Two years after the enactment of ARRA, indications are strong that the Recovery Act is aiding the U.S. in attaining its goal of doubling renewable generation capacity over the next two years.

Photo: treehugger.com

Renewable energy has taken hold in the U.S. with installations of new wind turbines and solar panels occurring regularly.  The U.S. is making significant progress toward attaining its goal of doubling renewable generation capacity over the next two years, due in large part to support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) introduced in 2009.

ARRA investments are funding research projects to develop next generation renewable energy technologies, such as solar thin films and new wind turbine designs that will create a cost competitive alternative to electricity currently generated from coal or natural gas power plants while simultaneously creating long-term economic market growth. Consider the following examples:

·          Aided by ARRA investments, The Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) reports that domestic manufacturing capacity for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules is forecasted to grow from <1 GW per year in 2008 to nearly 4 GW per year in 2012.

·          ARRA investments are accelerating the rate of innovation in solar photovoltaics and according to the CEA, the new technology will drive down the costs of solar panels over the next five years; possibly by 50%.

·          U.S. wind power capacity grew 40% in 2009 over the prior year, despite weak economic and investment conditions. In July 2010, the CEA reported that ARRA was responsible for approximately 6 GW of wind capacity installation that might not otherwise have occurred in 2009. 

·          U.S. manufacturing capacity for components such as gearboxes, generators, and large casted steel parts, has lagged behind actual demand. The 48C Manufacturing Tax Credit program awarded $346 million in tax credits to 52 wind manufacturing projects to facilitate additional U.S. manufacturing capacity to ensure the U.S. is able to supply a growing domestic market through domestic production.

·          An April 2010 U.S. Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) survey indicated a 26% increase in new projects under development in 2009 and concludes that the stimulus funding played an important role in propelling geothermal growth amidst recessionary economic conditions.

Overall, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that U.S. renewable generation capacity will increase 32% more than without ARRA support – reaching 155 GW in 2015. Two years after the enactment of ARRA, indications are strong that the Recovery Act is aiding the U.S. in attaining its goal of doubling renewable generation capacity in the next two years.

-SBI Energy

(Source: sbienergy.com)

This November, I asked Scott Smith, Vice President of Global Technical Architecture for meter data management company eMeter Corporation how utilities would handle the influx of data coming their way after smart meter installations. 

According to Smith, finding the data storage and communications hardware to provide the necessary functions is not the biggest obstacle facing utilities in a smart meter project.  The telecommunications industry has already covered the difficulties with high speed data transmission and large data storage requirements far exceeding what is needed. 

The challenge, says Smith, is that utilities have to move away from the “historical model” of thinking about Smart Grid implementations from a hardware perspective.  Instead, utilities need to be thinking about Smart Grid projects from a marketing (i.e. consumer relations) standpoint and from a business process perspective. 

For comparison, let’s look at the smart meter rollouts of Toronto Hydro in Ontario, Canada and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) in California. 

Toronto Hydro focused on developing its business plan around customer communication, implementing a time-of-use pricing model and effective use of the Smart Grid data.  The strategy won the company three awards, including the Outstanding Achievement in Marketing and Communications Award from the Association for Energy Service Professionals in May 2010 for its smart meter project.

On the other hand, PG&E simply dealt with its smart meter project from the beginning as an infrastructure change.  As a result, the lack of customer outreach has caused a customer relations nightmare for the utility.  This has resulted in thousands of complaints and even a lawsuit in Bakersfield that claimed the new smart meters were not reliably reporting actual electricity use.

According to Smith, the difference is not that Toronto Hydro implemented a better system technologically, (although to be fair eMeter is the MDM for the Toronto Hydro Smart Grid project).  The difference is that Toronto Hydro took pains to ensure that the business process and customer relations were in place to properly handle the transition to implementing its Smart Grid technologies before the first smart meter was even attached to a house.

-By Norman Dechampes, analyst for SBI Energy and author of ‘The Smart Grid Utiltiy Data Market’

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Public outreach and education regarding water conservation are – and will continue to be – key in expanding the water recycling and reuse market. Many individuals and groups, especially in less water stressed regions, do not realize the intensity of the world’s water issues; however, as those around the world increase their public outreach campaigns and as water issues intensify, it is likely the public will receive a fast-track education on water conservation.

Organizations focused on water conservation and specifically water recycling, reuse or rainwater harvesting around the world are doing their part to reach as many individuals as possible.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has taken an innovative approach to its public outreach program and has created a short web-based video. The two-minute long presentation provides consumers with the top ten water saving tips for both inside and outside the home.

Water Awareness and Responsibility Program is a public program designed to increase water conservation awareness in Castle Pines North (CPN) Metropolitan District in Denver Colorado. The local outreach program has a focus on children and has reached over 3,000 young individuals in the CPN area through school assemblies, classroom presentations, email blasts and school websites.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad, Pakistan, worked to educate the public through a 60-day campaign at the end of 2009. Under the drive, efforts to create awareness were made through the use of posters, banners, electronic media, workshops, seminars, door to door awareness campaigns by students, and a series of lectures and competitions in various schools, colleges and universities.

In New Delhi, India citizens have grouped together to ask the government to set up  Development Knowledge Centres countrywide to help increase awareness of the need for water conservation and rainwater harvesting technologies and to provide a location where local people could come and share information on water conservation. Those that proposed the project felt that there needed to be a credible agency that would act as a link between the government and the local communities.

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Market drivers for fuel cells include a desire for energy independence and security, and a commitment to global climate change and air quality. But, durability and performance standards must be met first to compete with common technologies such as batteries and internal combustion engines. Next, the infrastructure for the fuel of choice must be in place to support wide-spread implementation of fuel cell technology. Finally, there must be a critical level of public acceptance and demand for the technology.

SBI research indicates that the fuel cell market will reach $598 million in 2010, then grow to $1.22 billion by 2014, a CAGR of 20%. At the same time, unit sales will increase by a CAGR of 37%.

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Industry experts offer a wide range of predictions about which sectors will win the lion’s share of the fuel cell market in the coming years, but stationary applications has been mentioned as one of the most promising options.

SBI Energy estimates that the small stationary sector has historically been the leader in the industry since 2005. But niche transport (forklifts and other materials handling vehicles) was a break-out market in 2008 and 2009, and portable electronics are expected to gain momentum in the coming years, as well.

These experts are less certain about the future of stationary applications in residential and small commercial settings. Because the electric grid reaches practically everyone and electricity is cheap, there is little that seems to compel residential users to make the switch to fuel cell power.

While the industry watchers may differ in their predictions of the market size and winning applications, most agree that in 2010, we are on the cusp of a breakthrough in the fuel cells sector.

SBI research indicates that the fuel cell market will reach $598 million in 2010, then grow to $1.22 billion by 2014, a CAGR of 20%. At the same time, unit sales will increase by a CAGR of 37%.

Looks like ‘fuel cell’ will become a household phrase over the next few years.

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Above all other issues in smart grid/consumer interaction is the question of costs. Will consumers be able to save money under a smart grid regime? At first blush, the answer seems obvious: Of course they will save money as they eliminate waste and move heavy loads to off-peak in response to visible dynamic pricing. But then the question becomes, How much will they save?

http://www.sbireports.com/Smart-Grid-Consumers-2601062/