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Pennsylvania Governor Signs $650 Energy Fund

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-23T00:00:00-04:00

Pennsyvania Governor Edward G. Rendell recently signed into law a new fund intended to save families and small businesses money on their energy bills by supporting investments in energy conservation and efficiency.

As part of the $650 million package, residential consumers and small businesses will be eligible for $92.5 million in loans, grants, reimbursements and rebates to support energy conservation and weatherization projects that can ultimately reduce energy bills. Another $40 million is available to provide financial assistance through the state's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, and establish an energy efficiency loan fund through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

Households and small businesses can also qualify for $100 million to support the installation of solar energy technology. Solar power is a key cost-saving technology that enables homes and businesses to generate their own electricity and sell any excess power back to the grid through net metering.

Carnegie Mellon University estimates the technology could help reduce electricity demand by 5 percent during the 100 most expensive hours of the year�typically, times when the sun is most intense and temperatures the highest�which would save Pennsylvania ratepayers $1.9 billion annually. Electricity rates can be 15 to 30 times more during periods when demand is highest.

The Governor said these kinds of investments are important today because consumers who now find it difficult to pay for gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas and heating oil will only face greater financial hardship when the generation rate caps that have held electricity prices in check since the mid-1990s expire, leading to double-digit rate increases.

"Families are having to make the difficult decision of whether or not to stay in their homes because they can barely afford to fill up their gas tank or go to the grocery store where higher energy prices have pushed up the price of food," said Governor Rendell. "Likewise, businesses are questioning whether or not to shut their doors because it costs so much to keep the lights on and the machines running.

"This should concern all of us because the residential consumers and businesses in the five utility service territories where rate caps haven't expired�PECO, PPL, Allegheny Power, MetEd and Penelec�are facing a $4 billion increase in their electricity rates by 2011," said the Governor. "At a time when gasoline and diesel fuel are at $4 and $5 per gallon and natural gas has more than doubled since last year, these rate increases will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

"We're putting new resources in place that will help consumers lower their energy use and generate their own power in a cleaner and increasingly more cost-effective manner."

According ot the press release, the Governor will also work throughout the summer to reach an agreement with the legislature on measures that will improve what he called the state's flawed energy policies and protect consumers from the pending electricity rate spikes.

"While I'm disappointed we were unable to reach an agreement on key measures related to electricity, specifically on conservation, energy efficiency and requiring service to be provided at the lowest reasonable rate, I'm encouraged by the commitment by all of the parties to get something done this fall. We'll work throughout the summer to improve Pennsylvania's energy policy so it works for consumers and protects them from the volatility of the open market and collusion or fraud.

"It is a moral imperative that we act promptly to protect consumers from these rate spikes. It has been more than a year and a half since I first unveiled my plan to shield families and businesses from feeling the financial pain that will result from the shortcomings of deregulation. Too much time has elapsed and our ratepayers are now that much closer to paying billions of dollars in electricity costs," the Governor said.

In addition to supporting energy conservation, efficiency measures, and financial assistance, the Governor outlined new strategic investments made possible under the fund that will spur billions of dollars in new, private economic development projects from alternative energy companies and early stage businesses that will create thousands of jobs in a rapidly growing industry.

"Pennsylvania has established itself as leader in developing and deploying clean renewable energy resources," said the Governor, citing some of the world's leading businesses that now call Pennsylvania home, like Conergy, Gamesa and Iberdrola. "However, the $1 billion in private investment that has flowed into Pennsylvania and the 3,000 jobs we've created in the renewable energy industry only begin to scratch the surface of our potential.

"This new investment fund will strategically target new resources to leverage as much as $3.5 billion in private investment and create at least 13,000 new, good-paying jobs in an industry that is sure to be to the 21st century what information technology and biosciences were to the later 20th century."

Included among the new $650 million fund is $500 million that provides:

-$165 million for loans and grants to spur the development of alternative and renewable energy projects (except solar) among businesses and local governments;
-$100 million to provide loans, grants and rebates that cover up to 35 percent of the costs residential consumers and small businesses incur for installing for solar energy technology;
-$80 million in grants and loans for economic development projects in the solar sector;
-$40 million to the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority to support early stage activities, such as incubator support services, translational and early stage research in startup businesses that develop and implement energy efficiency technologies;
-$25 million for wind energy and geothermal projects;
-$25 million for green buildings. Homeowners and small businesses will benefit from grants and loans to build energy efficient structures or renovate an existing building to improve its energy efficiency;
-$40 million ($10 million annually for four years) to support LIHEAP so the commonwealth can help low-income customers manage higher energy prices, severe weather conditions, or disasters; and
-$25 million for pollution control technology to help energy generators meet state and federal standards.
The law, originally Special Session House Bill 1, will also establish a $150 million consumer energy program for individuals and small businesses that will support projects that conserve energy and use it more efficiently�something that is increasingly important as the costs for electricity, fuels and natural gas continue to increase.

The $150 million will be allocated over eight years, with $20 million annually through 2014-15 and another $10 million in 2015-16 that will include:

-$92.5 million so homeowners and small business owners can cover 25 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing energy conservation tools and weatherize their buildings;
-$50 million in tax credits of up to $1 million a year per project for developing and building alternative energy projects, which will help Pennsylvania companies invest and grow here; and.
-$5 million to support an Energy Efficiency Loan Fund through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

For more information on the 2008-09 budget, visit www.pa.gov.

Japanese Manufacturers Team up to Standardise Lithium-Ion Battery

New Energy Finance — 2008-07-23T00:00:00-04:00

Toyota Motor is reportedly joining other Japanese manufacturers to set common standards for the lithium-ion battery used in next-generation autos, a move likely to put the country further in the clean-car lead.

Toyota, Nissan Motor and Matsushita Electric Industrial see the co- operation as a means of reducing the cost of research into safe, convenient lithium-ion batteries, thus accelerating the commercialisation of ultra-efficient hybrid vehicles and electric plug-in cars, according to the Nikkei Net online news service.

Working together is also seen as rapidly expanding the clean-car market by enabling the companies to develop quickly and affordably a network of charging stations compatible with every make of car, Nikkei Net said. The companies will push for ISO certification for the lithium-ion battery, it said.

In a related development, the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki prefecture near Tokyo, said it will launch the NIMS-Toyota Next-Generation Automotive Materials Centre to perform collaborative research with Toyota.

Hopes are that the new research centre will achieve a breakthrough bringing a competitive, high-performance clean vehicle one step closer to reality.

Phase one of research will focus on next-generation onboard secondary cells for automobiles, 'as development is urgently required from the viewpoint of environmental and energy problems,' the centre said in a statement.

World's First Commercial-Scale Tidal Turbine Feeds Grid in Northern Ireland

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-22T00:00:00-04:00

SeaGen, the world's first commercial-scale tidal turbine, located in Northern Ireland's Strangford Lough and developed by British tidal energy company, Marine Current Turbines (MCT), has delivered electricity into the grid for the first time.

The tidal current turbine has briefly generated 150kW of power onto the grid as part of its commissioning work, ahead of it achieving full capacity in a few weeks time. SeaGen's power is being intentionally constrained to 300kW during the commissioning phase, but once fully operational, it will generate 1.2MW of power, supplying clean and green electricity to the equivalent of 1000 homes.

Marine Current Turbines expects that the present testing and commissioning phase will be completed by the end of the summer and an official �switch on" will take place. Irish energy company, ESB Independent Energy, is purchasing the power generated by SeaGen for its customers in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

Liam Molloy of ESB Independent Energy said: �We are on course to be the first company in Ireland and Britain to provide customers with electricity powered by tidal energy. This is a very significant breakthrough which underlines ESB Independent Energy's ongoing commitment to providing our customers with a range of renewable energy options."

Marine Current Turbines' next project, announced in February 2008, is a joint initiative with npower renewables to take forward a 10.5MW project using several SeaGen devices off the coast of Anglesey, north Wales. It is hoped the tidal farm will be commissioned around 2011/2012.

The company is also investigating the potential for tidal energy schemes in other parts of the UK, and in North America.

GCL Silicon Plans to Raise up to $862.5 Million from NYSE listing

New Energy Finance — 2008-07-22T00:00:00-04:00

Chinese silicon maker GCL Silicon is planning an IPO to raise up to USD 862.5m in ADSs on the NYSE.

The company, which operates in China through its subsidiary, Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon Technology Development (JZPTD), said in an initial SEC prospectus filing on 18 July 2008 that it had not set a price for the ADSs.

The prospectus sets an undetermined date in August 2008 as the expected delivery date of the ADSs from underwriters Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, HSBC Securities, Cowen & Co and Piper Jaffray who will receive the option to purchase shares to cover over-allotments.

GCL Silicon plans to use the proceeds of the sale to acquire Sun Wave Group and Greatest Joy International, companies which own a 20% and 16% stake, respectively, in JZPTD. The two are companies are indirectly owned by GCL Silicon CEO and majority shareholder Gongshan Zhu and the foundation Moonchu, established by GCL Silicon director Songyi Zhang.

After the offering, GCL Silicon will own 100% of JZPTD by paying USD 240.6m to entities affiliated with Zhu and Moonchu in cash using a portion of the proceeds from the offering. Proceeds will also be used partially to redeem bonds issued by Happy Genius; issue 2008 convertible bonds to affiliates of Gongshan Zhu and Moonchu in the aggregate principal amount of USD 446.9m to be exchanged for the bonds issued by Happy Genius; and issue 268.5m of GCL Silicon shares to entities affiliated with Gongshan Zhu and Moonchu.

Other shareholders in GCL currently include Deutsche Bank, Trustbridge Partners, Milestone China Opportunities Fund, Investec Bank, CDH Venture Partners and company affiliates.

Recently in June 2008, the company entered into a long-term, 9,990- tonne polysilicon supply agreement with Solarfun from 2008 to 2015 which has a pre-set price which declines approximately 77% over the contract period. Pre-set volumes increase 788% in the first four years of the contract and become steady for the remaining contract term.

General Motors and Electric Utility Industry Launch Major Collaboration to Commercialize Plug-in Vehicles

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-22T00:00:00-04:00

General Motors recently announced that it will collaborate with the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) - more than 30 of the top electric utilities in the United States and Canada -- to accelerate the introduction of plug-in electric vehicles.

According to the company, General Motors will work with EPRI and the utility companies on everything from codes and standards to grid capability to ensure that when the Volt goes to market, the infrastructure is ready - and customers can realize the full potential of these revolutionary vehicles as soon as they leave the showroom.

Details of the alliance, which is by far the largest and most- comprehensive between an automaker and the electric utility industry, were announced today in San Jose during the Plug-In 2008 Conference.

Among the many things the coalition will address include ensuring safe and convenient vehicle charging, raising the public awareness and understanding of plug-in electric vehicles, and working with public policy leaders to enable a transition from petroleum to electricity as a fuel source.

"Together with EPRI and the utility companies, we can transform automotive transportation as we know it, and get our nation and the world past oil dependence - and heading toward a future that is electric," said Jon Lauckner, GM VP of Global Program Management. "This group is taking significant steps toward making electric vehicles a reality and in helping our customers enjoy the tremendous benefits these vehicles will provide."

Using electricity to power vehicles such as the Volt and the Vue Plug-in is attractive to GM because it can simultaneously reduce the industry's dependence on petroleum and vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Consumers will also see a tremendous benefit as the cost per equivalent mile of a vehicle powered by electricity is roughly one-fifth of the cost per mile when powered by gasoline.

The coalition of utility companies plays a critical role in developing universal technical standards that will facilitate ease of use and commercial feasibility of electric vehicles.

"EPRI is pleased to collaborate with GM and utility leaders in electric transportation to work together in advancing plug-in hybrid electric vehicle transportation," said Arshad Mansoor, Vice President of EPRI's Power Delivery & Utilization sector. "This collaboration is critical in the development of standards that will lead to the widespread use of electricity as a transportation fuel."

Last month, GM, along with EPRI, received a conditional award from the U.S. Department of Energy to create a plug-in demo program using the Saturn Vue.

In June, GM's Board of Directors committed to production of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle -- due in showrooms in late 2010. And, at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, GM announced its intention to produce a plug-in hybrid electric version of the Saturn Vue. Given the huge potential vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt and Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid offers for fuel economy improvement, these programs have emerged as top priorities at GM.

"This coalition shares a vision of bringing plug in vehicles to market so we can accelerate the use of electricity as a substitute for gasoline," said Lauckner. "We are focused on creating affordable, highly desired vehicles that will take advantage of the grid - and providing accessible, reliable, convenient low cost electricity to plug-in customers. Collectively, we can realize all of the benefits of the plug-in revolution."

Fulcrum Bioenergy Plans Waste-to-Ethanol Plant in Nevada

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-21T00:00:00-04:00

Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., recently announced that it is advancing next-generation ethanol production with its plans to build one of the first commercial-scale production facilities for converting municipal solid waste to ethanol. The plant will process municipal solid waste�household garbage�revolutionizing waste disposal while creating a much needed low-cost, reliable and environmentally clean renewable transportation fuel.

According to the company, when it begins operations in early 2010, the Sierra BioFuels plant is expected to produce approximately 10.5 million gallons of ethanol per year, and to process nearly 90,000 tons per year of municipal solid waste that would otherwise have been disposed of in landfills. Fulcrum BioEnergy will design, finance, construct, own and operate the plant, which will be located ten miles east of Reno at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Storey County, Nevada. This latestage development project is expected to cost approximately $120 million and is set to enter construction by the end of this year.

"This project is a watershed event in our nation's efforts to create a sustainable source of domestic, renewable transportation fuel," said Fulcrum's President and Chief Executive Officer E. James Macias. "We have selected the best available technologies and applied our know-howfrom decades of experience in the energy, chemical and waste industries to create an efficient, reliable and environmentally responsible approach to producing ethanol that is cost competitive, we call it Intelligent Biofuel."

"Converting garbage waste into a clean, renewable fuel for cars has profound social and environmental benefits. It will help mitigate our dependence on imported oil, lower the price of gasoline, reduce the amount of waste landfilled, lower greenhouse gases and create a new industry of jobs and economic growth. Unlike conventional ethanol technology, which uses corn and other agricultural feedstock, our plant will utilize processed municipal solid waste which will not affect the cost or availability of our nation's food supply," added Macias.

The Sierra BioFuels plant is the first of several projects that Fulcrum is currently developing across the country. The plant will utilize gasification technology licensed from Integrated Environmental Technologies and a licensed proprietary catalytic technology for converting synthesis gas to ethanol jointly developed by Nipawin Biomass Ethanol New Generation Co-operative Ltd. and Saskatchewan Research Council. Fulcrum's process is expected to be environmentally benign; utilizing a gasification process does not create significant levels of emissions like today's waste-to-energy incineration technology.

Fulcrum BioEnergy is collaborating with waste hauling and disposal companies around the country to revolutionize the disposal of solid waste. Because Fulcrum converts postrecycled organic waste, it adds another layer of recovery and recycling to conventional processes. Fulcrum's facilities therefore do not compete or interfere with communities' established recycling programs. Partnering with these solid waste companies will revolutionize waste disposal by further reducing landfill volumes and lowering waste disposal costs in an environmentally responsible manner.

California Approves Hybrid 563MW CCGT-STEG Plant

New Energy Finance — 2008-07-21T00:00:00-04:00

The California Energy Commission has approved the construction of the 563MW Victorville hybrid combined-cycle gas turbine and solar thermal electrical generation plant, which will produce 50MW of STEG power.

The plant, proposed by the city of Victorville, will use a parabolic trough STEG field to introduce extra steam into the heat recovery boiler cycle of the conventional CCGT plant. This allows the plant to use less gas to produce its nameplate generation capacity. 250 acres (100 hectares) will be used onsite for the STEG field.

The plant will use reclaimed waste water from the city's water treatment plant for the STEG component, which will be piped via a new conduit from the city facility. Victorville estimates approximately 46 acre-feet (56.7m litres) per year of water will be used for washing the mirror arrays, or 1.13m litres per megawatt of nameplate capacity per year.

With approval from the CEC, Victorville can now build its plant on a quick timeline. It plans to break ground this summer, and fully commission the site by late summer of 2010. It provided no detail as to selected engineering and construction firms.

The plant is the second hybrid STEG plant in as many weeks to be approved by state regulators. In Florida, utility Florida Power & Light has been approved for its own 75MW add-on parabolic trough system.

MEMC & Tainergy Announce $3 Billion Solar Wafer Supply Contract

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-21T00:00:00-04:00

MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. and Tainergy Tech Co., Ltd. of Taiwan recently announced that they have executed a definitive agreement for MEMC to supply solar wafers to Tainergy.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, MEMC will supply solar wafers to Tainergy over a 10-year period, with pre-determined pricing, on a take or pay basis beginning in the third quarter of 2008. Sales of the wafers over the 10-year period would generate between $3-$3.5 billion in revenue for MEMC. As part of the definitive agreement, Tainergy will advance funds to MEMC in the form of a refundable capacity reservation deposit. In addition, MEMC will be eligible to purchase a 10% interest in Tainergy.

Commenting on the signing of the wafer supply agreement, Nabeel Gareeb, MEMC's Chief Executive Officer, said "We are pleased to have entered this long-term agreement to provide solar wafers to Tainergy. The company's roots in equipment manufacturing and factory automation systems combined with a solid management team and geographic position should allow them to achieve success in the solar market. Today's announcement marks the fourth strategic partner for MEMC in the solar arena, and the second in Taiwan, as MEMC continues to expand its customer list in solar applications and increase its geographic diversity."

Frank Hsieh, Chairman of Tainergy, said "A secure supply of high quality wafers from MEMC will increase our ability to achieve the fast growth and market share gains that we strive for, while providing high quality solar cells to our customers at competitive prices. MEMC is an integrated, asset-efficient leader in the industry with the products, scale, innovation and cost which makes MEMC the right partner for Tainergy."

Al Gore Sets Energy Goal

Greentechmedia.com — 2008-07-18T00:00:00-04:00

Texas Approves Transmission Plan to Serve 11.6GW More Wind

New Energy Finance — 2008-07-18T00:00:00-04:00

Texas regulators have approved plans for a USD 4.9bn, 18.5GW transmission network intended to interconnect 11.6GW of new wind capacity in the state.

The plan was developed by the state's stand-alone grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and approved by the Public Utility Commission (PUCT). It was one of four scenarios ranging from 12GW to 24.5GW worth of wire space that the commission considered. Each plan would have to varying degrees served five �competitive renewable energy zones' (CREZs) designated in the north and west of the state. ERCOT already has 6.9GW of wind projects installed or with an interconnection agreement, making the total new capacity that will be served by the new transmission 11.6GW.

The five zones will each receive an allocation of the total new transmission. Northernmost zone Panhandle B will receive 2.4GW, Panhandle A will receive 3.2GW, Central West will receive 3.05GW, Central will receive 1.06GW, and the southern and westernmost zone, McCamey, will receive 1.9GW.

With CREZ Scenario 2 now approved by the PUCT, the state's regulated transmission and distribution operators can build accordingly. Construction costs will then be 'uplifted to load' � included into rate base costs passed on to all electricity consumers in the state. ERCOT expects an additional USD 580-820m in 'collection costs� to cover additional small lines to connect wind farms to the newly built grid, with an average of 10 miles (16km) of connection to each project.

ERCOT estimates that the 18.5GW of total wind capacity should undercut existing power prices in the gas generation-heavy state by USD 38/MWh, reducing overall electricity payments by USD 2.43bn per year.

Recurrent Raises $75 Million for Solar

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-17T00:00:00-04:00

Recurrent Energy, recently raised $75 Million from Hudson Clean Energy Partners. According to the company Recurrent will use the money to fund the expansion of Recurrent Energy's business providing Solar as a Service to commercial and industrial properties, as well as utility and government markets in North America, and emerging markets worldwide.

"With today's announcement, we're combining the two key ingredients that are necessary to bring solar power to scale: access to capital and the expertise to put it to use," said Arno Harris, Chief Executive Officer, Recurrent Energy. "We're excited to work with Hudson and its team of clean energy experts. It was clear from day one that we share a common vision of what it takes to be successful in the downstream solar market."

The main factors in our decision to partner with Recurrent Energy were the quality of its management team and their vision for how to scale the business � both of which will enable the company to produce a major leap forward in the adoption of onsite solar electricity," said Neil Auerbach, Founder and Co-Managing Partner, Hudson.

"We anticipate that this is just the beginning of an even larger financing relationship, and we are committed to providing Recurrent Energy with the resources it will need to be a powerhouse in solar energy."

"Global demand for solar installations and the supply of solar modules have increased to the point that extraordinary value can be created from customer-facing service providers. That's where Recurrent Energy comes in and why we so strongly support their strategy for making solar affordable and attractive to mainstream energy buyers," commented John Cavalier, Co-Managing Partner, Hudson.

Recurrent Energy develops, owns, and operates distributed solar power systems, selling clean energy to large scale energy users at competitive rates via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Customers achieve reduced carbon emissions, energy independence, predictable pricing, and enhanced sustainability � without the upfront cost, risk of ownership, or the operating burden of doing it themselves. The City and County of San Francisco is a recent Solar as a Service adopter, having announced plans for a 5 Megawatt system with Recurrent Energy � the largest municipal solar photovoltaic project in U.S. history.

First Solar Announces Two Solar Projects with Southern California Edison

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-16T00:00:00-04:00

First Solar, Inc. recently announced that Southern California Edison (SCE) has selected First Solar to engineer and supply the PV power plant system for a 2 megawatt project to be installed on the roof of a commercial building in Fontana, CA. This is the first installation in SCE's plan to install 250 megawatts of solar generating capacity on large commercial rooftops throughout Southern California over the next five years. SCE began installation of this initial project on July 14, 2008, and expects to connect the PV power plant to the grid in September 2008. In March, SCE, with California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, announced the five-year solar PV installation project, which is the largest rooftop solar program ever proposed by a U.S. utility.

In addition, on July 10, 2008, the CPUC approved project terms of a 20 year power purchase agreement between First Solar and SCE for the sale of electricity generated by a PV power plant. First Solar plans to build the new plant in Blythe, CA. The PV power plant will be a minimum of 7.5 megawatts, with an option by First Solar to increase the size to 21 megawatts, and when completed will be the largest ground based PV power plant in California. First Solar will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the PV power plant, and maintain the PV power plant over its lifetime. Subject to the satisfaction of remaining contingencies, including the extension of the federal solar investment tax credit, First Solar expects to begin construction of the PV power plant in 2009.

"By harnessing the clean, renewable energy of the sun that is abundant in California, these innovative solar projects are helping to meet our long-term energy and climate change goals," Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said. "These projects are evidence that California's ingenuity is spurring a clean tech boom that will bring companies and investment dollars to California while reducing the state's carbon footprint."

The Governor has set a goal of increasing California's renewable energy sources to 20 percent by 2010, and he supports reaching 33 percent by 2020.

"These projects represent significant steps towards the deployment of low cost, solar electric generation resources for California," said Mike Ahearn, CEO of First Solar. "First Solar looks forward to developing these and other projects which will move California closer to its renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals."

"We are pleased to be working with First Solar on these important renewable energy projects," said SCE President John R. Fielder. "Their successful bid to supply the first system for our major utility solar project is helping SCE provide solar PV generation to our customers at a lower cost than traditional PV installations."

State of Rhode Island Partners with EnerNOC for Demand Response

Clean Edge News — 2008-07-16T00:00:00-04:00

EnerNOC, Inc. recently announced that it has entered into a five-year contract with the State of Rhode Island. The contract will allow EnerNOC to enable and manage demand response capacity from city, town and government-related buildings into the Independent System Operator of New England, Inc. ("ISO-NE") market, creating a valuable revenue stream for the State both today and in the future as part of ISO-NE's Forward Capacity Market.

"As Rhode Island is facing skyrocketing energy costs and consumers are being asked to pay more for electricity, reducing non-essential consumption is an important component of our commitment to support reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable energy solutions," said Governor Donald L. Carcieiri.

Under contract terms, individual government buildings can enroll in EnerNOC's technology-enabled demand response network. Each site will be paid for agreeing to reduce non-essential electricity consumption during periods of peak demand. In addition, each participating site will gain basic access to EnerNOC's PowerTrak energy management platform, which enables users to view and analyze their energy consumption data in near real time and measure efficiency gains.

"This is a positive development in Rhode Island's broader mission to promote environmentally responsible energy policies, while generating revenue for the State that can be used to fund other government programs," said Andrew Dzykewicz, commissioner of the Office of Energy Resources for the State of Rhode Island. "EnerNOC is a valued partner that is helping us to maximize our participation in today's energy markets and to navigate the evolving demand response landscape."

"EnerNOC's continued success with state governments is encouraging, and we look forward to working with the State of Rhode Island to maximize the effectiveness of New England's energy resources," said Tim Healy, chairman and chief executive officer of EnerNOC.

Acciona Targets Greece for Wind Farms

New Energy Finance — 2008-07-16T00:00:00-04:00

Spanish construction giant Acciona plans to spend EUR 500m (USD 795m) developing around 350MW of wind capacity in Greece over the next five years.

Acciona Energia director Fernando Ferrera is quoted in a Reuters article saying during a visit to Greece that the aim is to build 350MW at an estimated cost of between EUR 1.3m (USD 2.1m) and EUR 1.5m (USD 2.4m) per MW. All the details in the report were confirmed by an Acciona spokesman.

Ferrera said: "We want to export the experience we have in Spain to the Greek market ... Greece is still eight or nine years behind Spain (in renewable energy)."

Acciona has 36MW operational and 16MW under construction in Greece.

Greece has under 900MW of installed wind capacity but has recently introduced a tariff of EUR 75 (USD 119) per MWh with the aim of hitting its 18% EU renewable energy consumption target for 2020.

Goldwind Wins Bids to Supply 702MW Turbines to Six Wind Farms

New Energy Finance — 2008-07-16T00:00:00-04:00

Chinese wind turbine maker Goldwind has won bids to supply wind turbines totalling 702MW to six wind farms in Jiuquan, Gansu Province.

Goldwind will supply a total of 468 units of 1.5MW turbines worth CNY 4.5bn (USD 656m) to the wind farms. It will provide 134 wind turbines to the 200MW Guazhou Ganhekou No 6 Wind Farm for CNY 1.3bn (USD 187.6m) and 134 wind turbines to the 200MW Guazhou Beidaqiao No 4 Wind Farm, also for CNY 1.3bn (USD 187.6m).

Goldwind will also jointly provide turbines with other domestic wind turbine makers, like Sinovel and Dongfang Steam Turbine Works (DFSTW). It will supply 34 and 66 turbines to two 200MW wind farms, the Guazhou Ganhekou No 5 and the Guazhou Beidaqiao No 1 wind farms, for CNY 326.3m (USD 47.6m) and CNY 633.4m (USD 92.5m) respectively, with Sinovel to provide the remaining turbines required for these projects.

Another 200MW wind farm, the Guazhou Qiaowan No 1 Wind Farm, will be supplied with Goldwind's 34 turbines for CNY 326.3m (USD 47.6m) and the remaining installations coming from DFSTW.

It will also provide all the 66 turbines to be installed at the 100MW Guazhou Qiaowan No 3 South Wind Farm, at a price of CNY 634.9m (USD 92.7m).

All the turbines, with localisation rate of 90%, will be delivered between 2009 and 2010. Goldwind did not reveal the developers for these projects, but said it will sign contracts with them soon.

The wind projects are a part of a 3.8GW wind base programme in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, which is the first step for a 10GW-level wind base to be built by 2020, according to the local government's plan. National Development and Reform Commission has asked the China Machinery & Equipment International Tendering to organise the bidding for the projects.