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Maryland Passes Energy Storage Tax Credit

April 19, 2017

Maryland on April 10 became the first state in the nation to pass legislation enacting a tax credit for residential and commercial energy storage installations.

The measure passed unanimously in the state Senate, and with a 101–11 vote in the House. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is expected to sign SB 758 into law.

The bill offers up to $ 5,000 for residential installations, $ 150,000 for commercial installations, or 30% of the total cost of installations. Credits can only be claimed for systems installed between January 2018 and December 2022. The tax credit applies to all energy storage technologies.

Earlier this week, Maryland also passed HB 773, which calls for an energy storage technology study to determine how Maryland can use energy storage to open the path to a more reliable electric system.

According to the Energy Storage Association, in 2016, commercial deployment of energy storage systems grew more than 100% over the previous year and installed system costs plummeted another 30%.…

Interior Dept., Peabody Energy Seek to Keep Coal-Fired Navajo Plant Open

April 17, 2017

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The Navajo Generating Station can continue to be competitive under a reduced-price fuel proposal through 2040, said Peabody Energy, the coal giant which owns a coal mine currently fueling the Arizona plant.

The utility owners of the Navajo plant on February 16 voted to shut down the 2,250-MW coal-fired power plant in December 2019. The decision to close the plant on tribal land near Page along the border with Utah was based on the “rapidly changing economics of the energy industry,” which has seen natural gas prices sink to record lows, the plant’s owners said.

The plant is operated by Salt River Project (SRP). SRP is a utility owner along with Arizona Public Service Co., Tucson Electric Power Co., and NV Energy. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is a participant in the project.

But according to the Arizona Republic, Peabody Energy told regulators last week that the power plant could profit under new ownership. The newspaper reported that the coal company’s officials are “positioning the Navajo Generating Station for new buyers to come in and take over the troubled coal plant, which would allow the company to continue selling coal to the facility” from its Kayenta Mine in northern Arizona.…

Perry Confirmed as Secretary of Energy

March 3, 2017

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With a vote of 62–37, the Senate on March 2 confirmed former Texas governor Rick Perry as the new secretary of energy.

Perry received the support of 10 Democratic senators: Mark Warner (Va.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Tom Udall (N.M.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Jon Tester (Mont.), Ben Cardin (Md.), and Joe Donnelly (Ind.). Independent Sen. Angus King (Maine) also voted for Perry.

President Donald Trump announced Perry’s nomination in mid-December. The nominee was met with immediate criticism from the left for his prior climate change denial and pro-fossil fuel history. However, Perry’s nomination held very little controversy compared to some of Trump’s other nominees, and his confirmation was presumed imminent.

Perry is well-known for his 2012 Republican presidential bid. His run was derailed in part due to a televised debate gaffe in which he stated he would eliminate three federal agencies. He named the Departments of Commerce and Education before faltering, forgetting the third agency.…

Minnesota Looks to Double Renewable Energy Standard to 50% by 2030

March 1, 2017

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Bipartisan lawmakers in Minnesota want utilities in that state to procure 50% of power sold by 2030 from renewable sources. The measure, if passed, could put the state’s renewable efforts on par with California’s.

The bipartisan bill introduced in the Minnesota Legislature on February 27 seeks to double the state’s renewable energy standard, which is currently 25% by 2025.

Lawmakers noted that the state is already on track to surpass current goals set by the Next Generation Energy Act, which was enacted by former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) in 2007. That bill was overwhelmingly supported by 97% of legislators.

About 21% of Minnesota’s generated electricity came from renewable sources in 2015, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Wind energy generated 17% of the state’s power, biomass generated 3%, and hydro 1%. About 44% came from coal, 21% from nuclear, and 13% from natural gas.

Under a 2007 statute, Xcel Energy—the state’s largest utility—has a separate, more aggressive requirement of getting 31.5% of its power from renewables by 2020, with at least 24% of sales from wind and 1.5% of sales from solar.…

Oregon Wave Energy Center Gets $40 Million for Test Facility

December 23, 2016

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Oregon State University’s (OSU’s) Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) was awarded up to $ 40 million by the Department of Energy (DOE) on December 21 to create what the center calls the world’s premier wave energy test facility in Newport, Ore.

The NNMREC facility, known as the Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site, is planned to be operational by 2020. It will be able to test wave energy converters that harness the energy of ocean waves and turn it into electricity. Companies around the world are already anticipating construction of the new facility to test and perfect their technologies, OSU officials say.

Oregon State University’s Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center was awarded up to $ 40 million by the DOE on December 21 to create a wave energy test facility in Newport. Source: OSU

“We anticipate this will be the world’s most advanced wave energy test facility,” said Belinda Batten, director of NNMREC and a professor in the OSU College of Engineering.…

COP22: Countries Challenge the World to Advance Clean Energy

November 20, 2016

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Meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco, during the most recent United Nations climate change conference (COP22), Mission Innovation countries—a group of nations whose stated mission is to accelerate the pace of clean energy innovation—launched seven innovation challenges, designed as a global call to action for the research community, industry, and investors.

The challenges are:

Smart Grids
Off-Grid Access to Electricity
Carbon Capture
Sustainable Biofuels
Converting Sunlight (to create storable solar fuels)
Clean Energy Materials
Affordable Heating and Cooling of Buildings

“Collaboration is essential to advancing our global response to climate change and meeting our Mission Innovation goals,” said James Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. “Canada will continue to invest in clean energy research and technology development and work with international partners to leverage efforts to accelerate energy technology innovation to advance the transition to a low-carbon global economy.”

After welcoming Finland and the Netherlands to the group during COP22, the Mission Innovation countries are now 23 members strong, including the three largest CO₂ emitting countries in the world: China, the U.S.,…