NativeEnergy, a company that sells carbon offsets and renewable energy credits (RECs), has teamed up with renewable energy project builder, VINCO Inc., to get into the wind power business. This press release says the venture will focus on small-scale renewable energy projects, such as family wind farms: “Farmers understand they need to invest something in order to harvest something,” says …
Wisconsin Trying to Buy Part of MN Wind Farm
The Wisconsin Public Service Corporation is looking to buy half interest of a Southeast Minnesota wind farm. This story on the Finance and Commerce web site says the move is seen as part of Wisconsin’s effort to get 10 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2015: In September 2007, Minneapolis-based wind energy developer National Wind LLC announced that …
USDA Energy Grant Announcements
At last week’s Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) 2008, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that USDA will accept almost $221 million in loan and grant applications within USDA’s Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. “As demand for energy rises, these renewable energy loans and grants help farms and rural small businesses increase their investment in renewable energy …
25 x ’25 Energy Summit This Week
Coming up this week in Omaha is the National 25x’25 Renewable Energy Summit. The conference will feature leading renewable energy experts from across the nation. More than two dozen pre-eminent authorities on biofuels, biomass, wind, solar and other land-based renewable energy sources will address the summit. Presenters will include Dr. Steven Chu, Nobel laureate and director of the Lawrence Berkeley …
Bush Urges US to “Get Off Oil”
As crude oil jumped to new record highs on the New York mercantile exchange due to falling oil inventories, trading over $104 a barrel, President Bush renewed his support for ethanol as a means toward energy independence. Speaking at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008 (WIREC) Wednesday, Bush said, “America has got to change its habits. We’ve got to …
John Deere into Farming Wind
Noting runs like a Deere, except maybe the wind. John Deere Wind Energy is into lots of domestic energy projects these days and that includes investing in and providing value-added services to utility-scale wind projects that involve multiple wind turbines with a nameplate capacity of 1.25 megawatts or greater. For example, Corn Plus Cooperative, a farmer-owned ethanol plant in Winnebago, …
Ohio Becoming Mecca for Green Collar Jobs
A new report says Ohio could be home to 174,000 advanced, renewable energy jobs by 2030. The report by the American Solar Energy Society, funded by the non-profit Ohio Business Development Coalition, says the Buckeye State is pioneering efforts to increase the number of skilled professionals in the renewable energy field: According to the Ohio Business Development Coalition (OBDC), the …
Wind Power Outpacing Line Capacity
The sudden skyrocketing of wind energy production, especially in areas of the Midwest and rural parts of Texas and California, is outdistancing the the capacity for the nation’s high-voltage lines to get that clean electricity into the nation’s cities. This story from USA Today says the problem could keep some projects from even getting started and states from meeting their …
Biofuels Focus at Classic
The 2008 Commodity Classic is getting underway here in Nashville at the Opryland. Farm Bill and biofuels are the main topics of discussion at this meeting of corn, soybean and wheat growers. Today is mainly commodity group delegate meetings and tours for those not involved in the business sessions. Activities really get rolling Thursday afternoon with the opening of the …
$2.5 Million Grant Goes to Florida Wind Project
Florida Power and Light has picked up a $2.5 million state grant to help build a major wind power plant. This story on TCPalm.com has more details: FPL wants to place six turbines on its own land at the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant and three on state owned land managed by the county at Blind Creek Park. The FPL Project, …