American Wind Power Blows Beyond 70 GW

Joanna Schroeder

American wind power has blown beyond the 70 gigawatt (GW) mark. There is now enough power generated from wind to supply more than 19 million average American homes. This milestone was achieved in November leading into a historic climate agreement by global leaders to reduce carbon emission. This, along with the Clean Power Plan will continue to drive demand for wind energy in the U.S.

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

“This American wind power success story just gets better. There’s now enough wind power installed to meet the equivalent of total electricity demand in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “Wind energy is the biggest, fastest and cheapest way we can cut carbon pollution here in the U.S., and as wind power grows, so will savings for American families and businesses all across the country.”

Wind energy crossed the 50 GW and 60 GW thresholds in 2012, as developers rushed to complete projects before the expiration of the Production Tax Credit (PTC). However, noted Kiernan, the subsequent policy uncertainty in 2013 derailed that momentum, and wind energy installations declined by 92 percent that year. Now, with recent extensions, new wind power projects has resulted in a near-record amount of construction now underway across the U.S.

Last week, Congress passed a multi-year extension of the performance-based PTC and alternative Investment Tax Credit (ITC) as part of the government spending bill, securing, says Kiernan, the predictable business environment needed to keep U.S. factories open and further scale up American wind power. Previous short-term extensions of the wind tax incentives helped spur a near-record of more than 13,250 MW of wind capacity currently under construction in the U.S., with an additional 4,100 MW in advanced stages of development. This year’s multi-year extension is expected to add to that number.Read More

Clean Energy, Clean Power Plan, Electricity, Wind

New Report, Some Hits…Some Misses for Renewables

Joanna Schroeder

A new report, “Some Hits, Some Misses…All-in-All…To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt,” looks at the accuracy of the forecasts for renewable electricity made by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its monthly “Short-Term Energy Outlook” (STEO) reports. Published by the SUN DAY Campaign, the report finds 2015 forecasts have generally followed the actual pattern of ups-and-downs in electricity generation rates from renewable energy sources. However, finds the report, with a few exceptions, EIA underestimated the actual overall growth.

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign notes that EIA’s monthly predictions of new capacity from renewable sources including biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar and wind, have been lower than what went into production. He says EIA has failed to capture the magnitude of the swift growth rates in utility-scale solar. Forecasts, he predicts, will likely be exceeded by actual growth. For example, EIA’s 2016 predictions of 0.6 percent – 0.7 percent for utility-scale solar’s share of total U.S. electrical generation will very possibly be met a year earlier. Predictions of 10 – 12 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity installed between 2014 and 2016 are also likely to be exceeded.

Bossong finds that 2015 reports began with more optimism about the prospects of hydropower and wind, than what has actually gone into production. However, generation by wind and hydropower new appear to be bouncing back, he says. Despite a slow start to the year, Bossong ultimately, EIA forecasts will be underestimated as wind generation is headed for levels above those recorded in 2014 while hydro’s shortfall for 2015 will more than likely be less than EIA anticipated.

“While EIA’s short-term energy forecasts can provide a very useful pulse of changes in the nation’ energy mix, they tend to mirror the agency’s long-term forecasts which notoriously low-ball expectations for renewable energy growth,” explains Bossong. “In recent years, renewable energy, particularly wind and solar, have vastly outpaced and outperformed EIA’s predictions – even those made for very short-term time periods.”

In addition, Bossong’s analysis finds actual end-of-the-year figures for new capacity and electricity generated by both nonhydro renewables, and renewables including conventional hydropower, will likely exceed EIA’s predictions by at least modest levels. It is almost certain, adds Bossong, that the majority of new electrical generating capacity installed during 2015 will be from renewables and renewables will account for more than 17.5 percent of total installed U.S. operating generating capacity by year’s end.

biomass, Electricity, Geothermal, Hydro, Renewable Energy, Solar, Wind

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1At a campaign stop in Orange City, Iowa over the weekend Ben Carson told Iowans the promise of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) needed to be kept through 2022. “… As far as the Renewable Fuel Standard is concerned, there were certain promises that were made that extend out until 2022. And many people, you know, invested a lot of time, energy and resources based on those promises that were made. Those promises have to be kept.” Carson went further by calling for ending preferences for the oil industry. He made similar comments at stops in Council Bluffs and Carroll on his latest swing through Iowa.
  • DTE Energy, in collaboration with the City of Lapeer, Michigan, plans to break ground in the spring of 2016 on 45 MW of new solar generating capacity at two project sites. The larger of the two projects will be 30 MW, located off Interstate 69 between Michigan Highway 24 and Lake Nepessing Road. When completed, it will be the largest operating utility-owned photovoltaic solar array east of the Mississippi and the third largest in the country. A second project totaling 15 MW will be developed simultaneously at a site located on Turrill Road between Michigan Highway 24 and Clark Road.
  • Dominion Virginia Power and the Commonwealth of Virginia reached an agreement to deploy 110 megawatts of solar power generation. Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Dominion joined together to announce the multi-year agreement. The Commonwealth will purchase the solar-generated electricity through a long-term agreement with Dominion.
  • Pardee Resources Company reports that its subsidiary, Pardee Solar 1 LLC, recently closed on investments in two renewable energy partnerships. One partnership owns 125 mobile solar generator units which are committed to a major telecommunications company under a long-term lease. The Company’s investment in this partnership is $7.7 million and it was funded through its credit facility. The other partnership owns a roof top solar photovoltaic system located in Harrison, New York. The Company’s investment in this partnership is $716,000 and it was funded through available cash.
Bioenergy Bytes

Power Generation Fueling Global Biomass Growth

John Davis

woodpelletsThe global biomass market has been growing and will continue to do so, thanks to power generation. This analysis from P&S Market Research says increased use of biomass pellets in power generation, along with increased government initiatives and stringent environment regulations, are the key drivers promoting the growth of the global biomass pellet market.

The power sector application segment is expected to witness the fastest growth (12.4% CAGR) during 2015 – 2020, in the global market. Based on application, the heat sector segment held the largest market size, with 14,256.0 million tons volume in 2014, and it is expected to reach 27,122.3 million tons by 2020, growing with a CAGR of 8.7% during the period 2015-2020.

The global biomass pellet market was valued at $6,976.3 million in 2014, and it is expected to grow with a CAGR of 11.1% during 2015 – 2020. Europe accounted for the largest share of the global biomass pellet market with 20,000.0 million tons consumed in 2014. The major reasons behind growth of the market in the region were low GHG emission from biomass and increased government initiatives for renewable technologies. The market in Europe is expected to maintain its growth rate, mainly driven by various subsidies and legislation.

In 2014, North America accounted for the second largest share in the global biomass pellet market, in terms of value and volume. The major reason behind growth of the market in the region were increasing demand of biomass pellets in industrial sector, strict environmental regulations, and increasing concern for global warming. Therefore, the high rate of depletion of fossil fuels and increasing demand for the reduction of greenhouse gases are indirectly creating ample opportunities for the growth of the North American market.

The report adds that higher levels of investments in the biomass industry are helping advance the technology, making biomass more competitive against conventional fossil fuels.

biomass

Solar Industry Celebrates Passage of Tax Extenders

Joanna Schroeder

The solar industry is celebrating the passage of the tax extenders package on Friday, December 18, 2015 that included several clean energy credits. The omnibus appropriations bill included a 5-year solar investment tax credit (ITC) extension. The 30 percent ITC for solar will be extended for another three years. It will then ramp down to 26 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2021 and then remain at 10 percent permanently beyond 2022.

“This historic vote brings the solar industry to the forefront of the conversation about American energy. The ITC extension makes America and its solar industry the world’s preeminent producer of clean and affordable energy,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “We commend members of Congress in both parties for taking this bold step and we look forward to delivering on the promise that this policy now offers all Americans.”

© Martinlisner | Dreamstime.com - Solar Energy Panels With Blue Sky Photo

© Martinlisner | Dreamstime.com – Solar Energy Panels With Blue Sky Photo

Resch noted the ITC will will lead to more than $133 billion in new, private sector investment in the U.S. economy by 2020 with much of this growth will coming from small businesses, which make up more than 85 percent of America’s 8,000 solar companies.

“With Congressional approval on a five-year extension of the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), we have a fresh runway that will only accelerate the global energy transformation to clean, sustainable sources such as solar,” said Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO. “The ITC extension provides a sense of certainty that allows for new investments that might not have been possible in its absence. We thank our elected representatives for supporting the continued growth of solar power in the U.S. – for the health and prosperity of our communities, our country, and the planet.”

Jason Bak, chairman and CEO of Finavera Solar Energy commented, “The extension of the solar ITC provides long term certainty for the U.S. solar industry in general, and for our San Diego-based subsidiary Solar Alliance of America in particular. Our customers in southern California have benefited from the ability to offset the purchase of a residential solar system with these tax incentives in the past and this extension will give new customers that same incentive. The Solar ITC extension passed today will have a positive impact on our bottom line and will drive an increase in revenues that will benefit shareholders. It also provides the ideal platform for us to aggressively move forward with our expansion plans for Solar Alliance.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, politics, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1ET Solar, a global leading energy solutions provider, announces that its wholly owned subsidiary ET Solutions AG has expanded its portfolio again with two ground-mounted solar projects totaling 10 MWp in the UK for Europe’s leading solar company, Lightsource Renewable Energy. So far, ET Solar’s grid-connected PV projects have reached 75 MWp in the UK.
  • Salesforce has announced its first major renewable energy agreement. The company signed a 12-year wind energy agreement for 40 MW of a new West Virginia wind farm through a virtual power purchase agreement. The electricity generated under the agreement is expected to be 125,000 megawatthours annually, which is more than Salesforce’s data center electricity use in its full fiscal year 2015. The wind farm is expected to be operational by December 2016.
  • Scatec Solar ASA has formally commissioned the 104 MW PV solar plant in Parowan, Utah. The Utah Red Hills Renewable Park (URHRP) is Utah’s first utility-scale solar plant and will more than double the state’s current solar footprint. The plant was commissioned on schedule and constructed in less than a year. The solar farm will generate nearly 210 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year to be fed into the grid under a 20 year PPA with PacifiCorp’s Rocky Mountain Power.
  • Martifer Solar has added 7 PV ground plants in a total of 31 MW of new third party O&M contracts to its portfolio in Spain. The plants are located in the Centre and South East of Spain and are being supervised and provided O&M Services for the companies Eland Private Equity and European Energy.
Bioenergy Bytes

Wind Industry Applauds PTC, ITC Extension

Joanna Schroeder

U.S. Congress has voted to extend the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC). On Friday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the 2016 spending package and that afternoon, the U.S. Senate followed suit.  As a result, the PTC and alternative ITC, that also includes solar and geothermal energy, will now be extended for 2015 and 2016, and continue at 80 percent of present value in 2017, 60 percent in 2018, and 40 percent in 2019. As before, the rules will allow wind projects to qualify so long as they start construction before the end of the period.

Dry Lake Wind Power Project, Arizona

Dry Lake Wind Power Project, Arizona

“We’re going to keep this American wind power success story going,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “With predictable policies now in place, we will continue advancing wind turbine technology, driving down our costs and passing the savings on to American families and businesses in all corners of the country. We look forward to building a future with more affordable, reliable, clean wind energy.”

According to Kiernan, Industry leaders reacted to the news favorably, saying the multi-year extension supplies their companies with a level of predictability needed to keep U.S. factories open while adding new wind projects to the pipeline.

“On behalf of the nearly 2,000 Siemens wind energy employees in the U.S., I applaud Congress for its leadership in providing clear, long-term certainty for renewable energy growth in America,” said Jacob Andersen, CEO, Siemens Onshore Americas. “The PTC has encouraged tremendous investment in wind energy, helping to reduce the cost of wind power while simultaneously creating a new American industry. This extension will bolster the continued growth of domestic wind energy and the jobs this growing industry supports, allowing our factories to plan for the future as we continue to deliver innovation that drives down the cost of wind power.”

According to data from AWEA, the performance-based PTC has helped to more than quadruple wind power in the U.S. since 2008 – up from 16,702 megawatts (MW) installed at the start of 2008 to 69,470 MW by the third quarter of 2015. This is enough power to supply over 18 million American homes.

In addition, AWEA says the PTC has helped spur innovation in wind turbine technology, causing wind’s costs to fall 66 percent in just six years. The multi-year predictability will help continue that trend and break the repeated boom-bust cycles the U.S. wind energy industry has weathered through two decades of uncertain tax policies.

Clean Energy, Electricity, politics, Wind

ExxonMobil, Wisc. Partner on Biomass-Biofuel Project

John Davis

exxonmobilOil giant ExxonMobil has partnered with the University of Wisconsin–Madison on a project to turn biomass into biofuel. This article from Lab Manager says the two inked a two-year research agreement.

UW–Madison long has been known for its expertise in biomass conversion, and the project leverages the university’s expertise alongside the resources and technology development of ExxonMobil. George Huber, the Harvey D. Spangler professor of chemical and biological engineering at UW–Madison, is working closely with ExxonMobil scientists to build a stronger understanding of the basic chemical transformations that occur during biomass conversion into diesel and jet fuels.

“The science of biomass conversion is very complicated,” Huber says. “In this project we are doing the long-term fundamental research to understand the chemistry involved in the catalytic process of converting biomass into diesel and jet fuel. Our goal is to generate knowledge about what’s possible, and what’s not possible.”

Researchers have used expensive precious metal catalysts such as platinum for biomass conversion. Huber’s group, however, has been working to develop new catalytic materials that are orders of magnitude cheaper than precious metal catalysts.

“The challenge is to make biomass-derived fuels cost-competitive with petroleum-derived diesel fuels,” says Huber, who also is affiliated with the Wisconsin Energy Institute at UW–Madison.

The project allows extensive collaboration between ExxonMobil scientists and UW–Madison students, who will gain experience collaborating with an industrial partner.

“This agreement continues ExxonMobil’s commitment to partner with top universities and scientists to research and discover next-generation energy solutions,” says Vijay Swarup, vice president of research and development for ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company. “We are continuously investigating new ideas and technologies and we are looking forward to working with the team at the University of Wisconsin on this project.”

This is the latest in a series of research partnerships ExxonMobil established with some of the leading universities around the world, including MIT, Princeton, Michigan State, Northwestern, Stanford and Iowa State University.

biofuels, biomass

Researchers Develop Glycerol-free Biodiesel Process

John Davis

tobin-marksResearchers at Northwestern University in Chicago have figured out how to produce biodiesel without making the by-product glycerol. This article from Chemistry World says the scientists, led by Tobin Marks, developed the method.

The process uses a tandem catalytic system, consisting of metal triflate and supported palladium catalysts, to selectively break down triglyceride esters into carboxylic acids, which can be converted to biodiesel, as well as propane and valuable C3-oxygenates. ‘We are coupling two different reactions, using two different catalysts in the same pot. One catalyst opens or breaks the carbon–oxygen bond and the other catalyst hydrogenates the product, which is unsaturated. That helps drive the reaction thermodynamically,’ explains Marks.

While recent years have seen a considerable body of research into ways of converting waste glycerol into more valuable chemicals, this new approach avoids making it entirely. As Tracy Lohr who worked on the project explains, ‘The advantage of our system is that we don’t form any glycerol, instead we’re forming more useful products. Going from the triglycerides to those more useful precursors eliminates steps, it’s more cost-effective and you get your product easier and faster.’

The article adds that biodiesel production has contributed to the glut of glycerol worldwide.

Biodiesel, Research, University

Report: Renewables Fastest Growing US Power Source

Joanna Schroeder

According to GlobalData, non-hydro renewable energy will be the fastest growing power source in the U.S. through 2025. Installed capacity is expected to increase from 121.9 gigawatts (GW) in 2015 to 216 GW in 2025. “US Power Market Outlook to 2025, Update 2015 – Market Trends, Regulations, and Competitive Landscape,” finds the strong rate of growth suggests that the current U.S. government fully supports the growth of clean generation technologies. The U.S. was one of signers of the most historic climate treaty agreed upon in Paris earlier this month during COP21.

GlobalData logoChiradeep Chatterjee, GlobalData’s senior analyst covering Power, warns that this positive forecast for non-hydro renewables could be subject to the result of the 2016 US presidential election, with a Republican victory likely to mean considerable changes to present policies due to the party’s lower support for green energy projects in general.

“There are several renewable power regulations that have been implemented or revised by the Obama administration in 2015 that will aid the production of renewable energy,” explained Chatterjee. “For example, the Fannie May Green Initiative provides smart energy through financing solutions, while the Weatherization Assistance Program, instituted by the Department of Energy, offers grants to improve the energy efficiency of resident low-income families. Such initiatives are positive steps to achieving green targets established by US states.”

Targets take the form of Renewable Portfolio Standards programs, state policies that mandate a certain percentage of energy supplied to consumers by a utility within the state should come from renewable sources.

“Generally, the objectives are ambitious, ranging from 10% to 40%, with a variety of target dates. However, there is considerable variation between individual states, as Hawaii is aiming for renewables to constitute 100% of all energy use by 2045, while South Carolina is targeting just 2 percent by 2021.” Chatterjee concluded, “Attitudes towards the growth of green energy differ throughout the US, and it must be acknowledged that other sources of power will remain dominant throughout the forecast period.”

biomass, Electricity, Renewable Energy, Research, Solar, Wind