Advanced Energy Perspectives

Computing giant Microsoft announced on Monday that it entered into a 20-year wind power purchase agreement with RES Americas, an AEE member company. The 55-turbine, 110MW, $200 million Keechi project is expected to come online by summer 2015. With this agreement, Microsoft joins Apple, Walmart, and Google as a top-tier company with significant investment in advanced energy.

“It’s a sign of the times that the price point for these renewable projects is quite attractive to them,” Rob Morgan, chief development officer for RES Americas, which develops wind and solar projects, told AP.

This week we saw reports of a U.S. “solar surge” as several major utility-scale CSP projects go online in the Southwest deserts. Renewable Energy World compares to the effort to “building a massive Hoover Dam” of solar energy, crediting a Department of Energy loan guarantee program.

This week we saw eight states commit to putting 3.3 million new zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. Governors from California, Oregon, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont signed an agreement on Thursday to adopt numerous measures to accelerate the spread of advanced vehicles. The agreements included upgrading building codes to make for easier installation of EV charging stations and a commitment to include zero emission vehicles in public fleets. The agreement would also support development of other alternative fuel vehicles, including hydrogen fueling stations.

On Thursday, California’s Public Utility Commission adopted a new energy storage mandate—the first in the nation. The mandate requires California’s investor-owned utilities – PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric – to expand their energy storage capacity. Collectively, the three utilities need to buy more than 1.3 gigawatts of energy storage.

There’s an old way of thinking about energy efficiency. Humans have been installing better insulation and sealing up cracks in walls ever since the first caveman moved indoors. The field has advanced since then: We can buy efficient appliances, install double-paned windows, and replace old lights. Each of these measures reduces energy consumption and saves money. Today’s technology, however, promises to do so much more.