[wind energy use in the US to triple in 2001, unanticipated result of the oil and gas company's short sighted policies - Will] ----- forwarded message ----- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 09:04:09 -0500 From: "Tom Gray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [non-relevant portions clipped] Feel free to let others know about the availability of this free, informative wind energy publication, which is now read by more than 2,100 subscribers in over 70 countries around the world! Anyone can subscribe by simply sending a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . ___________________________________________ WIND ENERGY WEEKLY ___________________________________________ Vol. 20, #934 23 February 2001 ___________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE BPA solicits 1,000 MW of new wind California renewable suppliers reach deal for payment NREL adds six members to Clean Energy Incubator Alliance [clipped] Trace's market grows with rise in self-generation [clipped] Argentina plans for 3,000 MW of new wind power _______________________________________ WINDPOWER 2001 June 3-7, Grand Hyatt, Washington DC bookmark www.awea.org/conference/ now! _______________________________________ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY CAN BE FOUND AT http://www.awea.org/. ___________________________________________ BPA SOLICITS 1,000 MW OF NEW WIND ___________________________________________ The Bonneville Power Administration grabbed the wind world's attention with an announcement that it would be soliciting approximately 1,000 MW of new wind projects to help alleviate the Western power supply crisis. The request for proposals (RFP) is expected to be sent out and posted on the Web site Monday, February 26. The American Wind Energy Association applauded the announcement, calling it a "major breakthrough" for the increasingly-competitive clean energy technology. The RFP requires projects to be at least 15 average MW (about 40-60 MW of nameplate capacity), but BPA "strongly prefers" larger projects with the potential for expansion. Bids are due April 6. Projects are expected to be online no later than the end of 2003. A bidder's conference is scheduled for March 7. The BPA request for proposals is a clear signal that the federal agency recognizes the potential of wind energy to provide near-term, stably-priced electricity supplies as California and the Pacific Northwest grapple with gyrating energy prices and power shortages, AWEA said. AWEA executive director Randall Swisher said the BPA solicitation, which amounts to roughly $1 billion in new business for the wind industry, "takes wind energy to a whole new level in the Pacific Northwest and the United States. What BPA is saying is that wind energy has arrived as a recognized source of bulk electricity supply." Rachel Shimshak of the Renewable Northwest Project was equally enthusiastic, saying, "This is a very big deal and we are thrilled." The Renewable Northwest Project is a non-profit organization that works with utilities, the BPA, customer groups and elected officials to promote renewable energy development and stimulate the market for renewable energy. A solicitation for 1,000 MW of wind power exceeds the largest amount ever installed in the entire U.S. in one year (732 MW in 1999). Adding 1,000 MW to the approximately 300 MW the agency is already buying or has under consideration from projects in Wyoming, Oregon and Montana would give BPA a wind capacity of 1,300 MW, more than the country with the fifth-largest wind capacity, India, which has 1,167 MW of wind power projects. It would supply the power needs for about 150,000 households or 400,000 people. BPA's renewable resource program manager, George Darr, explained that while the BPA expects to purchase in the range of 1,000 MW of nameplate capacity, the precise amount of wind power that BPA will purchase will depend on bid price and impact of wind on the BPA system. Projects will be competing against traditional combustion turbine projects, but wind is expected to bring competitive bids, given the high and fluctuating price of natural gas in the region. BPA will gauge the system impact of the new wind projects through a Utility Wind Interest Group (UWIG) study. The study is expected to last for a year and will model the impact of the wind power on a utility's system, using case studies of BPA and of Xcel Energy (formerly Northern States Power). BPA states that, "wind projects are particularly attractive because they can come online in a relatively short time (24 to 30 months), offer power that is competitively priced with other sources such as combustion turbines, are relatively easy to site and expand, have low environmental impacts (including no carbon emissions) and are highly desirable to buyers of "green" power." For more information, call Sheila Riewer, phone (503) 230-5473, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] . BPA will disseminate the RFP to a list of wind project developers, including contacts provided by AWEA of Association members indicating an interest in project development. ___________________________________________ CALIFORNIA RENEWABLE SUPPLIERS REACH DEAL FOR PAYMENT ___________________________________________ California's renewable power generators agreed to cut their price for power in half in exchange for certainty of payment for the next five years. State Senator Jim Battin (R-La Quinta) introduced a bill into the legislature February 22 to formalize the agreement. Because the energy price has been tied to the price of natural gas, alternative suppliers saw rates as high as 17 cents per kWh. However, the generators have not been reliably paid for the power produced since November. The state's renewable energy generators, including wind, solar, small hydro, geothermal, and biomass, agreed to decouple rates from the price of natural gas, which has recently reached unprecedented heights, and accept a fixed rate of roughly 8 cents per kWh for five years. For gas-fired co-generation plants, which also fall under the "qualifying facility" umbrella, rates will still be tied to the price of natural gas, but will be averaged over the five years. Since the Qualifying Facility (QF) generators supply over a third of California's power needs, the rate cut will limit the impact of the power crisis to retail customers and provide some stability in prices over the next five years. The negotiations over the rate stability plan had been ongoing for the past few weeks. A group of renewable generators recently formed a creditors' association to seek relief from the mounting debt arising from the utilities' non-payment (see Wind Energy Weekly # 933, February 16). Some wind power suppliers were faced with a shut-down of production if they did not receive assurances that they would be paid. California Governor Gray Davis also endorsed a series of bills that would increase incentives for self-generation. One bill would grant an additional $50 million to increase the size of the rebates the California Energy Commission grants to individuals who install small renewable systems. Another would grant an additional $50 million to a loan guarantee program for commercial lenders that fund alternative energy projects. Meanwhile, the California legislature, which is taking the leadership role along with Gov. Davis in getting new power online in the state, is encouraging wind and other renewable energy companies to come forth with proposals for new power plants large and small. Many legislators are concerned that renewables may be underrepresented in the rush to put up new generating facilities. "Legislators are clearly indicating that the window of opportunity is wide open right now for wind and solar technologies, but that it is beginning to close," said Ty Cashman, a former AWEA president and director of the Solar Economy Institute. [other items clipped] ___________________________________________ ARGENTINA PLANS FOR 3,000 MW OF NEW WIND POWER ___________________________________________ Argentina, has announced an investment agreement that is the first step in the national goal of installing 3,000 MW of new wind power projects over the next nine years. The Minister of Economy, Jose Luis Machinea, and Energias Argentinas (Enarsa), owned by the Spanish companies Endesa and Elecnor, recently signed an investment agreement that will bring US$2250 million in wind power projects to three provinces in Patagonia over the next nine years. This wind power investment is expected to create 3,000 construction jobs and 250 on-going operations and maintenance jobs. Enarsa plans to invest $235 million by next year for the construction of parks in Puerto Madryn (Chubut), Cutral Co and El Chocon (Neuquen) and in Bariloche (Rio Negro), with a combined capacity of 300 MW. Between 2003 and 2006, Enarsa plans to install 1,200 MW, and add another 1,500 MW by the end of the decade. The entire investment will have a predicted annual output of 9,000 million kWh, saving 1 million tons of oil or 1,000 million cubic meters of gas, according to Enarsa. [rest clipped] Copyright American Wind Energy Association. Individual articles may be retransmitted electronically or reprinted with attribution to the American Wind Energy Association. All other rights reserved. ISSN 0747-5500. Send address changes to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
