The Nevada State Office of Energy (“NSOE”) announced on March 16, 2010, that is it has issued a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for renewable energy projects under the $8M+ Revolving Loan Program. Projects must be no more than 60kW in size for solar PV and 20kW maximum for wind turbines and solar thermal. Loan terms
Renewable
Optimizing Tax Benefits in Financing Renewable Energy Projects
By Julia Pettit on
Federal tax benefits, such as the Section 1603 Grant, investment tax credits and production tax credits, continue to be an important driver in financing renewable energy projects. Several of my colleagues will be discussing these tax benefits and other incentives related to project financing in a webinar hosted by Infocast on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 1:00…
NYPA Receives 11 Notices of Intent to Bid for Offshore Wind Projects
By Katherine A. Roek on
The New York Power Authority stated today that it has received eleven (11) Notices of Intent to Bid into its RFP for offshore wind projects in Lakes Erie and Ontario. Formal proposals are due June 1. For more information, see my previous blog entry on NYPA’s plans.
Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and Army Corps of Engineers Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Hydropower
By Chad Marriott on
On March 24, 2010, three federal agencies announced a Memorandum of Understanding for Hydropower (the “MOU”) that impacts developers of traditional hydropower, hydrokinetic, pumped storage, and small-scale hydropower facilities. The Department of Energy (“DOE”), the Department of the Interior (“DOI”), and the Department of the Army, through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“USACE”) (collectively, the…
Colorado Increases its Renewable Energy Standard to 30% by 2020
By William H. Holmes on
From our colleague Adam Walters:
In February we blogged about Colorado HB-10 1001, a bill then pending in the Colorado legislature that would increase Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES) from 20% to 30% by 2020. The Democrat-sponsored bill was passed by the legislature on March 11 on a party line vote and yesterday…
Tradable RECs Now Count Toward California’s RPS
By Chad Marriott on
Posted in Biomass, Climate Change, Geothermal, Hydropower, Nuclear, Ocean/Wave Energy, Renewable, Solar, Transmission, Wind
On Thursday March 11, 2010, the California Public Utility Commission (the "CPUC") created a market for tradable renewable energy credits ("TRECs") in the state. That’s big news. In its 149-page decision, the CPUC stated that investor-owned utilities ("IOUs"), energy service providers, and community choice aggregators may now use TRECs to comply with California’s ambitious renewable portfolio standard ("RPS"). These entities are now permitted to purchase a portion of their RPS compliance from generation sources other than those they own (e.g., distributed solar generation facilities within the state and certain out-of-state facilities).
Continue Reading Tradable RECs Now Count Toward California’s RPS
National Hydropower Association Regional Meeting Underway in Juneau
By William H. Holmes on
Posted in Hydropower
Mary Jo Miller from our Portland office and Jonn Kauffman of our Anchorage office are in Juneau today and tomorrow attending the National Hydropower Association‘s Regional meeting, where Mary Jo is participating on a panel discussing funding mechanisms available for building hydropower projects. Mary Jo will present a case study describing the various loan…
DOE Announces Upcoming Funding for Marine Hydrokinetics
By Chad Marriott on
Good news for marine hydrokinetics! On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Energy ( the "DOE") issued a Notice of Intent announcing that its Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program will publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement ("FOA") for hydrokinetic technology development no later than March 31, 2010. This announcement comes just six months after the DOE awarded…
Virginia Jumping in to Offshore Wind
By Katherine A. Roek on
Posted in Wind
In late February, the Associated Press reported that the Minerals Management Service received proposals from two Virginia companies for leases on the outer continental shelf to develop offshore wind farms. Apex Wind Energy Inc. is proposing to lease 116,000 acres for an undetermined number of wind turbines with the potential to generate up to 1,500…
Proposed Legislation to Limit ITC Grants for Renewable Projects
By Greg Jenner on
Proposed legislation in the Senate would greatly limit the effectiveness of the grant in lieu of tax credits for renewable energy projects under section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The section 1603 grant currently applies to renewable energy projects, such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, that are placed in service before…