Monthly Archives: September 2017

Cincinnati wants to build country’s largest municipal solar array

By WLWT

The array would cover up to 150 acres of city property, including Lunken Airport, and help power things like the police department and City Hall. City officials hope to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035. Read more here.

MORE GOOD NEWS IN THE MIDWEST

City of Madison’s 100 percent renewable energy initiative
Minnesota once again leads the Midwest in annual energy efficiency ranking, Midwest Energy News
Electric cars, solar panels, wind farms electrifying the economy, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
EnerStar Electric Cooperative unveils Co-op Solar Program, Journal Gazette & Times Courier
Xcel Energy announces plans for new South Dakota wind farm: 300-megawatt facility to bolster abilities of nation’s top wind energy provider, Denver Post
Xcel will reach milestone with new South Dakota wind farm: It is on track to be the first U.S. utility to surpass 10K megawatts of wind-energy generation, Star Tribune
Vestas announces 174 MW Iowa Wind Deal, North American Windpower
Iowa Flaunts New Wind Turbine License Plate, North American Windpower

This Pathway is the Best Opportunity for Corporate Utility-scale Solar PV Procurement

By Jennifer Deloney, Associate Editor, Renewable Energy World

A new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) said that innovation is enabling more corporate solar procurement, with new purchasing models, declining costs, and increased interest by corporate purchasers driving this segment.

NREL said that as of July, corporate customers have contracted for more than 2,300 MW of utility-scale solar PV. In addition, corporate procurement of utility-scale solar PV grew from about 1 percent of annual installed utility scale capacity in 2014 to 9 percent in 2016, and it accounted for 17 percent so far this year. Click here to learn more.

ALSO OF POTENTIAL INTEREST

Why It’s time to fully embrace America’s energy grid diversification, Utility Dive Guest Opinion
U.S. regulators should help drive more distributed resources into the grid, ICF’s Philip Mihlmester writes, recommending how they can do so to the benefit of energy consumers and utilities.
Grid resilience depends on distribution-scale solar, GreenBiz
Trio of new bills in Congress aim to support energy storage deployment, Utility Dive
Senators want more than $1 billion to promote energy storage answers, PV Magazine
4 Utilities Betting Billions on Renewable Energy, Madison State Journal
New Climate Action Financing Platform Announced by World Bank and UN, SDG Knowledge Hub
Accelerating The Global Transition To 100% Renewable Energy, Clean Technica
Climate and energy are becoming focal points in state political races, The Guardian
6 Ways to Encourage American Solar Manufacturing Without Import Duties, Greentech Media
Suniva, SolarWorld offer revised proposals for trade action, PV Magazine
As DiCaprio’s Foundation Grows, New Grants to Solar, Lions and More, Inside Philanthropy

Kearney solar array nearly complete, residents can now sign up for renewable energy

By Ifesinachi Egbosimba, Nebraska TV

Kearney’s community solar project: 22,000 panels on 53 acres.

The Kearney solar array is the latest addition to the city’s Tech oNE Crossing, and the city manager is hoping the array will attract even more businesses to the area.

The solar array is set to be complete by February. To buy a share in the array, you must be a Nebraska Public Power District customer. Click here to request a solar share.

Read the entire news story here.

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION

John S. McCollister: The benefits of wind energy

Midlands Voices, Omaha World-Herald

The writer, of Omaha, represents Legislative District 20 in the Nebraska Legislature.

Along with our abundant groundwater resources, Nebraska has a very special above-ground resource — wind. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I am proud to have worked closely with my colleagues in the Legislature to pass Legislative Bill 824 in 2016. This bill, which I introduced and designated as my personal priority, allows wind energy companies to thrive in Nebraska by removing 1930s regulatory barriers. Continue reading.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

Opinion: Nebraska must invest in wind energy to combat climate change, by Madison Morrissette, The Daily Nebraskan. Morrissette is a junior political science and communication studies double major at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Most now see climate change as responsible for hurricane severity (POLL),. ABC News

Hurricanes, batteries and backup power: An interview with Sonnen

By Jonathan Gifford, PV Magazine

In this interview from the Solar Power International trade show, Sonnen CEO Christoph Ostermann and Senior VP Blake Richetta talk about the market for backup power, and how this has been influenced by recent disasters. Read the interview here.

An event in November will be the beginning of the sonnen community in the US.
– Blake Richetta, from Gifford’s interview
Read more about Sonnen Communities in this Reuters article.
FAQ: Does a storage battery qualify for the 30% Federal Investment Tax Credit?
ANSWER: According to the Bloomberg article, Battery Storage Still Needs Solar for Growth:
On their own, batteries don’t qualify for federal tax credits. But if a storage unit is charged at least 75 percent by solar, it can qualify for at least part of a U.S. subsidy enjoyed by those projects — the investment tax credit, according to David Burton, a New York-based partner at Mayer Brown LLP.

ALSO IN THE NEWS

US Residential Grid-Tied Energy Storage Will Overtake Off-Grid Storage in 2017, Greentech Media
This Bipartisan Senate Bill Could Enable US Offshore Wind to Take Off, Greentech Media.
Recently introduced legislation would create a 30% investment tax credit for the first 3 GW of offshore wind projects deployed in the US.
New study: Offshore wind creates new homes for fish, Into the Wind, AWEA Blog
Europe Could Have 200 Gigawatts of Wind by 2020, Putting It Ahead of America, Greentech Media
Commentary: How the Midwest benefits from the clean jobs revolution, Midwest Energy News
The author, Mark Pischea, is the Managing Partner of Sterling Corporation, a Republican political consulting firm, and President of the Conservative Energy Network.
More renewables, much less coal in Ameren Missouri’s future, Utility Dive Brief
Greenspace: ‘There’s plenty of room for growth,’ Post Bulletin
Helping the Sun Shine Everywhere, Utility Dive Sponsored Post by National Grid
Pueblo, Colo., considers forming a public power utility, Public Power Daily, American Public Power Association Blog
University compiles lessons learned after nine years of wind development in Michigan,
Midwest Energy News
Britain opens first subsidy-free solar power farm, UK Reuters

Nebraska Interfaith Power & Light & Nebraska Sierra Club Sponsoring Community Events This Thursday

Nebraska Interfaith Power & Light Presents “Conversations With Ken Haar:
Messages of Hope for a Changing Climate”

September 28, 2017 at 7 p.m.
Lincoln Community Foundation
5th Floor Large Conference Room
215 Centennial Mall S

Former Nebraska State Senator Ken Haar was a leader on issues related to protecting the environment during his eight years in the Legislature, from 2009 to 2017. He was the primary introducer of legislation dealing with climate change.
Currently, he is making presentations all across the state about the impacts of climate change and opportunities and strategies that help communities mitigate or adapt to climate change.

Join Ken Haar and Nebraska Interfaith Power & Light for this discussion about messages of hope in response to climate change.

Nebraska Sierra Club Program

“Recent Developments in Sustainable & Responsible Investing With Tyler Mainquist“

September 28, 2017 at 7 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
7020 Cass Street
Enter North Door Education Wing

Future wind farm to benefit local economy

By Katie Stevenson, News Editor, Northwest Missourian

“Tenaska is developing a 200 to 300-megawatt wind project near Maryville in Nodaway County,” Ten Kley [Director of Strategic Development & Acquisitions at Tenaska] said. “Since we first started talking to landowners in April, we have signed agreements for the majority of the acres needed to construct the project, and we are driving toward completion of our leasing efforts.”

The Tenaska wind farm will boost the local economy, according to Ten Kley. The total estimated construction will cost between $200 million to $300 million but will also increase tax revenue to the local government. Continue reading.

Photo: Tenaska Headquarters in Omaha

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

Tenaska energy crucial for Maryville, Opinion, Northwest Missourian
National Clean Energy Week: What wind power means to rural America, Into the Wind, AWEA Blog
Renewable energy works for Iowa: Guest View by Warren McKenna, Manager of Farmers Electric Cooperative in Kalona, Quad City Times
Mid-Michigan church shows off solar project, answers questions, WILX
Mich. Utility Flips Switch On Community Solar Garden, Solar Industry
KVCC wind turbine program still an industry leader after 8 years, Michigan Live
Through small-scale test runs in Illinois, Ameren experiments with self-sufficient microgrid,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
How advocates helped lead Michigan’s capital city to a future without coal, Midwest Energy News
Mountain West Transmission Group moves to join SPP, Utility Dive
Battery Storage Still Needs Solar for Growth: Some solar-charged storage units qualify for federal subsidy, Bloomberg Markets
First Fully Geothermal Community in US Located in Georgia, Renewable Energy Magazine
Metro Transit getting 3 all-electric buses in 2019, Wisconsin State Journal
North Carolina joins climate alliance to meet Paris accord target, Utility Dive
Solar Panel Tariff Threat: 8 Questions Homeowners Are Asking, Inside Climate News
A 15 percent jump in residential solar system prices would be more likely, based on the latest average price figures from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Argentina to extend exemption from custom duties for solar imports until the end of 2018,
PV Magazine International

National Farmers Union President joins advisory board of New Energy America

Posted on Farm Forum

HURON, S.D. — In a move to further Farmers Union’s commitment to promoting American grown, renewable energy sources, National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson joined the advisory board of New Energy America, a new organization created to promote clean energy jobs in rural America.

Johnson and National Farmers Union will support New Energy America’s engagement with communities and lawmakers in rural America to demonstrate how policies that support the deployment of clean energy create jobs in rural America. Continue reading.

About New Energy America
New Energy America was founded by a group of Americans who know firsthand the economic opportunities being created in rural America by clean energy. We believe that the future is bright in rural America, especially when we embrace growing industries that meet our energy needs, reduce pollution, save consumers money, and enhance our national security.
www.newenergyamerica.org

China takes the lead on cleaning up air pollution

Daniel K. Gardner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Today, China is the world’s largest investor in renewable energy, with outlays in 2015 totaling $103 billion, more than double U.S. spending of $44 billion. Of the planet’s 8.1 million jobs in renewable energy, 3.5 million are in China, whereas fewer than 1 million are in the United States. Persuaded that clean energy is good for the environment and the economy, China has committed $367 billion through 2020 to the development of renewable power sources — a level of investment that is expected to generate 13 million jobs.

China also is looking beyond its borders, by exporting the expertise it has developed in renewable energy and supporting technologies. In 2016, China invested tens of billions in renewable energy projects in Australia, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia and elsewhere. Read the entire article here.

Stock Photo: In China, the number of premature deaths from air pollution is more than 1 million every year. Each year, 200,000 Americans die prematurely because of bad air quality.

ALSO IN THE NEWS

How utility pilot programs are driving renewable energy integration, Utility Dive
Morgan Stanley and Citi Say They Will Run on 100 Percent Clean Energy, Renewable Energy World
Citigroup to go 100% renewable by 2020, PV Magazine
GM to run Ohio, Indiana factories with 100 percent wind power, Into the Wind, AWEA Blog
What’s the best way to buy renewable energy? GreenBiz
With Federal Support Waning, Wind Power Turns To Industry For Investment, Iowa Public Radio
Solar Plus Storage Projects Will Increasingly Offer Resiliency, Forbes
In California, a major utility is teaming up with Tesla to boost the staying power of renewables, CNBC
Today’s Wind and Solar Can Lead to a Safer Climate Tomorrow: This is part of a series of blogs on NRDC’s new report, “America’s Clean Energy Frontier: The Pathway to a Safer Climate Future.“
California cities sue big oil firms over climate change, Reuters
Trump pulled out of climate agreement, but NC’s Cooper says ‘We remain committed’,
The News & Observer
10 Big-Name Corporations Launch 100% Electric Vehicle Campaign At Climate Week NYC, Clean Technica

Omaha company building wind turbine in Seward

Lincoln Journal Star

Construction is underway on a wind turbine in Seward. Bluestem Energy Solutions announced this week that it is constructing a 1.7 megawatt wind turbine on a farm near the city of 7,000 about 20 miles west of Lincoln.

Photo Credit: Beatrice Daily Sun. The energy generated by the Seward wind turbine will be enough to power 600 homes.

According to the 2016 census, Seward’s population is 7,219, and the number of occupied homes is 2,521. The wind turbine will provide about 25% of Seward’s homes with renewable energy.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING
Turbine is a wind win as it meets all CCC electricity needs, Hastings Tribune

Nebraskans for Solar

Solar: the energy of life