STUFF

Fed judge granted Quechan Nation request to temp halt work on NTR subsid Tessera Solar's 709MW solar plant in Imperial Valley Cal. DOI failed to adequately consult Tribe (burial grounds, etc.) before approval. Tessera's 664MW Calico plant also on hold. Financing challenges, $2B/plant. NTR wrote down solar dev biz by $127M.

Groups also suing to block Solargen's Panoche Valley Cal plant. FSLR's Topaz plant also has opposition, San Luis Obispo County takes it up in March. Some kind of a fox in jeopardy. And SPWR's proposed Cal Valley Solar Ranch may endanger giant kangaroo rats. Hm. Giant jumpin rats. Also a San Luis Obispo look-see in Jan.

Two New Mexico solar projects breaking grounds. Xcel E broke earth Wednesday on a 54MW PV plant to be built/operated by SunEd sub of MEMC. NM utils under mandate of 15% clean E by '15, 20 by '20. SW Public Service to pay 10 cents/kwh 1st yr, increase of 3.3%/yr over 20 yr contract. NRG Energy to start 20MW PV plant near Santa Teresa before yearend. FSLR to provide engineering, construction. El Paso El to pay 12.7 cents/kwh over 20 yrs.

Our esteemed Senate Wednesday passed a 1-yr extension of 1603 tax grant program for clean E in the tax compromise bill. (Um, stimulus bill). (The 1603 was covered here in stuff last Thursday.) But we really don't want to keep making energy policy one year at a time do we? Does business like that? ANY business?

In '08-'09, we now discover our illustrious Fed provided ~$3.3T in liquidity and over $9T in short-term loans and other financial arrangements, even overseas. Disclosure now required by Dodd-Frank bill. US monetary base will have expanded 4x by the time this latest quantitative easing is done. European banks carrying 5x gov debt v. 3 yrs ago. US banks carrying ~$350B euro debt.

63 nuke reactors currently in construction in world. 1 in US. 26 in China. I wonder what the Chinese answer to nuke waste is. Or afraid to ask. Just kidding, China. I kid. I make light. Or try.

At coal/NG power plants, fuel is up to 3/4 of the costs. Nukes its ~1/4 (including waste, enrichment). U ~$60/lb now. Hit $136 in '07.

According to NREL, PV on all US roofs could provide 22% of our el demand.

Happy trails to ye and all yours.