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McConnell will ‘take a look’ at energy extenders in lame duck
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled yesterday that he’s open to extending expiring renewable energy tax credits during the lame-duck session of Congress. Asked if he was open to fixing what Democrats call a drafting error in last year’s end-of-the-year omnibus spending and tax deal, which extended the investment credit for solar but not other qualifying sources, McConnell responded “yes.” [ read more … ]
Offshore Wind Farms See Promise in Platforms That Float
Right now, almost all offshore wind turbines require fixed platforms built into the seafloor. Floating turbines, with anchors, would mean new flexibility in where wind farms could be placed, with potentially less impact on marine life — and less opposition from the human neighbors on shore. More than half of the United States’ potentially capturable offshore wind capacity — more than what the entire nation can now produce — is in deeper waters, said José Zayas, who directs the Wind Energy Technologies Office at the federal Department of Energy. Mr. Zayas predicts that floating platforms may come to outnumber fixed-foundation installations. The use of floating technologies, proponents say, could help overcome some obstacles that have deterred offshore wind farms. [ read more … ]
Offshore wind power part of a clean energy future
Offshore wind energy is a mature, proven technology that has the potential to supply clean energy to millions of Americans, despite the mischaracterizations in Dan Ervin’s Sept. 23 commentary. While offshore wind in the U.S. may be in the early stages of development, in Europe it has been reliably generating emission-free electricity for decades. There are currently memorandum of understanding to further the development of offshore wind power. That sort of collaboration, combined with American ingenuity, often leads to better products at lower costs. [ read more … ]
Is New York Ready for Solar Power?
Solar power in New York City may finally be having its moment. The number of residential projects across the five boroughs has risen to more than 5,300 this year from 186 in 2011, according to state officials, and there are another 1,900 in the pipeline. The solar boom has been prompted by a 70 percent drop in installation costs in recent years, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, along with the streamlining of government approvals and incentives. [ read more … ]
Tax credits aren’t enough to spur renewables, governors say
Although a long-term renewable energy tax credit policy is in place, a bipartisan group of 20 governors says that other policy and permitting issues still hinder wind and solar development. Expanding wind and solar energy production is one of the best ways to meet the nation’s energy needs, the Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition said in a recent letter to President Obama, but despite the renewable tax incentive the nation still has only one offshore wind project under construction, off the coast of Rhode Island. [ read more … ]
Clean energy technology costs tumbled since 2008 — report
The costs of five key clean energy technologies plunged by as much as 94 percent since President Obama took office, according to a report today from the Department of Energy. The annual “Revolution … Now” report assesses cost and deployment trends with wind turbines, utility-scale and rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the findings at a Washington, D.C., event yesterday.. [ read more … ]
Electric Vehicles May Get a Boost From OPEC Decision
Electric car makers may breath a sigh of relief from OPEC’s decision to curb oil output, which if it holds may help tilt the argument in favor of greener transport. Electric car sales stalled in the U.S. last year as gasoline prices fell 5.8 percent on average and demand for the motor fuel rose for the first time in six years. Rising oil prices, or even signs that the cost of gasoline won’t fall further, would help underpin the economic case for alternatives such as biofuels and electric cars, according to the International Energy Agency. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.