Green Energy News

Invenergy recently broke ground on three large solar projects totaling 750 megawatts near the Iowa-Minnesota border. Iowa has long been one of the nation’s leading producers of electricity from wind. Now, the state appears ready to take a great leap forward with utility-scale solar. Invenergy, a major developer of large renewable generation projects nationwide, began construction in December on three solar arrays with a total capacity of 750 megawatts. It may at some point add three batteries with a capacity . . .

OCEAN CITY – With a public hearing looming next week in Ocean City on the size and scale of the proposed offshore wind turbines, resort officials are encouraging attendance from the public. The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) next Saturday at noon will host a public hearing on the proposed changes in size of the offshore wind turbines for two projects approved off the coast of the resort. The PSC is holding the public hearing in response to changes in the . . .

Engert was front and center during the town's five-year fight against a major wind power project proposed by Apex Clean Energy, a Virginia company. The company sought to erect 47 wind turbines, each nearly 600 feet tall, in Somerset and neighboring Yates. The towns surveyed residents and both found that about two-thirds of them opposed the project. Somerset spent about $300,000 in fees for lawyers and expert consultants in the battle against the wind project. Last spring, Apex closed its local office, leading Engert to declare the project dead, although the company has not acknowledged that. "I will be providing consulting if Apex decides they're going to come back into the town," Engert said. "I'm proud of my record here."

Road L and Road 240 were shut down for several hours Thursday after a semi tractor-trailer overturned. At 10:33 a.m. Thursday, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and Emporia-Lyon County EMS responded to the report of a rollover accident in the 2300 block of North Highway 99 – about five miles north of Emporia. According to Lyon County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Williams, an oversized 2018 tractor trailer hauling the base of a wind turbine failed to negotiate the curve while heading south . . .

HARRISBURG – Two companies are showing renewed interest in wind farms in Banner County, and hope to have systems up and running in the next couple of years. Orion Energy and Invenergy LLC are both working on securing leases, conducting environmental assessments and conducting public surveys in the hopes of getting projects up and running. Representatives for both companies projected that there would likely be systems up and running over the next two years. Ben Turner, manager of renewable development for . . .

Local politicians are calling for full details to be revealed over concerns that a proposed wind farm near Newtown could result in new pylons running through our countryside. Montgomeryshire’s political representatives, Craig Williams MP and Russell George AM, have both reacted to EDF Renewables’ proposals to develop a wind farm south of Newtown, calling for further detail as to the capacity of the development and how it would be connected to the National Grid. EDF Renewables have today announced plans . . .

Wind turbines off the coast of Aberdeen will now turn for a quarter of a century after an application to prolong the life of the renewable energy development was a granted by officials yesterday. The 11-turbine Aberdeen Bay wind test facility – also known as the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre – was given consent to generate power for 25 years, an increase on its initial application of 22 years first granted in 2013. The application was made by the . . .

Plans have been unveiled to develop a wind farm called Garn Fach, south of Newtown, Powys, in partnership with 14 local farming families. The EDF Renewables (EDF R) project between south Montgomeryshire and north Radnorshire is likely to consist of up to 22 turbines, each producing around five mega watts (MW). That is 110MW capable of generating enough low carbon electricity for the domestic needs of 66,000 households. Ahead of submitting a planning application for the wind farm, between Llandinam . . .

A commission that studied the potential for projects to store excess renewable power generated in Maine has recommended that the state set a short-term goal of reaching 100 megawatts of capacity by 2025 to send an important signal to investors and developers. The non-binding target is modest compared with what states such as Massachusetts and New York are proposing, and it doesn’t commit any state money. Still, the proposal recognizes the “value and benefits that strategic investment in energy storage . . .

Developers behind a £5 billion windfarm off the Angus coast still hope to begin onshore work this year, despite strong opposition to plans to lay underground cables across the county. A public inquiry process is now under way regarding SSE-owned Seagreen Wind Energy Limited’s use of compulsory purchase powers (CPO) to secure access to a stretch of land linking a landing point at Carnoustie Golf Links and a substation near the village of Tealing. It is feared the work may . . .

New plans for a wind farm of up to 22 turbines 149.9 metres tall north of Abbeycwmhir are to be submitted later this year. Energy firm EDF Renewables plans to develop a wind farm called Garn Fach in partnership with 14 local farming families. The site is part of the former Llaithddu wind farm proposal and stretches from just north of Bwlch y Sarnau to Bryn Llyndwr, and is west of the A483 between Crossgates and Newtown. The firm will . . .

Rajasthan’s chief minister recently unveiled a new wind and hybrid energy policy that has been welcomed by the industry.

Nordex gets a first order for its N149/5.X turbine, after developers of a 286MW Swedish wind farm switched their initial order to the manufacturer’s 5MW-plus model.

[Euboia: Storm winds take down wind turbines – photos by Dimitris Stavridis] Ένα ολόκληρο αιολικό πάρκο, κατέστρεψαν ολοσχερώς οι άνεμοι στην Εύβοια. Η ταχύτητα τους ξεπέρασε και τα 140km/h , με αποτέλεσμα τις παρακάτω εικόνες! Πηγή εικόνας: Dimitris Stavridis

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has finalised the acquisition of Senvion's European onshore service assets and intellectual property (IP). The sale of the blade factory will follow in Q1.

Vattenfall is seeking approval for a Scottish wind farm that could use 6MW turbines -- the most powerful onshore turbines the company will have used in the UK.

Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee unveiled the outlines of a sweeping climate bill this afternoon, and a look inside shows a host of ambitious energy efficiency policies. That is smart thinking, considering efficiency measures alone could cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050. It’s also no coincidence that the package is led in large part by two leading efficiency champions and members of the Alliance to Save Energy’s Honorary Board of Advisors – Reps. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.).

The legislative framework, announced by Rush, Tonko and Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) is expected to be translated into a bill in the coming months. Here are some of the key energy efficiency measures in the package:

• Provisions that promote the domestic manufacture and use of advanced fuel-efficient and zero emission vehicles and encourage the development of infrastructure to support them. The transportation sector represents a massive opportunity to reduce domestic energy consumption.
• Increased funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program. Low-income Americans in rural and urban areas spend a far greater share of their income on energy cost. This program has already helped millions of families by permanently reducing their energy bills. For every dollar invested in weatherization, $1.72 is generated in energy benefits and another $2.78 in non-energy benefits. An increase in funding for this program will help more American families in need and generate savings for the economy.
• Improvements in the energy efficiency of public buildings. The Committee’s plan would leverage energy savings performance contracts and a newly established Federal Smart Building Program to cut down on energy use in America’s public buildings. The document also includes plans to improve the energy efficiency of public schools.
• Incorporates the HOMES Act, introduced by Alliance Honorary Advisor Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), which establishes a Home Energy Savings Retrofit Rebate Program to fund residential energy efficiency improvements. This is critical because homes account for some 20 percent of U.S. energy consumption.

Meanwhile, the committee is holding a meeting Thursday to consider nine bills, including key bipartisan legislation to promote energy efficiency upgrades in federal facilities through contracts between federal agencies and private contractors, as well as Rep. Rush’s major electric vehicle bill.

It is all encouraging news – and underlines how many smart energy efficiency policies are ready and available to reduce carbon emissions. The challenge, of course, will be to put these policies into practice, and we look forward to working with lawmakers in both parties to move these and other energy efficiency policies forward.

Statement of Steve Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)

(January 8, 2020) – The new climate proposal by US House members is a bold and necessary plan to address the unprecedented climate challenge. The House Energy and Commerce Committee's leadership announced the CLEAN Future Act, the first broad committee climate bill in 10 years. It aims to create a 100% clean economy by 2050. To achieve this goal, it calls for increased energy efficiency in transportation, buildings, industry, and utilities. Reducing energy waste is the cheapest, fastest way to reduce emissions while also saving consumers money.

Through months of stakeholder outreach, Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., crafted a strong proposal with important efficiency provisions, including: annual updates to emissions standards for cars and trucks, building codes for zero energy ready homes and commercial buildings, a “buy clean” requirement for industrial products purchased with federal funds, stronger appliance standards, home energy retrofits, electric vehicle infrastructure, low-income efficiency programs, a climate bank, and required state climate plans that should use utility efficiency programs to lower emissions.

We will continue to work with the Committee to enhance the use of energy efficiency to further strengthen this promising draft plan.

 

 

 

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors.

The Farmersville and Freedom town boards both met Monday to take the first steps toward more protective wind turbine laws. On identical 3-2 votes, both town boards introduced 2020 Wind Energy Facilities Laws and set public hearings for next Monday night. With Freedom’s 2019 wind law overturned in state Supreme Court and the Farmersville Town Board voting 3-2 Monday to void the town’s 2019 wind law, existing 2007 and 2009 laws are in effect in both towns. Those laws limit . . .

Proposals for the £8m Barrel Law development, consisting of seven turbines up to 132m tall, were thrown out by Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee in September. The company behind the plans, West Lothian-based ABO Wind, submitted an appeal to the Scottish Government’s planning and environmental appeals division in November, however. That appeal has proved unsuccessful, though, with the Holyrood reporter in charge of the appeal, Elspeth Cook, deeming it would have an overwhelmingly adverse impact on residential amenity and the . . .