General news links are listed below. For news specifically focusing on Wind, Solar and Marine technology or policy, follow the above links under "Energy" on the menu bar. For the most up to date news and additional news clips, visit the TidewaterCurrent Snip.it collection. Please check the Archive to for earlier posts.

6.9.12 - Navy's green fleet runs into fiscal storm - utsandiego. Insightful article covering the dilemma of biofuel development in the military. Biofuels are not competitive with petroleum and Congress is banning the Dod from purchasing fuels more expensive than petroleum. As we all know, new technologies are expensive and with commercialization, prices fall. Just look at the price drops in the electronics industry - personal computers and cell phones. As the single largest consumer of fuel in the US, the DoD should lead the way to a secure and environmentally sound fuel supply. Of course, jobs would also be created in the development of the industry.

6.7.12- Leveling the Energy Playing Field: Senate Bill to Allow Renewable Energy MLPs - ibtimes.co.uk. There are some public servants actually doing their jobs. Master LImited Partnerships utilized to subsidize the fossil fuel industry could soon be extended to the renewable energy industry. That is, if a Senate Bill with bipartisan support, is enacted. One study found that as much as $6 billion in private capital, currently excluded from renewable energy project, could be invested.

6.6.12 - Renewable energy costs falling: agency - phys. Chairman of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reports solar energy costs have dropped 60% in recent years and other renewable sources like wind and hydro have also and they will continue to do so.

6.4.12 - Connecticut's $10M Package To Boost Residential Solar « - earthtechling. CT has committed to produce 27% of its energy from renewables. Now the General Assembly has established a a quasi public agency with $10 million to support residential PV systems through financing solutions that leverage more investment from private capital.

6.2.12 How to Make Renewable Energy Competitive - nytimes. Great article. There is still hope for renewables. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are traded publicly like stocks and could be used to finance renewable energy projects. In order to do so, first the IRS must clarify that renewables are eligible for REIT and then Congress must act to allow master limited partnerships to invest in "inexhaustible" resources as it allows them to invest in exhaustible resources.

6.1.12 - Will Scotland Dominate in Smart Grid? - greentechmedia. It looks like Scotland will dominate the smart grid. With ambitious plans to be 100% powered by renewable energy in 2020, they are also looking to commercialize smart grid technologies. A new workforce will be needed to develop and manage the infrastructure and university programs and partnerships have been created to supply a trained workforce. Are we prepared?

5.29.12 - On Clean Energy, Time To Follow Where Google, GE, Buffett Lead - Forbes. Even considering the setbacks posed to the renewable energy industry resulting from uncertainty of federal support for clean technology, some big corporate players (Google, Buffet & GE) envision a good long term return on their clean energy investments. Still, the author notes that not many other players have such deep pockets and government investment is needed to drive business and protect the environment.

5.26.12 - Green Energy Advocates Criticize Lack of State Incentives - clarendon.patch. Great overview of Virginia solar policy (or lack there of). Solar installer based in Virginia generates most of it's business in MD. The company cites lack of state policies promoting solar. Despite designating the state as the "energy capital of the east coast," Governor McDonald recently vetoed the "Solar Freedom Bill" which would prohibit HOAs from banning solar installations.

5.26.12 -Solar energy industry is flourishing in Mass. - The Boston Globe. With high energy costs, PV systems are more competitive in Massachusetts. So, it's no wonder it sits only behind CA in a rank of solar markets. Enough solar power is produced to power some 15,750 homes. State and municipal initiatives as well as solar leasing programs are making it easier for consumers to go solar.

5.25.12 - Solar Leasing Programs - Going Solar Without Spending a Lot - abcnews.go. ABC News - GMA - Installation of a solar system cost mitigated through leasing program.

5.25.12 - Army, Air Force Mount Renewable Energy Push - DCMilitary.com - capflyer.

Washington, DC - 1 GigaWatt of renewable energy to be developed on Army and Air Force installations by 2025. Officials cite energy security as the motivation. Terry Yonkers an Air Force Assistant Secretary notes that biofuel development is important to the Air Force. Jet engines run cooler on them increasing engine life. Unfortunately, Congress may get in the way. Another snip (http://snip.it/snips/167244) highlights both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees passage of a ban on DoD usage of biofules more expensive to produce than oil.

5.23.12 - Goldman sets $40 billion clean energy investment plan - chicagotribune. Bank Giant Goldman Sachs sees renewables as a big profit opportunity. They will target solar, wind, hydro, biofuels, biomass, storage, transmission, transportation, lighting and efficiency projects.

5.22.12 - Foreign Dominance of U.S. Clean Energy Market Spells Trouble for America - renewableenergyworld. Report "Fire Sale: The End of American Ownership of Clean Energy" compares the renewable energy industry in the US to the auto industry noting that of the 26 banks actively investing in clean energy in the US, only 6 were US based.

5.22.12 - Net Metering a Cost to Utilities, or a Benefit? - cleantechnica. International Renewable Energy Council finds that when valued appropriately new metering can save utilities a lot more than they would be paying out in avoided costs. The case was demonstrated in New Mexico. There the utility would save 15 cents per kWh in avoided costs, yet net metering customers were being credited 5.3 cent per kWh.

5.21.12 - Solarize Your Community (Learn How from New Solarize Guidebook) - cleantechnica.

The NREL guidebook is available as a PDF at this link: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/54738.pdf. It provides lots of resources for community PV projects including financing, leasing and power purchase agreements.

5.20.12 - Power Play — German (Renewable) Energy Revolution Video - cleantechnica. In the video link, the efforts of two towns that have become energy producers are highlighted. It exemplifies what is possible when there is public support.

5.21.12 - Renewable Energy in Virginia: 5 Things You Need to Know - vienna.patch. Author highlights renewable energy initiatives in Virginia (or lack thereof). The General Assembly did set a voluntary standard for the state's renewable energy generation of 15% by 2025 (many states have mandatory standards). Right now only 4% of our energy is from renewables.

5/17/12 - Dominion Va. proposing solar-power incentive - Businessweek. Today Dominion announced a plan, submitted to regulators for approval, to buy solar generated power from small commercial producers. Producers would be paid 15 cents per kWh over a 5 year demonstration period.

5.17.12 - The Backbone of the Electric System: A Legacy of Coal and the Challenge of Renewables | blogs.scientificamerican. Great explanation of our electric generation system including coal's role in the structure of the national grid as well as some of the challenges to integrating renewables.

5/16/12 - Washington DC Goes Green - thegreenregister. Last month the Mayor of DC released plans to cut energy consumption by 50% and increase renewable energy production by 50%. The Vision for a Sustainable DC also calls for more bike lanes and path, more natural cover and locally grown food. This program should benefit the Potomac (which American Rivers just put at the top of it's most threatened list).

5/16/12 - U.S. Military Not Retreating on Clean Energy - blog.cleantechies. Despite legislation threatened by Congress that would limit the military's use of biofuels, the armed services remain committed to renewables for numerous reasons, namely the cost (including human lives) of getting fuel to front lines.

5/15/12 - Clean Currents and SolarCity Pioneer New Way for Homeowners to Adopt Solar Power - eon.businesswire. Maryland and the District of Columbia residents offered power purchase agreements that provide free solar installations. Unfortunately, the program is unlikely to extend to Virginia due to a lack of a true RPS standard and the dominance of one utility so there is no competitive market in the state.

5/15/12 - 150 NC residents produce solar power with Progress Energy :: WRAL.com. Raleigh, NC - The Sunsense Solar PV program offered through Progress Energy helps accepted homeowners reduce the economic impact of solar investment. With 200-300 more installations expected yearly, studies will be conducted to determine the impact of a growing number of small scale generators on the grid.

5/15/12 - ERCOT: Texas increased renewable generation by 13 percent in 2011 - power-eng. With wind contributing the lions share, renewable energy production increased 13% in Texas in 2011.

5/15/12 - 76% of Americans Want Clean Energy Instead of Nuclear, Natural Gas, & Coal - cleantechnica. There is nonpartisan support among the American public for renewable energy reports the Civil Society Institute. Unfortunately, the poll indicates that the public is also aware that corrupt politics is the culprit behind the lack of government support for renewables.

5/14/12 - Americans Willing to Pay (a Little) More for Clean Energy - green.blogs.nytimes

5/13/12 - Solar Investing Goes Mainstream - blog.rmi. The Jobs Act passed last month is likely to promote individual investment in renewables as crowd funding companies can now generate returns for investors.

5/12/12 - Dominion Virginia Power cancels Halifax solar test project - www2.timesdispatch. Richmond, VA - At a time when Dominion Power is being bashed for their lack of commitment to renewables, the company's plans to develop a solar test project have been cancelled. According to the Richmond Time's Dispatch, the decision was made because the technology for the battery storage system they intended to just didn't materialize. Why not try a different storage system? Meanwhile the company says it does plan to move forward with a community roof top solar endeavor.

5/11/12 - Fund the Solution, Not the Problem - blog.nwf. Legislation has been introduced in the US Congress to end subsidies to the fossil fuel industry (see graph). Article mentions Gamesa's decision to install a prototype offshore turbine in the Canary Islands instead of a planned and approved project in Virginia due to the uncertainty of the US wind market. Article goes on to cover other important pending legislation.

5/10/12 - European Renewable Energy SuperGrid Comes Into Focus - sustainablebusiness - European Renewable Energy Super grid to bring wind energy from Ireland, solar power from North Africa and geothermal energy from Iceland. - http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23696

5/10/12 - Army scientists develop deployable renewable - energy solutions - army.mil - Army developing microgrids which integrate, solar, wind and batteries for remote settings.

5/10/12 - Green Energy Won't be Soiled - forbes- Federal Program to streamline development of renewable energy projects on tainted and/or federal lands. - http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2012/05/10/green-energy-wont-be-soiled/

5/8/12 - Iron Mountain Looks to Solar PV; Johns Hopkins Brings 818kW Online · Environmental Leader - Rooftop PV - Power purchase agreement deals - Iron Mountain and Johns Hopkins do NOT own the solar systems housed on their rooftops. Third parties developed and manage the projects, while power is purchased at fixed rate prices from the developers.

5/8/12 - Renewable Energy - Maine Giving Green Power Option To The People « - earthtechling - Maine Public Utilities Commission just launched the Maine Green Power program allowing the purchase of renewables at 1.5 cents extra per kWh.

5/8/12 - NREL Unveils 'More Accurate' Energy Project Emissions Calculator · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader - environmentalleader - The National Renewable Energy Lab's "Meta-Analysiss of LIfe Cycle Assessment" investigates cradle to grave greenhouse gas emission from various energy sources, renewable and fossil. Wind and nuclear are comparable, with solar slightly higher while natural gas and particularly coal (as one would expect) are exponentially higher.

5/7/12 - Environmental Groups To Protest Dominion's 15-Year Plan - Groups bash Dominion's new energy plan for not including renewable resources like wind and solar. -WAMU

5/7/12- Turning trash into solar treasure - kxan - The City of Austin is looking to convert old landfills into solar farms. They are not the first to consider such an endeavor. San Antonio developed the first project in 2008 and projects are planned or in place in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, New York.

5/7/12 - The Most Energy-Efficient Hospital In The Country - fastcoexist - Gunderson Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is the most energy independent hospital in the nation. With landfill gas, a wind farm and biogas schemes at a local brewery and dairy, the facility hopes to energy independent by 2014. Why? They expect to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs and additionally make money selling power back to the community. -

5/4/12 - The Kickstarter for solar could make you money starting this Summer‏ | GigaOm

5/4/12 - Wall Street Bank Backs Residential Solar Fund | AOL.com

5/3/12 - Lorton May Become a Green Energy Corridor - Lorton, VA Patch‏

5/3/12 - How to Start a Solar Co-op (VIDEO) - CleanTechnica‏

5/3/12 - Clean-Powered New Zealand: Not Living In Caves (80% of energy from renewable sources - still first world lifestyle)| Earthtechling‏

5/2/12 - PV for All: Low-Income Housing Residents Going Solar | Renewable Energy News Article‏

5/1/12 - Map Shows Growth of Renewables in US‏ | SustainableBusiness.com

4/25/12 - Va. study makes economic case for renewable energy - CBS News‏

4/25/12 - Connecticut's $1 Billion Renewable Energy Play | Earthtechling‏

4/23/12 - Alternative energy project under way | energy, alternative, way - News Source for Jacksonville, North Carolina - jdnews.com‏

4/23/12 - US Military Cooperates in German Small Town Energy Revolution - CleanTechnica‏

4/20/12 -Normalize Renewable Energy Credits Now | renewableenergyworld.com

4/18/12 - Dominion needs to be a green example - The Breeze (JMU): Opinion‏

4/18/12 - Committee explores (VA) county's role in renewable energy | www.chesterfieldobserver.com | Chesterfield Observer‏

4/16/12 - What We Talk About When We Talk About the Decentralization of Energy - Maggie Koerth-Baker - Technology - The Atlantic‏

4/15/12 - Renewables Driving Electricity Prices below $0 Some Afternoons (& Cutting into Baseload Power Plants' Market Share) - CleanTechnica‏

4/13/12 - US Led World in Clean Energy Investment for 2011 : TreeHugger‏

4/13/12 - California Considers Net Metering Change - Solar Novus Today

4/15/12 - Mexico Emulates Neighbor California With 35% Clean Climate law - CleanTechnica‏

4/13/12 - Renewables Revive Abandoned Mines | RenewableEnergyWorld

4/13/12 - Electricity Generation Share from Renewables Up in US - CleanTechnica‏

4/12/12 - N.C. lawmakers weigh small-scale power sales to grid | Pilotonline.com

4/11/12 - Zero Energy Construction: RENEWABLE ENERGY EXPERIENCES EXPLOSIVE GROWTH DURING FIRST THREE YEARS OF OBAMA ADMINISTRATION‏

4/10/12 - Renewable Electricity Supply to be Cheaper by 2030‏ | CleanTechnica

4/9/12 - Expired Treasury Renewable Energy Subsidy Created as Many as 75,000 Green Jobs, $44 Billion in Economic Output | CleanTechnica

4/9/12 - Chile's Uncertain Renewable Energy Future | RenewableEnergyWorld

4/5/12 - UK Emissions Dropped 7% in 2011 - CleanTechnica‏

4/2/12 - Denmark Sets Goal of 100% Renewable Energy by 2050‏ | EcoGeek.org

4/2/12 - US Renewable Energy Experiences Explosive Growth - Solar Novus Today‏

3/30/12 - Germany's new energy policy a complex puzzle | EngineeringNews

3/30/12 - Scotland Now Gets 1/3 of Its Power from Renewable Sources : TreeHugger‏

3/29/12 - renewable energy IT to Lead Energy Revolution In 'Age of Empowerment': NRG Chief‏ | AOL

3/28/12 - The Green Elite: The Top 10 States for Renewable Power - Jordan Weissmann - Business - The Atlantic‏

3/26/12 - Solar, Wind and Tidal Energy to Power Randall's Island - DNAinfo.com‏

3/26/12 - Military Fostering Wide Range of Innovative Energy Solutions‏ | AOL

3/26/12 - Could Minnesota Get By On 100 Percent Renewables? | Earthtechling‏

3/24/12 - Hundreds protest at Dominion VA Power | NBC12

3/23/12 - U.S. Army to Invest $7 Billion in Renewable-Energy Projects - defence.professionals | defpro.com‏

3/22/12 - NYC to Build Wind and Solar Farm on Old Dump Site - CleanTechnica‏

3/21/12 - Thomas Edison: For 100% Renewable Energy, Especially Solar - CleanTechnica‏

3/19/12 - Germany's $263 Billion Renewables Shift Biggest Since War - Bloomberg‏

3/19/12 - Small-Town Solar Revolution Has Created Jobs Galore & Driven Down Price of Power in Germany - CleanTechnica‏

3/16/12 - California Cities Could Soon Pay For Renewables With Property Tax Revenue‏ | CleanTechnica

3/14/12 - Minnesota Electricity Could Be 100% Renewable, 100% Local - CleanTechnica‏

3/8/12 - Renewable Energy Can Replace Fossil Fuels | Green Conduct‏

3/7/12 - Scottish Electricity Generation Plan Underway (100% renewable by 2020)- CleanTechnica‏

3/1/12 - US Clean Energy Standard Proposed In Senate | Earthtechling‏

3/1/12 - Amory Lovins Lays Out His Clean Energy Plan | Earthtechling

Grid, Storage and Transmission:

6.4.12 - Energy storage: Could hydrogen be the answer? - solarnovus. Hydrogen is not the most efficient means to store energy, but it does have several advantages over other storage technologies, including cost - especially for large scale applications.

5.30.12 - Cheap Solar Power at Night - Technology Review - technologyreview. Halotechnics has developed a thermal storage material more efficient than salt for use at concentrated solar facilities, reducing cost and potentially reaching the sunshot initiative goal of producing energy at 6 cents per kW hour.

5.24.12 - Duracell With a Twist: Researchers Find Fix for Grid-Scale Battery Storage - insideclimatenews. CUNY researcher are developing nickel zinc battery technology that is both cheap and long lasting. Urban Electric Power a startup of CUNY plans to commercialize the product.

5.22.12 - Electricity Storage Can Take Advantage of Daily Price Variations - cleantechnica. Storage operations can buy electricity when its cheap and sell it at peak times when it's expensive. Author also looks at the mainstream storage technology options.

5.17.12 - The Backbone of the Electric System: A Legacy of Coal and the Challenge of Renewables | Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network - blogs.scientificamerican. Great explanation of our electric generation system including coal's role in the structure of the national grid as well as some of the challenges to integrating renewables. -

5.16.12 - SuperStation Grid Connecting Project Moves Forward in New Mexico - ecogeek. Plans for the Tres Amigas Super Station in New Mexico, which will connect the nation's electric grid, are moving forward and construction is expected to begin this summer. With the connection, energy supply will be more reliable and renewable energy produced at remote solar and wind projects can be transferred to any part of the country.

5.16.12 - Danielle Fong: Perfecting green energy storage - mnn. Inspiring story about a young woman with the potential to change the world (see snip on in Amanda Rees re Transportation-Fuel). Fong is founder of LIghtsail Energy which is creating compressed air energy storage technology that doubles current efficiency levels in the industry. With $14 trillion expected to be spent on electric infrastructure globally, she's in the right business.

5.14.12 - Energy Storage – For More Than Renewables | Plugged In, Scientific American Blog Network - blogs.scientificamerican. Energy Information Administration visual depicting energy storage technologies capacity and discharge time.

5.14.12- Google-Backed Offshore-Wind Grid Gets Environmental Review - Bloomberg.

The Atlantic Wind Connection to stretch from Virginia to New Jersey to proceed with environmental review for the Interior Department.

5/11/12 - Power storage buffers fluctuating solar power - phys - The Siemens energy storage system serves as a buffer for renewable energy production fluctuations caused brief disruptions such as clouds passing over PV modules. - http://phys.org/news/2012-05-power-storage-buffers-fluctuating-solar.html

5/8/12 - Energy Storage: It's All About The Software - forbes - Growing Energy Labs developing an operating system to manage battery banking system for renewables. -

4/30/12 - Iceland firm to study green energy cable - UPI.com‏

4/26/12 - GE's Hybrid Train Batteries Will Back Up Solar and Wind Power : TreeHugger‏

4/24/12 - Edison's Revenge: The Rise of DC Power - Technology Review‏

4/24/12 - Interview: Molten Salt Storage is Safe + Could Store Heat for 2 Months - CleanTechnica‏

4/19/12 - Siemens Figures Out What to Do With Night Wind‏ | CleanTechnica

4/18/12 - Interconnectivity and the Grid: More Power to Clean Energies | Renewable Energy News Article‏

4/18/12 Live Webinar - Energy Storage and Renewable Power: Is Storage a Solution to Renewable Intermittence and Grid Inefficiency? - 11:00AM ET / 8:00AM PT - Info

4/16/12 - University of Minnesota Energy Storage Invention Licensed to SustainX - CleanTechnica‏

4/12/12 - Smart Grid Spending to Hit $46.4 Billion by 2015 - CleanTechnica‏

4/10/12 - Xtreme Power to Build 3MW Battery on Kodiak Island | GreenTechMedia

4/8/12 - Halotechnics - Molten Glass Thermal Storage Could Mean 6 Cent Solar‏ | CleanTechnia

4/6/12 - Toronto startup goes underwater for energy storage — Cleantech News and Analysis‏ | Gigaom.com

4/5/12 - Secret Ingredient To Making Solar Energy Work: Salt - Forbes‏

4/2/12 - Solving the Green Energy Storage Problem‏ | TriplePundit

3/29/12 - Virginia Commonwealth University, Dominion to Partner on Micro-grid Project for VCU School of Engineering - Market Watch

3/29/12 - SHETL to develop subsea cable (HVDC), Scotland | WaterpowerMagazine

3/29/12 - How Electricity Gets Bought and Sold in California : Greentech Media‏

3/28/12 - Top Ten Utility Smart Grid Deployments in North America : Greentech Media‏

3/29/12 - Spreading Renewables Throughout Asia With Super Grid | Earthtechling‏

3/27/12 - The story of Energy Cache, a drop-dead simple energy idea — Cleantech News and Analysis‏

3/26/12 - Brown Liquor Batteries Could Provide Cheap, Renewable Solar Energy Storage - Solar Novus Today‏

3/25/12 - A Moment of Truth for Microgrids - Forbes‏

3/19/12 - A Smarter Grid for Natural Gas, Power, Water - Even Renewables‏ | AOL

3/14/12 - Wind Power Mover: 500-Mile Line Bound For Illinois | Earthtechling‏

3/6/12 -- Energy Storage Called On To Maintain Solar Flow | Earthtechling‏

Biomass & More

5.23.12 - Pedal-Powered Lives & Businesses: 5 Top Stories - cleantechnica. Pedal powered lights, movie theaters, gyms and coffee roasters.

5.22.12 - Energy recovery trial begins for diesel commuter trains - eandt.theiet. Kinergy evaluation in the UK on the regenerative braking capability.

5/10/12 - Dirty Deeds Lead to Renewable Energy - designbuildsource.com.au. Sewerage Geothermal energy pioneered in China heading to the States. NovaThermal Energy of Philadelphia acquired the license for the technology and will test the technology at at the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant. -

5/9/12 - NY Farm Smells Like Victory For Biogas Technology « - earthtechling - Biogas created from dairy farm waste is saving farmers disposals fees, reducing energy costs and producing income from the sale of excess power. - http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/05/ny-farm-smells-like-victory-for-biogas-technology/

5/3/12 - Anaerobic Digestion Gets Tech Upgrade | Earthtechling‏

5/2/12 - Australian company turning pig power into biofuel‏ | CalgaryHerald.com

4/26/12 - Viridity Captures Train Braking Power, Sells It to the Grid : Greentech Media‏

4/23/12 - Peanut Shell Briquettes As Biofuel From Rowan University - Forbes‏

4/23/12 - Geothermal System Taps Sewage Instead of Bedrock : TreeHugger‏

4/9/12 - Energy - German biofuel player 2G Energy opening first U.S. plant in Florida | Sustainable Business Oregon‏

4/4/12 - Sewage Into Power And Clean Water A Step Closer | Earthtechling‏

4/2/12 - Gloucester City to be new home of first organic waste to renewable energy plant in U.S. — NewsWorks‏

4/1/12 - Capitol Building To Generate Clean Energy Via Hot Air Turbines In House Chamber | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building‏

3/28/12- Dominion Va. Power wins OK to convert plants, charge for work | The News Leader | newsleader.com‏

3/22/12 - Obama Administration Announces New Funding for Biomass Research and Development Initiative | Department of Energy‏

3/12/12 - Wastewater Into Electricity Gets An Ionic Twist | Earthtechling‏

3/12 - Chesapeake Bay Journal: Methane digester helps dairy farmer convert manure into moolah - March 2012‏

3/1/12 - E-Trains and Energy Storage | CleanTechies Blog - CleanTechies.com‏

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