Energy Law

Renewable Energy News, April 2, 2010

Posted on April 05, 2010
Here's what we're reading today:Solar Power Industry Trends From An Installer's Point of View (via The Energy Collective)A good discussion of trends that may shape the next 5-10 years in the solar power industry.EERE News: Governors' Coalition Recommends Federal Initiatives for Wind PowerThe Governors' Wind Energy Coalition, a bipartisan collection of 29 U...

Renewable Energy News, March 30, 2010

Posted on March 30, 2010
Here's what we're reading today:Skypoint Solar edges closer to selecting Vermont | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, VermontSkypoint Solar Inc., is focusing on a site in Essex to begin manufacturing flexible, thin film solar cells by the end of the year...

Renewable Energy News, March 29, 2010

Posted on March 29, 2010
Here's what we're reading and watching today:Up-Coming Local Renewable Energy Vermont Event - REV Distributed Generation Conference, May 18-19 in Manchester, VTRenewable Energy Vermont's next conference will focus on distributed generation issues; the agenda covers both Vermont's new feed-in-tariff program and the development and implementation of smart grid technology...

Renewable Energy News for March 26, 2010

Posted on March 26, 2010
Here' what we're reading and watching this morning:Smart Grid Heavy Hitter series ? Chris King, Chief Regulatory officer, eMeter (via The Energy Collective);A video conversation about smart grid development, meter data management, real time price visibility, and the regional differences in smart grid regulation...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Renewable Energy News for March 25, 2010

Posted on March 25, 2010
Here's what we're reading (and listening to) today:VPR News Vermont Edition: Montpelier & The Wood Chip Debate:The city of Montpelier hopes to heat and help power 176 buildings, including the State Capitol, with wood chips. The project has been in the works for close to 15 years, but recently got a jumpstart with $8 million in federal stimulus funds...

Renewable Energy News for March 24, 2010

Posted on March 24, 2010
There are a two upcoming events in Vermont that may be of interest to folks in the local renewable energy community, both hosted by Vermont Law School: this Friday, 3/26, VLS will host a climate change symposium discussing the possible consequences of a warmer climate in Vermont (the agenda is available here);on Saturday, 3/27, VLS will host an all-day workshop on Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) districts, also know as Clean Energy Assessment Districts (CEADs)...

Carbon Harvest Energy

Posted on November 10, 2009
Carbon Harvest Energy's proposal to turn old landfills into no-waste energy producers has been in the news lately, with stories both in the Burlington Free Press and on Vermont Public Radio. Carbon Harvest Energy will be taking a defunct landfill-based methane facility in Brattleboro and turning it into an active, zero-waste, energy-producing facility...

Standard Offer Docket No. 7533 - Update

Posted on October 21, 2009
Several important updates are provided below on the Vermont Standard Offer program.On October 16th, the PSB issued an Order resolving numerous questions pertaining to how the Standard Offer program will be implemented. One of the key issues ruled upon covers how the SPEED Facilitator is to handle it if applications for projects exceed the limits by energy source provided in the PSB's September 30th Order...

PSB Standard Offer Docket Nos. 7523 & 7533 - Update

Posted on October 05, 2009
On September 30th, the Vermont Public Service Board issued its Order establishing the Standard Offer Program. A copy of the Order can be found here. The copy of the Standard Offer contract can be found here.Here are some key issues resolved by the PSB in the Order:1...

Vermont Public Service Board Establishes Interim Standard Offer Contract Prices; Proposes Schedule For Hearings to Determine Final Contract Prices

Posted on September 24, 2009
On September 15, 2009, the Vermont Public Service Board (?the Board?) issued an Order establishing interim standard offer contract prices for small-scale renewable generators under the SPEED program, as required by the Vermont Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2009 (?the Act?) (the subject of two prior posts)...

PSB Standard Offer Docket Nos. 7523 & 7533 - Update

Posted on August 19, 2009
The Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) issued an Order yesterday in the Standard Offer docket resolving certain threshold legal issues. The three threshold legal issues were:Issue 1 -Nature of Docket 7533. In response to concerns raised by a participant, the July 15 memorandum requested comments on whether: (a) the process established in the June 29 Order should be altered; (b) Docket 7533 must be a contested case as a matter of law; and (c) even if Docket 7533 does not need to be a contested case, certain procedures associated with contested cases, such as hearings or ex parte rules, must apply to Docket 7533...

U.S. Treasury Department Accepting Applications for ITC Grants

Posted on August 03, 2009
The Treasury Department and the Department of Energy announced on Friday that they are now accepting applications for grants for renewable energy facilities under section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Section 1603 established the grant in lieu of tax credits program, which authorizes the Treasury Department to issue grants to renewable energy facilities that would otherwise qualify for the investment or production tax credit (ITC or PTC)...

$54 Million in ARRA Funds Awarded to Four States for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects

Posted on July 29, 2009
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced allocations of more than $54 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin...

New Study Suggests that Potential For Wind Power May Be Much Higher Than Expected

Posted on July 17, 2009
The New York Times Green, Inc. Blog reports on a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, which indicates that much more wind power may be available than previously estimated.Researchers at Harvard University reviewed meteorological wind speed data to evaluate the potential for wind energy production around the world and in the U...

IRS guidance on claiming a payment in lieu of investment tax credits for renewable energy facilities: Update

Posted on July 16, 2009
This is an update on energy provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). In this post, we cover the recently released guidance under Section 1603 of ARRA for converting the credit into a direct payment from the U.S. Treasury...

PSB Standard Offer Docket No. 7523 - Update

Posted on July 08, 2009
As we explained last week, the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) opened Docket No. 7523 to review the interim "standard offer" contract prices for small scale renewable generators established under the Vermont Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2009 (which was the subject of one of our prior posts)...

More Studies on Green Jobs

Posted on June 25, 2009
Following on the heels of a study from the Pew Charitable Trusts we reported on last week at the Vermont Environmental and Land Use Law blog, two more reports from think tanks and environmental groups suggest that clean-energy investments have the potential to kick-start the economy, employ millions of workers nationwide, especially those at the lower end of the economic scale...

Vermont Public Service Board Opens Docket 7523 to Review Vermont Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2009 Interim Standard Offer Contract Prices

Posted on June 24, 2009
The Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) has opened Docket No. 7523 to review the interim "standard offer" contract prices for small scale renewable generators established under the Vermont Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2009 (which was the subject of one of our prior posts)...

IRS guidance on claiming investment tax credits for wind, biomass, geothermal, and other PTC facilities

Posted on June 09, 2009
The 2009 Stimulus legislation (ARRA) permits owners of PTC facilities, such as wind, biomass, and others, to elect a 30-percent tax credit, based on the cost of the facility, at the time the project is placed in service, rather than the 10-year PTC, which is calculated based on sales of electricity...

Vermont Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Act of 2009 to become law

Posted on May 28, 2009
Governor Douglas did not veto the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Act passed by the legislature and so it will become law. We tracked this bill as it worked its way through the House and Senate. According to Renewable Energy Vermont, the statute's components, include:* a standard offer for renewable energy* clarification that thermal energy fits within the purview of the CEDF* regulatory incentives ensuring utilities can recover permitting costs for renewable energy* requirement that ANR reconsider its policy prohibiting wind on State lands* improvements to residential- and commercial-building standards* pilot downtown-community renewable-energy projects in Montpelier and Randolph* clean energy assessment districts that would allow towns, cities, and incorporated villages to use municipal bonds to finance residential renewable-energy or energy-efficiency projects* limitations on the power of municipalities and deeds to prohibit residential installation of renewable-energy and energy-efficiency devices, such as solar panels and residential wind turbinesOne of the more controversial aspects of the statute pertains to the inclusion of a standard offer - setting a minimum price to be paid by consumers for certain renewable energy...

VT announces $22 milion for Renenewable Energy Grants and Loans

Posted on May 14, 2009
Vermont confirmed today that $22 million in additional funds will be available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - also called the stimulus package. The funds will be added to $7 million dollars of State funds available to the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF)...

EPA's proposed RFS-2 under fire

Posted on May 07, 2009
Biodiesel manufacturers are lodging concerns against EPA's proposed rules for the Renewables Fuels Standard(RFS-2). The RFS-2 program as enacted by Congress for the first time requires the displacement of petroleum diesel fuel with low carbon renewable fuels...

Financing obstacle to renewable energy becoming next green bubble

Posted on May 01, 2009
NPR aired a story this morning covering the potential for renewable energy to be the next investment bubble. According to NPR, "credit is a problem right now for renewable energy developers" and is one obstacle to there being a "green bubble" in the near future...

EPA Issues Proposed Endangerment Finding for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Posted on April 22, 2009
On April 17, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (?EPA?) released a proposed finding under Section 202 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. § 7521(a)(1)) that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endanger the public health and welfare. The decision implements the Supreme Court?s 2007 decision in Massachusetts v...

Green Bank Act of 2009

Posted on April 20, 2009
On March 24, 2009, Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced H.R.1698, the Green Bank Act of 2009. The proposed legislation seeks to establish the Green Bank, an independent, not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation, wholly owned by the United States, which will provide financial support for qualified clean energy projects and qualified energy-efficiency projects that are unable to obtain low-priced financing in the private credit markets...

Overview of Funding for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects in Vermont via the Federal Stimulus Package

Posted on April 08, 2009
The State of Vermont is slated to receive approximately $48 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for state programs related to weatherization, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.The Obama administration announced earlier in March that approximately $16 million dollars will be allocated for the Weatherization Assitance Program in Vermont...

Dept. of Interior: Offshore Wind in Focus

Posted on April 06, 2009
U.S. offshore areas hold enormous potential for wind energy development near the nation?s highest areas of electricity demand ? coastal metropolitan centers, according to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. ?More than three-fourths of the nation?s electricity demand comes from coastal states andthe wind potential off the coasts of the lower 48 states actually exceeds our entire U...

Demand for Small Cars & Hybrids Down

Posted on April 03, 2009
These two stories appearing the same day last week in the NYT's caught my attention.The first story describes how, with much hype, Tesla Motors unveiled its "affordable" all electric sedan. Tesla's Model S is expected to cost about $50,000 after tax credits...

Vermont legislative committees advance renewable energy bills

Posted on April 02, 2009
The Associated Press reports this morning that bills promoting renewable energy have advanced in the Vermont House and Senate.One bill, (S. 54) (the House version is H. 161) authorizes municipalities to help finance certain renewable energy and energy efficiency projects...

Overview of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

Posted on March 05, 2009
ACORE has an short summary of the renewable energy and energy efficiency provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - otherwise known as the "stimulus bill."The ARRA was signed into law on February 17, 2009. The major programs for renewables in the ARRA include tax incentives, direct spending, and bond and loan guarantee programs...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.