New Mexico Adopts Minimum Renewable Energy Requirements
After an extended period of review, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approved an order on December 17th that will require public utilities in the state to use renewable energy for a percentage of their total electricity supply. By January 1, 2006, public utilities must draw on renewable energy for 5 percent of the electricity that they sell. That percentage must increase at least 1 percent per year until 2011, when renewable energy will supply at least 10 percent of the electricity sold by public utilities.
The commission's order also encourages some forms of renewable energy by allowing them to earn extra credit. New hydropower facilities less than 50 megawatts in capacity and any wind power facilities are credited with the actual kilowatt-hours that they produce, but solar power systems earn three times the actual kilowatt-hours they produce. Electricity produced from biomass, landfill gas, geothermal energy, or fuel cells earn twice their actual kilowatt-hours. For instance, a utility could meet the 10 percent requirement by using solar power for 3.33 percent of its power needs, or using geothermal energy for 5 percent of its power.
The rule exempts rural electric cooperatives in the state, although they must provide a green power option to their customers. Texas-New Mexico Power Company is also exempt until December 2006, when the utility's existing power contract expires. See the commission's order, in PDF format only, at: http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/3619for.pdf
U.K. Company Reports Successful Tidal Energy Production
The Engineering Business Limited (EB), a company based in the United Kingdom, reported partially successful results from its tidal energy prototype in December. The prototype, called Stingray, was temporarily installed in Scotland's Yell Sound in mid-September 2002, and then retrieved at the end of that month.
According to the December report, the Stingray operators were able to generate a peak hydraulic power of 250 kilowatts and a time-averaged output of 90 kilowatts, with the tidal stream flowing at 1.5 meters per second. Automatic operation achieved a continuous output of 45 kilowatts, although an undersized oil reservoir prevented full-speed operation. However, the company reports hydraulic power rather than true generator power in its report, stating that "power data measured from the hydraulic system was more reliable than the data produced from within the generator/drive system and is the best output performance measure at the moment."
Even using the hydraulic power numbers, the machine fell below its goals, which were to achieve a 150-kilowatt average output in a tidal stream of 2.0 meters per second. The company's subsequent cost estimate for a 5-megawatt demonstration plant yielded power costs between 8 and 30 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour, which is a wider range and higher cost than predicted by other wave and tidal energy developers.
Still, the company is encouraged by its initial results, and is planning to modify the Stingray machine, redeploying it in Yell Sound this summer. The company will also continue preparations for the proposed 5-megawatt installation, which it hopes to begin installing in summer 2004. See the EB report, in PDF format only, at: http://www.engb.com/Downloads/M02-151-01.pdf
Meanwhile, a Norwegian company called Hammerfest Strom AS is working to install its own tidal energy prototype device in Kvalsundet, Norway. The device looks much like an underwater wind turbine. The company has installed the base, the connecting lines, and the shore terminal, and hopes to install the turbine nacelle in January or February. See the Hammerfest Strom Web site at:
http://www.e-tidevannsenergi.com/index.htm
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SITE NEWS
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Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
http://www.swenergy.org
SWEEP promotes energy efficiency, primarily electricity conservation, in a six-state region: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. It's a joint project of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies. The SWEEP Web site provides regional information on energy efficiency policies, legislation, news and events, programs, and case studies.
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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS
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U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Drop 1.2 Percent in 2001
DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported in December a 1.2 percent drop in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2001, the largest decrease since the EIA began tracking the figures in 1990. Back in July, the EIA reported a 1.1 percent drop in energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, which suggested that the total greenhouse gas emissions would show a similar trend, as the December report confirmed. The EIA attributes the decrease to slow economic growth, reduced manufacturing output, lower electrical demand, and a warmer-than-normal winter. See the EIA press release at:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/press/press204.html
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the winter of 2001-2002 was the ninth warmest on record in the United States. Overall, 2002 is likely to register among the 20 warmest years on record for the country. On a global scale, 2002 is likely to be the second-warmest year on record. Preliminary estimates released by NOAA in December found that average global temperatures were likely to end up at 1.03 degrees Fahrenheit above the long-term average, an average that was only exceeded during the strong El Nino year of 1998. See the NOAA Web site at:
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2002/ann/ann02.html
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