On December 14, the Edison Foundation Institute for Electric Innovation (IEI) will release the first book of a three-part series, titled Thought Leaders Speak Out: Key Trends Driving Change in the Electric Power Industry. The new book is a collection of essays by electric utility, policy, and technology thought leaders focused on three power sector megatrends, including: the transition to a clean energy future, an increasingly digital and distributed power grid, and individualized customer services.- Solar Power Rocks has released its 2016 State Solar Power Rankings. The report contains ratings of all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on twelve key criteria leading to strong financial results for homeowners interested in installing solar panels. State summaries include links to pages with detailed discussions of policy, incentives and rules that affect each state’s residential solar power prospects.
- According to a new report, strong policy frameworks in the Latin American countries of Brazil, Mexico and Argentina have led to increased investment in renewable power over the past few years, and these nations’ future targets suggest the landscape is ripe for further clean energy growth in the region, says research and consulting firm GlobalData.
- Duke Energy Renewables is increasing savings for commercial solar customers through an alliance with Green Charge Networks, the country’s largest provider of commercial energy storage for retail, industrial and government customers. The agreement provides these customers with “solar firming,” a way to smooth the peaks and valleys of a variable energy source. It also saves customers money by offsetting the higher prices of peak demand power.
Pratt & Whitney to Test Biodiesel Engine
Airplane maker Pratt & Whitney Canada will field test an engine running on biodiesel. This company news release says the new PT6A-140AG turboprop engine – selected to power Air Tractor’s new AT502XP aircraft – works in agricultural applications.
P&WC received Transport Canada authorization for field testing of PT6A-34AG engines in Brazil this spray season with S10 and S500 Type B biodiesel comprised of up to 10 per cent bio content. Additionally, P&WC was granted full approval for S500 and S10 Type-A regular diesel fuel.
“The launch of the new PT6A-140AG and our advancements related to biofuels demonstrate our commitment to the agricultural segment and our ability to continuously innovate and raise the bar with the PT6A family to make the world’s best engines even better,” said Denis Parisien, Vice President, General Aviation, P&WC. “The agricultural segment is core to our business. By continuing to drive innovation around biofuels and the latest engine manufacturing technologies, we best serve our customers, the environment and the industry as a whole.”
The PT6A-140AG engine has 867 mechanical shaft horsepower (SHP) and 1,075 thermal SHP. Its modular design and externally mounted fuel nozzles make it the easiest engine in the agricultural segment to access and maintain. The Time Between Overhaul (TBO) can also be extended up to 8,000 hours or 12 years depending on the operation and it is independent of engine cycles. Designed and built to outlast others in the same class, the PT6A-140AG has a minimum component life limit which is 50 per cent higher than competing engines, and will continue to be a productive asset for any operator long after similar engines have been sent in for overhaul. Simple routine engine inspections can be done while still on-wing, in the field or in the hangar, eliminating surprises, reducing costs and providing peace of mind.
Company officials expect full approval of the biodiesel option for the start of the 2016/17 season.
Volvo OKs Use of Renewable Diesel
Truck maker Volvo has given the green light the use of renewable diesel in its proprietary engines. This company news release says it is the first to endorse the use of renewable diesel, and the green fuel will offer environmental and cost-savings benefits to customers.
“Environmental care is a core value of Volvo Trucks, and we are pleased to offer our customers another alternative fuel choice,” said Frank Bio, director – sales development, specialty vehicles and alternative fuels for Volvo Trucks North America. “Availability of renewable diesel fuel is growing in California and throughout the country. Renewable diesel meets the same ASTM D975 standard for petroleum diesel, making it a true ‘drop in’ fuel.”
There are multiple benefits to using renewable diesel fuel as a commercial transportation fuel. It has the potential to improve the environmental impact of vehicle operation, reducing particulate matter for pre-EPA 2010 engines. Renewable diesel also requires less maintenance costs when compared with other alternative fuels, and there is no warranty risk for using renewable diesel fuel to power any Volvo model equipped with a Volvo engine.
The addition of renewable diesel as an approved fuel for Volvo models is in line with the company’s longstanding focus on the environment since it allows vehicle owners to reduce CO2 emissions beyond those coming from the fuel economy improvements in the vehicle itself. According to the California Air Resources Board, the Life Cycle Analysis of renewable diesel under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard showed reductions in greenhouse gases by 15-80 percent depending on feedstock source. It also increases Volvo’s options for alternative fuels.
Volvo currently offers natural gas-powered versions of its VNL and VNM daycabs, which are built at Volvo’s New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Virginia, where all Volvo Trucks sold in North America are built. The Volvo VNL model features a 12-liter Cummins-Westport ISX12 G engine and the VNM daycab is powered by a factory-installed 8.9 liter Cummins ISL G engine.
U.S. & Britain Partner to Power Up Africa
Bringing reliable, renewable power to Africans has been an ongoing conversation around the climate talks in Paris this month. Both the U.S. and the UK have programs with goals to do just this. Going forward, however, the programs will be power amplified with the new collaboration between the two countries. The partnership was announced during COP21 by UK International Development Minister Nick Hurd and Associate Administrator of USAID Eric Postel.
The goal of the new partnership between the UK’s Energy Africa campaign and the America’s Power Africa initiative is to leverage much-needed private investment, develop networks to share power across borders and harness geothermal resources to boost access to electricity across the continent.
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“It is shocking that 600 million Africans still live without power at home. This is not just holding back individuals; it is holding back an entire continent,” said Hurd during the announcement. “No one can tackle Africa’s energy challenge alone. We will only make progress if we work together. That is why this new partnership is so important.
Hurd added, “The US has led the way over the past few years with its Power Africa campaign. Together with our Energy Africa campaign we can boost access to reliable, clean and affordable household energy, helping millions of people to lift themselves out of poverty.”
A Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries was signed at COP21 during the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and New Climate Economy event “Climate change in Africa: Financing low-carbon pathways for Development”. The new deal will harness the skills, expertise and investment power of the private sector to help improve energy access, boost economic growth and reduce poverty.
“The United States Government is thrilled to work closely with DFID on the Energy Africa campaign, to accelerate the household solar market,” added Postel. “In partnership with DFID, development agencies, African governments, the private sector, and civil society, we can help accelerate Africa’s energy path toward economic and environmental sustainability and ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.”
PG&E Service Centers to be 100% Solar Powered
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has launched a new renewable energy initiative. The company plans to power all its operations service centers – nearly 100 in Northern and Central California – with solar energy. In addition, through the Solar Choice program, customers will have the choice to choose 50 or 100 percent of their electricity from solar sourced from new small to mid-sized solar projects that range in size from 0.5 to 20 MW. The program officially kicks off in early 2016.
The news came on “Action Day” during COP21, a day where businesses and governments around the globe announced new climate-centric initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. PG&E hopes that through their company commitment to use solar energy, their customers will also make the choice. The Solar Choice program also enables homeowners without rooftop solar to still power their homes with clean energy.
“Solar power is critical to achieving California’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and we strongly support its growth—whether it’s for customers who install rooftop solar or for others through our Solar Choice program,” said PG&E’s Geisha Williams, President, Electric.
PG&E has already connected more than 200,000 rooftop solar customers to the grid, more they say, than any other U.S. utility. The company has also made other climate commitments and this fall, signed the White House’s American Business Act on Climate pledge.
Global Geothermal Alliance Launched at #COP21
As a means to increase geothermal energy globally, this week during the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, (COP21) a coalition of 38 countries along with 20 development and industry partners have launched the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA). The nonprofit was organized by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and was founded with the goal of achieving a 500 percent increase in global installed geothermal capacity by 2030 as well as a 200 percent increase in geothermal heating.
From left to right: Minister Ségolène Royal, France; President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Iceland; Director-General Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA. Photo by IISD/ENB
IRENA cites that nearly 90 countries have potential for geothermal energy resource development; however, just 13 gigawatts of installed capacity exists worldwide. The agency says the main obstacle for geothermal power investment and development has been the high upfront costs of surface geophysical studies and drilling to explore for geothermal resources. However, the agency explains, once a geothermal project is in operation, it can generate electricity at a low cost. The GGA will aim to overcome these barriers by mitigating risks, promoting technological cooperation, coordinating regional and national initiatives and facilitating geothermal energy investments into energy markets.
The launch took place in the context of the Energy Action Day at COP21, co-organised by IRENA along with several members. In two years of preliminary consultations, IRENA says the GGA has gathered substantial support from governments, leading industry players, development partners, regional and national institutions and non-governmental organizations. The initiative was initiated in September 2014 at the Climate Summit organized by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
BioEnergy Bytes
- While Russia’s cumulative installed non-hydro renewable capacity is expected to increase from 0.26 GW in 2015 at a steep Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 27.4%, it will only reach 2.87 GW by 2025, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s report states that Russia’s production of non-hydro renewable technologies has historically been very poor, constituting a mere 0.1% of total installed capacity in 2014.
- Sungevity, Inc. has expanded its residential and commercial solar services, including hardware, software and ongoing consultation, to Rhode Island. The launch in Rhode Island expands Sungevity’s footprint to 13 states domestically, in addition to the District of Columbia and the Netherlands, the UK and Germany.
- Gevo, Inc. has announced that it has priced its underwritten public offering of common stock and warrants. The company has agreed to sell 2,050,000 Series A units, with each Series A unit consisting of one share of common stock and a Series D warrant to purchase one share of common stock at a public offering price of $1.00 per Series A unit. Gevo has also agreed to sell 8,000,000 Series B units, with each Series B unit consisting of a pre-funded Series E warrant to purchase one share of common stock and a Series D warrant to purchase one share of common stock at a public offering price of $0.99 per Series B unit.
- With the commissioning of the Mont Rothery wind farm, Senvion Canada Inc. is celebrating an installed capacity of over 1000 megawatts (MW) of wind power in Quebec within just five years. Senvion has installed over 500 turbines in the province, representing nearly a third in Quebec’s total installed capacity, and roughly 10% of the total turbine installations across Canada.
Global Groups Call on COP21 to Support Biofuels
Biofuels organizations representing multiple nations may have their differences but they have come together in a call for world leaders attending the COP21 in Paris to set a goal for increasing use of biofuels for transportation.
The call for a global commitment to replace at least 15 percent of the world’s total oil use in transport with sustainable biofuels by 2030 was issued by five biofuel and biotech organizations in conjunction with a joint industry event held at the World Climate Summit on Sunday in Paris during COP21. The event was organized by five biofuel and biotech organizations that collectively represent over 330 companies responsible for 90 percent of the world’s biofuels production.
At the Summit, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) released a new report showing the significant contribution that biofuels have made to greenhouse gas reduction worldwide and could make in the future. According to the report, total GHG emission reductions from biofuels for 2014 was estimated at 169 million tonnes CO2 equivalent. Projecting a conservative annual growth rate of 2.8 percent in biofuel production and use through the year 2030, the report forecasts that emission savings could increase to 264 million tonnes CO2 equivalent, a 56 percent increase.
“This report sends a clear message to policy makers around the world that while the GHG emission reductions currently being delivered by biofuels are substantial, the sector can deliver much more,” said GRFA president Bliss Baker.
The COP21 United Nations climate change conference concludes December 11.
Novozymes CEO at COP21: Biofuels Only Alternative
Biofuels are the only alternatives to fossil fuels… that was the message the head of Novozymes told attendees at COP21 in Paris.
“Solutions exist for many of the problems we face – it’s about the political courage and long-term vision to implement them,” says CEO Peder Holk Nielsen, who is leading Novozymes’ delegation at COP21, in Paris.
“We urgently need a meaningful cost on carbon emissions, designed to effectively alter our behavior, guide our decisions and incentivize solutions.”
Driving down emissions in the transport sector
One of the areas with much room for improvement is the transport sector. There are one billion cars on the planet today and transport accounts for 25% of energy-related CO2 equivalent. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be almost three billion cars on the roads.
Biofuel is the only existing liquid alternative to fossil fuels available at scale today, and holds the potential to provide 30% of all transportation fuels by 2050 – with cellulosic biofuels from waste and agricultural residues reducing emissions by 80-90% compared to gasoline.
“Stable, long-term policies such as biofuel blending mandates are critical to the successful deployment of these low-carbon fuel technologies that should be a core component of each country’s climate strategy,” says Peder Holk Nielsen. “It is critical to reduce emissions significantly within this sector to remain below the 2°C global temperature rise.”
Nielsen added that fossil fuels enjoy global subsidies to the tune of $436 billion every year. Ending those subsidies is one obvious step to cut global carbon emissions.
RFA: Revise RVP Rules to Level Playing Field
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is calling for more higher-level ethanol blends to enter the U.S. fuel supply. In a letter the ethanol organization called on Christopher Grundler, director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality for the Environmental Protection Agency, to update regulations to allow EPA to grant a 1-psi Reid Vapor Pressure waiver for other ethanol blends besides E10.
Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder
“EPA’s current regulatory scheme creates an uneven playing field for E15 and other higher-level ethanol blends,” Dinneen said. “Many gasoline retailers have rejected E15 because EPA’s current RVP regulations make it nearly impossible for them to sell E15 to EPA-approved conventional automobiles all year-round. And most gas stations are not willing to dedicate storage space or dispensing equipment for a fuel that they can only sell for part of the year.”
In the letter, Dinneen noted that vehicle technology and emissions control systems have significantly evolved since 1989, when the 1-psi waiver was developed by EPA as a means of ensuring the availability of E10. “Ethanol availability and markets have … changed,” wrote Dinneen. “Today, E10 blends represent more than 95% of total gasoline sales in the United States. Marketers no longer are faced with the challenge of finding appropriate blendstocks for E10. Rather, marketers wishing to increase their use of renewable fuels beyond E10 are faced with the same dilemma E10 marketers faced 30 years ago.”
According to the letter: “The 1-psi RVP waiver – originally provided to expand the production and use of fuel ethanol – is now having a perverse effect of discouraging greater ethanol use in today’s gasoline market, and it is obstructing the successful implementation of important fuel and carbon reduction policies enacted since then, including the Renewable Fuel Standard (#RFS).” Dinneen encouraged EPA to use its authority to take immediate action by requiring refiners to lower the RVP of summertime conventional blendstock to 8.0 psi. He stated that such an action would allow gasoline retailers to give consumers access to a full spectrum of renewable fuel blends, and it would also clear the way for higher-level ethanol blends like E20 or E25 to meet applicable gasoline RVP requirements.Read More