Blog Contributors
- Alan Bickerstaff
- Roger D. Feldman
- J. Matthew Lyons
- Bonnie Rubey McMurtry
- Siddharth "Sid" Sethy
- Mark J. Thurber
- Sean S. Wooden
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REFF Creates Ripples in the Clean Technology Industry
The Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF) held in New York this week is the annual event where industry leaders and wannabes meet and greet. It is a barometer of the industry's self confidence and prospect assessment. This is the year of the "game face." There is serious concern about industry prospects, notably sustained demand for wind. Solar's costs are declining, but sustained market interest in the absence of feed in tariffs, strong Renewable Energy Standards/RECs availability, is still problematic. The absence of US players and US banks in the project finance market drew notice. The effect on energy price points of shale gas on renewables competitiveness in particular, was noted as a major threat, as was the declining prospects of systematic carbon regulation.
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Categories: Biofuels, Biomass, Clean Technology, Conference Updates, Emerging Markets, Energy, Federal Funding, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Energy
Complimentary Live Webinar - June 17: Alternative & Renewable Energy Finance Available in Washington, DC
Obtaining funds for renewable energy and sustainability projects and companies now involves more incentives originating in Federal programs administered or legislated in Washington. Increasingly private capital has sought to utilize such incentives.
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Categories: Biofuels, Clean Technology, Economic Recovery and Government Opportunities, Energy, Project Financings, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Venture Capital Trends, Wind Energy
Reporting from WINDPOWER 2010 - Community Wind
This morning at AWEA, I attended a session entitled "Financing & Policy Issues for Community Wind." The speakers were Jeff Wright of Midwest Wind Finance, Ryan Harry of BCS, Incorporated, George Baker of Island Institute, Mark Bolinger of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Edwin T. C. Ing of the Law Office of Edwin T. C. Ing. I chose this session because I was unsure what "community wind" was. I have worked on projects where landowners have formed a single entity to represent all the landowners but was curious about community wind.
Reporting from WINDPOWER 2010 - NIMBY
NIMBY (not in my backyard), long a staple in hydrocarbon projects, has begun to emerge in opposition to wind power development. Ironically, studies show that 80% of the public supports wind energy development as the most cost effective alternative energy option. Nevertheless, as one handwritten sign in an eastern community reads: "great idea, bad location." Most people aren’t green enough to support wind energy if it affects them negatively, or more importantly, if they think it will affect them negatively.
