NWF Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Report

Thanks so much to the National Wildlife Federation for a great look at using clean energy here in the US.  We will break this up into two reports here on the blog given the story's length.

Energy policy will drive much of our future economic and environmental choices.  Now is the time to evaluate an energy policy based on today's realities, not assumptions we've used for many decades.  As pointed out here, technology allows us to make decisions and investments not available to us till now.  We can put people to work in the new, green economy.  We can build a very different source of power and distribution system.  And we can marry this innovation with much higher efficiency  standards to dramatically reduce our demands for electricity.

All of which leads to less imported oil, less burning of fossil fuels in general, impetus for employment and savings we can use to pay down debt.

We did a great show last week with a rep from Rocky Mountain Institute and talked about their energy ideas outlined in the book, Reinventing Fire.  You can listen here:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/renewable-now/2012/09/12/reinventing-fire

Will Federal and State Leaders Take Advantage of America’s Golden Opportunity?

"America can create hundreds of thousands of jobs while powering our homes and businesses with local, clean energy, but only if our elected officials and regulators take the right steps now, according to a new report released today by the National Wildlife Federation, Environment America, and 45 partner organizations along the Atlantic Coast. The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy: Time for Action to Create Jobs, Reduce Pollution, Protect Wildlife & Secure America’s Energy Future details the economic and environmental benefits of offshore wind energy, the progress made to-date, potential obstacles to that progress, and a prosperous path forward.

“America’s Atlantic coast has some of the best offshore wind energy resources in the world, the technology to harvest it is ready right now, and we have workers ready to do the job,” said Catherine Bowes, the National Wildlife Federation’s senior manager for new energy solutions and lead author of the report. “We need to take advantage of this golden opportunity to make our electricity supply cleaner, more wildlife-friendly, and more secure.”

“Like many states along the Atlantic, Massachusetts has no fossil fuel resources, forcing us to import almost all of our energy needs,” Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan said.  “Developing offshore wind, an indigenous and emissions free energy source just off the Massachusetts coast, would not only offer a tremendous economic opportunity by creating thousands of new jobs for our citizens, offshore wind will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vastly improve the quality of the air we breathe.”

The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy includes detailed reports on each Atlantic Coast state. Among the highlights of the report:"

See Part 2 tomorrow:

Update from Terra Pass

Carbon offsets are a great, simple way for everyone to help get cleaner air.  Here's an update from one group we've worked with in the past.   If you have a child in college, this is a great issue to read. The ‘Too Cool for School’ Newsletter September 13, 2012 As the new school year begins... Take a look at what the country’s greenest universities are doing Get some handy, easy-to-implement tips that you can use on and off campus And don't forget to provide your feedback on our latest project Universities go green The Sierra Club put together a list of the Top 10 Coolest Schools. Check out the innovative solutions that administrators and students are implementing for tangible, sustainable change. Did you know that a typical dorm room uses enough energy during an academic year to generate 6,678 lbs of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions? —that's about the same as the amount of emissions generated by driving a small car. Offset your energy use (or your students') with dorm offsets from TerraPass. Get an apple from your teacher From primary school to college, here are some tips to green the school year and have fun doing it. Pretty soon your teacher will be the one giving you an apple. Pack your lunch in style: • Give a stainless steel lunchbox a try.   • Learn to pack a trash-free lunch. Carpool, walk or bike to school: • If public transportation isn't available where you live, consider joining a carpool. Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority We’ve extended the public comment period for those who were a little late to return from summer vacation. Share your feedback on this landfill gas capture project in Beckley, West Virginia.

Communities collaborate on solar projects

Great story in USA Today on communities collaborating on solar projects.  We'd love to bring one of these projects to RI.  Give us your thoughts.

The link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012/09/18/communities-collaborate-on-solar-projects/57804724/1

Part of the story:   ROCKFORD, Minn. -- David Schmidt has been intrigued by the idea of generating power from the sun for a long time, but he had never taken the next step.

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  Clean Energy Collective
  The Poudre Valley REA Community Solar Farm in northern Colorado.

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Clean Energy Collective

The Poudre Valley REA Community Solar Farm in northern Colorado.

The research engineer teaches a course on renewable energy at the University of Minnesota. He had already cut back on his energy use and converted his home to LED lights.

Then Schmidt heard about a community solar project his utility company, the Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association, is building. Instead of spending around $40,000 to install solar panels on his home, Schmidt could purchase a single panel for $869.

"This way, I can do it little by little, buy one panel at a time," he said.

Schmidt will see a discount of a few dollars on his monthly electricity bill. He will also get the satisfaction of creating renewable energy for his community that won't be affected by fluctuating prices of fossil fuels.

"We're contributing some pretty stable power to the grid," Schmidt said.

Community solar projects, popping up across the USA, are being touted as a model that makes solar power both affordable and accessible to everyone. The projects allow everyone to get involved in producing solar power, "not just the ones with a really good south-facing roof," said Eric Jensen, chairman of the MES...

Enjoy the show and tour 2012

. Good news on the natural gas front

Thank you to Kathy Frazier, who works at the Arpin Group, for sending us this positive story on "America's natural gas highway" getting built out from coast-to-coast.  Switching vehicles over to natural gas--cars as well as trucks--helps in two ways; reducing imported oil and using domestic fuel; cleaning the air.

This is a very positive step, and works hand-in-hand with our use of bio-fuels, buying more energy efficient cars and, ultimately, buying EV's.  Our best wishes to Clean Energy as they build out our natural gas highway.

Here's the story:

We are building LNG truck fueling stations
coast-to-coast and border-to-border

Clean Energy is America’s connection to natural gas fueling — the largest provider of natural gas for transportation. Now we are building America’s Natural Gas Highway^TM with LNG truck fueling stations along major interstates to form the backbone of a national fueling infrastructure — enabling goods movement using natural gas fuel from coast-to-coast and border-to-border.

The first phase includes approximately 150 LNG truck fueling stations (plus CNG where needed). Approximately 70 are anticipated to be open in 33 states by the end of 2012 and the balance in 2013. Many will be co-located at Pilot-Flying J Travel Centers already serving goods movement trucking.

We believe the time is right for taking this action. Our nation needs to focus on reducing dependence on imported oil, and keeping our money and creating jobs here at home. We look forward to serving truckers and shippers onAmerica’s Natural Gas Highway^TM.

Thanks to Seth Handy

For sending us a really good article on crunching the true numbers on natural gas versus renewables.  We re-produced only part of the article; the balance can be found on their site (rmi.org).

We are going to follow this up with an interesting piece on an effort to build out a natural gas filling station network across the US for cars and trucks.  Ironically, as we do that and move away from imported oil (a very good thing) we compete, in transportation, head-on with EV's...a clean, renewable source.  Should we?  We'd love to hear from you.

Also, we are on the road this week and found a great Hampton Inn, Sarasota, FL, out by the airport, with solar panels, full recycling, flush-less toilets and car-charging stations.  And a great little hotel to boot.  Kudos; we love it   Look them up and stay here when you are down this way.

Hot Air About Cheap Natural Gas

Amory B. Lovins & Jon Creyts

RMI Co-founder and Chief Scientist / Program Director

 

Would you build a buy-and-hold financial portfolio from only junk bonds and no Treasuries by considering only price, not also risk? Not for long. Yet those who say cheap natural gas is killing alternatives—solar, wind, nuclear—make the same error. In truth, they’re doing the math wrong: the gas isn’t really that cheap.

“Cheap gas” reflects only the bare spot price of the commodity without adding the value of its price
volatility. Yet such competitors as efficiency and renewables have no fuel and hence no fuel-price volatility: once built, they’re as financially riskless as Treasuries. Of course, much gas is sold not at spot but on long-term contract, especially to its biggest user—electricity generators. But for other players, it’s vital not to become the patsy in the poker game: basic financial economics says asset comparisons must value and equalize risk.

One way is to compare fuel-free competing technologies with constant-price gas. A broker will take the price-volatility risk for a fee based on the market’s risk valuation, discoverable from the “straddle”—the sum of the prices of simultaneously sold put and call options. A year ago, when the cheap-gas mania was taking hold, gas-price volatility five years out was worth more than recent spot gas prices. Even today, with lower price and volatility (whose value automatically falls with price), gas’s price volatility alone, over a time horizon appropriate for comparison with durable assets, is worth roughly what gas now sells for. Omitting price volatility thus understates gas’s true cost (excluding its fixed delivery costs) by about twofold—a very material error.

A leading promoter of shale-gas fracking, asked about this at a recent financial conference, replied, “Trust me!” Gas, he claimed, would remain very cheap for a very long time. So how much gas would he contract to sell for a constant $2–3 per thousand cubic feet for 20–30 years, backed by solid assets unlinked to hydrocarbon prices? Probably none.

Actually, you can buy gas today for delivery at least a decade hence. Sure enough, it costs 2–3 times more, or about $6. So why doesn’t a fracking promoter lock in huge profits by shorting gas futures? Because shale gas (unless sweetened by valuable liquid byproducts) has lately sold at below its cash production cost. The reasons include frenetic drilling (driven by use-it-or-lose-it leases and the need to book big reserves to raise cash), pricey oil spurring plays in oily shales, and filled storage due to a mild winter. Those low 2012 natural gas prices will probably prove as transient as the even lower real prices of 1995–2000.

The gas industry’s inherent short-term price volatility is due to weather, storage, trade, and other factors. The April 2012 low gas price rose 31% by the end of May and doubled for delivery two years hence. Uncertainties increase further out because economies are complex and unpredictable. The fracking revolution didn’t repeal basic economics: to get $6–8 gas, just assume $3–4 gas, use it accordingly, and watch supply and demand reequilibrate at higher prices...

Are you ready to plug in?

We are proud to support this event and our move towards EV's:

Will You Join Us for Plug In Day?

For the last few weeks, we have been celebrating the new vehicle fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards that mark President Obama's biggest climate accomplishment yet. Tens of thousands of Americans have sent letters to the White House thanking the president for new policies that will ensure that automakers produce much more efficient vehicles as well as cars that run on little or no oil at all. Now there's another way to celebrate.

Sunday, September 23rd, is National Plug In Day, a nationwide celebration of electric vehicles (EVs). By turning their back on the pump, oil spills, and tailpipe emissions, these vehicles are a huge step toward moving America beyond oil. They are also a lot of fun to drive. On the 23rd, EV drivers and the EV-curious in over 60 cities across the country will be taking part in free events to test drive EVs, kick the tires, and check out solar-powered EV charging stations. Ten lucky people who register for and attend Plug In Day events will even win a new iPad.

You can see if there is an event near you and register today.

A switch to EVs is an important part of a future with greener transportation choices, domestic clean energy manufacturing jobs, and a healthier planet. Every year, we burn roughly 121 billion gallons of oil in our passenger cars and trucks -- and even after taking into account the electricity used to charge EVs, these are almost alwaysthe cleanest cars around and will only get cleaner as we shift to more renewable sources of power. You can't say that about a gasoline-powered vehicle!

The Plug In Day events feature electric cars, trucks, and motorcycles in electric car parades, "tailpipe-free" tailgate parties, awards to leaders promoting EV-readiness, the launch of new public EV charging stations, and other educational events.

• Event-goers in the Los Angeles area will be taking EV test-drives and checking out more than a dozen models of electric cars of the past and present at the Automobile Driving Museum.

• In New York City, there will be electric delivery trucks on display from companies that will likely include Fed Ex, Coca Cola, and Duane Reade.

• The mayor of Sarasota, FL, will be issuing a Plug In Day proclamation where participants in that city will enjoy test-rides, musical entertainment, and a silent and emission-free EV parade.

Whether or not you can make it to a Plug In Day event,you can take a moment to sign a petition showing your governor that you support EV-readiness programs in your state, such as more consumer education, public charging stations, and utility programs that provide off-peak electricity rates and improve infrastructure.

Sierra Club has teamed up with Plug In America, Electric Auto Association, and dozens of local groups to organize this second annual National Plug In Day. With double the number of events this year than last, the momentum is electric.