STUFF

DOE awarded $57M to SUNY college of nano as part of sunshot program ($1/W solar). VECO a key partner.

CPWY signed joint venture agreement to develop $28M solar plant in NC. They will own plant, est. to generate $5.7M w/in 1st yr.

Fed clean E loan guarantee program was spared the budget ax. Signed into law in '05. So far >$18B for 20 projects. 25 more nearing consideration. Guarantees leveraged private investment of >$40B. Possible problems with shoddy record keeping, though.

DOE offered $1.2B loan guarantee for 250MW solar plant in CA. NRG Solar to own, SPWRA to build, op, maintain. 1-axis tracking. Expected start 2H11, build through '13. Total cost >$1.6B includes substation, 3-mile 230kV feed-in line. 25-yr PPA from PG&E. Doing the rough math, that's over $6/W. Ouch. That's nukey.

Energy/climate change cuts across at least 8 gov agencies and up to 2 dozen committees in Congress. Gen. Jones: "energy didn't get daily attention the prez wanted" (because of crisis). "We need to break the energy deadlock. It's a threat to national security."

Shale gas has more GHG emissions than coal or oil: Cornell research. Est. 30-200% more methane emitted from fracking, majority escaping in water as it flows back out and when rock drilled open. Nat Gas Act intro'd in Congress last week calling for incentives.

BG Group (Brit) says new well off Brazil could produce up to 50kb/d of light oil. In 7k feet of water. Partners with Petrobras and Italian comp.

Google invested $168M in Bright Source Energy's concentrated solar thermal plant under development in Mojave. '13 completion. Will be largest solar project in world. Goog has now invested $250M in clean E.

CA governor signed the new RPS bill into law. Calls for 33% clean E in 10 yrs.