Building Renewables, at Long Last
Over the past week or so, we’ve seen some developments suggesting wind power and solar photovoltaics (PV) are catching on with some big companies.
Computer builder Dell and California utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG & E) announced plans to get serious about renewables. Dell is partnering with the local utility in Oklahoma City to supply 100 percent of its campus there with electricity generated from wind.
Utility PG & E has committed to 500 MW of PV electricity with half of it coming from small-producer contracts and the other half coming from utility-scale projects. Other utilities recently announcing new PV capacity are Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, Duke Energy, and PSE&G in New Jersey. California and “sunny” New Jersey are number one and two, respectively, in PV power generation.
Manufacturer Johnson Controls has just finished a 1,500 panel solar array at its headquarters in Wisconsin. That company looks like it’s positioning itself for production of renewable energy and battery technologies. Triple Pundit has more here
Associated Press reports here the German chemical manufacturer Wacker Chemie AG announced their intention of building a $1 Billion facility in Tennessee to make polycrystalline silicone for photovoltaic panels and semiconductors.
Paul Gipe reports here that the City of Gainesville, Florida quickly reserved its target of 4 MW of solar PV contracts after passing a renewable energy payment plan that will pay PV power producers $0.32 per kWh.
Today after church, we drove the kids down to Bowling Green to see four Vestas wind turbines running near the city landfill off of Route 6. Parked about 100 yards from the nearest tower my wife was especially impressed with the size and power of the blades sweeping the sky.
She asked, “Why has it taken so long to do this?”
Your wife has the right insight, “Why has it taken so long to do this?” If your congressperson and senator don’t know the answer to that question, I suggest you start hounding them.
The Gainesville example is wonderful. Congressman Jay Inslee introduced a national version of the feed-in tariff in the last Congress. I hope he brings it back again. This isn’t rocket science, especially for the country that went to the moon forty years ago.
Dave Roberts
16 Mar 09 at 8:37 pm
Dave:
Thanks for the note. I didn’t know Inslee introduced a national feed-in-tariff bill. I’ll watch for it. I also need to read his book, Apollo’s Fire.
John Freeland
17 Mar 09 at 10:40 pm