Powering up for alternative energy options - Eureka Times Standard

Supporting renewable energy and providing cheaper power continue to fuel the city of Arcata’s interest in purchasing and re-selling electricity to its residents. Becoming a Community Choice Aggregation â€" or CCA â€" has been under discussion since at least 2007.

While the city of Arcata’s size is impractical for purchasing electricity on its own, city leaders are contemplating joining Sonoma Clean Power, a CCA that began providing power last year to the residents of Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Windsor, Cotati, Sebastopol and Cloverdale under the auspices of the county of Sonoma. The concept, Arcata City Manager Karen Diemer said, is aligned with a city goal of energy resiliency.

Under CCAs â€" allowed in California with legislation in 2002 â€" public power agencies purchase electricity from sources of their choice and sell that power to customers in the affected area while the existing power company delivers the power. Residents in the area have the right to opt out and remain with the current power provider when the CCA is established.

Redwood Coast Energy Authority Executive Director Matthew Marshall said the organization’s board directed RCEA staff to explore the possibility of establishing a local and independent CCA last spring. In March, he said, a recommendation will be forwarded to the board to continue the process.

The next step would be getting the backing of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, he said. Then it’s working out the details â€" which communities would be involved, how much power would be needed, selecting power vendors and working out the administrative details. Among those details, he said, are determining priorities. The emphasis could be on renewable energy or on low prices or a mixture of both, Matthew Marshal said.

Ideally, he said, the county and all of the cities would participate knowing that each customer had the option to opt out. It’s possible a locally-based CCA could be up and running in one to two years.

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Since Marin took the challenge of forming the first CCA some five years ago, the program has interest from throughout the state. Marin Energy was the first CCA in 2010, Sonoma Clean Power in 2014 and several other governmental entities are taking definitive steps to set up their own CCA. The Los Angeles city of Lancaster will launch a CCA in May, according to Shawn Marshall, executive director of Lean Energy, a national advocacy organization that provides information and consultation on CCAs.

Several others are actively exploring the possibility and have committed funds to the effort, including Alameda County, San Mateo County, a consortium of cities in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, San Diego and a couple cities in Santa Clara County, she said. And still more are examining the possibility at an uncommitted level: seven beach communities in Los Angeles County, San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County.

Both RCEA and the city of Arcata have a couple of options in proceeding: negotiating to join an existing CCA or forming an independent CCA. There are advantages in both, Shawn Marshall said. Joining an existing CCA would likely be more expedient as the structure is in place. An independent CCA, however, would have complete control in choosing which power producers to purchase electricity from and where to invest any monies made.

The actual transfer of power purchased by Sonoma goes like this: the power is entered into an overall grid with certain amounts designated for customers of Sonoma Energy. Imagine this continuous loop of power running through the state â€" each CCA adds to that pool and its customers withdraw a like amount from the pool. Shawn Marshall likened the process to depositing $100 into one’s account one day in San Francisco and withdrawing the same amount in Los Angeles the next day.

Customer savings range from 4 to 10 percent for those in the Marin and Sonoma CCAs, Shawn Marshall said, with commercial customers saving more.

The process can be time-consuming.

Arcata Energy Committee member Jim Zoellick said the city first began considering the possibility in 2007, but held back knowing that the concept hadn’t yet been tried in California. The question now, he said, is whether the city waits for the establishment of a broader CCA that includes other North Coast communities or joins the existing one in Sonoma.

Jessie Faulkner can be reached at 441-0509.

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House Speaker Halts Bill To Create Alternative Energy Fee - Indiana Public Media

Photo: Bill Shaw

Opponents of the bill say it reduces incentives for Hoosiers to use alternative energy sources.

House Speaker Brian Bosma Tuesday halted a bill opponents say significantly reduces incentives for Hoosiers to use alternative energy for their homes.

Proposed legislation made changes to the system by which utility companies purchase excess electricity from Hoosiers who produce energy through alternative means, such as solar panels.  Utilities would buy that energy at a lower price, and be able to charge alternative energy users fixed monthly fees for using the energy grid.

The measure drew outrage from solar technology businesses and energy consumer advocates.  And, while the bill cleared a House committee, Speaker Brian Bosma pulled it off the floor calendar.  He says now isn’t the right time for the measure.

“There were a whole variety of issues that have arisen around it and it just seemed to me to be a little weighty,” Bosma says.

Kerwin Olson represents the Citizens Action Coalition, one of the advocacy groups who spoke out against the bill.  He says he knows an issue isn’t really dead until the session officially ends.

“So, we’re going to remain strident and vigilant and keep our watch out for this language,” he says.

Both Bosma and Olson say they think a study committee on the topic â€" a possibility raised in committee â€" is unnecessary.

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The 5 Best Alternative Energy Stocks to Buy - Investorplace.com

The 5 Best Alternative Energy Stocks to Buy

The precipitous fall in oil prices over the last eight months hasn’t been kind to energy stocks, which have taken a beating as oil prices were cut in half.

With no end in sight to the global supply glut and as Saudi princes parade around declaring that the days of $100 oil will never reoccur, energy has become an intimidating sector to invest in.

Alternative energy stocks, on the other hand, largely avoid the geopolitical risks that go hand-in-hand with oil stocks. As an added benefit, alternative energy is a more nascent industry with loads of opportunity for pioneering investors.

With the world’s largest company, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), rumored to be in the early phases of putting together its own electric car, this isn’t just some harebrained idea. The shift away from fossil fuels is happening, and it’s time to invest.

So, without further ado, here are the five best alternative energy stocks to buy now.

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On alternative energy ... - Miami News Record

There are a lot of misconceptions about conservatives and energy policy out there, most of them perpetrated by a media which hates us enough not to take the time to really explore our positions, or environmental organizations which have a financial stake in making sure their useful idiots in the media and the general public don't really understand them either.

First of all, "Drill Baby Drill," may be a bit of mantra but it's not a policy position. It's also used to beat conservatives about the head and shoulders and over simplify our positions.

First you must understand that conservatives see energy policy and national security as inextricably linked. The entire world economy runs on fossil fuels, and we are the largest economy in the world and therefore the largest user of such. Now while it is not true that the majority of our oil comes from the Middle East -- most of our imports are from Mexico and Canada and the majority of the oil we use comes from domestic production -- it is true that a strategically significant portion does come from countries that frankly don't like us much. Moreover, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, better known as OPEC, had, until recently, a virtual stranglehold on the price.

As we've seen the last few years, when oil pops over $100 a barrel it does bad things to gas prices and to our economy. So to someone who is concerned about national security it would seem a bad idea to have us be dependent upon a foreign power for a strategic resource such as oil. Or to have a potentially hostile power have control of the price of said resource. So from that standpoint, and given that we have enormous reserves easily accessible off shore, in shale deposits and sitting in Alaska, it would seem silly not to tap these -- especially if it would free us from dependence upon foreign oil and the risks that entails. The gas lines in the 1970s anyone?

It is also far from true that conservatives are not interested in alternative energy. We welcome it. Had it been up to us this country would have been on safe, clean nuclear power decades ago. It wasn't conservatives who stopped the construction of the plants the left's beloved French have build in droves and use for 85 percent of their power.

Getting back to the national security issue, once again, anything that would free us from dependence on a foreign power for the energy we need is a Good Thingâ„¢. Conservatives would love to see more research into alternative fuels.

The problem is most of the "solutions" the left has pushed are nothing of the sort. Technologies like wind and solar are too weather dependent and take up enormous amounts of land. Electric cars are neat and all, but merely export the pollution from the tail pipe to the power plant. The environuts never seem to understand electricity must be generated it doesn't magically appear in that wall thingy. Since we're not allowed to build nuclear plants which are clean that means coal and natural gas plants. (As an aside, environmentalists also keep blocking wind and solar plants, one begins to think they hate technology and humans, but that's another column.) Which means the U.S., which is the Saudi Arabia of coal (as another aside we actually have more proven reserves of oil than the Saudis if the green weenies would just let us get at it,) has to blow the tops off mountains so some Los Angeles yuppie can drive his Chevy Volt and feel smug about his environmental consciousness. (Let's not get into the number of toxic chemicals that went into making that car, the disposal hazards or the waste generated when they have to recycle the batteries in that thing either.)

Hydrogen is a possible alternative but there's no distribution infrastructure and there are some real hazards involved in storing a fuel source that leaks through pretty much anything and is many times more volatile than gasoline, which, it must be noted, is an almost perfect storage medium for the energy needed to power a car. It's very stable and highly compact for the density of energy stored.

Ethanol was never anything but a convenient political club with which to beat the right. It's not cost effective without major subsidies, using it drives up the price of food, as corn is used in nearly every food product on the shelves and it would take a farm the size of Texas to produce enough corn alcohol to replace even 10 percent of our gasoline usage. (Yes I know Brazil uses ethanol made from sugarcane almost exclusively. However, those that point that out fail to note Brazil has nothing like the number of people or cars on the road we have, ethanol is simply not an option.)

So what it comes down to, is for right now, and for the foreseeable future -- barring some paradigm-shifting breakthrough, oil, coal and natural gas will continue to provide most of our energy needs. Conservatives very much want new energy sources, both from a national security standpoint and also from an environmental one -- we don't want dirty air or water any more than the greens do. What we do want, while we're investing in research in alternative sources, is to take advantage of the resources we have available, so that we don't have to give up our security to people who are willing to fly fully-loaded 747s into buildings to score political points.

All IMHO, of course.

(Patrick Richardson is the Managing Editor of the Miami News-Record and miamiok.com, he can be emailed at pat.richardson@miaminewsrecord.com)

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Real-world 'alternative' energy is neither clean nor green: Editorial - MassLive.com

West Virginia train derailment

The wreckage of an oil train derailment in Mount Carbon, W.Va., still smolders 48 hours later. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, federal investigators got a closer look at the derailment site, but it still wasn't safe for a thorough examination of the damage. Their work is further complicated by subzero temperatures in the coming days. No one was killed when the 109-car CSX train from North Dakota to Yorktown, Va., derailed on Monday, but one man was treated for minor injuries. His house, and truck, were destroyed in the derailment. (Curtis Tate/McClatchy/TNS)

Members of groups opposed to oil pipelines who are planning recruiting drives will wish to hold their next event somewhere besides West Virginia. Specifically, they'll want to stay well away from the tiny town of Mount Carbon, not far from Charleston. Folks in that region, where 14 tanker cars carrying crude oil derailed and burst into flames on Monday, know firsthand what can happen when there are no pipelines to transport oil.

The explosions that followed the accident sent gigantic fireballs skyward and ignited blazes that were still burning a day later. At least one home was destroyed by the fires, and crude oil leaked into a nearby stream.

Think oil pipelines are scary? The residents around Mount Carbon would undoubtedly have a very different take.

One statistic tells the chilling and dangerous tale: In 2009, some 21,000 barrels of oil per day were transported by rail. Today, trains move an astonishing 50 times that amount.

Talk of alternative energy is fine, but so little of it is based in the here and now. The actual alternative to moving crude oil via pipeline â€" today, in the real world â€" is to move it by train. Those who would wish to rely on the sun and the wind and energy sources that haven't yet been developed will be waiting for quite some time before their clean dreams are a big piece of our day-to-day.

Fossil fuels remain the lifeblood of our economy. While some who visit Whole Foods, ride a bicycle or drive there in a Prius, a peek out back, to the delivery area, tells a very different story. There, one will see large, diesel-fueled trucks delivering the organic foods and the green snacks and the soy beverages.

Any talk about meeting the energy needs of our nation needs to focus not only on where we'd like to be, but also on where we are today. Any talk about what we don't want â€" because it is thought of as unclean or unsafe or just so retro â€" must focus on the actual alternatives that are available to us. Those who don't like pipelines are going to get trains. That's reality. Wishing it were otherwise doesn't change a thing.

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El Cerrito preparing to join alternative energy program - Contra Costa Times

EL CERRITO -- A Marin-based clean energy supplier is getting ready to expand its alternative program to PG&E electricity here in less than three months. Marin Clean Energy will be contacting residents this month with the first in a series of five monthly mailings telling them they will be switched automatically to the program on May 1 unless they take action to opt out and remain with PG&E, said Maria Sanders, El Cerrito's interim division manager for public works.

The City Council voted to adopt the program in December.

Marin Clean Energy will also be meeting with residents in a series of public meetings to explain the program and customer options. The agency so far has a meeting scheduled at 11:30 a.m. March 9 at Christ Lutheran Church Senior Center, 780 Ashbury Ave., and another at 1:15 p.m. April 22 at the Open House Senior Center, 6500 Stockton Ave.

Marin Clean Energy provides customers with 50 percent of their electricity from bioenergy, geothermal, biogas, solar energy and wind power sources. A much smaller group of customers receive 100 percent of their electricity from wind energy.

El Cerrito customers will initially be enrolled in the 50 percent renewable program, with the option for them to switch to 100 percent wind power immediately or 100 percent solar power at the end of the year. Under current rates, the average Marin Clean Energy customer pays $80.14 per month for 50 percent renewable electricity compared with $81.58 a month for a PG&E ratepayer using the same amount of energy, according to the agency.

At current rates, the average MCE electricity customer using the wind power-only option pays $84.77 per month and the average solar-only customer pays $107.92 per month. All four figures include the same $36.26 cost for PG&E energy delivery.

The rates are subject to change based on shifts in MCE and PG&E pricing.

The move to an alternative provider is part of the city's effort to address climate change at a local level. MCE estimates it has provided a reduction of about 60,000 tons in greenhouse gas emissions since its inception. About 22 percent of PG&E electricity comes from renewable sources. Its other sources include hydroelectric, natural gas and nuclear energy.

The MCE program, which started in Marin in 2010, will be serving 165,000 customers by May 31 in 11 Marin County areas, along with Richmond and San Pablo in Contra Costa County, Benicia and unincorporated Napa County, according to MCE spokesman Alex DiGiorgio.

About 84 percent of Richmond residential and commercial customers are taking part in the program and 16 percent opted out.

Residential customers who opt out of MCE service after receiving it for 60 days or more will be charged a $5 administrative fee, while commercial customers will pay a $25 fee.

Customers who switch back to PG&E after 60 days will not be allowed to return to MCE service for a year under PG&E rules.

Customers can sign up for 100 percent renewable or opt out by calling MCE at 1-888-632-3674. Details are available online at mcecleanenergy.org/ elcerrito.

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GridSolar's proposal for alternative-energy post rebuffed by staff of Maine PUC - Press Herald

The staff recommends instead that the PUC take bids for the role of coordinating Maine's no-new-transmission efforts.

The staff of the Maine Public Utilities Commission is recommending that a Portland company’s proposal to coordinate part of the state’s alternative energy supply process be rejected.

The PUC staff wants the commission to instead put the coordinator’s role out to bid.

At issue is whether Maine’s existing power transmission infrastructure can be enhanced without building additional miles of transmission lines.

GridSolar proposed that it become the state coordinator of non-transmission alternatives based largely on its experience with an ongoing pilot project in the midcoast, which it says is a less costly alternative to a Central Maine Power Co. plan to beef up the state’s electric grid by building more miles of transmission lines. GridSolar’s pilot project in Boothbay uses solar and other forms of alternative energy generation to provide local electricity during high-demand periods that can be carried on existing transmission lines.

GridSolar says its non-transmission alternative approach is a more flexible and less expensive way to meet the need for short-term electricity supply increases than costly upgrades to the power grid.

The staff opinion is based on GridSolar’s proposal to act as a coordinator for non-transmission alternatives â€" or NTAs â€" when they are proposed for other parts of the state beyond the midcoast pilot project. Proposals to build NTAs are under consideration in the Portland and Waterville areas.

The staff report, issued Friday, agrees that a coordinator is needed but suggests that GridSolar’s corporate structure may be top-heavy.

The report said the staff isn’t sure that the six full-time executive positions proposed by GridSolar, “as well as several other staffing positions, are necessary for developing and implementing NTA solutions.”

GridSolar CEO Richard Silkman said the company’s experience operating an NTA in Boothbay gives it an edge that other companies can’t match. The company has applied to be named the Smart Grid coordinator for the state and submitted a five-year implementation plan for rolling out other NTAs.

CMP doesn’t necessarily object to the need for a coordinator but thinks the PUC shouldn’t rule out the possibility of a utility playing that role, company spokesman John Carroll said.

CMP and other transmission companies are barred from generating electricity under Maine’s electricity deregulation laws, but Carroll said the PUC should consider relaxing that rule for NTAs. He said the ultimate goal is to provide electricity at a lower cost, and having CMP or other transmission companies operating small generation projects in places where an NTA is approved could make economic sense.

In any case, Carroll said GridSolar’s approach “is a little untimely” because its pilot project in Boothbay won’t be complete for another two years. Determining that NTAs are the best approach for a more reliable and less costly electricity supply should be determined before the PUC looks for a coordinator, he said.

The PUC will take comments on the staff report until Feb. 27 and probably will meet to vote on the GridSolar plan in March, said Harry Lanphear, administrative director of the PUC.

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Uralsk Students Create Alternative Energy Projects for EXPO 2017 - Astana Times

Eight innovative projects created by school students in Uralsk were presented at the EXPO 2017 â€" Great Victory of State exhibition held in this city on Feb. 8.

One of the largest international expos of the decade, EXPO 2017 will be held in Astanaand never in its 84-year history has the host city been chosen by such a large majority of votes.

“The presented projects use wind and solar energy, as well as the energy of agricultural waste,” said Victoria Nazhmedenova, a guide at the West Kazakhstan historical-regional museum, as quoted by BNews.kz.

Kamila Urazayeva, a student at Ak Niet grammar school No.42 said, “Today it is a hot topic to use solar energy. My robot machine operates as a lift crane and lorry. It will be useful in construction and agriculture. In time it can substitute the part of human labour.”

Students at Nazarbayev Intellectual School presented models of two projects which can be used in practice. One uses biogas; the second is a unique sailing wind turbine. The turbine has special sails which use maximum wind speed, can turn horizontally in running rivers and don’t throw a roadblock for wind.

“All the projects were tested and we have good results. They correspond to the exhibition requirements. The sailing wind turbine project took part in festivals and was pointed out by EXPO 2017 management. Our projects are supported by local innovators; for example, the director of Gidropribor JSC, who provides workshops for equipment inventing and testing,” said physics teacher Yelena Chernoyarova.

The biogas project, developed by ninth grader Assylbek Bugebai, operates using manure. He constructed a 40-litre machine, which requires a certain quantity of manure and water, and special technology enables gas production. Bugebai demonstrated how the gas is burned and calculated the energy which can be produced as the result of burning gas. Absolutely free fuel can be produced using both projects. The sailing wind turbine uses wind, while the biogas project needs dairy sludge. As a result, demandable energy can be produced.

EXPO 2017 is expected to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and international exposure to the Kazakh economy and culture. It is expected to draw three to five million visitors, which would make it the largest international gathering of its kind ever in Central Asia. The expo will be held during Astana’s 20th anniversary as the nation’s capital, celebrating the emergence of independent Kazakhstan and the wider region as the energy and communications hub of Europe, Asia and the Middle East since the fall of the Soviet Union.

EXPO 2017’s Future Energy theme will promote efforts to find sustainable energy solutions to meet growing global demand. The key concepts of the exhibition are promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency and responsible consumption, electrification of transport, universal access to clean energy, energy security and reduction in fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

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Alternative energy, not a subsidy cut, is the only - Jakarta Post

Finally, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has left domestic fuel prices to international market dynamics after the previous administration â€" considering political stability, economic capacity and social acceptability â€" set fuel subsidies as high as possible.

To carry out development, every strong nation must endeavor to attain energy security for both public consumption and national fuel industries. However, the Indonesian government seems to lack sustainable strategies for achieving energy security.

While most countries give priority to the fulfillment of domestic energy demand, Jokowi has followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, who opted to dedicate energy resources to global commerce.

Trying to awake from the 1998 economic crisis and its multidimensional impacts, post-reform national leadership has unfortunately been indecisive in directing national development. The State Policy Guidelines (GBHN) were removed and the Constitution was amended four times only to erode Indonesian sovereignty over its natural resources and surrender the national economy to the market.

It’s impossible, for example, to let the prices of public goods and services, including public transportation fees, go up and down in accordance with world fuel-price fluctuations. Even the coordinating economic minister has warned from the beginning that the country should anticipate the possibility of living without fuel.

Without easy access to alternative energy, the Cabinet’s fuel policy is threatening the sustainability of development.

Furthermore, having recognized former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s achievements in addressing climate change by raising fuel prices by 165 percent so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, fuel consumption has increased more than tenfold since 2003. There has been no notable effort to make alternative energy sources accessible to all people, not to mention environmentally friendly.

It’s understood that the Indonesian government wants to keep the global honor of being part of G-20, consequently binding itself to the group’s long-standing commitment to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies in conjunction with the IMF Letter of Intent (LoI) and the World Bank Development Policy Loan (DPL) prerequisites.

Climate change follows the global scheme, however. Since the outset, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and its working partner, the International Energy Agency (IEA), have been focused on renewable energy policies. They say that eliminating fossil-fuel subsidies by 2020 will cut global warming by 10 percent in 2050.

However, there has been a misunderstanding between the national living experience and global agencies, such as IEA and World Bank, who validate such a notion on the pretext that the rich become the beneficiaries of fuel subsidies.

As a matter of fact, it’s not relevant to classify fuel consumers as poor or rich. Fuel has become a basic component along the economic value chain that involves both the rich and the poor in various synergistic roles. The ultimate consequence of the fuel-price hike is inflation that upgrades the market equilibrium, forcing the prices of goods and services to climb. This cannot be compensated by mere cash aid.

Compounded by the G-20 as the ultimate global forum, fossil-fuel subsidy means inefficiency, wasteful consumption, market distortion, clean-energy investment impediments and the trivialization of the climate change issue. The G-20 Summit in Brisbane, with the current slogan of “global problems need global solutions” might have overwhelmed President Jokowi with euphoria. Going home, he was convinced of the need to start eliminating fossil fuel supplies and subsidies.

It’s China that is determined not to follow the global trend of simply reasoning that expensive fuel will make it difficult for national development to run. Realizing the consequences, Beijing is developing renewable energy like solar, wind and biomass. The country allocates subsidy grants amounting to US$22.5-46.7 million to manufacturers of wind turbines without imported components.

As a result, its national energy self-sufficiency efforts make China the largest global wind-energy industry. It’s not money that matters, but common initiative, commitment, hope and public faith in the administration.

Indonesia’s distinctiveness as one of the wealthiest tropical nations must preserve its abundant assets to earn renewable kinds of organic energy sources. It needs to overhaul spatial planning, reset the national development priorities from euphoric global achievements to basic energy security, free household industries from lengthy red tape and promote autonomous budgetary distribution.

For too long we have neglected our richness in renewable energy sources.
______________

The writer is a freelance journalist and member of green group Sarekat Hijau Indonesia.

Paper Edition | Page: 4

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Brunei's renewed focus on alternative energy - The Borneo Post

by Paulius Kuncinas. Posted on February 14, 2015, Saturday

Plans to revive a stalled renewable energy deal between Brunei Darussalam and neighbouring Sarawak that would see hydropower exported from the Malaysian state to the Sultanate have thrown a focus on its efforts to increase renewable energy sources.

Bruneian officials confirmed at the end of January that they would soon be receiving the business plan and details of a proposal to jointly develop hydroelectric dams in northern Sarawak, with a 40km power transmission line to Brunei Darussalam.

This forms part of a wider plan to reduce the Sultanate’s reliance on fossil fuels by increasing its solar capacities and creating feed-in tariff mechanisms.

Electricity exports tapping Sarawak’s considerable sustainable energy resources offers a shortcut to raising renewable energy’s contribution to the Bruneian economy, which has been dependent on gas to generate electricity.

Sarawak has the goal of reaching installed hydropower capacity of 20,000 MW, and previous bilateral discussions have proposed the export of some 150 MW to Temburong.

The Sultanate could also position itself as a hub to further export power across the region.

A study, conducted under a memorandum of understanding between Sarawak Energy Bhd, Brunei Darussalam’s Prime Minister’s office and the Department of Electrical Services (DES), was completed five years ago.

Under the proposals, the first phase of power exports would move from Tudan to the Sultanate via a border point at Sungai Tujuh.

Limbang, where a 200MW hydroelectric dam project is under review, was suggested for the second phase.

The proposal highlights the rising need to increase renewable energy’s role in the Sultanate.

In a report from 2013, Minsoo Lee, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) senior economist in the Macroeconomics and Finance Research Division pointed out that the Sultanate had spent US$470 million in fuel subsidies two years earlier, which amounted to more than $1,000 per person.

“For Brunei, the benefit of these projects is that the country will be getting power from renewable energy,” the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, Pehin Dato Yasmin Umar, said, adding that it would conduct its own due diligence before investing in the project.

The Energy Plan Although unable to reach the ASEAN bloc target of renewable energy accounting for 15 per cent of collective energy supply by 2015, the government has made some inroads.

In its March 2014 ‘Energy White Paper’, the Energy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (EDPMO) laid out the goals of reaching 124GWh of renewable power generation by 2017 and 954GWh by 2035.

So far, Brunei Darussalam has very little renewable generation, consisting mainly of a small solar power plant that produces about 1.7GWh a year.

The country lacks hydropower, a main source of alternative energy.

To meet this target the EDPMO is planning to introduce a feed-in tariff to encourage investment in renewable energy systems.

The policy should help to spur development of distributed solar generation within the country and enable homeowners with installed solar panels to sell their excess electricity back to the government.

The government is planning to take a leading role in identifying land for utility-scale solar projects and developing a waste-to-energy project using municipal solid waste.

The project is expected to generate 10 to 15MW of power.

It also laid out plans for a 45 per cent reduction in energy intensity from a base of 390 tonnes of oil equivalent per US$1 million of GDP in 2005 to 215 tonnes of oil equivalent per US$1 million of GDP by 2035 to promote sustainable development.

Part of the reason behind its bid to reduce energy intensity is to meet an anticipated rising demand from a high-value downstream oil and gas sector and other economic activities.

Choosing a Path Despite the potential for renewable energy growth, critics say deeper reform is needed to encourage greater investment in the sector.

Milo Sjardin, head of Asia-Pacific Bloomberg New Energy Finance, told local media in August that the Sultanate must first reduce subsidies to achieve efficient use of energy before making costly investments in renewable energy.

“It does not make sense … Brunei should start with energy efficiency because PVs can’t compete yet,” he said.

However, he believes that by 2030, when the cost of PVs is expected to drop 25 per cent, investing in the technology will be more viable.

Indeed, while an abundance of fossil fuel reserves has kept energy in good supply and affordable, economic and environmental goals demand a shift to alternative sources of energy.

To ensure ambitious goals are met, departments could work closer with the private sector and investment authorities to encourage the growth of new plants and initiatives.

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Brunei Darussalam's renewed focus on alternative energy - Oxford Business Group

Plans to revive a stalled renewable energy deal between Brunei Darussalam and neighbouring Sarawak that would see hydropower exported from the Malaysian state to the Sultanate have thrown a focus on its efforts to increase renewable energy sources.

Bruneian officials confirmed at the end of January that they would soon be receiving the business plan and details of a proposal to jointly develop hydroelectric dams in northern Sarawak, with a 40km power transmission line to Brunei Darussalam. This forms part of a wider plan to reduce the Sultanate’s reliance on fossil fuels by increasing its solar capacities and creating feed-in tariff mechanisms.

Electricity Exports

Tapping Sarawak’s considerable sustainable energy resources offers a shortcut to raising renewable energy’s contribution to the Bruneian economy, which has been dependent on gas to generate electricity. Sarawak has the goal of reaching installed hydropower capacity of 20,000 MW, and previous bilateral discussions have proposed the export of some 150 MW to Temburong.  The Sultanate could also position itself as a hub to further export power across the region.

A study, conducted under a memorandum of understanding between Sarawak Energy Bhd, Brunei Darussalam’s Prime Minister’s office and the Department of Electrical Services (DES), was completed five years ago.  Under the proposals, the first phase of power exports would move from Tudan to the Sultanate via a border point at Sungai Tujuh. Limbang, where a 200MW hydroelectric dam project is under review, was suggested for the second phase.

The proposal highlights the rising need to increase renewable energy’s role in the Sultanate. In a report from 2013, Minsoo Lee, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) senior economist in the Macroeconomics and Finance Research Division pointed out that the Sultanate had spent $470m in fuel subsidies two years earlier, which amounted to more than $1,000 per person.

“For Brunei, the benefit of these projects is that the country will be getting power from renewable energy,” the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, YB Pehin Dato Yasmin Umar, said, adding that it would conduct its own due diligence before investing in the project.

The Energy Plan

Although unable to reach the ASEAN bloc target of renewable energy accounting for 15% of collective energy supply by 2015, the government has made some inroads. In its March 2014 “Energy White Paper”, the Energy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (EDPMO) laid out the goals of reaching 124 GWh of renewable power generation by 2017 and 954 GWh by 2035.

So far, Brunei Darussalam has very little renewable generation, consisting mainly of a small solar power plant that produces about 1.7 GWh a year.  The country lacks hydropower, a main source of alternative energy. 

To meet this target the EDPMO is planning to introduce a feed-in tariff to encourage investment in renewable energy systems. The policy should help to spur development of distributed solar generation within the country and enable homeowners with installed solar panels to sell their excess electricity back to the government.

The government is planning to take a leading role in identifying land for utility-scale solar projects and developing a waste-to-energy project using municipal solid waste. The project is expected to generate 10-15 MW of power.

It also laid out plans for a 45% reduction in energy intensity from a base of 390 tonnes of oil equivalent per $1m of GDP in 2005 to 215 tonnes of oil equivalent per $1m of GDP by 2035 to promote sustainable development.  Part of the reason behind its bid to reduce energy intensity is to meet an anticipated rising demand from a high-value downstream oil and gas sector and other economic activities.

Choosing a Path

Despite the potential for renewable energy growth, critics say deeper reform is needed to encourage greater investment in the sector. Milo Sjardin, head of Asia-Pacific Bloomberg New Energy Finance, told local media in August that the Sultanate must first reduce subsidies to achieve efficient use of energy before making costly investments in renewable energy.  “It does not make sense ... Brunei should start with energy efficiency because PVs can’t compete yet,” he said.  However, he believes that by 2030, when the cost of PVs is expected to drop 25%, investing in the technology will be more viable.

Indeed, while an abundance of fossil fuel reserves has kept energy in good supply and affordable, economic and environmental goals demand a shift to alternative sources of energy. To ensure ambitious goals are met, departments could work closer with the private sector and investment authorities to encourage the growth of new plants and initiatives.

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Alternative energy tour kicks off in Victoria on Wednesday - Victoria News

The Future is Here! Alternatives Tour kicks off in Victoria on Wednesday (Feb. 18).

Showcasing local innovators, tour  explores how to build resilient communities in the context of climate change.

Tour stops will also feature the award-winning documentary, The Future of Energy: Lateral Power to the People, which tells the story of North American communities that are becoming energy self-sufficient.

“Powerful vested interests would like us to believe we have no alternative but to extract and burn tar sands oil and fracked gas,” said Caitlyn Vernon, Sierra Club B.C. campaigns director.

“Yet more Canadians now work in clean energy than are employed in the tar sands and renewable energy is becoming cost-competitive with fossil fuels and other traditional energy sources.”

The Future is Here! tour will also include stops in Kamloops, Merritt, Nanaimo, Comox, and the Fraser Valley.

The Victoria event is at Atomique Productions HQ, 1501 Douglas St., beginning with the Innovators showcase at 5 p.m., screening of The Future of Energy: Lateral Power to the People at 7 p.m. and followed by a panel discussion at 8:30 p.m.

Innovators featured in Victoria include City Green Solutions (energy efficiency), Solar Colwood, Drive Electric Victoria, Canadian Solar Cities Project and local organic farmers. Panelists will include Andrew Moore of the T’Sou-ke Nation solar initiative, Robin Tunnicliffe of Saanich Organics, Larissa Stendie, climate and energy campaigner for Sierra Club B.C. and a representative from City Green Solutions.

The event is sponsored by the Sierra Club B.C. and the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association.

Admission is by donation.

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Legislature repeals Alternative Energy Act - The Coal Valley News

CHARLESTON â€" A Boone County delegate says he was intstrumental in helping to repeal the Alternative Energy Act.

District 23 delegate Joshua Nelson (R-Boone) said he campaigned heavily on fighting for coal and coal jobs.

“For a couple of years, I spoke about how laws like the state’s “Cap and Trade” law would kill coal jobs, and vowed to repeal the law,” he said. “Well, last week I made good on that promise, with the help of some of his colleagues. Governor Tomblin signed House Bill 2001, the first bill of the 82nd Legislature and the law alternative energy portfolio fully repealed.”

Nelson was the first co-sponsor of the bill with Delegate Marty Gearheart being the lead.

Debate was heavy in the Chamber, and Nelson gave a passionate speech about the need to repeal the law.

“Since 2012, six plants have shut down, partially due to anticipation from increased scrutiny, from bills like this, and from the EPA, and from the anti-coal, anti-coal miner climate that exists in Washington, D.C.,” said Nelson. “From 2011 to 2014, we have lost 7,000 coal jobs in the state of West Virginia, and that is completely unacceptable, and almost solely due to market manipulation.”

Some delegates were fiercely against repealing the law.

“We are going to wear coal around our neck, like a yoke that will drag all of us down,” Delegate Nancy Guthrie said.

The bill ultimately passed by an overwhelming majority.

When Governor Tomblin signed the bill into law, Nelson made a public statement saying, “Cap and trade is gone in West Virginia. Gov. Tomblin signed the law. Very honored to be the first co-sponsor of this bill. It is going to take time, but let’s fight and get miners back to work.”

Nelson also authored a bill that has passed the House of Delegates, HB 2004.

“The bill requires that West Virginia DEP shall submit any plan that is written with the intention of being submitted to the EPA for compliance approval must first have the approval of the Legislature,” Nelson explained. “The bill is aimed at the anticipated Clean Power Plant proposal, which is expected to have a ruling around July. If CPP becomes law, power plants will be required to reduce carbon emissions by close to 30 percent, resulting in 30 percent less coal use, and increase energy costs by approximately 28 percent to the user.

During debate Nelson stated, “The Clean Power Plan would be very difficult for the country to deal with. This bill sets precedent for what Congress should do to the federal EPA. In my opinion, the EPA has overstepped its boundaries.”

Nelson said this bill should send a “clear message” to lawmakers in Washington, D.C. that no agencies should write laws without oversight.

Fred Pace is the editor for the Coal Valley News. He can be contacted at fpace@civitasmedia.com or at 304-369-1165, or on Twitter @fcpace62

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Companies debate over alternative energy sources for SA - Eyewitness News

CAPE TOWN - South African mining companies are bracing for massive losses this year due to the impact of rolling blackouts.

Companies offering alternatives to coal-fuelled power are hoping to fill the gap created by Eskom’s inability to keep up with electricity demand.

At the 2015 Annual African Mining Indaba Conference being held in Cape Town, some delegates are debating the viability of solar power to help mines.

A German mining firm says it's already seeing successes in this regard in Namibia.

Cronimet's Riley Armstrong says NamPower has allowed it to join the country's grid by supplying solar power.

“Southern Africa has probably some of the best solar resources on the planet. We know that the mining resources are some of the richest on the planet, combine those two and you have the opportunity to create renewable energy.”

At the same time, the risk of load shedding today and for the rest of the week remains high as Eskom battles to keep up with electricity demand.

Several generators are out on maintenance and there've been technical faults which have further crippled supply.

The power utility continues to ask that South Africans use electricity sparingly.

(Edited by Gadeeja Abbas)

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Hitachi's latest patent activity reveals automotive tech and alternative ... - IPWatchdog.com

Hitachi, Ltd. (TYO:6501), which is headquartered in Tokyo, is a Japanese conglomerate with an incredibly diversified business portfolio. Various business segments within which Hitachi operates include electronic systems and equipment, automotive systems, telecommunications systems and social infrastructure.

Worldwide, Hitachi supports a large network of research and development facilities, including locations in America, England, India, Singapore, Brazil and China. The company’s R&D mindset maintains a particular focus on social innovation, which the company sees as comprising innovations in healthcare, transportation, water, energy, food and other systems which are important to society. In November of last year, Hitachi announced the upcoming release of six social innovation systems, including a real-time visualization system to aid law enforcement and healthcare data systems. In the fiscal year ending with March 31, 2014, Hitachi spent ¥351.4 billion on R&D, which was 3.7 percent of revenues.

Hitachi’s revenues have grown year over year from ¥7.8 trillion to ¥8.3 trillion, according to their latest financial reports. The company plans to open a train manufacturing facility this year in Durham, England, which will cost about £82 million to build. Hitachi’s construction subsidiary has been dealt with tough economic times lately with its stock value on the Japanese equities index falling by more than 10 percent. Elsewhere, Hitachi Appliances has entered into an agreement with Johnson Controls of Milwaukee, WI, to form a global joint venture for HVAC and refrigeration products. A patent dispute between Hitachi and the China Rare Earth Permanent Industry Development Promotion, a consortium of 16 Chinese companies involved in rare earth mining, could affect half of the world’s rare earth production.

In 2014, Hitachi earned a total of 908 patent grants from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the 38th-largest total of U.S. patents issued to any single entity. When the patent activities of its subsidiaries are taken into account, however, the entire Hitachi Group earned 2,108 U.S. patent grants during 2014, according to our research using Innography patent analytics. As with most of the high tech Companies We Follow, we’re noticing a lot of innovation in control units and data storage devices, as reflected by our research using Innography search tools and represented in the text cluster diagram shown to the right. Hitachi has a very strong patent portfolio in automotive battery tech and even owns more patents in this field than Toyota.

Hitachi’s Issued Patents: From Rare Earth Magnets to Pedestrian Recognition Systems

Rare earth metals are the subject of one of Hitachi’s recently issued patents which we took note of today. U.S. Patent No. 8945318, which is titled R-Fe-B Type Rare Earth Sintered Magnet and Process for Production of the Same, discusses an innovation meant to achieve deeper diffusion of rare earth metals within a magnet body to produce a more even coercivity, or resistance to changes in magnetization in a magnetic material, throughout the magnet. This patent claims a rare earth sintered magnet that includes crystal grains of an R2Fe14B compound where R is a rare earth metal such as neodymium or praseodymium. The crystal grains include a heavy rare earth diffused layer measuring 0.5 micrometers (µm) where the heavy rare earth is dysprosium, holmium or terbium.

Automotive innovations spearheaded by Hitachi are among the issued patents that we noticed in our survey of this company’s latest patent-protected innovations. Enhancements to the operating efficiencies of hybrid and electric vehicles as a whole are the result of the innovation outlined within U.S. Patent No. 8909398, issued under the title Cooling System of Electric Vehicle. The cooling system claimed here includes a circulation path through which a cooling medium is circulated to an electrically powered vehicle drive unit, a heat exchange unit that exchanges heat between the cooling medium and the external air, a cooling medium circulation unit for circulating the cooling medium along the path between the drive unit and heat exchange unit, a blower unit that blows air against the heat exchange unit and a control unit that controls both the blower and cooling medium circulation units. Through the use of this cooling system it is possible to reduce the physical size of both the electric motor and inverter power supply while obtaining the same level of torque and output power as conventional electric vehicle systems. Driver assist technologies, an area of much R&D focus in the automotive world as reported by Thomson Reuters, for the recognition of pedestrians on or near the road is at the center of U.S. Patent No. 8924140, entitled External Environment Recognition Device for Vehicle and Vehicle System Using Same. The patent protects an external environment recognition device for a vehicle that recognizes a vehicle’s external environment based on detected object information of a plurality of objects in front of a host vehicle, image information of an image in front of the host vehicle and a means for setting a predicted course based upon host vehicle information derived from a detected status of a host vehicle. This invention is intended to address delays in processing recognition of pedestrians by reducing the processing load required to detect pedestrians and other obstacles for collision avoidance.

Although Hitachi’s construction business has experienced some woeful days, which we discuss briefly in today’s introduction, we’re still seeing a fair amount of R&D investment into heavy industry technologies. One of these, U.S. Patent No. 8935033, issued under the title Electrically Driven Dump Truck, discusses a dump truck configured to be driven from electrical power supplied by trolley wires and not with energy supplied by an engine. This electrically driven vehicle protected by the patent includes a trolley wire detection device for detecting a trolley wire from below while the vehicle is traveling and a control device which controls a yaw moment to the vehicle so that the vehicle travels while tracing the trolley wire. This invention allows a hybrid dump truck to stay in-lane with the trolley wires supplying power to the truck without requiring a human driver to judge whether or not the truck is properly below the trolley wires.

Alternative energy systems for harvesting electricity from natural wind energy is described within U.S. Patent No. 8941257, which is titled Wind Power Generator. The innovation is designed so that internal components of a wind power generator, specifically the brush installed within the nacelle, have better humidity management and are less likely to become worn in response to changes in the environmental humidity surrounding the generator. The wind power generator protected here includes a humidity management device, installed within the nacelle, containing a sensor for measuring the humidity inside a wind power generator as well as a humidifier and a dehumidifier for humidity control of the power generator’s interior in response to sensor measurements.

We also took note of a couple of medical innovations brought to the world by Hitachi, one of which is outlined within U.S. Patent No. 8945469, entitled Magnetic Immunoassay System. This patent protects a magnetic immunoassay system which measures a remnant magnetic signal for detecting an antigen contained within a sample; the system utilizes a nonmagnetic reaction chamber with a surface covered with capturing antibodies for binding antigens in a sample, a mechanism for moving the reaction chamber and a magnetic sensor measuring the magnetic signals from the chamber for sending a signal to a processor to detect magnetic particles binding to the group of collected antigens. The resulting immunoassay system has an improved detection sensitivity for detecting DNA, environmental toxins or cancer cells than conventional systems utilizing optical fluorescent enzymes and not magnetic forces.

Patent Applications of Note: Electric Vehicles, Cloud Computing and Robotics Navigation 

Our foray into Hitachi’s recently filed patent applications allowed us to explore some intriguing inventions in alternative energy, such as the technology disclosed by U.S. Patent Application No. 20140363351, which is titled Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Equipment. The patent application claims renewable energy power generation equipment that generates varying electric power and a water electrolysis device which uses the electric power to produce hydrogen. The system for hydrogen generation utilizes electric energy from renewable sources rather than from fossil fuel to reduce the carbon dioxide gas released during hydrogen productions.

Electric vehicles continue to be a focus of innovation for Hitachi to judge by a pair of patent applications that we explored in further detail today. Wireless charging for electric-powered vehicles is an area of recent automotive development, as we discussed in our coverage of auto tech from the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, and Hitachi has its own entry into this sector with U.S. Patent Application No. 20150002091, filed under the title Wireless Charging System. The wireless charging system claimed here includes multiple winding portions formed by winding an electric wire and sandwiched together with the use of a pair of magnetic members. This wireless charging system configuration achieves an improved charging efficiency resulting from an increased coefficient of magnetic coupling between a transmitting unit and a receiving unit during wireless charging. An improved configuration for a power conversion apparatus used by an electric vehicle is the subject of U.S. Patent Application No. 20150022974, which is titled Power Conversion Apparatus and Electric Vehicle. The power converter apparatus claimed here includes a power module with a power semiconductor element, a driving circuit board that drives the power semiconductor element, a control circuit board that controls the semiconductor element and a metal base disposed between the driving and control circuit boards. This invention includes a cooling jacket and heat releasing parts that provides adequate cooling while reducing the dimensional size and manufacturing costs of the power converter apparatus.

Cloud computing innovations are always popular among readers of the Companies We Follow series and we found Hitachi supporting some development in this field with the filing of U.S. Patent Application No. 20150026342, entitled Virtual Resource Management Tool for Cloud Computing Service. This patent application would protect a method for allocating software resources by receiving tasks requiring at least one software resource from a network, analyzing each task to determine the type of resource required to execute each task, determining the availability of those resources and either allocating those resources for the task or repeating the analysis step until resources are available. This invention achieves the objective of allocating software resources in a multiuser system, such as a cloud server, in an efficient manner and providing a wait queue when one individual attempts to connect to a software resource which is already being used.

Improved methods of analysis for identifying gene expressions within plant tissue have also been developed by Hitachi and are the focus of U.S. Patent Application No. 20150018243, which is titled Plant Tissue Sampling Method and Plant Gene Analysis Method. The innovation is designed to enable a system through which a fragment of plant tissue can be quickly sampled and the gene expression state within the tissue fragment is quickly preserved for comprehensive analysis. This Hitachi patent application would protect a method of sampling a plant tissue section involving the steps of inserting a first gel layer into a needle, arranging a plant tissue on a second gel layer, passing the needle through the plant tissue and second gel layer and sampling a section of plant tissue in the needle.

The Hitachi mindset of “social innovation” is clearly on display in the public health technology that would be protected by U.S. Patent Application No. 20150010902, entitled Apparatus and Method for Monitoring Airborne Microorganisms in the Atmosphere. This invention is intended to aid in the detection of airborne pathogens, like influenza, directly from the atmosphere and works both continuously and in a short period of time. The patent application claims an apparatus for monitoring airborne microorganisms including a chassis with a fan for flowing air towards an interior segment, a perforated plate disposed at the chassis with multiple nozzles for focusing split air flows, a capturing plate with a plurality of trapping surfaces and an optical detection part for fluorescence generated from the microorganisms on the capturing plate’s trapping surfaces.

Finally, we took note of an interesting system for determining the potential moving directions of individuals who are not moving, which is outlined within U.S. Patent Application No. 20140376780, filed under the title Method for Estimating Direction of Person Standing Still. The patent application claims a method that involves detecting a boundary position between a person’s foot and lower leg through an imaging unit, detecting a feature quantity which makes it possible to classify a ground and image parts other than the ground and setting a plurality of local regions having positional and/or directional information relative to the boundary position. As a perusal of the summary of invention section of this patent application will show our readers, this system is designed for use with an autonomous mobile apparatus, such as a robot, and provides the mobile robot with a means for effectively navigating a crowded environment without getting into the potential path of people standing still who could start walking at any time.

Steve Brachmann is a writer located in Buffalo, New York. He has worked professionally as a freelancer for more than seven years. He has become a regular contributor to IPWatchdog.com, writing about technology, innovation and is the primary author of the Companies We Follow series. His work has been published by The Buffalo News, The Hamburg Sun, USAToday.com, Chron.com, Motley Fool and OpenLettersMonthly.com. Steve also provides website copy and documents for various business clients.

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Sol-Wind: A Unique Yieldco - Alternative Energy Stocks

By Jeff Siegel 

President Obama gave renewable energy investors a very nice gift this week...

As a part of his new budget proposal, the president is seeking a 7.2% increase in funding for “clean energy.” As well, he is asking for a permanent extension for the solar investment tax credit (ITC) and the wind energy production tax credit (PTC).

The solar ITC is set to expire at the end of 2016, and the wind energy PTC has already expired.

I can pretty much guarantee that a permanent extension of these tax credits is not going to happen. However, because so many red states generate an enormous amount of tax revenue and jobs from solar and wind, it is likely that both sectors will be thrown some sort of bone â€" particularly solar, as the industry now supports nearly 174,000 jobs

That data does not fall on deaf ears, despite the dog-and-pony show some lawmakers will put on during election season.

No, solar is the real deal. The market is booming, and cost reductions continue to make it more and more affordable for homeowners and businesses.

Which is why I hope you've been taking some of my advice over the past couple of months and taken a position in some of the more impressive solar names, like SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE), SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR), and Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ). 

Canadian Solar absolutely crushed it yesterday after announcing its acquisition of Sharp Corporation's Recurrent Energy. Check it out...

Recurrent has a massive utility-scale project pipeline that's scheduled to be built before the planned date of the solar ITC expiration. This is a huge win for Canadian Solar, representing an estimated $2.3 billion in revenue.

Going forward, I remain bullish on these major solar stocks, as well as the alternative energy yieldcos.

Year of the Yieldco

Back in November, I wrote in my yearly alternative energy predictions report that 2015 will be the year of the yieldco.

Yieldcos essentially allow retail investors to buy into multiple alternative energy assets that produce steady cash flow. For those who are not particularly keen on risk but still want exposure to the burgeoning alternative energy space, this is a great way to do it. Some of the bigger names include:

• Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (NYSE: HASI)
• Brookfield Renewable Energy (NYSE:BEP)
  
• NRG Yield (NYSE: NYLD)
• TerraForm Power (NASDAQ: TERP)
• NextEra Energy Partners (NYSE: NEP)
• Pattern Energy Group (NASDAQ: PEGI)

And next week, we'll be adding a new one to this list: Sol-Wind (NYSE: SLWD).

MLP for You and Me

As we wrote to our Green Chip readers earlier in the year, Sol-Wind will be the eighth yieldco to debut since 2013. However, this one is a bit different in that it seeks to utilize a master limited partnership (MLP) structure, so it'll actually be taxed differently from other yieldcos.

Now, because federal law does not currently permit MLPs for renewable energy companies (although oil and gas companies are permitted), Sol-Wind must utilize an exemption that allows certain publicly traded master limited partnerships to be taxed as partnerships instead of corporations.

It's a tricky arrangement that's often used by private equity and hedge funds to avoid taxation. A blocker corporation is set up to absorb the 35% corporate tax that would otherwise be applied to the partnership's assets. However, the corporation makes nothing, and any income made by the MLP is taxed only at shareholder level.

Back in 2012 and 2013, several bills known as the MLP Parity Act (MLPPA) were submitted to Congress, seeking to amend the tax code for publicly traded partnerships to treat all income from renewable and alternative fuels as “qualifying income.” The Senate bills and House resolutions known as the MLP Parity Act died in committee.

However, if an MLP Parity Act is enacted, the company could then be able to use a normal MLP structure, thereby allowing it to dodge extra corporate-level tax.

Long story short, Sol-Wind found a way to utilize an MLP structure despite the fact that renewable energy is still technically not invited to the MLP party.

$400 Million

Sol-Wind management describes the company as a growth-oriented limited partnership formed to own, acquire, invest in, and manage operating solar and wind power generation assets that generate power for retail, municipal, utility, and commercial customers under long-term power purchase agreements.

Following the completion of the IPO, Sol-Wind will acquire from its general partner equity and debt interests in an initial portfolio that represents 184.6 MW of nameplate capacity solar and wind power generation assets in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Currently, the company is planning to issue 8.7 million shares at between $19 and $21 a share. At the high end, this would give it a fully diluted market value of $401 million.

Although it's still yet to be seen how Sol-Wind will compare to other alternative energy yieldcos, it'll be interesting for investors to see how the MLP model performs in this particular case.

Definitely keep a close eye on this one.

To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth...

Jeff Siegel is managing editor of Energy and Capital, where this article was first published.  He is also contributing analyst for the Energy Investor, an independent investment research service focusing primarily on stocks in the oil & gas, modern energy and infrastructure markets.  He has been a featured guest on Fox, CNBC, and Bloomberg Asia, and is the author of the best-selling book, Investing in Renewable Energy: Making Money on Green Chip Stocks.

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A royal commission into South Australia's nuclear industry will explore ... - Business Insider Australia

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has announced an inquiry to investigate the potential “practical, financial and ethical issues” of nuclear fuel in South Australia.

The Australian-first royal commission would look at the state’s involvement in the mining, enrichment, energy and storage phases of nuclear power, ABC reported.

“We believe South Australians should be given the opportunity to explore the practical, financial and ethical issues raised by a deeper involvement in the nuclear industries,” Weatherill said.

“We need to understand the technological advances which are allowing there to be very different offerings in both the nuclear energy space but also solar energy and in wind power, all of these matters will bear on the considerations that South Australians need to make.”

Nuclear physicist Ziggy Switkowski, who led the 2006 Commonwealth government inquiry into the feasibility of a domestic nuclear power industry, told The Australian that the royal commission’s findings may present opportunities for the generation and assembly of nuclear-powered submarines in SA.

The construction of submarines in the Festival State has been a contentious matter for Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who â€" facing a leadership spill today â€" has attempted to bring South Australian MPs onside with a previously unseen pledge to hold a competitive bid into the $20 billion tender to build new Australian submarines.

Former PM Bob Hawke, who has, for decades, backed the siting of a nuclear waste dump in SA said the commission was “a hell of a good idea”.

“The Labor Party has shown that it has a degree of flexibility in the nuclear debate, particularly with export of uranium,” Hawke said.

Australia has been mining uranium ore since 1954, with three mines currently in operation and more planned. Australia’s known uranium resources are the world’s largest, accounting for 31% of the globe’s total reserves.

And while all production is exported, the World Nuclear Association says the country’s high reliance on coal and likely carbon constraints on electricity generation may lead to the possibility of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.

The value of Australia’s uranium oxide concentrate exports is considerable, and in 2009 reached a value of over $1.1 billion.

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Solar Leads Alternative Energy Choices - WAMC

The quest for cheaper energy on the consumer level trails back to the late 1970s, when solar appeared to be positioning to become a major player in power generation. Alternative power may get a boost from the advent of so-called "community grids.”

Many hospitals, colleges and other entities have developed their own power systems.  Some, like Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, are able to operate independently of the commercial electric grid.  There's also the off-grid "plug power" model where a "cube" can be placed in a home to power a household for about a year.

Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority, was at the SUNY Poly campus in Albany Wednesday, touting building a network of locally-based microgrids â€" and an accelerator program called the "New York Prize."     "The state has put aside $40 million and challenged communities to be imaginative and to propose to us community grids or microgrids to make sure that we evolve our current grid to the future grid, which is more distributed, and that communities and individuals can have more control of the energy that they use."

Quiniones pointed out that New York households spend nearly $2,500 per year on energy, some of the highest rates in the country. Commercial electric rates have been rising. The community grid would take the economic burden off business and residential customers by refashioning the state’s energy infrastructure. He noted that New York led electric innovation with inventions by Edison and Tesla.  And he said there's no reason we can't do it again.  "It could be solar. It could be combined heat and power. It could be battery storage. Really putting control - more control - of the production of electricity and the distribution of electricity in the communities."

The solar industry is booming, mentioned in both the State of the State and the State of the Union.  President Obama proclaimed that there is as much solar being installed every three weeks as there was in 2008 in its entirety.

Steve Erby is Vice President of Monlith Solar Associates in Rensselaer. He says consumers have discovered sun power saves money and protects the environment.  "With the power of the internet and the ability to go online and find out exactly how powerful these systems are, is amazing. And I think that's what's getting people on board with the solar, is that every one of our systems is hooked to the internet, so they can, at any given moment, see exactly how much power is coming from the roof. And it's a great feeling. Once you go solar, you get bit by this 'energy bug,' if you will, and you realize that flipping a switch, this power doesn't magically come from someplace. Now you start to realize the impact that a new freezer will have or the television set left on all day is gonna impact on your bill, and people become more energy aware."

John Moynihan is managing director of Cohen power technologies.  Their Utica facility took two years to build. Burrstone Energy Center is a microgrid that helps to power Utica College, St. Luke's Healthcare and nursing home, saving 15 to 20 percent a year on utility costs.   "We built this very modest 100-by-60 foot metal building and we put 3.6 megawatts of gas engines in it. And what we do is we take power all underground lines, so we're not subject to ice storms and wind, and occasionally a drunk college kid might hit a pole, you know, it's been happened before. We're not subject to that. We aggregated five electric services from National Grid down to one for the college."

But there is one drawback: as you heard, the Utica microgrid is powered by engines fueled with natural gas. Although the lines are buried, there's always the chance a pipe could break, and always the possibility that the supply-demand rules could one day shift pricing to a place that would make returning to the larger grid more cost-effective, bolstering the argument for solar and wind power as more viable alternatives over time.

John Saintcross, Assistant Director of Smart Grid R&D and the NY Prize competition at NYSERDA, sees 2015 as a good time for consumers to explore alternative energy sources and for government to review existing energy policy.  "When you look at the electric rates we pay, when you look at the storm issues and you look at the advances of technology, maybe it's time to rethink how we're going to ---  what's the energy paradigm gonna look like next 20 years. Get the customers a little more engaged, and less passive in terms of how they're dealing with energy, and they can do that now with advances in technology."

Erby believes the switch to sunshine is already on.  "People see that solar power not only works, but it pays for itself, and I'm gonna own my own power source and I'll never be burdened by the fluctuations in the market ever again."

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The Solution to Alternative Energy's Biggest Roadblock - Nasdaq

Hydrogen has always been an intriguing alternative energy source.

Pound for pound, it contains almost three times as much energy as natural gas, and when consumed, its only emission is pure, plain water.

The problem with this "miracle fuel" has always been the price.

The capital expenditures required to transport, store, and deliver hydrogen in large commercial volumes are staggering.

Even after improvements in the prototype models, it still costs almost $200 million per mile to move the fuel in a properly encased pipeline. And without the infrastructure, there won't be a "hydrogen economy."

But that doesn't mean hydrogen as an energy source is completely without merit - far from it.

In fact, aside from local generation for local use, hydrogen may now be on the verge of solving one of energy's biggest obstacles.

It's the problem of storage, and a new "hydrogen battery" may just hold the key...

Storage: Energy's Biggest Roadblock

Of course, as many of you know, I have been arguing in favor of a wider energy balance for years now. This approach emphasizes a greater number of available energy sources, while also improving their interchangeability.

The objective is to create as seamless an energy fabric as possible, using multiple flows of energy to meet demand with a result of increased efficiency.

This forward-looking equation is going to require more renewable energy sources, especially solar and wind. You see, unlike other approaches, mine does not require a "silver bullet."

It's not dependent upon the development of a new source of energy to wean society from crude oil. Rather, the goal is to integrate all of the available energies into a flexible whole.

In this case, the more genuinely distinct energy sources a system has, the better.

There's only one problem: the elusive ability to store energy for later use. This shortcoming is true across the board when it comes to generating electricity, but it's especially problematic for wind and solar power.

This single limitation is the biggest roadblock to efficiently delivering electricity on demand from a range of sources, including renewables.

In turn, that has created a race to develop a high-volume battery, which would have a huge impact on how much energy costs and the ease with which we can use it.

And that's where hydrogen may prove to be the decisive key.

Progress is already well underway...

A "Hydrogen Battery" Breakthrough

In fact, the Japanese mega-corporation Toshiba Corp. (OTCMKTS: TOSBF ) recently achieved a significant advance in large-scale electricity storage using hydrogen. It just may be the solution the energy market is looking for.

Two weeks ago, the Nikkei Asia Review (NAR) announced the development as follows:

"Toshiba has developed a way to use hydrogen to store large quantities of electricity for extended periods of time, with a storage system deploying the technology potentially reaching the market in 2020.

"The Japanese company will first provide a system capable of storing up to 40,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity - enough to power 10,000 households for eight hours. The system will be made by assembling fuel cells, electrolysis equipment and hydrogen storage tanks on a 600 square meter plot. Hydrogen obtained through electrolysis will be stored in the tanks and reacted as needed with oxygen in the air via the fuel cells to produce electricity."

OK, so far this looks like another attempt to serialize hydrogen fuel cells. There have been some notable successes in fuel cell use (especially by the military), but there is much more here, as NAR notes.

"Energy conversion efficiency is a measure of how much energy can be reproduced when the energy is made to change forms. Toshiba's system has an energy conversion efficiency of 80%, exceeding the 70% efficiency of pumped-storage hydroelectricity, in which water is pumped to a higher elevation and then released to generate power.

"The energy storage efficiency of typical storage batteries is thought to be around 80%, but massive quantities of electrode materials are necessary to increase capacity. A 40,000kwh storage battery would cost nearly 2 billion yen ($16.8 million). Such batteries also have problems with long-term storage due to self-discharge.

"If safety technology to prevent leaks can be secured, the capacity of a system using hydrogen could be increased simply by enlarging the size of the tanks. The total cost including installation and operation would reportedly be reduced by half compared with existing storage batteries."

That savings certainly increases the interest and the viability, since reducing the cost of very large-capacity storage options has always been essential.

But the real difference in this approach is in its ability to give solar and wind power enough pricing leverage to transform the grid.

As NAR puts it:

"To producers of renewable energy such as solar and wind power, the ability to store surplus electricity at low cost would help to cushion the risks from unsold output. The technology is also envisioned for use by local municipalities as an emergency power source during disasters. Toshiba plans to install a small-scale test system capable of storing 350kwh of electricity in Kawasaki this spring."

Given these new developments, we may be on the verge of something quite important here.

So don't be so quick to write off the value of hydrogen to the energy markets. I'll have more on this as it develops.

The Projected Future Size of the Renewable Energy Sector Is Eye-Opening. The global biofuels market alone is expected to reach $23.9 billion by 2020. And North America is poised to generate the largest share of revenue. Here's where this lucrative market is headed...

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Video: Holding on to electrons - next big thing for making alternative energy ... - Vancouver Sun

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Major investment in alternative energy planned - www.worldbulletin.net

Turkey will invest $16 billion in hydroelectric power generation over the next four years, the energy commission formed as a part of 10th Development Plan said on Wednesday.

Turkey has the most technically feasible hydropower potential in Europe -- meaning that the potential for developing power generation from water sources is considerable, even greater than that of Norway and Sweden which follow Turkey in terms of potential. 

The investment in hydroelectricity will be the largest one of the total $50 billion that Turkey will invest in energy from 2015 to 2018, within the scope of the government's 10th Development Plan. 

The plan's major guidelines are the diversification of Turkish energy sources, the commission said. Investment in nuclear energy and coal power generation are also on the agenda. 

Hydroelectric energy already constitutes an average of 20 percent to 25 percent of Turkey's total energy mix. The share of natural gas in Turkey's energy mix is around 40 percent on average, an amount the commission would like to reduce. 

Increasing Turkey's alternative energy capacity is also significant for reduction of hydrocarbon imports, which create a huge burden on country's economy. 

 To further reduce dependency on hydrocarbons, an investment of $11 billion in nuclear power generation will be made over the same period. 

Turkey plans to begin the infrastructure construction of the Akkuyu nuclear plant this year. This is a four-reactor facility in the Mersin province on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Power from the nuclear plant will replace about 10 percent of hydrocarbon generated power in Turkey's power mix when it is fully operational. 

Investments in coal plants will be around $10 billion with the aim of increasing the share of coal reserves in the economy.  But natural gas plants will get only $5 billion. Turkey aims to increase coal's share to 30 percent by 2023 in the power mix from about 24 percent currently, taking greater advantage of domestic sources. 

Turkey aims to keep the natural gas plant count stable as part of diversifying energy sources. 

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Alternative Energy Taking Hold, to Nevada's Benefit - KTVN

We've heard for years that cheap energy may lie right under our feet, or from the sun. Reno is a Saudi Arabia in one kind of energy: geothermal. Josh Nordquist of Ormat Technologies told us, “The best part of geothermal is that it's there all the time. It's sustainable, base-load and reliable." Northern Nevada is ranked number one in the nation when it comes to installed geothermal energy. It's all closer to the surface here. Geothermal is hotter than ever, pardon the pun. The process is simple. As Nordquist put it, "Geothermal fluid processes through our plant and generates power."

All geothermal energy needs is heat close to the surface, fractures and deep underground water to convert to steam. Reno has all 3, a perfect place for the Ormat nerve center at south Virginia and the Mt. Rose Highway, producing most of Reno's geothermal. But even this just scratches the surface. Nordquist told us, “We suspect there's at least 1,500 megawatts of untapped potential that has not already been captured by developers existing today. That would power up to 1.5 million homes in Nevada."

It's so untapped, geothermal supplies only 9% of our power through NV Energy, ranking third behind natural gas and coal. It would be higher…if fossil fuel prices weren't so low. But Nordquist looks ahead. He told us, "Fossil fuel prices traditionally cycle up and down, and we're in a low cycle now, which means after a low cycle it usually becomes a higher cycle." When those prices go up, this energy from below will be here for the taking. When that happens, geothermal will go on a hiring binge. Nordquist predicts "Somewhere around 500 jobs are created for each project that comes online."

Across town, Reid Hamilton says the same thing about solar energy: "One of the best things about solar for us personally is our job growth." The founder of Reno's Hamilton Solar thinks energy from the sun is about to pop, for 1 big reason: "The cost of solar over the past 3 years has dropped has dropped approximately 40%." He says here…the future is growing wild, amid a sea of cells: "In Nevada, we have over 300 days of sun per year."

Reid agrees that energy costs are bound to rise, and workers could use the jobs needed to build and install solar panels. He says they're the most trouble-free and cost effective of all energy systems: "You put it up there in the Nevada sun, and you essentially you forget about it. Its warrantied for 25 years, and solar is going to produce energy with very little maintenance."

For both, it's been slow getting to this point. Geothermal is still mostly buried underground, and solar's future is still up in the air…but only for now.

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'Alternative energy is no longer alternative – oil is the outlier' - Recharge (subscription)

2015-01-27 10:32:55.0 GMT

2015-01-26 17:31:31.0 GMT

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Alternative energy: Civil activists prepare for public hearing on nuclear ... - The Express Tribune

PAEC claims nuclea­r power the most cost-effici­ent energy source for Karach­i

PAEC claims nuclear power the most cost-efficient energy source for Karachi. STOCK IMAGE

KARACHI: Despite the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission’s (PAEC) claims that nuclear power is the ‘most cost efficient’ energy source for the developing country, civil society activists want it to be replaced with alternative sources of energy because they say the Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima and Bhopal disasters are not forgotten.

In view of the PAEC’s public hearing scheduled for March, on the proposed nuclear sites near Karachi, the civil society is bracing itself to meet it fully prepared and question the power project’s significance, benefits, hazards and possible alternatives.

“It is suspected that the K-2 and K-3 Chinese-manufactured nuclear power plants are being installed here on an experimental basis,” said physicist Abdul Hameed Nayyar, speaking to a workshop on Sunday, organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler). “No such power plant is operating anywhere in the world.”

He asserted that according to international standards, a 30-kilometer-radius around nuclear plants was vulnerable. The proposed nuclear sites were too close to Karachi and put the lives of millions of people at risk, he said.

Nayyar claimed that many regulations were being neglected in conducting the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). “PAEC wrongfully obtained certificates for the nuclear plants from the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) without seeking public consent,” he said. “The SEPA was bound by law to incorporate and consider public comments into the procedure before issuing such a certificate to any industry.”

Another activist, Roland deSouza, added that in Pakistan, the institutions supposed to assess the environmental impact of growing industrialisation were very poor. “The SEPA is understaffed, incompetent and influenced by political and bureaucratic circles,” he said, adding that the prosperity of a country depended on the conservation of its environment.

He narrated stories of the DHA Cogen project and constructions near the Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine, claiming that even in those cases, the proper course of action for assessment were not followed until the civil society took the matter to court.

On the PAEC’s claim that radiations caused by the nuclear plants would not be harmful, he said, that no independent verification could be made as yet. Concluding his presentation, he questioned why we didn’t import solar energy projects from China, since it was the largest producer of this less hazardous and modern source of energy.

The nine-hour-long programme at the Regent Plaza was divided into sessions to give attendees an understanding of nuclear power projects and the significance of the forthcoming formal public hearing.

The speakers focused on the issues of how the PAEC would transport radioactive material, what measures they would take in case of a mishap and how a reactor would be decommissioned after the completion of its life cycle.

On the other hand, the PAEC is confident that the project near KANNUP would be the safest and cheapest source of generating energy for the metropolis. But its impact on the environment is still unclear.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2rd, 2015.

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Azerbaijan creates Technological Committee on alternative energy sources - vestnik kavkaza

1 February 2015 - 6:10pm

Azerbaijan creates Technological Committee on alternative energy sources

The Azerbaijani authorities are thinking of establishing a Technical Committee on alternative energy sources, the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents informs.

Currently, the State Committee and the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources are working together to create a Technical Committee, Trend reports.

Azerbaijan has great potential for the development of alternative energy, particularly wind energy.

By 2020, according to the National Strategy for the development of alternative and renewable energy sources up to 2020, the share of alternative energy sources is expected to reach 20% in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani authorities are thinking of establishing a Technical Committee on alternative energy sources, the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents informs.
Currently, the State Committee and the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources are working together to create a Technical Committee, Trend reports.
Azerbaijan has great potential for the development of alternative energy, particularly wind energy.
By 2020, according to the National Strategy for the development of alternative and renewable energy sources up to 2020, the share of alternative energy sources is expected to reach 20% in Azerbaijan.

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