FERC: Nuclear, coal power plant closures don't undermine national security

FERC: Nuclear, coal power plant closures don't undermine national security | Maine PUC to reconsider terms of Maine Aqua Ventus | Expert says Interior Dept. is vested in expediting wind permitting Created for aquarianm@gmail.com |  Web Version ADVERTISEMENT June 13, 2018 News for wind power professionals and advocates SIGN UP ⋅   FORWARD Industry Update FERC: Nuclear, coal power plant closures don't undermine national security The retirement of nuclear and coal-burning power plants doesn't pose a national security risk, said all five members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday. "[W]e cannot try to stop the natural evolution of this industry by claiming there is a national security emergency unless there is evidence that that emergency exists," said Commissioner Richard Glick. The Hill (6/12),  The Associated Press (6/12)       Maine PUC to reconsider terms of Maine Aqua Ventus The Maine Public Utilities Commission unanimously agreed Tuesday to reconsider the terms of a 2014 power agreement with the two-turbine Maine Aqua Ventus floating offshore wind pilot. The University of Maine-led consortium behind the project says it's optimistic it will be able to secure a power purchase agreement for the pilot, and stresses the need for Maine to remain on track with other states as they pursue offshore wind development. North American Windpower online (6/12)       Expert says Interior Dept. is vested in expediting wind permitting Concerns about fossil fuel pollution and support at the federal and state level are driving both offshore and land-based wind, says Bloomberg Environment's Alan Kovski. Kovski shares how the Interior Department is working to accelerate wind permitting, including setting deadlines and striving to meet them and having multiple agencies work on the permitting process simultaneously. Bloomberg (tiered subscription model) (6/12)       EES Gearbox Exchange Service Lower gearbox exchange costs? EES' Gearbox Exchange Service for all major platforms helped our customers cut costs up to 20% by reducing crane related costs and downtime. Use the experience we gained through more than 60 gearbox exchanges with our self- hoisting crane. Arrange your exchange now. ADVERTISEMENT Project Focus US Wind exec says challenges won't kill offshore wind project in Md. US Wind is in extended negotiations to secure local approval for its proposed 32-turbine offshore wind farm slated for the coast off Ocean City, Md., but General Counsel Salvo Vitale says the project will move forward one way or another. The project's proposed distance from the coastline continues to be a point of contention among residents. The Baltimore Sun (6/11)       SunZia seeks regulatory approval for $2B transmission line in N.M. SunZia is seeking regulatory approval for its $2 billion SunZia transmission line in New Mexico and will testify before the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission over the next five days. The 520-mile project has already been approved in Arizona. U.S. News & World Report/The Associated Press (6/13)       AWEA Offshore Conference Call for Proposals AWEA invites the submission of proposals for its Offshore WINDPOWER 2018 Conference on October 16 - 17 in Washington, DC. Share your knowledge and experience to help accelerate and strengthen this budding industry sector. The deadline to submit is extended to June 15, 2018. Submit a proposal. ADVERTISEMENT Economy, Energy & Trends Analysis: Auctions are replacing government support for renewables Government tariffs and support mechanisms are waning for renewables worldwide, giving rise to an auction-based model that uses a competitive bidding process to secure low rates, writes Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that auctions will drive nearly 50% of new renewable energy capacity additions between 2017 and 2022. Yale Environment 360 (6/12)       Support for Va. wind is growing via KidWind competition Five of the 18 teams that competed in the national KidWind competition came from Virginia, indicating support for the industry may finally be taking off in the state, writes Sandy Hausman. Bath County High School's team took home the grand prize after producing a turbine model that produced three times more electricity than any other project. WVTF-FM (Roanoke, Va.) (6/11)       Xcel, Minn. council launch renewable energy-buying program Xcel Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Metropolitan Council in Minnesota to help the regional agency convert to 100% renewables. "As one of the region's largest consumers of electric power, we can help address climate change in our region by moving our entire baseload to renewable sources by 2040," Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff said. North American Windpower online (6/12)       Survive and Thrive in the Digital Transformation Wednesday, June 20th at 1pm EDT Join Citrix ShareFile and Scott Klososky in an engaging webinar that will unpack concepts and strategies that can be used to help your organization leapfrog competitors. Don't miss this chance to hear stories of organizations that are winning in the market because of their mastery of digital maturity. Register now ADVERTISEMENT . Featured Content Sponsored content from Eaton Harnessing the power of lithium-ion batteries to improve IT efficiencyMany IT professionals are looking for ways to improve power management, particularly as the amount of technology they manage increases. One of the easiest ways to improve power management is moving to lithium-ion batteries. Here we talk with Eaton's Graciano Beyhaut, Senior Product Line Manager, about the benefits of lithium-ion battery powered uninterruptible power systems and how they can help IT managers become more efficient. Read the blog.   Managing a hybrid cloud computing environmentOrganizations that optimize hybrid cloud or edge computing gain advantages, including faster resolution of issues and downtime, improved performance and enhanced security. The ability to analyze data in near real-time can be particularly advantageous for industries where milliseconds matter. In this blog post, we talk with Hervé Tardy, Distributed Power Quality Vice President and General Manager at Eaton, about how edge computing is changing the industry and how to manage these types of environments. Read more.   Click here to learn more about Featured Content Policy Watch Industry rallies to fight judge's ruling blocking Minn. wind farm Invenergy, Apex Clean Energy, RES, EDF Renewables, Vestas, Wind on the Wires and other industry groups have filed briefs with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission objecting a May court ruling barring the development of Invenergy's Freeborn Wind Farm. "If the (PUC) adopted a 'total noise' standard, such an interpretation would effectively ban future wind development in Minnesota, and potentially provide anti-wind activists a tool to attempt to adversely affect the operation of existing projects," the American Wind Energy Association wrote. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (tiered subscription model) (6/12)       DNC to no longer accept donations from fossil fuel companies In a move it says represents the will of its grass-roots supporters, the Democratic National Committee has announced it will no longer accept campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies. "Fossil fuel corporations are drowning our democracy in a tidal wave of dark oily money; they have deceived the public about the impacts of climate change, fought the growth of clean renewable energy, and corrupted our political system," the DNC said in a statement. The Hill (6/12)       Optimize IT, reduce costs and complexity, and increase efficiency Improve IT with policy-driven automation to increase efficiency by standardizing operating systems so they're easier to manage. Watch this video to learn how your IT organization can automatically balance workloads, simplify management of workloads—both on-premise and in the public cloud. ADVERTISEMENT CAREERS IN WIND powered by Policy and Regulatory Affairs Associate AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATI -  State Affairs Associate AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION (AWEA) - Dist. Columbia View More Listings | Post a Job The only failure a man ought to fear is failure in cleaving to the purpose he sees to be best. George Eliot, writer and journalist      Learn more about AWEA: AWEA Home | Events | Take Action AWEA Facebook | AWEA Twitter | AWEA LinkedIn These stories were selected and summarized by independent editors at SmartBrief Inc., not by AWEA's staff, and do not represent AWEA positions. They reflect the variety of daily coverage of American wind power. 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