Environmental group sues to stop solar project

Riverside Press-Enterprise - Environmental group sues to stop solar project

By David Danelski, Jan 20

An environmental group has filed a lawsuit contending the federal government's "fast track" approval of a solar energy development -- already under construction in northeast San Bernardino County -- violated several laws.

The Western Watersheds Project, which works to protect watershed areas in six western states, wants a federal court to rescind the approvals and halt construction.

The complaint, filed Friday, names as defendants the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other federal officials.

BrightSource Energy Co. broke ground in October on the 5.6-square-mile solar field in the Ivanpah Valley off Interstate 15 near Primm, Nev. The project was approved in an expedited process intended to help energy developers meet federal deadlines to qualify for stimulus subsidies.

BrightSource, based in Oakland, plans to focus heat from thousands of mirrors onto three "power towers" to generate steam and run turbines that would produce enough electricity for as many as 140,000 homes. The project is on public land controlled by the BLM.

"This project was just rushed," said Michael Connor, California director for Western Watersheds Project. "It was a rush to judgment. They had already decided they were going to build these things."

Lois Grunwald, a Ventura-based Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman, said she had not seen the complaint and could not comment on it. BLM officials also had no comment, spokesman David Briery said.

A BrightSource spokesman said in an e-mail that the company "does not comment on legal matters pertaining to governing bodies that regulate our industry."

The watershed group says the federal agencies cut corners on environmental reviews, violating the National Environment Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act, among other laws.

Among several allegations, the group accuses the government of inadequate reviews of alternatives, such as allowing BrightSource to build on nearby Ivanpah Dry Lake, which has little or no habitat value for desert tortoises, a species threatened with extinction, and other wildlife. The lawsuit says 30 tortoises have been found at BrightSource's current location.

The government also did not fully analyze how upgrading power lines will affect wildlife, the suit alleges.

The Western Watersheds lawsuit is one of several legal challenges to solar projects that the Obama administration approved last year on public land in the Mojave Desert.

The Sierra Club on Dec. 30 sued the California Energy Commission over its approval last fall of the Calico solar development, planned off Interstate 40 about 37 miles east of Barstow, said Gloria Smith, an attorney for the club. The suit, filed with the California Supreme Court, faults the commission for not detailing how the developer would compensate for lost wildlife habitat.

Also in December, a Native American cultural protection group and tribal members sued the Obama administration over the fast-track approvals of six large solar developments, including Ivanpah and Calico. They contend federal officials violated laws that protect sacred places.

Jump in Energy Demand Seen by 2035 - NYTimes.com

Jump in Energy Demand Seen by 2035 - NYTimes.com

New EIA Energy Forecast for 2035.

Studies on regulatory cost versus benefits

Climate Compass | Blog of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change

Looking at the historical costs of regulation under the EPA.

CARB releases AB32 Draft

State unveils new rule for battling climate change

Key Highlights:

Begins in 2012
Credits issued representing 90% of all emissions per sector
Eliminates 273 million metric tonnes of CO2 by 2020 (ie. 1990 levels by 2020)

the electricity industry and large industrial plants that manufacture glass, paper, concrete and other products. In 2015 it will expand to fuel distributors and in all covers 360 businesses that work out of 600 sites across the state.

In 2012, the number of metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions estimated for California will be capped at what is forecast to be emitted that year. Over the next three years, the cap will shrink by 2 percent per year. From 2015 to 2020, the cap will drop by 3 percent per year.

33% RPS for CA by 2020

ARB News Release

California commits to more clean, green energy

New standard: 33% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020

SACRAMENTO - Today California took a decisive step toward a clean energy future by setting in place a standard that one-third of the electricity sold in the state in 2020 come from clean, green sources of energy.

California Cleantech Attacked by Prop 23

Cleantech Blog: California Cleantech Attacked by Prop 23

A recent UC study reported that California’s successful efforts to become cleaner have already created 1.5 million jobs with a total payroll of over $45 billion.

why Ontario should care about Prop 23

Clean Break » Blog Archive » Guest Post: Ontario Eco Commissioner Gord Miller on California’s Prop 23 and why Ontario should care

OK, so what do the vagaries and uncertainties surrounding an election in California have to do with Ontario? Simple. Both Ontario and California are key members of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a collaboration of seven US states and four Canadian provinces.
WCI’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 15 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020 through a number of initiatives, the most important of which is a cap-and-trade system. Currently, two U.S. states (California and New Mexico) and three Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia) have passed the necessary enabling legislation required for the development of a cap-and-trade program. But, while Ontario has its enabling legislation in place (see Pricing Carbon: Can a Cap-and-Trade System Deliver the Tonnes from the ECO’s latest Annual Report) it has yet to publicly announce the specific design elements of its cap-and-trade program. It must do this through public consultation and the posting of its final decision on the Environmental Registry.
Losing California would be a major blow to the WCI and possibly to carbon trading systems elsewhere in North America, such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord, and quite possibly to the developing international carbon market. Why? Because as California goes, so goes the rest of the U.S., the second largest carbon emitter after China and the third-largest emitter of GHGs on a per capital basis (just behind Australia and, yes, Canada). Without California’s leadership, the development of a North American-wide effort to put a price on carbon would likely be delayed for years.
As shown in the first chart below, California’s GHG emissions represent just over half of those WCI members ready to launch the trading system in January 2012, with a total of just under 480 million tonnes (Mt) of GHGs. Adding New Mexico brings the U.S. tally to almost two-thirds of the five jurisdictions’ emissions. Ontario is the next largest emitter at 190 Mt. Elections will also be held in New Mexico on November 2 and indications are it may withdraw from the WCI cap-and-trade provisions, too.

Climate Compass | Blog of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change

Climate Compass | Blog of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change

The panel of expert witnesses advised the Committee that if the United States wants to be a leader in clean energy, it needs to foster innovation by extending successful programs like tax credits, loan guarantees and grants, and adopt a renewable energy standard (RES). Tom Carbone, Chief Executive Officer of Nordic Windpower, said firms like his need clear market signals, such as a price on carbon or a RES, so they can respond to market demand.
Michael Liebreich, Chief Executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, emphasized the importance of market signals. Under an RES, the government would require that a certain percentage of utilities’ power plant capacity or generation come from renewable sources by a given date, and mechanisms such as credit trading would allow flexibility in meeting this requirement. However, the RES needs both to be ambitious and to have stiff penalties for noncompliance in order to be successful. Such a policy solution could help create the market demand clean energy firms need to establish footholds and ultimately achieve significant, self-reinforcing growth.

The Solar Module Market: Concerns Ahead « TechPulse 360

The Solar Module Market: Concerns Ahead « TechPulse 360

Sales in other European countries, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic, are moving ahead in advance of tariff cuts of their own. This is leading prices to be stable and wafer prices to even climb a bit. According to Y. Edwin Mok, an analyst at Needham & Co., crystalline cell pricing has risen to $1.35 a watt, compared with $1.25 a watt or so in the first quarter.
This could help vendors such as SunPower, JA Solar and Suntech Power Holdings.
The danger is that this year’s strength will turn into next year’s softness. The fear is especially high in Italy and Spain, which are facing large tariff cuts, says Mok. German installations could decline as well, he adds.
Mok is not alone in his assessment. John Hardy at Gleacher & Company said he expects the world’s largest module maker, First Solar, to post better-than-expected second-quarter sales later this month and speak favorably about the rest of the year.
“The big industry test is coming” in the first quarter of 2011, he says. That’s when sales could slump and another rapid decline in prices could spark worries of another 2009.

DOE Home Weatherization Looks More Like PACE – $120 Million To Speed Up Efforts « TechPulse 360

DOE Home Weatherization Looks More Like PACE – $120 Million To Speed Up Efforts « TechPulse 360

Clean Break » Blog Archive » Guest Post: Glen Estill on Ontario’s local content controversy

Clean Break » Blog Archive » Guest Post: Glen Estill on Ontario’s local content controversy

Japan is appealing Ontario’s Green Energy Act procurement policies to the World Trade Organization, on the basis that the Ontario content requirement violates international trade agreements. Japan’s interest is obvious. It is a major supplier of solar panels, with major brands such as Sanyo, Kyocera and Sharp playing a major role in the world markets. It will be interesting to see the interaction between Canada’s federal government and Ontario on this one. After all, the federal government doesn’t have jurisdiction over electricity procurement.

Clean Break » Blog Archive » Ontario to close four more coal-fired power units

Clean Break » Blog Archive » Ontario to close four more coal-fired power units

On Friday we’ll see four more coal-fired units totalling 2,000 megawatts closed in Ontario, part of the government’s commitment to phase out coal by 2014. Two 500 MW units at Lambton station and two 500 MW units at Nanticoke will be shut down ahead of an earlier schedule because of a combination of factors: lower electricity demand, increased natural gas capacity and a rise of wind, and to a lesser extent, solar power. Another plant, the smaller Atikokan station, will be converted to burning biomass.

Clean Break » Blog Archive » Smart meters are here…. Get over it

Clean Break » Blog Archive » Smart meters are here…. Get over it

Ontario’s feed-in-tariff program has problems with its design and price structure, and that in some scenarios there are certainly better ways to reduce CO2 emissions and stimulate jobs. It’s a good program in principle, but delicate adjustments will be needed and much more emphasis must be placed on conservation and co-generation/CHP.

Ceres and CalPERS Announce Initiative to Accelerate Corporate Action on Global Sustainability Challenges

Ceres and CalPERS Announce Initiative to Accelerate Corporate Action on Global Sustainability Challenges

Announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative, the collaboration catalyzes a powerful group of investors, corporate leaders and other key market players to propel 1,000 companies to embed sustainability factors into day-to-day decision-making, including operations, product development and global supply chains.

The initiative will include roundtables and forums in California and other parts of the country with companies and investors. Much of the activity will evolve around The 21st Century Corporation: Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability, a comprehensive Ceres report that outlines the urgency, vision and competitive advantages for companies to fully embrace sustainability and 20 key expectations for achieving such a goal.

The Ceres “21st Century Sustainable Corporation” report is a key tool for integrating sustainability into the DNA of business – from the boardroom, to copy rooms, and across entire supply chains. The roundtables and forums will help drive companies to implement key expectations outlined in the Roadmap, including:

• Make energy efficiency and renewable energy the foundation for company operations;

• Design and implement closed-loop systems so that air and wastewater emissions are eliminated and zero waste is produced;

• Require 75 percent of top tier suppliers to meet company sustainability performance standards;

• Dedicate 50 percent of R&D investment to developing sustainability solutions;

• Compensate and provide incentives for top executives and other employees to drive sustainability into the business.

The full report is available at www.ceres.org/ceresroadmap.

Cleantech Stimulus Still Not Stimulating | Alternative Energy Stocks

Cleantech Stimulus Still Not Stimulating | Alternative Energy Stocks

Of the $31 B that was granted for the clean tech industry in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, less than 25% of these funds have been deployed over the last 12 months.

3 Studies on AB32 Show Positive Economic Growth for California

Policy Brief 043010.pdf - Google Docs

On Clean Energy, China Skirts Rules - NYTimes.com

On Clean Energy, China Skirts Rules - NYTimes.com

World’s Most Ambitious Solar Plan in LA

PoliWorld’s Most Ambitious Solar Plan in LA

The city of Los Angles is taking up the world’s most ambitious solar power project. Till date this project will be the largest solar power plan started by any city in the world. They are planning to install 1.3 Giga Watts (GW) of solar power and register their city’s name in the book of green economy. The plan was announced by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Council President Eric Garcetti, Council member Jan Perry and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). This program is known as Solar LA. They aim to replace the fossil fuels during peak energy requirement and the program lays out a far-reaching and long-lasting course of action for a network of residential, commercial and municipally-owned solar systems to replace fossil fuels during peak energy demand.

The Solar LA plan covers three primary components: first one is the programs to boost residential and commercial customer solar systems; second one will be the LADWP-owned solar projects in Los Angeles; and the third one will be the large-scale solar projects owned by the LADWP outside of the LA basin.

Cash Incentives for Solar Energy in California

Cash Incentives for Solar Energy in California

Assembly Bill 920, authored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-Marin, and signed by the governor of California, requires utilities to pay solar customers who produce more energy than they use.

Currently homeowners that produce more solar energy than they produce can zero their bills but they’re not paid for the extra energy they feed back into the grid. The payment for producing extra energy is known as “feed-in tariffs” and such an incentive has seen great success in European countries like German and Spain.
Under the new law, the California Public Utilities Commission is required to set the rate for the paybacks by Jan. 1, 2011.

NOVA | The Big Energy Gamble | Watch the Program | PBS

NOVA | The Big Energy Gamble | Watch the Program | PBS

A one hour PBS special on California's proposition AB32 and a profile on thin-film producer Nanosolar.