STUFF

Atlantic City 450MW coal power plant to convert to NG over next 4 yrs. 49-yr-old plant, last in state w/out pollution control. Conversion to cost up to $200M. Includes NG pipeline. Could increase power output to 570MW. 2 coal units, 1 oil. Also already putting in 4MW of solar on plant land.

CONSOL Energy extending miner's summer vacations at 2 coal mines.

FERC issued final rule for variable E resource integration.

Fed appeals court upheld EPA emissions rules.

Army Corps approved permit for Keystone pipeline leg through TX.

NJ Senate banned treatment or storage of fracking waste. Bill goes to Christie.

MD man found guilty in 1 hour on all 42 counts of selling millions of dollars worth of fake renewable E credits. Stupid is as stupid duz.

American Bird Conservancy sueing fed govt, saying it suppressed info about wind E projects' potential impact on wildlife.

Duke E and Progress E accepted fed conditions for merger - they won't wield excessive influence over Carolinas power marts. Which is operative word? Excessive? Or won't?

Conoco Phillips, BP and a chem comp to build $125 C capture project in TX to treat flue gases from coal-fired cement plant and turn them into market chems. $28M in fed grants. Online in '14.

Brazil, Chile, Mexico expected to have added >3.7GW of wind power from '10 thru end of this year.

LDK Solar (China) reported net loss of $185M in FQ1 v. $135M profit year ago. Sales $200M v. $766. Lowered FY12 outlook.

China - world's biggest wind farm builder - set for 1st yr of slower windpower growth in almost a decade. Plans flounder for offshore (it's very expensive until the super turbines are available, I think).

NH 1st state to recognize renewable heating in its RPS.

Renewable E in Germany (a rime line, huh?) reducing power prices (up to 18% so far this year). But has left country with E market whose design no longer works: a utility spokesperson. Renewables have zero margin costs. Um, free energy once it's built. But, heck, there's maintenance. And repair. And replacement. And management. And payoff. Yahvohl.

Soladigm (Calif) raised $55M to bring their nanotech electrochromic windows to mart. The glass reduces E use/costs by limiting amount of sunlight and heat that traverses thru. Mississippi plant planned. $40M loan from state. Online later this year. Sage Electrochromics (MN plant, French-owned) also plans to start shipping theirs in Jan.

Toshiba plans 100MW of solar PV plants in Fukushima region. Online by '14. Japan expecting up to 4.7GW of solar installs in 2H12.

New study says world oil production could grow 20% by '20. Could prompt plunge or even collapse in prices. I can think of worse things.

Petrobras, KL Energy completed 1st phase of joint dev agreement. Cellulosic eth produced from sugarcane bagasse in SD plant has been shipped to Brazil. Also recorded 1st cell eth RIN credits issued by EPA.

Brazil National Dev Bank loaning Kenya $80M to assist mech of ag and $150M for roads to redux Nairobi congestion. Kenya prez seeks $2B credit line for ag, infra and E. Let's get that S. Sudan oil to the coast, A chaps? Let alone the new oil being tapped in Kenya.

An India institute dev'd tannery waste biodiesel tech.

Brazil's ETH Bioenergia investing $484M this year to expand prod of sugarcane eth. Adding cane plantings. Able now to process 35M tons of cane/y. By '14, cap of 40M, prod of 3B liters of eth.