July 26, 2010 - Energy department blogs; Senate energy bill

First, today's picture (from several days ago): the view from the Maine island of Islesford (Little Cranberry Island), across the town field:




Blogging is hot these days, so hot in fact that the U.S. Department of Energy has unveiled its own blog: "Energy Blog". (Perhaps a contest could be held to suggest a more distinctive name?)

Those of us looking for a Senate energy bill are expecting to see more details today. While it seems nearly certain that this draft won't include a renewable portfolio standard (or as federal types seem to prefer, a renewable energy standard), a broad coalition sent a letter to Senator Reid on Friday asking for a national renewable minimum standard (hosted at the American Wind Energy Association's blog). The letter was signed by diverse parties such as:

• labor representatives (Blue Green Alliance, United Steelworkers, Utility Workers Union of America)
• environmentalists (Environment America, League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pew Environment Group)
• renewable energy groups (American Wind Energy Association, Biomass Power Association, Energy Recovery Council, National Hydropower Association, RES Alliance for Jobs), and
• utilities (AES Corporation, NextEra Energy Resources, Inc., Xcel Energy)

The United Kingdom has set ambitious renewable energy targets: to hit a 30% renewable portfolio standard by 2020, the UK will need to install 27 more gigawatts of renewables, half of which they want to come from offshore wind.  How much will it cost?  According to a new report, too much: accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers says that the United Kingdom will fall £10 billion short of the £75 billion it will need to develop its offshore wind resource up to the level of the renewable energy targets.  To meet that target, the UK will need to add 1.1 GW of new capacity per year -- but in 2009, only half of that was rolled out.  Critics point to a severe lack of pre-construction finance.  Could a different mix of resources -- perhaps one picked not in advance based on specific technologies, but competing on their economics -- result in a lower cost exposure to the British ratepayer?

As the Senate has dropped its current consideration of a climate bill, Senator John Kerry has apparently predicted "an ice-free Arctic" in "five or 10 years."

July 23, 2010 - no Senate energy bill for now; wind gets boosts

A bit of New Meadows eye candy:


Sure enough, the Senate climate bill is dead. Instead, we'll get a weak energy bill addressing the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, promoting building energy efficiency through the HomeStar program, and promoting the use of natural gas as a fuel for large trucks.

In Maine, the Fort Halifax dam removal saga continues. Prior to removal of this dam on the Sebasticook River, the town of Winslow, Maine and residents had voiced concerns about erosion, and had appealed (without success) the Department of Environmental Protection's orders approving dam removal. After the dam was removed, portions of the former impoundment's banks suffered severe erosion. The town had to spend over $725,000 to demolish six homes on Dallaire Street that were threatened by the newly eroded banks. The affected areas also included the river bank below the historic (mid-1700s) Fort Hill Cemetery, eroding the bank back much closer to the cemetery fence and grave sites. Former dam owner FPL Energy Maine Hydro commissioned a study of why this erosion happened. FPLE's study concluded that the dam removal and drawdown "did not play a significant role"; instead, the study pointed to unstable soils, steep slopes, heavy rain, and an earthquake. Both the town and the state expressed doubts about this conclusion. Now the town has officially asked the DEP to perform its own study, and to enforce the conditions in its dam removal order that require FPLE to monitor and remediate erosion.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved Susan Collins's request for $10 million in funding for the University of Maine's development, deployment and testing of deepwater and offshore wind turbines. The funding must now be approved by the full Senate, but the parallel House bill still lacks such an appropriation.

Wind is big in California too. It looks like Terra-Gen's Alta Wind Energy Center near Tehachapi is going forward, as it has placed an order with Vestas Wind Systems for 190 3 MW turbines. The Alta Wind project represents the largest financing of a North American wind-energy development to date. Part of the financial picture includes a 1,550 MW power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison for part of the project output. The project will have domestic economic benefits as well: Vestas will manufacture the blades in Windsor, Colorado, and most of the towers in Pueblo, CO.

A growing storm in the Gulf of Mexico has put BP's efforts at the oil well site on hold.

July 22, 2010 - Senate energy bill uncertain; FERC moves forward with smart grid standards; Maine dam removal

The U.S. Senate's summer session is almost over, and we don't have an energy bill yet. With just 13 business days left before a month-long recess, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is reported to be considering an energy bill that doesn't address emissions from electric utilities. (Utility issues may be split off into a separate bill to be introduced this week -- though time is short and consensus is lacking.) Critics of this proposal worry that the utility issues are the most important, and thus should not be glossed over. Still, passing something could help improve energy markets, and could certainly show Congressional confidence in, for example, renewable energy (or, for that matter, in coal).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently received a staff update on the process of selecting smart grid standards (PDF). Laws including the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 have given FERC the duty of developing and adopting interoperability standards and protocols necessary to ensure smart-grid functionality and interoperability with the nation's electric grids.

In plain language, FERC wants to ensure that your utility's infrastructure can have two-way communication both upstream (with the regional grid) and downstream (with your home/business/appliances). Ultimately smart grid adoption may overturn even this "upstream/downstream" paradigm, as end-use consumers take on more characteristics of distributed generation or demand response.

To that end, FERC's staff has been working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop proposed standards. FERC anticipates a proceeding to review the standards later this summer.

Do you want to play in the smart grid market? Have a technology that you want to make sure is interoperable with what the other players are developing? Now is your chance to weigh in. Keep an eye on FERC Docket No. AD10-15-000...




The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has approved the final round of state permits required for a major Penobscot River dam removal project. A coalition led by the Penobscot River Restoration Trust will now implement the $50 million project. Three dams will be removed -- Howland, Veazie, and Great Works -- restoring access for sea-run fish to almost 1,000 river miles. All FERC and state approvals have been secured; the next step is finalizing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits, which are expected to be issued later this summer. Interestingly, fish passage at Howland was not universally supported, due to concerns that invasive northern pike could swim upstream and destroy Maine's blue-ribbon brook trout and salmon fisheries upstream.