List of Top Wind Power States
According to the American Wind Energy Association, as of today, the top five states for wind energy generation are:
1. Texas, 7,116 MW
2. Iowa, 2,790 MW
3. California, 2,517 MW
4. Minnesota, 1,752 MW
5. Washington, 1,375 MW
Report: 2008 Was a Big Year for Wind Energy Growth
The American Wind Energy Association, an industry trade group, released a report this week indicating a record growth in wind energy in 2008, with more than 8,000 MW of new generating capacity having been installed. This increase grew the nation’s total wind power capacity by 50% and actually accounted for about 42% of all new power capacity added to the national grid last year. However, despite this good news, the report also warned that 2009 is set to see a halt in that growth due to the poor economy and credit crisis.
Obama: America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources, hostile regimes and a warming planet
President Obama delivered his expected remarks on energy and climate change today at the White House. As expected, he announced that his administration will grant California a waiver to more strictly regulate vehicle emissions, will have federal agencies increase energy efficiency in federal buildings, and will increase federal fuel efficiency rules. But most importantly, Obama articulated the reasons why we must address these issues and why his strategy will work.
Reviewing the transcript of the speech, here are some of the highlights: READ MORE
Delays Continue for Pickens’ Texas Panhandle Wind Farm
Apparently the delays for T. Boone’s massive wind farm project in the Texas panhandle are not going to end anytime soon. Earth2Tech reports that at the Clean Tech Investor Summit on Wednesday, Pickens said that his wind farm would likely be delayed at least to 2011. But that even then, Pickens warned, “We’ll see what happens in 2-3 years.”
Earth2Tech notes that although the credit crisis has put a damper on Pickens’ own wind farm project, he is still pushing hard for the country to adopt the Pickens Plan, reiterating his argument that with a $28 billion investment, the U.S. could convert 350,000 diesel trucks to natural gas, which would reduce oil imports by 5% and create nearly half a million jobs.
Bad PR: Tesla Forces Pre-Ordered Roadster Owners to Pay More
Angering many of their early adopters, Tesla Motors is apparently increasing the price of the Roadster models that are set to go into production. Many of the around 600 pre-ordered owners are incensed that Tesla is raising the price of the Roadster after these owners have already paid up to $50,000 per deposit and thought the deal was done.
While the owners seemed alright with the fourteen month delay in delivery, this public relations nightmare may test that patience. While Tesla claims the increase in price is necessary to become profitable, it is unclear how the pre-ordered owners, who have basically become investors in the company, will view this move. READ MORE
Massive Coal Plant in Eastern Nevada Facing Opposition
Environmental groups are urging the Department of the Interior’s Board of Land Appeals to reject a massive coal fired power plant in eastern Nevada, near the city of Ely. Opponents argue that the White Pine plant, owned by LS Power Group, would be one of the largest and heavily polluting coal plants in the western United States.
The plant would release an estimated 12.88 million tons of CO2 each year, as well as other harmful pollutants, including mercury, sulfur dioxide, and fine soot. Local air quality and visibility in nearby Great Basin National Park would likely be degraded. READ MORE
Chinese Company BYD Makes Bold Prediction to Enter U.S. Market by 2011
Chinese battery, turned electric car manufacturer, BYD made a presentation at the Detroit auto show last week. (“BYD” stands for “Build Your Dreams.”) Company chairman, Wang Chuan-Fu, made the bold prediction that its plug-in hybrid model, the F6DM, and pure electric model, the E6, should launch in the U.S. and Europe in 2011.
Although the BYD is already selling a smaller plug-in hybrid, the F3Dm, in China, it appears that the company still has a few strides to make before entering the U.S. market– Wheels blog at NYT notes that BYD handed out a paper brochure during their presentation oddly titled, “Paper Cut of BYD Car Culture.” It is unclear what the proper translation should have been. (Maybe “A Paper Brochure of BYD Car Culture”?)
While at the car show, Chuan-Fu was also reported to have met with Warren Buffett, whose company MidAmerican Energy bought 10% of BYD last year.
Stimulus Package May Extend Wind Energy Tax Credit
It appears that the stimulus package may include an extension of the wind energy tax credit for another three years. The credit will help subsidize new wind farms for their first 10 years of operation. However, since many potential investors do not owe enough in taxes right now to benefit from a tax credit, the bill may provide an alternative form of subsidy– a direct grant to projects for 30% of their cost.
Unfortunately, it appears the stimulus bill will not address the problem of transmission lines– the lynchpin to any national renewable energy transformation.
Utah Exploring Low-Temperature Geothermal Projects
While Utah may be “open for business as it relates to oil shale,” it is also urgently exploring its geothermal options. Looking to take advantage of President-elect Obama’s stimulus package, which requires “shovel ready” projects that can begin within six months, Salt Lake City and the State of Utah are exploring the feasibility of low-temperature geothermal power generation.
Helping them is Raser Technologies, a Utah-based geothermal development company, which will provide research assistance in determining the feasibility of these projects. Raser has a new geothermal plant near Beaver, Utah, as well as eight other projects in development in the Western U.S., and one in Indonesia.
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, noted, “With geothermal power, we have an opportunity to bring the environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy directly to the residents of Salt Lake. This effort has the potential to make Salt Lake a national leader in energy independence while utilizing a local renewable energy source that is right here under our feet.”
With Declining Revenues, Venezuela Looks to Bring Back Foreign Companies
With lower oil prices, petro-states have been finding it harder to project their influence across their borders. Venezuela, which has used its excess oil wealth to support a wide-range of social subsidies, including its heating oil program in the U.S., is facing a massive budget crunch due to decreasing oil revenues.
The NYT reported on Wednesday that this decline is due to a combination of factors, including the failure of Venezuela’s national oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, to produce enough oil for sale and a decline in other sectors of that nation’s economy, due to capital flight stemming from the nationalization of these industries by President Hugo Chavez. READ MORE
Oil Rich Gulf States Focusing on Renewable Energy
The NYT notes in an article about the Gulf Oil states taking the lead in renewable energy that:
They are aggressively pouring billions of dollars made in the oil fields into new green technologies. They are establishing billion-dollar clean-technology investment funds. And they are putting millions of dollars behind research projects at universities from California to Boston to London, and setting up green research parks at home.
The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, announced last January that he would invest $15 billion in renewable energy. That is the same amount that President-elect Obama has proposed investing – in the entire United States – “to catalyze private sector efforts to build a clean energy future.”
[L]eaders in politics, business and research from across the globe will flock to [Abu Dhabi] for three days starting Monday for the second World Future Energy Summit, which just one year after its inception here has become something of a Davos gathering on renewable energy.
Republicans Sit Out Policy Meeting On Clean Tech, the Economy and Climate Change
California Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee had NYT columnist Tom Friedman and Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr speak with that committee on Wednesday. The two gentlemen warned the Senators that the U.S. risked falling even further behind the world in green technology if Congress failed to act. However, the message was lost on the Republican contingent of the committee which did not attend, as it was not a formal hearing.
Nonetheless, Doerr and Friedman both encouraged the Democrats in attendance to adopt a cap-and-trade system or carbon tax, as the best means of promoting what Friedman regularly calls “ET” (Environmental Technology). READ MORE
Re Price of Oil: ‘You’d be an idiot not to take advantage of that’
A massive drop in oil today intensified the current situation where the short-term price of oil is dramatically lower than the long-term. Crude oil for February delivery fell 12% today to around $43 a barrel. This is in contrast to the futures price for February of next year, which is 41% higher. This price phenomenon is known as “contango.”
As we mentioned this morning, this has created a situation where traders are buying up oil today to store on rented supertankers, in order to re-sell it in the future. Although massive amounts of oil is being hoarded, there is still global storage capacity remaining. READ MORE
Michigan Law to Encourage Local Battery Production
While the federal government was busy with the travel habits of CEOs and propping up a failed business model, the state legislature in Michigan was planning for the future. Recognizing that the real technology for 21st century cars will be battery technology, the state legislature has agreed to offer up to $335 million in local tax rebates for the development of next generation car batteries. With this move, Michigan is aiming to carve out a piece of what is predicted to be a $50 billion market by 2020.
‘Unless you are willing to live naked in a tree and eat nuts for the next 30 years, coal’s going to be part of the portfolio’
This is what the Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer told the Christian Science Monitor for an article about wind energy and transmission lines. Schweitzer was making this statement, not as an argument against alternative energy, but as a matter-of-fact regarding the state of American energy production.
Montana, like most of the central states in the U.S., sits on tremendous wind resources. However, as is the problem with almost all regions with high winds, it is a long distance from the population centers that consume the most electricity.
As a result, Schweitzer has been a big supporter of proposals to conduct a massive upgrade of our nation’s transmission grid. He recently called on the federal government to spend $15 billion to build the next-generation grid to link out-of-the-way regions like Montana, with population centers on the east and west coasts. READ MORE
