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Massachusetts Acts Address Biofuels, Green Jobs, and Greenhouse Gases
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick recently signed into law three energy-related bills that will promote advanced biofuels, support the growth of the clean energy technology industry, and cut the emissions of greenhouse gases within the state. The Clean Energy Biofuels Act, signed in late July, exempts cellulosic ethanol from the state's gasoline tax, but only if the ethanol achieves a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to gasoline. The act also requires all diesel motor fuels and all No. 2 fuel oil sold for heating to include at least 2% "substitute fuel" by July 2010, where substitute fuel is defined as a fuel derived from renewable non-food biomass that achieves at least a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The requirement for both motor diesel fuel and heating oil increases by a percentage point per year until 2013, after which it holds steady 5%. The act also allows the state to expand the requirement to other forms of fuel oil, and it requires the state to work to establish a low-carbon fuel standard under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. See the full text of the biofuels act (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw08/sl080206.htm).
In early August, Governor Patrick signed two additional bills: the Green Jobs Act and the Global Warming Solutions Act. The Green Jobs Act will support the growth of a clean energy technology industry within the state, backed by $68 million in funding over 5 years. The Global Warming Solutions Act requires a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the state to 10%-25% below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Under the act, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will carry the burdens of determining the baseline level of emissions in 1990 and creating a plan to meet the future emissions limits, including the establishment of interim limits for 2030 and 2040. See the full text of the acts for green jobs (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw08/sl080307.htm) and greenhouse gas reductions (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw08/sl080298.htm).
IEA Report Urges Greater Use of Combined Heat and Power
A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) makes the case for combined heat and power (CHP) as a proven, reliable, efficient and cost-effective technology. The report argues that CHP is not being fully utilized by all countries, but, promisingly, is enjoying a comeback in some parts of Europe. CHP uses internal combustion energy to generate electricity while capturing excess heat for water and space heating in buildings. According to the report, greater use of CHP globally could improve efficiency dramatically in the heat and electricity sectors, resulting in a 4% reduction in CO 2 emissions from new generation by 2015, a reduction in transmission and distribution investment of around $795 billion over the next 20 years, and lower electricity costs for end users.
In 2005, the U.S. generated less than 10% of the nation’s electricity from CHP. In contrast, Denmark generates 40% of its power from CHP, and Finland, Russia, Latvia and the Netherlands generate a third to half of their energy with the technology. Germany is aiming to double its CHP energy component to 25% by 2020 with new legislation that will pay CHP owners for every excess kilowatt-hour they generate and sell to the grid. The report also points to some important historical barriers to the adoption of CHP, including lack of integrated urban heating and cooling supply planning, electricity grid access and interconnection regulations, lack of knowledge about CHP benefits and savings, and the lack of an agreed methodology to recognize energy-saving and environmental benefits.
Download Combined Heat and Power: Evaluating the Benefits of Greater Global Investment, http://www.iea.org/Textbase/Papers/2008/CHP_report.pdf.
NSF Launches Green Energy Grid Center
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces an award to North Carolina State University and its partners to establish a new NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC). The ERC will develop interdisciplinary research and education programs that address an important energy issue and provide the foundation for new industries through innovation. NSF will invest approximately $18.5 million in the Center over the next five years.
Since 1985 the ERC program has fostered broad-based research and education collaborations in close partnership with industry that focus on making technological breakthroughs and developing new products and services. A new generation of five NSF ERCs will place a greater emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship and on international collaboration and cultural exchange.
The NSF ERC for Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems will conduct research to transform the nation's power grid into an efficient network that integrates alternative energy generation and novel storage methods with existing power sources. This new, distributed network would permit any combination and scale of energy sources and storage devices through standard interface modules. The Center's overall goal is to facilitate the use of green energy sources, reduce the environmental impact of carbon emissions, and alleviate the growing energy crisis.
The NSF ERC for FREEDM Systemswill be based at North Carolina State University (NCSU), in partnership with Arizona State University, Florida A&M University, Florida State University, and Missouri University of Science and Technology. Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University in Germany and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology will contribute additional expertise and international perspectives.
The involvement of more than 65 industry partners, including many small start-up firms, will spur innovation and provide university students with first-hand experience in entrepreneurship. The NSF ERC for FREEDM Systemswill also work with 18 state and local government organizations in North Carolina, Arizona, California, Florida, New York, and Tennessee to stimulate innovation based on its research.
For more information see: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112179&govDel=USNSF_56.
Canada’s ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentives Expanded To Include Larger Buildings
Businesses and public institutions that own, manage or lease buildings with 10,000–20,000 square metres of floor space can now join homeowners and industry in applying for federal funding to invest in energy-saving upgrades. Multiple buildings, such as those on a university campus, can also be included in a single project.
For more information see: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/commercial/financial-assistance/existing/retrofits/index.cfm?attr=0
Provincial Action on Climate Change Heats Up
Most provinces are stepping up with strong targets and policies to reduce greenhouse gases in the absence of federal leadership on climate change, according to a new David Suzuki Foundation report released at the Council of the Federation meeting in Québec City. The report, titled Provincial Power Play: Breaking Away from Federal Inaction on Climate Change (http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/DSF_ProvincialPowerPlay_Web.pdf), looks at provincial and territorial action on climate change, compares their greenhouse gas emissions, assesses their climate change plans and evaluates their records. Some provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Québec) are leading the pack when it comes to putting real solutions in place. Other provinces and territories (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Nunavut) have started taking action but require more effort to move forward. Others (Newfoundland, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan) have weak or vague climate plans. The report cites Alberta as the worst offender with “skyrocketing emissions and no plans to decrease them anytime soon.”
DOE Awards $6.6 Million for State-Led Clean Energy Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will award $6.6 million in competitive grants for 15 state-level projects, nine of which focus on developing policy and regulations to support gigawatt-scale clean energy capacity, and six of which focus on developing advanced building codes. Of these awards, $4 million will go to the gigawatt-scale clean energy capacity projects, which will develop policy and regulatory frameworks that will enable gigawatt-scale clean energy, either through renewable energy or demand-side reductions. Although no cost share was mandated, state partners will contribute up to $1.8 million for these projects. The six advanced building codes projects will receive $2.6 million, which will assist states in developing and implementing residential, commercial, or overarching building codes. Along with its financial assistance, DOE will support these projects with ongoing technical assistance.
Of the nine clean energy capacity projects, three will go to states that are focusing on electrical grid infrastructure: Colorado will examine barriers and incentives to expand its transmission grid for renewable energy projects, while Hawaii and Maryland will examine policies for smart grid technologies that could encourage the use of renewable energy, demand-side management, and energy storage. Two states will focus on financing: Michigan will develop four pilot projects for utility financing of customers' cost-effective clean energy projects, with each loan repaid using a portion of the consumer's energy cost savings, while Wisconsin will draft regulations for low-interest loans for renewable energy projects. Wisconsin will also aim to convert up to 25 old, small coal-fired power plants to burn wood instead. In the Southeast, Georgia will develop a framework for integrating clean energy supplies into the energy infrastructure of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, while South Carolina will seek to overcome barriers for coastal wind, wave, and tidal energy projects. And in terms of energy efficiency, Arizona will create a streamlined and cost-effective home weatherization program, while Maine will partner with the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership to develop regional protocols for evaluating, measuring, verifying, and reporting demand-side resource impacts.
For the advanced building code projects, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Washington are improving their existing residential or commercial energy codes in order to produce a 30% energy usage reduction over the existing codes. In addition, North Carolina will update its state energy code by 2010, while California plans to build the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards Learning Management System, an online system that will educate building department processionals about enforcing its current building energy efficiency standards and the next standards update. See the DOE press release (http://www.energy.gov/news/6515.htm).
U.S. Wind Power Capacity Exceeds 20,000 Megawatts
The U.S. wind industry has doubled its generating capacity over the past two years, exceeding 20,000 megawatts in installed capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The wind industry trade group announced that U.S. installed wind capacity is now at 20,152 megawatts, producing enough electricity to serve 5.3 million average U.S. homes. The industry hit the 10,000-megawatt milestone in August 2006, just over two years ago, which means that the industry grew as much over the past two years as it did in the previous two-and-a-half decades. AWEA expects more than 7,500 megawatts of wind power capacity to be installed in 2008, bringing the total U.S. wind capacity to more than 24,000 megawatts by year end. However, the looming expiration of federal tax credits at the end of the year could cause the industry's growth spurt to sputter in 2009. See the AWEA press release (http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/Wind_Installations_Surpass_20K_MW_03Sept08.html).
