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| 29 Apr 2009 10:56:32 am |
 New Energy Department Study Shows RES Reduces Fuel Prices |
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The anti-wind campaign, timed to slow down pro-renewable legislation on Capitol Hill, hit a snag of its own this week when the Energy Department released a study showing that a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) would reduce fuel prices for all sectors, have minimal cost impact on power prices, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions immediately.
The anti-windys hae been asserting in recent days that an RES would hurt consumers because it would increase consumer energy prices. AWEA has argued that most studies show that introducing more renewables into the mix would exert downward pressure on utilities fuel costs.
The study, requested by Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA), provides analysis of Congressman Markey’s proposed RES Bill of 25% renewable generation by 2025. The analysis found that the impact on power prices would be negligible, or increase less than 1% by 2030, while natural gas and coal prices would be reduced by up to 4%. Although natural gas is used for one-fifth of U.S. power generation, it is also used in other sectors, particularly home heating and industrial processes, meaning those sectors would also reap the savings of reduced national natural gas prices. |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 27 Apr 2009 10:14:59 pm |
| Congress is Ready for Action--Or Are They? |
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This was supposed to be the week that House and Senate committees began the all-important task of drafting major energy legislation that could include a national renewable electricity standard, transmission streamlining and a cap and trade system to reduce global warming.
But the timing is already beginning to slip. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has put off until next week--no exact date yet--its "markup" of the legislation because members are still discussing exactly what should be in the legislation. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is still expected to start work this week, but probably won't finish until next week. |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 25 Apr 2009 12:26:32 pm |
| Report from Hanover |
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Greetings from one of the world’s largest trade fairs in Hanover, Germany. AWEA and about 200 other exhibitors are the wind portion of the world fair at the Hannover Messe for 5 days, April 20 through April 25th. Wind company exhibitors are only one part of the “Wind, Energy Technology and …” exhibit hall. This hall is then only one out of 27 exhibit halls with exhibitions on energy efficiency, technology, metal castings and forgings, promotions and many more.
The wind companies in attendance are primarily turbine manufacturers and component suppliers, many of whom are not currently active in the U.S. market. A continuous flow of new faces and companies have stopped by the AWEA booth for information about the U.S. market, with a clear interest and excitement about the growth in the U.S. The lack of policy and market stability for strong renewable energy growth in the United States--particularly a renewable electricity standard, continues to befuddle those active in the European market, which has a blend of Renewable Electricity Standards, climate change regulations, as well as feed-in tariffs.
Companies interested in the U.S. wind market will have an opportunity to hear a market and policy update on Friday during the wind sector’s “North American Export Forum" session.
Many wind companies participating in the Hanover Fair will also be exhibiting or attending WINDPOWER 2009 in 2 weeks in Chicago. But, for those companies we have met in Hannover who were not aware of WINDPOWER 2009, they were quickly informed about the Conference & Exhibition’s 1,250 exhibitors and over 15,000 attendees. We hope they will be able to find a hotel in Chicago!
--Elizabeth Salerno, Amna Khan, AWEA |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 24 Apr 2009 08:51:45 pm |
| Back to the 1970s? |
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The op ed column by James Schlesinger in today's Washington Post could have been called, "Looking Back," as it is based on an outdated picture of energy realities, and simply ignores the conclusions drawn by DOE in its own report published a year ago. It is also centered on a false premise: No one in the wind or solar community has ever asserted that renewables are “the primary or total answer to our electric power needs.” Rather, they are being developed as part of a mix that utilities can and are using to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide.
Here's a comment posted by Jack Cadogan, a retired Energy Department wind expert:
Quote : Today's OpEd by Schlesinger and Hirsch could have not been more ironically named: "Getting Real on Wind and Solar", as the authors who were involved in managing the Federal energy R&D program in the 1970s, merely repeat the myths about wind and solar that have largely been disproved since then.
The notion that a fixed quantity of backup power is needed for a certain quantity of wind power is grossly misleading because 1) the output of a wind plant does not change significantly from one minute to the next, 2) aggregating the output of many wind plants reduces this variation considerably and
3) electric power systems maintain a reserve of power above instantaneous load to account for increases in load and unexpected loss in generation. Short term variation of wind plants is compatible with short term variations in load.
Rather than a need for 100 percent wind or solar backup, studies and experience with wind power in the United States and Europe have shown that this extra conventional generation is a small fraction of the instantaneous output of wind generation, typically, 1 to 5%, and not 20 to 100% (as the authors contend). Dedicated energy storage is not required.
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 23 Apr 2009 09:08:46 pm |
| FERC Chairman Questions Conventional Views on Baseload Power |
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Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, raised eyebrows in conventional energy circles when he said that the notion of "baseload power" is becoming an anachronism. Few outside the electric utility fraternity understand the concept of baseload power, so Wellinghoff connected the dots: he said the United States may not need to build more coal or nuclear plants to meet demand. Coal and nuclear are considered baseload power.
AWEA's Michael Goggin explains: "Baseload is becoming an obsolete concept. A combination of a large amount of renewable energy, combined with flexible natural gas plants and demand-response and efficiency, can ensure that our electric system has sufficient energy, capacity, and flexibility, and operates cost-effectively and reliably. "
In other words, even with increased electricity demand, we can keep the lights on without building more coal or nuclear plants.
Wellinghoff's remarks were reported in Greenwire. |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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