Renewable Energy Headlines

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Lots of good tidbits in the news, links for stories
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?p=14


Wind Energy Demand Booming
“Austin Energy and Xcel Energy are among the first utilities to pass on the falling cost of wind energy to their customers…Although media attention focuses on communities with a not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) response to wind turbines, such as the large, off-shore wind farm planned off Cape Cod, in most of the country wind farms are enthusiastically welcomed. Here, it’s the PIIMBY syndrome-put-it-in-my-backyard.”

MIT Powers Up New Battery for Hybrid Cars
“Researchers at MIT have developed a new type of lithium battery that could become a cheaper alternative to the batteries that now power hybrid electric cars….The new material is more stable (and thus safer) than lithium cobalt oxide batteries which are used to power small electronic devices like cell phones, laptop computers,..”

Power Purchase Secured for West Virginia Wind Projects
“FirstEnergy has entered into 20-year agreements to purchase the combined 250-megawatt (MW) output of two new wind power generation projects being developed in West Virginia by US Wind Force, LLC, a renewable energy company based in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and its joint venture partner Padoma Wind Power, LLC, based in La Jolla, California.” The West Virginia projects are expected to generate 650,000 megawatt hours annually.

REEEP Funds More Renewable Energy Projects in Developing Countries
In keeping with increased funding promises made last fall from the UK, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)” will now fund more than 30 new projects, including new countries like Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Liberia and Tunisia. Ten of the countries are located in Africa and include projects for “solar water heating, small hydro in the tea industry or developing biofuels.”

U.S. Geothermal Power Poised to Double, Survey Shows
45 new geothermal projects are under way in 9 states which could double the geothermal power capacity online. The new projects were made possible due to the 2005 Energy Policy, believe it or not. It provided for the same tax credits for geothermal as wind receives. But in typical Republican fashion, they give with one hand and take away with the other. According to Karl Galwell; the Executive Director of the Geothermal Energy Association, “Instead of increasing DOE funding, the budget proposes to zero-out geothermal research. Instead of providing the resources needed for BLM to work off its 25-year backlog of lease applications, the budget proposes to repeal this and other provisions of EPAct.” We will need to keep an eye on this and try to make sure it gets the funding it deserves.