Report: "Offshore Wind in the Atlantic: Potential Benefits for the Environment and for the Economy" View Executive Summary with link to download entire report.

Atlantic Wind Connection

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SOLAR:

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Wind | Solar | Marine/Hydro | Grid/Storage | Bio & More

Renewable Energy - Programs, Finance, Policy, Reports

For the most up to date and illustrated clips, visit the TidewaterCurrent Snip.it collection.

Norfolk Home to Virginia's Largest Solar Array - Tidewater Current | Fall 2012 - 2 MW project at Norfolk Naval Base scheduled to go online by the end of the year.

12.10.12 -Net Zero Schools in Kentucky: Models for the Future Come from Surprising Places - Forbes - Kentucky, a major coal producer, has a plan to triple renewable energy production.

12/7/12 - On-Bill Repayment Bill Introduced In California - blogs.edf.org. First on bill repayment program for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement introduced in CA legislature.

12.7.12 - SolarCity Awarded Hire Power Award For US Job Creation - cleantechnica.com. "SolarCity's award win shines a light on the whole solar industry which has driven job creation eight times faster than the overall economy," said SolarCity's VP of Human Resources, Linda Keala. "SolarCity provides consumers with clean, renewable energy that can be more affordable than rising utility bills and this has created domestic solar development jobs that can't be easily outsourced."

12.5.12 - Nearly 50 percent of new electricity generation added in 2012 was renewable - grist.org. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reports "From January through October, 46.2 percent of new electricity-generating capacity added in the U.S. was renewable."

12.3.12 - FirstEnergy Solutions & PECO Offering 100% Renewable Electricity - cleantechnica.com. Philadelphia area residents have opportunity to purchase 100% renewable power from their utility.

12.3.12 - Wind energy: Colorado, Pennsylvania newspapers support PTC extension - reve - "A recent study by Navigant Consulting found that extending the Production Tax Credit will allow the industry to grow to 100,000 jobs in just four years, while an expiration would kill 37,000 jobs within a year....PTC extension efforts have received the endorsement of a broad coalition of more than 370 members, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the Western Governors' Association. A PTC extension also has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Governors Association, and the bipartisan Governors' Wind Energy Coalition, which includes 23 Republican and Democratic Governors from across the U.S. A PTC extension has been endorsed by a number of newspapers across the country, including the Des Moines Register, the Denver Post, the Daily Oklahoman, the Toledo Blade, the Houston Chronicle, the San Antonio Express-News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Chicago Sun-Times, and The New York Times."

11.30.12 - A Three-Part Roadmap to Energy Independence - renewableenergyworld.com. Good editorial from Bill Richardson - Highlights need for comprehensive energy policy by bringing "together all energy stakeholder" and keeping politicians out of it, then "the President must work with Congress to introduce and pass a comprehensive energy bill....The focus for everyone – Democrats and Republicans, traditional and new energy players, regulators and non-regulators alike – should be on achieving energy independence and sustainable economic growth in the long term" Tax incentive and renewable energy portfolio standards and energy efficiency standards must be developed. He notes that "the fossil fuel industry didn't grow on its own, and neither should renewables;"

11.30.12 - Interior Announces First-Ever Renewable Energy Lease Sales on the Outer Continental Shelf - doi.gov. "BOEM announced the Proposed Sale Notices today to offer 277,550 acres in two "Wind Energy Areas" – one area offshore Virginia and the other area of mutual interest offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The areas proposed for leasing are expected to be able to support more than 4,000 megawatts (MW) of wind generation – enough electricity to power an estimated 1.4 million homes." The sales will be held next year.

11.30.12 - US Veterans Fight For Wind Jobs As Tax Credit Hits The Cliff - cleantechnica.com. Operation Free, military veterans with concerns about energy security asked Congress to extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC). More info about the Operation Free mission here: http://www.operationfree.net/our-mission/

11.29.12 - Virginia AG claims state energy law costs customers of two largest power companies $1 billion-plus too much - tricities.com. "The renewable energy portfolio incentives — which will cost customers of the two utilities (Dominion & Apco) about $740 million — "are outrageously expensive in relation to what we get, which is nothing," the attorney general said.And the companies will be earning an estimated $284 million as incentives to build power plants they would have constructed even without the bonuses, Cuccinelli said....the renewable portfolio standard adder has not improved the environment "because, by and large, the utilities have not built any new renewable energy facilities to comply with the (program's) goals.The power companies have instead met the program's goals largely by buying renewable energy certificates from existing renewable facilities, including hydroelectric plants that have been in service for more than 80 years, the study said....Cuccinelli said he will seek reform of the state's electric utility regulation law."

11.27.12 - Decentralized Renewable Energy Systems Will Make Us Less Vulnerable to Hurricanes - energy.aol.com. Good editorial on the need for decentralized renewable energy. "The safest energy future Americans have are small-scale, local energy facilities and upgrading the transmission systems in each state."

11.27.12 - Denver Recognized as a Solar Friendly Community - solarnovus.com. The Solar Friendly Communities program,a DOE Sunshot initiative funding 22 community initiative providing assistance local governments, has had great success in Denver. "Denver provides a great model on how a large city can make it easy for solar installers to do business,'' ... "The streamlined permitting, inspection and educational practices translate into lower costs for consumers and a more welcoming climate for solar energy. ''

11.24.12 - Climate skeptic group works to reverse renewable energy mandates - washingtonpost.com. The Electricity Freedom Act is being pushed by the Heartland Institute and a group of legislators that participate in the American Legislative Council to repeal state renewable energy portfolio standards. "The Heartland Institute received $736,500 from Exxon Mobil between 1998 and 2006, according to the group's spokesman Jim Lakely, and $25,000 in 2011 from foundations affiliated with Charles G. Koch and David H. Koch, whose firm Koch Industries has substantial oil and energy holdings. "

11.23.12 - Can the U.S. Match Germany's Energy Revolution? - businessweek.com. Great analysis. The Germans followed the path to renewable energy laid out by Jimmy Carter for the US. When Reagen got into office, research was halted and American patents were sold at fire sale prices. While renewable energy production is growing, a cohesive national plan, like Germany's is needed. Even Saudi Arabia has a more ambitious plan than we do.

11.20.12 - Appeals court upholds Mo. renewable energy rules - businessweek.com. Challenged by utility industry group, the Court upholds statutes the force investor owned utilities to produce energy from renewable resources.

11.19.12 - Are renewables stormproof? Hurricane Sandy tests solar, wind. - csmonitor.com. They weathered Sandy pretty well. The vast majority of installations had little impact. As noted in the article, the largest rooftop array in the country did suffer a loss of 5% of panels, but the system is up and running and the repairs are being made. Of 22 farms run by Public Service Electric and Gas Co. only 4 suffered damage (mostly minor, except one that was flooded). Windfarms fared even better. Unfortunately with most systems grid tied without batter back up, many people suffered outages. The author notes instead of large distributed grids, microgrids might offer storm related blackout relief without the need to spend on battery backup.

11.19.12 - San Francisco Announces Biggest Commercial Clean Energy PACE Retrofit - Forbes - The $1.6-million Pier 1 project will shave $98,000 annually from Prologis' utility bills, reducing purchased electricity by 32%. Improvements include retrofits to 1,500 lighting fixtures, a 200-kilowatt rooftop PV array, and an overhaul of the HVAC system. Work on the project, overseen by Johnson Controls, should be completed by February 2013.,,This is the first project of its kind and by far the biggest commercial PACE upgrade in the country.. Ninety-percent of the Pier 1 project was financed with a $1.4-million, 20-year, low-interest bond purchased by Clean Fund, "

11.16.12 - CNN Political Pundits' Advice to the Wind Industry - greentechmedia.com. Former advisors to Democratic and Republican administrations comments at Wind Energy Symposium. Fleisher: "The problem is how to define a level playing field. Every energy industry received some form of subsidy or tax provision. There is a government hand on every energy playing field." Begala: "I would go to lawmakers, throw a quarter down, and say, 'That's all I want. Twenty-five cents for every dollar you give the Koch brothers and Exxon.'"

11.16.12 - Veterans find jobs, and new mission, in cleantech - mercurynews.com. Great read about the opportunities provided for veterans in the renewable energy and clean tech industry.

11.16.12 - Around 14.000 new solar jobs created in the USA during 2012 - solarplaza.com. Link to the Solar Job Census Report released today. Report prepared by the Solar Foundation and BW Research with assistance from Cornell University.

11.15.12 - Red State Renewable Alliance forms to broaden support for wind energy, PTC - evwind.es. 75% of wind capacity is in congressional districts held by the GOP "The mission of the Red State Renewable Alliance is simple: to tell the full story of the success of clean renewable wind energy in traditionally conservative areas of the country and emphasize the importance of incorporating this resources as part of an 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy in the United States."

11.15.12 - Ocean Wave Energy Technology and Oregon's Process - triplepundit.com. Good overview of wave energy research and testing program developed in Oregon. Several technologies are highlighted. See more in Energy - Marine/Hydro collection.

11.14.12 - A Policy That Unlocks Community Renewable Energy - cleantechnica.com. Virtual net metering policies - sharing electricity bill credits among the community.

11.12.12 - A New Way to Foot Efficiency Upgrades (and renewable energy projects) - nytimes.com. California adopts "On (Electric) bill" repayment program. "The Public Utilities Commission has directed the state's investor-owned utilities – Sempra Energy, Southern California Edison, and Pacific Gas and Electric – to have the program operating by March 31 of next year." The Environmental Defense Fund helped develop the plan, which is the first to rely on private financing, and is now working with officials in Texas, Ohio and North Carolina.

11.12.12 - Obama reelection: a future for wind power? - csmonitor.com. A push to extend the PTC is expected and extending it for one more year will likely get some projects off the ground, but a better long term plan needs to be developed.

11.7.12 - California voters approve measure to fund green building retrofits - grist.org. Prop. 39 approved in California election will create uniform taxes code on all companies doing business in California and generate a $1 in funds for the State, half of which will go to green building and renewable energy projects.

11.7.12 - Bill in Congress could increase energy competitiveness - midwesternenergynews.com. Al Fanken introduced legislation that would encourage renewable energy genearation by leveling the energy playing field: "The Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act.

11.6.12 - More Solar Power is a Good Deal for Mid-Atlantic Ratepayers - cleantechies.com. A report released on the value of solar electric generation in NJ and PA found that the overall price of electricity was reduced and additionally that there were savings associated with not needing to build more capacity and infrastructure (not to mention the environmental benefits of reduced fossil fuel combustion).

11.6.12 - Colorado's Community Solar Program Allots 9 Megawatts in 30 Minutes - renewableenergyworld.com. " Colorado's "community solar gardens" program (my summary here) sold out in 30 minutes when it opened two months ago, a testament to the pent-up demand for solar among those who don't own a sunny roof. The program allows individuals to subscribe or buy shares in a local solar project, and in return receive a share of the electricity output."

11.5.12 - Solar: America's Fastest Growing Job-Creation Engine? - Forbes - Solar Foundation's annual Jobs Census indicates that the solar industry has added 13,800 jobs so far this year, a growth rate of 13%. The author notes that solar "is amongst the fastest – if not the fastest – growing sectors in the U.S. economy."

11.5.12 - Solar power production in Germany up 50 percent on the year between January and September - washingtonpost.com. "all renewable energies combined accounted for about 26 percent of electricity production over the first nine months."

11.2.12 - Benefits of wind energy confirmed: Half a million cars worth of pollution and a billion gallons of water saved each year - phys.org. Savings reported for Colorado "according to a report released today by Environment Colorado. Between 2000 and 2011"

11.2.12 - Mexico Aims for 12 GW of Wind Power by 2020 - renewableenergyworld.com. "Mexico's high electricity rates make wind development at parity with fossel fuels. "We have no feed in tariffs here, but we do have high electrical rates, which encourages the industry,"

11.1.12 - Hurricane Sandy Uncovers Strength and Simplicity of Renewable Energy Systems - renewableenergyworld.com. Unlike fossil fuels and nuclear, in a natural disaster, like Sandy, there are no environmental threats (like fuel spills and radiation leaks) posed by wind and solar. And it appears that wind and solar installations weathered the storm well.

11.1.12 -Wind Farm Operating Costs Fall 38% in Four Years, BNEF Says - renewableenergyworld.com. Bloomberg New Energy Finance Report.

11.1.12 - California's New Solar-Wind Hybrid Power Plant Greens The Grid - Forbes. "The wind in California tends to blow the strongest at night and in the winter while the sun obviously is at its strongest during the day and in the summer months. Combining the two resources in a single project allows for the more efficient use of transmission lines like the multibillion-dollar one being built to carry 4,500 megawatts of renewable energy from the Tehachapi to coastal metropolises."

11.1.12 - America's solar soldiers - globalpost.com. In addition to troop safety and national security motives, the military is pushing a green energy movement for for economic purposes. It is the world's single largest energy consumer, spending $15 billion each year on energy, of which 80 percent is dedicated to oil. As noted in the article: "One of every eight Army fatalities in Iraq occurred during transit or protection of fuel convoys, according to a 2011 Pentagon study"

10.3.1 12- Renewable Energy Investment Continues To Leave North America - cleantechnica.com. Pew reports: "The United States reclaimed the top spot in the worldwide clean energy race in 2011. Because of policy uncertainty, however, its leadership is likely to be short-lived after a variety of American clean energy programs expired at the end of 2011."

10.30.12 - Scotland unveils new target of 50% renewable power by 2015 - Politics - rechargenews.com. "The new interim goal reflects Scotland's faster-than-expected progress towards its flagship target of 100% renewable power supply by 2020, and is ambitious, but also achievable, claims First Minister Alex Salmond."

10.29.12 - Solar Power, Coconut Biofuel to Meet 150% of Pacific Nation's Electricity Demand - cleantechnica.com. "Fiji, Cook Islands, Niue, and Tuvalu plan to achieve 100% electricity generation from renewable energy between 2013 and 2020."

10.29.12 - Renewable energy will overtake nuclear power by 2018, research says - guardian.co.uk. In the UK.

10.26.21 George W. Bush Presidential Center Purchases 100% Wind Energy from Green Mountain - evwind.es. "Green Mountain Energy Company is proud to announce that the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the George W. Bush Institute and the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, has purchased 100 percent wind energy to power its campus."

10.25.12 - Americans Used Less Energy in 2011, & More Renewable Energy - cleantechnica.com. Good news. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reports that renewable energy generation increased while overall energy use was down for 2011.

10.24.12 - Clean Energy Atlanta Program to Offer Up to $200M for Building Retrofits - The Business Journals - "Clean Energy Atlanta is a landmark initiative that provides private funding for building energy upgrades at no installation cost, repaid through property tax assessments. The program is a one stop shop for financing and administering project deployment, connecting owners of eligible buildings with qualified local contractors to perform the renewable energy and energy efficiency upgrades."

10.23.12 - Furniture Maker IKEA Invests In Renewables To Become Self-Sufficient By 2020 - redorbit.com. By 2020 IKEA plans to be fully powered by wind and sun and grow as many trees as it uses in its products. A Greenpeace representative notes IKEA is at the forefront of companies transform their businesses in the face of environmental threats.

10.20.12 - New U.S. Navy Solar Power Plant at China Lake Saves $13 Million a Year - cleantechnica.com. Solar PV panels were installed via a power purchase agreement with Sunpower Corp. and "the price of the solar-generated electricity is much lower than the price the Navy was paying for grid-supplied electricity, and that's where the savings comes in."

10.19.12 - Norfolk Home to Virginia's Largest Solar Array - Tidewater Current | Fall 2012 - 2 MW project scheduled to go online by the end of the year.

10.16.12 - Pittsburgh Can Now Buy 100% Renewables 10% Cheaper Than Standard Utility Rate - cleantechnica.com. WOW "Pennsylvania is one of the country's better examples of competitive electricity market success, with more than 1.8 million consumers choosing an alternative supplier since January 2011."

10.14.12 - From Bush to Obama, U.S. Army Goes Green, then Greener - cleantechnica.com. The Army Net Zero Initiative which encourages installations to produce as much energy on site as possible and this is particularly important overseas where energy costs and security are a concern. A US Army base in Germany installed solar panels that feed electricity into the grid. "The German government pays the base back for every kilowatt-hour of clean energy it generates, which partly offsets the price that the base pays for grid-supplied energy."

10.12.12 - Wind Power Lowers Electricity Prices, And How - cleantechnica.com. Fascinating read on the energy market and how rates are determined. Wind production can and does reduce the price to consumers, but on the other hand conventional energy producers may not earn as much as they would if wind were taken out of the equation. Companies like nuclear Exelon are not happy about the impact on their bottom line and want to see the wind PTC expire (although they too receive a nuclear PTC). At any rate "A recent study of the Midwest Independent System Operator, for example, found that large amounts of wind could save consumers $200 per year."

10.10.12 - Report: Mid-Atlantic offshore wind industry would create 70,000 jobs, generate billions - washingtonpost.com. "Backed by the Internet titan Google and other investors, the Atlantic Wind Connection is moving forward with the construction of a 380-mile power line that would enable up to 7,000 megawatts of electricity to be produced at offshore wind farms from Virginia to New Jersey."

10.10.12 - German Energy Switch Saves $736 Billion by 2050, Researchers Say - bloomberg.com. The Renewable Energy Research Association reports that replacing nuclear and fossil fuel energy sources with renewables will save Germany 570 billion euros.

10.8.12 - E.ON and Danish pension fund PensionDanmark agree on wind energy deal - evwind.es. Pretty Interesting. "The German energy group E.ON has sold 50 per cent of three US wind farms– two in Texas and one in Pennsylvania – to the Danish pension fund PensionDanmark...."This is our first direct investment in US wind farms, and also our first transaction with E.ON. Our investment in wind farms in Denmark, and also in the USA, will provide a stable and attractive return at a level very similar to what you can expect from equities, but with a significant less risk and expose to the business cycle, so we will continue to focus strongly on investment of this type," says Torben Möger Pedersen."

10.5.12 - Terra Firma Planning a Renewable Energy Fund of $5 Billion - cleantechnica.com. "There has been a growing number of large private equity firms investing in renewable energy deals; including the firms KKR and Blackstone, along with mid-sized rivals HgCapital and Bridgepoint.China Development Bank is planning to market the new fund to investors in China, and Terra Firma will pursue investment in the United States and Europe amongst "traditional private equity investors and infrastructure fund investors," Reuters reports."

10.4.12 - LA Chooses Clean Energy Over Coal - Sierra Club Compass - "This is one of the biggest commitments any American city has made to move beyond coal and replace it with clean energy, and the Sierra Club applauds the LA City Council, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LADWP, and local community members for their leadership. "

10.3.12 - Designing the grid for renewables | SmartPlanet - Great post on grid management. Opponents to renewables have long argued that the US grid cannot handle the fluxes in generation capacity created by renewables. The author here points out that they have very effectively been able to mange variations in Europe, with existing grid infrastructure handling major inputs of renewable in very short time frames, while at the same time phasing out fossil fuel or nuclear generation. We too have the ability,perhaps just not the will.

9.30.12 -$50 Million for Clean Energy, Energy & Water Efficiency via California County's Residential PACE Program - cleantechnica.com. AB811 allows property owners to pay for permanentlay affixed energy and water efficient products and renewable energy systems through their property taxes.

9.28.12 - California Governor Signs 19 Renewable Energy Bills Into Law - treehugger.com.

9.26.12 - Virginia Tech, India center to launch solar and windmill research projects - vtnews.vt.edu. Virginia Tech and partner MARG Swarnabhoomi are opening a research center in southeastern India to bring renewable energy to rural india.

9.26.12 -Maryland's Clean Energy Economy: Innovation Powered by Progressive Policy - cleantechnica.com. "Maryland currently generates 6.7 percent of its energy from in-state renewables. Much of the state's future generation growth is projected to come from wind and solar, and we are on track to achieve a 20 percent by 2022 renewable portfolio standard (RPS)" Includes video highlighting clean energy innovators.

9.19.12 - Romney Gets a Wind Power Tax Credit Smackdown from Starbucks, Yahoo!, & Others - cleantechnica.com. Thank You: Starbucks, Yahoo, Ben & Jerry's, Johnson & Johnson, the Portland Trailblazers and 14 other american corporate icons for sending a letter to congress this week urging the extension of the wind power production tax credit.

9.18.12 - Sun-drenched Southwest needs more transmission lines to become nation's solar powerhouse - washingtonpost.com. NREL reports that renewable energy could supply 80% of electricity demand in the US by 2050, but in order for that to happen the aging transmission infrastructure needs to be upgraded. Transmission capacity is already an issue. In Arizona, the system will be overloaded by only half the projects in the works and in the North East, the lack of capacity has limited wind development.

9.18.12 - Renewable standards boosted 'green' energy. Are storage standards next? - csmonitor.com. California is looking to create the nation's first grid scale energy storage portfolio standard. The utilities are not on board but as the author notes: "Given that GE (NYSE: GE) is now working on a grid-scale battery technology, given how much GE's wind business has benefited from the expansion of RPS policies over the last decade, and given how active GE tends to be in energy policy circles, it's not a stretch to think that there will be a push for SPS-like policies" across the U.S."

9.13.12 - NWF's new report - The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy: Time for Action to Create Jobs, Reduce Pollution, Protect Wildlife & Secure America's Energy Future - nwf.org. National Wildlife Federation's just released report highlights the need to develop offshore wind energy resources that could cleanly power 14 million homes while creating 300,000 jobs and generating $200 billion in economic activity.

9.13.12 - Energy democracy: Three ways to bring solar to the masses - grist.org. Good overview of Leasing, Power purchase agreements and community solar programs.

9.12.12 -The 'Silent Green Revolution' Underway at the Department of Energy - theatlantic.com. NRDC report highlights the significant economic benefits experienced by communities that develop wind and calls for extension of PTC.

9.11.12 - Freeing the Grid - freeingthegrid.org. "Today the Vote Solar Initiative (Vote Solar) and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) released our official 2012 findings for Freeing the Grid, a policy report that grades all 50 states on two key programs: net metering and interconnection procedures."

9.9.12 - The 'Silent Green Revolution' Underway at the Department of Energy - theatlantic.com. Author interviews Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine reporter and author of a book on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Grunwald highlights the endeavors of a little known agency created as part of the stimulus: ARPA-E which researches and invests (through loan guarantees) in emerging renewable technologies. Regarding Solyndra, it is noted: " A review led by John McCain's finance chairman found that overall, the $40 billion loan portfolio is doing fine; it's got reserves to cover half a dozen Solyndra-style failures, and it's financing the world's largest wind farm, a half dozen of the world's largest solar farms, America's first cellulosic biofuel refineries, and much more. The larger point is that the stimulus isn't really picking winners and losers in the traditional sense; it's picking the game of clean energy, and financing thousands of different entrepreneurial and technological approaches to the problem, so that the market can pick the winners and losers."

9.9.12 - Town Partners on First Solar Farm - carycitizen.com. Very smart - Cary, NC is partnering with FLS Energy, the company will install and maintain the system and pay the town $35,000 a year to lease the South Cary water reclamation facility site. Enough energy is expected to be produced to power 174 homes. Every community should be jumping on the band wagon. And they are in many states. Unfortunately in Virginia, this type of innovation by private companies has been mired in legalities that seemingly give Dominion a power monopoly.

9.12.12 - Typical Wind Farm Supports Nearly 1,100 Jobs; Adds Millions of Dollars to Local Communities - evwind.es. NRDC report highlights the significant economic benefits experienced by communities that develop wind and calls for extension of PTC.

9.7.12 - The Renewable Energy Components of the Democratic and Republican Platforms - biomassmagazine.com. Great review of renewable energy policy. "When you take an objective look at the information actually contained within the platform papers, the Democratic Party clearly offers far more detail of its support of renewable energy and how it will help advance the sector."

9.5.12 - For a Look at the Future of U.S. Energy, Go to Texas - triplepundit.com. New Leaf Energy, a division of energy giant Direct Energy in Texas, will offer 100% Texas produced renewable energy to consumers. It is expected to cost about $25 more per month.

9.4.12 - Drought-Stricken Farms Have 1 Lifeline — Wind Power - cleantechnica.com. There is a lot more room for growth in the wind industry. If the PTC is extended, the industry will continue to grow and support rural economies. According to the author, "More than 98 percent of wind turbines are located on farms, ranches and other private lands. And the industry pays out more than $400 million a year to property owners and local tax collectors, according to the Washington-based trade group, the American Wind Energy Association."

9.4.12 - Make Fannie Pull a U-turn for Solar (Take Action) - cleantechnica.com. Follow the included link to support property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing programs. PACE programs were very successful supporting the growth of rooftop solar, but FHFA rules ended their use without due process. FHFA now has to go through the the proper process and receive public input. You have until the 13 of this month to let them know your thoughts.

9.1.12 - Why Do We Hold Renewable Energy to a Different Standard than Fossil Fuels & Nuclear Energy - cleantechnica.com. We don't. "According to a recent report from the venture capital firm DBL Investors, the U.S. coal, oil, gas, and nuclear industries have cumulatively taken in more than $630 billion in tax credits, land grants, R&D programs, and direct investments from the government. That far surpasses the roughly $50 billion in government renewable energy investments (wind, solar PV, solar thermal, geothermal, biofuels) through these same mechanisms over the decades"

Wind:

For more news and the most up to date clips, visit the TidewaterCurrent Snip.it collection.

Marine Propulsion – Is Wind back on the Horizon? - Tidewater Current | Fall 2012 - 90% of global trade is transported on vessels burning high polluting fuels. Wind is a benign and readily available resource on the high seas that innovative ship designers are looking to harness in new projects. See more snips in Clean - Eco Transport collection.

DISTRIBUTED WIND POLICY COMPARISON TOOL - eformativeoptions.com. "As part of a project funded by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Policy Tool uses a dashboard-interfaced pro forma financial model to calculate the impact rebates, tax credits, feed-in tariffs (FITS) and other incentives and policies have on project economics."

12.7.12 - New Ducted Wind Generator Design Claims Higher Output, Lower Costs - treehugger.com. "In SheerWind's device wind is channeled to create higher velocities for energy production. " several demo units are being field tested near their facility in Chaska, Minnesota, and are currently collecting data on their operation and efficiency. The company also says that utility-scale demonstration units are planned for this year. "

12.5.12 - Bird Migration Corridors in Connection with Offshore Wind - usgs.gov. Public Lecture Series: Science in Action - Wednesday, December 5, 2012, 7:00 PM - Title: A Bird's Eye View: Offshore Wind Energy By: Alicia Berlin, Ph.D. and Allan O'Connell, Ph.D. - lectures can be followed live via our @USGSLive Twitter account.

12.5.12 - U.S. Offshore Wind Market Becoming 'Real' With European Interest - businessweek.com. The Dept. of Interior announced lease auctions for waters offshore of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia. "Developers including Spain's Iberdrola SA (IBE), Electricite de France SA and Ireland's Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd., have filed official "indications of interest" for the first competitive lease auction for U.S. offshore wind farms, scheduled for next year."

12.3.12 - New Radar System Can Tell Planes and Wind Turbines Apart - treehugger.com. "Traditional radar detects aircraft using a rotating antenna that horizontally sweeps a radar beam at regular seconds-long intervals to pick up any objects, but the new Holographic Radar system uses a stationary array that receives radar signals from all directions continuously."

12.3.12 - GE Experiments With Cloth-Covered Wind Turbine Blades - earthtechling.com. "GE is developing a fabric-covered blade design that could substantially lower the overall cost of building a wind turbine....According to GE, this new blade design could reduce blade costs 25%-40%, making wind energy as economical as fossil fuels without government subsidies. The $5.6M ARPA-E project will span three years. GE's blade architecture will be built to achieve a 20 year life with no regular maintenance to tension fabrics required."

11.29.12 - Texas Grid Sets New Wind Power Record & Aims Much Higher - cleantechnica.com. "Earlier this month, Texas set a new record for the percentage of electricity generated by wind power, a staggering 26 percent of total supply across the state's main grid system."

11.25.12 -Wind turbines popping up at some Virginia schools - pilotonline.com. The turbines were built as part of James Madison University's Wind for Schools program.

11.20.12- Five ways wind power can survive without tax credit extension - csmonitor.com. Historically cheap money for financing a low risk product commodity everyone needs, among other things, will likely keep the industry alive if the PTC is not extended,

11.15.12 - Wind Farm Withstands Sandy's Wrath | OnEarth Magazine - Ocean City, NJ - Turbines survived Sandy without a problem and could likely survive stronger winds by "using a combination of automatic brakes, strong foundations, and other adaptations, modern turbines can survive wind speeds of 120-135 mph...some manufacturers make turbines that can withstand even higher winds for deployment in hurricane-prone areas."

11.14.12 - Winds of economic change - Three New England farms on track to begin operations before the end of the year promise to bring clean energy, tax revenue, and jobs to economically hard-hit regions - The Boston Globe - "The projects not only put people to work in rural communities," said Paul Gaynor, chief executive of First Wind, the Boston company that developed Blue Sky East, "they also generate tax revenues for small towns to help keep taxes down and pay for important community priorities."

11.13.12 - Wind Power Revolution: The World's First Timber Turbine - designbuildsource.au. Made with 99% renewable resources, the 100 meter tall German turbine has a long service life and is easy to erect and dismantle. "The Hanover turbine will now undergo a testing phase with the aim to be supplying current by the end of 2012....Meanwhile, a 140-metre tower is also in development. The extra height should allow the turbine to generate between 30 and 40 per cent more electricity than on a conventional mast, while construction cost would be 20 per cent lower."

11.6.12 - Cuba's Two Wind Farms Survive Hurricane Sandy - Forbes - "Both of those wind farms were hit by hurricane Sandy with wind speeds of up to 110 miles per hour and neither of them had any major damage and continued to provide electricity for the local grid."

11.4.12 - Hurricane Sandy's impact on wind turbines minimal - evwind.es. Some sites have not yet been assessed, but over 2/3 of facilities report only minor damage.

11.1.12- Kite power getting off the ground in Germany - gizmag.com. "kite power station" would see kites attached to cables measuring around 700 meters (2,297 ft) long, which would allow the kites to fly at heights of 300 to 500 meters (984 to 1,640 ft). Unlike the "Flygen" systems that have the turbines built into the kite, the NTS system would tether the cables to vehicles on the ground that are pulled around a circuit on rails by the power of the wind. The kinetic energy of the vehicles is then converted into electricity by way of a generator."

10.31.12 - New Eggbeater VAWT Design Claims 35% More Power than Competitors - treehugger.com. "The DARWIND5's new advanced airfoil, blade shape, and Smart Pitch Angle Regulation "SPAR" system combine to deliver quiet, responsive power generation in low mount turbulent wind sites where no other competitor dares to go. 35% MORE KILOWATT Hours than the same priced, same sized leading competitor at a 25% lower mount height." - Harvistor"

10.30.12 - Pattern Energy begins operations at first commercial wind energy project in Puerto Rico - evwind.es. "Finca de Viento Santa Isabel wind farm will produce up to 95 MW, enough to power the equivalent of 30,000 average homes."

10.30.12 - E.ON Climate & Renewables secures financing for Texas wind farm - The Sacramento Bee - J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo invest in $223.6 million deal.

10.26.12 - Investors Worth $800 Billion Lobby for Wind Energy Tax Credit - evwind.es. Wind industry blames Congresses (namely the Republican opposition therein) for layoffs. Refusal to renew the PTC has created economic uncertainty and put a hold on project development. The PTC is responsible or the creation of some 75,000 jobs and some $20 million in private investments in the industry are held by Americans. These investors, who stand to lose a lot, are now appealing to Congress. Unlike the appeals made in defense of industry workers, maybe this groups' concerns will be heard.

10.25.12 - Japan takes leap into offshore wind power - japantimes. " A new wind turbine stands 3 km off Choshi, Chiba Prefecture"

10.23.12 - Sway Turbine has developed a 10 MW offshore wind turbine, named the ST10 - evwind.es. Innovatively designed low weight mega offshore turbine reduces cost by 15-20%."

10.23.12 - Radar technology can solve wind energy aviation issues - evwind.es. "Cambridge Airport in the south-east of England has signed a deal to use so-called 3D holographic radar technology. Its creators claim that the technology is the first of its kind that can reliably discriminate between wind turbines and aircraft based on differences in their behaviour."

10.19.12 - You Don't Need A Weatherman… - earthtechling.com. In Virginia Beach at the AWEA's 2012 Offshore Wind Power Conference "AWC announced the findings of a report showing that with the construction of 7 GW of offshore wind capacity (enough to power over 2 million homes), over 170,000 jobs would be created in the region, adding $19 billion to US GDP and federal, state and local revenues by $4.6 billion. That breaks down to 70,000 direct jobs in manufacturing components; 40,000 jobs along the supply chain; and 50,000 jobs from the induced economic impact."

10.19.12 - Modern Day Don Quixotes Fight to Save Wind Power Tax Credit - cleantechnica.com. Military veteran group called Operation Free is lobbying for extension of the wind tax credit. "Their support of wind power is based on the national security threat posed by oil dependency, a threat that is bound to intensify unless the U.S. gets serious about transitioning to more secure and reliable forms of energy"

10.18.12 - Offshore wind energy development sees boom in Fujian - evwind.es. "According to the International Energy Agency, wind energy will make the largest contribution to global renewable power by 2017, with China leading offshore wind power growth. ...According to its national plan, China's installed capacity is expected to reach 5 gigawatts between 2011 and 2015 and jump to 30 gW by 2020." With major projects generating power for years and underway in Europe, it's hard to fathom why the offshore wind industry is not growing our economy too.

10.16.12 - Portable 50kW Wind Turbine Unveiled (Video) - cleantechnica.com. "What makes this new turbine stand out is the fact that it can literally fold itself back into a container the size of a standard 40′ ISO shipping container and be driven to its destination with a tow truck."

October 9-11 - American Wind Energy Association Offshore WindPower Conference & Exhibition

FREE EVENT - Town Hall Meeting -Offshore Wind: A "Wind - Win" for Virginia - Sierra Club - Thursday, October 11, 2012, 7:00-8:30pmVirginia Aquarium IMAX Theater717 General Booth Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA - RSVP required.

10.8.12 - Creating a Hybrid Hydro-Wind System on a Spanish Island - renewableenergyworld.com. Wind and pumped storage facility under construction on El Hierro is expected to replace 65% of the energy produced by transported (expensive) diesel.

10.8.12 - Virginia targets ocean wind area with survey, met towers - rechargenews.com. "The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) has submitted an application to BOEM to lease four small blocks within the offshore area for research that will include installation of two new meteorological towers. The towers will include platforms to monitor wind speeds, water levels, waves, and bird and bat activities within and around the area before and after wind farms are built there."

10.4.12 - New, scalable wind turbine design makes debut : CompositesWorld - This is one technology to watch. The conical sail like shape of the Windstrument ranges from 1-4 ft in diameter and operates in wind speeds as low as 2 mph. It is made using recycled plastics and is claimed to provide energy at costs lower than coal while also being bird friendly.

10.3.12 - Gamechanging Vestas V164 Wind Turbine Continues Groundbreaking Development (8MW Wind Turbine!) - cleantechnica.com. The offshore turbine should be ready for installation in 2014.

9.26.12 - Va. betting on offshore wind - delawareonline.com. "Virginia is seeking to survey a vast expanse of the ocean floor and document wind, waves and wildlife offshore to smooth the way for development of wind turbines by energy companies."

9.26.12 - Greenpeace Energy Turns Wind Power into Gas Power - cleantechnica.com. Through electrolysis water is converted to hydrogen using excess wind energy.

9.25.12 - High-Altitude Wind Energy: Huge Potential — And Hurdles - cleantechies.com. "Proponents say, however, that in some ways high-altitude wind power could end up being easier to deploy — and cheaper — than traditional wind energy. Construction costs will be markedly diminished with no need for giant steel and concrete towers, and there will be no need for the yaw mechanism that keeps standard turbines facing into the wind as wind direction changes."

9.21.12 - Facing many challenges, wind power is shrinking - bendbulletin.com. Major turbine manufacturers, like Gamesa, Siemens and Vestas are laying off workers. Likewise, so are supporting industries, like component manufacturers and tower builders. The extension of the PTC could have prevented this.

9.18.12 - Siemens Develops More Efficient Wind Turbine Blades Based on Dinosaurs! - inhabitat.com. The new designs are being developed to increase efficiency and reduce noise on older turbines.

9.14.12 - Power East Coast via wind? Doable with 144,000 offshore turbines, study says - nbcnews.com. Good national coverage. The authors are not suggesting that all these turbines be sited off the coast from Virginia to Maine, but half that might be a realistic expectation.

9.13.12 - NWF's new report - nwf.org. The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy: Time for Action to Create Jobs, Reduce Pollution, Protect Wildlife & Secure America's Energy Future. - National Wildlife Federation's just released report highlights the need to develop offshore wind energy resources that could cleanly power 14 million homes while creating 300,000 jobs and generating $200 billion in economic activity.

9.13.12 - Wind energy at Cape Cod to save $1 million a year - af.mil. "Air Force Space Command is preparing to install two 1.6 megawatt utility-scale wind turbines at Cape Cod Air Force Station, Mass., located at the Massachusetts Military Reservation. The new turbines will be similar to these two already in place at the MMR and will offset more than 50 percent of the station's annual electrical purchases."

9.10.12 - The Earth Has Enough Wind Energy Potential To Power All Of Civilization - businessinsider.com. Not one but two recently published scholarly reports find that there is the potential for wind to provide 10-20 times the energy needed on earth. The issue is cost. Links included to the reports.

9.5.12 - UGE's New Hybrid Sanya Streetlight Goes Off-Grid For Big Savings - inhabitat.com. Urban Green Energy of NYC is launching their new Sanya street light with the installation of 100 units near Beijing.

9.4.12 - Japanese consortium to invest £962m in offshore wind power | Energy and Environmental Management (EAEM) Magazine. The Wind Lens designers estimate the device can provide 2-3 times the energy than a typical turbine and the base is modular so the farm can easily be enlarged.

9.4.12 -Drought-Stricken Farms Have 1 Lifeline — Wind Power - cleantechnica.com. There is a lot more room for growth in the wind industry. If the PTC is extended, the industry will continue to grow and support rural economies. According to the author, "More than 98 percent of wind turbines are located on farms, ranches and other private lands. And the industry pays out more than $400 million a year to property owners and local tax collectors, according to the Washington-based trade group, the American Wind Energy Association."

9.4.12 - Japanese consortium formed for new offshore wind push - rechargenews.com. "Hitachi-Zosen, Toshiba and five other Japanese companies are planning to build "several hundred" megawatts of offshore wind farms over the next decade."

9..3.12 - Cleveland State University wind turbines at Progressive Field are overachievers - cleveland.com. Corkscrew device lights up ball park stadium at night and deflects wind into the turbines generating more than 4 times the energy than if the turbines were sited alone.

Solar:

For the most up to date news and even more clips,visit the TidewaterCurrent Snip.it collection.

12.6.12 - Scientists develop solar PV fabric using energy generating thread > Data > Research - Click Green - "For the first time, a silicon-based optical fibre with solar-cell capabilities has been developed that has been shown to be scalable to many meters in length. The research opens the door to the possibility of weaving together solar-cell silicon wires to create flexible, curved, or twisted solar fabrics. The findings by an international team of chemists, physicists, and engineers, led by John Badding, a professor of chemistry at Penn State University, have been published today."

12.5.12 - Sunrun Bringing $0 Upfront Home Solar To Long Island - cleantechnica.com. "Sunrun's efforts to offer solar service to more homeowners was successful with the cooperation of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which opened doors to such solar service so that more homeowners could access clean power while supporting local jobs."

12.4.12 - THE SPEEDWELL CONSERVATION CAROUSEL - nationalzoo.si.edu. National Zoo Solar Powered Carousel Opens in Washington.

12.1.12 - Solar Power Saves Delaware Town Taxpayer Dollars « earthtechling.com. - "Already in the first six months of operation, the solar array has saved the town about $6,100 in energy costs compared to the building's prior year of utility costs — a savings that is more than the array's projected annual savings."

11.30.12 - Solar Gives Marines In Afghanistan Needed Assurance - earthtechling.com. "The Marines now report that a logistics regiment has installed several Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy Network Systems (GREENS) – solar arrays with rechargeable batteries that can put out 300 watts of electricity – to provide critically needed backup power in Regional Command Southwest, an area of operations that includes Helmand and Nimroz provinces in Afghanistan."

11.29,12 - Virginia regulators OK Dominion solar project - cnbc.com. "Dominion plans to build and operate up to 30 megawatts of company-owned solar generation facilities at various locations by leasing rooftops of commercial, industrial, and public government buildings. The project would generate enough electricity to power about 6,000 homes during peak daylight hours."

11.27.12 - Solar Cost Comes Down, Down, Down - solarnovus.com. "The average cost of going solar in the US continued to decrease significantly in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to a report released today by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory."

11.26.12 - Blackouts Show the Bright Side of Rooftop Solar | OnEarth Magazine - A hybrid system that is tied to the grid but has a battery back will continue to operate when the power goes out, but it is more expensive. Still those folks who had battery back up after Sandy (some highlighted in the article) were pretty happy.

11.26.12 - High Concentration Solar Power Gets Test Run At Edwards Air Force Base - cleantechnica.com. "According to Semprius, overall, its HCPV module has achieved world record efficiencies up to 33.9 percent, at least double the efficiency of several other modules. As a further boost for the U.S., Semprius is manufacturing its innovative solar technology inside country borders (in Henderson, NC)."

11.26.12 - Landfills & Brownfields Become America's Energy Sites for Solar Arrays - renewableenergyworld.com. "A developing trend has been to utilize this land and construct a solar photovoltaic (PV) array on the surface. These solar landfill caps are in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, California, and Georgia."

11.25.12 - U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan Give You 5 Good Reasons to Support Solar Power - cleantechnica.com. Solar is less expensive than fuel in remote regions, aircraft and trucks diverted for fuel deliveries are freed up for other missions, it provides better quality energy to power up sophisticated electronics than diesel generators and they are easier to transport.

11.24.12 - Concentrated Photovoltaics (CPV) That Can Deliver $60/MWh? - cleantechnica.com. "The RayGen technology is based on a similar principle to that of Solar Systems, where the latter is using big dishes to focus the power of the sun on a receiver, RayGen proposes to use heliostats (or mirrors) to direct the sunlight. Cart says this delivers a 50 per cent reduction in the mass versus competing technologies and should give it a manufacturing cost of less than $1 a watt. He says this will translate into an LCOE of $50-$60/MWh."

11.21.12 - SEIA Applauds Georgia Power Solar Roadmap (Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative) - cleantechnica.com. "the company intends to create one of the nation's largest voluntarily-developed solar portfolios by an investor-owned utility."

11.16.12 - Around 14.000 new solar jobs created in the USA during 2012 - solarplaza.com.Link to the Solar Job Census Report released today. Report prepared by the Solar Foundation and BW Research with assistance from Cornell University.

11.15.12 - Solar panels will be installed on 4,700 homes at Ft. Bliss - examiner.com. Texas - "This project is the first and largest phase of a 5-year plan to build more than $1 billion in solar energy systems for up to 120,000 military homes throughout the United States. "

11.11.12 - Using rust and water to store solar energy as hydrogen - phys.org. "Kevin Sivula and his colleagues purposefully limited themselves to inexpensive materials and easily scalable production processes in order to enable an economically viable method for solar hydrogen production. The device, still in the experimental stages, is described in an article published in the journal Nature Photonics."

11.9.12 - Amenergy files to bring utility-scale PV project in NC - cleanenergyautority.com. The New Mexico based company has filed an application with the North Carolina Utilities Commission for a 21.5 MW project near Asheville.

11.7.12 - Solar Power Tower Going Up In South Africa - earthtechling.com. Includes info on other projects in Spain, US and China.

11.7.12 - Largest Solar Power Neighborhood In Southwest Built In New Orleans - cleantechnica.com. 8 block area home to 420 kW of solar electric production.

11.6.12 - Bayonne school stays in power after Sandy: thanks to a solar system from Flemington company - nj.com. The lights at the school stayed on, however, because of its unique solar backup system.

11.6.12 - Greenpeace uses solar to bring power to Sandy victims - cleanenergyauthority.com. Greenpeace's solar truck is "Parked at a storefront at the corner of Rockaway Beach Boulevard and 113th Street, the solar truck is the only spot with electricity for several blocks."

11.5.12 - Solar: America's Fastest Growing Job-Creation Engine? - Forbes. Solar Foundation's annual Jobs Census indicates that the solar industry has added 13,800 jobs so far this year, a growth rate of 13%. The author notes that solar "is amongst the fastest – if not the fastest – growing sectors in the U.S. economy."

10.31.12 - New Solar Module Efficiency Record Set, 33.5% Efficiency - cleantechnica.com. "The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) tested the module back in May, confirming "an outdoor operating efficiency rating of 33.5%"

10.31.12 - Sol Design Lab grows artistic solar charging station business - cleanenergyauthority.com. Marketing only at music festivals, a young entrepreneur is selling solar bike and electronic charging stations. The stations are located in Amherst and Cape Cod, Mass., San Francisco and Austin.

10.29.12 - Solar Project Saves Music Programs in California School District - cleantechnica.com. "The newly installed SolarCity systems at Firebaugh High School, Middle School, and Hazel Bailey Elementary will allow the district to pay less for clean solar power than it would for fossil fuel utility power. The district is expected to save more than $900,000 in the systems' first five years of operation, and several million over the life of the system."

10.25.12 - Sun + air = solar-powered electricity at SDSU- cleanenergyauthority.com. "Researchers at San Diego State University (SDSU) are developing a concentrating solar power (CSP) technology that superheats air to power a generator. The technology is being developed as an alternative to water-based CSP systems, which need water sources, despite the fact that their ideal location is in the desert."

10.25.12 - Sunseeker team building a two-passenger solar-powered airplane - gizmag.com. "the Sunseeker Duo is still a work-in-progress, and in order to help bring the project to completion, the Sunseeker team has turned to Kickstarter to raise funds. If all goes to plan, project leader Eric Raymond aims to make a series of flights worldwide, beginning with a circumnavigation of the Americas, with the goal of highlighting the benefits of solar technology."

10.23.12 - Top Ten US Solar States - solarnovus.com. "Consistency in policy is key to encouraging solar development and private financial investment, but the top states have also shown an ability to adapt their policies; adjust incentives, be open to creative new policies"Top Ten US Solar States -

10.22.12 - On the Way to 1 Million Solar Roofs: Los Angelenos Can't Get Enough Solar Power - cleantechnica.com. "Altogether, these solar projects will prevent about 955,000 metric tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere each year."

10.19.12 - Norfolk Home to Virginia's Largest Solar Array - Tidewater Current | Fall 2012 - 2 MW project scheduled to go online by the end of the year.

10.19.12- Largest Transparent Photovoltaic Roof in the US - cleantechnica.com. ""A special process provides the semitransparent solar cells with square cut-out openings. This leads to transparency levels of around 10 percent. The staggered arrangement of the solar cells in individually manufactured solar glass modules leads to additional transparency for daylight. The result is an aesthetic solar roof as a multifunctional solution: it not only protects against environmental influences but also uses existing surfaces for the production of renewable energy while rendering natural lighting and shading possible.""

10.18.12 - SolarCity scores first utility deal, and why that's important - gigaom.com. "Kauai is one of the Hawaiian islands and is home to nearly 68,000 residents. It's set a goal of generating renewable energy to meet 50 percent of its needs by2023. The project announced Thursday will be one of the three solar farms, totaling 30 MW, that are being developed by the Kauai utility."

10.12.12 - Obama Administration Approves Roadmap for Solar Power on Public Lands - evwind.es. "The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for solar energy development provides a blueprint for utility-scale solar energy permitting in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah by establishing solar energy zones with access to existing or planned transmission, incentives for development within those zones, and a process through which to consider additional zones and solar projects."

10.10.12 - Running on sunshine: how to charge your electric car with solar panels - csmonitor.com. "Since going solar and electric motive transport, our monthly electricity cost has average only $13, as this is the basic connect fee that PG&E charges to be on the grid,"...AND with "time of use" metering for charging the cars at specific off-peak times, we have Zero energy costs for powering the cars,

10.8.12 - Colorado Schools Will Cut Carbon Emissions Dramatically with Solar - sustainablog.org. 5,000 panels will be installed on 14 Boulder schools by SolarCity eliminating 110 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. When completed, over half of Boulder's schools will be solar powered

Hampton Roads Solar Tour - 10/6-10/7/2012 - Free 2 day tour is part of the American Solar Energy Society's National Tour. October 6 - the Southside and Gloucester and October 7 - the Peninsula. 10:00 am - 4:00 pm - Registration required at hrsolartour.com. Info.

10.5.12 - Walmart, Costco among top solar-using companies - csmonitor.com. Here are the top 10 retail giants in terms of capacity:Walmart, Costco, Kohl's, IKEA, Macy's, McGraw Hill, Johnson & Johnson, Staples, Inc, Campbell's Soup, Walgreens

10.5.12 - Avatar Director Installs Net-Zero Studio - sustainablebusiness.com. James Cameron's Manhattan Beach studios are covered with 3,692 solar panels.

10.3.12 - US Military Support for Solar Energy- solarnovus.com. "The US military is leading by example. It's helping the US become more energy independent, and it's also fighting for civilians to be able to more easily access solar power."

9.28.12 - San Diego Zoo Embraces Social Innovation By Installing Electric Vehicle Solar Charges - justmeans.com. 10 solar canopies will produce 90 kW of energy and support 5 EV charging stations. "Using new battery social innovation technology, a 100-kW energy storage system will be charged by the solar canopies and used to offset power demands on the grid to charge the vehicles. When the battery charging is complete, the excess solar energy that is generated will be released into the electric grid to benefit the surrounding community." See more in the Clean - Eco Transport Collection.

9.21.12 - Catholic U says parking lot solar panels gives it region's largest solar power installation - washingtonpost.com. 700 solar panels were installed under a power purchase agreement from Washington Gas Energy Systems.

9.27.12 - Georgia Finally Getting Some Solar Energy - sustainablebusiness.com. "Under the Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative, Georgia Power is targeting 210 MW of solar by 2015, enough to supply 20,000 households....The timing of its announcement is especially interesting, coming just days after a startup, Georgia Solar Utilities, petitioned the state to be registered as a regulated utility – it would compete with Georgia Power and would concentrate entirely on selling solar-generated electricity directly to customers."

9.25.12 - Why We Pay Double for Solar in America (But Won't Forever) - cleantechnica.com. Good News, its just red tape that could be addressed with better policy. Read the full article for the disparity in costs experienced by US and German consumers.

9.23.12 - Apple to build another 200 acre solar farm in North Carolina - greenerideal.com. With the first 100 acre solar facility at it's data center almost complete, another 220 site has been purchased nearby for even more generating capacity.

9.22.12 - Hampton Roads gets solar-powered trash cans - wtvr.com. Solar is powering all kinds of devices, including traffic lights, parking meters and now trash cans. The solar power operates a trash compactor which reduces the frequency and resources needed to empty the cans.

9.17.12 - Why OPEC Likes Solar Power - wsj.com. The Saudis plan to fulfill 1/3 of their energy requirements with solar by 203so they can sell more oil.

9.14.12 - Can Integrated Photovoltaics Boost The Construction Industry? - designbuildsource.com.au. Pike Research reports that the BIPV market will quadruple by 2017.

9.13.12 - SPI 2012: President Bill Clinton addresses the solar industry - solarnovus.com. What American need to know: 100,000 people work in the solar industry and even in the economic downturn the industry is growing at 8% and "$22 is still being spent for coal, oil and nuclear for every $1 spent on our clean energy future"

9.13.12 - Sunshine for sale: Co-op offers shares in new solar farm [Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.] - Overview of solar generation in Tennessee highlighting a great new cooperative solar purchase program. For $600, folks can participate in solar power production without the need to install anything on their own property and the return on the investment comes back at $.22/kWh. "The arrangement between Duck River and the Tennessee Valley Authority is a first-of-its-kind pilot program developed between a local power company and the federal utility that qualifies for TVA's Generation Partners Program, according to Duck River and TVA officials."

9.12.12 - Electric Airplane Maker Unveils Solar-Charging Trailer | Autopia | Wired.com- PC Aero of Germany unveils solar powered airplane with it's solar charging trailer at the Berlin Air Show. The company claims the plane has a range of 600 miles at a cruise speed of 90 mph.

9.10.12 - Canadian Solar to Brighten North Carolina Energy Picture - designbuildsource.ca. "Canadian Solar will handle delivery of the Laurinburg Solar Farm project, partnering with Mortenson Construction, which will take care of installation, engineering and design.All told, the site will generate roughly 3,483 megawatt/hours of clean solar energy per year. That will allow it to power 300 homes from its 10-acre site."

9.7.12 - 2012 Solar Decathlon Europe: The teams, round one - mnn.com. The US is not represented in this event, but there are some vey worthwhile entrants. Videos included. For more on eco homes visit the Sustainable Design-Green Building Collection.

9.4.12 - Interactive map shows potential for rooftop solar energy in New York City - evwind.es. According to CUNY, 40% of peak electrical demand could be meet if all of the city's suitable rooftops (some 2/3 of rooftops) sported solar panels.

Marine/Hydro:

For the most up to date news, view recent snips at the TidewaterCurrent Snip.it collection.

11.26.12 - Spain Hopes For Economic Boost With Wave-Powered Electricity Plant - keranews.org. Fishing village in Spain uses oscillating water columns installed with within a breakwater to generate electricity. When the wave break, air is forced into a chamber and spins turbines.

11.23.12 EWP to build its first commercial-scale wave energy harvesting system in China - gizmag.com. Eco Wave Power is partnering with the Ocean University of China for the construction of a commercial-scale development.

11.14.12 - Wave power to be tested next year - bbc.co.uk. Trident's pods are designed to be attached to offshore wind turbines, increasing the capacitygenerated from offshore farms .

11.9.12 - Australia - Plans To Make Wave Energy Commercially Viable - designbuildsource.au. "The Port Fairy pilot demonstration project, which follows an extensive six-year research and development program, is currently entering the construction stage. It will test the bioWAVE technology at an ocean site located 850 metres from shore in 30-metre deep water, with power delivered to the national electricity grid via a subsea cable." And now the company has just forged a deal with Chinese Shanghai Electric Generation Group to bring the technology into commercial application. See more in Energy-Marine/Hydro collection.

11.6.12 - Shetland's waves excite developers - shetnews.co.uk. Sweeden's Vattenfall looks to develop wave power six miles off Bigton in the Shetland Islands if Scotland.

11.1.12 - Plugging in to wave power - thisiscornwall.co.uk. Ireland's Ocean Energy's Buoy wave energy converter has applied for the first license to plug into Cornwall's wave hub which will feed electricity to the grid.

Video - Oregon Wave Energy Trust Youtube explores wave/ocean energy research and testing at Oregon State University Wave tanks and in ocean testing of various devices.- youtube.com

10.30.12 - Mexico's Marersa Offers Wave Power to Region - renewableenergyworld.com. "Marersa is seeking patents for the technology which it developed to build its first three megawatt wave plant at Rosarita, in Baja California, about 15 miles south of Tijuana. The plant operates at close to 85 percent efficiency and was built for the equivalent cost of $2 million per megawatt, excluding the sea wall cost, he says."

10.23.12 - Underwater Turbines Help To Power The City That Never Sleeps - earthtechling.com. Virginia based Verdant Power plans to install 30 turbines in NYC's East River over the next five years. According to the author: "Verdant staff keep an eye on the underwater turbines and any interactions with fish and other wildlife. It's an impressive monitoring operation, and one that Verdant will maintain"

10.22.12 - Wave Power Concept Pitches Jersey Beach Town - earthtechling.com. Point Pleasant Beach, NJ investigating Clean Wave Energy's device which uses the energy in waves to pump pressurized water ashore where it spins turbines to generate electricity.

10.19.12 - Wave Power Gets A Test On The Other Coast - earthtechling.com. Neptune Power tests prototype point absorber wave device in the Atlantic at University of New Hampshire's offshore test site some six miles off the coast of Portsmouth.

10.16.12 - A New Green Energy Idea: Harvesting Deep Ocean Currents - spectrum.ieee.org. A group of companies are working to test a 1 MW turbine being built by Triton Energy Systems that captures the consistent energy found in deep ocean currents. The currents created from differences in temperature and salinity are strong and reliable and can be found within a couple of miles from shore.

10.15.12 - BioPower Systems, Wave Energy Company Forms Partnership With Large Chinese Industrial GroupPort Fairy, Victoria, Australia - cleantechnica.com. "The pilot demonstration project, designed to showcase the bioWAVE technology, is nearing its construction stage. Planned at an ocean site roughly 850 metres from shore in water about 30 meters deep, the electricity generated will be delivered to the national grid by a subsea cable. Current plans have the construction scheduled to begin during late 2013."

10.11.12 - Crown Estate OK's Ireland's First Tidal Energy Plant - renewableenergyworld.com. 100 MW hydrokinetic project approved on the north coast of Antrim. OpenHydro is testing a 2 MW unit off the the Brittany coast in France and a 1 MW unit is to be tested in the Puget Sound.

10.8.12 - Could the ocean's whopping tides help power Alaska? - alaskadispatch.com. Aleut tribal nonprofit recently receives $200,000 U.S. DoE grant to explore tidal energy. Ocean Renewable Co. is conducting research and collecting data on the volume and speed of water flowing by False Pass.

10.1.12 - Marine Energy Projects Pick Up Momentum - NYTimes. Good global overview of wave/tidal power. Numerous countries are pursuing the development of ocean energy sources and big players like Rolls Royce and Siemens are investing in the industry. The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $10 million to develop technology theorizing wave and tidal power could meet 15 percent of U.S. electricity needs by 2030. Energy is being transferred to the grid from a tidal generator being tested in Maine.

9.27.12 - What The Future Of Wave Energy Looks Like - Forbes - Author briefly highlights some of the technologies discussed at the Oregon Wave Energy Trust conference, some not mentioned in this collection before.

9.15.12 - New wave energy technology - environmentalresearchweb.org. Great review of several wave/tidal energy devices, some not covered here before. Links included.

9.14.12 - Ocean Energy Flows To U.S. Grid For First Time - earthtechling.com. Bangor, Maine - Bangor Hydro Electric Company confirms that energy is flowing from the Cobscook Bay Tidal project. Ocean Power Renewable Company anticipates that their TideGen, tidal generator, will provide enough energy to power 25-30 homes over the course of the year.

9.12.12 - Ocean Energy Flows To U.S. Grid For First Time - earthtechling.com. Bangor, Maine - Bangor Hydro Electric Company confirms that energy is flowing from the Cobscook Bay Tidal project. Ocean Power Renewable Company anticipates that their TideGen, tidal generator, will provide enough energy to power 25-30 homes over the course of the year.

9.10.12 - SeaGen Tidal Stream Turbine Proves It's Ready for Commercialization - cleantechnica.com. "Given SeaGen's performance, Siemens MCT is looking forward to future deployments and orders from other tidal power project developers. Two Seagen projects — the 8MW Kyle Rhea project in Scotland and the 10MW Anglesey Skerries project in Wales — are in the advanced stages of development."

9.7.12 - Wave energy test up and running on the Oregon coast - oregonlive.com. "The Wet-NZ wave energy device is bobbing in the Oregon surf, testing the potential for waves as a power source." The New Zealand device is undergoing a 5 week test and sending information to a data hub anchored nearby.

9.4.12 - AW-Energy Raises $9 Million to Commercialize Wave Power System - cleantechnica.com. 3 Finnish Wave Rollers installed off the coast of Portugal on the sea floor in August are being tested in a pilot project.

9.3.12 - £7.9m for Scottish Wave and Tidal Power - cleantechnica.com. Scottish government awards grants to 5 companies for pilot projects using very different technologies.

9.3.12 - Project Aims to Harness Wave Energy Off the Oregon Coast - nytimes.com. Great overview of the wave energy development along the Oregon Coast.

Grid, Storage and Transmission:

For more news and the most up to date clips, visit the TidewaterCurrent Snip.it collection.

11.29.12 - Electric Vehicles Enlisted For Military Base Grid Security - earthtechling.com. Fort Carson to integrate electric vehicles into the microgrid. Used for power storage when parked, they can provide energy to the grid when needed.

11.29.12 - Greener storage for green energy - nanowork.com. Chemists at Harvard are working on a new battery. "Called a flow battery, the technology offers the prospect of cost-effective, grid-scale electrical energy storage based on eco-friendly small organic molecules. Because practical implementation is a core driver for the program, the researchers are collaborating with Sustainable Innovations, LLC, a commercial electrochemical system developer."

11.29.12 - MHI and SSE Partner to Bring Cargo Container Battery Storage to Orkney Islands Power Grid - renewableenergyworld.com. "energy storage demonstration project that will use two 40-foot cargo containers full of thousands of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to store as much as 800 kWh of generated clean energy, with a maximum power output capacity of 2 megawatts"

11.20.12 - Community-Owned Transmission? - earthtechling.com. "Germans are committed to letting ordinary citizens reap the economic benefits of the "energy change," announcing a new plan to let citizens invest in transmission lines....The German concept would allow up to 15% community ownership in a transmission line, with a guaranteed return of 5% for local investors"

11.9.12 - The Secret to HVDC Grids: ABB Unveils HVDC Circuit Breaker - greentechmedia.com. "The power automation giant just announced that it has cracked the code on building circuit breakers for HVDC power lines"

11.16.12 - The battery that could power the world - CNN.com Video - Video - "MIT Professor Donald Sadoway explains the liquid metal battery and how it could change the way we store and use energy."
2 weeks ago

11.5.12 - Peter Thiel, Bill Gates, Khosla Get Behind Energy Storage Start-Up LightSail in $37M Deal - wsj.com. More news on Danielle Fong's Lightsail energy storage technology.

10.25.12 - WVU at leading edge of grid-scale energy storage - statejournal.com. WVU researchers are developing sodium-glass composite electrolytes for utility-scale batteries. The materials are ubiquitous and therefore less costly than materials used currently. In addition to supporting renewable energy's integration to the grid, the batteries can also reduce inefficiencies at fossil fuel plants.

10.17.12 - Linking the 3 main power grids in New Mexico will support the renewable energy industry. Producers and consumers will be able to sell and purchase power from anywhere. - enr.com.

10.16.12 - Storing That Power: Flywheels - revmodo.com. "Although the initial capital costs for these systems are higher than other battery systems, the flywheels take up less space and need much less maintenance than battery systems, which makes them cost-effective over their lifespan....The largest flywheel storage facility is a 20 megawatt plant at Stephentown, New York which is connected to the New York state grid."

10.9.12 - Regenerative air energy storage - energyharvestingjournal.com. Lightsail system will be available in late 2013 and the company claims it will be cheaper than batteries.

10.5.12 - Smooth Sailing for Wind Power with New Flow Battery… or Not - cleantechnica.com. "The new grid-scale flow batteries can store huge amounts of energy from wind turbines, which basically eliminates the herky-jerky, unpredictable nature of "raw" wind power straight from the skies and packages it into a steady, reliable stream. Unfortunately, that new battery could find itself all dressed up and nowhere to go, because "the usual suspects" in Congress are stalling a crucial tax credit for the U.S. wind power industry."

10.5.12 - World's 1st Intelligent Energy-Storage-Powered High Rise Unveiled at Barclay Tower - cleantechnica.com. The system can store 2 megawatt hours for release when demand and energy costs are high.

10.3.12 - Designing the grid for renewables | SmartPlanet- Great post on grid management. Opponents to renewables have long argued that the US grid cannot handle the fluxes in generation capacity created by renewables. The author here points out that they have very effectively been able to mange variations in Europe, with existing grid infrastructure handling major inputs of renewable in very short time frames, while at the same time phasing out fossil fuel or nuclear generation. We too have the ability,perhaps just not the will.

10.1.12 - Liquid air 'offers energy hope' - bbc.co.uk. "IMechE says "wrong-time" electricity generated by wind farms at night can be used to chill air to a cryogenic state at a distant location. When demand increases, the air can be warmed to drive a turbine.Engineers say the process to produce "right-time" electricity can achieve an efficiency of up to 70%."

9.26.12 - UK–Ireland Energy Cable Opens to Bolster Wind Power - cleantechnica.com. First step toward a European Super Grid.

9.25.12 - Compressed air may be solution to energy storage - thechronicleherald.ca. Nova Scotia, CA - Dartmouth-based Watts Wind is partnered with LightSail Canada Inc. of Halifax on a trial that will use a compressed air system. The technology, will take electricity produced by wind turbines and turn it into compressed air that is stored in metal tanks. When the energy is needed, a generator is used to convert it back into electricity that can be put on the grid.

9.25.12 - Storing That Power: Pumped Hydro - revmodo.com. This is the first in a multipart series covering storage technology needed for the widespread utilization of renewable energy. See more in Energy-Storage/Transmission collection.

9.12.12 - Areva Solar, US Sandia Labs Join Forces for CLFR Molten-Salt Storage - solarnovus.com. "The system draws molten salt from a cold (290°C, 554°F) tank, uses the temperature from the mirrors to heat it to as high as 550°C (1022°F) and passes that hot liquid to a separate tank for storage. When needed, the high-temperature molten salt passes through a heat exchanger to produce steam for electricity generation. "

9.11.12 - Iron-air batteries: 'Eco-friendly' storage solutions for renewable power - ecoseed.org. "Cheap, rechargeable and eco-friendly means to store energy from solar and wind power plants."

9.11.12 - Oregon BEST awards commercialization grants for green roofs, energy storage | Sustainable Business Oregon. Applied Exergy of Oregon is working with OSU to develop energy storage technology in ice slush. They technology is particularly favorable for use where waste heat is generated, such as data centers, which would use the heat to release energy.

Biomass & More

For more news and the most up to date clips, visit the TidewaterCurrent Energy-Bio or Out of the Box Snip.it collection.

12.11.12- Waste Wattage: Cities Aim to Flush Heat Energy Out of Sewers - nationalgeographic.com. Vancouver touts first big waste heat water recovery system in N. America. "In a sewage heat recovery system, a heat pump is used to capture the warmth of wastewater and transfer it to the clean water stream that is entering homes and businesses. It all operates as a closed-loop system, meaning that the dirty water never touches the clean water. But the warmth of the sewage water helps heat the water that is then used in showers, washing machines, dishwashers, or even in radiators to help heat buildings."

12.9.12 - New Urban Algae System Generates Energy While Cleaning Wastewater in Paris - inhabitat.com. Flat paneled algae harvesters have been placed on a buildings exterior in a pilot project to grow algae from building wastewater and then harvest the algae to power the building.

12.7.12 - Powering Up with Centralized Biodigesters for Dairy Farms - renewableenergyworld.com. The California Energy Commission is looking turn cow manure into energy. "It is technically feasible to produce about 150 megawatts of generation (enough to power about 70,000 homes) from manure through the use of biodigesters, according to a study from the California Biomass Collaborative. The California Air Resources Board further estimates that the potential for methane capture from dairies amounts to about 3.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide."

11.30.12 - Powered By Garden Waste: Groundbreaking Renewable Energy Technology - designbuildsource.com.au. Western Australia - 35,000 tonnes a year of organic waste (garden, food, dairy, poultry etc.) will be converted to biofuel.

11.25.12 - Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell generates electricity from living plants - gizmag.com. Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell technology developed at Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands does not utilize a fermentation process to create energy but instead taps energy emitted by living plant roots. The team has demonstrated the process.

11.19.12 - Microsoft building clean powered data center at waste water plant - gigaom.com. "Microsoft has unveiled details of an experimental small data center that it's building next to a waste water treatment plant in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The tiny data center will be powered by a fuel cell that uses biogas from the water facility"

11.22.12 - Good Vibes Used To Power Rail Infrastructure - earthtechling.com. A mechanical motion rectifier, uses vibrations on tracks to power signal lights, crossings gates and more.

10.24.12 - Why Sweden needs more trash | SmartPlanet - "The country has a successful waste-to-energy program. It produces energy from 2 million tons of waste each year, heating 810,000 homes and providing electricity to 250,000 homes. The problem, however, is that Sweden's waste management system is so efficient that only four percent of household waste goes to landfills, the rest is reused and recycled. Typically this wouldn't be a problem except that Sweden doesn't have enough burnable trash for their waste-to-energy plants. So Sweden has turned to their neighbors for a surprising solution, Public Radio International reports:"

10.12.12 - The Pine Beetle Problem: Making Renewable Energy Lemonade from Biomass Lemons - renewableenergyworld.com. Fast pyrolysis of trees killed by the Pine Beetle infestation could create fuel and remove a fire hazard.

10.3.12 - Bio-Power Shows Competitive Edge - renewableenergyworld.com. "Power from biomass can cost as litte as $0.06 per kWh, according to research by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)."

9.27.12 - Anaergia Generates Renewable Energy from Organic Waste with the First Power Purchase Agreement using Fuel Cells in California for the City of San José - waterworld. "1.4MW renewable energy plant at the City of San José Water Pollution Control Plant in California is coming online using biogas from the anaerobic digesters.... All heat and electricity produced by the facility is used at the Water Pollution Control Plant to reduce natural gas and electricity consumption, the amount of energy generated is enough to offset the annual consumption of 1,400 households."

9.26,12 - CiclaLabs' Pedal-Powered Mobile Entertainment System On Show at the European Solar Decathlon - inhabitat.com. Utilizing the combined power of a couple of efficient photovoltaic panels and bicycles employed as dynamos, the Ciclalab team provided the crowds with music and entertainment all weekend. Both the panels and the bikes are connected to a 12v car battery, and via an inverter they create the required power to run the amplification, the instruments, the turntables and a film projector.

9.13.12 - City plans biogas renewable energy project - waterworld.com. Wilmington, DE will capture methane from their wastewater treatment plant and the Cherry Island landfill to produce 4 MW of energy or roughly 90% of the treatment plants energy requirements.

9.10.12 - All the Trimmings: Jenbacher Engine Powers University with Biomass – ecomagination - Wood chips and tree trimmings to help heat University of British Columbia.

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