An interesting fact seemed to go unnoticed in all the press around the Electric Reliability Council of Texas's (ERCOT) Long Term System Assessment, a biennial report submitted to the Texas Legislature on "the need for increased transmission and generation capacity throughout the state of Texas." ERCOT found that if you use updated wind and solar power characteristics like cost and actual output to reflect real world conditions, rather than the previously used 2006 assumed characteristics, wind and solar are more competitive than natural gas over the next 20 years.  This might seem a bit strange since we've been told for years by renewable energy skeptics that wind and solar power can't compete with low natural gas prices. Let me back up a second and explain what's going on here, and what it means for both the energy crunch and Texas' ongoing drought. 

Read More and see the infograph>

The Austin City Council today approved incentives for 10 solar projects including six projects by non-profits who are utilizing a new solar leasing arrangement that improves the economics of investing in solar by non-profit organizations.

SolarBridge Technologies (SolarBridge), the leading provider of integrated microinverters for certified AC modules, announces its U.S.  ACPV Revolution Roadshow. This first of its kind industry event will offer free ACPV technology training, a close-up view of AC module installation procedures and a hands-on experience for installers implementing the fast-growing rooftop solar solution.  

After closing out a year with significant investments in low-emission generation, CPS Energy is kicking off 2013 with 200 megawatts (MW) of new wind power. Los Vientos I, a coastal windfarm, is now online and supplying power to Greater San Antonio and the state's electric grid. Read More>

Solar San Antonio announced that its Bring Solar Home Campaign has produced contracts for more than one megawatt of solar on household and commercial rooftops.  This milestone makes the Solar San Antonio campaign one of the most successful in the nation by a non-profit organization.

The Campaign invites the public to apply for assistance in going solar.  Applications are available online at BringSolarHome.com

E.ON Climate & Renewables (EC&R) North America announced today it has more than 2,700 megawatts (MW) of nameplate capacity in operation across its 18 wind farms located in 5 states.

The company completed construction on three projects in Texas and Indiana in 2012, totaling approximately 500 MW:  Read More>

The nationally heralded SMU Geothermal Lab hosts Geothermal Energy and Waste Heat to Power: Utilizing Oil and Gas Plays in March. It is the Lab's 6th such conference.

"We are excited to have Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as the keynote speaker," said Maria Richards, the Geothermal Lab's Coordinator and organizer of the conference.

The conference will focus on ways to use existing heat exchanging technology for generating on-site electricity from oil and gas field well fluids in addition to surface equipment waste heat. Attendees will learn about producing emission-free renewable energy while extending the life of an oil or gas field.

The pre-conference workshop A Primer on Geothermal Energy Resources and Waste Heat Technologies will provide a great introduction for those new to the geothermal and waste-heat communities. 

Name:              Geothermal Energy and Waste Heat to Power:

                         Utilizing Oil and Gas Plays

Date:                12-14 March 2013, Register by February 15th to

                         receive the early bird discount

Location:          SMU Campus, Dallas, Texas

Website: http://smu.edu/geothermal/Oil&Gas/GeothermalEnergyUtilization.htm

Contact:           Maria Richards, mrichard@smu.edu, 214-768-1975

On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed Public Law 112-240, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. In addition to averting tax rate increases and postponing government spending reductions, this legislation extends several tax credits and other incentive programs related to Clean Cities portfolio items. Updated information on these incentives is available on the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Federal Laws and Incentives page (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/laws/fed_summary). The changes are also summarized below.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act retroactively extends several tax credits that had expired on December 31, 2012. The following incentives are now effective through December 31, 2013:

Since 2009, seven of the nine investor owned utilities in Texas have funded and completed over 1,300 residential and commercial solar PV projects.  These projects have resulted in the installation of over 15 MW of installed PV capacity.  Oncor, AEP-TNC, AEP-TCC, TNMP, Entergy, SWEPCO and El Paso Electric have all encouraged the expansion of distributed renewable solar energy in Texas, created new jobs for experienced installation experts, and have made solar PV systems more accessible to their customers.  Combined these programs have made the largest single contribution to the growth of distributed PV in Texas.  Funding for the programs is a part of the utilities commitment to reduce energy consumption, energy demand, and carbon emissions.

Austin Energy is kicking off the New Year with two new coastal wind farms totaling 293.9 MW, bringing the community-owned utility one step closer to achieving its 35% renewable energy supply goal by 2020. The Los Vientos II Windpower Project built and owned by Duke Energy Renewables adds an additional 201.6 MW of wind power to Austin Energy's generation portfolio and the Whitetail Wind Energy facility built and owned by Exelon Wind adds 92.3 MW of wind power.

Austin Energy will be purchasing all of the wind power produced at these facilities for the next 25 years. Together these two wind farms bring Austin Energy's total wind portfolio to 851 MW - and Austin Energy's total renewable energy supply up to 27%.