As several senators make one last push for a federal Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) to be enacted before the close of the 111th Congress, several states are considering scaling back their current Renewable Energy Portfolios (RPS). At the federal level, groups such as the bipartisan Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition cite an RES as a way to give the country an …
Los Alamos County Wins Energy Leadership Award
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) of Los Alamos County is receiving the Energy Leadership Award from the New Mexico Association of Engineers (NMAEE) for their commitment to upgrading the grid for solar power. The award honors a person or organization for their demonstrated leadership, innovation and commitment to the smart grid project in New Mexico, a component of the …
2010 Fuel Scorecard Released
The Truman National Security Project has released its 2010 Fuel Scorecard and ethanol scores near the top of the list as viable fuel options for the future. Based on several factors that affect America’s security including instability of supplier country, opposition to American values, climate disruption, possibility of threat to supply chain, and cost spike volatility, ethanol scores as the …
Ride for Renewables
This past Sunday, Tom Weis left Boulder, Colorado on a hybrid electric-assist recumbent trike on a 2,500 mile journey that will end in Washington, DC. Coined the Ride for Renewables, Weis is set out to gain support for his plan that calls for a 100% renewable electricity grid for the U.S. by 2020. Weis believes that 2010 is the year …
Free Webinar: A Legal Discussion on Wind Energy
In anticipation for the upcoming Midwest Wind Summit & Expo on October 4-6, 2010 in Brookings, SD, law firm Faegre & Benson is hosting a free webinar: A Legal Discussion on Wind Energy: Looking Past the Wind Industry’s Hurdles & Focusing on Completing Projects on September 24, 2010 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am CST. The webinar will focus on …
Cape Wind Under Fire As Elections Heat Up
There are less than eight weeks until the next elections and experts are predicting that Republications will be swept into office. Should this be the case, clean energy could have even more barriers to overcome, especially since many candidates are running on the platform that clean energy will cost more money. Once such fight is underway in Massachusetts where candidates …
First U.S. Wave-Energy Project Moves Forward
Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), a New Jersey-based company focusing on harnessing energy from oceans, announced a major step towards the approval of a license issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build the first commercial wave park on the West Coast. OTC has signed a Settlement Agreement (SA) with 11 federal and state agencies along with three non-governmental …
DOE’s Loan Guarantee Program to Receive Cuts
At a time when the alternative energy industry is calling for the Department of Energy (DOE) to follow through on loan guarantees, the U.S. House of Representatives is attempting to pass a Senate bill that would cut the program’s budget by $1.5 billion. According the the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), this move is part of a $26.1 billion package …
Light Wind Forecast for Growth of Wind Power Industry
Although wind power is growing globally, especially in places such as China, only a light wind is forecast for wind energy growth in the United States. As reported by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), only 700 megawats (MW) were added in the second quarter of this year, down 57 percent from 2008 and 71 percent from 2009 levels. In …
Controversial Clean Energy Killer Added to Cali Ballot
There is a highly controversial provision being added to California’s ballots this November called Prop 23. The proposition, which is backed by several oil companies, is asking for the state to suspend California’s 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act that calls for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to 1990 levels by 2020. Supporters of Prop 23 want the suspension …