New Jersey Enacts Law to Boost Offshore Wind Industry
On August 19, New Jersey enacted the "Offshore Wind Economic Development Act, which offers financial incentives for siting wind turbines off the state’s coast.
Developers will receive offshore renewable energy certificates for approved projects that generate 1110 MW. The law also grants up to $100 million in tax credits and financial assistance to firms that build wind turbines, their components, or water access facilities. The state used a similar approach to encourage PV solar installations and is now second only to California in solar energy production.
The NJ Board of Public Utilities will determine a process for utilities to buy offshore renewable energy certificates from commercial offshore wind farms. State statutes require NJ get 22.5% of its electricity from renewables by 2021. See the press release from Governor Chris Christie and the full text of the bill (PDF 183 KB).
In June, New Jersey and nine other East Coast states signed a MOU with the U.S. Department of Interior to create the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium. The goal of the consortium is to promote the development of wind resources on the Outer Continental Shelf along the East Coast, by coordinating state and federal efforts relating to permitting activities, environmental studies, technical and financial barriers, and the infrastructure needed to deploy and maintain offshore wind power plants. See the June 16 edition of EERE Network News.
Hawaii and Nissan Agree to EV Partnership
Hawaii and Nissan North America announced a partnership on August 31 to promote development of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging networks throughout the state.
The Nissan Leaf EV, powered by lithium-ion batteries, will be available in Hawaii beginning in January 2011. Nissan says the partnership is its first such agreement in the US. State officials note this was part of a strategy begun in 2008, when it launched the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative in conjunction with DOE. The initiative aims to have at least 70% of Hawaii’s power come from clean energy by 2030.
Hawaii offers a $4,500 state tax credit towards the purchase of an EV and a $500 rebate towards the purchase and installation of a home charging station. The Leaf, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $32,780, could sell for as little as $20,780 after state and federal credits.
Nissan isn’t the only EV manufacturer targeting Hawaii. CODA Automotive announced on September 2 that it intends to distribute its CODA Sedan EV there by the third quarter of 2011. The five-passenger car is powered by a 33.8-kWh, lithium-ion battery and has a 120-mile range. See press releases from Nissan and CODA, as well as the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative Web site.
DOE Announces $8.5 Million for Solar Grid Integration
On September 7, DOE announced that its Sandia National Lab would invest $8.5 million in four projects that have reached Stage III of the Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) program.
SEGIS contractors will match these investments by more than one-to-one for a total of over $20 million for the projects. The awards follow the first two SEGIS stages, and awardees were selected for having the highest likelihood of commercialization.
A range of strategies are represented in the four projects. The Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida will focus on a larger shared inverter serving multiple residential or commercial PV systems. The Florida demonstration will feature a suite of new functionalities such as smart grid power controls, continued operation in the event of voltage and frequency disturbances, and improved safety of PV systems.
Petra Solar of South Plainfield, New Jersey, will partner with utilities in Florida, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. to boost system reliability and safety with low cost modular inverters. Also in New Jersey, Princeton Power will lead a project to complete a design for a 100 kW demand response inverter based on its unique circuit designs and the use of new state-of-the-art components.
And in Oregon, PV Powered will spearhead an effort that includes partners in South Dakota, Washington, and Oregon to further next-generation controls and advanced communications technologies that enable distributed PV systems to communicate with power utilities. See the DOE press release and the SEGIS Web site.
Two U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Consortia Selected
DOE announced on September 2 that it selected two consortia to participate in joint clean energy research between the US and China. President Obama and President Hu Jintao formally announced the establishment of the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) during the President’s trip to China last November.
DOE allocated $25 million over the next five years, which will be matched by the grantees and China for a total of $100 million.
The University of Michigan consortium will work to advance clean vehicles, and West Virginia University consortium will develop technologies for carbon capture and sequestration.
The University of Michigan consortium includes Ohio State University, MIT, DOE’s Sandia and Oak Ridge National Labs, the Joint BioEnergy Institute, which is led by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Chrysler, Cummins, Fraunhofer, MAGNET, A123 Systems, American Electric Power, FirstEnergy, and the Transportation Research Center.
Another $12.5 million to a third winning consortium focused on building energy efficiency will be made this fall. See the DOE press release.
Nevada Geothermal Project Gets DOE Loan Guarantee
DOE announced on September 7 a partial guarantee for a $98.5 million loan to the 49.5 MW Blue Mountain "Faulkner 1" geothermal project in northwestern Nevada.
The project consists of a geothermal well field along with fluid collection and injection systems that enable energy to be extracted from rock and fluid below the Earth’s surface. The project has a 20-year power purchase agreement to sell electricity and renewable energy credits to Nevada Geothermal Power, Inc.
The loan guarantee was issued under DOE’s Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP), which is supported by the Recovery Act. FIPP is designed to expedite the loan guarantee process for renewable energy generation projects that use commercial technologies. It also helps to expand credit capacity for financing of U.S. renewable energy projects.
In a FIPP financing, DOE provides a partial guarantee for up to 80% of a loan provided to a renewable energy project by qualified financial institutions. DOE has now either issued loan guarantees or offered conditional commitments for loan guarantees to support 14 clean energy projects. See press releases from DOE and Nevada Geothermal, as well as the Loan Guarantee Program Web site.
DOE, USDA to Develop Better Bioenergy Plants
DOE and the USDA announced an $8.9 million award for a joint genetic breeding program that will create plants better suited for bioenergy production.
DOE’s genome-scale technologies and USDA’s experience in crop improvement will be leveraged to accelerate development of specialized perennials, including trees and other nonfood plants, and to improve their effectiveness as feedstocks for biofuels production.
DOE’s Office of Science will contribute $6.9 million for seven projects and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will award $2 million to two projects.
The projects, supported for up to three years, will search for long-range solutions. For example, Texas A&M University will work to identify the genetic and biochemical basis for increasing yield and to improve the composition of high-biomass cellulosic energy sorghum. Once genotypes are analyzed, scientists can create better bioenergy grasses.
At the University of Illinois, researchers will examine the role of small RNA molecules in biomass production. In particular, they will study how RNA regulates cellulose and lignin, which make up most of the next-generation biofuel crops. The findings could help enrich the energy potential of crops such as miscanthus, switchgrass, and prairie cordgrass. See the DOE press release and the joint DOE-USDA Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy research program Web site.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
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