TMCnet GreenTech Week in Review

In green technology news this week, U.S. President Obama attempted to whip up support to extend the wind industry’s production tax credit; EV manufacturer Tesla announced it will roll out its Model S one month ahead of schedule; the California State Senate took the first step toward amending a “wishy-washy” law about groundwater storage; and Bahrain became the first nation in the Gulf Region to deploy utility scale solar.

At a campaign stop on May 24, U.S. President Barack Obama was scheduled to visit TPI Composites, a manufacturer of blades for wind turbines with operations in Newton, Iowa, and the perfect backdrop for a speech that would push his green energy agenda. After a tour of the facilities, the President made brief remarks, during which he urged Congress to act on its “To Do List” from the White House – specifically, highlighting the need to invest in clean energy and extend the wind industry’s production tax credit (PTC).

He has plenty of backing: Earlier this week, a 14-member U.S. wind coalition met at the White House, intent on advancing a bipartisan effort to extend the wind energy PTC before Congress recesses for the summer.  Among their talking points: An extension of the PTC could save thousands of jobs – as many as 75,000, according to a study commissioned by the American Wind Energy Association – and stabilize finances in the wind industry, beset by boom-and-bust cycles.

Electric car manufacturer, Tesla, plans to introduce the most expensive version of its Model S electric car on June 22—about a month ahead of the originally scheduled launch. Morgan Stanley has predicted that Tesla will sell 3,000 cars this year, 16,000 next year, and 19,000 the following year. Tesla will thus become the first American automaker to start volume distribution in several decades, even though Tesla’s market share will be only a fraction of the 144 million cars made in America every year. Tesla, which is based in Palo Alto (News - Alert), Calif., says it has over 10,000 orders for the Model S, although the company will not be able to deliver on every order by the end of 2012. The price range for the Model S is between $47,900 and $97,900 – depending on the options and mileage range and after a $7,500 federal tax credit.

This has also been a good week for Elon Musk the founder and CEO at Tesla. Musk is also a founder of PayPal (News - Alert) and Space X, the company that made the first commercial space capsule launched by NASA on May 21. The Dragon capsule is headed for the International Space Station, where it will deliver supplies to the astronauts.

In a bipartisan vote of 31-4, the California State Senate passed SB 1386, a bill authored and introduced by Sen. Alan Lowenthal that would clarify which agency has ultimate responsibility for overseeing water reserves in the region. It still must pass the State Assembly to become effective. Twenty-four cities across southeastern Los Angeles County receive groundwater from the Southern California Central Basin aquifer, which currently contains about 233,000 acre-feet of water, but could store about 33,000 additional acre-feet, according to experts.  To date, two agencies have had oversight of the municipal water supply: The Water Replenishment District (WRD) of Southern California has been responsible for maintaining and refilling the Central and West Basins, from which water pumpers provide drinking water to residents and businesses. The Central Basin Municipal Water District has been the designated provider of imported water from outside the region (about four times more expensive than the groundwater), and has had overlapping authority for supplying the water used for groundwater replenishment. SB 1386 would keep those roles separate and distinct. “A majority of the Senate agreed with me that we need to reduce the bureaucracy and allow our local governments to improve their water supplies and reliability,” Lowenthal said. “This bill will help us to utilize the Central Basin aquifer as a water bank, reducing our reliance on imported water and potentially saving us from higher water rates in dry years.”

Petra Solar announced on May 21 that it will be part of a major consortium that will deploy a five-megawatt (MW) grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) solar plant in the Kingdom of Bahrain, near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. The landmark project will be the first of its kind in the region. The initiative will leverage smart solar technology developed in the United States by Petra Solar to generate electricity in a reliable way that stabilizes electricity distribution - and will potentially create jobs at several skill levels in Bahrain. In addition, this approach to the deployment of utility scale solar will enable the Kingdom to avoid future costs of rebuilding the grid.  Joining Petra Solar on the development team are National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), Electricity & Water Authority (EWA), and Caspian Energy Holdings. Together, they will bring solar and smart grid benefits to the small BAPCO township of Awali, the University of Bahrain, and other locations in Bahrain.

The SCI data center of DuPont Fabros Technology Inc., based in Santa Clara, Calif., has been recognized by the WateReuse Association California Section with the Recycled Water Customer of the Year award. The selection process for the award was conducted by the 2012 California Annual Conference Awards Sub-Committee members and by the WateReuse California Board.  To conserve potable water supply in the Bay Area, DuPont Fabros’ SC1 data center makes use of recycled water for its evaporative chilled water cooling tower make-up, as well as in addressing its landscape irrigation requirements.  As one of the largest data centers located in Silicon Valley, the SCI data center requires large quantities of water, which is why recycled water has been incorporated into the data center’s design.

Last year, solar electricity was the fastest-growing electric source in the United States, according to the 2011 Utility Solar Rankings Report released by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). The report found that during 2011, utilities interconnected more than 62,000 photovoltaic (PV) solar systems of all sizes. These new systems generated almost 1,500 megawatts (MW) of new utility solar capacity – more than twice as much as was added in 2010, also a record year. The findings identify the most active utilities in the country, based on the amount of new solar power they added to their systems. San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric ranked first and installed 288 MW of solar power. Newark-based Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) ranked second, with a 181 MW portfolio. Numbers three through 10 on the list of companies with top new solar MW installations include: Arizona Public Service, Southern California Edison (News - Alert), Atlantic City Electric (New Jersey), Jersey Central Power & Light, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Xcel Energy (Colorado), Long Island Power Authority (New York), and Xcel Energy (New Mexico).