Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
BBC News: Barclays fined $13.75m by US regulators
Barclays fined $13.75m by US regulators
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Bloomberg: Gamesa and Iberdrola to Build Four Wind Farms in Costa Rica
Gamesa Corp. Tecnologica SA, Spain's biggest wind turbine maker, and Iberdrola SA, its biggest wind farm developer, won a contract to build and commission four projects in Costa Rica totaling 80 megawatts.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1JGvVKo
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Monday, December 28, 2015
BBC News: German man dies after blowing up condom machine
German man dies after blowing up condom machine
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Inside Costa Rica MobileCosta Rica Central Bank auditor found strangled to death in Escazu » Inside Costa Rica
Definitely a little concerning when the guy auditing the Central Bank of the country is throttled to death!
http://insidecostarica.com/2015/12/28/costa-rica-central-bank-auditor-found-strangled-death-escazu/
Thursday, December 24, 2015
BBC News: Google's BigDog robots pull Santa's sleigh
Google's BigDog robots pull Santa's sleigh
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Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Bloomberg: Gain in U.S. Consumer Spending Accompanied by Rising Incomes (first sign of)
Dec. 23 -- Bloomberg Intelligence's Carl Riccadonna and Bloomberg Gadfly columnist Michael Regan report on the state of the U.S. economy. Regan's opinions are his own. An increase in consumer purchases in November was accompanied by rising wages and scant inflation, indicating the biggest part of the U.S. economy will continue to underpin growth.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1OiF2lE
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Monday, December 21, 2015
MUST SEE VIDEO: SpaceX rocket lands safely back on earth
SpaceX rocket lands safely back on earth
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Friday, December 18, 2015
Chile's PV capacity tops 750 MW
Chile's pipeline of approved PV projects totaled 10.35 GW at the end of November.
18.12.2015: Chile's cumulative installed PV capacity reached 750 MW at the end of November 2015, according to the latest report from Chilean renewable energy research institute Centro para la Innovación y Fomento de las Energías Sustentables (CIFES). In November, only 3 MW of PV power was installed in Chile, down from 6 MW in October and 140 MW in November 2014. In the first eleven months of this year, the country added approximately 350 MW of new PV power. In the same period of last year, the newly installed PV capacity was of around 356 MW. The amount of PV capacity under construction in the country was of 2.27 GW as of the end of November, while the pipeline of approved PV projects totaled 10.35 GW. On top of this, local environmental authorities are still evaluating an additional 4.13 GW of proposed PV projects. Electricity produced by PV systems covered 2.6% of Chile’s total electricity demand in November, up from 2.4% in October. The PV plants installed in the country produced 159 GWh last month. Solar was the third most prolific renewable energy source in November after wind, mini-hydroelectric power which covered 3.6% and 2.8% of total demand, respectively. Total electricity demand reached 5,919 GWh in November. © PHOTON
cifes.gob.cl/documentos/reportes-cifes/reporte-cifes-diciembre-2015/
Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
+1-646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com
Thursday, December 17, 2015
NASA Might Get Its Biggest Budget In Decades
Satellite Beach property and economy about to get a boost?
Fwd: Environmental Law Alert: New Highway Law Streamlines Federal Permitting and Environmental Review for Large Infrastructure Projects
From: Stoel Rives LLP <stoel_rives@stoel.com>
Date: Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 7:05 PM
Subject: Environmental Law Alert: New Highway Law Streamlines Federal Permitting and Environmental Review for Large Infrastructure Projects
To: "Bannerman, Monty" <mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com>
Click here for a mobile-friendly version: http://www.stoel.com/alerts/ENV_Dec2015.html
To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add stoel_rives@stoel.com to your address book.
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| This is a publication of Stoel Rives LLP for the benefit and information of clients and friends. This bulletin is not legal advice or a legal opinion on specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for informational purposes only. Copyright 2015 Stoel Rives LLP. View this and other Legal Updates on the web at: http://www.stoel.com/resources.aspx?show=3. This communication may be considered attorney advertising under the rules of some states. Information found in our electronic publications and on www.stoel.com is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice nor a solicitation of legal business. No attorney-client relationship attaches as a result of any exchange of information, including emails that are sent from or to the firm. Please do not send us confidential information or sensitive materials. Unsolicited information sent to Stoel Rives by persons who are not clients of the firm is not subject to any duty of confidentiality on the part of the firm. Furthermore, prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This email was sent from the offices of Stoel Rives located at 900 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 2600, Portland, OR 97204. This email was sent to mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com. To unsubscribe, send an email to unsubscribe@stoel.com. |
Fwd: Battery prices compared to Tessa Powerwall.
From: "Monty Bannerman" <mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com>
Date: Dec 16, 2015 2:10 PM
Subject: B
To: "Monty Bannerman" <mbannerman@tnag.net>
Cc:
Shared via the Google app
Sent from a mobile device.
Chinese company takes power supply in Panama; eyes LNG
This is what happens when the Chinese make a strategic decision to drive their technology deeply into a global market. It’s telecom all over again.
The last reference project awarded a large gas PPA to a western group using western technology just several months ago was at $115/MWh.
Sunny news from Brazil in the midst of a political and economic hurricane
Brazil launches comprehensive program to support distributed renewable energy generation
17.12.2015: Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy (MME) has launched a comprehensive program to support distributed renewable energy generation. The program, named Programa de Desenvolvimento da Geração Distribuída de Energia Elétrica (ProGD), includes all the initiatives implemented by the government to support residential and commercial PV projects over the past two years, as well as additional measures. The Ministry said the program is expected to bring up to 23 GW of new renewable energy capacity in Brazil by 2030. The program will offer, among other things, tax breaks on the import of components for renewable energy projects and low-interest loans from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). In late November, Brazil’s energy regulator ANEEL decided to expand the net-metering scheme for solar and renewable energies. The authority said that the new scheme is expected to allow the installation of distributed generation renewable energy systems with a combined capacity of 4.5 GW by 2024. © PHOTON
Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
+1-646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com
US: tax credit for solar likely to be extended at current level to 2020
US: tax credit for solar likely to be extended at current level to 2020
17.12.2015: The US federal 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar installations will likely be extended at its current level to 2020. According to Bloomberg, Republicans and Democrats have reached an agreement on the spending bill and year-end tax legislation that also includes a measure to extend the ITC for solar after 2016.The bill will have to be approved by the Congress on December 18. If the congress will pass the bill, the ITC for solar installations will be maintained at its current level to 2020 and will then be reduced to 26% in 2021, to 22% in 2022 and to 10% starting from 2023. If the new legislation will not be approved by the Congress, the ITC will be reduced to 10% starting from Jan. 1, 2017. The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has welcomed the inclusion of the five-year solar investment tax credit (ITC) extension in the bill. » A five-year extension of the ITC will lead to more than $125 billion in new, private sector investment in the US economy. And much of this growth will come from small businesses, which make up more than 85 percent of America’s 8,000 solar companies,« said SEIA in its press release. © PHOTON
www.seia.org/news/seia-commends-congressional-leaders-including-itc-extension-omnibus-bill
docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20151214/CPRT-114-HPRT-RU00-SAHR2029-AMNT1final.pdf
Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
+1-646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
BBC News: Italian masonic leader Licio Gelli dies aged 96
Italian masonic leader Licio Gelli dies aged 96
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Mexico to reach 260 MW of PV capacity by the end of 2015, Anes
Mexico to reach 260 MW of PV capacity by the end of 2015, Anes
16.12.2015: According to Mexican financial newspaper Capital Méxican citing provisional statistics from Mexican solar association Anes, Mexico will reach an installed PV capacity of 260 MW by the end of this year. Anes specified that only 6 MW of this capacity comes from PV systems installed by the Mexican energy regulator Comision Reguladora de Energia (CRE) and that the remaining capacity comes from private investments in residential, commercial and utility-scale PV projects. Furthermore, Anes predicts that a further 400 MW could be installed in 2016. According official statistics released by Mexican energy regulator Comision Reguladora de Energia (CRE), approximately 32 MW of PV systems were installed under the country’s net metering scheme at the end of 2014. The cumulative PV capacity installed under the scheme had reached around 58 MW as of the end of last year. To be eligible for the net-metering scheme, PV systems must have a power of up to 500 kW. Of the installed PV power under the scheme, 37.0 MW is represented by small-sized PV installations. Middle-sized PV systems under the scheme had topped a combined capacity of 13.3 MW at the end of 2014. © PHOTON
Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
+1-646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Fwd: America's Fastest Growing Occupation Tied to Wind Turbines
From: "Rebecca Van Nichols" <rvan@tnag.net>
Date: Dec 15, 2015 4:03 PM
Subject: America's Fastest Growing Occupation Tied to Wind Turbines
To: <mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com>
Cc:
America's Fastest Growing Occupation Tied to Wind Turbines
The civilian labor force in the United States will rise to 163.8 million in 2024, with wind turbine service technician jobs growing the most during that span, according to projections made by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
In 2014, the BLS tallied 155.9 million civilian workers, 4,400 of which were wind turbine service technicians. By 2024, the bureau expects there to be 9,200 wind turbine service technicians—which would signify an impressive 108 percent growth.
The fact that the wind turbine service technician career is expected to grow by triple digits between 2014 and 2024 is impressive—when comparing the growth to that of other careers, the projections are fantastic. None of the other occupations listed in the BLS' top 15 list of fastest growing occupations during that time frame will even top a 45 percent growth. (The other five occupations that round out the list are all tied to the healthcare industry.)
So what exactly does a wind turbine service technician do? According to the BLS, a person in that position must "inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines." The worker must also "perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions."
The median annual wage for a wind turbine service technician in 2014 was $48,800. Typically, those looking for an entry level wind turbine service technician have some form of college education, but didn't obtain a degree. For context, nine of the BLS' 15 fastest growing occupations require at least an associate's degree for an entry level position.
Monday, December 14, 2015
The Power Plant of the Future Will Look Like This
Im sure you will all remember a prediction from our inception of Value migrating up to the network.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Bloomberg: An Economist Says He Has Proof Poloz Is Worse for the Canadian Dollar Than Carney
Dec. 9 -- In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg TV Canada's Pamela Ritchie, Stephen Poloz, governor of the Bank of Canada says the nation's economy remains "quite far" from needing unconventional policies such as quantitative easing. The Canadian dollar has lost nearly one quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar since Stephen Poloz succeeded Mark Carney as governor of the nation's central bank.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1TFcF5h
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Bloomberg: What the Paris Climate Deal Must Get Right
The party's almost over. Whatever agreement to lower greenhouse-gas emissions emerges from the Paris climate talks, it probably won't be enough on its own to stop the Earth's atmosphere from warming to dangerous levels. If the deal gets certain things right, however, it can at least put that goal within reach.
To read the entire article, go to http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-12-11/what-the-paris-climate-deal-must-get-right
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Bloomberg: Climate Deal Requires $16.5 Trillion Investment to Cut Pollution
The deal struck at United Nations climate talks requires an overhaul of historic proportions for energy policies worldwide and a huge investment in cleaning up the pollution now damaging the Earth's atmosphere.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1Op882Z
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Climate Agreement Will Only Hasten Transition Beyond Oil | Stratfor
Excellent article from a highly paid and respected source.
https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/climate-agreement-will-only-hasten-transition-beyond-oil
PV Magazine Mobil: Mexico completes energy reform with passage of the Energy Transition Law
The last major piece of MX legislation reform snaps into place. Clarity on carbon credits (hopefully) has arrived.
This will need to be analyzed quickly.
MB
Friday, December 11, 2015
BBC News: German plasma success raises nuclear fusion hopes
German plasma success raises nuclear fusion hopes
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BBC News: Enceladus: Does this moon hold a second genesis of life?
Enceladus: Does this moon hold a second genesis of life?
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Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Bloomberg: Westinghouse Races China for $1 Trillion Nuclear Power Prize
A nuclear windfall is up for grabs.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1HVpbNF
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Bloomberg: Musk’s SolarCity First in Line for Tesla Batteries
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who unveiled his "Powerwall" home battery Thursday, is already offering them to SolarCity Corp. customers seeking backup supply when the grid goes down.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1QTq36m
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Bloomberg: Leapfrogging to Solar: Emerging Markets Outspend Rich Countries for the First Time
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1jfQdTK
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Bloomberg: Brazil Ratings Put Under Review for Cut to Junk by Moody's
Brazil's sovereign rating was put on review for a cut to junk by Moody's Investors Service as the economy worsens and the government struggles to push through measures that would shore up the budget.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1TBqQsd
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Bloomberg: Google and NASA Hope Lightning-Fast Computers Will Unlock the Secrets of Nature
Google has a lot of computers. By many accounts, it has more computers than any other company in the world. Yet, even with so much horsepower at their disposal, Google's researchers keep running into barriers when trying to solve certain complex problems, particularly those tied to artificial intelligence. Google, in effect, has been stumped.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1OP4Qe1
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Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Fwd: NREL Estimates Economically Viable US Renewable Generation
Analysts at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are providing, for the first time, a method for measuring the economic potential of renewable energy across the United States.
A study applying this new method found that renewable energy generation is economically viable in many parts of the United States largely due to rapidly declining technology
The report, Estimating Renewable Energy Economic Potential in the United States: Methodology and Initial Results, describes a geospatial analysis method used to estimate the economic potential of several renewable resources. Economic potential is a metric that quantifies the amount of economically viable renewable generation that is available at a specific location. Analysis to date includes photovoltaics (PV), wind, geothermal, biomass and hydropower resources.
"This report presents one method for estimating economic potential," NREL Energy Analyst Philipp Beiter said. "The initial results are intended to explore this method as a screening metric for understanding the economic viability of renewable generation at a detailed geospatial resolution."
Looking at the potential at developable sites, the report found that when the social cost of carbon is taken into account, renewable generation is economically viable in many parts of the country. At 2014 costs, the technologies combine for 820 terawatt-hours of estimated economic potential beyond the generation from renewable energy facilities already in operation. This additional potential is equivalent to nearly 20 percent of total U.S. annual electricity generation from all sources in 2014.
"Declining renewable technology costs are a significant driver for these results," Beiter said. "Economic potential has more than tripled as a result of cost reductions already realized for renewable generation technologies between 2010 and 2014, particularly for wind and solar PV."
The study also found that projected future renewable energy cost reductions yield further increases. At 2020 projected costs, economic potential equals almost half of U.S. annual generation; in 2030, further cost reductions result in over 75 percent of generation, showing the significant impact that could be realized through continued research, development and deployment that drive down renewable energy costs.
This work is a follow-on analysis to NREL's 2012 report that estimated the technical potential of U.S. renewable generation. While technical potential is a measure of renewable potential based on system performance and land use constraints, the new report also considers renewable generation costs in comparison to prevailing electricity prices. This initial application of the method shows a large range of outcomes for the new metric, depending on specific factors considered. This report includes national level estimates of economic potential, along with maps and tables documenting state-level estimates for specific cases.
Economic potential differs from other projections of renewable energy deployment in that it does not directly consider market dynamics, customer demand, exports from one location to another, or most policy drivers that may incentivize renewable energy generation. The methodology represents a first-level screening that identifies where renewable energy can be cost-competitive. As technology costs and other relevant factors change, economic potential may be a useful metric to assess the evolving role of renewable generation in the energy landscape.
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.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/drel-nee120815.php
Fwd: BBC News: Diesel farms in line for power payout
ArcStar Energy
Diesel farms in line for power payout
Sent from a mobile device.
Monday, December 7, 2015
BBC News: Oil price to remain low in 2016, says Total boss
Oil price to remain low in 2016, says Total boss
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Friday, December 4, 2015
Bloomberg: The Invisible Spill Spewing the Gases of a Half-Million Cars
Oil flows toward the ocean from an inland oil spill near Refugio State Beach in California. Call it the invisible spill.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1IJXH8v
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Bloomberg: OPEC Unity Shattered as Saudi-Led Policy Leads to No Limits
Ali Bin Ibrahim al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia's petroleum and mineral resources minister, speaks to journalists ahead of the 168th Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna, Austria, on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015. OPEC abandoned all pretense this week of acting as a cartel. It's now every member for itself.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1jEwzRN
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BBC News: New Horizons: Sharpest images of Pluto's surface
New Horizons: Sharpest images of Pluto's surface
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Thursday, December 3, 2015
Fwd: Google Ups Ante, Nearly Doubles Bet on Renewable Energy
If we weren't so busy already I would be tempted to go back into the data center sector.
From: "Rebecca Van Nichols" <rvan@tnag.net>
Date: Dec 3, 2015 9:07 PM
Subject: Google Ups Ante, Nearly Doubles Bet on Renewable Energy
To: <mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com>
Cc:
Google is nearly doubling the amount of renewable energy feeding its massive data centers that enable more than 1 billion people to search for information, watch video clips and communicate virtually anytime they want.
The long-term commitments announced Thursday cover up to 842 megawatts of power that will flow from six different wind and solar power projects scheduled to be finished within the next two years in the U.S., Chile and Sweden. Google isn't disclosing how much it expects to pay for the power.
Some of the deals were signed several weeks ago, but Google timed its announcement to coincide with the U.N. conference in Paris that is exploring ways to reduce the volume of carbon emissions widely believed to be changing the Earth's climate.
"It's an opportune time to make a strong statement," said Gary Demasi, Google's director of data center energy.
Google has now signed contracts covering 2 gigawatts of renewable energy, putting the company closer to its goal of having 3.6 gigawatts lined up by 2025. The 2 gigawatts currently under contract is enough to supply 2 million European homes annually, based on Google's estimate that the renewable energy projects will generate an average of about 7.4 billion kilowatt hours of power.
The Mountain View, California, company has pledged to have all of its 14 data centers worldwide running on renewable energy as part of its quest to minimize the pollution caused by the rising demand for its Internet search engine, YouTube video service, Gmail, digital maps and other services.
Google, part of a recently formed company called Alphabet Inc., still has a long way to reach that goal. By its latest estimates, renewable energy accounts for 37 percent of the power needed to run its data centers.
Apple, Facebook and other technology companies also have been investing heavily in renewable energy in an effort to reduce the pollution caused by the popularity of their products. All of Apple's data centers, offices and stores in the U.S. already run on renewable energy, but the company is still trying to obtain cleaner power for the overseas factories that make its iPhones, iPads and other devices.
Besides signing long-term contracts with renewable energy providers, Google also has invested about $2.5 billion in companies and projects trying to produce more wind, solar and geothermal power.
RELATED READS
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
In Slap At Obama, US House Moves To Block Climate Rule
GOP still claiming pseudoscience on climate change. Legislation to roll back evolution to follow.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Bloomberg: LNG Falls Faster Than Oil as U.S. Fracking Spurs Growing Glut
The future of fossil and both the complement and competitor to renewables.
From Bloomberg, Dec 1, 2015, 7:01:00 PM
Spare a thought for anyone who bet on a recovery in liquefied natural gas prices after last year's 45 percent plunge.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1QcH2kd
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Bloomberg: Southern's Clean-Coal Power Plant Costs Balloon to $6.49 Billion
Southern Co.'s clean-coal power plant, a project long plagued by delays and cost overruns, just got $62 million more expensive.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1ICiyuq
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Bloomberg: Dollar Risks Grow as Hedge Funds Make Greenback Most Favored Bet
The dollar is on the cusp of its longest winning streak since March and traders keep piling in, yet a growing number of influential strategists are starting to sound alarms.
To read the entire article, go to http://bloom.bg/1Ttt3GF
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