News
Voters Want Clean Power
December 5 -- In 2008, the voters of Missouri, through an initiative petition and a decisive vote, made a clear statement when they passed Proposition C by a 66 percent majority. They wanted the state to support renewable energy sources by requiring electric companies to use such sources as wind, solar, water and other clean power sources — generating or using 2 percent renewable sources by 2011 and 15 percent by 2021. >>View Article
As RFS Debate Rages, Study Shows Ethanol's Jobs Impacts
December 5 -- Lawmakers in farm country are rallying behind the current Renewable Fuel Standard after Environmental Protection Agency officials said recently they'll likely look at paring back the biofuels mandate in the next year. There's consensus among state and federal lawmakers from states like Iowa that lowering the mandate will have both initial and rippling negative economic effects on the future of states where agriculture is the primary economic driver, whether in the form of crop production, grain processing, ag machinery manufacturing, or other ag businesses. >>View Article
Utah Geothermal Energy Bubbles Up In Arizona
December 5 -- Phoenicians, your air conditioners will now run partly on geothermal energy from Utah. Some 350 miles to the north of the Valley of the Sun, Enel Green Power’s Cove Fort geothermal power plant has begun operations. The 25-megawatt binary cycle plant is expected to produce about 160 gigawatt-hours of energy per year, which will go to the Salt River Project – a public utility serving parts of central Arizona, including much of Phoenix – under a 20-year agreement. >>View Article
Wind Turbines, Wildlife Can Coexist In Maine, Report Says
December 5 -- One of Maine’s top wildlife advocacy groups says there’s plenty of room in the state to accommodate animal habitat and wind energy development. In a report released Wednesday night, Falmouth-based Maine Audubon found that of the 1.1 million acres in the state where there’s enough wind to justify turbines, 933,000 acres don’t overlap with sensitive natural areas and could be developed with little impact to Maine’s wildlife. >>View Article
Obama To Feds: Boost Renewable Power 20 Percent
December 5 -- Saying the government should lead by example, President Barack Obama is ordering the federal government to nearly triple its use of renewable sources for electricity by 2020. Obama says the plan to use renewables for 20 percent of electricity needs will help reduce pollution that causes global warming, promote American energy independence and boost domestic energy sources such as solar and wind power that provide thousands of jobs. >>View Article
White House To Extend Energy-Efficiency Initiative
December 4 -- Democrats and Republicans are joining hands backing energy-efficiency programs, and the Obama administration is taking notice. The White House announced Tuesday that it will extend a presidential memorandum calling on federal agencies to achieve $2 billion in energy savings during a two-year period. The initiative, which has led agencies to identify an estimated $2.3 billion in savings through the implementation of energy-efficiency measures in federal buildings, began in 2011 and was set to expire this year. The program will now continue through 2016. The decision arrives amid a groundswell of support in Congress for energy-efficiency efforts. >>View Article
83% Increase In US Solar PV Capacity In 2012
December 4 -- According to a data book from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), solar PV generation capacity increased by 83% across the United States in 2012. The study was compiled on behalf of the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as part of an annual effort to monitor and promote renewable energy utilization. So far, the effort has shown rapid renewable energy growth, especially wind and solar, but solar exceeded wind even three-fold. (However, it’s worth noting that solar PV started at a much lower capacity level.) >>View Article
Ohio Energy Bill Predicted To Hike Electric Costs
December 4 -- A fast-moving energy proposal is drawing opponents including environmental groups and Ohio's utility consumers' advocate who estimate the measure could add $175 a year to the average Ohioan's electric bill. The bill sponsored by Senate Public Utilities Chairman Bill Seitz (syts) had stalled before Thanksgiving. A revised version is scheduled for a hearing and possible floor vote Wednesday. >>View Article
Ohio’s Energy Policy Makes Sense For Business; We Shouldn’t Undo It
December 3 -- Ohio is a national leader in energy efficiency standards. The 2008 Energy Efficiency Resource Standards, established by Senate Bill 221, require each utility to reduce demand by 22.5% by implementing energy efficiency projects and source 12.5% of power generation from renewable sources by 2025. In order to meet these goals, the utilities encourage Ohio companies like Campbell Soup Company to seek energy efficiency in their operations and incentivize investment in their own renewable energy program and strategies. >>View Article
PPL Doubles Capacity Of Pennsylvania Holtwood Hydropower Plant
December 3 -- U.S. power company PPL Corp said Monday it more than doubled the capacity of the Holtwood hydropower facility along the Susquehanna River in south-central Pennsylvania with the completion of a new 125-megawatt powerhouse. PPL said in a release the powerhouse is part of a $440 million expansion project to boost the plant's capacity and improve fish passage over the century-old dam. >>View Article