Felicity Carus

 

Posts by Felicity Carus

Dodd Frank ‘Biggest Threat’ To Renewables Industry

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The Dodd-Frank Act, introduced to clamp down on the high-risk transactions that brought the financial system to its knees in 2008, could reduce capital funding for renewable energy projects and hit environmental commodity trading, leading industry experts said last week.

“There was a perception that bankers were ripping off Main Street folks and that needed to be changed. If you look at these causes and say what does this have to do with renewable energy … this has very little to do with renewable energy,” said Steve Michelson, counsel at environmental commodities specialist 3Degrees. “Our [environmental] markets and the energy industry did not cause the financial crisis. But if you look at Congress’s solutions to these problems we are implicated in some ways.” Keep reading →

 /  Published November 21, 2011 at 11:10 AM

Wind Rush: Turbine Wars

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Indications that fierce competition in the global wind turbine industry is about to intensify came with news from the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer. Vestas abandoned its forecast of €15 billion in revenues in 2015 and said that job losses and restructuring will follow instead.

The Danish manufacturer’s third quarter results signal the challenges ahead as established players seek traction in emerging markets to compensate for oversupply, market expansion slows and the US and EU face potential double dip recessions, just as Chinese companies entice overseas customers with knock-down prices. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 18, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Wind Rush: Envisioning A Pivotal Year

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2010 marked a pivotal year both for global turbine manufacturing capacity and installed capacity around the world.

Global wind turbines saw a record 39.9 GW delivered in 2010. Although leader Vestas saw its market share increase to 14.7% last year also marked a shift as Chinese manufacturers increased deliveries. Sinovel, Goldwind, and Donfang have increased their combined market share by nearly 6% annually on average up to 27% in 2010. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 17, 2011 at 2:30 PM

Wind Rush: Europeans Take The Credit

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European wind companies have played a major role in the development of the US wind energy sector, even as shadows loom over the industry and the global economy.

Vestas, the world’s largest turbine manufacturer, clearly has high hopes for its US business, with a market share of 18.7% and room for growth. In recent years Vestas had invested in two blade factories, a nacelle facility and a tower facility in Colorado. It also has R&D hubs in Texas, Massachusetts and Colorado. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 17, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Wind Rush: Wind, Not Solar, Wins In 1603 Program

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How the renewable energy industry copes with the loss of incentives this year will test its maturity and the success of the stimulus funding.

In many ways, the renewable energy industry is facing a pivotal moment as the 1603 grant program is set to expire this year, the $2.3 billion for the 48C advanced manufacturing tax credit has already been allocated and the Department of Energy has completed its work of handing out more than $36 billion in its loan guarantee program. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 16, 2011 at 11:30 AM

Wind Rush: 1603 Dollars Blown In The Wind

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Hundreds of millions of federal dollars from a flagship clean energy grant program were awarded to projects that were well under way before Barack Obama was inaugurated, despite the aim of the 1603 grant program to “primarily” stimulate new projects.

“When the financial crisis hit many developers found that they didn’t have the tax liability that would allow them to claim the credits, so the program was developed to offer an alternative way to continue to incentivize renewable energy development,” a Treasury spokeswoman said. “So, the 1603 program was primarily meant to incentivize new renewable energy projects, but it also supported some existing investments.” Keep reading →

 /  Published November 16, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Wind Rush: Asian Typhoon Hits Debt-Crisis Europe

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China’s success in building a domestic wind industry has turned it into a victim of its own success. Domestic and global oversupply has pushed Chinese companies into an aggressive price war that extends the shadow of Solyndra to the wind sector.

Companies from China and other Asian countries such as Japan’s Mitsubishi and South Korea’s Samsung are now reaching previously untapped markets such as Bulgaria, Belarus and Macedonia as well as debt-laden European countries such as Ireland and Greece. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 15, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Wind Rush: US Industry Hurdles Towards A Cliff Without Production Tax Credit

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If the US wind industry were a patient, any doctor would give it a clean bill of health… until the end of 2012. The prognosis for 2013 could be near-terminal as the Production Tax Credit is due to expire at the end of 2012.

“The goal of the tax credit: is the more we build the cheaper it will become. That has been borne out over time,” says Richard Caperton, a senior policy analyst with the energy opportunity team at Center for American Progress. “Wind is a very healthy industry that is viewed as a mainstream investment by utilities. It’s been very effective.” Keep reading →

 /  Published November 14, 2011 at 4:00 PM

Wind Rush: Clean Revolution Changes Global Power Industry Dynamics

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A wind rush is sweeping the world, with record installations planned for this year and next. This June, worldwide wind capacity reached 215 GW, a rise from 17.4 GW in just a decade.

“It’s come a long way in terms of installed capacity, geographic diversity, the maturity of the technology, and the size of the turbines. Growth has been dramatic, with scope for further growth on- and offshore,” says Brian Smith of the National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and former chair of the International Energy Agency executive agency on wind. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 14, 2011 at 11:45 AM

I Is For Innovative

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Late last year, Dr. Lon Bell retired as chief technology officer of Amerigon, but the only energy he seems unable to save is his own. He has recently started as strategic and technical advisor to thermoelectrics startup Alphabet Energy.

An industry pioneer, Bell founded Amerigon in 1991, and the company developed and commercialized the world’s first thermoelectric-based cooled and heated seat. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 8, 2011 at 10:00 AM
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