Waste-to-energy fuels mayoral race

Waste-to-energy fuels mayoral race

Staten Island City Councilman Jimmy Oddo last week said his campaign against a potential waste-to-energy plant on Staten Island was aimed not only at the Bloomberg administration but also at “the cadre of folks running for mayor.” Some potential candidates appear to be listening.

The first strike came yesterday from Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.

“Putting a waste-to-energy plant on the site of the world's largest landfill would set us back to square one,” de Blasio said in a press release. “Fresh Kills and other environmentally burdened sites are not the place to experiment with untested technology.”

After inquiries from the Insider, three other mayoral wannabes responded in similar fashion. All supported new ways to deal with the city's garbage. All sympathized with the concerns of Staten Islanders over using Fresh Kills as a guinea pig.

Comptroller John Liu committed to attending an April 26 rally against the project: “Any project of this size and scope should take into account the community's concerns, but that seems to have been an afterthought at best,” a spokesman said.

Democratic candidate Tom Allon went beyond Staten Island: The city should make sure it does not “burden any residential neighborhoods of the city—including the proposed transfer stations in Queens and the Upper East Side near Asphalt Green.”

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, hedging slightly, said Staten Islanders had a “right to feel concerned ... The history of the island is littered with broken promises and decades of environmental degradation.”

Bill Thompson's campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did City Council Speaker Christine Quinn—the one official whose opposition would effectively stop the Bloomberg administration's from putting a plant there.

The Bloomberg administration says it wants to build a demonstration plant within 80 miles of the city, but highlighted the former landfill as a possible location.

A democratic insider said the issue was low-hanging fruit, considering Staten Islanders across the political spectrum opposed the idea: “Whether it's borough politics or environmental science, this is an issue where everything lined up.”


Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120412/INS/120419968#ixzz1rrRilv35

US tops global clean energy investment rankings

12 April 2012 Last updated at 04:11 ET

US tops global clean energy investment rankings

By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News

Global solar generation capacity increased by almost 30 gigawatts in 2011

 

The US has regained top spot from China as the biggest investor in clean energy in 2011, according to global rankings.

The table, published in a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts, showed that US invested more than $48bn (£30bn) in the sector, up from $34bn in 2010.

China slipped to second place, the authors reported, with investment only increasing by $0.5bn to $45.5bn.

Globally, overall financial backing in clean energy technologies hit a record $263bn, up 6.5% from 2010 levels.

The report, Who is Winning the Clean Energy Race, showed that G20 nations accounted for 95% of the investment in the sector (which does not include nuclear power).

The data, compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, ranked the UK as seventh in the world, with $9.4bn of investment in 2011.

Over the course of the year, an additional 83.5 gigawatts (GW) was added to the world's clean energy generation capacity, including almost 30GW of solar and 43GW of wind.

"The sector continues to expand and is outpacing growth in the overall (global) economy. The sector reached its trillionth dollar of investment last year," observed Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew's Clean Energy Program.

"We now have 565GW of installed (generation) capacity around the world. That outstrips nuclear installed capacity by 47%.

"So I think the facts fly in the face of those individuals who say this is a niche industry. This a growing and maturing sector."

Continue reading the main story

Global clean-energy generation capacity

• 565 gigawatts (GW) TOTAL
• 184 GW - small hydro
• 73 GW - solar
• 57 GW - biomass and waste-to-energy
• 11 GW - geothermal
• 0.6 GW - marine

(December 2011; source: Pew/Bloomberg)

She said market data showed that the US benefited in the short-term from attracting finances, however it was unlikely to be sustained.

"Investors rushed in to take advantage of expiring policies, such as tax incentives, loan guarantees, which expired at the end of 2011," Ms Cuttino told BBC News.

"So when we look at the very rapid rate of growth in investment here in the US, it is hard to see how that could be maintained without the policy mechanism that spurred that growth."

She suggested that there were signs that pointed towards a "drop off" in future clean energy investment as a result of "policy uncertainty".

Top 10 nations in clean energy investment
(Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance; February 2012)
Rank	Nation	Investment in 2011 ($bn)	Investment in 2010 ($bn)
1	United States	48.1	33.7
2	China	45.5	45.0
3	Germany	30.6	32.1
4	Italy	28.0	20.2
5	Rest of EU-27	11.1	15.2
6	India	10.2	6.6
7	UK	9.4	7.0
8	Japan	8.6	7.0
9	Spain	8.6	6.9
10	Brazil	8.0	6.9

China in previous years, on the other hand, had enjoyed rapid year-on-year growth, but it only recorded a 0.5% increase during 2011.

Ms Cuttino said this was probably a result of the sector within the country maturing.

"The thing that is noticeable about China is that they are world leaders in terms of attracting asset finance, which is a measure of job creation and deploying renewables.

"This means they are really reaping the rewards of attracting a certain class of investment.

"They have a policy that not only attracts investment and deploys renewables, but actually manufacturers and exports as well.

Ms Cuttino said that all eyes would be on the Chinese during the coming 12 months because it had increase it target for solar generating capacity from 20GW by 2020 to 50GW by 2020.

"So it is going to be a good location for investment, as solar incentives decline in the US and Europe," she added

press release

April 9, 2012, 3:12 p.m. EDT

The City of Milwaukee and Johnson Controls Partner to Make City More Energy Efficient

Innovative citywide program removes many financial barriers to projects, while creating jobs, reducing pollution and improving property values

MILWAUKEE, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A major initiative that promises to make Milwaukee one of the most energy-efficient cities in the nation has been launched by the city and Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls.
Last spring, the city's Office of Environmental Sustainability started Milwaukee Energy Efficiency -- or Me2 -- with goals of reducing pollution, creating hundreds of private-sector green jobs, reducing energy bills and improving the commercial building and housing stock.
This community-wide effort is being accomplished without the use of any local government funds or subsidies. The innovative Me2 Clean Energy Financing Program leverages funds that it received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide up to $60 million in enhanced private-sector financing for building owners. Me2 helps to link property owners to energy contractors and private lenders, while eliminating significant upfront costs associated with efficiency projects that are then paid for from savings resulting from reduced energy use.
Johnson Controls, the global leader in delivering solutions that increase energy efficiency in buildings, is working with the city and property owners on these programs. The company has extensive experience in building efficiency upgrades and has led or participated in numerous retrofit projects throughout the world including the iconic Empire State Building in New York City where the building is expected to decrease energy use by 38 percent and save $4.4 million per year.
Iain Campbell, vice president and general manager, Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls, praised Milwaukee's leaders for their dedication and decisive actions to support energy-efficiency projects that will have long-lasting impacts on the city.
"The city of Milwaukee has created a program that will lead the nation and serve as a model for other cities to promote and help enable widespread private-sector energy efficiency," he said. "These projects will bring Milwaukee tremendous benefits at no cost to local taxpayers."
The first Me2 project has already been launched at The Newport, a co-op project located at 1620 N. Prospect Avenue. Johnson Controls is implementing the removal of existing heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and replacing them with more energy-efficient equipment. A new building automation system will also be installed to control the HVAC equipment that serves the building, including common areas such as the entrance foyer, parking garage, basement and hallways.
The efficiency upgrades are expected to save The Newport more than $48,000 in annual energy costs once Johnson Controls completes the project this spring.
"This is an excellent example of the type of project that the city had in mind when it formed Me2," said Erick Shambarger, deputy director for the Milwaukee Office of Environmental Sustainability. "We expect the Me2 initiative will lead to the start of many more energy-efficiency projects within the year."
For more information on Me2, visit www.smartenergypays.com/businesses
Other cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C., have either begun or are planning to implement similar programs.
About Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 162,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful. In 2011, Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Johnson Controls as the #1 company in its annual "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com
SOURCE Johnson Controls
Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

Energy Efficiency at Zero Upfront Cost

Energy Efficiency at Zero Upfront Cost

Posted on April 11th, 2012

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/04/09/energy-efficiency-at-zero-upfront-cost/

Energy Efficiency at Zero Upfront Cost

Eric Woodroof
Founder
Profitable Green Solutions

Financing Options that Allow for Immediate Simple Payback

It is no secret in today’s stormy economy… cash flow is tight in businesses and organizations. For many, it has been a downward spiral of spending more on operations and being further unable to upgrade systems. However, there are ways to “turn the ship around” and head out of the storm. Although cash flow constraints delay about a third of good energy management projects from getting implemented, this article describes financing mechanisms that can allow your projects to get implemented…now. Plus, at the end of the article is a link to a free webinar that will show you much more. This free webinar was part of a paid webinar series in 2010 and has over an hour of useful financing information.

Why?

If your company doesn’t have the upfront capital to fund an energy project, you could finance the project (just like your home mortgage) so that the implementation costs are spread out over time and this cost per year is less than your savings cash flow. Financing does not have to be complicated. In fact, financing energy efficiency/green projects can be very similar to your mortgage or car payment with fixed payments for a length of time. The big difference is that your car will not “save” you money like an energy project, which might have a 25 percent return on investment. Even if you pay 15 percent interest, you are still saving more money than the finance payments, which means the project becomes “cash flow positive” and does not impact the capital budget. This can allow your CFO to move forward without sacrificing any other budget line item. Unfortunately, when presented with financing options, a common reaction is to hesitate as people don’t like to enter into long-term contracts or pay an additional financing cost to a lender. However, with many energy management projects, the cost of financing is usually less than the cost of delay. Plus, if you do finance the project, the simple payback is effectively zero.

Table 1 below shows the cash flow for a non-financed project. Assume the project costs $100,000 and saves $28,000 per year for 15 years. This project could get approved IF the client has $100,000 in cash to fund it. The project has a Net Present Value of $ 102,700 and an Internal Rate of Return of 27 percent.

·         Table 1- Project Cash Flow (paid with Cash)

Now, let’s look at financing the project with a simple loan. Let’s say the client finances the $100,000 for 15 years at 10 percent per year. That means that instead of investing $100,000 upfront (the bank provides these funds), the client pays $13,147 each year to the bank for 15 years. At the end of 15 years, the bank loan is paid off (just like a mortgage or car payment). To keep this simple, ignore interest tax deductions as well as depreciation- which would likely improve the financial benefits even further.

Table 2- Financed Project Cash Flow

In this case, the project generates $14,853 each year for the client. Because there is no upfront investment required, the IRR value becomes infinity, or you could say that the project’s simple payback is immediate.

Beyond the benefits of financing, there are also ways to get free money for certain types of projects. There are utility rebates, tax refunds, credits, and other sources of free money that will improve a project’s financial return. Here are some useful websites that allow you to see utility and tax benefits in your state:

www.dsireusa.org

www.energytaxincentives.org

www.lightingtaxdeduction.org

An Example:

Let’s walk through a typical project’s approval process. Assume you have developed an energy project that will have a simple payback of 4 years, but the equipment (and savings) will last for 15 years. The “do nothing” alternative is the most frequent competitor for energy project funding. This phenomenon is totally normal as most bosses will pause before funding a project to be sure that they are getting the best return on investment among all their investment possibilities. However, many people forget that with energy projects- every moment of “pause” means that more money is being thrown away on unnecessary wasted energy… and you can never recover those wasted funds.

One additional benefit that is often not presented is that many energy management projects, the Internal Rate of Return can be greater than company’s profit margin. In this scenario, you can make a good argument for approving the project, as this will further improve raise the company’s profits.

Eric A. Woodroof, Ph.D., is the founder of Profitable Green Solutions, and is completely committed to helping businesses and organizations “go green,” while improving profits. His clients include government agencies, airports, utilities, cities, universities and foreign governments. Private clients include IBM, Pepsi, GM, Verizon, Hertz, Visteon, JP Morgan-Chase, and Lockheed Martin. For further exploration into financing techniques, such as loans, bonds, leases and performance contracting mechanisms, click here to watch a free recorded webinar.

Energy Department Offers up to $15 Million for Biomass Fuel Supplements

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy News

A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The EERE Network News is also available on the Web at: www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm April 11, 2012 News and Events Energy Department Offers up to $15 Million for Biomass Fuel Supplements Interior Department Announces Next Steps for Atlantic Offshore Energy Transportation Department Awards $13.1 Million for Green Transit California Commits $100 Million to Build EV-Charging Stations GSA Slates 30 Federal Buildings for Deep Energy Retrofits Energy Blog Announcing $4 Million for Wireless EV Charging

News and Events Energy Department Offers up to $15 Million for Biomass Fuel Supplements The Energy Department announced on April 6 up to $15 million is available to demonstrate biomass-based oil supplements that can be blended with petroleum. Known as "bio-oils," these precursors for completely renewable transportation fuels could be integrated into the oil refining processes that make conventional gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels without requiring modifications to existing fuel distribution networks or engines. The goal is to help reduce U.S. use of foreign oil and diversify the nation's energy portfolio. The Energy Department expects to fully fund between five and ten projects in fiscal year 2012 to produce bio-oil prototypes that can be tested in oil refineries and used to develop comprehensive technical and economic analyses of how bio-oils could work. The prototype bio-oils will be produced from a range of feedstocks. Domestic industry, universities, and laboratories are all eligible to apply. The results will inform future efforts directed at advancing bio-oil technologies and bringing these renewable fuels to market. See the Energy Department press release and the funding opportunity announcement. Interior Department Announces Next Steps for Atlantic Offshore Energy The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced on March 28 that DOI is taking steps to assess the conventional and renewable energy resource potential in the Mid- and South Atlantic. The draft programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) released for public comment will help inform future decisions about whether, and if so where, leasing would be appropriate. This milestone advances BOEM's regionally tailored approach to Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) exploration and development, which stresses the importance of better understanding resource potential in the Mid- and South Atlantic. The draft PEIS assesses proposed geological and geophysical activities, including seismic and other offshore surveys, in the Mid- and South-Atlantic planning areas. The PEIS also evaluates the potential environmental effects of multiple geological and geophysical activities in these OCS planning areas and, where needed, outlines mitigation and monitoring measures that will reduce or eliminate potential impacts. A variety of techniques is also used to understand the potential to site renewable energy structures and locate marine mineral resources such as sand and gravel. BOEM also uses geological and geophysical information to fulfill its statutory responsibilities to oversee the safety of offshore operations; support environmental impact analyses and protect the environment; ensure receipt of fair market value for leased federal lands; and conserve oil and gas resources. See the DOI press release and the draft PEIS. Transportation Department Awards $13.1 Million for Green Transit The U.S. Department of Transportation on April 2 awarded $13.1 million to fund 11 innovative research and demonstration projects under the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) National Fuel Cell Bus Program. The program advances hydrogen fuel cell power for transit buses and is designed to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and promote cleaner air. The funds are shared by three consortia: Calstart in Pasadena, California; the Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium in Boston, Massachusetts. The projects will directly impact organizations and municipalities in seven states, including California, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina. All three consortia will engage in work to develop various fuel cell components, test U.S.-made buses under real-world conditions powered by fuel cells, and conduct educational outreach. According to DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the FTA, every fuel cell-powered bus put into service in the United States could reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by 100 tons annually and eliminate the need for 9,000 gallons of fuel every year over the life of the vehicle. For buses currently running on diesel fuel, that translates into a savings of more than $37,000 per year, per vehicle. See the Transportation Department press release and the project descriptions . California Commits $100 Million to Build EV-Charging Stations A new initiative in California will increase the infrastructure for EVs. Credit: DOE, Charles Watkins California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. joined with the California Public Utilities Commission on March 23 to announce a $100 million dollar fund for the construction of a statewide network of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs). The plan calls for at least 200 public fast-charging stations and another 10,000 plug-in units at 1,000 locations across the state. The funds come from a $120 million settlement with NRG Energy, Inc. that stems from ten-year-old claims during the state's energy crisis. The settlement did not involve EVs. The network of charging stations funded by the settlement will be installed in the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Los Angeles Basin, and San Diego County. The goal is to support cleaner air and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Governor Brown also announced that he has signed an executive order laying the foundation for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California's roadways by 2025. In January, the California Air Resources Board voted to require the largest automakers to derive 15%, or about 1.4 million, of their annual California sales from EVs or other zero- or near-zero emissions vehicles by 2025. See the executive order and the governor's press release. GSA Slates 30 Federal Buildings for Deep Energy Retrofits The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) on March 22 announced that 30 of its federal buildings, totaling nearly 117 million square feet, are participating in a challenge to achieve deep energy savings. The Deep Retrofit Challenge is asking energy service companies to make these buildings more energy efficient using energy service performance contracts (ESPCs). Retrofit projects at these buildings will contribute to the goals of a presidential memorandum on implementing energy savings projects and performance-based contracting. In December 2011, President Obama directed federal agencies to enter into at least $2 billion in performance-based contracts over the next two years to achieve substantial energy savings and create jobs. Through the Deep Retrofit Challenge, GSA is asking energy service companies to provide the maximum energy performance savings possible for each of the participating buildings. GSA will learn with the energy service companies how best to achieve maximum energy savings through technology adoption, process improvements, and risk management, and will share that knowledge with both the rest of the federal government and the private sector. At no net cost to taxpayers, ESPCs retrofit buildings for guaranteed greater energy performance. The retrofit projects are paid for through energy savings over time. An ESPC is an agreement between a federal agency and an energy service company. The energy service company conducts a comprehensive energy audit for the federal facility and identifies improvements to save energy. Sixteen energy services companies are pre-approved by and under contract with DOE to bid on these projects. The energy service companies consult with GSA on the designs, construct projects that meet GSA's needs, and arrange the necessary funding. And, the energy service company guarantees that the improvements will generate energy cost savings sufficient to pay for the project over the term of the contract. After the capital is paid back, any additional cost savings accrue to GSA. See the GSA press release.

Announcing $4 Million for Wireless EV Charging Imagine being able to charge an electric vehicle—on the go or at home—without ever having to plug in. A new funding opportunity from the Energy Department seeks to accomplish just that. We're announcing up to $4 million to develop wireless chargers for electric vehicles (EVs). This funding opportunity is made available through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program. EV wireless charging has the potential to accelerate the adoption of EVs—by making them more convenient for consumers to charge, whether they’re at home or away, and to reduce the total energy storage requirements of EVs, unlocking the benefits of lighter and smaller battery packs, lighter vehicles, higher efficiency and longer ranges. Read the complete story in the Energy Department's Energy Blog.

Follow EERE on Facebook This newsletter is funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and is also available on the EERE Web site. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact the editor, Ernie Tucker. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support@govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). Visit the Web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov.

Guardian Glass Spreading Across Solar Value Chain in CSP, PV, and BIPV

A respected and immense glass manufacture makes a commitment to solar products across all sectors.

Eric Wesoff: April 5, 2012

Solar products from flat PV (photovoltaic) modules to CSP (concentrated solar power) mirrors to the ever-and-always emerging BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics) sector will be using glass in their bill of materials (BoM) for the foreseeable future. Flexible solar in a non-glass encapsulant might have its place in the market someday, but for now it is a tiny piece of the market.
Guardian Industries builds glass for the automotive and building industries. The firm was on the Forbes Top 100 Private Companies list recently, with $4.48 billion in 2009 revenues and 18,000 employees across the globe. I spoke with a few grizzled veterans in the building trade and heard only respectful views of the firm.
So when Guardian takes notice of a market like solar and makes a variety of glasses for a range of solar sub-sectors -- it's a good sign that solar has hit a respectable size.
Here's a rundown of some of Guardian's activity in solar:

• BrightSource Energy's 392-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California's Mojave desert will be using mirrors from Guardian. (We've covered BrightSource at length and will report on their forthcoming April 11 IPO.) Guardian began shipping the first of 160,000 of its Solar Boost mirrors to ISEGS in November 2011. The mirrors have to withstand desert temperature swings and conditions while providing extreme reflectivity.
• Guardian and Israel-based Pythagoras Solar are collaborating to manufacture and sell a solar PV window, meant to replace standard vision and spandrel glass or skylights. Pythagoras will provide production-ready units to Guardian which will perform the final assembly. The startup has found a strong partner in Guardian but the building materials and window business is a ruthless and difficult one in which to innovate (see the saga of Serious Materials). Pythagoras cites a total market for BIPV glass "estimated to reach $6.4 billion in revenues in 2016," but that number is hallucinatory in the view of this reporter.
• Guardian also provides float glass and patterned glass in a variety of flavors for a range of PV absorber materials; low-iron float glass to maximize solar transmission, molybdenum-coated glass to optimize the conductive characteristics of PV panels using copper indium sulfide (CIS) and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells, and coated glass designed to optimize the conductive characteristics of PV panels using CdTe solar cells.

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GTM's Solar Summit includes sessions: "Lowering the PV Cost Curve: Looking Past Polysilicon" and "Technology Innovators in PV Manufacturing" which address the PV materials and Bill of Materials topics. Click here for event information.