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Community Energy Articles/Publications
2003
Green-e Verification Report, from the the Center for Resource Solutions
(CRS), documents sales of 'Green-e' certified electricity for 2003. 'Green-e'
renewable electricity sales totaled 2.9 million MWh in 2003, a 76-percent increase
over 2002. Sales of certified tradable renewable energy certificates (TRCs) experienced
the greatest growth, reaching 1.8 million MWh, which represents a twelve-fold
increase over 2002. In all, 102 companies offered 65 unique 'Green-e' renewable
electricity or TRC products in 2003, with nearly 94,000 customers purchasing one
of these products. Annual
Project Activity Report to the Legislature (pdf) is a 2003 report from
the California Energy Commission outlining the success of its renewable energy
program. According to the program has provided more than $82 million in rebates
for a total of 5,300 solar and wind energy systems installed at homes and businesses
throughout the state. The systems have a combined capacity of more than 20 megawatts,
and systems comprising another 9 megawatts in capacity are under construction.
The program's support for new commercial renewable energy plants has thus far
yielded 40 new projects that total 259 megawatts in capacity. The program has
also supported more than 200,000 purchases of renewable energy by consumers. The
Pew Center for Climate Change's Appliances
and Global Climate Change: Increasing Consumer Participation in Reducing Greenhouse
Gases looks at the consumer decision-making process and suggests areas
where policy intervention could encourage the use of energy-efficient products.
Also from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change is a report identifying a range
of feasible near-term "climate-friendly" energy policy options that can satisfy
traditional U.S. energy policy objectives while reducing future U.S. greenhouse
gas emissions. Designing
a Climate-Friendly Energy Policy: Options for the Near Term examines a
number of energy policy options that would advance U.S. energy policy goals during
the upcoming decades while at the same time contributing to efforts to curb global
warming. CHP Five Years
Later: Federal and State Policies and Programs Update, from the American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, focuses on the use of combined heat and
power (CHP) to cut power plant energy waste. The report reviews progress toward
decreasing market barriers of CHP, identifies areas where work is still required,
and includes policy recommendations for federal and state governments. Clean
Energy Blueprint, by the Union of Concerned Scientists, asserts that renewable
energy could provide 20 percent of the U.S. energy needs by the year 2020. The
report also indicates that the adoption of a federal renewable energy standard
would help insulate the U.S. from energy price shocks by diversifying energy supply.
Energy-efficiency policies are a major component of Clean Energy Blueprint,
including new minimum efficiency standards on appliances and other equipment,
tax incentives for advanced energy-saving products and matching funds for state-
based energy-efficiency programs. Clean
Energy and Jobs: a Comprehensive Approach to Climate Change and Energy Policy,
by the Center for a Sustainable Economy (CSE) and the Economic Policy Institute,
concludes that the U.S. economy can grow under policies that tax carbon dioxide
emissions while promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. The study used
a sophisticated macroeconomic model to examine the effects of these policies.
Included in the model were policies to help energy-intensive industries that would
be hurt by a carbon tax and policies to help workers that would be displaced from
carbon-intensive industries, such as the coal industry. In making the shift to
renewables, a net 1.4 million jobs would be created, after tax wages would rise,
and household energy bills would fall. And oil imports, currently projected to
increase by about 40 percent by 2020, would instead stay essentially level. Clean
Energy Resource Manual was developed by the Minnesota Project, in partnership
with the University of Minnesota's Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships,
and the Minnesota Department of Commerce, to help identify options for communities
interested in developing their energy resources. The manual contains an overview
of nearly every renewable and clean energy source available, an extensive listing
of resources, and nearly 30 case studies of renewable/clean energy projects. Commission
Approves Idaho Power Wind Contract
A press release announcing that
the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a contract for Idaho
Power to buy the power from a 10.5-megawatt wind power project in southern Idaho,
effectively giving the project a green light. If the developer—Fossil Gulch
Wind Park, LLC—obtains all necessary permits and proceeds to build the wind
project, it will be the largest in the state. Cool
Citizens “Household Solutions” (PDF 504 KB) is the first of a series of
brief guides on climate change from Rocky Mountain Institute. This brief describes
how homeowners can lighten their impact on the earth’s changing climate by reducing
emissions of greenhouse gases in their households. The Cool Citizens premise is
that citizens can save money by saving energy, and they can use that money to
buy further energy savings. It focuses on choices—and changes—citizens can make
in the home, at work, in transportation, in recreation, and in purchasing everything
from air-conditioners and airline trips to windows and wine. Corporate
Guide to Clean Power Markets, produced by the World Resources Institute,
provides useful information on green power and how renewable energy certificates
(RECs) can benefit U.S. businesses. Credit
Trading and Wind Power: Issues and Opportunities, produced by the National
Wind Coordinating Committee, details the potential for using credit trading
to meet demand for non-polluting energy, and shows how credit trading can be used
as a tool to meet energy policy and environmental regulatory goals through market
mechanisms. Credit trades are purchases, sales, or donations of credits to meet
individual, corporate, or institutional goals for environmental quality, or to
meet the requirements of environmental or energy policy regulations. Customer-Sited
Photovoltaics: State Market Analysis
This 2002 report is analysis
on potential state by state use of PV and how this could effect the overall need
for non customer-sited energy production. Discovery
may spur cheap solar power
An October 2, 2003, article from cnn.com
that explains a European chip maker's discovery of new ways to produce solar cells
which will generate electricity 20 times cheaper than today's solar panels. DOE
AND OPIC Form Partnership to Promote Environmentally Sound Economic Development
in Emerging Markets
DOE and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
(OPIC), a development agency of the U.S. government, signed an agreement in September
2004 acknowledging their partnership to promote investment in cleaner, more efficient
energy technologies in emerging markets throughout the world. Under the agreement,
both agencies will work to create an Efficient Energy and Renewables Program,
focused on innovative financing and creative partnerships that will lead to environmentally
sound economic growth in developing countries throughout the world.
e-design
Online: The Journal of Sustainable Design and Planning
A good online
resource that offers a variety of articles related to sustainability, including
energy, building commissioning, and other topics. Electric
Markets Analysis & Applications (EMAA) Documents provides links to
a number of online documents related to the electricity industry, including Green
Power Markets, Electric Industry Restructuring, and Policy Analysis. Emerging
Energy-Efficient Industrial Technologies, a new report from the American
Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), provides information about new
technologies that offer energy savings over those currently used in the industrial
sector, reports EarthVision Environmental News. Technologies highlighted in the
report offer both environmental and competitive benefits for businesses. ACEEE
notes that the report identifies many promising emerging technologies, with likelihood
of success due to their economic, environmental, product quality and other benefits. Energizing
the Future: The Benefits of Renewable Energy for New York State, a March
2005 economic report from New York's Comptroller. The report concludes that the
state's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)–which set a goal to obtain 25
percent of electricity needs from renewable sources by 2013–would create
some 43,000 new jobs. Energy
Design Guidelines for High-Performance Schools, released by DOE in early
2002, covers a wide range of technologies for schools in hot and dry climates,
and also include numerous case studies. Six additional volumes will cover the
other U.S. climate zones and will be released by summer 2002. DOE aims to help
school districts achieve energy savings as they renovate old schools or build
new ones -- U.S. school districts are expected to spend $79 billion on such projects
over the next three years. Energy
Innovations: A Prosperous Path to a Clean Environment
This
executive summary of the larger study explains the importance of rethinking the
U.S. energy strategy and summarizes an analysis of a balanced national strategy
that can put the U.S. on a path leading to an economically and environmentally
sustainable energy future. The
Energy Smart Guide to Campus Cost Savings, from the Rebuild America program
of the Department of Energy, is a guide to help colleges and university managers
sort through the opportunities for saving energy and money on their campuses.
The complete 68-page guide (PDF) is available online. Expiration
of Tax Credit Cripples Wind Energy
A January 2004 article on SolarAccess.com
that explains the negative outlook for wind development with the December 2003
expiration of the wind energy production tax credit (PTC).
The National
Environmental Trust has released a report that shows many individual states emit
more carbon dioxide, the leading global warming pollutant, than entire groups
of developing countries. The report, titled First
in Emissions, Behind in Solutions, shows the U.S. has been and continues
to be the largest emitter of global warming pollutants. The report states that
42 of the 50 U.S. states individually emit more global warming pollution than
50 developing countries, and five states separately emit more than 100 developing
countries. Generating Electric
Power in the Pacific Northwest: Implications of Alternative Technologies
is a report from the RAND Corporation that asserts the Pacific Northwest can diversify
its sources of electricity over the next two decades by embracing modest amounts
of alternative energy sources without significant impact on the region's economy.
Researchers conducted a series of analyses to determine the impact on the region's
economy if up to 20 percent of proposed new natural gas power plants were replaced
with energy efficiency, and new wind and solar electricity generation. This scenario,
researchers found, has both good and bad impacts on the region's economy, though
the impacts tend to cancel each other out. In addition, the shift would have a
beneficial environmental effect, resulting in a significant reduction in the predicted
growth of air pollution from natural gas power plants. Generating
Solutions: How Clean, Renewable Energy is Boosting Local Economies and Saving
Consumers Money, a report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group,
concludes that the U.S. has the potential to generate four times its current electricity
generation from renewables, not counting its considerable solar resources. The
study shows that a national standard increasing the use of renewable energy to
20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply by 2020 would benefit: the economy,
by creating three to five times as many jobs as a similar investment in fossil
fuels; consumers, by saving $4.5 billion by 2020; and the environment, by reducing
global warming emissions from power plants by 19 percent in 2020.
Global
Warming and Climate Change in Minnesota
A brief education piece produced
by the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (OEA), Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Commerce. The piece details actions
that individuals can take in their home, business or through their local government
to help slow global climate change, including more efficient use of energy. Greenhouse
& Statehouse: The Evolving State Government Role in Climate Change,
features case studies of nine states - Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska,
New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin - that have taken action
to mitigate climate change. According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change
report, states have taken a variety of approaches to climate change, including
the promotion of renewable energy, air pollution controls, energy development,
and solutions in the agriculture, forestry, transportation, and waste management
sectors. The report tracks trends in state climate change action and illustrates
that state actions on climate change play a unique role in overall climate change
governance. How
to prevent future blackouts
Discusses new technologies that could
help prevent future blackouts, and barriers that hamper them. Impacts
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on Natural Gas Markets
A
new study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and
Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., which finds that aggressive programs
to encourage energy efficiency and renewable energy could reduce the demand for
natural gas enough to cause a 10 to 20 percent drop in wholesale natural gas prices.
The study estimates a potential to reduce U.S. natural gas consumption by 1.1
percent within a year using energy efficiency, and to reduce U.S. natural gas
consumption by 5.5 percent by 2008, using a combination of energy efficiency and
renewable energy. International
Energy Outlook 2003
A report from DOE's Energy Information Administration
that preducts worldwide use of renewable energy will grow 56 percent between 2001
and 2025, but that world energy use will also grow at the same pace. As a result,
renewable energy will maintain the same share of the energy market -- 8 percent
-- for the next 22 years. Job
Creation with Renewable Energy Projects, a report from the Renewable Energy
Policy Project, examines the economic benefits afforded by the growing renewable
energy industry. The report examines the labor requirements for renewable energy
in the United States, from collecting fuel to manufacturing components to building
and running power plants. One key finding is that both wind power and photovoltaic
industries offer 40 percent more jobs per dollar spent than the coal industry.
Municipal
Guide to Purchasing Renewable Energy (pdf format) is a publication from
the Interstate Renewable Energy Council that helps municipalities develop effective
renewable energy procurement strategies. Natural
Gas Price Effects of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Practices and Policies
A study prepared by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
and released in December 2003. According to the report, policies designed to spur
new investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy generation could begin
lowering natural gas prices immediately and help consumers save money. ACEEE found
that lower consumption and natural gas prices would save consumers $103 billion
over the 2004-2008 period. Natural gas bills would fall by $75 billion, which
translates into $96 per year for the average home's gas bill. Additional savings
of $28 billion would occur from lower electricity bills. New
Energy for America: The Apollo Jobs Report
A 2004 report that lays
out a vision for a new Apollo Project, suggesting various public investment measures
that can contribute to bringing about a bold and positive energy future. This
study also provides a detailed analysis of the likely benefits brought about by
such a forward looking effort, in economic, environmental, security, and social
terms. "New Mexico Geothermal Resources & Utilization"
is the title of the December 2002 issue of the Geo-Heat Center Quarterly Bulletin.
The issue contains a wealth of information about a state that is rich in geothermal
resources and is actively using them. There is an overview article about the entire
state as well as articles about specific areas such as Valles Caldera, Fenton
Hill, Gila Hot Springs, and others. The table
of contents for the issue is available online. All titles on the table
of contents are hot-linked to the full text of each article. North
American Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling, a December 2002 report
by the North America Energy Working Group, finds that the three North American
countries are quickly moving toward unified standards for energy efficiency. The
report highlights Mexico's recent adoption of new standards for energy efficiency.
By early 2003, those new standards will bring Mexico in line with U.S. and Canadian
minimum energy-efficiency requirements and test procedures for refrigerators,
freezers, electric motors, and window air-conditioners, thereby strengthening
the market for high-efficiency products throughout North America. Permitting
Small Wind Turbines: A Handbook was produced by the American Wind Energy
Association (AWEA). The handbook addresses wind energy installations, permitting,
best practices, and ordinances. It is available for download at the above link
(pdf format). Powerful
Choices IV is a new report by the Renewable Northwest Project (RNP) that
summarizes the retail green power programs that are available in the Northwest,
provides charts of participation rates and kWh sales, and includes recommendations
on customer participation in green power programs. Practical Guide
to Wind Energy Development for Municipal Utilities, Minnesota Municipal
Utilities Association, 1999.
Provides municipal utilities with basic, practical
information on how to develop and market wind generating capacity. Entire report
is available for download as a .pdf document. The
Price of Power, released by British-based energy think tank New Economics
Foundation in June 2004, concludes that the cost of providing energy worldwide
from renewable sources is less than the costs of existing fossil fuel extraction
and utilization, when government subsidies to oil, coal and natural gas industries
are included. The study reports that fossil fuel subsidies are at least $235 billion
annually, and this does not include the costs related to carbon dioxide emissions.
All of sub-Saharan Africa could be provided with solar-based energy for less cost
than what OCED countries pay for fossil fuel subsidies to the continent annually. Renewable
Energy Atlas of the West is now available online. The atlas covers wind,
solar, biomass and geothermal resources in the 11-state western region. Existing
facilities and policy overlays are included to show areas where incentives and
other standards have been effective in driving renewable development, and highlighting
areas with strong resources but limited development. The atlas also identifies
areas of transmission congestion and provides updated power potential estimates
for the various resources. Renewable
Resources Development Report (PDF 4.4 MB)
A report adopted by the
California Energy Commission in November 2003. The report says that although the
state currently draws on renewable energy for 11 percent of its electricity, the
state could produce about 10 times more electricity from renewable energy than
it does today. The document will be submitted to the California legislature on
December 1 in support of the state's new Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires
that 20 percent of the state's retail electricity sales come from renewable energy
sources. Renewables
Information 2003
This second edition of a report by the International
Energy Agency discusses the progress of renewable energy markets in developed
countries. The report examines renewable energy use from 1990 to 2002, and finds
that despite a growing use of renewable energy, the share of energy provided by
renewable energy sources stayed fairly steady over that time. The report can be
downloaded free. The Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest
has released a plan that provides a blueprint for developing clean energy to help
diversify energy sources, reduce pollution, increase energy efficiency and help
improve the reliability of the power supply. Repowering
the Midwest: The Clean Energy Development Plan for the Heartland calls
for expanding investment in energy efficiency and for increasing supplies of renewable
electricity, including power generated from wind, solar and biomass resources.
Selected
Best Practices for Successful City Energy Initiatives, U.S. Conference
of Mayors, 2001, profiles 14 local governments that successfully responded to
critical issues of energy reliability and cost by implementing strategies that
benefit the overall community. These success stories showcase approaches to energy
systems reliability, energy efficiency, innovative technologies, restructuring,
and local energy regulations. Short-Term
Energy Outlook
Find out what projections DOE's Energy Information
Administration is making for short-term energy costs. Small
Wind Electric Systems--A Pennsylvania Consumer's Guide
Answers basic
questions on wind energy generation and can help readers decide if wind energy
will work for them. The guide will help answer questions such as "Is wind
energy practical for me?" and "What do wind systems cost?" and
"How much energy will my system generate?" The guide includes a glossary,
descriptions of how wind turbines work, and a listing of sources for more information,
including websites. The guide, produced by the U.S. Department of Energy's National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, also includes a listing of potential funding sources. Solar
energy's cloudy past: Advocates say 50-year-old industry is finally in a position
to heat up
Explains how solar energy is finally becoming utilized
as a viable, affordable energy alternative. Energy experts attribute the recent
surge in energy panel installation--particularly in the construction of new commercial
buildings--to the declining cost of solar cell manufacturing.
State
Renewable Energy News
Find out what's happening in renewables in this
state-by-state breakdown! Published several times a year by the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory. Statistical
Review of World Energy 2004
Provides updated statistics about energy
use, production, supply, and more. Stores
Slash Energy Costs describes various efforts of retail enterprises to
reduce enery costs through lighting changes, energy management systems, and the
addition of solar power. From Building Operating Management, July 2003. Sustainable
Building Technical Manual: Green Building Design, Construction, and Operations aims
to provide the building industry with suggested practices for the entire building
process—from site planning to building design, construction, and operation. Much
of the material in this manual focuses on efficient use of energy. Technology
Roadmap: Energy Efficiency in Existing Homes - Volume Three: Prioritized Action
Plan
The PATH program is focused on improving the affordability and
value of new and existing homes. Through public and private cooperation, PATH
is working to improve energy efficiency, environmental impact, durability and
maintenance, hazard resistance, and labor safety. To accomplish this, PATH has
identified priority strategies and activities that will enable government and
industry to jointly fulfill the PATH mission. For 2002, NREL
has updated its popular top-ten
lists of green power utility programs. NREL ranks the most effective of
these utility programs -- sometimes called "green pricing" programs -- based on
customer participation, new renewable energy installed capacity, and cost premiums. Utility
Green Pricing Programs: What Defines Success?
Green pricing is an
optional utility service that allows customers to support a greater level of utility
investment in renewable energy. This report from the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) examines elements of green pricing programs, such as the range
of programs offered, types of premiums charged, and customer response. The report
includes a list of "best practices" for utilities to follow when developing and
implementing their programs. Using
Renewable Energy in Minnesota Parks: A Guidebook for Park Managers, Center
for Energy and Environment, 1999.
Assists state, local, and county park managers
choose appropriate renewable technologies to meet their park's energy needs. Full
report is downloadable as a .pdf document. Using Targeted Energy Efficiency
Programs to Reduce Peak Electrical Demand and Address Electric System Reliability
Problems, by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, identifies
six ways that the efficiency of air conditioning and lighting systems in homes
and businesses could be improved. By implementing the recommended changes nationwide,
ACEEE says more than 60,000 megawatts would be saved by 2010, or about 40 percent
of the increased electrical need over that same time. The report's author stresses
that improving efficiency can reduce power consumption without a drop in the quality
of service, in contrast to recent blackouts, which cause economic damage. U.S.
Marine Project Earns Utility's Largest Incentive
Of the largest PV
systems in the country, installed by the U.S. Marine Corps, also receives the
largest incentive award for such a project. Value at Risk: Climate
Change and the Future of Governance, from the Coalition for Environmentally
Responsible Economies, examines the mounting evidence of the potentially devastating
financial consequences of climate change across a wide range of economic sectors
and finds that "climate risk" is embedded, to some degree, in every business and
investment portfolio in the U.S. The report also includes recommendations for
corporate directors and institutional investors seeking to discharge their fiduciary
duties in a responsible and prudent fashion in the face of the threats posed by
climate change.
Articles
Chinese
Government Endorses 300 MW Tidal Lagoon Cooperation Agreement Signed in New York
Tidal
Electric, a U.K.-based company, announced in late October 2004 that the Chinese
government has expressed support for its proposed 300-megawatt tidal power plant
in a tidal lagoon near the mouth of the Yalu River. Communities
Using Renewable Energy
An information brief prepared by DOE's Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC) that briefly profiles a number
of communities that have successfully implemented renewable energy projects. Environmental
Impacts of Renewable Energy
Takes the stand that while the U.S. must
switch to renewable energy to help combat global warming and other problems, renewable
energy is not suited to all locations or situations. Identifies the key impacts
of renewable technologies and offers responses to them. Environmental
Summit Participants Craft Recommendations on Air, Water, Land Conservation, Renewable
Energy
Describes the detailed list of recommendations for increasing
power production from renewable energy resources in the West that resulted from
the Second Environmental Summit on the West, held in April 2002 in Salt Lake City,
Utah. The recommendations focus on the use of renewable energy credits as well
as ways to increase renewable power production on federal lands. Governor
Davis Delivers State of the State on January 8, 2001
Summarizes the
State of the State speech by Governor Gray Davis of California, which announced
plans to spend $250 million on energy efficiency this year. The Governor proposed
cash incentives for replacing inefficient refrigerators, washers and air conditioners
with more efficient models. He also proposed a comprehensive campaign to create
energy smart schools, homes, workplaces and communities. The
Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels
Discusses the "hidden" costs of using
fossil-fuel energy resources, such as health problems, damage to land, environmental
degradation caused by pollution, and national security costs. LIPA:
Energy Crisis Far From Over
Explains that energy-saving technologies
may be critical for Long Island, New York, during summer 2002, as LIPA expects
power supplies to remain tight. LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel warned in mid-March
that LIPA customers will "need to conserve as much as possible to get Long Island
through extreme heat waves." Managing
Default Service To Provide Consumer Benefits In Restructured States: Avoiding
Short-Term Price Volatility
A study released in July 2003, in which
a national expert on utility consumer affairs says that recent decisions in three
Eastern states could prove risky for residential electricity customers and result
in more volatile prices. Author and consumer affairs consultant Barbara Alexander
examined recent developments on the design and pricing of Default Service in six
states that have adopted retail electric competition and who are ending their
rate freeze or transition period. Nation's
Mayors Call for 10 Percent Reduction in National Energy Use
Explains
the call by U.S. Mayors in January 2001 for a 10-percent across-the-board reduction
in energy use in America's cities and communities. Expressing concerns about an
energy crisis, the mayors called for national energy policies that would further
this goal. The announcement was made during the 69th Winter Meeting of the U.S.
Conference of Mayors. Renewable
Energy to Power Santa Monica
Explains how, on June 1, 1999, Santa
Monica, California, officially moved away from a system that relies on air-polluting
power generation from fossil fuel sources and toxin-creating nuclear power. The
city will now be powered exclusively by clean geothermal sources, making it the
first city in the world to do so. Solar
cells dropping in cost, increasing efficiency
Explains how PV technology
is improving efficiency and lowering costs for solar power. "Experts believe
the development will in the next few years drive solar adoption far faster than
any government incentives or environmental concerns." SunPower
Corp. Solar Cell Achieves World Record Efficiency
SunPower Corporation
announced that its A-300 crystalline silicon solar cell has achieved an efficiency
of 21.5 percent—that is, it converts 21.5 percent of the sunlight hitting
it into electricity. According to SunPower, that's a world record for five-inch
silicon solar cells, which typically achieve efficiencies of 12 to 15 percent.
DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory confirmed the cell's efficiency. Tribes
Harness South Dakota Wind Energy
Describes a Native American-owned
utility scale wind turbine in Rosebud, South Dakota. The project, which will power
some 220 homes and, over time, offset 50,000 tons of carbon emissions, was funded
in part by businesses such as Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream through
the purchase of renewable energy credits from NativeEnergy, a Vermont-based renewable
energy business. Vestas
receives new large order for the United States of America and establishes local
production
Describes the plans of Vestas Wind Systems A/S, a Danish
manufacturer of wind turbines, to build a new wind turbine manufacturing facility
in Portland, Oregon, to meet its growing North American market. The new facility
will manufacture wind blades and towers and will assemble nacelles, the part of
the turbine that houses the generator, drive mechanisms, and controls. Capable
of producing 300 utility-scale turbines per year, the facility should start production
in mid-2003 and reach full capacity by early 2004. Wind
power for Washington state's poor gets federal funding
Explains how
Washington State's Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development will
use its one million dollar federal
challenge grant to fund the local acquisition
and management of wind
generation. The generated power would go to power companies
in exchange for rebates and discounts for low-income Washingtonians to pay for
a part of their power needs. Wind
power generates income Tax credit, technology, profits renew interest
An article in the August 16, 2002, issue of USA Today that describes the
increase in wind energy systems due to tax credits and new technology developments.
Other Publications News Northwest Sustainable Energy for
Economic Development (SEED) is working to develop a guide book to assist communities
in evaluating the costs and potential benefits of wind power. The guidebook will
help users consider a range of different sized wind projects, and will include
tools to assist communities in estimating potential local economic impacts such
as jobs, business income, property values, and tax revenues that might result
from developing local wind power resources. Beta testing and release are expected
in summer 2004. Read more.
Last updated: March 25, 2005 Back
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