News

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced a new Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, which is focused on boosting American manufacturing of cleaner energy technologies and boosting U.S. competitiveness through major improvements in manufacturing energy productivity. Advanced Energy Economy has issued the following statement on the new program: 

Sapphire Energy announced that it has entered into an agreement with Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company. LLC to purchase Sapphire's Green Crude. The biofuels will come from Sapphire's refining facility in New Mexico. The Green Crude is produced by converting wet algae to crude oil. MarketWatch reports:

Orlando, Florida is offering its residents the opportunity to back a community solar project in return for rates locked in for the next quarter century. The typical electricity bill in Orlando currently stands somewhere between 10 and 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. The community solar project is offering a rate of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour that is locked in for the next 25 years and offers the option of solar power to communities that wouldn't otherwise be able to invest in solar-- people who rent their homes or simply live in an area with too many trees. The Orlando Utilities Commission expects its solar array to generate about 540,000 kilowatt-hours per year. 

New Jersey and Arizona see surges in solar power generation. New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities announced that the state had generated 1 gigawatt of installed solar capacity. This makes New Jersey only the third state to reach 1 GW of solar, after California and Arizona. NJ.com reports:

Proving Texas isn't the only state with strong winds perfect for wind energy generation, Iowa set a wind generation record in 2012. Wind-generated electricity made up more than 24 percent of Iowa's total electricity generation in 2012. South Dakota generated 23.9 percent of its total electricity from wind, and other midwestern states like Kansas and Oklahoma weren't far behind. Fierce Energy reports on the overall wind power picture:

President Obama reiterated his commitment to advanced energy, releasing specifics on a proposed energy security trust fund he first introduced in his February State of the Union address.  In a speech at Argonne National Laboratory last Friday and in hisweekly address, the President sized the trust at $2 billion in support for advanced energy over 10 years, with funds derived from a portion of federal oil and gas royalty revenues.  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), ranking minority member of the Senate’s energy committee, has also proposed such a trust, funded by expansion of drilling in areas now considered off limits. AEE CEO Graham Richard responded in support of the President’s proposal as optimizing federal resources to drive innovation and commercialization of new energy technologies rather than subsidize mature technologies.  

The following op-ed written by AEE CEO Graham Richard was featured in The Hill’s Congress Blog. To find out more about AEE's Federal Budget and Tax Reform Program, click here.

Britain's power generation capacity is aging, and the country expects to have to replace or update its nine aging nuclear plants over the next decade. One first step along that process is a new nuclear power plant, just approved for Hinkley Point in southwest England. The New York Times reports:

First session brought together advanced energy and utility executives to address challenges to rapid adoption of innovative energy technologies

Advanced Energy Economy CEO Graham Richard commented today on the release of more details around President Obama’s proposed energy security trust, which would provide $2 billion over 10 years for advanced energy research:

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Transatomic Power is developing a nuclear reactor that could cut the cost of a nuclear power plant by as much as 50%. The reactor would be an "updated" molten-salt reactor, which are resistant to meltdowns. First demonstrated in the 1960s, the technology has never been widely used. The small reactor would be assembled in a factory rather than on-site. Technology Review points out its potential for cost-savings:

San Jose Mercury News // Mar 08, 2013

San Francisco Chronicle // Mar 07, 2013

Executives Praise State’s Commitment to Advanced Energy, Recommend Strategies to Accelerate Growth and Economic Benefits  

Advanced Energy Economy // Mar 05, 2013

Offshore wind was in the news this week, as Massachusetts’ flagship project, Cape Wind, welcomed a Japanese bank as its lead lender. Also, development has begun on Cape Wind’s port facilities. Three bidders met the February 15thproposal deadline for the terminal, which will eventually be a 28-acre facility able to support both merchant shipping and offshore wind construction. The facility is being built larger than current needs dictate to prepare for future innovations in wind technology.