Blogs

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) last week released two new handbooks that encourage more efficient environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The first handbook, created by CEQ and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), provides advice to Federal agencies, applicants, project sponsors, and consultants on how to take advantage of existing regulatory provisions to align the NEPA process and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106 review process. The handbook explains how to align NEPA and NHPA Section 106 processes for maximum efficiency and public input, and provides a series of roadmaps for coordination of the two statutes. This handbook is available for download here.

March 5, 2013. Physicist Ernest Moniz, an MIT professor with plenty of Washington experience, is President Barack Obama's choice to head the Department of Energy (DOE).

February 25, 2013. A few press articles in recent weeks have discussed the fact that carbon emissions in Germany and the European Union have increased slightly over the last year or two because the country has shut down many of its nuclear power plants. It is important not to miss the forest for the trees, and to understand that this short-term increase is entirely caused by the shutdown of Germany’s nuclear plants and is only a temporary blip in the long-term, steady decline in emissions achieved by Germany’s transition to renewable energy.

The Pew Cheritable Trust has put together another excellent report that shows the global expansion of renewable energy, and points out how the U.S. is falling behind in yet another industry. From the report:

The clean energy industry is gathering momentum around the world. Innovation and investment are helping to bring down the cost of solar, wind, and other emerging technologies. As a result, markets for clean energy goods nd services are growing, and a new global competition is
developing among companies and countries alike.

February 15, 2013. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel E. Poneman recently visited the new Shepherds Flat wind farm in Oregon. He subsequently wrote the following article which is cross-posted from the U.S. Department of Energy blog.

Last week I had the privilege of visiting one of the largest wind farms in the world--a project at the forefront of America’s energy economy. Along with clean, renewable energy, Oregon’s Caithness Shepherds Flat wind farm is creating jobs and revenue for the region.

Turbines at Shepherds Flat officially began generating energy last fall, and the project is able to create up to 845 megawatts of emission-free wind power (enough electricity to power nearly 260,000 homes). This $2.3-billion project was supported by a $1.3-billion partial loan guarantee from the Energy Department in 2010, and directly created 400 construction jobs and 45 permanent operating jobs for this community in north central Oregon. All while still allowing ranchers to use the surrounding land just as they have for generations.

This week, top billing goes to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the utility system serving most of the Lone Star State and saw a record January 29, when at one point wind generated a new high of 32.1 percent of electricity supply on the system. The hourly wind generation peak for the day was 8,667 megawatts (MW) (8.667 GW), setting a new record as well.

Next up: Spain, which accomplished something new and extraordinary in January, when wind power provided more of the country's electricity supply than any other energy source.

CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Co.) News quoted the Spanish wind energy association as saying wind generated 6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) during the month, or approximately 25 percent of the country's electricity. The association also commented that the Spanish economy has "gained 3 euros for every 1 euro invested in incentives for wind farms" and that using fossil fuels to generate the same amount of electricity would have cost $406 million, the article said.

Relying on fossil fuels to produce electricity is getting more expensive because of the government's price on carbon emissions imposed last year, higher financing costs and rising natural gas prices, BNEF said. The cost of wind generation has fallen by 10 percent since 2011 on lower equipment expenses, while the cost of solar power has dropped by 29 percent.

"The fact that wind power is now cheaper than coal and gas in a country with some of the world's best fossil fuel resources shows that clean energy is a game changer which promises to turn the economics of power systems on its head," Michael Liebreich, chief executive officer of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in a statement.