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North Carolina coast considered for wind farms

| License Photo The federal U.S. government said it outlined three areas off the coast of North Carolina as potential sites for commercial wind energy development. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said more than 307,000 acres off the coast could be developed for wind energy. So far, the agency has awarded five commercial wind energy leases for the Atlantic coast, though none of the projects are in service. "We look forward to working with the state of North Carolina, industry and a broad range of stakeholders as this exciting process continues to further commercial wind development in the United States," U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement Monday. The Mid-Atlantic Wind Energy Institute estimates the region could host the development of enough wind energy to support the annual electricity needs of more than 50 million homes. BOEM said it’s only considering the issuance of leases and […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Biofuels are included in latest U.S. Navy fuel procurement

Source: U.S. Navy, used with permission Note: Above, clockwise from left: Fleet replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187), aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93), and cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59). Great Green Fleet demonstration, July 2012. Recently the Department of Defense (DoD) released its annual procurement for bulk fuels to be delivered to its facilities in the eastern and inland United States and Gulf Coast. For the first time, this procurement requests military-specification diesel fuel and jet fuel that are blended with biofuels. The biofuels components, however, are optional and will only be accepted if certain cost and performance requirements are met. A similar procurement for the Rocky Mountain and West Coast regions is expected to be released later this year. The U.S. Navy’s interest in biofuels is part of its goal to generate 50% of its energy from alternative sources by […]

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German Utilities Bail Out Electric Grid at Wind’s Mercy

Germany ’s push toward renewable energy is causing so many drops and surges from wind and solar power that the government is paying more utilities than ever to help stabilize the country’s electricity grid. Twenty power companies including Germany’s biggest utilities, EON SE and RWE AG, now get fees for pledging to add or cut electricity within seconds to keep the power system stable, double the number in September, according to data from the nation’s four grid operators. Utilities that sign up to the 800 million-euro ($1.1 billion) balancing market can be paid as much as 400 times wholesale electricity prices, the data show. Germany’s drive to almost double power output from renewables by 2035 has seen one operator reporting five times as many potential disruptions as four years ago, raising the risk of blackouts in Europe ’s biggest electricity market while pushing wholesale prices to […]

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More solar power slated for Virginia grid

| License Photo New rooftop installations in northern Virginia are part of a program aimed at installing 30 megawatts of solar power in the state, Dominion Virginia Power said. The utility company said it installed 3,000 solar panels on the roof of a distribution center in Sterling, Va., used by industrial real estate company Prologis, Inc. Once completed by October, the installation will generate around 800 kilowatts of power, enough to meet the annual energy demands of about 200 homes. It’s the first such installation in the area for Dominion and part of a broader effort to build 30 megawatts of rooftop solar installations for the utility company’s customers. "The partnership with Prologis will enable us to evaluate the benefits and study the impact of distributed solar generation on our electric grid," Ken Barker, vice president of customer solutions, said in a statement. The Virginia state assembly has recommended […]

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U.S. investing more in biofuels research

The U.S. Energy Department said it was spending $6.3 million on research aimed at generating a biofuel that could be cost competitive by 2017. SRI International of California and Research Triangle Institute of North Carolina received funding from the Energy Department for research and development projects meant to drive down the cost of producing gasoline, diesel and jet fuels from biomass. The funding is part of an effort to make biofuels competitive with regular fuels. The Energy Department said it wants to produce a drop-in biofuel that would cost about $3 per gallon by 2017. Data from 2011 show some biofuels were close to the point at which they’d be competitive with regular fuels. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said the government is looking for ways to increase energy security and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by advancing a low-carbon economy. The transportation sector in the United States accounts for nearly 60 […]

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London signs off on Rampion wind farm

| License Photo The British government said Wednesday it signed off on plans to build the 700 megawatt Rampion wind farm off the coast of Sussex. German utility company E.ON is leading development of the offshore installation that should be completed by 2019. The British government said it expects the project to bring in more than $3.4 billion worth of investments to its economy. Signing off on the project Wednesday, the British government said the Rampion wind farm would generate enough energy to meet the annual needs of 450,000 households. The government said the consent decision is a testament to its commitment to renewable energy resources. "We’re driving investment in our energy security, and our plans have made us number one in the world for investment in offshore wind energy," British Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said in a statement . DECC in a recent assessment said […]

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EIA projections show hydro growth limited by economics not resources

U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-860, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Note: Capacity values prior to 1989 are estimates. Existing capacity includes conventional hydroelectric and pumped storage. New stream-reach developments are stream segments without an existing dam. Expansions add power to existing dams. Some expansions are included in the Annual Energy Outlook 2014 projections. A recent study conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy, the New Stream-reach Development Resource Assessment , finds that 61 gigawatts (GW) of hydroelectric power potential exists at waterways without existing dams or diversion facilities. This value excludes Alaska, Hawaii, and federally protected lands. ORNL’s hydropower resource estimates contrast with the 2 GW of additional hydropower capacity projected to be added through 2040 in EIA’s latest Annual Energy Outlook (AEO2014) Reference case. The difference in the […]

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Bay Area governments make big electric-vehicle buy

A group of San Francisco Bay Area cities, counties and water agencies has joined forces for what is being billed as one of the largest single government purchases of all-electric vehicles in the country. The six cities, two counties and two water agencies have united to buy 90 electric vehicles with the help of a $2.8 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional transportation agency, officials with the Bay Area Climate Collaborative said Tuesday. The vehicles will save more than $500,000 in fuel costs and about 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over five years, Bay Area Climate Collaborative Executive Director Rafael Reyes said. The collaborative – a public-private initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group that was started by three Bay Area mayors – developed the proposal for funding that was submitted to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. "The Bay Area is […]

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Maryland offshore wind auction scheduled

Sixteen companies are cleared to take part in an upcoming lease sale to develop wind energy off the Maryland coast, the U.S. government announced. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Acting Director Walter Cruickshank to announce nearly 80,000 acres off the Maryland coast go on the auction block Aug. 19. The Department of Energy says the area up for auction has the potential to support as much as 1,450 megawatts of wind energy, which could be enough to meet the annual demands of 300,000 homes. "Maryland is a leading force for building a clean and sustainable energy future," Jewell said in a statement Wednesday. The 16 companies cleared for the auction were determined by the federal government to have the legal, technical and financial qualifications to compete. Maryland has a goal of using renewable energy to provide 20 percent of […]

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Wave energy project set for Oregon's coast

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says it took a major step forward with an effort to test utility-scale wave energy devices off the coast of Oregon. "Wave energy off the West Coast has incredible potential," BOEM Acting Director Walter Cruickshank said in a statement Thursday. Researchers at Oregon State University aim to design, build and operate a project that could generate much as 20 megawatts of electricity from waves. The energy could be sent to the mainland through a subsea cable from a site four nautical miles off the coast of Newport. Cruickshank said his agency would work with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on project development. BOEM said it was now ready to move forward after determining there is no competitive interest in the area of the proposed research center. In early June, BOEM awarded a lease to Florida Atlantic University for marine hydrokinetic technology testing. Wave […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple