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Jan 27

Fuel Cells on the LEEDing Edge

Fuel cells have been around since the invention of the first bicycle. Now, the training wheels are off—and businesses are saving money and applying to earn LEED credits with fuel cells.

Getting credit for an amazing innovation isn’t always an easy task — just ask the Winklevoss twins. But for organizations that have gone the extra mile to help the environment, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System is a great way to showcase their environmental credentials.

via Guest Post: Fuel Cells on the LEEDing Edge : Greentech Media.

Jan 27

S&P sets out solar securitisation challenges

Securitisation may be a “viable option” for solar photovoltaic (PV) developers, says rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P), but it has set out a list of concerns that are likely to prove daunting to structurers and credit ratings firms.

“As the US solar power industry continues to expand, developers will need various financing outlets to fund their growth,” S&P says in a note lead-authored by Andrew Giudici, a New York-based primary credit analyst at the company. “Such transactions could provide the issuers’ parents with a significant amount of upfront cash for capital spending or other business ventures.”

Securitisation involves aggregating a pool of assets or financial contracts, against which bonds are sold, with their future cashflows used to pay the bondholders’ interest and repay the principal. The bondholder typically has recourse to the underlying assets in case of default.

via Environmental Finance | News | S&P sets out solar securitisation challenges.

Link to report here.

Jan 27

Renewables From Vestas to Suntech Plan Profit Without Subsidy

Renewable energy companies are approaching the point where they can generate electricity at a price competitive with fossil-fuels without subsidies, the biggest wind and solar manufacturers said.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Chief Executive Officer Zhengrong Shi said solar will reach parity with fossil fuels on electric grids by 2015. Vestas Wind systems A/S expects its turbines to compete without incentives “in the coming years,” said Peter Brun, head of governmental relations.

“Wind in some cases already is, or can in coming years, be fully cost-competitive with fossil fuels,” Brun said yesterday by e-mail from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Fossil-fuel prices will continue to rise, and that increases the competitiveness of new technologies. We are preparing the whole industry for getting off the subsidy-need.”

via Renewables From Vestas to Suntech Plan Profit Without Subsidy – Businessweek.

Jan 27

Wind Finishes 2011 Big, Sort Of

The secret behind the latest numbers from the wind industry is that developers, their turbine suppliers and the entire supply chain are running on all cylinders and yet are desperately worried about the cliff out in front of them.

The new numbers from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) are impressive. U.S. cumulative installed capacity is at 46,919 megawatts, second only to China (where government support is so good their turbine tower manufacturers stand accused by a U.S. tower maker coalition of unfair trade practices).

via Wind Finishes 2011 Big, Sort Of : Greentech Media.

Jan 27

Understanding Manufacturing Economics for Grid-scale Energy Storage

I have a new favorite word — aggregation. At the risk of sounding like a reporter, I’m going to summarize a pre-holiday news story you might have missed but need to know about.

In late November the PJM Interconnect, the largest of nine regional grid system operators in the U.S., announced that it had begun buying frequency regulation services from small-scale, behind the meter, demand response assets in Pennsylvania.

via Understanding Manufacturing Economics for Grid-scale Energy Storage | Renewable Energy News Article.

Jan 27

drilling-rates-1990-2011

With Gas So Cheap and Well Drilling Down, Why is Gas Production so High?

Natural gas prices have declined to below $3.00/mcf, levels not seen for years, yet the EIA posted the highest gas production ever in October, 2011. U.S. gas production is growing despite annual well completion rates that are half that at the peak of the drilling boom in 2008, when gas price topped $12.00/mcf. Proponents of shale gas as a “game changer” suggest that, despite the well-known high decline rates of shale gas wells, their productivity is sufficient to grow production with far fewer wells at historically low prices. Others, such as Arthur Berman, claim that shale gas plays require much higher prices to be economic. The answer may lie in the gas produced in association with oil drilling, which is near all time historical highs.

via The Oil Drum | With Gas So Cheap and Well Drilling Down, Why is Gas Production so High?.

Jan 27

The End of Elastic Oil

The last ten years have brought a structural change to the world oil market, with changes in demand increasingly playing a role in maintaining the supply/demand balance.  These changes will come at an increasingly onerous cost to our economy unless we take steps to make our demand for oil more flexible.

via The End of Elastic Oil – Forbes.

Jan 27

In the Developing World, Solar Is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels

The falling cost of LED lighting, batteries, and solar panels, together with innovative business plans, are allowing millions of households in Africa and elsewhere to switch from crude kerosene lamps to cleaner and safer electric lighting. For many, this offers a means to charge their mobile phones, which are becoming ubiquitous in Africa, instead of having to rent a charger.

via In the Developing World, Solar Is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels – Technology Review.

Jan 25

The Changing Status of Renewable Fuels

While it may be way too early to declare a final winner in the race to find replacement renewable liquid fuels for the jet fuel and diesel that power so many of the vehicles in the world, there are some indications as to the technology that just might end up coming out ahead.

via The Oil Drum | The Changing Status of Renewable Fuels.

Jan 25

Holding Solar Financing Companies Accountable

The increase in residential and light commercial project funding from leases and PPAs is a boon to the solar industry but comes with unique risks that require careful management. With financiers and investors holding these smaller assets for 10 to 20 years, their risk now must be managed more seriously, like that of industrial and utility scale projects. Quality of equipment, field-level workmanship and ongoing performance will be critical for investors to appropriately assess the risk in financed systems. These risks are manageable, but will have severe consequences for the entire industry if not addressed. Several of these risks are discussed below, along with potential means of limiting them.

via Holding Solar Financing Companies Accountable | Renewable Energy News Article.

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