ACORE News

The state of Iowa has been steadily increasing its wind power capacity over the last several years. A press release from this year says that up to 20 percent of Iowa’s electricity is produced by wind.  The [Iowa Policy Project]’s director, David Osterberg said of the trend, “In the last two years, Iowa added 2,500 megawatts of wind turbine capacity, and now has wind capacity nearly six times the size of Iowa’s lone nuclear plant.” <<Full story>>

Blog post by Leo W. Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers International
Aug. 10, 2010 -- Red, as in furiously red, defined the day last fall when a consortium of companies announced it wanted $450 million in U.S. stimulus money to build a wind farm in Texas, creating 2,000 jobs in China and 300 in America. <<Full post>>

Aug. 9, 2010, LISBON — Five years ago, the leaders of this sun-scorched, wind-swept nation made a bet: To reduce Portugal’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, they embarked on an array of ambitious renewable energy projects — primarily harnessing the country’s wind and hydropower, but also its sunlight and ocean waves. <<Full story>>

The country could miss a key opportunity for growth if it doesn't soon follow Colorado's example in pursuing the new-energy economy, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said Monday. <<Full story>>

Aug. 9, 2010 -- Solar industry officials are pleading with President Obama to restore billions of dollars in renewable energy loan guarantees that Congress is at least temporarily cutting to pay for emergency education and Medicaid help to states and other policy priorities. <<Read more>>

Three out of four Americans believe that the Earth has been gradually warming as the result of human activity and want the government to institute regulations to stop it, according to a new survey by researchers at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. <<Read more>>

Aug. 9, 2010 --(ACORE member) Thompson Hine LLP of counsel Michael J. Zimmer has been named co-chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Carbon Trading and Energy Finance Committee. The appointment is peer-nominated and the term spans the 2010-2011 ABA year, which began on August 8, 2010. <<Read more>>

Aug. 8, 2010 -- The Democrat(ic candidate for Governor of California) says investment in renewable energy should create 500,000 new jobs in the state in the next 10 years. He would consider tax breaks to encourage creation of manufacturing jobs. <<Read more>>

Aug. 6, 2010; Washington, DC -- The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) enters a new phase as founding President Michael Eckhart has announced his retirement after nine years leading the organization, and the Board of Directors has appointed a search committee and retained the executive search firm Korn/Ferry International. <<Press release>>

On August 5th, Senate Democrats dropped $1.5 billion of stimulus funding for renewable energy and electric transmission loan guarantees to help offset a $26 billion state aid bill that is set for a floor vote today...The renewable trade organizations are asking the Senate, “to request that DOE immediately provide a full and complete accounting of the total loan guarantee amounts requested in pending applications..." -- such transparency will provide a full and accurate picture of the impact of a $1.5 billion cut in the Loan Guarantee Program.” <<Full post>>

Aug. 5, 2010 – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised Thursday that Congress eventually will restore $1.5 billion rescinded from an Energy Department renewable-energy loan program to help pay for emergency education and Medicaid aid for states.“That money is just temporarily gone,” Reid said, referring to the funds used to offset the cost of the $26.1 billion state fiscal aid package passed by the Senate on Thursday. <<Read more>>

August 5, 2010 -- Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the Department of Energy is extending the application deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitation. <<Read more>>

August 4, 2010 -- In a meeting today the German cabinet voted to up the target to 20% of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption. The release from Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen said that at the current pace Germany will surpass its current target of 18% by 2020. <<Read more>>

College Solar Arrays will Supply Over 100 Percent of College's Electricity Needs
Aug. 4, 2010 -- Butte College, located in Northern California and resting on a 928-acre wildlife refuge, has been recognized over the last few years as a national community college leader in sustainability. By May 2011, the college will move to the head of its class—as the only college in the nation that is grid positive—producing more clean energy from sustainable on-site solar power than it uses. <<Full story>>

Report Finds U.S. Wind Projects using a Growing Percentage of Domestically Manufactured Equipment

August 4, 2010 -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released its "2009 Wind Technologies Market Report." This report, authored primarily by DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, provides a comprehensive overview of trends in the rapidly-evolving U.S. wind power market. <<Full story>>