STUFF

Study: US solar investment tax credit pays for itself plus delivers 10% annual rate of return to taxpayers on govt's initial investment. It was expanded by E policy Act of '05 and modified as grant program under '09 stimulus.

New NJ solar development law will require utilities to buy more solar E. Utilities can meet mandate by buying E credits from project developers. A 4-year speed-up for solar targets and lower price ceilings for credits to help utilities.

NASA: Greenland ice sheet melt this month not seen in 30 years of sat observation.

Interior Dept ID'd 17 sites on 285K acres of public land across 6 Swest states as prime spots for solar E development. Govt will fast-track large scale solar there. Further ID'd 19M acres of public lands as potential locations for fast-track solar projects. But "fenced off" 78M acres because of less solar potential, no transmission lines near enough, threat to archeological or cultural sites, endangered species, scarce water or other enviro issues.

Retired admirals warn Repub proposals to bar Navy from biofuels research could jeopardize national security.

Brit Columbia premier says enviro costs of Northern Gateway pipeline project would outstrip any econ benefits.

Melting of permafrost for 1st time along parts of Alaska Canada Military Highway. Melting permafrost releases methane - worse than CO2 in global warming.

Study: compact fluorescent lamps may damage skin. So, switch to LEDs.

UK govt to fund low-carbon vehicles.

NG up lately over $3. I think it's headed to $6.

Former Rep Inglis says subsidy phaseout, C tax the future of conservative E narrative. I think that's fine, as long as it's all E subsidies.

UCLA researchers have developed a transparent film attachable to glass, other surfaces for solar elgen. Polymer cells convert IR light to el using silver nanowires and TiO2 nanoparticles as electrodes. Converts at ~4% efficiency.

1st US tidal power project launched in Cobscook Bay, Maine. Ocean Renewable Power Comp. FERC license and PPA. DOE invested $10M from water power program. Tidal power potential 250TWh/y in US.

Nexolon America, subsid of Korea's Nexolon, to build $100M solar modules, trackers, inverters manufacturing plant in San Antonio to help serve 400MW TX solar project by OCI Solar Power in consortium with San Anton's muni utility. $1B in projected construction investment. 1st 50MW online in San Anton by '13. The rest over next 4 years.

PA largest state without tax on NG production.

Nationwide Mutual 1st insurance comp to decline coverage for fracking claims.

Farm Econ study: corn's use in US ethanol production rose 300% '05-'11. Led to corn price jump to $6/bu in '11 from $2 in '05.

NREL has new database - Transparent Cost Database. Collects cost and performance estimates for E efficiency and clean/renewable E techs.

iDiverse (Calif) discovered yeast gene that when inserted into yeast and modulated can increase ethanol production yield by up to 34%.

Maple Energy's $280M ethanol plant now online in Peru. Will also produce 37MW of el per year.

Lufthansa sees av biofuels with 5% of avfuel market in next 5-7 years.

Capital investment in clean tech was off 14% in 2Q12 v. 1Q12 ($1.88B) and off 25% from 2Q11 ($2.15B). 155 deals in 2Q12 v. 197 in 1Q12.

EPA rejected beekeepers' call to ban a pesticide chemical. Kind of concerning considering the bee population declines.

India planning 1st shale gas auction.

Virus shut down Iran nuke plant computers.