Cape Wind Approved!

by Carolyn Elefant on May 3, 2010

wind-turbineOn April 28, 2010, DOI Secretary Salazar signed off on the Record of Decision approving the lease for the Cape Wind Project, to be located in Nantucket Sound off the coast of Massachusetts.  As far as records go, the WSJ Online notes that Cape Wind is the first offshore wind farm approved for the United States – though the process still faces a potential legal battle (though contrary to the WSJ, I’m betting that challenges will be dispatched quickly and summarily).

In the meantime, as this photo shows, China just put the finishing touches on the Donghai Bridge  offshore wind farm that was approved in 2008 and is nearly complete.  If you’re interested, compare the one page Donghai Bridge authorization from China to the slightly longer! Record of Decision signed by Secretary Salazar, not to mention the massive Environmental Impact Statement and supporting documents.

The Burdens of Being Part of the Stakeholder

by Carolyn Elefant on May 3, 2010

from Wikipedia, e-consultation.org

from Wikipedia, e-consultation.org

As marine renewables projects move forward in the United States, the stakeholder process for making decisions about siting is fast becoming an entrenched practice.  That’s not surprising, because here in the United States, in particular, we revere the stakeholder process as a tool for regulatory decision making.  And after all, what’s not to like?  At least on the surface, the stakeholder process is inclusive and democratic.  By working together, the theory goes, the parties build trust and arrive at decisions that are less vulnerable to court challenge.

But is the stakeholder process really all it’s cracked up to be?  I’m not sure.  For starters, the costs are enormous, and the burdens to small parties are imposing.  Consider the views expressed by a Iberdrola, a decent sized wind farm developer in a recent FERC proceeding on the issue of integrating renewables into the grid (as an aside, I’ve not posted on integration of marine hydrokinetics because the technologies are barely pre-commercial – but if you’re interested in the issues, the Oregon Wave Energy Trust recently completed a study on wave integration issues in Oregon).   As the New York Times Climate Blog reports, Iberdrola commented that the stakeholder meetings used by regional transmission groups to adopt practices for integrating wind are themselves discriminatory because smaller developers cannot afford to participate on a regular basis.  the Times notes that the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) held 600 stakeholder meetings in a year’s time, thus precluding participation by all but well funded utility staffers.

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Carolyn Elefant Named “Influential Marylander” For Work in Offshore Renewables

April 22, 2010

Above is the excerpt from the Daily Record. To see all 100 Marylanders named, click
here.

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MMS Issues First Request for Interest for Offshore Wind

April 22, 2010

Let’s hope that in Delaware, first isn’t worst.
The Newark Post Online reports that the Department of Interior’s Mineral Management Service (MMS)  has issued the first Request for Interest (RFI) in an offshore wind site on the Outer Continental Shelf, off the coast of Delaware.  If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll recall that [...]

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NY Times Features Tidal Power in Recognition of Earth Day

April 22, 2010

Today’s New York Times includes a great feature article on tidal energy in the United States, with detailed coverage of the leaders in U.S. markets, including Verdant Power and Ocean Renewable Power Corporation. The article quotes Dr. Bob Thresher of NREL, who devoted much of his career to wind, and has now gone over to [...]

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Fish and Wildlife Issues Guidance for Siting Wind Projects

April 20, 2010

On April 13, 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presented recommendations to Secretary Salazar of the Department of Interior on minimizing windfarms’ impacts on wildlife and habitat, reports the Las Vegas Sun The lengthy report available here recommends development of a tiered system for selecting project sites, evaluating project impacts and monitoring post-deployment impacts.
I’m [...]

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FERC Lends a Hand to Small Hydro – But New Rules May Help Marine Hydrokinetics

April 20, 2010

Facing an increased number of preliminary permits for conventional small hydro, FERC staff has proposed several initiatives to help small hydro developers – frequently, mom-and-pop operations – navigate and understand the FERC process.  Staff’s presentation to FERC Commissioners at the April 15 meeting is available here.
Some of the resources to be developed include a roadmap [...]

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Marine Renewables Fueling New Industries

April 20, 2010

Back in August, I lamented that the United States still wasn’t fully capitalizing on opportunities for growth in ancillary industries like shipping which support marine renewables.  And that hasn’t changed much either.  To be sure, marine renewables are powering ancillary industries like ship building and oil and gas.  But as two recent articles bear out, [...]

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Wave [Power] on the Wires

April 20, 2010

Wave energy still remains several years away from full blown commercialization.  But if all goes well for offshore wind, by the time wave energy projects come into their own, they should be able to bypass one of the hurdles currently facing offshore wind: lack of adequate offshore transmission.
Fortunately, on both sides of the Atlantic, work [...]

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The Challenges of Ocean Renewables

April 12, 2010

Here’s a quick video that I cut for my trade association, the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (www.oceanrenewable.com) using Google’s neat new video creation tool.  The video conveys both the enormous opportunities that marine renewables can provide as well as the challenges that the industry faces.  Enjoy!

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