Friday, October 31, 2014

First Brazil tender award PPA rates. NOTE: $1USD = 2.48 Brazilian Real

Brazil: 890 MW awarded the first national solar tender

31/10/14 | Top Stories, Market Development

In the image, the solar plant Usina Cidade Blue Tractebel, the largest solar plant to date in Brazil Photo: Tractebel Energia

The average price for PV projects was R $ 215.12 / MWh. 31 projects accounted for 7 companies bid. The state of Bahia is located on more projects, 14 plants with a combined capacity of 400 MW.

 

For Spanish:

Read more: http://www.pv-magazine-latam.com/noticias/detalles/articulo/brasil--890-mw-adjudicados-en-la-primera-licitacin-solar-nacional_100017121/#ixzz3Hmp1oqEK

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

RE: POLY AND MONO Retail price check on EU panels

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

From: Kewell Cherry [mailto:kewellcherry@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 9:56 AM
To: mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com
Subject: POLY AND MONO ORDER

 



Dear Sir ,

We have 250/255W poly available in Rotterdam with custom cleared.
We have 300/310W poly available in Rotterdam with custom cleared.

The best price as follows:

250/255W poly at EU 0.40/W EXW Rotterdam.
300W poly at EU 0.41/W EXW Rotterdam.

 250/255W Mono black available in Rotterdam with custom cleared.
300/300W mono black available in Rotterdam with custom cleared.
 The best price as follows:

250/255W mono full black is at EU 0.44/W EXW Rotterdam
300W mono full black is at EU 0.47/W EXW Rotterdm

 The modules are custom cleared, and can be picked up directly from Rotterdam stock after payment.
If you are interested, please don't hesitate to contact me.



Best regards!

Cherry

Address: Bld A, Haosi Industrial Park, Furong RD, Songgang Town, Baoan
 District,Shenzhen, PRC
TEL  :  86-755-27248712
Fax  :  86-755-27248059
URL: www.kewell-tech.com
http://kewell-tech.en.alibaba.com

Chile grinding into motion

Chile's pipeline of approved PV projects tops 7.8 GW


About 256 MW of PV projects were under development in Chile at the end of September.

28.10.2014: Chile's cumulative installed PV capacity stood at 219 MW as of the end of September 2014, according to the latest report from Chilean renewable energy research institute Centro de Energias Renovables (CER). In the previous monthly report, however, CER reported that the country’s installed PV capacity had topped 244 MW at the end of August. The research institute has not provided a reason for this capacity decrease. Chile had just 6 MW of installed PV power at the end of last year. The amount of PV capacity under development in Chile held firm in September at 256 MW, but the country's pipeline of approved PV projects grew to 7.81 GW from 7.00 GW at the end of August. Local environmental authorities are still evaluating an additional 2.59 GW of proposed PV projects. © PHOTON

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Friday, October 24, 2014

FW: ELECTRIC POWER MONTHLY & ELECTRICITY MONTHLY UPDATE - October 2014

See record US solar production and growth rate.

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

From: EIA_eLists@eia.gov [mailto:EIA_eLists@eia.gov]
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2014 4:02 PM
To: Electricity Products Notification
Subject: ELECTRIC POWER MONTHLY & ELECTRICITY MONTHLY UPDATE – October 2014

 

Energy Information Administration (EIA) Logo - Need Help? 202-586-8800

ELECTRIC POWER MONTHLY & ELECTRICITY MONTHLY UPDATE – October 2014

 

The Electricity Monthly Update, October 2014 edition presenting August 2014 data, has been released.  Highlights include:

 

  • Wholesale electricity prices set 12-month lows in New England, New York City and the Mid-Atlantic, as natural gas prices fell below $2/MMBtu in the regions.

 

  • Total U.S. coal stocks decreased by 4.3 million tons compared to the previous month and are down 21.5% from August 2013.

 

  • Texas's (ERCOT) peak load reached 66.5 GW, just below its 68.4 all-time peak.

 

  • A feature article about the record solar output from utility-scale facilities in June 2014 primarily because of the growth in photovoltaic generators.

 

See the full Electricity Monthly Update report at:

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/update/

 

 

The Electric Power Monthly, October 2014 edition presenting August 2014 data, has been released.  Highlights include:

 

  • In August 2014, net generation in the United States was down 0.1 percent compared to August 2013.

 

  • Consumption of coal for the generation of electric power was down 0.9 percent from August 2013.

 

  • The average U.S. retail price of electricity in August 2014 was up 3.1 percent compared to August 2013.

 

See the full Electric Power Monthly report at:

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/

 


Contact: Electricity data experts

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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Fwd: Georgia Moves From Laggard to Solar Leader

See stated offtake rates!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rebecca Van Nichols <rvan@tnag.net>
Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Subject: Georgia Moves From Laggard to Solar Leader
To: mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com



10/17/2014 02:25 PM    print story email story  ShareThis

Georgia Moves From Laggard to Solar Leader

SustainableBusiness.com News

When we last reported on Georgia Power's move into renewable energy, they had decided to start by purchasing 210 megawatts (MW) by the end of this year.

But they have already doubled that to 495 MW of utility-scale solar, signing power purchase agreements for the output of 10 regional solar plants. 99 MW of that comes from two projects owned by parent company, Southern Power.

And they are getting solar at new, cheaper prices - averaging less than 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, 2 cents less than in 2103. Bigger projects at 30-100 MW may come in with even lower prices. They all come online over the next couple of years. 

In response to its competitive RFP, Georgia Power says it received proposals for over 5.1 gigawatts of solar across 142 projects and 56 developers. It's also importing 654 MW of wind from Oklahoma.

Georgia Power is also developing its own solar projects at three Army bases in the state. At 30 MW each, the "3X30" project will allow the Army to use solar for 18% of its electricity in Georgia.

Georgia Power builds and owns the systems on Army land, and the Army buys the power under long term contracts.

/imageupload/georgia.jpg

All told, after lagging for many years, Georgia Power expects to contract for 900 MW of solar by 2016, bringing the state into the top 5 in the US!

Georgia Power's parent, Southern Co., is the second largest US utility (by market cap) and is best known for its dirty, outdated coal plants. When it's not fighting pollution andgreenhouse gas standards it's now buying solar plants in a joint venture with Ted Turner.

Read our article, Georgia Finally Getting Some Solar Energy.

Learn more about Georgia Power's solar program:

Website: www.georgiapower.com/about-energy/energy-sources/solar/solar-projects/home.cshtml
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.



--
Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
+1 646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Monday, October 20, 2014

BBC News: Man walks again after transplant

Man walks again after transplant

A paralysed man has been able to walk again after a pioneering therapy that involved transplanting specialist cells into his damaged spinal cord.

Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29645760


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have been verified.


Sent from a mobile device.

NREL News Release - Solar Energy Prices See Double-digit Declines in 2013; Trend Expected to Continue


From: NREL News <public.affairs@nrel.gov>
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2014 1:21 PM
Subject: NREL News Release - Solar Energy Prices See Double-digit Declines in 2013; Trend Expected to Continue

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) - Innovation for Our Energy Future News Release

Solar Energy Prices See Double-digit Declines in 2013; Trend Expected to Continue

PV pricing to drop another 3 � 12 percent in 2014

Monday, October 20, 2014

Distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) system prices dropped by 12 - 19 percent nationwide in 2013, according to the third edition of a jointly written report on PV pricing trends from the Energy Department's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). In addition, 2014 prices are expected to drop another 3 - 12 percent, depending on system location and market segment. Industry analysts expect this trend to continue over the next couple of years, keeping the nation on track to meet the DOE SunShot Initiative's 2020 targets.

"These price drops are consistent with previous annual reductions achieved since 2010, when the Energy Department's SunShot Initiative was established," NREL's David Feldman, a lead author of the report said. "However, the report also indicates that there are significant variations in reported pricing both geographically and across market segments due to a variety of factors, including value-based pricing based on local competition within the marketplace and prevailing electric retail rates. Other factors include differences in specific system configurations such as panel efficiency, mounting structure, and geographic location; and the time lags between commitments and commercial operation for utility-scale systems."

The report, Photovoltaic (PV) Pricing Trends: Historical, Recent, and Near-Term Projections (2014 Edition), provides a high-level overview of historical, recent, and projected near-term PV system pricing trends in the United States and examines progress in PV price reductions to help the Energy Department and other stakeholders manage the transition to a market-driven PV industry.  The report shows that the general downward trend in PV system pricing continued in 2013, and is expected to continue through 2016. Other key findings include:

  • Modeled utility-scale PV system prices fell below $2 a watt in 2013, and have continued to decline in 2014, to roughly $1.80 a watt, which is 59 percent below what modeled pricing showed in 2010.
  • There is a difference of roughly $2 a watt between the median reported price of the lowest- and highest-priced states for residential and commercial systems (less than 10 kW in size); a similar price range also exists within individual states.
  • There is a wide-range in analysts' PV pricing estimates, however a number of analysts are now projecting long-term pricing in line with the targets set by the SunShot Initiative for 2020. At these pricing levels, PV is expected to reach widespread grid parity in the U.S. without federal or state subsidies. 

"There is still considerable uncertainty as to how low PV system prices will drop in the next five to 10 years," Feldman said. "However, there appears to be an emerging consensus that the SunShot's price reduction targets are within reach and more and more likely to be realized. We see this reflected in the fact that many of the current projections are far lower than projections made in the recent past by the same sources."

The report was produced as part of an ongoing collaborative research effort between the two labs focused on solar technology system-level cost analysis and modeling. This briefing draws on several ongoing research activities at LBNL and NREL, including LBNL's annual Tracking the Sun report series, NREL's bottom-up PV cost modeling, and NREL's synthesis of PV market data and projections.

The research was supported by funding from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in support of its SunShot Initiative. The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, DOE supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

###



Visit NREL online at www.nrel.gov


Media may contact:

Heather Lammers
303-275-4084
heather.lammers@nrel.gov

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--
Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
+1 646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Saturday, October 18, 2014

FW: U.S. energy imports reach lowest levels in 29 years, energy consumption up in first half 2014 - Power Engineering

 

 

 

EIA: U.S. energy imports reach lowest levels, energy consumption up in first half 2014

10/10/2014

 

Total U.S. imports of energy as a share of energy consumption fell to their lowest level in 29 years for the first half of 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Total energy use in the first six months of the year was 3 percent above consumption during the same time period in 2013, but consumption growth was outpaced by increases in total energy production, which led to a 17 percent reduction in net imports compared with the first half of 2013.

January and February accounted for 81 percent of the total increase in energy consumption, reflecting the effect of the polar vortex. Natural gas was more than half of the year-to-date increase, coal at just under a quarter, renewable energy for 12 percent, petroleum for 8 percent and nuclear for 3 percent.

 

Thursday, October 16, 2014

FW: Canadian Solar Modules to Power Key Solar Projects in Honduras

SOPOSA!

 

 

 

Canadian Solar Modules to Power Key Solar Projects in Honduras

Canadian Solar Inc. 
October 15, 2014

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 Canadian Solar Inc., (the "Company", or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar power companies, today announced that it executed a sales contract to supply photovoltaic (PV) modules to two utiliy scale projects totaling 146.4 MWp in Honduras.

"We are pleased to be selected to supply our PV modules to SOPOSA and COHESSA, both world leading developers and EPC providers. I am confident that Canadian Solar's global experience, proven track record, and consistent product performance will continue to make us a partner of choice in supplying our modules to key solar installations worldwide," said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive officer of Canadian Solar.

These two projects, entitled Project Developer/EPC Solar Power S.A. de C.V. (SOPOSA) and Companía Hondurena de Energia Solar S.A. de C.V. (COHESSA), will be constructed in the southern region of Honduras between December 2014 and March 2015. Each project powers approximately 73.2 MWp, bringing the total to 146.4 MWp. This is equivalent to supplying energy needs to 45,000 homes in Honduras with cost-effective and renewable green energy.  These two projects represent a milestone for SOPOSA and COHESSA, whose corporate vision strives to develop solar projects that maintain the highest standards of sustainable development.

"We are pleased to be selected to supply our PV modules to SOPOSA and COHESSA, both world leading developers and EPC providers. I am confident that Canadian Solar's global experience, proven track record, and consistent product performance will continue to make us a partner of choice in supplying our modules to key solar installations worldwide," said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive officer of Canadian Solar.

Since 2010, Canadian Solar's PV modules have consistently been ranked at the top of the PVUSA Test Conditions (PTC) Ratings, maintaining their leadership position in the market. Furthermore, for the fourth year in a row, Canadian Solar has achieved first-rate results on the Potential Induced Degradation (PID) test results. This test assesses how well modules withstand extreme environmental conditions in a test laboratory.

About Canadian Solar Inc.

Founded in 2001 in Ontario, Canada, Canadian Solar is one of the world's largest and foremost solar power companies. As a leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules and provider of solar energy solutions, Canadian Solar has an industry leading and geographically diversified pipeline of utility-scale solar power projects as well as a track record of successful solar deployment boasting over 7 GW of premium quality modules installed in over 70 countries during the past decade. Canadian Solar is committed to providing high-quality solar products and solar energy solutions to customers around the world and is poised to significantly grow its presence in new markets, including in Central and South America. For more information about our company, products and projects please visit www.canadiansolar.com.

About SOPOSA and COHESSA

Founded in 2012 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, by the Larach Group, SOPOSA and COHESSA were established with the purpose of creating a solution to the high energy demand that Honduras is currently facing. Over the years, the Larach Group has become one of the top developers in the region with 60 MW of hydro projects in operation. Their corporate portfolio has recently expanded to 360 MW of renewable projects including hydro, geothermal, and solar.

Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by such terms as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include the risks regarding general business and economic conditions and the state of the solar industry; governmental support for the deployment of solar power; future available supplies of solar grade silicon; demand for solar products by consumers and inventory levels of such products in the supply chain; changes in demand from significant customers; changes in demand in our project markets, including Canada, the U.S., Japan and China; changes in customer order patterns; capacity utilization; level of competition; pricing pressure and declines in average selling prices; delays in new product introduction; continued success in technological innovations and delivery of products with the features customers demand; utility-scale project approval process; delays in utility-scale project construction; shortage in supply of materials or capacity requirements; availability of financing; exchange rate fluctuations; trade protectionism in Europe, the U.S. and India; litigation and other risks as described in the Company's SEC filings, including its annual report on Form 20-F filed on April 28, 2014. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today's date, unless otherwise stated, and Canadian Solar undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE Canadian Solar Inc.

Ed Job, CFA, Director, Investor Relations, Canadian Solar Inc., investors@canadiansolar.com; David Pasquale, Global IR Partners, +1-914-337-8801, csiq@globalirpartners.com

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Bloomberg: Putin Loses His Best Friend: Expensive Oil

From Bloomberg, Oct 14, 2014, 4:00:01 PM
Attendees inspect a digital map of the Russian Federation displayed at the OAO Transneft pavilion during the 21st World Petroleum Congress in Moscow on June 17, 2014. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

The decline in oil prices may be depriving Russian President Vladimir Putin of his biggest ally.

To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1vsiDye

Sent from the Bloomberg iPad application. Download the free application at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloomberg-for-ipad/id364304764?mt=8



Sent from a mobile device.

Trouble in Developers Paradise (Japan)

Japan utilities fight back against renewables influx

In Japan, the flood of approved feed-in tariff applications has prompted half the electricity utilities to implement broad measures to slow down renewable energy project development. On 1 October, four more regional utilities said they would stop signing contracts to buy renewable energy from mega solar power plants, citing grid access limitations. The move follows a similar announcement from Kyushu Electric Power the preceding week. 

The country saw installation of solar capacity rocket up 183% between end-2011 and 2013 thanks to its generous feed-in tariff. The incentive was implemented after the country’s 48 nuclear reactors were shut down following the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011. 

The government has approved plans for some 72GW of renewable energy projects since July 2012 and developers may well be rushing to reach commissioning before the subsidy rates change. The utilities may be relieved to hear that half of the capacity approved for the feed-in tariff will not be completed, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s H2 2014 Japan Power & Gas Market Outlook, published on 8 October. 

Nonetheless, renewable capacity (excluding hydro plants over 50MW) will reach 84GW by 2020 compared with 34GW in 2013, based on our analysis. In addition, power companies are likely to boost gas and coal capacity on the back of uncertainty around nuclear restarts and aging oil plants. 

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Bloomberg: Speculators Push Oil Into Bear Market as Supply Rises

I love Fracking. Take that, you nasty foreign oil-heads.

From Bloomberg, Oct 13, 2014, 3:47:22 PM
A worker hangs from an oil derrick outside of Williston, North Dakota. Photographer: Gregory Bull/AP Photo

Money managers reduced bets on rising oil prices by the most in five weeks, helping push U.S.- traded futures into a bear market.

To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1rpknR6

Sent from the Bloomberg iPad application. Download the free application at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloomberg-for-ipad/id364304764?mt=8



Sent from a mobile device.

Panama approves another utility-scale PV project

Panama approves another utility-scale PV project

13.10.2014: Panama’s public services regulator Autoridad de los Servicios Públicos de la República de Panamá (ASEP) has granted provisional approval for a 9 MW PV project. The Coclé PV project would be built by local developer Solar Coclé in the municipality of Coclé, in the province of Coclé. In June, ASEP granted provisional approval to a 19.8 MW PV project that local company SDR Energy Panama SA aims to build in the municipality of Boqueron, in the province of Chiriqui, and in May, ASEP granted provisional approval to two PV projects with a combined capacity of 29.9 MW. A first 19.95 MW project, named Bajo Frío, would be located in the municipality of Aserrio de Gariché, in the province of Chiriquí. The project was submitted by local developer Bajo Frío PV SA. A second 9 MW PV plant, named Chiriquí, would be developed by Enel Fortuna SA, a hydro generator owned by Italian renewable energy developer Enel Green Power SpA whose main activity is the operation of a 300 MW hydropower plant on the Chiriqui river, in Chiriqui province. The solar project, for which Enel Fortuna has already signed a grid-connection agreement with local power provider Empresa de Distribución Chiriquí SA, would be located in the municipality of San Juan, in the same province. © PHOTON

13.10.2014: Panama’s public services regulator Autoridad de los Servicios Públicos de la República de Panamá (ASEP) has granted provisional approval for a 9 MW PV project. The Coclé PV project would be built by local developer Solar Coclé in the municipality of Coclé, in the province of Coclé. In June, ASEP granted provisional approval to a 19.8 MW PV project that local company SDR Energy Panama SA aims to build in the municipality of Boqueron, in the province of Chiriqui, and in May, ASEP granted provisional approval to two PV projects with a combined capacity of 29.9 MW. A first 19.95 MW project, named Bajo Frío, would be located in the municipality of Aserrio de Gariché, in the province of Chiriquí. The project was submitted by local developer Bajo Frío PV SA. A second 9 MW PV plant, named Chiriquí, would be developed by Enel Fortuna SA, a hydro generator owned by Italian renewable energy developer Enel Green Power SpA whose main activity is the operation of a 300 MW hydropower plant on the Chiriqui river, in Chiriqui province. The solar project, for which Enel Fortuna has already signed a grid-connection agreement with local power provider Empresa de Distribución Chiriquí SA, would be located in the municipality of San Juan, in the same province. © PHOTON

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Trina sells 10.6 MW PV plant in the UK to Foresight fund

Trina sells 10.6 MW PV plant in the UK to Foresight fund

13.10.2014: Chinese module manufacturer Trina Solar Ltd. signed a share purchase agreement on Sept. 30, 2014 to sell its 10.6 MW PV power plant located in Trehawke, UK to funds managed by investment firm Foresight Group LLP. This is the first of two Trina Solar UK projects that were connected to the grid in the first quarter of 2014. The utility-scale Trehawke solar power plant utilizes 41,404 Trina Solar TSM-255-PC05A modules. Foresight funds currently own more than 30 separate operating PV plants in the UK, the US, Italy and Spain. © PHOTON

http://www.trinasolar.com

http://ir.trinasolar.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=206405&p=irol-newsArticle_Pri
nt&ID=1976212

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Honduras approves PV projects totaling 609 MW

Honduras approves PV projects totaling 609 MW



13.10.2014: Honduran state-owned electrical power company Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ENEE) had awarded 23 service contracts for PV projects totaling 609.2 MW as of the end of June 2014, according to local newspaper El Heraldo. Seventeen of these projects totaling 379.2 MW are to be developed in the department of Choluteca, while four projects totaling 199.8 MW are to be built in the department of Valle. The departments of Santa Barbara and Cortés will each host one PV plant, the first with a capacity of 20.2 MW and the second with a power of 10 MW. According to the article, the 23 projects would be developed at a per megwatt cost ranging from $2.7 million to $3.0 million. This means that the total investment for these projects would surpass $1.64 billion. In May, the head of Honduras’s Chamber of Commerce, Salomón Ordóñez, said that Honduras could have 300 MW of cumulative installed PV capacity by August 2015. Ordóñez said that a planned $450 million to $500 million investment in solar projects would make the target possible. The investments will be concentrated on projects in the departments of Valle and Choluteca, located in the south of the country. Ordóñez claimed that PV power plants developed in these departments would be able to sell electricity to the local grid at a price of $0.18 per kWh, while thermal power plants are currently selling their output to the country’s utility Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ENEE) at a price of $0.20 to $0.22 per kWh. © PHOTON

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Friday, October 10, 2014

Bloomberg: Americans Can Save More Money by Not Burning It: Study

From Bloomberg, Oct 10, 2014, 2:45:55 PM
Emissions rise from a coal-fired plant in West Virginia. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

Climate change policy is often assumed to be a lose-lose proposition. Nations can pay now for expensive carbon-reduction policies, or they can pay later -- potentially a lot more -- through destructive climate-related events like storms, droughts and flooding.

To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1EE7cGf

Sent from the Bloomberg iPad application. Download the free application at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloomberg-for-ipad/id364304764?mt=8



Sent from a mobile device.

TerraForm acquires PV projects totaling 30 MW from Just Energy Group

M&A transaction. Terraform has cash and shares.

TerraForm acquires PV projects totaling 30 MW from Just Energy Group

10.10.2014: Renewable energy investment firm TerraForm Power, which is majority owned by US solar developer and producer SunEdison, has agreed to acquire Hudson Energy Solar Corp. from US green energy retailer Just Energy Group Inc. for $35 million. Hudson Energy owns 25.5 MW of operational PV power plants and 4.5 MW PV projects under developerment. The projects under development will be acquired by SunEdison and added to TerraForm Power's call right project list. The company did not provide details about the individual projects. © PHOTON

http://www.terraform.com

http://ir.terraform.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=253464&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1
975234

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Starting gun just went off on Panama ETESA bid

Panama postpones its first solar energy auction to Nov. 25, 2014



10.10.2014: Panama’s grid operator Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica SA (ETESA) announced that the country’s first solar energy auction will be held on Nov. 25, 2014, a month later than originally scheduled. ETESA did not say why the auction has been pushed back from Oct. 16. PV projects selected through the auction will have to start delivering electricity to the grid by Jan. 1, 2017. Local energy providers Chiriquí, Metro Oeste and Elektra Norte will buy the electricity output from the PV plants under 20-year PPAs. PV projects developed through Panama's first solar energy auction must be online by Jan. 1, 2017.  © PHOTON

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

Wanna go to a fiesta in CR this weekend?

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

EU Approves UK Bid To Subsidize $39B Nuclear Power Plant

It makes my blood boil when I see such flagrant political corruption.

http://www.manufacturing.net/news/2014/10/eu-approves-uk-bid-to-subsidize-39b-nuclear-power-plant?et_cid=4197316&et_rid=45614407&type=cta

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Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
+1 646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

data centers in cross-hairs

Data centers consumed about 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in the United States last year, and that number is expected to grow as more information is shared and stored online. See the Energy Department news release.

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

SolarCity Loan Deal Could Propel Rooftop Market

Monday, October 6, 2014

Fwd: SCE unveils largest battery energy storage project in North America - Pennenergy

Pure frequency regulation and capacitance, but going to go deeper step by step.


http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2014/09/sce-unveils-largest-battery-energy-storage-project-in-north-america.html

SCE unveils largest battery energy storage project in North America
September 25, 2014
By PennEnergy Editorial Staff 
Source: Southern California Edison

For Southern California Edison (SCE) (NYSE: EIX), building asmarter grid started many years ago with smart meters and upgrades in distribution equipment. Today, the company takes another leap forward with the opening of the largest battery energy storage project in North America — the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project — to modernize the grid to integrate more clean energy.

The demonstration project is funded by SCE and federal stimulus money awarded by the Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 

The 32 megawatt-hours battery energy storage system features lithium-ion batteries housed inside a 6,300 square-foot facility at SCE's Monolith substation in Tehachapi, Calif. The project is strategically located in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area that is projected to generate up to 4,500 MW of wind energy by 2016. 

"This installation will allow us to take a serious look at the technological capabilities of energy storage on the electric grid," said Dr. Imre Gyuk, energy storage program manager in the energy department's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. "It will also help us to gain a better understanding of the value and benefit of battery energy storage." 

The project costs about $50 million with matching funds from SCE and the energy department. Over a two-year period, the project will demonstrate the performance of the lithium-ion batteries in actual system conditions and the capability to automate the operations of the battery energy storage system and integrate its use into the utility grid.

"The Tehachapi Energy Storage Project is a significant milestone for SCE and for energy storage in California" said Doug Kim, director of Advanced Technology at SCE. "Grid-scale energy storage is an integral part of our company's Storage Portfolio Development Framework that will contribute to optimizing grid performance and integrating more renewable energy resources. This demonstration project will give us a significant amount of insight into the operational capabilities of large-scale, lithium-ion battery storage."

Primary goals of the project are to demonstrate the effectiveness of lithium-on battery and smart inverter technologies for improved grid performance and to assist in the integration of variable renewable energy resources like wind and solar power. 

The battery system supplied by LG Chem is comprised of 604 battery racks, 10,872 battery modules and 608,832 individual battery cells – the same lithium-ion cells installed in battery packs for General Motors' Chevrolet Volt.

"The successful commissioning of the Tehachapi Storage Project marks a key milestone for LG Chem in delivering large-scale energy storage solutions," said Sung-Hoon Jang, vice president of the Energy Solution Company at LG Chem.  "As a turnkey solutions provider, LG Chem looks forward to its continued collaboration with SCE during the next two years of system operation. The role of energy storage in the electric grid will continue to increase with the growth of renewable energy and distributed energy systems and our collaboration with SCE will provide key insights for current and future energy storage projects."


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Fwd: Major renewable energy plan hinges on huge Utah caverns - Pennenergy

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Rebecca Van Nichols" <rvan@tnag.net>
Date: Oct 6, 2014 7:15 PM
Subject: Major renewable energy plan hinges on huge Utah caverns - Pennenergy
To: <mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com>
Cc:


Major renewable energy plan hinges on huge Utah caverns

September 26, 2014
By Mead Gruver & Matthew Brown, Associated Press

In this Oct. 10, 2002 file photo, turbines blow in the wind south of Cheyenne, Wyo. An alliance of four companies proposed an $8 billion project Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014 that within a decade could send wind power generated near Chugwater, Wyo., sleepy ranching town of 216 residents north of Cheyenne, to households in Southern California. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A proposal to export twice as much Wyoming wind power to Los Angeles as the amount of electricity generated by the Hoover Dam includes an engineering feat even more massive than that famous structure: Four chambers, each approaching the size of the Empire State Building, would be carved from an underground salt deposit to hold huge volumes of compressed air.

The caverns in central Utah would serve as a kind of massive battery on a scale never before seen, helping to overcome the fact that — even in Wyoming — wind doesn't blow all the time.

Air would be pumped into the caverns when power demand is low and wind is high, typically at night. During times of increased demand, the compressed air would be released to drive turbines and feed power to markets in far-away Southern California.

It's a relatively simple concept proven decades ago on a much smaller scale by utilities in Alabama and Germany. Yet, experts said Wednesday there's a reason similar projects don't exist elsewhere: The technology known as "compressed air energy storage" is expensive, particularly when stacked against other power sources such as cheap, natural gas.

Map shows proposal for power project that links a wind farm in Wyoming and customers in Southern California"Stored energy technically is wonderful stuff. But it's primarily the capital costs that get you," said Brendan Kirby, a private consultant and former senior researcher at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. "If it made a lot of economic sense, you'd be seeing these projects duplicated."

Still, Kirby and other experts added that the concept holds great promise for broader application as expenses drop, wind power capacity expands and West Coast utilities look to Rocky Mountain states to supply more electricity. It also could help rebut renewable energy skeptics who point to the variability of wind power as reason enough to stick with fossil fuels.

In this case, the electricity would originate with a 2,100-megawatt wind farm near Chugwater, a southeast Wyoming town of about 200 people 140 miles north of Denver. High-voltage lines would send the electricity to the compressed-air site 10 miles north of Delta, Utah.

From there, the electricity would go to California, a state that requires one-third of its power to come from renewable sources, such as wind and solar.

California also is a big driver of energy storage. Last year, the state required three major utilities to acquire 1,325 megawatts of energy storage by 2020.

A megawatt is enough electricity to provide power to roughly 600 to 1,000 homes.

Batteries big enough to serve the grid can meet the requirement, but compressed air storage is a much better option, said Loyd Drain, executive director of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, an agency that promotes power line development to export electricity generated in the state.

"Battery storage is very expensive, very inefficient. The second you put a charge into a battery it starts to discharge. You lose a lot of power," Drain said. "But energy storage, like compressed air storage, you can store that and not lose any energy."

The air would be pumped into four caverns, each 1,300-feet high and 290-feet wide and capable of holding enough air to generate 60,000 megawatt-hours of electricity through turbines at the surface.

"It's probably one of the only salt formations in the West that lends itself to compressed air energy storage of any scale bigger than a very small facility. It's a very large salt formation, very deep," Chris Jones, managing director of business development for Duke-American Transmission, one of four partners in the project, said Wednesday.

To excavate the caverns, the companies will pump fresh water into the salt deposit, which geologists call a "salt dome," to gradually dissolve out the caverns. Magnum Energy, another partner in the project, already has used that process at the site to create two large caverns that can each store up to 2 million barrels of propane or butane.

As the caverns get bigger, salt water is pumped to the surface to dry, leaving behind salt that can be sold for a variety of purposes, including road salt, said Magnum Energy spokesman Rob Webster.

"From the surface, it would look not different from an oil or gas well, with a big wellhead sitting on top of it and not really much else to see," Webster said.

While huge salt domes are rare onshore in the West, they're common in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil and gas companies excavate them to store natural gas using the same method.

Magnum Energy expects to begin the two-year process of excavating the caverns in 2016. Once completed with all equipment in place, the facility will cost an estimated $1.5 billion.

Paul Denholm, an analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, who has analyzed the economics of wind energy storage, said even though high costs have tripped up other projects, that won't necessarily be the case in Utah.

"The thing that makes this one different is that wind keeps getting cheaper and cheaper in price," he said. "Every year that we move along the economics look more favorable."
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