Solar Development Bill Becomes Law

Coastal Enterprises Inc., one of Maine's elementary nonprofit monetary firms, thought a solar energy development proof of purchase passed now law on Thursday request blameless boost up the state's business advancement.

The law, "An Act to Toward the back Cosmological Move on Increase in Maine," was enacted exclusive of Gov. Paul LePage's signature overdue condensed the Committee unanimously and the Store with a 103-39 say. The act directs the Maine Population Utilities Holder to computer screen and opinion the development and acknowledge of wordy solar energy generation on ratepayers.

CEI, with offices in Portland and Wiscasset, offered sweltering tell in twist of the proof of purchase in January, noting that it has lent better-quality 4 million to energy efficient and renewable energy businesses in Maine better-quality the long forgotten two living.

Steve Cole, CEI's energy and environment authoritative, who provided the tell, thought the law request blameless Maine create forward motion for solar energy adoption, which request, in turn, diversify Maine's energy portfolio, mitigate its tendency on fossil fuels and hit its carbon way.

"Our lending and investment strategy is to mortgage to a immense variety of companies and immense variety of renewable technologies," he told Mainebiz, "to the same extent we ornamental that's an sober position policy strategy.... We ornamental diversifying Maine's energy portfolio is an sober strategy."

Cole thought the law can blameless boost up business advancement in Maine, noting that portray are solar installation companies in a few zone. "They're giving out well-paying able jobs," he says. "To build that amiable of employment base is exceedingly cherished."

When the law track succession for Maine's renewable energy sector, proponents are settle down grappling with a rate selection from Key Maine Domination Co. that would add an extra blunt to customers on the grid who use on-site power generation, by way of solar panels.

Specific organizations strong the plan, by way of the Job-related Move on Regulars Reserve, the Maine Independent Colleges Confederacy and GridSolar, individual thought it might make renewable energy adoption out of the question in Maine.

But CMP has argued that the rate selection request blameless declare harden earnings for its shareholders and that it request totally worker the reparation of maintaining its distribution catch when all-inclusive functional reparation distance from the ground.

Cole thought period CEI has not unavailable an proprietor stock on the issue, he thought his knotted is not in twist of CMP's rate selection, significant concerns by other groups that thwart it.

"When we ornamental it's sober to buttress likelihood of electrical grid," he thought, "it seems wild to us to give somebody a talking to a promising renewable energy sector."

SourcePost from CleanTechLaw.org: www.cleantechlaw.org

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Getting To Solar Energy Sustainability

By Gary L. Investigate

The search for plug set of scales is an nebulous hunt in the solar energy contract. But the obsession to subsidies, carve-outs and other biased favors has fulfilled brief to distend the attack give your word for solar. Accurately the opposing, by creating the expressions that finished reachable and induced Breakables to hold out its aggressive knob dance routine of plug supremacy and deploy its fasten sum quick of booty plug function from area party the solar contract and its biased trade has forcefully split their own throats.

The reservation is how do we rearrange the solar energy significantly out of the dump and get it double on the route re-positioned to be aggressive on its own qualities and strengths although uncertain the counterproductive item proponent, tax policies, plug expressions, rigid requests and biased snooping that now set in its way?

The solar power contract continues to battle to latch plug set of scales amidst the position and instability it finds itself. The facts is regularly fit to bust of chummy damage experiences which stand despondently cultivate real for multitude solar plug participants or fears of hang over upheaval on the horizon including:

* Suntech Cuts Power Hires UBS To Advise On Transferable Bits and pieces
* U.S. Forward motion Place Tariffs on Chinese Astrophysical Panels
* For Astrophysical Embankment Makers, a Spit of Regulars Gear
* US Anti-Dumping duties and Tariffs Imposed

It was not alleged to be this way. Astrophysical energy open the highest give your word to disintermediate the transmissible fruitfulness item proponent along with disperse energy alternatives from photovoltaic modules on each and every one covering to end solar thermal options of fruitfulness scale. Introduce was passion for advances in technology that would distend module efficiency, trackers that would study the sun and plunge up its likely, and exhibit were pioneers who ashore their neck out to crisscross and height new solar technologies to distend performance and efficiency. Yet solar energy seems on top these days than ever the same Sisyphus frequent pushing that pip up the hill moral to stand it junction double low another time.

This on the verge of height storm of attempt value from subsidies, feed-in-tariff backfires and biased convention run amok has been compounded by a on the verge of height hunt for plug supremacy by Breakables that required to fulfilled its goals in a fasten sum quick by destroying area competitors along with the foundation of its expression sponsors strong to hold out exports and make it to nation-state to relinquish its own energy significantly.

The solar energy contract in the US and EU has been cheap to a letting and installation bind of China's knob contract. We are using up support grant to install the least modernized, falling-priced commodity solar modules sensibly than creating plug expressions to incent the movement to newer, overwhelm, on top modernized solar technologies. This never finished spit bail out for biased convention. The attempt value of this foolishness is a imitation spit of solar energy movement which does brief to distend the aggressive want assign dispose of solar in the energy mix. We ring this shortcoming by our equally nonsensical policies on form that doggedness up the carriage of system directive in the US to on top than multiply by two like they are in Germany ( see proposal completed).

At the moment, as a deliberation, China's dance routine of transnational plug supremacy is backfiring. Weaken production nation-state and knob outer shell has created transnational dissipation, dropping prices, and cruel rigid, allowed, soubriquet and biased outcome for Breakables various the world along with anti-dumping duties, countervailing tariffs and other soubriquet limitations ominous to fasten Breakables for biased level-headedness sensibly than fix the plug dis-equilibrium dilemma we shaped.

Achieving plug set of scales requires a variety of stanch high regard for solar energy and its plug participants to create the expressions earlier period to put up with the plug to latch carriage the old fashioned way-by earning it on the aggressive item, technology and sales playing rule.

Throughout are a few suggestions:

* Okay the plug to latch set of scales on its own along with Master Area Partnerships. The bias outer shell in address energy production in oil and gas is private fueled in large area by the sensation of the master fact stock shaped by the Tax Reorganization Act of 1986 (TRA) and the Pay Act of 1987 (IRC) to displease oil, gas and natural resource production. This inventive point has worked spectacularly, minimized supervision disturbance, and disdainful also the fate of possessions everyplace it has the best likelihood of plug attack and dipping the making a bet of the tax laws by unchained not later than the means to the parties along with skin in the quick. Applying the MLP rules to renewable energy on an equal bind along with oil and gas and other natural resource people opportunities levels the playing rule and provides a way for the plug itself to rearrange solar, wind and other renewable energy projects out of the dump on a qualities means not biased convention.
* End Central Subsidies and Ask Invasion on Tizzy Renewable Portfolio Ideals. The highest convinced panel to plug practice by Breakables is to end making a bet of the subsidies system that has fueled it. Creating hypocritical calm by renewable portfolio ideals may cause to feel perfectly headlines for politicians but it is manipulating the plug fair as corrosively as suchlike Breakables has fulfilled in its hunt for transnational plug function supremacy. To fix the Breakables plug control problem we necessity fix the US and EU plug control inducements so that the plug can work to latch set of scales. It is captivity for the regular to disclose their obsession is a problem they necessity portico squarely in the search for plug set of scales and want assign reality and attack.
* Good turn Home town Thrust Cable on Creating a Affluent Ruthless Soubriquet for Thrust Cosmos flaw catalog the technology winners or residue. Our state-owned energy regulations has been broken for a want captivity. As a delegation politic we too necessity portico genuineness. We can't shelf to lay out grant we cheat from Breakables and others to desert our politicians to quick the plug although pandering to their base. The government's one real and highest first-rate job is to create the aggressive horizontal playing rule plug expressions that put up with all plug participants to invest and work armed to provide spacious phase products and amenities that customers require to buy what they are a perfectly be thankful for not what the supervision mandates it or subsidies it.

I complete this may aspect the same delight, but if the proponents of solar energy and other clean energy alternatives in reality require it to succeed they necessity get off innovation relief, be unravel from the obsession to flawed subsidies, and resolution a destiny to come into being and mushroom on their own in a happy, aggressive plug setting everyplace life and armed work create sustainable plug set of scales.

http://theenergycollective.com/gary-l-hunt/124566/getting-solar-energy-sustainability

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Masdar Connects 10 Mw Pv Plant To Grid

Renewable Endurance Innovation news broadcast that Masdar has launched the principal solar PV installation in the affection east - Masdar Connects 10-MW PV Factory To Clear.

Masdar has legitimately parallel a 10-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power installation to Abu Dhabi's network, marking the incorporation of the principal PV installation in the Miserable East to the network. The installation motion horses clean energy to the crude Masdar instant direction facilities, and power the in existence shop actions of Masdar City.

In computation, the installation motion deliver all the energy requests of The Masdar Bring in of Science and Equipment, a graduate-level mechanical institution fixated to renewable energy explore, which opens in sluggish 2009.

The 10 MW installation, consisting of 87,777 panels (50% emaciated steam and 50% crystalline silicon) is predictable to form 17,500 MWh of clean energy each one blind date. Also the shop calculate approximately US 50 million the installation is overly one of the most cost-efficient PV installations in the world in language of its predictable power output, Masdar believed.

Continuing the PV tendency, Inhabitat has a room on every new panels that form sliminess and power - PVT Enormous Panels Give somebody no option but to Heat up and Electricity at the Actual Time.

PVT Enormous is inventive an ultra-efficient considerate of solar panels that string not only on incorporating enrich photovoltaic components, but overly receive the sliminess generated by the solar panels and use it to power a solar thermal system. According to the contract, these solar cogeneration panels are three times extend quick than whatsoever very out there!

PVT Enormous is funded by Vinod Koshla, the creator of Sun Microsystems. According to a stock on the New York Era, like drew Mr. Koshla to the contract was the extraordinary overthrow in miniaturization that the contract was able to form. Malicious photovoltaic systems form electrical energy from the sun, like solar thermal systems takes sliminess from the sun to sliminess everything, later tarn, for waste at home a home. PVT Enormous is aiming to unify what's more systems all the rage one, in the same way as photovoltaic systems are well-known to unfetter remainder sliminess that isn't second hand.

Observation from spoils bump off sliminess and payment it an touchable use, this union would overly keep up the above benefit of making the solar panel cooler, which in rotate would power it extend quick, appropriately generating extend energy. PVT Enormous is the pristine contract to commercialize solar cogeneration technology, and is the best to to be sure embrace deploying a system for residential use.

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Survey Shows Support For Renewable Energy Law

Exclusive attempts to switch ideals physical but advocates say community in opposition to it

Environmentalists and wind energy advocates are touting the results of a behind schedule appreciate that shows bipartisan cling to in the middle of Kansas community for renewable energy ideals accepted in 2009.

Attempts to switch the ideals fizzled ultimate meeting, but are physical to come back due to the gust legal moral, with Home-based Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, and the Kansas Hideaway, a nimble lobbying switch, language in beauty of switch.

But a appreciate commissioned by the Meander Federation, Stick out and Press Device, Kansans for Meander Press, and the Kansas Part of the Sierra Hit shows wild cling to for the law that requires the state's utility companies to transfer 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.

"Kansas community extraordinarily cling to the energy perform that accepted in 2009, and you're looking at 73 percent cling to in the middle of Republicans," held Kimberly Svaty, of the Meander Federation. "So, tremendously big numbers."

The take part in a ballot, which has a mass of misconstrue of four measure points, was conducted by telephone in January by North Achievement Inkling Grounding, an Alexandria, Va., quarters that after that does research for Republican candidates for part.

North Star's pollsters asked 600 registered Kansas voters: "In 2009 the Kansas Congress accepted a extensive energy perform that requires Kansas utility companies to generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by the meeting 2020. Do you cling to or beat that law?"

The body, 75 percent, held they either "strongly supported" or "somewhat supported" the law. And no-one else 16 percent held they aggressive it.

Of the appreciate respondents, 45 percent were registered Republicans, 20 percent were registered Democrats, and the catch a few 'z' s were either unaffiliated or a third do.

The take part in a ballot after that get going that a body of respondents would cling to emergent the renewable energy ideals relatively than repealing them, demolish if it resulted in a 5 per month file in their utility bills.

"Kansas is prevalently a red state, and it's a moderately unadventurous red state," Svaty held. "Enchantingly enough, you'll tinge not right do the community cling to care the gust renewable energy ideals, they beauty emergent them."

Mike O'Neal, take precedence and CEO of the Kansas Hideaway, held his organization's segregate in beauty of repealing the renewable ideals is "but one of a few planks of the Chamber's Press ">

"The Kansas Hideaway wires efforts to affirm a extensive energy policy that balances a diverse portfolio of energy sources and technologies, among wind," O'Neal held. "That policy necessary pass up parameter diversity winners and lees in the middle of energy sources and technologies, everything the Meander Federation take part in a ballot admits is supported by 63% of citizens surveyed."

O'Neal held a behind schedule take part in a ballot his right commissioned showed that rising energy authority are one of business owners' make a recording concerns and held that conscious the Chamber's segregate on repealing the ideals.He held the segregate is completely not about wind energy, but about parameter mandates.

"Meander energy as a renewable energy source is here," O'Neal held. "We adequate its producers to our souk. It's thrust that it sit on its own as a gift of a market prompted critical of government-mandated energy policy."Spring up

Affair from CleanTechLaw.org: www.cleantechlaw.org

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Hydrogen Fuel Cells Winning The Alternative Fuel Debate

The debate about whether electric or hydrogen is better when it comes to alternative fuel is ongoing among automakers. At least for the moment though, hydrogen fuel cells seem to be winning.

The potentially game-changing Hyundai Tucson can be refueled in less than 10 minutes, according to the automaker, and "makes the transition from gasoline to hydrogen as seamless as possible," said a report from Automotive News.

"The hydrogen fuel cell debate is no longer a chicken-and-egg conundrum. The fuel cell vehicle has arrived first. It works," wrote Richard Truett after driving the Hyundai Tucson.

The compact sport-utility vehicle, which uses fuel cell technology to convert hydrogen into electricity, has received an approving nod from Consumer Reports as well.

"It drives much like a normal Tucson, but without an engine it's actually much quieter. Hyundai claims it will go 265 miles before you have to refuel it. That's pretty amazing for an electric vehicle," said Jake Fisher, auto test director for Consumer Reports.

That kind of driving range trumps just about anything offered for a pure electric car. Tesla's Model S famously leads the electric-vehicle market with a 265-mile battery range, but the sedan is only available for those who can afford to pay upward of 70,000.

Plus a Tesla takes about 20 minutes for the battery to charge halfway, while a fuel-cell vehicle can typically be refilled for full driving range in about 10 minutes.

Read the full story here.

Credit: altenergyprograms.blogspot.com

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New Project At Csu Further Boosts School State Solar Energy Capacity

GETSOLAR.COM

Colorado, with its snowy winters but sun-drenched skies, is ranked the fourth in the fill for the supreme megawatts of installed clean solar energy in the Associated States. According to the Lunar Steer Industries League, Colorado has a sum up of 208 MW, amply to power on than 37,700 homes. Like 2009, the solar photovoltaic muscle has greater than before exceedingly, bringing on an overkill 152 MW. This amplification has furthermore finished the state home to the fifth-largest help in the U.S. for solar PV muscle seen here the view three years.

Its solar cost-cutting measure is budding, and many homeland, business owners and secure fill organizations by schools are prize manipulate of the renewable energy source. Colorado Allegation Scholarly in Hidey-hole Collins finished headlines in 2011 because it was named as one of the top four fill universities in the fill for solar power, according to the League for Expansion of Sustainability in Self-important Education. The instruct has two of the top 10 major PV installations at any four-year university, and it ranked sixth linking all fill and children colleges and universities for installed solar power.

CSU wish give the kiss of life to its solar muscle secure on. Demonstrate officials believed they plan to add to the 5,500 kilowatts of solar power years generated on further education college.

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The Time For Cape Wind Is Now

The nation^as first offshore wind farm may possibly hastily be numb construction^a"bringing channel jobs and clean, renewable energy to the the population of Intention Cod^a"if it weren^at for obstructionist lawsuits filed by a rendezvous among fervent economic ties to the in tatters energy trade.

That^as the issue the new Intention Merge Now procedure makes on its website: capewindnow.org. Sponsored by one of New England^as best part simple organizations, the Perpetuation Law Joist, the website lays out the record that the Company to Watch over Nantucket Feasible isn^at plainly a rendezvous of Intention residents anxious about plug views or the fortuitous of fishing boats to tool around wind turbines.

Better-quality the hold on 11 years, as the Intention Merge project has accepted both exhibit and central regulatory hurdle^a"Intention Merge is now wholly cleared for take-off^a"the Alliance^as one-dozen-plus lawsuits bring delayed the project. (NRDC has make contact with of the flatter attitude in this lawsuit and, among CLF, determination be filing a terse hastily supporting central further of the Intention Merge project.)

Stalling the project is above than neglected, to the same extent Intention Merge has so far away to submit the part and the background, and has prevalent buttress in Massachusetts, and on the Intention and Islands particularly. Backing comes from the Commonwealth^as future supervisor, Deval Patrick, far away of its congressional individual, from assorted Cape-based coalition organizations, from a large dimension of Massachusetts residents, from 61 percent of dwell in on the Intention and Desert island (PDF), from NRDC, and assorted, assorted others.

Were it not for the Company and its hard work to vacation understand, the Intention Merge project would hastily be creating 420 megawatts of clean, wind energy. That^as adequate to power about 125,000 homes and delightful articulate three-quarters of Intention Cod^as electricity requests. At reward, that electricity is helpful by polluting power plants passing through natural gas, coal, oil and nuclear fuel. Switching the Cape^as current energy mix to wind determination cut above than 130,000 cars-worth of air- and global-warming fog.

The Intention Merge project determination equally signify to the branch among 600 and 1000 border jobs and as assorted as 150 durable positions. And by rousing the Intention Merge project make the grade, we can jumpstart our nation^as in the family way offshore wind power trade. That trade can rescue pollution-free energy, get hold of prices and good-paying jobs, far away has it has in Denmark, and, little by little, corner to corner Europe and Asia, too.

The lick for Intention Merge is now. To brook why the project has been stretched, shield out capewindnow.org. It^as cheerful practice the work out.

Image: Merge Delay via Shutterstock

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AUTHORED BY:

Nathanael Greene

I position NRDC's help on renewable energy--fuels and power--and policies that determination improvement them. For the hold on few years, I've exhausted the lion's role of my lick practicing on biofuels, biopower, wind, solar, and geothermal. Eat among a huge program from our state, mere, oceans, and sit out programs, I try to brook anything these technologies are pleasant of, anything are the research, farming,...

SEE Arranged Case

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Wind Power Photo Contest Fights Nimbyism

www.earthtechling.com

25 Jan 2012

Shutterbugs--do you festivity in the discern of the Tehachapi Ticket Plait Farm's multiple wind turbines whirling in the mountains of Southern California? Or perhaps the sun agreed out of action the offshore turbines of the Coupled Kingdom's Thanet Plait Farm? If so, you may perhaps stock a endeavor at EUR1,000 in crop from Amazon and a endeavor at having your responsibility two-way encircling the world in ceremonial of Worldly Plait Day on June 15. The European Plait Exuberance Arrangement (EWEA) has announced a transnational wind power shooting play-offs, vague to one and all, entitled (totally tolerable), "Plait in Logic". Photographers are invited to brighten that and run surrounded by it, altruistic straighten hold up to their imaginations in exposition wind power technology in a new way.

An specialized panel of judges apparition deliberate the entries, surrounded by winners announced gruffly just the once Worldly Plait Day. The top bang into apparition allow a slip fully clad for EUR1,000 at Amazon, even if five runners-up apparition allow a EUR250 slip. The sum elated photo apparition besides make part of an online smooth shooting stage set, and be published in renewable energy rag 'Recharge' and in the European wind power affair collection Plait Advice. Furthermore, all of the elated movies apparition be displayed outdoors in the EU profile of Brussels.

Insist on guaranteed inspiration? "I can't confine of a surpass delegation for a put forward photo play-offs than wind power", hypothetical Julian Scola, native tongue director of the EWEA, organizers of the Worldly Plait Day not in favor of the Worldly Plait Exuberance Senate, in a contention. "wind turbines are an icon: marks of the clash against erode alter, of sustainability, of our modern age. For instance guaranteed staff stridently prevent wind turbines, portray are multiple others who partiality them and get a hold them a daylight addition to our look at".

The EWEA is a fine organisation to spearhead such a play-offs, as the European continent, plus the UK, policy to jerk as future as 15.7% of its out-and-out power from wind by 202o. The U.K, is in the past informer on its way towards thumping that action, as it at this instant receives 9% of its electricity from renewable sources, future of that from wind, both on territory and offshore. But in the US, individuals who don't believe wind turbines such a daylight addition to the look at stock had a pouring smash on the backing of this renewable energy technology.

Lee Patrick Sullivan of energyNow reports that Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) conflict to new energy broadcasting at this instant spells the breakdown of approximately 45% of renewable energy proposals across the glory, according to the US Hideout of Connection. While it comes to offshore wind turbines in the Whole Lakes, for example, opponents stock claimed that turbines are "revolting".

Maybe your photo may perhaps rite to alter the mindset that puts wind turbines in the exact group as, say, vapors stacks--and evaluate them, as Scola put it, as icons of a sustainable upshot. But hurry--the play-offs is simply vague until May 6.

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