West Marin Schizophrenic on Energy Sustainability

The showing of the movie “Windfall” last month in Point Reyes Station – yet another movie that skewers the highly successful wind power industry – opened my eyes to the possibility that we here in West Marin are validating the view of pessimists that argue transitioning to a more sustainable energy future is a pursuit doomed to failure. At least if one uses Marin County as a lead indicator.

When we citizens of the world forbid anyone in West Marin to erect a renewable energy device that might make economic sense, shrink our carbon footprint, and put locals to work, then I guess we know we’ve succeeded in proving that eco-perfectionism is alive and well and so counterproductive. The “Not in My Backyard” (NIMBY) syndrome has become a religion for a select few whose narrow views -- fed by misinformation -- may doom efforts to create a sustainable energy economy in West Marin. The truth is this: our efforts to respond to the global climate crisis is pathetically disconnected and is being limited by those more interested in protecting the status quo than in breaking new ground in solving energy challenges in our own backyards. 

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The Real Story with Solyndra

The word “Solyndra”—the name of a solar company based in Fremont, California that recently filed for bankruptcy – has now become synonymous with government boondoggle. That is if one is to believe the Tea Party and other critics of the Obama Administration. They claim that the bankruptcy of Solyndra proves that solar energy doesn’t work, and that government efforts to develop energy sources are doomed to fail.

Let’s make one thing clear: All energy sources receive government support. In fact renewable investment pales in comparison to the amount of government spending on fossil energy. The oil and natural gas industry has enjoyed a century of federal support averaging $4.86 billion in subsidy spending each year, according to a report released last month by DLB Investors. That’s thirteen times the average annual expenditure on all renewables, including wind power, the leader in terms of total capacity new renewable capacity additions. 

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Which States Are the Best for Small Wind?

The solar PV market is booming in the U.S. and worldwide, thanks to increasing support from local and federal governments. Small wind turbines -- a technology pioneered in the U.S. almost a century ago -- are also growing in popularity, even though they face continued obstacles to widespread deployment. GE’s investments in Southwest Windpower  of Flagstaff, Arizona, represents a major milestone for the small wind industry in terms of attracting corporate support, but the small wind market has a ways to go to reach its full potential. The fact that Home Depot is now offering Southwest Windpower turbines in selected stores is yet another sign that this distributed renewable technology may be coming of age.

Today, a turbine is defined as “small” if it falls at 100 kilowatts or below; mid-sized wind turbines are typically classified as 100 kW up to 1 MW in capacity. The vast majority of small wind turbines sold, however, are 10 kW or less, with the lower end capacity serving residences, and machines rated at 10 kW and above in size typically deployed at farms, ranches, and businesses in rural regions.

A new policy comparison software tool funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which will be available on-line within the next month, has calculated a ranking of states based on paybacks on for small wind turbine. Interestingly enough, the state that comes out on top for financial returns in an analysis performed by eFormative Options, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is Hawaii, due to its extremely high retail rates.

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Why is the Military Going Green?

As Democrats and Republicans in Washington, DC look for federal budget cuts to avoid a government shutdown crisis, the nation’s military appears to be one of the few targets where there is hope for any consensus. Unfortunately, this budget cutting effort could impact cutting edge sustainable energy programs that support microgrids – small islands of self-sufficient power – which can not only save lives in Afghanistan and Iraq, but shrink fuel consumption. If the past is any guide, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) push on innovation with microgrids could have major ramifications for the broader economy, replicating past successes with cutting edge technologies such as the Internet, GPS systems, computers and airplanes.

The concept of “net zero energy” will drive adoption of microgrids, since it is virtually the only technology that can get the military where it needs to go. The Navy (including the Marines) has the most aggressive goals, with 50% of installations reaching this “net zero energy” goal by 2020. Another primary driver of the DOD market is the mandate to increase reliance upon renewable energy – 25% of supply by 2025 -- a goal widely shared across the entire DOD portfolio of facilities per the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. Given the lack of funding for capital expenses, military agencies will be leaning heavily on the private sector to help meet these aggressive deployment targets.

Of all government institutions, why is DOD going green?

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Which State Will Lead on Offshore Wind?

The U.S. wind industry is a major player in global markets with traditional onshore power generation applications, ranking No. 1 globally in 2008 and 2009, before losing out to China in 2010. Efforts to move offshore have, so far, been hampered by a lack of regulatory support in permitting and questions about financing.  

Now that the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) annual conference is behind us, which state does Pike Research believe will actually deploy the first offshore wind turbine in water?

Before we place our bets, let’s take a quick look at the big picture and highlight a few parameters about the U.S. offshore wind market culled from a recent Pike Research market forecast.

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