State & Stakeholder Newsletter

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State & Stakeholder Newsletter March 5, 2008 Volume 7, Issue #5
In This Issue National News State & Local News Grants/RFPs Other News Upcoming Events About this Newsletter/How to Subscribe		Dear Daniel, The IREC State & Stakeholder Newsletter tracks a range of market-oriented news, services and outreach tools valuable to the renewable energy community. From webinars to white papers to workkshops and interviews with renewable energy newsmakers, you'll find the latest news about IREC members and other renewable energy stakeholders in this newsletter which is distributed semi-monthly to email subscribers and published on IREC's website. There is no fee for this newsletter. If you have comments or if you would like to submit a news item, email Jane Pulaski at janep@irecusa.org.    As always, thanks for your interest in and support of IREC.     Jane Pulaski Editor
National News 1)  March 11, 2008 Telephone Seminar - State Solar Policy Trends The next IREC Telephone Seminar will be held Tuesday, March 11, at 2pm EDT (1pm CDT, noon MDT, 11am PDT, 10am Alaska, 8am Hawaii) on State Solar Policy Trends.  The seminar will last for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Pre-registration is required. 2)  New Ideas for Educating the Green Jobs Workforce - A National Conference "Green" jobs are the foundation for the new clean energy sector emerging across the country.  Join us for a unique and timely conference on "New Ideas in Educating a Workforce in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency."  This national conference will take place on March 19 and 20, 2008 at Hudson Valley Community College (outside of Albany), New York. 3)  Solar ABCs Newsletter The February newsletter for the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) highlights guidelines for PV and fire safety, external disconnect switch, and proposals for the next revision of the National Electrical Code.  Ten Standard and Code related studies are underway throughout Solar ABCs, and you will learn how you can participate in meetings to review the draft reports from these studies. 4)  Small Wind Energy News The March 2008 issue of IREC's Small Wind Energy Newsletter is available online.  5)  Small Wind Energy Stakeholder Meeting at WindPower 2008 The Annual Small Wind State Stakeholders Meeting will be Tuesday, June 3 from 1:00pm - 5:00pm during WINDPOWER 2008 in Houston.  The State Stakeholders meeting provides an opportunity for states to exchange information on policies and programs to promote the use of small wind turbines. The meeting will include reports from state representatives, discussion of model zoning ordinances, a visit with a Texas small wind installer, update on regional test centers, and briefings on  turbine and installer certification.  There is no charge to attend the State Stakeholders Meeting, but pre-registration is requested. 6)  WAPA and DOE to Host Two Geothermal Workshops Western Area Power Administration (Western) and the US DOE's GeoPowering the US Initiative are hosting two Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) workshops:  March 17-18 at the Redwood Falls, MN Community Center; and March 20-21 at the Sioux Falls, SD Holiday Inn.  The workshops are patterned after the very successful event held in Bismarck, ND in September and sponsored by Basin Electric Power Cooperative. State & Local News 7)  Solar Thermal Energy Plant in Arizona Among World's Largest A solar-energy plant planned near Gila Bend will be among the world's largest when it opens in 2011, Arizona Public Service Co.  At 280 megawatts, enough to power at least 70,000 households, the plant will make even more energy than a similar facility announced in December. 8)  CA: SCE, PG&E Offer Feed-In Tariffs for Renewables The California feed-in tariff allows eligible customer-generators to enter into 10-, 15-, or 20-year standard contracts with their utilities to sell the electricity produced by small renewable energy systems -- up to 1.5 megawatt (MW) -- at time-differentiated market-based prices. The tariffs will be available until the combined statewide cumulative capacity of eligible generation installed in water and wastewater facilities reaches 250 MW, and the combined capacity for non-water and wastewater facilities reaches 228.447 MW. 9)  CA:  Presentations from Recent Solar Forums Now Available Some 20 presentations from the recent Solar Forums, presented and organized by the Rahus Institute, including Riverside and Pleasant Hill, include an update of the California Solar Initiative, solar mapping tool, and solar training, to name a few. 10)  CA:  SMUD Ranked Highest in West in Business Customer Satisfaction For the second year in a row, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) was today awarded top honors in the Western region in business customer satisfaction and scored highest nationwide, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study.  The study surveyed customers from the nation's 58 largest electric utilities. 11)  CO: Questar Gas Offers Rebates for Solar Water Heating Questar Gas provides rebates for energy efficient appliances and solar assisted gas water heating systems through their ThermWise program. 12)  CO:  NREL's Receives Special Mention Award for Sustainable Design NREL's Science and Technology Facility is a 71,000-square-foot research lab that was the first federal building and the first laboratory to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum designation as one of the world's most energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings. 13)  CO:  DMEA Receives Economic Development Partnership Award Montrose Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced at its annual meeting recently that Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) was the recipient of MEDC's annual Economic Development Partnership Award. 14)  CT:  Chrisholm Marina Installs Solar Panels with Support from Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) The CCEF announced the completion of the installation of a 12.4-kilowatt DC solar photovoltaic (PV) system at Chrisholm Marina in Chester, CT., made possible, in part, by a $53,658 grant from CCEF, which paid for nearly half of the total system cost.  15)  FL: OUC Offers 1-MW Net Metering for Nonresidential PV Systems, 20 kW for Residential PV Systems Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), a municipal electric utility, allows net metering for residential photovoltaic (PV) systems up to 20 kilowatts (kW) in capacity and for nonresidential PV systems up to one megawatt (MW) in capacity. Any net excess generation credits carry over indefinitely as "billed energy" on the customer's utility bill, and customers will receive a check for the full credit value upon termination of their account. OUC will furnish and install the necessary meters to monitor customers' on-site energy production and use. 16)  FL: Lynx Bus Company (FL) to Make Switch to Biodiesel The Lynx bus agency will become the first mass-transit agency in the nation to run a fleet using its own blended bio-diesel, an environmentally friendly alternative to regular fuel. 17)  HI: Wave Energy Planned for Maui A 2.7-MW wave energy plant has been proposed for the northern coast of Maui by Oceanlinx Ltd., a company based in Australia.  Oceanlinx is negotiating with Maui Electric Company (MECO), which would purchase the electricity. 18) HI:  Large Commercial PV Systems Announced Costco is going solar.  So are Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, and other commercial complexes in Hawaii.  And two 1.5-MW PV power plants have been proposed for the islands. 19) HI:  12 MW Contract Awarded to SunPower Corporation; Hawaii to Seek Additional PV On February 26, 2008, the State of Hawaii awarded the development of over 12 MW of power at 12 sites statewide to SunPower Corporation.  The award was in response to an RFP issued in late 2007.  The sites include the Honolulu, Kona, Lihue, Kahului, Molokai and Kalaeloa airports, as well as Department of Transportation baseyards on Oahu and Kauai and the Foreign Trade Zone at Honolulu Harbor. 20)  MA: Corporate Tax Credit for Solar Water Heating Expires In Massachusetts, businesses may take a credit against the state excise tax for the purchase and installation of a solar water-heating system. The system must be installed at a commercial building, and the credit may not exceed $300 or 15% of the system cost, whichever is less. This credit expired 1/1/08.  A business may carry over unused portions of the credit for use in taxable year 2007. Note that a credit for the installation of a solar water heating system in a commercial building between November 1, 2005, and March 31, 2006, may be applied for the taxable year 2006. A business that takes this credit may not also take the state tax deduction allowed under MGL ch. 63, § 38H for the same solar water-heating system. 21)  NM:  NMSU Researchers Help Cities Develop Solar Power Researchers Andrew Rosenthal, John Wiles, and Robert Foster at New Mexico State University's Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) in the College of Engineering have been working to help the DOE meet its goal of making solar technologies cost-competitive with traditional forms of energy by 2015. 22)  NYS:  Clean Energy Workforce Training Initiative, Wind Research Center New York State is initiating a $6-million clean energy workforce training initiative. NYSERDA will invest more than $4 million in a range of clean energy sectors from PV, to small wind, to biogas energy systems.  An additional $2 million is included in the Governor's Executive Budget targeted at developing the solar workforce through programs at community colleges across New York State.   23)  NYS:  A Net-Zero Energy House in Northern NYS Dr. Mel Tyree, Ellenburg, Clinton County, NY, has just completed a Net-Zero Energy House in a cold part of NY State (8010 heating degree days). "My net-zero house uses a 10 kW Bergey wind turbine and a 10 kW photovoltaic array to generate as much energy in a 12 month period as is used by the house INCLUDING ENERGY FOR HEAT AND HOT WATER, hence the house is net-zero in energy use," says Tyree.  24)  Ohio Pioneers the Development of "Green Collar" Workers Ohio is pioneering the development of "green collar" workers, a growing number of skilled professionals who use their talents to improve the emerging advanced energy industry. A recent report released by the American Solar Energy Society, funded by the Ohio Department of Development, predicted that 174,000 Ohioans could have jobs related to advanced, renewable energy by 2030. 25)  UT:  Clean Energy Courses at Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake Community College recently launched its Energy Efficiency Management Training and Solar Electric Installation Training through their Continuing Education Program.  Utah Clean Energy is a partner in developing these two new programs. News from Solar America Cities 26)  City of Madison (WI) Solar America City:  Building a Green Capital City In October of 2003, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz convened the Mayor's Energy Task Force and charged it with the task of making Madison a green capital city and creating a city that is known as a national leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy.   From the goals in that report, the City of Madison decided to apply to become a DOE Solar America City.  Grants/RFPs 27) NYSERDA Funding Opportunities The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has several Program Opportunity Notices (PONs) on the street, including: PON 1124:  Clean Energy Business Growth & Development offers $6M for three rounds intended to help clean energy companies achieve success, grow and develop new markets through expanding their business, attracting new companies to New York, etc.  Due dates are 8/4/08.  For information contact:  Vicki Colello, vac@nyserda.org or 518-862-1090, xt. 3273. PON 1176:  Renewable, Clean Energy, and Energy Efficiency Product Manufacturing Incentive Program offers $10M to expand the level of manufacturing of renewable, clean, and energy-efficient products in New York State.  Proposals will be accepted through June 30, 2011 by 5:00pm (ET) or until funds run out, whichever is first.  Proposals will be evaluated on a first come, first served basis as they are received.  Contact Jennifer Harvey at (518) 862-1090, ext. 3264 or jlh@nyserda.org. To see full details on any of these solicitations, visit the NYSERDA website and scroll through the listings to find them.     28)  SMUD Releases 2008 Renewable Energy RFO The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has released a Request for Offers (RFO) of renewable energy for power purchase agreements (PPA).  Proposals are due April 7, 2008. 29)  SPS Issues RFP for Solar, Biomass, Geothermal, Other Energy The RFP seeks approximately 40 - 50 MW of solar and 9-12 MW of biomass/geothermal/other, with commercial operation dates beginning on or before January 2011. Although NOIB forms are not required as a prerequisite to bidding, they are strongly encouraged.  NOIB's had to be submitted by March 3rd.  Proposals must be submitted by:  Monday, May 5th, 2008 - 5:00 Mountain Time. Other News 30)  Wisconsin Renewable Energy Summit, March 12-14, 2008 This year's summit, titled "Green Jobs-Growing Wisconsin's Economy," will focus on the role renewable energy such as wind power, solar energy, geothermal, green buildings and bio-energy technologies, will play in expanding Wisconsin's economy.  Attendees will explore how the growth of renewable energy businesses will create new "green-collar" jobs across the state, boosting manufacturers, installers, consultants, engineers and associated professions.  Renewable energy has the potential to produce 35,000 green jobs in Wisconsin over the next 10 years.  31)  NESEA's Building Energy '08 Conference March 11-13, 2008 NESEA's 33rd annual conference will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, March 11-13, 2008.  NESEA says the updated conference website will be updated later this month.  Stay tuned.   32)  Two Job Postings:  IEER - Oureach Coordinator; ACEEE Energy Policy Director The Institute for Energy and Environment (IEER) seeks a qualified individual to assist with its outreach program.  Email resume with three references.  Position will be filled as soon as possible. Applications accepted until position is filled. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is seeking an Energy Policy Director to coordinate work on national and state energy efficiency policies.  Position will be filled as soon as suitable candidate is found.  Send a resume, brief cover letter and writing sample to Energy Policy Director Opening  (place an underscore between "job" and "opening"). Alternatively, materials can be mailed to Energy Policy Director Opening, ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036. No phone calls please. Upcoming Events 33)  Mar. 4-6                WIREC 2008, Washington, DC 34)  Mar. 11-13            NESEA Building Energy '08 Conference, Boston, MA 35)  Mar. 12-14            Wisconsin Renewable Energy Summit, Milwaukee, WI 36)  Mar. 15                 NABCEP PV and Solar Thermal Certification Exams, TBD 37)  Mar. 17-18            Geothermal Heat Pump Workshops, Redwood Falls, MN 38)  Mar. 18-20            Workforce Development Conference, Troy, NY 39)  Mar. 20-21            Geothermal Heat Pump Workshops, Sioux Falls, SD 40)  Mar. 27                 SEPA Call Seminar:  Decoupling Utility Profit from Sales - Issues for the Photovoltaic Industry 41)  Mar. 25-29            CoSEIA Annual Meeting & Conference and SEI Solar Industry Seminar, Ft. Collins, CO 42)  Apr. 7-8                EIA's Annual Energy Conference, Washington, 43)  Apr. 9                   Energizing NC Industries Through Efficiency and Advanced Technologies, NC State, Raleigh, NC 44)  Apr. 10                 SEPA Call Seminar:  2007 Solar Year in Review and Future Trends 45)  Apr. 12                 GLREA Intermediate PV Seminar, Dimondale, MI 46)  Apr. 14-16            Solar America Initiative Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ 47)  Apr. 14-16            Windustry's Community Wind Energy 2008, Albany, NY 48)  Apr. 19                 GLREA Intermediate Wind Seminar, Dimondale, MI 49)  Apr. 21-24            IEEE T&D Conference & Expo, Chicago, IL 50)  Apr. 30-May 2       28th Annual Utility Energy Forum, Tahoe City, CA 51)  May 3-8                Solar 2008: ASES Annual Conference, San Diego, CA 52)  May 8                   SEPA Call Seminar:  Utility Solar Business Models - Final Report 53)  May 11-16            IEEE PV Specialists Conference, San Diego, CA 54)  May 17                 GLREA Introductory Renewable Energy Seminar, Hastings, MI 55)  May 21-22            Fuel Cell 2008, Long Beach, CA        56)  June 1-4               Wind Power 2008, Houston, TX 57)  June 3                  Small Wind Stakeholders Meeting, WINDPOWER 2008, Houston 58)  June 20-22           19th MREA Energy Fair, Custer, WI 59)  June 26                SEPA Call Seminar:  National PV Incentive Program Survey60 - What do Solar Customers Think? 60)  June 27-29           Michigan Energy Fair, Onekama, MI 61)  Oct. 5-8                Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting, Reno, NV 62)  Oct. 13                 IREC Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA 63)  Oct. 13-16            Solar Power 2008, San Diego, CA About this Newsletter/How to Subscribe The State & Stakeholder Newsletter is published electronically on a semi-monthly basis by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.  To subscribe to this newsletter, click here and follow the instructions. There is no fee for subscriptions.  If you have comments or news items, please send them to Jane Pulaski.  Disclaimer: The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) does not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process that is referred to or linked to in this newsletter. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply IREC's endorsement or recommendation.

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