| Today's Top Stories
1. Wave energy test site calls Newport home
2. APGA filing supports natural gas utilities
3. Halliburton's Frac of the Future
4. Global Atlas to improve analysis of renewable energy potential
5. Financial benefits boost NG vehicle sales Also Noted: Spotlight On... $2.4M grant to address biomass refinery challenge
China's $15B smart grid opportunity; paper records live on and much more... Solar imperative: Strategies for accelerating PV growth
Moving the photovoltaic (PV) industry forward and enabling it to make a significant contribution to worldwide electricity generation -- greater than 25 percent -- will require four strategic initiative. Feature EPA prepping for a busy 2013
Energy regulation is a complicated game. Ensuring compliance requires utilities to navigate policy at the local, state, and federal levels while monitoring a host of commissions and government departments. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is among the most influential of these organizations, having carried the torch on issues ranging from air pollution to clean energy and water. Article News From Across the Energy Industry:
1. Interstate Reliability Project approved
2. Utility "Digerati" face competitive edge
3. New Jersey utility caves to pressure for change
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Today's Top News 1. Wave energy test site calls Newport home
The first utility-scale grid-connected wave energy test site in the U.S. has found an official home.  | | The Pacific Marine Energy Center will be the nation's first utility-scale, grid-connected wave energy test facility. View the full-size image.(Credit: Oregon State University) | The Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC) test site will be located in Newport, Oregon, taking up residence at the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at Oregon State University. Site selection was ultimately based on ocean characteristics, marine and on-shore cable routes, port and industry capabilities, impacts to existing ocean users, permitting challenges, stakeholder participation in the proposal process, and support of the local fishing communities. The PMEC will test energy generation potential and the environmental impacts of wave energy devices at an ocean site about five miles from shore. Subsea cables will transmit energy from the wave energy devices to the local power grid, and data to scientists and engineers at on-shore facilities. As part of the PMEC will be four "test berths" -- open spaces of water dedicated to testing individual devices or small arrays of devices -- each of which will be connected to the community's electrical grid and will collect data associated with environmental and human dimension impacts. The Oregon Wave Energy Trust has helped create a wave energy development regulatory process that combines the needs of ocean stakeholders and the state, as well as addresses the Governor's 10-year energy plan, including how wave energy is integrated into Oregon's power grid while maintaining high environmental standards. For more:
- see this article Related Articles:
Pros and cons of ocean energy
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Ocean Energy: The renewable energy long shot
Making waves: Harnessing the power of ocean energy Read more about: renewable energy, Wave Energy
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2. APGA filing supports natural gas utilities
In a show of support for the interests of natural gas customers, natural gas utilities and overall efficiency, the American Public Gas Association (APGA) has filed a motion for vacatur in the case American Public Gas Association v. Department of Energy, D.C. Cir. No 11-1485. The motion was filed jointly with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and asks the U.S. Court of Appeals to vacate a direct final rule (DFR) concerning furnace efficiency standards issued by DOE and to remand the rule for notice-and-comment rulemaking. APGA filed its petition with the court in December 2011 to challenge the direct final rule issued by DOE in June and confirmed in October 2011. The DFR, which raised the annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) for non-weatherized gas furnaces from 80 percent to 90 percent effective in May 2013, would have had the effect of eliminating non-condensing gas furnaces from the northern region of the country and driven consumers to less efficient electric furnaces. The furnace rule, in an attempt to increase efficiency, would have inadvertently deterred consumers from purchasing direct use natural gas appliances, which are more efficient than electric appliances, according to APGA. Further, practical issues such as venting requirements would indirectly increase the cost of the more energy efficient natural gas appliance options, consequently giving consumers the incentive to buy cheaper (initially) electric appliances that are ultimately less efficient and more costly in the long run. DOE and APGA came to a settlement agreement this fall in which DOE agreed to withdraw the DFR and initiate a traditional notice-and-comment rulemaking for new furnace efficiency standards. "APGA has believed since the outset of this proceeding that setting efficiency standards by direct final rule, versus notice-and-comment rulemaking, was both a violation of the enabling statute and a disservice to the affected consumers," APGA President and CEO, Bert Kalisch, said after filing the motion. In order for the settlement to be effective, the court must approve the motion for vacatur. For more:
- see this article Related Article:
Natural gas an energy "bright spot" Read more about: American Public Gas Association APGA, DOE, natural gas, APGA
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3. Halliburton's Frac of the Future
A new dual-fuel technology has been dubbed "Halliburton's Frac of the Future." It's part of an initiative designed to address the need to shrink well site footprints, improve environmental performance, cut supply chain costs and enhance the reliability of onsite equipment. The new dual-fuel technology is the result of a collaboration between Halliburton, Apache Corporation and Caterpillar and is hailed as being capable of safely and efficiently powering the pumping equipment used for fracturing treatments with a mixture of natural gas and diesel. The collaboration involves 12 Q-10 pumps (24,000 horsepower) and is one of the largest-scale dual-fuel projects ever seen in the oil and gas industry. In an effort to increase the use of natural gas as a fuel for engines, Halliburton developed a technical solution for converting the pumping equipment used at a typical large-scale fracturing spread to a dual-fuel system including natural gas -- burning cleaner than using diesel alone. Caterpillar adapted its proprietary Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) engine technology to power Halliburton's pumps and worked closely with Halliburton and Apache to cover a wide range of performance, environmental and efficiency criteria, Taking advantage of natural gas can lead to cost savings for industry and consumers, new jobs and a cleaner environment if used to its full potential. "We anticipate that in the not-so-distant future, these DGB engines can be easily retrofitted to efficiently burn available on-site conditioned field gas, thereby saving operators additional fuel transport costs," said Marc Edwards, senior VPA of Halliburton's Completion and Production Division. For more:
- see this article
- see this article Related Articles:
Vermont to ban hydraulic fracking
Anti-fracking to reach fever pitch Read more about: natural gas, Halliburton Apache Corporation
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4. Global Atlas to improve analysis of renewable energy potential
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has launched the world's first open access Global Atlas of renewable energy resources -- the largest initiative ever to help countries assess their renewable energy potential and invest in new markets. The Atlas charts solar and wind resources and brings together data and resource maps from leading technical institutes and private companies worldwide. It also provides tools for evaluating the technical potential of renewable energy. Traditional databases focus mainly on specific attributes, such as physical information on insulation or wind speed, while others feature economic and policy frameworks such as support mechanisms for renewable energies. The Global Atlas is comprehensive and integrates all of the data and information needed to make informed decisions -- from resources to potential, including socio-economic data, policies and support mechanisms, and infrastructure data. "In the next 10 years we expect a huge rise in the investments in renewable energy. The Global Solar and Wind Atlas will help us make the right decisions," said Martin Lidegaard, danish minister of climate, energy and building, at IRENA's annual general assembly of 150 countries. The solar and wind Atlas will be expanded to the Global Renewable Energy Atlas in late 2014 to early 2015. The update will address geothermal, hydropower, bioenergy, and marine energies. The expanded Atlas will include additional datasets for solar and wind energy, as well as ancillary datasets required to assess renewable energy potentials such as population, land occupation, and protected areas. The range of available tools will be expanded, from a set of basic features, to more complex socio-economic analysis tools. "The Global Atlas provides a powerful new tool in international efforts to double the world's share of renewable energy by 2030," said Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA director-general. "With 22 countries now taking part, and more expected to join in the coming months, it is a clear sign of our growing political will to transition to clean, renewable energy." For more:
- see this brochure
- see this video Related Articles:
IRENA touts "Renewable Revolution"
IRENA: Renewables cheapest energy option Read more about: wind energy, IRENA
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5. Financial benefits boost NG vehicle sales
Natural gas (NG) vehicles are becoming increasingly attractive options in commercial markets, especially with traditional trucks and buses using significant amounts of fuel and emitting high levels of greenhouse gases. Sales of natural gas trucks and buses will increase steadily over the remainder of the decade with more than 930,000 vehicles sold worldwide from 2012 to 2019, according to Pike Research. NG trucks typically run on compressed natural gas (CNG) because their tanks weigh less and are less costly than those for liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG trucks, however, are increasingly used as longer range vehicles (400 miles or more compared to 150 to 300 miles for CNG vehicles) and are seeing higher growth rates than CNG trucks (17 percent versus 14 percent in heavy duty trucks). The worldwide breakdown of refueling stations for these two types of natural gas is 117 LNG refueling stations versus 20,233 CNG refueling stations. About 45 percent of the LNG refueling stations are located in the United States, even though China has the largest annual sales for LNG fueled trucks, with 3,020 vehicle sales in 2012, according to Pike. "NG vehicles emit substantially lower levels of GHGs, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxide than either gasoline- or diesel-powered trucks and buses," said Pike senior research analyst Dave Hurst. "What's more, compared to diesel engines, natural gas provides a financial benefit. In most cases, the higher incremental cost of an NG vehicle is typically recovered, due to lower fuel costs, within two to seven years." For more:
- see this article
- see this article Related Articles:
Clean Energy Fuels speeds natural gas fueling stations
New Jersey Natural Gas to invest $15M in CNG vehicle refueling stations
New Jersey Natural Gas powers natural gas vehicle market
North America lagging in natural gas vehicle market Read more about: natural gas, New Jersey Natural Gas
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Also Noted SPOTLIGHT ON... $2.4M grant to address biomass refinery challenge A research project which received a $2.4 million DOE grant could help address one of the most important challenges faced by biomass refineries today: Biowaste generated in biofuel production. The research seeks to "engineer" a microbe to break lignin into lipid which can then be used to make more fuel. Article >China's $15B smart grid opportunity. Article
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