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1. Toyota beginning to mention PHEVs
2. Some wind project stalled by politics
3. BP to Invest $500 Million on Biofuels at a Research Center (somewhere)
4. "Analyzing the Effects of Temporal Wind Patterns on the Value of Wind-Generated Electricity"
5. Toyota hybrid sales hit tax-credit ceiling
6. September GCEP Research Symposium on reducing greenhouse gases
7. GE, PowerLight Break Ground on 11-MW (World's Largest) PV Power Plant
8. Volunteer: Evaluation of Rural Electrification Projects in El Salvador
9. Job: Marketing Manger, California Climate Action Registry
10. Job: Program Associate, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
11. Three Jobs in Wind
*************************************
1. Toyota beginning to mention PHEVs
Toyota plans to double number of hybrid models
Los Angeles Times
Jun 14, 2006
Toyota Motor said Tuesday that it intended to increase research into the
plug-in hybrid technology it once derided and to double the number of
conventional hybrid models it sells globally by early next decade.
Although company President Katsuaki Watanabe stopped short of promising
to bring a plug-in hybrid to market, he did say Toyota ``is getting
close'' to achieving a 50 percent reduction in the development and
production costs of conventional hybrid systems for its upcoming models.
******************************************************
2. Some wind project stalled by politics
Jun 12 -Wind-power proponents remain puzzled and perturbed by a Defense Department study that, two decades since wind farms and radar systems first co-existed, is delaying alternative-energy projects.
They charge that the study, aimed at determining the effect of turbines as tall as 40 stories on military radar, is motivated more by politics and personal agendas than national security.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said his staff has been told the study will be completed by the end of the month. The report originally was ordered to be finished during the first four months of this year.
"If this is a serious issue related to radar safety and security, then by all means, let's figure out what the answer is," Durbin said. "But if there's a political agenda involved here, where people are trying to dream up ways to avoid wind turbines in their back yard, then I don't have any patience with them."
Congress last fall directed the Defense Department to study whether wind turbines interfere with military radar, in a one sentence provision in the massive bill authorizing defense spending.
The mandate was inserted by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., who has opposed a controversial wind project off Nantucket, Mass., a vacation spot for the rich and powerful.
******************************************************
3. BP to Invest $500 Million on Biofuels at a Research Center (somewhere)
June 14, 2006 New York Times
In one of the largest research grants by an oil company, BP is planning to spend $500 million over the next 10 years to finance major work on biofuels to find "longer-term commercial alternatives to oil and gas."
The energy giant is in talks with several universities in the United States or Britain as possible sites for the research center but says it has not yet picked a partner. BP aims to begin research at the center, called the BP Energy Biosciences Institute, by the end of 2007.
The program is expected to be formally announced in London today by Lord Browne, the company's chief executive, a spokeswoman, Sarah Howell, said.
************************************************************
4. "Analyzing the Effects of Temporal Wind Patterns on the Value of Wind-Generated Electricity"
Jun. 07, 2006
We are pleased to announce the release of a new Berkeley Lab report, "Analyzing the Effects of Temporal Wind Patterns on the Value of Wind-Generated Electricity at Different Sites in California and the Northwest."
Wind farms in different locations produce their peak amounts of renewable electricity at different times of the day and year. In this report, we investigate whether this variation could make some wind sites in California and the Northwestern U.S. more profitable or more useful in helping meet peak loads in the electric power system than others. We also study which locations are affected most by the seasonal and diurnal timing of wind speeds, as well as the compatibility of wind resources in the Northwest and California with wholesale power prices and loads in either region. Finally, we study whether these questions can be answered using wind speeds estimated from a numerical weather model operated by AWS TrueWind.
In brief, we find that:
(1) Temporal patterns of wind production have a moderate impact on the wholesale market value of wind power and a larger impact on the capacity factor during peak load hours;
(2) Northwestern electricity loads appear to be well served by Northwestern wind and poorly served by California wind, but results are unclear for California loads; and
(3) TrueWind data generally agree with anemometer measurements about the variation of wind speeds in most times and places, but disagree about California's summer afternoon wind speeds.
Perhaps most importantly, we find that even the worst-timed wind resource sites have a wholesale market value that is just 10% below that of a flat block of baseload power; the best-timed sites have a wholesale market value of roughly 5% above that of a flat block of power.
The full report is available at: http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/60152.pdf. A slide presentation summarizing the key findings of the report can be found at: http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/wind-value-rpt.pdf. Attached below is the press release that is being distributed on this work.
As always, we hope you find this study helpful and welcome any feedback that you might have. We appreciate the funding support of the U.S. Department of Energy in making this work possible, and apologize in advance for any cross-postings. If you would like to be removed from our report notification list, please e-mail me to that effect at RHWiser@lbl.gov.
Ryan Wiser and Matthias Fripp
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
***************************************************************
5. Toyota hybrid sales hit tax-credit ceiling
BUYERS AFTER SEPT. 30 GET HALF OF BREAK
By Matt Nauman
Mercury News
Toyota has sold more than 60,000 hybrid cars and sport-utility vehicles so far this year, enough to reach a government threshold that reduces the federal tax credit on those vehicles.
The good news for motorists weary of high gas prices is that the tax code is written so the 100 percent tax credit isn't reduced to 50 percent until the quarter after the one in which the 60,000-unit sales mark is reached.
That gives buyers from now until Sept. 30 to purchase one of the five gasoline-electric hybrid models sold by Toyota and its upscale Lexus division and still qualify for the 100 percent credit. On Oct. 1, the credit will be reduced by half.
The credit will stay at 50 percent for two quarters, fall to 25 percent in the subsequent two quarters, then expire. For Toyota hybrid buyers, the tax credit expiration date is Oct. 1, 2007.
Ford and Honda, the other two hybrid manufacturers, aren't near the 60,000-unit threshold so far this year.
The last HOV sticker issued to a hybrid owner will be No. 75,000. Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Steve Haskins said that through Tuesday, the state has received 64,811 applications and issued 56,775 stickers. It has rejected 606 applications as not eligible.
The state's supply of carpool-lane stickers will probably run out by the end of summer.
*****************************************************************
6. September GCEP Research Symposium on reducing greenhouse gases
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Steve Chu, Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and 1997 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The agenda will cover the following topic areas:
Monday, September 18
Morning - Bioenergy Storage and Conversion
Afternoon - Solar
Tuesday, September 19
Morning - Advanced Materials and Catalysts
Afternoon - Fuel Cells
Wednesday, September 20
Morning - Carbon Mitigation
Afternoon - Carbon Storage
The symposium is free and open to the Stanford community, along with invited researchers and energy professionals. We will provide details on registration in a few weeks in a follow-up message and on our website at http://gcep.stanford.edu.
*****************************************************************
7. GE, PowerLight Break Ground on 11-MW (World's Largest) PV Power Plant
SERPA, Portugal, Jun 06, 2006
GE Energy Financial Services, PowerLight Corporation and Catavento Lda broke ground today on the world's largest solar photovoltaic power project. The 11-megawatt solar power plant, comprising 52,000 photovoltaic modules, is under construction in Serpa, Portugal, 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Lisbon in one of Europe's sunniest areas.
GE Energy Financial Services is financing and will own the facility in a $75 million transaction. PowerLight, a leading global solar power system provider, has designed, and will operate and maintain this solar power plant employing the company's innovative PowerTracker(R) system. Catavento, a leading Portuguese renewable energy company, developed the project and will provide management services. Deliveries of photovoltaic modules and structural steel have begun, and construction of an electric substation is under way. The project - on a 60-hectare (150-acre) southern-facing hillside that will remain productive farmland -- is scheduled for full power operation by January 2007.
****************************************************************
8. Volunteer: Evaluation of Rural Electrification Projects in El Salvador
http://soe.stanford.edu/publicservice/elsalvador.php. The deadline is June 14, 2006, but the project is happening in September.
For more information, contact Alex Tung (tungsten@stanford.edu)
Sponsors: University Rotary Club, Fundación Intervida (http://www.intervida.org)
Coordinator: Office of Engineering and Public Service, Stanford University (http://soe.stanford.edu/publicservice)
Project Description:
This program will enable one Stanford engineering student to volunteer in a rural electrification project in El Salvador. Such projects are generally divided into four stages: preparation, design, implementation, and post-project impact assessment. This pilot program will focus on the preparation and design aspects, with the last two stages being left for subsequent visits in 2007. The program is coordinated by the Office of Engineering and Public Service in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, and is sponsored by the University Rotary Club in Palo Alto and Fundación Intervida, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Barcelona. Intervida oversees a number of projects, but is at the early stages of developing its rural solar program. Therefore, the student will have input into a new project of a well-established NGO. Intervida is also beginning projects in Bolivia, Guatemala, and Peru. This project will be implemented in the municipality of Berlin in the state of Usulutan in El Salvador and will affect three communities, including five student centers. By the end of the project installation, 180 families or about 1000 people will benefit from the program.
The student will spend approximately three weeks in the field in El Salvador. In the first week, he or she will work with trained field personnel to interview the village population and obtain basic information about demographics, wealth classifications, community mapping, and energy usage. In the second two weeks, the student will assess different possibilities for implementing distributed energy sources in the village. This stage will entail online research to determine the renewable energy resources available, as well as more detailed market surveys to inform the design of the best system to meet the needs of the population. The student will work with Intervida engineers to design a number of possible solutions on commercially available software such as HOMER (http://www.nrel.gov/homer/) and include all economic aspects in each system design.
Goals of Program:
* Student gains an introduction to international development by working with a well-established NGO on a new project
* Intervida is able to leverage the expertise of a student for its pilot projects
* All parties work toward developing a rural electrification model that helps the community and can be subsequently replicated in other rural areas
Student Deliverables:
* Report on assessment findings and impact on design approach
* Descriptions of possible system designs, including costs, tradeoffs, etc.
Student Skills Desired:
* Knowledge of and experience in photovoltaic system design, for both on-grid and isolated off-grid distributed systems
* Knowledge of renewable energy resources
* Competency in general and engineering Spanish language
* Strong communication skills
* Willingness to live and work in rural settings
* Strong interest in international development
* As this is a pilot program, adaptability to changing conditions and patience for unforeseen circumstances will be key attributes
Logistics:
* Airfare will be covered by the University Rotary Club
* Ground costs, including lodging, transportation, and food, will be covered by Intervida
* Other costs, including personal items and entertainment, will be supplied by the student
* The program will take place during September of 2006, dependent on schedules of the students and other partners involved.
* Student will work for three weeks in the field, but some preparation and background research will be required prior to going to El Salvador. Some work may also be required to finalize designs upon the student's return.
* Student will need to obtain the recommended immunizations and vaccinations prior to departure.
Application Procedure:
* Email a CV and brief (one page) cover letter to Alex Tung (tungsten@stanford.edu), Jerry Torrance (torrance@ix.netcom.com), and William Grindley (wgrindley@attglobal.net) describing your interest in this project, background and experience, and skills that you think you can contribute. Please put "El Salvador Project Application <name>" in the subject line
* Please include in your application email a phone number and email address where you can be reached after June 14.
* Deadline for Application Submission: Wednesday, June 14, 2006
* Applicants may be contacted for phone interviews after the deadline
* Final selection by June 30, 2006
*******************************
9. Job: Marketing Manger, California Climate Action Registry
The California Climate Action Registry (the Registry) is a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry,
created as a non-profit public/private partnership by the State of California, to help protect, encourage,
and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions. The Registry helps organizations to measure their
GHG emissions and establish baselines. The Registry has developed standardized reporting and
certification protocols for inventorying GHG emissions. The Registry also provides a suite of member
services to support registration and encourage its participants to increase their energy efficiency and
decrease their GHG emissions. Registry participants include businesses, non-profit organizations,
municipalities, state agencies, and other entities. More information about the Registry is available at:
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Recruitment: Contact potential Registry members, educate them about the Registry and
ways to reduce their GHG emissions through energy efficiency and other mechanisms, and
recruit them to participate in the Registry's programs. The Marketing Manager will spend
much of his/her time reaching out to potential members through email, telephone, mail and
face-to-face meetings. This is a central element of this position and candidates should be
comfortable with the high level of enthusiasm, creativity, and persistence that is required.
* Public Presentations: Give presentations to conferences, business associations, and the
general public about the Registry's work.
* Media Outreach: Write and circulate press releases for the Registry and its members. Help
the Registry and its members to develop media strategies.
* Environmental Marketing: Help members develop strategies to effectively explain their
environmental programs to the public.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS
* At least four years of professional experience including both of the following:
o Media experience (either at a media company or working with the media)
o Sales/Marketing around environmental themes
* Familiarity with GHG and climate change issues
* Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
* Bachelor's degree or advanced degree
TRAVEL
The position will require a significant amount of local travel within the Southern California area. The
Marketing Manager should have his/her own car. There may be occasional travel required to Northern
California or other states.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The position is available immediately.
Interested candidates must submit the following information to the Search Committee:
* Cover letter
* Resume
Applications can be emailed, faxed, or mailed to the following address:
Marketing Manager Search Committee
California Climate Action Registry
515 S. Flower Street, Suite #1640
Los Angeles, CA 90071
EMAIL: info@climateregistry.org
FAX: 213-623-6716
*********************************************************
10. Job: Program Associate, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Description: The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is seeking a Program Associate in its Boulder, CO office. The responsibilities for this position include:
- conduct research and write articles, case studies, and market assessments related to combined heat and power (CHP) systems and issues;
- conduct outreach and education to raise awareness and promote adoption of CHP systems in the southwest region;
- maintain a web site to promote CHP systems in the region; and
- undertake actions to help remove regulatory barriers to CHP systems in the region.
The program associate will carry out these activities in conjunction with the Intermountain CHP Application Center, which SWEEP is co-leading. For more information about the Center, visit http://www.intermountainCHP.org.
Qualifications: Applicants should have experience in the energy efficiency field. Masters degree plus three years of experience or Bachelors degree plus five years experience, at a minimum. Strong analytical, communications, and computer skills. Experience working on combined heat and power and/or distributed generation is a plus, as is experience working in non-profit organizations. Last but not least, a personal commitment to a cleaner environment and more sustainable future.
Compensation: Salary commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefits.
Start Date: As soon as possible.
Application deadline: June 20, 2006.
To apply, send a brief cover letter and resume (no phone calls, please) to:
Program Associate Opening
SWEEP
2260 Baseline Rd. Suite 212
Boulder, CO 80302
*****************************************************************
11. Three Jobs in Wind
From: "Michael Grenier" <montmike@gmail.com>
Subject: Job Opportunities - Wind
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 16:56:19 -0700
If you're interested, or know someone who is, please send your resume and I will forward to the search firm. These are three different jobs and three different companies.
Mike Grenier
1. Sales Director for a wind technology company. This person will be responsible for the marketing and sales of a suite of wind technologies including blade, gear box and conditioning monitoring equipment. The person will be comfortable guiding product development, developing marketing plans and materials and implementing sales efforts. This will include the opportunity to shape the approach (e.g., retrofit and OEM markets). The position is quite flexible in that it will be home-based so the person needs to be a self-starter comfortable with an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment. 2. Engineering & Construction Project Managers. These will be people capable of leading projects from the latter stages of development through engineering, construction and commissioning. The company is looking for candidates for projects in NY, PA and other locations. The successful candidates will initially work from home or from company offices until the site activities kick off. Then the Project Manager will relocate to the site and move on to the next site upon completion. 3. Electrical & Utility Interconnection Project Manager. This PM will be responsible for the electrical and utility interconnection activities for multiple, concurrent projects. This person will likely be based at company offices or from home and travel as appropriate to the various project sites. |
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