What Type of Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard Makes Sense?
As the U.S. Congress considers a federal mandate for electricity generation from renewable sources, what regional, marketplace, infrastructure and legal factors figure into the debate? And what is the most effective way to ensure that such a mandate could work in every state?
wally said,
December 19, 2006 @ 4:55 pm
Much of the infrastructure is in place already. If anaerobic digesters can produce pipeline grade gas, then its just a matter of extending a connector pipeline to the main pipeline. I have been reading about the Whitesides dairy in Idaho. They apparently need only 12 miles of pipeline to connect to the Intermountain (the local utility) pipeline. The company is looking for funding to make this connector possible.The government, utilities, and farmers need to to work together to make this possible.
Charles R. Toca said,
March 21, 2007 @ 7:16 pm
Transmission is being built to the nameplate requirements of wind power, even though wind only produces 30-40% of capacity. This increases costs to rural utilities. Distributed energy storage could allow more wind on less transmission, reducing cost and allowing more wind to come to market sooner. Energy storage can also firm up wind energy and provide regulation and load following services for intermittent wind power. Government incentives to encourage distributed storage could overcome some of the institutional inertia present in most utilities and the default approach of building more (expensive) transmission - which can take years - and more fossil fueled generation to run when the wind doesn’t blow.
John De Valk said,
April 14, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
Having a knowledgeable public and method of expressing the will of that public is a kin to a 1/4 mile pry bar
Anthony J Arand said,
June 22, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
Transmission constraints will always be a battle for renewables unless you have a renewable source that is capable of being permitted and constructed in the urban load pockets directly. Developers of renewable energy supplies must address these vary points, instead of relying on the Federal Government to condem private property for new transmission lines.
Steve Swirka said,
July 17, 2007 @ 2:59 am
Energy in its various forms is a product that is sold in the marketplace. If renewable energy is profitable, plentiful and practical, it will find it’s way into the marketplace without subsidies, mandates or government meddling.
Phi Tran said,
July 19, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
So far we only have Net Metering to encourage consumer to produce their own power (at least in many States). It good! but it’s not enough!
It also discourage those who can contribute to the society the excess to do so.
Their should be plan/system to make sure those who can generate more then they need to do so, rather then let them dry on the mercy of the utilities’ “unavoided cost”. That current system is not good enough because:
(1) It is a waste of the national resource (even it’s in small scale).
Even their location allowing them to harness more they will not do so, the reason is: “They don;t get pay (enough) for ‘that more’ they need to invest.” This creates a mentality of ‘just enough for me’. Even they can harness more.
(2) Discourage them to conserve their energy usage- They don’t get pay (or paid next to nothing) for what they save’.
To illustrate the above I give an example: If the man has 2 acres that good for solar panel He will not utilize all of them. As of today cost he will get his money back in 10 years on the first. 1000 square feet (enough for his use). The rest of ~90,000 square feet left are waisted dry while the society is in needed. And even if he can afford 2000 square feet he will try to use all of them for he does not have to give them away at a (next to free) price. But if he has a decent price he will try to save as much as he could to have some more income, - I am right?
I don;t think this i the matter of mandate or government involvement but it is a return of the fairness to those who should have.
Hope this helps.
Phi
neo-aerodynamic.com
Jim Pierobon said,
July 20, 2007 @ 9:53 am
National RPS: U.S. House Vote Expected Around July 24 Is Crucial
See this July 18 update by Sara Parker, Staff Writer, RenewableEnergyAccess.com
The message is the same in report after report: The U.S. needs a National Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) or Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) to spur the country’s renewable energy market, generate millions of new jobs over the next decade, and lower electric bills for consumers and businesses alike — not to mention help slow the devastating impacts of global warming.
“We’re simply not going to get the high results and efficiency that we all desire unless we see some [long-term] federal support. …George Bush did sign an RPS in Texas — so there is some hope.”
– Cliff Chen, Union of Concerned Scientists, clean energy analyst
But with progress ‘sluggish’ on Capitol Hill—last month’s RPS amendment proposed by U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to the Senate Energy bill was killed before it could be voted on—it’s been left to individual states to set the standard when it comes to renewable energy initiatives.
Currently, 23 states plus Washington, DC, have implemented an RPS or RES, many of which include solar carve-outs.
“In the absence of Federal leadership, the states have really taken the initiative on this issue,” said Cliff Chen, a clean energy analyst in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ California office, during Solar 2007, the American Solar Energy Society’s (ASES) national conference in Cleveland, Ohio.
“But we’re simply not going to get the high results and efficiency that we all desire unless we see some [long-term] federal support. …George Bush did sign an RPS in Texas—so there is some hope,” added Chen.
That hope may come in the form of another Energy bill that will be up for vote later this month on the U.S. House of Representatives floor. Although the bill currently contains no provisions for a National RPS, a proposed amendment is expected to be offered by Reps. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Todd Platts (R-PA), which is based on their bill H.R. 969 requiring utilities to increase their use of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2020.
“There are currently 120 cosponsors (out of 435 Representatives in the House) on H.R. 969. To move the RPS forward, we need more cosponsors on H.R. 969 and we need members of the House to support the Udall-Platts RPS amendment when the energy bill comes to the House floor in July,” according to a legislation update issued last week by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
If an amendment requiring utilities to increase their use of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources is not adopted by the House this month, stated AWEA, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to secure enactment of an RPS this year.
For the full story, go to: http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/
antoniopietrangeli said,
February 1, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
I personally believe that since helping renewable sources development strongly reduces also the energetic dependance from foreign countries and therefore this issue can be settled by the western countries governments in several ways. Taxes could be reduced , for example, to the companies which do research in the field or the research could be financed through the universities. I believe this not only since I work in the field as an engineer ( www.pietrangeli.it ) but since this is undoubtedly a relevant market now and having the technological lead would guarantee to the western companies relevant positions in the world markets.
a relevant help from all the western countries governments is necessary by means of
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