EPA Continues Work on Carbon Rule
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on EPA Continues Work on Carbon Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency is continuing its efforts to issue a draft carbon rule by June 1, 2014. The new rule, which will be issued under the Clean Air Act and based on a 2007 Supreme Court decision, will regulate carbon emissions from existing power facilities. Click here for the full story. See the Sutherland Coop Team’s October 29, 2013, post for more on the...
Tri-State Works to Fund and Promote Carbon X Prize
Posted on Jan 24, 2014 in Climate Change, Technology | Comments Off on Tri-State Works to Fund and Promote Carbon X Prize
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) has been working to develop a $10 million X prize for technology that can economically capture carbon from power plants. Similar to the Ansari X Prize which promoted the first manned space flight by the private sector, the Tri-State Carbon X Prize would give private sector teams the opportunity to compete by testing the...
Vermont Net Metering Program May Be Overhauled
Posted on Jan 21, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Net Metering Program May Be Overhauled
Vermont lawmakers are striving to raise the existing cap on the state’s net metering program to match the growing demand for residential renewable energy generation. A bill, approved by the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee last week, offers a fast-track solution ahead of larger changes expected when a federal solar tax credit expires, likely in 2017. The proposed bill...
South Carolina’s First Solar Farm Online
Posted on Dec 26, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on South Carolina’s First Solar Farm Online
South Carolina’s first solar farm is officially online as of Friday, December 20. The 3-MW, $6 million Colleton County project will sell output to Santee Cooper. South Carolina Electric and Gas is also planning a series of future solar farms that could generate up to 20 MW of power in the state. Read more here.
USDA Unveils Energy Efficiency Program for Rural Coops
Posted on Dec 5, 2013 in Climate Change, Energy Savings Programs, Financing, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on USDA Unveils Energy Efficiency Program for Rural Coops
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide funding to rural coops and utilities to help boost energy efficiency improvements by commercial and residential customers. The Energy Efficiency and Loan Conservation Program plans to provide up to $250 million to rural coops which will, in turn, lend the money to customers to fund energy efficiency projects. To learn more, click...
Water Heater Efficiency Act to Help Coops?
Posted on Nov 21, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Water Heater Efficiency Act to Help Coops?
Republican Senator John Hoeven and a bipartisan group of senators today introduced the Water Heater Efficiency Act, a bill that would enable rural electric power coops and their members to continue using large, energy-efficient water heaters in “demand response” conservation programs. New Department of Energy rules threaten to phase out such water heaters by 2015. The bill is seen as...
Iowa Coop Closes 1960s Coal-Fueled Plant
Posted on Nov 21, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Iowa Coop Closes 1960s Coal-Fueled Plant
In early November, Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) closed CIPCO Fair Station, a 66-MW coal-fueled power plant located in eastern Iowa. CIPCO’s decision to close the plant stemmed from new federal environmental regulations, current energy prices and the overall efficiency concerns in running a plant built in the 1960s. Read more here.
Oklahoma Coop Purchases Wind Power
Posted on Nov 15, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Oklahoma Coop Purchases Wind Power
Apex Clean Energy, a privately held renewable power developer, has agreed to sell 100 megawatts of wind power from its Balko wind farm in Oklahoma to Western Farmers Electric Cooperative. With this agreement Apex has sold all of the wind power capacity from the 300-MW Balko wind farm, which is expected to enter service in 2015. The Balko facility is located in Beaver County and will...
Vermont Coop to Build 5-MW Solar Project
Posted on Nov 12, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Rates, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Coop to Build 5-MW Solar Project
The Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) is hoping to build the state’s largest utility-owned solar power project as part of a broader effort to help reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels. VEC is working with 14 other coops across the country on the 5-MW project in a first-of-its-kind initiative to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of...
NCSC Funds Two Solar Projects for Hawaii Coop
Posted on Nov 4, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on NCSC Funds Two Solar Projects for Hawaii Coop
Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) will break ground this week on one of two planned solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants on the island of Kaua‘i, Hawaii. The National Cooperative Services Corporation (NCSC) has advanced initial funding for the estimated $40 million project, which will be the largest utility-scale solar facility in Hawaii and will meet an estimated 5 percent of...
Subscribe
