Alternative energy
The 40+ year-old Vermont Yankee Nuclear plant will shut down by Q4 2014 due to high cost structure and low natural gas and wholesale energy prices. On August 27, 2013, Entergy Corporation announced plans to close and decommission the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, Vermont in Q4 2014, after the current fuel cycle. Once the plant…...
DOE and NJ Transit will work together to improve the critical transportation and Manhattan evacuation system through advanced microgrid technologies. On August 26, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a partnership with the New Jersey (NJ) Transit and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to develop an advanced smartgrid system to increase the region’s…...
MIT researchers have devised a membrane-free rechargeable battery prototype that could facilitate cheaper, large-scale energy storage and support widespread renewable energy use. On August 16, 2013, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) unveiled a membrane-free rechargeable flow battery prototype capable of overcoming the major barriers of energy storage – cost and performance –…...
A U.S. appeals court has ordered NRC to resume its review of DOE’s license application to build a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, ruling that NRC violated federal law. On August 13, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to resume its…...
Industry groups have petitioned EPA to lower the 2014 RFS ethanol mandate to below 10 percent of projected gasoline demand. On August 13, 2013, the American Petroleum Institute and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a partial waiver of volume requirements under the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)…...
DOE has commenced construction of the federal government’s largest wind energy project, at the Pantex nuclear weapons stockpile facility in Texas. On August 13, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) officially began construction of the 11.5 MW Pantex Renewable Energy Project, the federal government’s largest wind project, at Pantex Plant, the nation’s primary nuclear weapons…...
A White House and DOE report calls for investments to increase the nation’s electric grid resilience and outlines strategies for grid modernization. On August 12, 2013, the White House Council of Economic Advisors and the Department of Energy (DOE) released a report emphasizing the importance of grid resilience for climate adaptation. The report, titled “Economic…...
Bipartisan support to expand Master Limited Partnership tax benefits for renewables could help advance long-term grid parity, but the tax provision’s impact depends on complementary and consistent support for the new technologies and industries. Overview The Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act (S. 795) and the House version (H.R. 1696) are expected to pass through both…...
EPA’s 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) require blending of 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuels into transportation fuel, providing additional lead time and flexibility for compliance. On August 6, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its finalized volume and percentage standards for four renewable fuel categories – cellulosic, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuels, and total…...
DOE’s wind market reports reveal record growth in 2012 and underscores the need for policy support to sustain development. On August 6, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) released two reports – “Wind Technologies Market Report” and “Market Report on Wind Technologies in Distributed Applications” – detailing the U.S. wind industry trends in 2012. The…...
The nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production plant is expected to produce eight million gallons of cellulosic ethanol and generate six megawatts of renewable power annually. On August 1, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Indian River BioEnergy Center in Vero Beach, Florida as the nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production plant. The facility,…...
Two hydropower bills were unanimously passed by the Senate to facilitate streamlined regulatory processes for hydroelectric projects. On August 1, 2013, the Senate unanimously approved two bills aimed at streamlining the regulatory processes for selected hydropower projects. Both the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act (H.R. 267) and the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs…...