Wind Energy // Current

UK Coal to build wind farms on old collieries

Over a dozen of the UK's former coalmining sites are to be redeveloped as wind farms under a revolutionary energy scheme to... more

jefftego
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5 days ago

What T. Boone Pickens Doesn’t Want You to Know about the Pickens’ Plan for California

T. Boone Pickens recently dumped another $5 million of his personal fortune into feel-good ads promoting his “renewable energy” and “clean fuels” initiative. As his TV ads flood the airwaves, I thought you might be interested in these 10 truths about Prop. 10:

1. Billionaire T. Boone Pickens is trying to steal Californian Kids’ lunch money. Like a grade-school bully, Pickens is using the sheer size of his wallet to try to ram through a self-enriching ballot initiative that the non-partisan California Legislative Analyst has estimated will cost an entire generation of Californians hundreds of millions of dollars annually – over $330 annually for 30 years!

2. In fact, his $5 billion measure is really a $10 billion Boone-doggle.

3. Pickens’ shareholders paid a pretty penny for his “magnanimous” public policy. Pickens claims he’s investing his own money out of a selfless motivation for “a better America.” In fact, Pickens has financed Prop. 10 by manipulating the price of his own Clean Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ CLNE) stock. Pickens “shorted” around $20 million worth at $18 per share on the open market, and then re-purchased $5 million of shares directly from the CLNE corporate treasury. This caused a free-fall of CLNE’s share price (worse than the broader market) to just $10 per share.

4. T. Boone the “Oil & Gas Man” is really the “Tax Man.” With California facing staggering budget shortfalls, Pickens’ Plan will certainly require a tax hike, or else come at the expense of schools, health care and other critical needs.

5. You wouldn’t buy a car on a thirty-year mortgage. Not with your own money you wouldn’t, and neither would Pickens and his country club buddy Aubrey McClendon (CEO of Chesapeake Energy, Prop. 10’s other major backer). That’s why they want to use Californians’ money to build a market for their natural gas companies. Under Pickens’ Plan, our children and grandchildren will be paying off Prop 10’s lavish subsidies of $50,000 per natural gas-powered truck long after those vehicles are rusting in a scrap yard.

6. There is no requirement that vehicles funded under Prop. 10 will even remain in California. This is in contrast to on-going California alternative fuel subsidy programs that have provided CLNE with millions of dollars in funding.

7. Prop 10 doesn’t require any results. Despite T. Boone’s campaign’s high-falutin’ claims, Prop. 10 doesn’t require even one particle of emissions reductions, reduce petroleum consumption by a single ounce, or generate a single watt of renewable energy.

8. There’s no broad-based coalition supporting Prop. 10, despite the Yes-on-10 campaign’s claims of helping the environment and reducing oil dependence, its only major backers are those who stand to gain financially from its passage
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9. Nearly “everyone” opposes Prop. 10 including every major editorial board (the L.A. Times even called Prop 10 a “reprehensible scam”!); every major environmental group (Sierra Club, NRDC, CLCV, Environment California…) and it has united unlikely allies like the California Federation of Labor and California Chamber of Commerce.

10. Natural gas looks cheap now, but it won’t be for long under the Pickens Plan. The natural gas burned in power plants is bought by electricity generators at wholesale on the commodities market, but Pickens and McClendon want to sell that natural gas to motorists at retail. Plus, increasing demand for natural gas will certainly increase natural gas prices across the board.T. Boone Pickens recently dumped another $5 million of his personal fortune into feel-good ads promoting his “renewable... more

jperson
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28 days ago

Britain now world leader in offshore wind energy

Today Gordon Brown will tell the British Wind Energy Association conference in London that Britain is now a world leader in... more

ClareW
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29 days ago

Energy Economy Emerging in the United States

October 15, 2008 - 9

Copyright © 2008 Earth Policy Institute

New Energy Economy Emerging in the United States

Lester R. Brown

As fossil fuel prices rise, as oil insecurity deepens, and as concerns about climate change cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new energy economy is emerging in the United States. The old energy economy, fueled by oil, coal, and natural gas, is being replaced by one powered by wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The transition is moving at a pace and on a scale that we could not have imagined even a year ago.

Consider Texas. Long the leading oil-producing state, it is now also the leading generator of electricity from wind, having overtaken California two years ago. Texas now has nearly 6,000 megawatts of wind-generating capacity online and a staggering 39,000 megawatts in the construction and planning stages. When all this is completed, Texas will have 45,000 megawatts of wind-generating capacity (think 45 coal-fired power plants). This will more than satisfy the residential needs of the state’s 24 million people, enabling Texas to feed electricity to nearby states such as Louisiana and Mississippi.

After Texas and California, the other leaders among the 30 states with commercial-scale wind farms are Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, and Colorado. And other states are emerging as wind superpowers. Clipper Windpower and BP are teaming up to build the 5,050-megawatt Titan wind farm, the world’s largest, in eastern South Dakota. Already under development, Titan will generate five times as much electricity as the state’s 780,000 residents currently use. This project includes building a transmission line along an abandoned rail line across Iowa, feeding electricity into Illinois and the country’s industrial heartland.

Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz is developing a 2,000-megawatt wind farm in south central Wyoming. He already has secured the rights to build a 900-mile high-voltage transmission line to California. With this investment, the door will be opened to developing scores of huge wind farms in Wyoming, a wind-rich state with few people. Another transmission line under development will run north-south, linking eastern Wyoming’s wind resources with the fast-growing Colorado cities of Fort Collins, Denver, and Colorado Springs. Wind-rich Kansas and Oklahoma are looking to build a transmission line to the U.S. Southeast to export their wealth of cheap wind energy.

Continued in stream below... or at link above

October 15, 2008 - 9 Copyright © 2008 Earth Policy Institute New Energy Economy Emerging in the United States ... more

SeaJade
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1 month ago

Rock Port Wind

The small town of Rock Port, Missouri (pop. 1,300) is the first city in the US to be 100% powered by wind. The city's wind... more

Robbiefresh
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4 responses

1 month ago

Welcome to Pickens Plan

Welcome to Push.PickensPlan.com! We are a community of individuals who support reducing our nation’s dependence on... more

mykidscallmemom
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1 response

1 month ago

Home Energy Swedish style: Great balls...of wind?

Home Energy -- (a Swedish-company) revealed an innovative wind turbine that spins in a spherical formation. 'Eschewing... more

ilikepretty
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2 months ago

U.S. installed wind energy tops 20,000 megawatts

The American Wind Energy Association released today that the U.S. wind industry has surpassed the 20,000-megawatt (MW) installed capacity milestone, achieving in two years what had previously taken more than two decades (the 10,000-MW mark was reached in 2006). Wind now provides 20,152 MW of electricity generating capacity in the U.S., producing enough electricity to serve 5.3 million American homes or power a fleet of more than 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles.

“Wind energy installations are well ahead of the curve for contributing 20% of the U.S. electric power supply by 2030 as envisioned by the U.S. Department of Energy,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “However, the looming expiration of the federal renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) less than four months from now threatens this progress. The PTC has been a critical factor in wind’s very rapid growth as a part of the nation’s power portfolio.” The PTC is currently set to expire at the end of 2008.

Swisher and other wind industry leaders noted the 20,000-MW milestone from Minneapolis, where the Republican National Convention is currently being held. Joining Swisher in Minneapolis were AWEA President Jim Walker, of enXco, as well as officials from other leading companies in the wind industry, including Xcel Energy, Vestas Americas A/S, Renewable Energy Systems Americas, and Horizon Wind Power.

Xcel Energy, the host utility for both the Republican convention and the Democratic National Convention held last week in Denver, is providing sufficient wind-generated electricity from its system to power both events. A 131-foot wind turbine blade, which has been on display at both conventions, was manufactured by wind turbine maker Vestas at a U.S. blade factory.

The 20,000 MW of wind power installed in the U.S. today can generate as much electricity every year as 28.7 million tons of coal or 90 million barrels of oil. Wind generation currently displaces 34 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to taking 5.8 million vehicles off the road. A U.S. Department of Energy study released in May found that wind could provide 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030. At that level, wind power would support 500,000 jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as taking 140 million vehicles off the road.

The U.S. is now the world leader in wind electricity generation. While Germany has more generating capacity installed (about 23,000 MW), the U.S. is producing more electricity from wind because of its much stronger winds. AWEA expects over 7,500 MW of new wind capacity to be added in 2008, expanding America’s wind energy fleet by 45% and bringing total U.S. capacity to some 24,300 MW.

Although 20,000 MW is an important milestone, wind power provides just over 1.5% of the nation’s electricity, far below the potential identified by experts. Still, it is one of the fastest-growing electricity sources today, providing 35% of the total new capacity added in 2007 (second only to natural gas). The U.S. had 1,000 MW of wind power installed by 1985; 2,000 MW installed by 1999; and 5,000 MW by 2003. Its first 10,000 MW was installed by mid-2006.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report, wind power is capable of becoming a major contributor to America’s electricity supply over the next two decades. As an inexhaustible domestic resource, wind strengthens our energy security, improves the quality of the air we breathe, slows climate change, and revitalizes rural communities.The American Wind Energy Association released today that the U.S. wind industry has surpassed the 20,000-megawatt (MW) installed... more

MeganMcKenzie
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21 responses

2 months ago

Energy ball - a cheap and efficient wind turbine

As our dependence on fossil fuels will be reduced, we will need new ways of harnessing renewable energies. Actually, there are... more

goldenways
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4 responses

2 months ago

Appalachian Power signs long-term wind energy pact

American Electric Power subsidiary Appalachian Power has signed a long-term power purchase agreement for renewable wind energy with Beech Ridge Energy, a subsidiary of Invenergy Wind.
Through the 20-year agreement, Appalachian Power will purchase all of the output -- between 100 and 147 megawatts -- from the first phase of the planned 186-megawatt Beech Ridge Energy wind project currently under development in Greenbrier County, W.Va.

The wind farm is expected to be on line by March 31, 2010. The agreement is subject to approval from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia and extension for 2009 of the federal production tax credit for renewable energy. Pricing terms are confidential.

"Wind and other renewables are becoming an integral part of the diverse power generation mix necessary to meet our customers' electricity needs," said Michael G. Morris, AEP's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

"Adding these renewable generation resources, along with our plans for new baseload generation using clean coal and other technologies, positions us to continue to meet our customers' needs while also reducing our carbon footprint."

The new agreement is part of AEP's voluntary plans, announced in 2007, to add 1,000 megawatts of new wind energy by 2011 as a component of the company's comprehensive strategy to address its greenhouse gas emissions. The addition of wind capacity to AEP's energy portfolio avoids an increase in greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise occur if AEP used traditional fossil generation to meet growing customer demand.

"The agreement with Beech Ridge Energy brings our long-term renewable-energy purchase commitments up to 422 megawatts in the year since we established our 1,000-megawatt goal," Morris said. "We have additional requests for proposals out for up to 600 megawatts of renewable energy, so we are well on the way to meeting that goal.
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What could be more abundant and cheap than wind energy in Appalachia without the pollution? It sure isn't coal.American Electric Power subsidiary Appalachian Power has signed a long-term power purchase agreement for renewable wind energy... more

JanforGore
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8 responses

3 months ago

Wind, solar energy built on temporary tax breaks

Congress is putting the short-term future of renewable energy companies in jeopardy even as the presidential candidates and most lawmakers hail windmills, solar panels and biofuels as long-term solutions to high gasoline prices and global warming.

Some $500 million in investment and production tax credits will expire Dec. 31 unless Congress renews them. Without that help, solar and wind power companies say they will reverse planned expansions and, in many cases, cut payrolls and capital investment.

Investment tax credits, available to homeowners and businesses that invest in solar power equipment, and the production tax credit, based on kilowatt hours of energy produced by wind, geothermal, biomass and other renewables, are only two of dozens of temporary tax breaks that die out after a year or two if Congress does not revive them.

This year Congress is considering tax-extenders worth more than $50 billion over the next decade. The production tax credit would cost $7 billion and two solar investment credits would cost $2.7 billion over 10 years.

In addition to breaks for renewable energy and energy conservation, several dozen other tax breaks are targeted to businesses and individuals. They include people paying state and local sales taxes; parents with higher education tuition costs; and teachers with out-of-pocket expenses.

Almost all the provisions are popular. But Senate Republicans have blocked consideration of tax-extender plans by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. GOP lawmakers are protesting efforts to offset the costs with other taxes or other items attached to the proposals. In the House, conservative Democrats promise to block any extension that adds to the deficit.

Putting expiration dates on tax breaks is a useful budget gimmick for lawmakers seeking to mask the growing federal budget deficit.

Because they are set to expire at a certain date by law, they do not count as revenue losses after that date even though most people assume Congress eventually will act to extend them. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are the biggest extenders of all in this respect. Trillions of dollars will be added to the federal debt if Congress chooses to make them permanent after they are set to expire in 2010. Congress is putting the short-term future of renewable energy companies in jeopardy even as the presidential candidates and most... more

bshipp
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3 months ago

Texan bilionaire investing in wind energy.... New York Times Opinion

Published New York Times Opinion: July 22, 2008
T. Boone Pickens, the legendary wildcatter and corporate raider, has decided that drilling for more oil is not the answer to the nation’s energy problems. President Bush should listen to his fellow Texan and longtime political ally.

The 80-year-old Mr. Pickens does not oppose drilling. He’s been doing it for most of his life. Nor has he become a born-again eco-warrior (a conservative, he helped underwrite and made no apologies for the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry). But he knows something that his friends in the White House won’t acknowledge: that a nation holding less than 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves while guzzling 20 percent of the world’s production will never be able to drill its way out of its dependency on foreign oil.

He also considers it absolute madness — financially and in terms of national security — to be spending $700 billion every year on imported oil produced in volatile and in some cases hostile countries.

His answer is to develop wind power in states with steady, forceful winds (like Texas) and use it instead of natural gas to produce electricity (natural gas now generates about one-fifth of the power in the United States). He would then use the natural gas saved to fuel cars and trucks. He predicts that oil imports would drop by 40 percent and the country would save $300 billion a year.

There are, he concedes, obstacles. The country would need to rebuild the power grid to transmit wind energy from the Great Plains to consumers in the big population centers. It would need lots of service stations capable of selling natural gas. And automakers would need to produce cars that run on natural gas. There are about 8 million such vehicles in the world, but only 142,000 in the United States.

Mr. Pickens is putting his money where his ideas are, and in Texas he has begun assembling the pieces of a huge wind farm. He estimates the cost at $6 billion to $10 billion (his Mesa Power is the lead investor but his personal stake is unknown). He confidently forecasts that this wind farm and others like it will not only reduce the demand for oil but create thousands of construction and operating jobs.

Mr. Pickens concedes that people may suspect that his sudden enthusiasm for alternative energy is just another way “to make Boone Pickens rich.” But with at least $3 billion in the bank, he really doesn’t need the money anywhere near as much as the country needs alternative energy and new ideas.

Published New York Times Opinion: July 22, 2008 T. Boone Pickens, the legendary wildcatter and corporate raider, has decided that... more