On Monday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will allow tens of thousands of additional drivers of plug in hybrid cars and other new clean energy vehicles to use the state’s carpool lanes without a passenger.

The bill known as SB 535 was supported by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by General Motors. According to the California Air Resources Board, the new permits will be available starting January 1, 2012 to “the first 40,000 applicants that purchase or lease cars meeting California’s enhanced advanced technology partial zero emission vehicle (AT PZEV) requirements.”

Under the new law, more low emissions automobiles will be eligible for the revised clean air stickers. Plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell cars are among the new varieties of clean fuel vehicles that will soon qualify for permits allowing single-occupancy use of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOVs) lanes—aka carpool lanes.

In addition to creating a new generation of clean vehicle carpool access permits, SB 535 also extends the life of the current-issue yellow stickers until July 1, 2011. Since the popular permits have already reached their 85,000 applicant limit, no additional stickers will be given to drivers of standard hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.

For a growing number of automakers the announcement of SB 535’s passage is welcome and well-timed news. During the coming years, a variety of vehicles powered by cleaner alternative fuels are set to enter the California market.  Bill-sponsor GM will release its 2011 plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt this November, while Nissan’s all-electric LEAF hatchback will be available for purchase in December.

Despite strong support from several leading car makers and politicians, SB 535 has received criticism. Eleven state senators opposed the bill, arguing that expanding the number of permits would further congest California’s already overcrowded carpool lanes.

According to an August 11 article by San Mateo County Times reporter Mike Rosenberg, the majority of the bill opposition came from Senators representing Southern California communities.

Sen. Yee  responded to the critiques by voicing his support of the benefits of SB 535 in the Aug. 11 report.

“People are going to want to purchase them [clean energy cars]; people are going to want to get those stickers. I think it’s going to be tremendously helpful for our environment,” Yee was quoted as saying.

To learn more about SB 535 and the new clean air vehicle stickers, please see:

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0501-0550/sb_535_bill_20100830_chaptered.html

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15746922?nclick_check=1

For additional information on Senator Yee, please go to:

http://dist08.casen.govoffice.com/

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Exelon Corporation, a leading worldwide producer of nuclear energy, confirmed an agreement on Monday to acquire John Deere Renewables, one of the country’s top developers of renewable wind power.

A press release issued by Exelon on Aug. 31 valued the deal at around $860 million. A blog post in today’s green section of the New York Times says the purchase will “instantly” make Exelon one of largest wind energy companies in the United States.

As part of the sale terms, the Chicago-based Exelon will purchase John Deer Renewables through its alternative energy-focused subsidiary Exelon Generation. Based on a press release issued by John Deer, Exelon will acquire its extensive network of 36 completed wind projects in eight states.

Molina, Illinois-based John Deere Renewables currently has an operational wind capacity–enough to supply power to 160,000 to 220,000 households. The deal will also allow Exelon to purchase its developing wind projects representing more than 1,400 megawatts.

The multi-million dollar agreement is part of Exelon’s ongoing renewable energy initiative. Known as Exelon 2020, the environmentally-focused business strategy aims to eliminate the equivalent of the company’s 2001 carbon footprint.

Described in its Monday announcement as already “the least carbon-intensive of the large U.S. electric utilities,” the nuclear energy company is now poised to become a strong competitor in the emerging renewable wind energy market.

Exelon chairman and CEO John W. Rowe expressed support for the potential business and environmental benefits of the acquisition of John Deere Renewables.

“We expect to see increasing demand for clean, efficient wind power at a national level and in the 29 states that already have a renewable energy standard. This acquisition gives Exelon a strong position in the wind generation business that adds diversity to our generation fleet and provides more options for future growth,” Rowe said.

Deere & Company, the parent company of John Deere Renewables, is an established manufacturer of agriculture, forestry, construction and lawn care equipment. Upon the sale of its wind energy business, the company plans to focus on the sale of its machinery.

The chairman and chief executive officer of Deere & Company Samuel R. Allen offered his own statement regarding the newly announced sale. “We have chosen to place the wind portfolio with Exelon in part due to its demonstrated leadership in the energy industry.”

For additional information on Exelon and its acquisition agreement with John Deere Renewables, please visit:

http://www.exeloncorp.com/
http://www.exeloncorp.com/newsroom/Pages/pr_20100831_EXC_Deere.aspx
http://www.deere.com/en_US/newsroom/2010/releases/corporate/31aug2010_corporaterelease.html
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/a-nuclear-giant-moves-into-wind/?scp=3&sq=exelon&st=cse

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A California-based facility known as “The Geysers” celebrated its 50th anniversary this August, marking half a century of utility-scale geothermal energy production in the United States.

The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), the country’s leading professional association for geothermal energy, recognized the important role of The Geysers in promoting the adoption of this natural renewable energy source, in a press release issued Aug. 23.

Although geothermal energy is regarded as the largest renewable power source in the country, The Geysers began as one individual 11-megawatt power plant north of San Francisco. Today, the site is described as “an extensive complex of geothermal energy production.”

According to the GEA, The Geysers currently generates “enough electricity to power a city the size of San Francisco.” In the five decades since the site began harvesting power from the heat stored naturally below the planet’s surface, geothermal energy has become California’s largest source of renewable energy—creating 5% of its electrical power.

The United States is considered at the global front of geothermal energy production, with around 3,086 megawatts of installed capacity generated in nine states by 77 plants.

While this efficient heat-based power source may not receive as much exposure as its solar and wind counterparts, geothermal energy use continues to grow. The GEA says seven new plants were brought online last year and 188 geothermal power projects are currently under review in 15 states. If successfully developed, these new initiatives could result in a tripling of geothermal capacity in the coming decade.

In the GEA press release, Mike Rogers the senior vice president of The Geysers’ largest operator, Calpine Corporation, praised some of the current and potential benefits of geothermal power.

“In addition to piping treated wastewater from nearby communities to replenish the geothermal resource, we have completed eight new exploratory wells and are evaluating the feasibility of adding at least 40 megawatts of capacity to help meet California’s trendsetting goals for renewable energy production,” said Rogers.

The 50th anniversary milestone of commercial geothermal energy production will be a leading topic at the upcoming Geothermal Energy Expo, scheduled for October 24-27 in Sacramento. This annual gathering will also feature a range of industry leaders and team members, from production and exploration, to management and supply.

For additional information on the Geothermal Energy Association and the 50th anniversary of geothermal power production, please visit:

http://www.geo-energy.org/

To learn more about the Geotheral Energy Expo, please go to:

http://www.geothermalenergy2010.com/

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Political leaders, utility executives and renewable energy supporters welcomed the start of construction on Idaho’s  $500 million wind power initiative in a press conference and launch event on August 24 in the city of Bliss. Led by the Idaho Wind Partners investor group—including GE Financial Services, Exergy Development Group, Reunion Power and Atlantic Power Corporation—the extensive project is set for completion this year and will showcase 122 wind turbines with 183 megawatt capacity.

As the largest project of its kind, the Idaho wind initiative will include 11 wind farms featuring 1.5-megawatt General Electric turbines.  It is located on 10,000 acres of farmland in the state’s southern Magic Valley, and is based eight miles from the historic Oregon Trail—an historical 19th century U.S. trade route.

Estimates included in an official Aug. 24 news release say the renewable clean energy project will make enough power to supply more than 39,000 “average Idaho homes”—equal to removing about 57,000 cars from the road. This clean power will be purchased exclusively from the Idaho Power Company through 20-year purchase agreements.

In addition to doubling the state’s wind power creation, the ambitious initiative is anticipated to generate 175 construction jobs. Long-term roles involving wind farm maintenance and operations related to the project are also expected. And according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory model estimates cited by the Idaho project sponsors, a clean energy effort this size will “support the equivalent of 2,200 full-time jobs in the United States for one year–about half of which would be in-state–and create 25 permanent jobs.”

During Tuesday’s ceremony Idaho governor C.L. “Butch” Otter expressed his support for clean energy and the positive effects of renewable power on the economy.

“The renewable energy industry is breathing new life into the Idaho frontier. We’re aggressively harnessing our abundant natural resources for growth because that helps our economy, generating not only electricity but career opportunities right here at home,” Gov. Otter said.

Representatives from the Idaho Power Company were also on hand to voice support of the project during Tuesday’s construction launch. Senior vice president Lisa Grow described the utility’s long-standing commitment to renewable energy:

“Clean, renewable energy has been Idaho Power’s focus since its founding nearly 100 years ago. We started with hydroelectric power and, through diligent planning, have expanded into the next generation of alternative energy sources, from this new wind project to solar, geothermal and biomass,” she said.

For additional information on the Bliss, Idaho renewable energy wind farm please visit:

http://www.geenergyfinancialservices.com/Idaho_Largest_Wind_Power_Project.asp

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Last year marked a significant increasing in the “booming” U.S. solar energy market, states the U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009 report published this July by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting renewable energy.

The report authored by Larry Sherwood, an IREC board member and renewable energy consultant with more than 30 years of experience, found that “over 107,000 new solar heating, cooling, and solar electric installations were completed in 2009.” This breakthrough figure represents an 18 percent increase in the number of solar energy technology installed in 2008.

The IREC report found that the photovoltaic (PV) solar industry experienced the most growth out of all the renewable energy sources in the country. PV capacity doubled among America’s residential users and tripled in the country’s utility sector. Among states, California led the U.S. in PV energy boom, accounting for nearly half of all the solar PV systems installed in 2009. Arizona, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas and New Jersey were also significant markets for photovoltaic solar power installations.

Solar water heating systems also grew in popularity in 2009. Sherwood’s report cites 10 percent more installations of solar thermal heating systems last year compared to 2008. Residential installations comprise the largest source of solar water heating use, with installation capacity five times higher in the 48 continental U.S. states since 2005. Hawaii is said to remain the country’s leading market for solar water heating systems, with more than a quarter of the installations based in the Aloha State.

According to the IREC report, concentrating solar power (CSP), a system using mirrors or lenses to focus intense amounts of sunlight in a specific area, is also showing promising growth in the country.  Four new CSP plants were “connected to the grid in 2009.” The combined power capacity of the CSP plants is 13.5 megawatts.

Following the successful increase of solar power in 2009, Sherwood offers an optimistic prognosis for continued growth throughout the current year. In the summary of the IREC report he states:

“Over the long term, the prospect for growth in solar installations is bright. Early indicators point to accelerating market growth in 2010 due to the long-term extension of the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC), recent federal legislation that allows utilities to take advantage of the ITC, and a deadline to start construction in 2010 to participate in the federal cash grant program.”

For additional information on the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), please visit:
http://irecusa.org/

To read the entire U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009 report, please see:

http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-2010_7-27-10_web1.pdf

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The groundbreaking ZERO Race competition to travel around the world in 80 days using only vehicles powered by renewable energy sources kicked-off at the United Nations Palace in Geneva, Switzerland on August 16. During the first-of-its-kind venture, ZERO Race participants will travel to 150 cities in 16 countries across the globe.

Four teams from Australia (Team TREV), Germany (Team Vectrix), South Korea (Team Powerplaza) and Switzerland (Team Zerotracer) will showcase their advanced zero emissions electric vehicles in the competition. Each vehicle is required to use power derived from renewable sources like wind and solar energy. In turn, the power generated during the race by each vehicle will be fed back into the grid of its home country.

In addition to speed, ZERO Race participants will also be judged by the efficiency, reliability, ingenuity, practicality and popularity of their vehicle design.

As one of the most ambitious efforts to promote worldwide renewable energy use, the ZERO Race is organized by Louis Palmer, a Swiss inventor who made headlines in 2008 by driving his solar powered vehicle more than 33,000 miles across 38 countries.

Palmer shared his vision for the ZERO Race in an official news release issued Aug. 16:

“With this race we want to show, that seven billion people on this planet need renewable energy and clean mobility.  Petrol is running out, and the climate crisis is coming… and we are all in running against time,” Palmer said.
In what is being described as a “Tour d’Europe,” the four racing teams will travel from Geneva to Brussels, Belgium, followed by stops in Vienna, Moscow and Shanghai. From China, the vehicles will be shipped to Vancouver for the second leg of the competition. Racers will then drive across North America, with stops planned for cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin.

The teams will also travel to Cancun, Mexico, for a UN Climate Conference, where they will aim to inspire world leaders to take action against global warming. The competition finale will take place in the starting point of Geneva, around the end of January 2011.

Despite the goal of having zero emissions from the new technology cars, ZERO Race organizers acknowledge some unavoidable” greenhouse gas emissions will likely result from shipping the cars between continents. According to the BBC News, the ZERO Race organizers plan to invest in additional renewable energy projects in an effort to offset the carbon emissions generated during this portion of the race.

For additional information on the ZERO Race, please visit:
http://www.zero-race.com

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A July 2010 report by the leading U.S. Department of Energy-backed laboratory for renewable energy research and development named clean power incentives, or Feed-in Tariffs (FITs), among the most effective methods for encouraging greater adoption of solar generated-electricity in the United States.

Issued by the Colorado-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the report, titled “Feed-In Tariff Policy Design,” is the largest report on FITs ever published in the U.S.

FITs were first implemented in the U.S. in 1978, and are now used in more than 75 countries around the world. These special policies are designed to encourage greater consumer use of power from renewable energy sources. In one common example, a utility may be paid a premium rate by a government like Switzerland or Germany for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) clean power generated from wind or solar-based systems.

NREL’s 144-page report provides detailed examples of successful and challenging aspects of various feed-in tariff policies from different countries worldwide. Some of the case studies describe how nations like France, Germany and Switzerland successfully apply separate FITs for wind turbine and photovoltaic solar-generated power.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Program, the extensive NREL report identifies the importance of feed-in tariffs in the increased deployment of renewable energy (RE) abroad:

“FITs have generated significant RE deployment, helping bring the countries that have implemented them successfully to the forefront of the global RE industry,” the report states.

Specifically, the in-depth analysis credits the European Union’s FIT policies as responsible for “the deployment of more than 15,000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) power and more than 55,000 MW of wind power between 2000 and the end of 2009” in the EU countries. On a broader scale, the report attributes “approximately 75% of global PV and 45% of global wind deployment” to feed-in tariff policies.

Although not a nationwide policy, FITs have been adopted by a group of states and cities in the United States, including California, Hawaii, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and Gainesville, Florida. NREL’s report suggests extended the policy practice could have financial as well as environmental benefits:

“A feed-in tariff drives market growth by providing developers long-term purchase agreements for the sale of electricity generated from RE sources,” the report stated.

For additional information on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and its “Feed-In Tariff Policy Design” report, please visit:

http://www.nrel.gov/
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/44849.pdf

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In an August 6 appearance on cable news channel Fox Business, SPG Solar CEO Tom Rooney describes his views on why government financial incentives are still key to job growth in the renewable energy sector.

Watch here:

Solar CEO Says Federal Incentives Still Essential for Green Job Growth

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As part of a growing campaign to encourage more renewable energy development across the country, the U.S. Department of Energy announced focused efforts to support green manufacturing projects through specific loan guarantees. Known as the Commercial Technology Manufacturing Systems and Components solicitation, the program was confirmed in an official press release issued on August 12 by  Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu.

Supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Loan Guarantee Program (section 1705), the solicitation campaign targets U.S.-based projects focused on the creation and advancement of renewable energy technology, In particular, the loan guarantee is seeking programs that aim to lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions and increase jobs in areas of green energy manufacturing, like: solar photovoltaics (PV), wind turbine systems and energy storage.

Secretary Chu emphasized the important role the loan guarantee program in promoting renewable energy manufacturing and related job creation:

“The Department’s manufacturing solicitation will help more Americans get back to work while accelerating economic development. To keep pace in the global market, we need to build and expand U.S.-based state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.”

Thursday’s announcement follows several improvements made by the Department of Energy to its loan guarantee program to help make the application process more efficient. Among these changes is an easy-to-use online application portal. More transparent application requirements, such as fees and schedules, have also been applied to the DOE overhauled loan guarantee initiative.

The green manufacturing solicitation campaign features a series of deadlines for prospective applicants. The Part I deadline is August 31, 2010, while the submission date for Part II is two months later on October 31, 2010. Due dates for final Part I applications are November 30, 2010, and January 31, 2011 for final part II applications. In order to be considered for the green manufacturing loan guarantees, projects mush begin construction by September 30, 2011.

In order to ensure compliance with all related regulations and statutory requirements, applicants are encouraged to complete loan guarantee applications sooner rather than later. According to its official announcement, the DOE “will make available up to $750 million to pay the credit subsidy costs of loan guarantees issued through this solicitation.”

This latest loan guarantee is just one a series of recent financial incentives offered by the DOE in support of renewable energy innovation. In July, the DOE confirmed that $92 million was awarded to 43 clean energy research projects across the country.

For additional information on the Department of Energy, the Commercial Technology Manufacturing Systems and Components solicitation, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, please visit:

http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/
http://www.energy.gov/index.htm
http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx

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Oroville, California-based Butte College recently announced the next stage of its ambitious initiative to become the first “grid positive” college in the United States. In a press released issued on the institution’s website, the 21,000-student community college confirmed its goal to generate more solar-powered electricity than it consumes.

The school’s renewable energy updgrade includes plans to install about 15,000 additional solar PV panels on its campus by May 2011. The system of solar photovoltaic arrays is expected to create 2.7 megamatts of power. Butte College currently has 10,000 solar panels that create 1.85 MW for its green-friendly campus. According to the school officials, once the new panels are installed, Butte will be capable of producing 4.55 MW of renewable energy—making it the world’s largest solar-producing college.

The announced plans for the 2011 solar array installation follow recent approval by Butte’s Board of Trustees for the college to complete the third phase of its solar project. The pioneering green initiative began with stage one PV installations in 2005, proceeded by additional array construction in 2008.

Upon completion, the school’s solar energy network will generate more than 6.381 million kW hours per year. Butte officials say this amount will be enough “to power over 9,200 average-sized homes, or the equivalent of removing over 6,000 passenger cars from the roadways.” The college also confirms the project will lead to annual reductions of 6.9 million pounds carbon dioxide, 20,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide (NOX) and 27,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Butte College President Dr. Diana Van Der Ploeg expressed her support of the solar project in the college’s official press release:

“Once this solar project is completed, Butte College will provide enough clean renewable energy to cover all of our electricity needs and generate slightly more than we use–which will be a source of additional revenue for the college. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Being the first grid positive community college in the country demonstrates our commitment to the sustainable practices we’re modeling for our students and our communities,.”

The entire cost of Butte’s solar energy project totals $17 million, with $12.65 million covered by federally-issued low-interest Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBS). The school itself will pay for the remaining $4.35 million in project expenses. In addition, Butte College will receive nearly $1 million in benefits from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and rebates from their utility provider PG&E, via the California Solar Initiative.

For additional information on the Butte College Solar PV Installation Project, please visit:

http://www.butte.edu/feeds/2010/GridPositive.html

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