Preview Newsletter
sfce 11/5
-
Suniva Supplies Solar Canopy Project For Houston's NRG Park
Nov 4, 2015 | Solar Industry
Georgia-based Suniva Inc. has supplied its OPTimus solar panels for a canopy project at NRG Park in Houston. -
Renewable energy supply to double in major economies by 2030
Nov 5, 2015 | Reuters
By Nina Chestney
Renewable energy supply in eight major economies will collectively more than double by 2030 due to new national climate and energy plans, according to a study by the think tank World Resources Institute (WRI). -
China’s Carbon Dioxide Emissions Far Greater Than Previously Acknowledged
Nov 4, 2015 | Time
By Justin Worland
China has burned 17% more coal in recent years than the country had previously acknowledged leading to significantly higher carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report on new government figures. -
EC rejects calls to replace MIP pricing benchmark
Nov 4, 2015 | PV Tech
By Ben Willis
The European Commission has rejected a request by EU ProSun to replace the pricing benchmark used to determine the minimum import price applied to Chinese solar products sold in the EU. -
Goldman Sachs Triples Its Clean Energy Target to $150B
Nov 4, 2015 | Greentech Media
By Katherine Tweed
Goldman Sachs has more than tripled its target for clean energy financing and investment, forecasting that the sector will mobilize $150 billion by 2025. -
Hawaii Makes Another Big Move Toward 100 Percent Renewable Energy
Nov 3, 2015 | Huffington Post
By Chris D'Angelo
A small island in the middle of the Pacific is doing some big things for renewable energy. By the end of this year, 37 percent of the electricity generated on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai will come from a mix of renewable resources, including solar, hydropower and biomass. -
Nigeria Mandates 50% Renewable Energy Procurement In Electricity Sector
Nov 4, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
In a giant leap for Nigeria’s power sector, the country’s government has enacted landmark regulation to mandate electricity distribution companies to acquire a minimum percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources. -
UK Reaches 10 GW Offshore Wind Capacity
Nov 4, 2015 | Clean Technica
By Joshua S Hill
Including all projects currently planned, under construction, or in operation, the UK now has over 10 GW of offshore wind. -
How Vancouver Can Adopt 100% Green Energy By 2050
Nov 5, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Roy L Hales
Vancouver’s Renewable City Strategy has been released. The city currently obtains 31% of its energy from clean energy sources. Though the Acting City Manager says he finds it “hard to imagine a city without fossil fuels,” he “enthusiastically supports” the plan for Vancouver to adopt 100% green energy by 2050. -
California Regulators Take Bold Steps Toward a New Energy Efficiency Paradigm
Nov 3, 2015 | Greentech Media
By Matt Golden
California has always been at the forefront of efforts to accelerate clean-energy innovation and address climate change. This past Friday, the state took another giant leap by updating several obscure but important regulations that were inadvertently hindering progress in energy efficiency. -
Canada's Trudeau Pledges New Climate Focus Ahead of Paris Summit
Nov 4, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Josh Wingrove
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s move to raise the profile of climate change within his new cabinet signals a clear change in direction on carbon emissions from the policies of his predecessor. -
How Walmart Became A Green Energy Giant, Using Other People's Money
Nov 4, 2015 | Forbes
By Chistopher Helman
The roof of the Wal-Mart in Mountain View, Calif. is covered with solar panels. Depending on the time of day they provide 15% of the power needed to run the store. Last year President Barack Obama stopped by here to give a speech about his energy plan. Standing before shelves filled with discount lightbulbs, Obama held up Wal-Mart as an exemplar of corporate responsibility.
Suniva News
Industry News
Full Text of Stories Below
-
Suniva Supplies Solar Canopy Project For Houston's NRG Park
Nov 4, 2015 | Solar Industry
Georgia-based Suniva Inc. has supplied its OPTimus solar panels for a canopy project at NRG Park in Houston.
The 350-acre sports and entertainment complex hosts several renewable energy installations, including a solar canopy system that covers pedestrian walkways and gathering places to provide shade to visitors and help power the facilities. Other projects include solar-powered mobile phone charging stations, electric vehicle charging stations and energy-efficient LED lights inside and on the roof of the stadium.NRG led the development and installation of these energy technology upgrades over an 18-month period.
-
Renewable energy supply to double in major economies by 2030
Nov 5, 2015 | Reuters
By Nina Chestney
Renewable energy supply in eight major economies will collectively more than double by 2030 due to new national climate and energy plans, according to a study by the think tank World Resources Institute (WRI).
Total clean energy supply from eight of the world's 10 largest greenhouse gas emitters - Brazil, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and the United States - will jump to 20,000 terawatt hours (TWh) from around 9,000 TWh in 2009.
That is equivalent to India's current energy demand.
"These new renewable energy targets send strong signals to energy markets and investment circles," said Jennifer Morgan, Global Director, Climate Program, WRI.
"Combined with the Paris climate agreement, it's clear that renewable energy is poised to surge forward in the next 15 years bringing clean and affordable power to millions of people worldwide."
These economies are among many which have announced new renewables targets in the past 12 months ahead of a United Nations' climate conference in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 to fight global warming from 2020.
Canada and Russia, which are also among the world's top 10 emitting countries, were not included in the study because they have not announced post-2020 renewable energy targets.
So far, plans submitted to the U.N. by around 150 countries to cut greenhouse gases will only slow climate change and not limit rising global temperatures to two degrees Celsius, a threshold seen by scientists as avoiding the worst effects of climate change.
-
China’s Carbon Dioxide Emissions Far Greater Than Previously Acknowledged
Nov 4, 2015 | Time
By Justin Worland
China has burned 17% more coal in recent years than the country had previously acknowledged leading to significantly higher carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report on new government figures.
The revelation, reported in the New York Times, comes just weeks before the start of an international conference on climate change in Paris that world leaders hope will yield an international agreement to stem carbon dioxide emissions. The new figures suggest that the country may be more reliant on coal, which emits more carbon dioxide per electricity produced than any other other commonly used energy source, just as its leaders aim to wean the country off the fuel. China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has promised to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
The new data, published by China’s statistical agency, suggests that coal use has been underestimated since 2000, according to the Times report. The correction accounts for more usage by small companies than previously thought .
Read More: China Shows It’s Getting Serious About Climate Change
The revelation may also have implications for how climate negotiators approach the issue of transparency at the upcoming climate talks. Some in the U.S. and elsewhere have doubted whether leaders in China and other countries would be able to provide accurate information about their countries’ emissions, further complicating an agreement.
-
EC rejects calls to replace MIP pricing benchmark
Nov 4, 2015 | PV Tech
By Ben Willis
The European Commission has rejected a request by EU ProSun to replace the pricing benchmark used to determine the minimum import price applied to Chinese solar products sold in the EU.
ProSun, the chief antagonist in long-running trade dispute between Europe and China, had been seeking to have the Bloomberg index changed because it claimed it did not accurately reflect the development of module pricing in recent years.
The body, led by German manufacturer SolarWorld, alleged that an increase in Chinese firms registering products with the Bloomberg index was pushing down spot prices and therefore the MIP.
But the commission said it was satisfied the benchmark remained representative of worldwide module pricing trends.
Although it noted that Chinese prices on the index were lower than the international average, their average has fallen no faster than the international average, the commission said.
“The existing benchmark therefore still fulfils its objective as set out in the measures in force. The Commission therefore intends to terminate this review,” a commission document on the case concluded.
The ruling will come as a boost to parties seeking to have all trade measures on Chinese imports into Europe thrown out when the commission decides whether or not to review their scheduled expiry at the end of this year. The commission has until December to decide whether or not it will instigate a review, which would mean current measures remain in force for up to 15 months.
James Watson, chief executive of trade body SolarPower Europe, said: "The decision by the European Commission is a step in the right direction. We hope this sensible approach will also apply to the duties and price undertaking due to expire in December 2015."
-
Goldman Sachs Triples Its Clean Energy Target to $150B
Nov 4, 2015 | Greentech Media
By Katherine Tweed
Goldman Sachs has more than tripled its target for clean energy financing and investment, forecasting that the sector will mobilize $150 billion by 2025.
The expanded goal comes as the bank closes in on its original target of $40 billion after just four years.
Goldman Sachs’ updated Environmental Policy Framework says it will continue to look for opportunities across various mechanisms to invest in clean energy, including securitization, YieldCos and green bonds. It will also look for novel investment structures to bring energy to the more than 1 billion who lack access to modern energy services.
The spectrum of low-carbon technologies that could receive some of Goldman Sachs’ additional $110 billion is wide: solar, wind, sustainable hydro, biomass, geothermal, advanced biofuels, energy efficiency, energy storage, LEDs, electric vehicles and renewable energy transmission.
It will not just be energy. Access to clean water and water scarcity were both also outlined as opportunities ripe for investment, whether through green bonds, public-private partnerships, or debt financing for the municipal market.MOST POPULAR MOST COMMENTSLive Stream U.S. Solar Market Insight From San DiegoThe World’s Biggest Companies on Why They Buy Renewables: ‘It’s a Very Clear Economic Issue’Elon Musk: The Man Behind the HypeWhite PapersEvolution of the Grid Edge: Pathways to TransformationDOWNLOAD NOWSolar PV in the Caribbean: Opportunities and ChallengesDOWNLOAD NOW
The money will not all be provided directly by the bank, but also includes investments and deals that Goldman Sachs has facilitated. So far, the bank has made large investments in wind and solar companies such as Dong Energy, SolarCity and First Solar and worked on IPOs for cleantech companies such as Opower and Silver Spring Networks.
At Goldman Sachs’ Environmental Finance Innovation Forum on Tuesday, the mood was decidedly bullish on the global clean energy market, despite the recent tumult faced by many YieldCos and short-term volatility in the U.S. given the looming ITC cliff.
For Goldman Sachs, the focus is on areas where the bank can be catalytic. Some of those areas are the energy storage and grid edge spaces, which may also include efficiency and demand-side management, said Kyung-Ah Park, head of environmental markets at Goldman Sachs. The bank has an initial target of $500 million to finance and co-invest in advanced grid technologies. Park called the opportunity in energy storage “very significant.”
Others at the Goldman Sachs forum, including NextEra Energy’s SVP of development Mike O’Sullivan, were also excited about the cost curve on utility-scale storage in the near term, and storage for more than he could even imagine in the future.
“The young and mid-career folks at NextEra are very eagerly committing their time to this,” said O’Sullivan. Although O’Sullivan was still proudly carrying a flip phone, he compared the advent of more ubiquitous energy storage to the evolution of the iPhone.
“In 2008, you bought an iPhone to make calls; now that’s like the sixth or seventh thing you might do with it,” he said. “We will look back five to seven years from now and laugh that we deployed batteries just for frequency regulation.”
For Goldman Sachs, energy storage is just one technology that will receive more attention. Another focus is energy access. Goldman Sachs will launch a Clean Energy Access Initiative to scale up clean energy solutions in underserved markets. Park said investment will likely come in the form of grants and working with impact investors to de-risk opportunities and help drive the for-profit opportunities.
Although there are for-profit businesses scaling up in this sector, “That’s still developing over time,” said Park. The off-grid energy landscape is evolving quickly, however. A range of investors, from DBL Partners to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, have recently made relatively large commitments to individual off-grid companies that work in Africa.
There are challenges, particularly around bringing lower costs of capital to the potential consumers of these services, who already spend billions of dollars every year on dirty energy sources.
Even so, the private market is moving. Cathy Zoi, CEO of Sun Edison’s rural electric utility company Frontier Power, said at the Goldman Sachs forum that her company expects the off-grid power opportunity to be an $800 million business within five years. Although there are some challenges with expanding the financing options in this emerging sector, it is an issue the private sector is ready to tackle.
“We have 20 years of microfinance under our belts, and we can learn from that,” she said.
For Goldman Sachs, underserved energy markets are not just about the 1.3 billion who lack access to electricity. It will also mean expanding clean energy access where the grid exists. The bank pointed to previous deals that addressed underserved markets that included $40 million to PosiGen, a New Orleans company that offered solar to low-income residents and more than $320 million in capital to Indian renewable energy company ReNew Power.
When Park was asked about the possibility that the target of $150 billion could be scaled up further within the decade, she couldn't rule it out. "It's possible," she said. "I hope so."
-
Hawaii Makes Another Big Move Toward 100 Percent Renewable Energy
Nov 3, 2015 | Huffington Post
By Chris D'Angelo
A small island in the middle of the Pacific is doing some big things for renewable energy.
By the end of this year, 37 percent of the electricity generated on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai will come from a mix of renewable resources, including solar, hydropower and biomass.
The recent completion of the state's largest solar array is a big help toward that goal, as well as toward the aggressive statewide goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.
Located in the small town of Anahola, along the island's eastern coast, the 12-megawatt, $54 million facility is 60 acres -- the size of about 45 football fields -- and has 59,000 solar panels.
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative says it will replace 1.7 million gallons of imported oil per year and generate 20 percent of Kauai’s daytime energy needs -- enough to power 4,000 homes.
While this is a big step for the Aloha state -- as well as Kauai's public utility co-op, the only utility in the state not owned by Hawaiian Electric Industries -- the Anahola facility pales in comparison to the country's largest solar power plants.
Take California's Solar Star projects -- the largest photovoltaic power plant on the planet. Completed this past June, this 579-megawatt monster in Antelope Valley, California, has more than 1.7 million solar modules and delivers enough electricity to power approximately 255,000 homes.
Upon its completion, Green Tech Media heralded it as a sign that "the utility-scale solar business is alive and well."
Indeed, from the behemoths like Solar Star to the community-based efforts like Kauai's Anahola facility, utility-scale solar is making its mark across the country.
In 2014, the utility photovoltaic sector installed 3,939 megawatts -- up 38 percent from 2013, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Below, take a loot at the five biggest solar power plants (photovoltaic and concentrated solar thermal) in the U.S.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hawaii-utility-scale-solar_56380aace4b00a4d2e0ba84b
-
Nigeria Mandates 50% Renewable Energy Procurement In Electricity Sector
Nov 4, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
In a giant leap for Nigeria’s power sector, the country’s government has enacted landmark regulation to mandate electricity distribution companies to acquire a minimum percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission recently approved feed-in tariff regulations for renewable energy sourced electricity. As per the provisions of the regulations, electricity distribution companies will be required to source at least 50% of their total procurement from renewable energy sources. The Commission has also mandated that the balance 50% electricity would have to be sourced from Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company.
The commission has also defined the projects which would be allowed to sell the ‘eligible’ renewable energy under this mandate. Electricity procured from projects with capacity between 1 MW and 30 MW would be recognised as power from renewable energy. Renewable energy projects with over 30 MW capacity would have to fulfil some additional requirements. Provisions for auction of such large projects have also been included in the regulations.
Last year, the Nigerian Government received pledges from three companies to set up a total of 1 GW of solar power capacity across the country. The entire program will include large utility-scale power projects as well as distributed power projects.
Also, SkyPower and FAS Energy signed a series of agreements to set up 3 GW of solar power capacity in the country. This capacity will be added through utility-scale projects and represents an investment worth $5 billion.
In late November 2014, two US-based companies pledged to set up a total solar power capacityof 1.2 GW by 2017. The projects will require a cumulative investment of $2 billion dollars and once operational will generate enough power to meet the demands of 1 million homes in the country.
-
UK Reaches 10 GW Offshore Wind Capacity
Nov 4, 2015 | Clean Technica
By Joshua S Hill
Including all projects currently planned, under construction, or in operation, the UK now has over 10 GW of offshore wind.
This comes from RenewableUK, the country’s trade organization representing the wind industry, after announcements were made by Siemens and DONG Energy last week that bumped the country’s secured offshore wind capacity up over 10 GW.
Last week DONG Energy announced that it had consented to build the 660 MW Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm which, upon conclusion, will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world (at least for a little while). DONG Energy appointed MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and Siemens to provide turbines for the project, which is expected to be commissioned in 2018.
The news was quickly followed by another announcement from Siemens, which had received an order for 56 of its 6 MW wind turbines for the 336 MW Galloper Wind Farm, set to be developed off the southeast coast of England by its developers RWE, the UK Green Investment Bank, Macquarie Capital, and Siemens Financial Services.
“The UK is the number one destination for offshore wind investors,” said said Dr Gordon Edge, RenewableUK’s Director of Policy for Economics and Regulation. “This week’s two major announcements of offshore wind projects achieving financial close, securing billions of pounds in investment, show that it remains an attractive place to do offshore business.”
Britain will quickly see its current 5 GW of operational offshore wind capacity double, at which point more than 7 million residents will be able to have their electricity needs met by offshore wind generated clean electricity.
“The Government’s advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change, is now recommending we install 1-2 gigawatts of offshore wind a year throughout the 2020s to meet out carbon reduction goals, so we could reach as much as 30GW by 2030,” continued Dr Edge. “The CCC says offshore wind is set to become cheaper than gas during the next decade, so it offers excellent value for money in terms of keeping bills down. We’re also generating jobs, with 13,000 people already working in the industry – that could increase to 44,000 in less than 10 years.”
“However, if we’re to continue to deliver ambitious offshore infrastructure projects throughout the 2020s, we need a clear plan from Government stating how much offshore wind capacity it wants over the next decade. We’ve had some encouraging signals so far, but we need details of how the financial framework is going to work for offshore wind to deliver at scale, as a key part of the Government’s industrial strategy.”
-
How Vancouver Can Adopt 100% Green Energy By 2050
Nov 5, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Roy L Hales
Vancouver’s Renewable City Strategy has been released. The city currently obtains 31% of its energy from clean energy sources. Though the Acting City Manager says he finds it “hard to imagine a city without fossil fuels,” he “enthusiastically supports” the plan for Vancouver to adopt 100% green energy by 2050.The Target
The target is “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% below 2007 levels.”
As Vancouver’s 2007 emissions “were equivalent to 1990 levels,” this means 80% below the benchmark set by the Kyoto Accord. The city is already 7% below this benchmark.
(As a nation, Canada is currently 19-20% above.)
Vancouver’s biggest obstacle, in terms of 2014 energy usage, is that “45% of the city’s energy came from natural gas, mostly for space heating and hot water, and 24% from gasoline for personal vehicle use.”
Consequently, the city proposes to attack those sectors with a two pronged strategy:“reduce energy demand through efficiency and conservation measures”Utilize “more of our existing renewable energy sources before increasing supply.”Buildings
Close to 40% of the buildings existing today will most likely be replaced by new structures that are built to carbon neutral standards. The vast majority of those that remain will have undergone deep retrofits “to bring their energy performance up to the standards expected of new construction.”
The initial focus is on the building envelope, which is not replaced every ten years or so (like lighting and appliances). The city will adopt “Passive House or ultra‐low thermal demand design philosophies.”
Building emissions will be further reduced through the adoption of “on‐site power generation from solar,” “air‐source heat pumps or geoexchange systems” and “biomethane.”Renewable Energy
While the cost of fossil fuels has kept increasing since the 1970’s, the cost of solar photovoltaic panels dropped approximately hundred‐fold, the cost of wind approximately thirty‐fold; and the cost of geothermal and biomass by about 50%. This trend is expected to continue.
There will be greater adoption “of wind and solar power generation at both the utility and community scales. There are also emergent financing mechanisms such as green bonds that support green infrastructure projects. Carbon tax revenues and other environmental levies can raise revenues for green funds that can be used for climate action as direct investment, tax relief, low‐interest loans, and other supporting mechanisms.”
“New smart‐grid technologies will manage electrical distribution, on‐site generation, and electric vehicle charging.”Transportation
The transportation network described in the Renewable City Strategy is a natural development of what is already taking place. In many European cities, the “Automobile Age” is coming to an end. People are walking, cycling, and making use of public transit. Many young Germans, for example, rent a car when they need one. This process has already begun in Vancouver, where the fastest growing transportation sector is bicycling.
This process is will undoubtedly continue and the authors predict “the number of private vehicles per person could decline by as much as 15%.”
As regards those who will still use automobiles as their primary means of transportation, “By 2050 about 25% of Vancouver’s personal vehicles would be electric using renewably generated electricity, 45% plug‐in hybrids using renewable electricity and sustainable biofuels, and the remainder conventional hybrid vehicles running on sustainable biofuels.”
-
California Regulators Take Bold Steps Toward a New Energy Efficiency Paradigm
Nov 3, 2015 | Greentech Media
By Matt Golden
California has always been at the forefront of efforts to accelerate clean-energy innovation and address climate change. This past Friday, the state took another giant leap by updating several obscure but important regulations that were inadvertently hindering progress in energy efficiency.
It’s hard to overstate the significance of these new rules and the directive to accelerate high-opportunity pilot projects and programs into the market. This new “pay-for-performance” paradigm is a big deal for California and has the potential to unleash market forces to bring efficiency to scale.
Growing social and political pressure is driving ever more aggressive climate and energy goals, such as California Governor Jerry Brown’s commitment to double the efficiency of existing buildings in the state. Political commitments like these, along with the emergence of a smarter distribution grid, are about to transform energy efficiency, allowing it to take its place alongside solar, storage, demand response and other resources in emerging distributed energy resource markets.
By turning changes in load shape into tradable demand capacity (efficiency + time + location), the new paradigm for energy efficiency will allow the system to shift from programs to markets where businesses compete to offer products and services while delivering the most valuable services to the grid. This transformation will be driven by a new and valuable cash flow created when utilities procure the results of efficiency as demand capacity, and a new crop of innovative market actors step up to invest and scale to meet this opportunity.
In early October, Governor Brown signed two important bills, AB 802 and SB 350, into law. SB 350 requires an aggressive 50 percent increase of California’s efficiency and renewable energy goals, while AB 802 mandates statewide benchmarking and access to whole-building energy data for commercial buildings.
Often overlooked, these new laws also establish substantial policy changes that could allow efficiency to achieve its market potential by directing the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to implement pay-for-performance programs "that link incentives directly to measured energy savings.” MOST POPULAR MOST COMMENTSLive Stream U.S. Solar Market Insight From San DiegoThe World’s Biggest Companies on Why They Buy Renewables: ‘It’s a Very Clear Economic Issue’Elon Musk: The Man Behind the HypeWhite PapersEvolution of the Grid Edge: Pathways to TransformationDOWNLOAD NOWSolar PV in the Caribbean: Opportunities and ChallengesDOWNLOAD NOW
Additionally, they go on to overcome some of the most challenging regulatory barriers in the current system, including the inability to put a value on energy-efficiency savings unless it comes from installed equipment that exceeds current code, and, more importantly, simplifying the process of program evaluation by using newly available energy data to calculate savings at the meter.Efficiency proceeding amended in light of new legislation
In a ruling filed on October 30, the CPUC acknowledges that in light of SB 350 and AB 802, the previous rolling portfolio process will not be sufficient to meet deadlines for action required by law. To that end, the commission amended a previous ruling to allow “expedited authorization of high-opportunity projects or programs.”
To achieve this, pilot programs that were originally planned to begin in the third phase of the previously defined rolling portfolio process will now commence on January 1, 2016.
These high-opportunity projects or programs will be subject to a new regulatory framework that includes the use of a home's or building’s baseline rather than code. Savings will be calculated based on normalized meter data, including gains from both equipment and operational efficiency.
Before the end of 2015, the CPUC will rule on what constitutes “high-opportunity programs or projects” so that the January 1, 2016 timeline set forth in AB 802 can be met.The CPUC takes swift action
The CPUC, which at times can get mired in its web of bureaucratic procedures, should be commended for its quick action. In less than two months, the CPUC has responded to the mandate created by SB 350 and AB 802 by amending a previous ruling to establish a new process for efficiency regulation that will accelerate innovation and remove longstanding barriers to progress.
The CPUC has often come under criticism for its earlier rulings on energy efficiency; some observers have accused the commission of failing to act boldly. However, in light of this revised proceeding and the urgency that the CPUC now seems to share with utilities, advocates, and the industry, there is newfound optimism in the potential for the CPUC to take a leadership role in this next phase of efficiency.
California is at the heart of cleantech innovation and financial breakthroughs, such as the booming PACE market and the first-ever securitization of efficiency as an asset-backed security comprising unsecured consumer energy-efficiency loans. However, rigid efficiency programs and complex regulations that rely on engineering estimates and computer models rather than newly available data have limited the impact of this innovation.
Through advances in technology coupled with innovative business and financial models, this emerging marketplace for energy efficiency as demand capacity will encourage new and better solutions for the homeowners and business owners of California. From the data that is generated, those in energy procurement, transmission and distribution, and emissions regulation will gain confidence that energy efficiency can be valued as a form of capacity.
This ruling opens the gates for real innovation by putting the foundation in place for a pay-for-metered performance approach to energy efficiency that can value negawatts as capacity at the meter and allow competitive markets to find the ways that work to deliver solutions to the citizens of California.
-
Canada's Trudeau Pledges New Climate Focus Ahead of Paris Summit
Nov 4, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Josh Wingrove
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s move to raise the profile of climate change within his new cabinet signals a clear change in direction on carbon emissions from the policies of his predecessor.
Trudeau named Catherine McKenna on Wednesday as minister of environment and climate change, a portfolio the previous government didn’t have, and created a new special cabinet committee on “environment, climate change and energy” aimed at balancing natural resource development and ecological impact.
Former Environment Minister Stephane Dion was also appointed both as foreign affairs minister, ahead of the Paris climate summit later this month, and to chair the climate committee. The choice of Dion, who lost the 2008 election as Liberal leader while pledging a “green shift” to cut emissions, suggests Trudeau views climate and the environment as a major aspect of international relations.Energy East
The moves are, so far, in contrast to the approach of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who rejected any widespread carbon reduction program by saying it would amount to a new tax that would hurt growth. Trudeau has said improved environmental performance is critical for the approval of projects such as TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Energy East pipeline, though how he intends to proceed remains unclear.
“Canadians expect their government to be responsible around climate change and addressing the impacts of the environment we’re facing around the world right now,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa after he and his cabinet were sworn in. “Canada is going to be a strong and positive actor on the world stage, including in Paris.”
Trudeau’s platform promised to work with provinces to “take action on climate change, put a price on carbon, and reduce carbon pollution,” though by how much isn’t yet known. The provinces have taken different approaches to reducing emissions, whether by a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system, and Trudeau proposes to allow different provincial systems under a single, federal goal.Paris Delegation
Trudeau, who plans to personally lead a delegation to the Paris summit, declined to say Wednesday how he plans on getting provinces to agree to a single target.
“The fact is we have an amazing team of strong cabinet members who will lean in with the kind of engagement both with the provinces and municipalities and countries around the world to demonstrate Canada is doing its part to address climate change impacts,” he said.
The climate pledge was noted by the premier of Alberta, the heart of Canada’s oil sector and the province that emits the most carbon. “We look forward to working with the new federal cabinet ministers to grow and diversify the economy. We’re also looking forward to working with the new federal government on climate change,” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said in a statement.
The environment and climate change committee is one of 10 created by Trudeau. Dion leads it, while International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland is its vice-chair. The other eight ministers include McKenna; Natural Resources Minister James Carr; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains; and Fisheries and Oceans Minister Hunter Tootoo, who represents the riding of Nunavut, one of Canada’s three northern territories.
-
How Walmart Became A Green Energy Giant, Using Other People's Money
Nov 4, 2015 | Forbes
By Chistopher Helman
The roof of the Wal-Mart in Mountain View, Calif. is covered with solar panels. Depending on the time of day they provide 15% of the power needed to run the store. Last year President Barack Obamastopped by here to give a speech about his energy plan. Standing before shelves filled with discount lightbulbs, Obama held up Wal-Mart as an exemplar of corporate responsibility.
“A few years ago you decided to put solar panels on the roof of the store. You replaced some traditional lightbulbs with LEDs. You made refrigerator cases more efficient. And you even put in a charging station for electric vehicles,” said Obama. ” More and more companies like Wal-Mart are realizing that wasting less energy isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business. It’s good for the bottom line.”
And it’s great p.r. for a company that has been lambasted for a range of corporate sins, from low wages and deplorable working conditions to accusations of predatory pricing and monopolistic behavior (naturally they deny these things). But if Wal-Mart’s energy initiative sometimes smells a little like greenwashing, the Bentonville, Ark.-based giant (2014 sales: $480 billion) is far too savvy to lose money on it. Rather, the retailer has off-loaded the capital investment–and all the risk–onto partners, like SolarCity, that minimize their exposure by taking full advantage of the federal government’s generous subsidies for investing in alternative energy.
Wal-Mart has installed 105 megawatts of solar panels–enough to power about 20,000 houses–on the roofs of 327 stores and distribution centers (about 6% of all their locations). That’s enough to make Wal-Mart the single biggest commercial solar generator in the country. And it intends to double its number of arrays by 2020.
It’s all part of a goal that former CEO Lee Scott set in 2005 for Wal-Mart to be powered entirely with renewable energy. Wal-Mart uses an incredible amount of electricity. Worldwide power demand is roughly 29,000 gigawatt-hours per year (FORBES estimate). The U.S. probably accounts for about half of that–enough to power about 1.5 million average homes. FORBES also estimates Wal-Mart’s U.S. electric bill to be around $1 billion per year.
It’s not at all clear it’ll meet that goal, even though subsequent CEOs have reiterated it year after year. Wal-Mart now gets 26% of its worldwide power from green sources, including wind, solar, fuel cells and hydropower. That’s barely better than renewables’ overall 13% share of U.S. generation. “To make it harder on ourselves,” says David Ozment, Wal-Mart’s energy chief, “everything we do has to make business sense.”
If Ozment were worried about making the business case for green energy, he could just follow the lead of other retailers like Kohl KSS -2.17% and Starbucks SBUX -1.64%, which brag of running their operations 70%-plus carbon-free. But they do so by buying carbon credits or “offsets” to balance out their greenhouse-gas emissions. Were Wal-Mart to follow this approach it could offset its 20-million-ton-per-year carbon dioxide footprint for about $200 million. Ozment dismisses that as an accounting gimmick. “Buying credits would be an added cost item rather than what we do, which is lowering costs,” he says. Instead, Wal-Mart has reduced its energy costs per square foot of retail floor space by 9%.
Wal-Mart has cut costs by doing what it does best–using its heft to convince its suppliers to risk their own capital to get Wal-Mart what it wants. It gives access to its roof space to SolarCity or other installers, which pay to put up the panels (at a cost of about $1.2 million for the average array). SolarCity then sells the power generated to Wal-Mart under a long-term deal–at a price often cheaper than what the local electric utility would charge. “The value proposition is really obvious,” says Ozment, a 66-year-old career electricity exec who has been at Wal-Mart since 2003. “Why put up our own capital?”
At a dozen California locations SolarCity is even sweetening the setup–installing backup batteries developed by Tesla Motors TSLA +9.96%. They’ll help Wal-Mart save even more by storing up solar power from the sunniest parts of the day, then dribbling it out in the late afternoon when demand-driven electricity prices are highest. Wal-Mart has a similar setup with Bloom Energy, whose innovative fuel cells called “Bloom boxes” use a cleaner electrochemical process to transform natural gas into electricity. Today 42 Wal-Marts in California have Bloom boxes. They save Wal-Mart 20% compared with grid power and emit around 35% less carbon than large-scale power plants.
Constellation, a division of power-generation giant Exelon EXC +3.45%, is putting up an estimated $200 million to install 20 megawatts of Bloom boxes, enough for roughly a quarter of the power needed at around 80 Wal-Mart stores . But this kind of financing arrangement won’t work everywhere. That’s because America’s green energy revolution has been built on a foundation of subsidies. There’s the federal investment tax credit, which allows investors to deduct 30% of the cost of building these systems. And in California there are hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars available in green rebates and grants.
The bad news for Wal-Mart and the entire green energy industry is that the federal green energy tax credit is set to expire in 2017. Ozment isn’t worried. After all, Wal-Mart is accustomed to putting the hard squeeze on its suppliers. “It’s an opportunity for utilities to rethink their business model,” he says. “There’s no reason there can’t be an adjustment.”
Suniva News
Industry News
Full Text of Stories Below
Add recipients
Suggested