October 22, 2008

Alternative energy providers say they will deliver bigger and better projects now that Congress has provided their respective industries with key tax breaks -- but tough economic times might stand in their way.

Among the winners of the bill that passed in early October are fuel cell makers, who say that the tenuous nature of tax law had left them in a continuous state of limbo. But with the expansion of the tax credits, they are now in a position to not just close pending deals but to also recruit new players that include utilities. While the subsidies are intended to increase the sales of those stationary fuel cells, the industry will now have to contend with a serious credit crunch.

October 20, 2008

Upheaval spawns innovation. With the country in the midst of economic turmoil, it must now concentrate its resources on rebuilding enterprise and creating jobs. The mission is to increase the nation's energy mix and in doing so, bring down those prices.

Pessimism abounds, but the nation's energy future is perking up in the long-term. Predictions from all corners are that green energy's share of the generation pie will expand, all of which is now precipitated by a rapid growth in the level of clean technology investing. Indeed, the technologies that underscore wind, solar and energy efficiency are winning market acceptance and have become among the best performers.

Thursday, 16 October 2008 4:46PM

With Michigan's growth in wind energy dependent on community adoption of the necessary wind siting laws, Michigan Citizen Planner is offering a "What You Need to Know about Wind Energy Siting and Policy Issues" workshop at nine locations throughout Michigan during December.

Sponsored by Michigan Farm Bureau and Michigan State University, the three-and-a-half-hour workshops will provide planning and zoning officials, local leaders, concerned citizens, farmers and landowners interested in wind the tools and resources necessary to create and implement a strategic plan for wind energy development in their communities.

October 13, 2008

The evolution toward a carbon-constrained society is well underway. The latest push is coming from the northeastern states that have officially started auctioning carbon credits.

The goal is to replicate the success that the region had when in 1984 it set out to curb acid rain levels. The auction, which officially opened in late September and will sell such credits every three months, is a $1.1 billion pilot program that is meant to be small but effective. Organizers want to get it right. If they can do so, the effort may eventually become a standard by which any federal laws can be modeled.

September 12, 2008

By making a $20 million investment in energy storage, Public Service Enterprise Group hopes to breathe new life into green energy. The New Jersey-based utility has entered into a joint venture with a key inventor of the technology. It will market the compressed air energy storage tools needed to generate power when demand is highest.

Energy storage could advance the cause of wind and solar power, which are often criticized as they are intermittent fuels. That would give utilities, power marketers and large commercial or industrial customers the flexibility of how they respond to shortages, price spikes or brownouts. Utilities, for instance, must precisely measure their load generation with the demands of their end users. Without adequate generation capacity, all wholesale buyers of electricity would be subject to the whims of the market.