Pacific Gas and Electric on Monday announced that it signed a 177-megawatt solar thermal power purchasing agreement with Ausra.
According to John O'Donnell, Ausra's executive vice president, the twenty-year agreement will generate over $1 billion in revenue for the Palo Alto, California-based start-up.
The plant will be located in San Luis Obispo County, California, and is expected to begin generating power in 2010. Ausra has filed its application for certification for this plant with the California Energy Commission, which must grant approval before construction begins.
PG&E supplies 12 percent of its energy from renewable sources, said Keely Wachs, PG&E’s environmental communications manager.
“PG&E continues to aggressively add renewable electric power resources” to its supply and the company is confident that it will meet or exceed its 20 percent renewable energy goal by 2010, he said.
Proving that bigger isn’t always better, the plant will use only one square mile of land and will burn no fuel, use minimal water, and have no air or water emissions.
[Click here to read the original article...]
Friday, November 23
Thursday, November 8
AWEA Quarterly Report
AWEA QUARTERLY MARKET REPORT: WIND DELIVERS VITAL NEW POWER SUPPLY WITH OVER 2,300 MEGAWATTS INSTALLED THIS YEAR TO DATE Wind energy trade group raises estimate for 2007 installations, calls on U.S government to deliver strong renewable energy legislation
Continuing a major growth trend, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today announced a substantial increase in the projected installation of new wind energy facilities in 2007. Previous projections for a record-setting 3,000 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity in 2007 have now been raised: AWEA reports that the U.S. wind energy industry is currently on track to complete a total 4,000 MW in 2007, shattering its 2006 record of 2,454 MW, and generating enough new electricity to power the equivalent of over one million homes. In its third quarter market report, AWEA also reports that the industry has already added over 2,300 MW of generating capacity to the nation’s electrical grid so far this year with a total of more than 5,000 MW in various stages of construction, establishing wind as one of the largest sources of new power in the country today. “The U.S wind energy industry is going to exceed what was already a record projection for installations this year,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “This is great news because it means that new, readily available, clean generation is reaching consumers at a time when electricity demand and global warming concerns are both on the rise. “But the not-so-good news is that, even as we face these twin challenges [climate change and growing energy demand], our country does not have a long-term, national policy in place to promote renewable energy development.” The federal production tax credit (PTC) for renewable energy will expire in December 2008, and there is no national renewable electricity standard (RES) or other long-term policy in place. Commented Swisher, “A national long-term policy to promote renewable energy, like the Renewable Electricity Standard approved by the House of Representatives in August, is essential for wind and other renewable energy industries to grow successfully and cost-effectively. The U.S. wind energy industry urges Congressional leaders and the President to work together and bring to the finish line energy legislation that extends the production tax credit and establishes a national standard for renewable electricity. “In addition to strengthening energy security and fighting global warming, more wind power and renewables will help stabilize electricity costs, and will create economic opportunity in both industrial and rural America .” Wind power is delivering a generous return on public investment: the continuity in the PTC since 2005 has spurred both record-breaking new generating capacity (2,431 MW added in 2005, 2,454 MW in 2006, about 4,000 MW expected in 2007) and a wave of investment in manufacturing facilities and services across the country, including in states that do not have a large wind resource. Additional returns include lower pollution costs, and growing income for communities in which wind farms are installed. The U.S. wind energy industry completed 1,251 MW of wind power generation since last reported, bringing the total installed to date this year to 2,310 MW and the total cumulative wind power generating capacity in the country to 13,885 MW, according to AWEA. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity on average to serve 250 to 300 American homes. State highlights include: -- Texas again added the largest amount of new wind power generation (600 MW); -- Colorado installed 264 MW and now ranks as the state with the 6th-largest amount of wind power generation; -- Washington , with 140 MW of new wind capacity, pulls ahead of Minnesota into 4th place; --Missouri saw the completion of its first utility-scale wind farm, a 56.7-MW project that generates power for electric cooperatives in the region and that makes Missouri the state with the 21st largest amount of wind power now installed; -- Illinois , Pennsylvania , and Iowa also saw the completion of utility-scale projects. The full AWEA quarterly market report is available online at http://www.awea.org/Projects/PDF/3Q_Market_Report_Nov2007.pdf
For a full list of projects completed this quarter, listing of states by capacity installed, and additional market information see http://www.awea.org/projects/
Continuing a major growth trend, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today announced a substantial increase in the projected installation of new wind energy facilities in 2007. Previous projections for a record-setting 3,000 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity in 2007 have now been raised: AWEA reports that the U.S. wind energy industry is currently on track to complete a total 4,000 MW in 2007, shattering its 2006 record of 2,454 MW, and generating enough new electricity to power the equivalent of over one million homes. In its third quarter market report, AWEA also reports that the industry has already added over 2,300 MW of generating capacity to the nation’s electrical grid so far this year with a total of more than 5,000 MW in various stages of construction, establishing wind as one of the largest sources of new power in the country today. “The U.S wind energy industry is going to exceed what was already a record projection for installations this year,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “This is great news because it means that new, readily available, clean generation is reaching consumers at a time when electricity demand and global warming concerns are both on the rise. “But the not-so-good news is that, even as we face these twin challenges [climate change and growing energy demand], our country does not have a long-term, national policy in place to promote renewable energy development.” The federal production tax credit (PTC) for renewable energy will expire in December 2008, and there is no national renewable electricity standard (RES) or other long-term policy in place. Commented Swisher, “A national long-term policy to promote renewable energy, like the Renewable Electricity Standard approved by the House of Representatives in August, is essential for wind and other renewable energy industries to grow successfully and cost-effectively. The U.S. wind energy industry urges Congressional leaders and the President to work together and bring to the finish line energy legislation that extends the production tax credit and establishes a national standard for renewable electricity. “In addition to strengthening energy security and fighting global warming, more wind power and renewables will help stabilize electricity costs, and will create economic opportunity in both industrial and rural America .” Wind power is delivering a generous return on public investment: the continuity in the PTC since 2005 has spurred both record-breaking new generating capacity (2,431 MW added in 2005, 2,454 MW in 2006, about 4,000 MW expected in 2007) and a wave of investment in manufacturing facilities and services across the country, including in states that do not have a large wind resource. Additional returns include lower pollution costs, and growing income for communities in which wind farms are installed. The U.S. wind energy industry completed 1,251 MW of wind power generation since last reported, bringing the total installed to date this year to 2,310 MW and the total cumulative wind power generating capacity in the country to 13,885 MW, according to AWEA. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity on average to serve 250 to 300 American homes. State highlights include: -- Texas again added the largest amount of new wind power generation (600 MW); -- Colorado installed 264 MW and now ranks as the state with the 6th-largest amount of wind power generation; -- Washington , with 140 MW of new wind capacity, pulls ahead of Minnesota into 4th place; --Missouri saw the completion of its first utility-scale wind farm, a 56.7-MW project that generates power for electric cooperatives in the region and that makes Missouri the state with the 21st largest amount of wind power now installed; -- Illinois , Pennsylvania , and Iowa also saw the completion of utility-scale projects. The full AWEA quarterly market report is available online at http://www.awea.org/Projects/PDF/3Q_Market_Report_Nov2007.pdf
For a full list of projects completed this quarter, listing of states by capacity installed, and additional market information see http://www.awea.org/projects/
Wednesday, November 7
BP, Arizona State look to bacteria, not algae, for a biofuel
Algae's not the only organism that can be used as a feedstock for biofuel.
BP will collaborate with Arizona State University to try to figure out a way of using cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic form of bacteria, as a feedstock for diesel or synthetic petroleum. Ideally, the bacteria could be cultivated in large, contained plots of land baked by the sun--Arizona has a lot of that. The bacteria also consume carbon dioxide to grow. Thus, carbon dioxide could be pumped in from a power plant into the contained bacteria farm. The company could thus make money from selling carbon credits and selling fuel feedstock...[Click here to read the full article]
BP will collaborate with Arizona State University to try to figure out a way of using cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic form of bacteria, as a feedstock for diesel or synthetic petroleum. Ideally, the bacteria could be cultivated in large, contained plots of land baked by the sun--Arizona has a lot of that. The bacteria also consume carbon dioxide to grow. Thus, carbon dioxide could be pumped in from a power plant into the contained bacteria farm. The company could thus make money from selling carbon credits and selling fuel feedstock...[Click here to read the full article]
Tuesday, November 6
Will biofuels end OPEC’s power and agricultural protectionism?
Published: November 6 2007 16:32 | Last updated: November 6 2007 16:32
Biofuels are set to transform the global economy, according to Harvard University economist Ricardo Hausmann, leading to the demise of the price-setting power of OPEC and the end of agricultural protectionism.
He argues that technology is bound to deliver a biofuel that will be competitive with fossil energy at something like current prices. The consequences of this will be that the large potential supply of biofuels will cap the price of oil because its supply is much more elastic.
Professor Hausmann also argues that the large-scale biofuel production will cause increases in the price of agricultural land and of food that will relieve governments from the current political pressure to protect the agricultural sector. This, he says, will boost sustainable development in poorer nations.
Can these predictions become reality? Which biofuels will become most widely used? What do such scenarios mean for carbon emissions and energy security?
Professor Hausmann will answer your questions on Thursday 15 November 2007. Post a question now to ask@ft.com or use the online submissions form below.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/2fe3bea8-8c84-11dc-b887-0000779fd2ac.html
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