Last week, close to four thousand renewable energy professionals gathered in Austin, Texas to take part in the 7th Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo. Attendees took part in technical tours to places such as the Ercot Control Center and Austin Energy, conference sessions that covered pressing renewable energy topics and walked the show floor where more than 225 exhibitors showed off the latest renewable energy innovations.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has urged the state Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) to investigate the validity of claims by electric suppliers and generators about their reliance on renewable energy sources.
State law currently requires all electric suppliers and distributors — utilities and private retailers — to purchase a minimum percentage of renewable energy sources.
The current minimum requirement — set to increase over time — is that 7 percent of the companies’ energy come from “class I renewable (solar, fuel cells, run of river hydro, wind) and another 3 percent come from class II renewable (trash to energy, biomass).
Also in the New Haven Register:
State Attorney General Richard Blumental is asking state regulators to investigate the validity of claims electric suppliers and distributors are making about their use of renewable energy sources.
Blumenthal said this week he wants the state Department of Public Utility Control to look into whether suppliers are being truthful.
GE Energy Financial Services is making a $65 million preferred equity investment to fund construction of the CPV Keenan II wind farm, with an option to invest $100 million more in partnership equity upon commencement of commercial operations. CPV Renewable Energy Company — an affiliate of Competitive Power Ventures, Inc. — plans to begin construction this month of the 152-megawatt wind farm, 12 miles southwest of Woodward, Oklahoma. The project is scheduled for completion by year’s end.
Crane power and man power began installation in Fair Haven Monday morning of the largest wind powered turbine in Connecticut. Crews hoisted into place the first of the three sections of the tower on the waterside property of Phoenix Press near the cul de sac where James Street meets the Quinnipiac River.
One of the big issues facing hydrogen is just where we’re supposed to fill the cars that might run on the stuff. SunHydro, a Connecticut company, is answering that question on the East Coast with plans for a “hydrogen highway” that will extend from Portland, Maine to southern Florida.
COHOES — The Cohoes City School District was awarded a $309,821 New York State Energy Research and Development Authority grant which will be used to fund the installation of a solar panel system, officials said Tuesday.
Alteris Renewables Incorporated, with offices in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Albany, will install the panels. They will also provide training for familiarizing the faculty with the system and will provide a free solar electric talk for interested classes.
Zero emission cars, fork-lift vehicles, new fuel cell power units and hydrogen production technology that will provide green energy, green jobs, and a green planet are all part of the Expo for the annual NHA Hydrogen Conference that is coming to Long Beach, CA, in May.
The National Hydrogen Association (NHA) will hold the 21st edition of the NHA Hydrogen Conference & Expo from May 3 – 6, 2010 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Real estate developers who aim to incorporate renewable energy into their projects — energy from solar, wind, hydrogen, geothermal, and similar sources — face complicated legal and financial challenges. The 17th Gallivan Conference will consider how Connecticut can increase the use of renewable energy in real estate development projects. Speakers will identify the state’s most significant legal barriers to on-site renewable energy, analyze successful programs in other states, and address the needs of various stakeholders.
Trumbull-based Ocean and Coastal Consultants Inc. will be managing a South Carolina project to investigate whether winds off the Atlantic Ocean can support a wind farm there. OCCI will have about three people from its office dedicated to the Palmetto Wind Research Project, with workers from other divisions of its parent company, the COWI Group of Denmark, also involved.
Providence (AP) – National Grid struck a 20-year deal with wind developer Deepwater Wind that will help a small proposed wind project off the coast of Rhode Island move forward, Gov. Don Carcieri announced Wednesday.
Renewable-energy investment may climb to a record $200 billion worldwide next year as companies from Hong Kong’s CLP Holdings Ltd. to American Electric Power Co. start projects that don’t depend on a new climate-change treaty.
STAMFORD — The new 882-panel solar power system on the roof of Rippowam Middle School is one of the largest school installations in Connecticut and is expected to generate 15 percent of the Rippowam school’s electricity.
For the next 20 years, it is also expected to reduce the school electricity costs by $8,000, The Norwalk Advocate reported. That number is projected to grow to $40,000 after the end of the city’s contract with Allco/SunEdison, which installed and operates the system.
An executive order is paving the way for many electric cars to take to the streets. Gov. M. Jodi Rell issued Executive Order No. 34 on Nov. 12, which provides for the integration of electric cars into the state’s transportation system.
A new Electric Vehicles Infrastructure Council was established by the order. The council was commissioned to study issues that will affect owners of electric cars, including the cost of electricity and locations of fueling stations.
Almost the entire country west of the Mississippi River and parts of the East coast (a total of 31 states) can serve all their electricity needs with in-state renewable power. Every state could reach its current renewable energy mandate with homegrown renewable resources. This October 2009 report expands and updates a similar report done in 2008.
While coal consumption is expected to climb more than 3% annually for the next two decades, the government has also required that electrical companies add a significant amount of alternative energy to their portfolios. With the global economy languishing, China — which is not only the world’s most populous country, but also the most polluted — offers the promise that its green-energy drive can become a major source of demand for international wind and solar companies.
As we are all aware from last year’s high energy costs, we still remain at the mercy of the ever-changing markets. Moreover, during what is arguably the worst economy since the ’30s, Connecticut must rethink its future and economic possibilities. We, as a state, must also combine our resources and recognize the possibilities that exist and remove those that have no promise. Fred Camillo is a member of the state House of Representatives from Greenwich’s 151st District.
BRIDGEPORT, CT – Bridgeport’s emerging green collar economy will be the topic of discussion during the Green Market Exposition taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Barnum Museum, 820 Main St., Bridgeport. http://www.greenmarketexposition. org
SEE YOU THERE!!!
The Green Market Exposition will look at local sustainability and feature speakers and resources on green jobs, green job training, local green businesses, eco-friendly products, and provide information about sustainable living.
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch will kick off the event at 10 a.m. A presentation by Susan Giordano of Alternative Global Energy, will follow.
THOMASTON — Looking to bring clean, efficient and cost effective energy to the area, First Selectman Maura Martin said that the town is currently listening to a plan to use the Thomaston Dam to do just that. Martin said that Hoon Won of Resilient Energy, LLC in Greenwich recently attended a selectmen’s meeting to discuss the possibility of the Dam becoming a hydropower site.
Middlebury, Vt. – Middlebury College used to heat its buildings with oil, then switched to wood chips. Now it has planted a sustainable and relatively cheap fuel source – willow shrubs -that could help cut demand on the state’s forests.
CROMWELL — The co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee told business leaders from around the state Wednesday that he is opposed to bringing in renewable energy sources from out of state to meet goals set for the year 2020, the New Haven Register reported.
State Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, equated bringing wind and hydropower from northern New England and Canada to meet Connecticut’s renewable energy goals to “buying oil from Saudi Arabia.”
From CT Environmental Headlines :::
“Connecticut absolutely should prioritize local clean energy solutions such as energy efficiency and in-state renewable generation,” said Christopher Phelps, Program Director with Environment Connecticut. “These are the cheapest and quickest ways to build a clean energy economy in Connecticut.”
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Almost the entire country west of the Mississippi River and parts of the East coast (a total of 31 states) can serve all their electricity needs with in-state renewable power. Every state could reach its current renewable energy mandate with homegrown renewable resources. This 
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