Two years ago, before it was even built, the Macho Springs Solar Facility in New Mexico made headlines thanks to a 20-year, 5.7-cents per kilowatt-hour power purchase agreement with El Paso Electric. The 30 percent federal investment tax credit and a generous New Mexico production tax credit helped make that price possible, but another factor… Keep reading →
US renewable energy sources continued to grow in 2014, as reported by Breaking Energy, with data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission showing that “15,384 megawatts of new generation went into service in 2014, and 49.9 percent of [all that capacity] came from wind, solar and other renewables.” According to the International Renewable Energy Agency… Keep reading →
Dear Friends,
As you may know, the blog posts are getting longer and longer as more trade and other actions take place against China. Because of the length, I, therefore, am breaking this post into two parts. This first post covers Trade, Customs, 337/IP and Products Liability. The second post will cover FDA, Antitrust and Securities law.
There have been major developments in the Solar Cells, trade, trade politics and trade, trade adjustment assistance, 337/IP, and Products Liability areas.
The United States and China made a big splash this past month with the announcement of an important climate agreement between the two superpowers. President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly pledged November 11 in Beijing to make significant CO2 reductions in the next two decades. The United States will reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025, accelerating the pace of reductions already planned by 2020. China will peak its CO2 emissions no later than 2030, by which point the country will obtain 20% of its energy supply from non-fossil fuel sources. China’s commitment marks the first time the country has pledged to stop its rapidly increasing emissions; the nation has previously resisted calls for reductions, saying that as a developing country, the pollution increases are necessary for its growth. This agreement preceded a November 16 communiqué by G20 leaders to focus their policies and investments on cleaner and renewable energy sources with the goal of mitigating climate change. The next step began December 1 at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Lima, Peru.
Business-friendly clean energy policies in North Carolina continue to support the success of clean energy companies – boosting job growth and economic development. In the past 30 days alone, three corporate announcements illustrate the power of the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, which requires utilities to expand their use of renewable energy and energy efficiency,… Keep reading →
Several states have embraced net metering in order to encourage the adoption of solar energy and other distributed generation. Sometimes referred to as “running a meter backwards,” net metering allows people to generate their own electricity, export any excess electricity to the grid, and get paid for providing this excess energy to the utility who… Keep reading →
Do you love science? The Department of Energy does. In fact, the Department is the single largest funder of basic research in the physical sciences in the nation. This research spans the Energy Department’s 17 National Labs. The National Labs are a national treasure. They perform groundbreaking scientific research — from game-changing advancements in solar energy to supercomputer simulations… Keep reading →
“We are looking for the leader who can harness the power of disruptive technology.” NRG Energy, the biggest independent power producer in the U.S., is undergoing a transformation. Last week, the company announced it is splitting up its assets into three separate entities: NRG Business, NRG Home and NRG Renew. NRG Business will encompass the… Keep reading →
SB 594, a law that went into effect in PG&E utility territory February 2014, now allows property owners to aggregate the electricity load of multiple utility meters scattered throughout a single parcel or multiple continuous parcels and credit the bills with a single “Net Metered” installation. This new program is called ‘Net Meter Aggregation’ and… Keep reading →
A female Suncor Energy employee was attacked and killed by a black bear at the company’s oil sands production facility in Northern Alberta, Canada yesterday. “An extensive investigation is now underway at a Suncor worksite in northern Alberta after a large male black bear attacked and killed a female employee. At about 2 p.m. at… Keep reading →
