The United States Department of Energy has devoted itself to the cause of renewable energy promotion with its creation of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden Colorado.

This renewable energy program facility offers programs in a wide variety of renewable power topics which span the various green energy resources such as wind, water, sun, biomass and even nuclear. NREL also conducts ongoing research and development in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable power. Each area of research is further enhanced by functions that cut across the various programs and reach out to industries for partnerships. These collaborations on renewable energy could include the transfer of technology, energy analysis and the integration of the various programs of each collaborator.

The 12 program areas of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are wind and hydropower technology intergovernmental projects on weatherization the technology of solar energy industrial power efficient technology the technology of fuel cells, hydrogen and building infrastructures geothermal technology the technology of vehicles and the Freedom Car energy management by the U.S. federal government energy-efficient building systems biomass and analytic studies. Each of these NREL programs is conducted by technology management experts whose capabilities and expertise span the programs wide renewable power technology range.

The Analytic Studies Program at NREL studies a wide variety of renewable energy analysis to support the programs and initiatives in place at the Lab. It also works with the Department of Educations Office for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy EERE as well as the energy analysis community at large. The labs Office of Energy Analysis integrates this analysis and supports its functions and the functions of the various research programs and centres of technology throughout the NREL.

Those who study renewable power analysis do so in five major interest areas. They look at the technologies involved in renewable energy, the benefits of the initiatives, and the markets for renewable energy, the policies that affect its implementation and embracement, and the analysis of the various programs. Many research programs are covered that include assessments of life cycles, vehicular systems, Web-based applications to assess renewable power possibilities and programs. The aim of this analysis is to understand how technology, policy, markets and the various software applications can interactive to the success of expansive and continuing renewable energy programs.

The study of biomass is an important ingredient in the renewable power implementation. Biomass offers a terrific opportunity to make use of sustainable as well as domestic resources for the production of power and fuel and the meeting of chemical needs through plants and t he material derived from them. Biomass starts with grasses, trees, biological material and agriculture. These can be used as renewable energy, either solid or through conversion to liquid or gas. These can produce electricity, chemicals, fuel or heat.

An important part of this NREL program is the development of energy-efficient and cost effective biomass technology that will reduce the U.S. dependence on oil from foreign countries, while it grows rural economies in our own country and improves the quality of our air.



By: James Copper

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Chicago Attorneys

Due to a number of major factors, including the state of the economy, the climate crises and the general higher visibility of environmental issues, renewable energy has become a significant and high profile subject. Now, more than at any time in history, there is a growing awareness of our impact on the planet and consequently a growing movement toward environmental responsibility through the use of renewable energy.

The fundamental shift toward using renewable energy is not just motivated by those who are environmentally conscious and who want to do their part to stabilize the climate. Renewable energy is also attractive to the countless people out there who are interested in saving money on heating and cooling bills by using alternative energy sources. Regardless of the motivation, the result is the same; unprecedented numbers of average people are looking into all types of renewable energy in order to save money on household energy bills. Many have numerous questions about renewable energy. Here are some renewable energy FAQs:

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that is unlimited in quantity and which renews or regenerates itself without any input from humans.

What are the different types of renewable energy?

Solar power: one of the most popular and reliable forms of renewable energy available, today, solar power is collected by solar panels that have numerous solar cells that store the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity, just like a traditional battery. Solar panels are usually installed on the roofs of structures and are linked together and then tied into the house’s electrical wiring system. Many people find that having a solar power system saves them dramatic amounts of money in heating and cooling bills and some people are even able to disconnect entirely from the electric company and live off the grid on solar power.

Wind power: wind power comes from wind generators that capture the kinetic energy from the wind and translate it into electricity. This is essentially accomplished with propellers mounted on towers. As the wind turns the propellers, electricity is generated. Many electrical cooperatives have built large farms of massive wind generators, but a scaled down version is available for residential use.

Hydrogen furnace: while somewhat different and much more complex than solar or wind power, hydrogen furnaces are just beginning to become proven and reliable technology to create unlimited sources of energy. Essentially, the hydrogen furnace produces energy from waste material by separating the hydrogen molecules. Hydrogen furnaces have posed massive engineering problems for years, but recently there have been breakthroughs that have allowed this technology to become viable.



Can one save money by using renewable energy?

If done correctly, one could save thousands of dollars per year in electricity costs by using renewable energy technology such as solar or wind power. In many places, solar panels can provide the majority if not all of the electricity necessary to power a household every month. The cost of installing a renewable energy system is often recaptured in savings in the first year.



By: David J Hughes

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renewable energy

With the environment in waning shape, everyone is looking for a way to step up and help. There are simple steps which you can take in your everyday life to help which can also benefit you personally in cutting down on your monthly expenses as green renewable energy is cost effective! Making the transition from getting your electricity from power plants to green renewable energy is a major step in getting the ozone and environment back to their former glory, not to mention it can save you money.

 

The renewable energy wind produces can create enough electricity to power your home and appliances at a fraction of the price you’re paying the power company now. It can even eliminate your power bill altogether. For example, if you live in an especially windy area such as anywhere along the coast, you could produce a surplus of electricity to first power your home all on your own, but you can take any extra electricity which you don’t use and sell it back to the power company for a profit. Many people who do in fact live off the coast have made a decent living with this practice simply by constructing several windmills and attaching them to a generator.

 

As green renewable energy has been seen as expensive to implement in the past, costing upwards of $3000 to have it professionally installed, many people have not given it a chance. To make it more affordable, environmentalists and resourceful homeowners have taken it upon themselves to put together DIY guides with easy to follow illustrated step by step direction to show how to construct your own working windmill at home at around $200, which is used for parts, some of which you can find laying around your home. Thanks to this, more and more people are beginning to construct their own green renewable energy solutions as the money that most people save in not having to pay their first power bill pays for the parts itself.

 

If you are interested in tapping renewable sources for living off the grid and eliminating your monthly power bill, see my reviews of the top renewable energy DIY production guides at http://www.renewableenergyreviewed.com and see if going green is right for you.



By: John Wickley

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Chicago Attorneys

In 1859, Charles Dickens famously penned the opening lines to “A Tale of Two Cities”: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…

Dickens was not, of course, referring to the outlook for the renewables sector in 2009, but he easily could have been. The outlook for the renewables sector is a remarkable juxtaposition of a rosy future and a grim present. On the one hand, the growing public and political consensus around the dangers of climate change coupled with the rousing endorsement from Congress in the broad renewables tax package enacted in October 2008 all bode well for the sector. On the other, the dramatic downturn in the financial sector suggests that obtaining project-level financing is going to be tough sledding throughout 2009.

This “best of times, worst of times” dynamic suggests the coming year may well be the year that the renewables sector proves its mettle to the market, showing remarkable resilience in the face of extreme financial uncertainty. To do so, it will need a little help from Capitol Hill— and Congress may well deliver.

Prospects for Climate Change Legislation in 2009

During the 2008 presidential campaign, President-Elect Obama endorsed a cap-and-trade program as the preferred approach to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, both the House and the Senate are poised to resume consideration of various cap-and-trade proposals early in 2009. While many economists, including the Congressional Budget Office, prefer the simplicity of a carbon tax, most observers believe that a cap-and-trade system is the most likely political outcome.

If a cap-and-trade regime is inevitable, the next question to ask is when it might be enacted. The answer to this question depends largely on the health of the economy. Many believe that the Obama Administration will be reluctant to burden an already soft economy with the higher energy prices that a cap-and-trade program would almost certainly bring. If the economy remains mired in recession throughout 2009 and 2010, comprehensive climate change legislation could be shelved until a possible Obama second term.

Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency

If comprehensive climate change legislation is tabled for the short term, it seems likely that Congress and the Obama Administration will redouble efforts on more narrow policy goals or regulatory reforms that have long been at the forefront of environmental policy in the United States. Indeed, the appointment of Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior; Carol Browner as head of the newly formed National Energy Council; and appointments at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy (DOE), and other agencies all point to a determined effort to chart an aggressive course on environmental policy. In particular, the likelihood for a federal renewable energy standard (RES) is enhanced by the convergence of large Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress and a Democrat in the White House. President-Elect Obama was supportive of a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard throughout the presidential campaign, and the House of Representatives passed a similar RES on several occasions. The Senate, long a stumbling block to this legislation, will have a decidedly greener point of view in the incoming Congress.

The most recent House version of an RES, in H.R. 6899 from the 110th Congress, likely represents the jumping- off point for legislative efforts in the 111th Congress. Interestingly, that version allows for energy efficiency measures to be treated as qualifying under the RES standard. This would bode well for energy efficiency technologies, particularly in the Southeast where other renewable resources appear to be less abundant.

Likely, other areas to be considered will be modified Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for the automobile industry and new and more flexible tax credits for clean and alternative energy. Likewise, the incoming Obama Administration had pledged to invest billions of dollars in infrastructure including areas such as smart grid, biofuels pipelines, and mass transit. This infrastructure spending could be authorized quickly in 2009 in the promised economic stimulus bill currently under consideration by House and Senate leadership. The stimulus bill could also include large grants, tax incentives, and other authorizations for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and technology.

The Future of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives

To date, the principal approach to encouraging renewables development in the United States has been through the tax code. The production tax credit (PTC) has helped fuel remarkable increases in U.S. wind generation in recent years. Likewise, the energy investment tax credit (ITC) is largely responsible for the current boom in the solar sector. The same can be said of renewable energy tax credits for biofuels, biomass, geothermal, fuel cells, hybrid automobiles, and so on.

This approach has worked well… until now. The rapid decline of the financial sector throughout 2008 has all but eliminated the erstwhile renewables financiers from the marketplace. Even those financial institutions that still have cash on hand often have current financial and tax losses, making tax credits all but useless. Without these traditional sources of project-level financing, many planned wind, solar, and other renewables projects may never get beyond the planning phase.

It is against this backdrop that Congress is considering a revision of renewables tax incentives to make them more effective in the current financial climate. Congress will likely revisit energy tax legislation in 2009 to, at a minimum, extend the production tax credit for wind that expires on December 31 of that year. While considering that extension, Congress has indicated that it will consider making the PTC and possibly the ITC refundable. Unlike the current-law tax credits, the holder of a refundable tax credit need not have a tax liability to capture the value of the tax credit. Rather, the holder of the tax credit can apply for a refund from the federal government in an amount equal to the credit.

This approach would allow developers and project investors who do not have sufficient tax liability to capture the value of the tax credits to nevertheless do so in the form of refunds from the federal government. This change could significantly expand the universe of potential project investors from the handful (that have both the capital on hand and the tax liability to utilize the project tax credits) that exist today. Such an approach, if enacted, would push the United States a step closer to the feed-in tariff approach so common in Europe. One lingering complexity to be resolved is whether the accelerated tax depreciation (five years for wind and solar projects) would be refundable as well. On the one hand, this accelerated cost recovery represents a sizeable portion of the tax benefits that attract investors. On the other hand, Congress may be reluctant to set a precedent for other industries that depreciation and cost recovery can be a refundable item.

An alternative proposal put forward by the incoming Obama Administration would allow claimants of renewable energy tax credits to carry them back to the preceding five tax years. This would allow these project developers and investors to wipe out taxes paid in earlier years and claim a tax refund from the federal government. While this approach is likely to be helpful to many potential investors, it is unlikely to have the broader stimulus effect of a generally refundable credit.

Meanwhile, it seems likely that other industries will enter into the renewables tax financing market. In particular, public utilities appear to be a good choice to take up some of the slack. As regulated companies, utilities tend to have both cash and tax liability. In addition, the renewable energy sector is a natural fit for the core competency of these entities. Utilities know project development, power purchase agreements, transmission interconnects, and other fundamentals around power production (even if the underlying technology is new to most traditional utilities).

Conclusions

Despite momentum in public opinion, political circles, and discussions among strategic investors, the renewables sector faces a challenging year like most sectors of the economy. While comprehensive climate change legislation may have to wait for firmer economic footing, other help may be on the way. A federal RES would create demand for renewables on a national basis. This coupled with revamped refundable tax credits could shake loose project-level investment that has been lacking in recent months. These legislative changes could change the outlook from “A Tale of Two Cities” to another great Dickens book: “Great Expectations.”

This article was first published by the KPMG Global Energy Institute in 2009 prior to the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It is reprinted here with permission of the publisher.

About the KPMG Global Energy Institute This article is provided by the KPMG Global Energy Institute. The Institute’s goal is to provide an open forum where industry financial executives can share knowledge, gain insights and access thought leadership about global energy industry issues and emerging trends. To access a regularly updated library of thought leadership, video and audio Web casts, podcasts and conferences and events, please visit http://www.kpmgglobalenergyinstitute.com/.



By: John Gimigliano

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Renewable energy is made from resources that Mother Nature will replace, like wind, water and sunshine. It is also being called “clean energy” or “green power” because it doesn’t pollute the air or the water. It a power source that is not limited, as fossil fuels are.

Renewable energy is considered a very important solution to a problem that has{readmore}grown out of control worldwide. It has been determined to be a clean alternative energy source.

Renewable energy is ready for a global takeoff, and has become the answer for a better tomorrow.

Renewable energy is a broad category of sources that draws from the energy around us naturally. Renewable energy is seen as one of the important components of climate change solution. It is astounding that so much of the worlds fossil fuels have been depleted, and that renewable energy is just now be sought as a viable alternative.

Renewable energy is the main component of eco-energy planning. It is available in a variety of methods of use, which can reduce energy consumption, preclude energy utilization and eliminate our dependence on non-renewable energy sources.

Renewable energy is produced from continuously available natural processes that do not involve the consumption of exhaustible resources such as fossil fuels. Renewable energy is also called “clean energy” or “green power” because it doesn’t pollute the air or the water.

Renewable energy is used for electricity generation, heat in industrial processes, heating and cooling buildings, and transportation fuels. It is assisting America in meeting its energy needs. Renewable energy effectively utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy systems encompass a broad and diverse array of technologies, and the current status of these can vary considerably.

Renewable energy power generated from the nearly infinite elements of nature such as sunshine, wind, the movement of water, the internal heat of the Earth, and the combustion of replenishable crops is very popular with the public and governmental officials because it is an unlimited and environmentally gentle source of power, particularly compared with the supposedly limited and environmentally challenging alternative of reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Renewable energy can help the United States rely on domestic sources of energy, which will eventually eliminate our need for oil or slow the growth of our consumption. Renewable energy can meet our energy requirements while decreasing our greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable energy can provide significant opportunities for developing countries and rural areas as well as in industrialized countries.



By: David Tanguay

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