trends in the development of technologies. First of all, we are systematically correcting all regulatory deficiencies to maximally simplify the work of investors," he said.

CA: Solar advocate's say Bradford bill will stunt solar growth

Renewable energy advocates, led by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), are opposing amendments to a utility-backed legislation being advanced by Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Chairman Steven Bradford (D-Ingelwood) they say will undermine the growth of clean energy in the state, including business, agricultural, and commercial users.

In a letter to the committee today, SEIA said Bradford’s legislation (AB 2514) is “entirely inconsistent” with the original legislation sponsored by former Assemblymember Fred Keeley that set up the policy called “net metering.” Under net metering, ratepayers received credit for the excess solar electricity they generate and put on the grid, much like rollover minutes. The Bradford bill would stop the Public Utilities Commission from moving forward with a tentative proposal announced last week to redefine the way net metering progress is calculated.

California considers net metering change

The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has proposed a decision that, if approved, will likely boost renewable energy use by homeowners, businesses, and commercial uses and lower energy costs for both solar and non-solar energy ratepayers.

The proposal, put forward by PUC Chairman Michael Peevey, clarifies the methodology to fairly calculate the cap on net energy metering, a billing arrangement that allows utility customers to offset energy use with their own renewable energy systems (such as electricity-generating solar panels). Net metering works like “rollover minutes,” with customers receiving credits on their bills for the excess power they generate that is put back on the grid.

Maryland gov lobbies lawmakers for offshore wind

Maryland's governor lobbied lawmakers personally Tuesday for one of the key pieces of his environmental agenda, a reworked offshore wind power bill modeled on a New Jersey law.

The bill follows one that was killed the year before by lawmakers over concerns about costs. That bill would have mandated utilities enter long-term contracts with offshore wind power producers. The current bill establishes requirements for offshore wind power production, but does not require mandatory contracts.

Renewable energy can augment dwindling resources

What will we do when petroleum fuel gets even more ridiculously expensive and hard to find?

That scenario may be more likely than you think.

“If we are lucky, and there are no sizeable collapses or wars, we probably have 10-12 years of a fairly broad peak in petroleum production in which to get our act together to start looking at the next plan down the road,” said Charles Woodward, who owns Natural Resource Co., Victor, ID.

Woodward spoke at an energy efficiency workshop at the Driggs City Center, sponsored by the Snake River Alliance.

Bangladesh: New policy fires up solar energy business

A government policy to promote renewable energy has lured a large number of new entrants into the business, particularly for solar panel installations, sector people said.

In the last two years, nearly 100 firms and NGOs have appeared on the scene to sell technologies including solar home systems, irrigation pumps, water heaters, street lights and their accessories and batteries.

Vermont: Shumlin releases final, “scrubbed” version of Comprehensive Energy Plan

It’s official.

Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan is final. But that’s just the beginning. With the official goal of meeting 90 percent of the states energy needs from renewable sources by mid-century, meeting that ambitious target is the hard part.

The state currently receives about 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources. Despite a legislative mandate, it has been more than a decade since the state produced a comprehensive energy plan. Now, three months, thousands of comments and more than 18 meetings later, the final version is out.

Rhode Island’s renewable energy laws

By Representative Deborah Ruggiero

Rhode Island ranks among the lowest 10 states in the country when it comes to renewable energy. However, in the 2011 session, the General Assembly passed a suite of renewable energy laws -- some of the most cohesive and comprehensive in the nation—that will leap frog Rhode Island from laggard to leader in renewable energy.  It’s more than just protecting our environment, it’s about creating jobs in our state.

Virginia: Wind clears the way for greener grid

Wind generators or windmills are sprouting up all over the United States.

They're part of a growing move to expand the use of renewable energy sources, such as wind and the sun, to produce electricity.