Alternative energy
To avoid 2012 import solar PV tariffs, Chinese manufacturers outsourced production to nearby Taiwan. Recognizing this, SolarWorld has petitioned the Department of Commerce for new antidumping and countervailing duty tariffs. Domestic manufacturers support the tariffs in an effort to become more cost-competitive and increase single-digit market shares. Installers and project developers warn that installation costs…...
Massachusetts has enacted legislation, qualifying renewable heating and cooling technologies for Alternative Energy Credits under the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard. On August 1, 2014, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted S 2214 – An Act Relative to Credit for Thermal Energy Generated with Renewable Fuels – mandating utilities to procure renewable thermal energy credits to meet their…...
Information on solar projects under NYSERDA’s open enrollment solar incentive programs have been made available on the Open NY data portal. On July 31, 2014, the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced the availability of information on approximately 10,000 solar project applications and installations from 2003-2014 under its open enrollment solar photovoltaic…...
EPA has extended 2013 RFS compliance deadlines for the third time, citing more delays in issuing the final 2014 RFS mandates. On July 31, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a direct final rule providing additional extension of existing regulatory deadlines for the 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS). Regulated entities under the 2013 RFS…...
The Clean Energy Resources Bill would require minimum annual clean energy contracts of 18.9 million megawatt-hours of electricity for 20-25 years. Massachusetts’ H.3968, An Act Relative to Clean Energy Resources, introduced by Rep. Mark J. Cusack (D-MA) and Sen. Barry R. Finegold (D-MA) on June 18, would require electricity distribution companies to solicit proposals for…...
During a Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico, California Governor Brown signed agreements with Mexico to enhance cooperation on environmental issues and encourage cross-border clean energy investments. On July 28, 2014, California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy, and Mexican National Forestry Commission Director General Jorge Rescala…...
Renewable Heat NY will facilitate a sustainable, high-efficiency, and low-emissions wood heating sector across New York. On July 29, 2014, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched Renewable Heat NY, a $27M initiative aimed to build market for high-efficiency, low-emissions wood-fired heating systems across state. The initiative will offer incentives to replace highly polluting outdoor and indoor…...
The U.S. Commerce Department has announced preliminary antidumping tariffs ranging from 26-165 percent on certain solar PV products produced in China and Taiwan. On July 25, 2014, the Department of Commerce (DOC) released its preliminary findings in the antidumping duty investigations of imports of certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) products from China and Taiwan. DOC…...
Massachusetts’ HB 4185 would boost solar industry growth by removing net metering caps and by creating a declining block solar incentive program. On July 24, 2014, a group of 54 Massachusetts-based companies sent a letter to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in support of HB 4185 – An Act Relative to Net Metering and Solar Power. The letter emphasized…...
The Department of Interior has issued a proposed sale notice of approximately 344,000 acres in the New Jersey Wind Energy Area. On July 21, 2014, the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) published a Proposed Sale Notice for commercial wind energy leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore New Jersey. The…...
BOEM has issued a Record of Decision facilitating geological and geophysical survey activities to explore energy resources off the Atlantic Coast. On July 18, 2014, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a Record of Decision (ROD) to advance appropriate geological and geophysical survey activities (G&G) in the Mid- and South-Atlantic Planning Areas to…...
Eight states – Connecticut, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont – signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in October 2013 to deploy at least 3.3 million ZEVs (or approximately 15 percent of projected new vehicles sold in 2025) along with adequate fueling infrastructure by 2025. The eight-state initiative is key to…...