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February 06, 2013

Energy Department Invests $9 Million in Data-Driven SunShot Projects

The Energy Department announced on January 30 its selection of seven data-driven projects to unearth new opportunities for reducing solar energy costs and accelerating solar energy deployment in the United States. The Department will invest about $9 million in the seven projects, located in six states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Texas. The projects are part of the SunShot Initiative, a collaborative national effort to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade.For four of the projects, the Energy Department will provide $7 million to research teams led by Sandia National Laboratories, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Yale University, and the University of Texas – Austin (UT-Austin). These teams will partner with public and private financial institutions, utilities, and state agencies to apply statistical and computational tools to solve industry problems and lead regional pilot projects across the country to test the impact and scalability of their innovations.For example, Yale University researchers will partner with SmartPower's New England Solar Challenge to design and implement innovative strategies that can increase the effectiveness of community-led bulk purchase programs for solar power. The team from the UT-Austin will work with complex datasets from six Texas utilities to better understand customer needs and identify opportunities to streamline installation and interconnection. Similarly, NREL will develop a computational model to analyze data from a network of U.S. solar installers and help identify new types of community- and regional-scale strategies to drive down financing and deployment costs.The Department will also invest $2 million in three projects led by the University of North Carolina – Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and SRI International to analyze decades of scientific publications, patents, and cost and production data. SRI International will develop advanced software that reads and analyzes thousands of scientific publications and patents to discover new ways to speed solar energy technology innovation and commercialization. Meanwhile, MIT and UNC Charlotte will apply computational tools to patent, cost, and production data to speed up solar technology cost reductions and better forecast future cost reductions for new energy technologies. See the Energy Department press release and the full list of projects.

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February 06, 2013

AWEA: Wind Power Leads New U.S. Generating Capacity in 2012

The U.S. wind energy industry had its strongest year ever in 2012, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced on January 30. The industry installed a record 13,124 megawatts (MW) of U.S. electric generating capacity last year, achieving over 60,000 MW of cumulative wind capacity, enough to power almost 15 million homes. The annual total far surpasses the previous record of 10,000 MW installed in 2010. For the first time, wind energy became the number one source of new U.S. electric generating capacity, providing 42% of all new generating capacity.In last year's fourth quarter alone, 8,380 MW were installed, making it the strongest quarter in U.S. wind power history. AWEA noted that this was due in large part to impending expiration of the federal Production Tax Credit. It was slated to end on December 31, 2012, but was extended by Congress as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.The top 10 states for new capacity installations in 2012, in order, were Texas (1,826 MW), California (1,656 MW), Kansas (1,440 MW), Oklahoma (1,127 MW), Illinois (823 MW), Iowa (814 MW), Oregon (640 MW), Michigan (611 MW), Pennsylvania (550 MW), and Colorado (496 MW). The Golden State regained its position as the second largest state in installed wind capacity, surpassing Iowa, which had been number two since 2008. California achieved the 5,000-MW milestone in wind capacity, following Texas, and alongside Iowa. See the AWEA press release.

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February 06, 2013

DOE Announces New Funding to Develop Biomass Supply Chain Technologies

The Energy Department on January 28 announced about $6 million for projects that will develop and demonstrate supply-chain technologies to affordably deliver commercial-scale lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks such as woody plant tissue to biorefineries across the country. This funding will help accelerate the development of integrated, cost-effective supply-chain systems that reduce time and costs to produce biofuels for cars, trucks, and airplanes.The Department will make available about $6 million this year for one to two multi-year projects. All selected projects will require a cost share contribution by the grant recipient, including 20% for research and development activities and 50% for demonstration activities. See the Energy Department Progress Alert and the full funding announcement.

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February 06, 2013

Energy Department Expands Technical Assistance for Tribal Energy Projects

The Energy Department on January 30 announced the second round of the Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Program, which provides federally recognized Tribal governments with technical assistance to accelerate clean energy project deployment. Additionally, the Energy Department plans to seek information from tribes interested in launching or expanding utility services in their own communities, which will help establish a new START Utility Program (START-UP). Additional details on this effort will be available on the Office of Indian Energy website in the coming weeks.Over the past year, the START program has helped nine Tribal communities advance their clean energy technology and infrastructure projects, from solar and wind to biofuels and energy efficiency. The second round of technical assistance awards will build upon the initial successes of the START program and further help Native American and Alaska Native communities increase local generation capacity, enhance energy-efficiency measures, and create local entrepreneurial and job opportunities. In the contiguous United States, Energy Department and national laboratory experts will provide technical assistance on tribes' clean energy project development. In Alaska, the Energy Department and the Denali Commission will help rural Alaska Native communities conduct energy awareness and training programs and pursue new renewable energy and energy efficiency opportunities. Applications are due by March 15, 2013. See the Energy Department press release and the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs webpage.

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February 06, 2013

Letter from Secretary Steven Chu to Energy Department Employees Announces His Decision Not to Serve a Second Term

In a letter to Energy Department employees on February 1, Energy Secretary Steven Chu highlighted the tremendous progress of the last four years and announced his decision to not serve a second term as Secretary. Text of the letter is below.Dear Colleagues:Serving the country as Secretary of Energy, and working alongside such an extraordinary team of people at the Department, has been the greatest privilege of my life. While the job has had many challenges, it has been an exciting time for the Department, the country, and for me personally.I’ve always been inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, who articulated his Dream of an America where people are judged not by skin color but “by the content of their character.” In the scientific world, people are judged by the content of their ideas. Advances are made with new insights, but the final arbitrator of any point of view are experiments that seek the unbiased truth, not information cherry picked to support a particular point of view. The power of our work is derived from this foundation.For the rest of Secretary Chu's letter, see the Energy Blog.

America's Natural Gas Highway Coming to Kentucky Thanks to Clean Energy

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Clean Energy will be building a public LNG/CNG refueling site in Walton, Ky. (Flying J's) as part of America’s Natural Gas Highway. They expect to complete the project this summer. The station will feature the latest state-of-the-art technology for natural gas vehicle fueling. They will initially deploy LNG at the station to service big rig heavy-duty trucks. They may add CNG to the station at any time when needed by the market.
Read more about the Clean Energy program - http://www.kentuckycleanfuels.org/resources/naturalgashighway.pdf.

Gardening Resources from Cornell Cooperative Extension

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A message from Cooperative Extension:
New seed catalogs are showing up in the mailbox daily, and many of us now are planning our gardens for the spring and summer.  Let Cornell Cooperative Extension help you grow your BEST garden this year!  CCE-Tompkins offers a range of useful programs and services, such as soil pH testing, classes and workshops on gardening topics, garden slide shows, plant and pest identification, volunteer and networking opportunities, even free seeds! A selection is listed below.  To receive regular updates on all our programs, visit CCE-Tompkins on Facebook or sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter

GARDENING RESOURCES:What and When to Plant
Are you wondering when to plant your potatoes or lima beans? Perhaps you'd like to start your home vegetable garden in July after a vacation; what can you still plant then that will mature for harvest before the first fall frost?  Visit our "Food Gardening" pages at http://ccetompkins.org/food-gardening  for a list of popular garden vegetables and their suggested first and last planting dates (as seeds, sets, or transplants) for Tompkins County, NY. You also will find instructions on rotating your home garden crops, links to Cornell Resources, and a list of Community Garden plots you can rent if you don't have your own land for a garden.

Soil Testing
You can obtain pH, nutrient profile, and other specialized soil tests through CCE-Tompkins.  Read about the soil testing services that we offer, and the instructions for taking a soil sample before bringing your sample to CCE-Tompkins for testing.  Visit http://ccetompkins.org/garden/soils-climate for details, and instructions on how to take a soil sample.

Call the GrowLine
Trained Master Gardener volunteers respond to your gardening questions.  Call (607) 272-2292 and ask for the GrowLine; visit the GrowLine webpage; or email growline1@gmail.com.

Seed Cabinets
Each year, staff in our Home Horticulture program write to various seed companies to request donations of seeds that are leftover from the previous year, but still viable. Seed packets are organized in 2 cabinets, one for flowers, another for vegetables and herbs.  Everyone is welcome to come and take some seeds for free, but to keep the system fair, we've had to put these GUIDELINES into place which seed-takers must follow: 1. ONLY 1 VISIT PER MONTH and 2. LIMIT OF 10 SEED PACKETS PER VISIT. So that we can track the success of the free seed program, we ask those taking seeds to write down their name, email and number of seeds they have taken.  Seeds generally are available starting in late January until the supply is gone. The Seed Cabinets are located in our Agriculture/Environment office and may be visited weekdays from 8:30am-4:30pm.  Questions? Call (607) 272-2292 for more information.Classes and WorkshopsCommunity Seed SwapSunday, February. 24, 11:00am-3:00pm at Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NYJoin us for the first ever Seedy Sunday in Ithaca! Bring your extra seeds to swap and share with others – they can be home-saved seeds or purchased seeds that you have in surplus. Plus talks and workshops on seed saving and community seed libraries. Free event!  Questions? Contact Chrys Gardener at (607) 272-2292 or cab69@cornell.edu.
Getting Started with Vegetable Gardening
Thursday, February 28, 6:30-8:30 pm
at Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NY
This class is for the beginning vegetable gardener. Learn where to site your garden, how to prepare the soil, how to start seeds, how to plant, when to mulch, easy vegetables to try first, and so on. Pat Curran, Horticulture Educator, also will discuss favorite varieties, container gardening, and harvesting tips. Pre-registration is recommended so we can make sufficient handouts.  Fee: $5/person.  Call (607) 272-2292 to sign up! Offered again on Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30pm.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair
Saturday, March 2, 12:00-3:00 pm
at Boynton Middle School, 1601 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca
What is CSA? Learn about this partnership between consumers and farmers; meet and talk with 15+ area CSA farmers in one place! Activities to keep the kids busy, space to sit and review farm information. For more information, contact Avi Miner at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, (607) 272-2292.

Winter Worm Composting Class
Saturday, March 9, 10:00am-12:00 pm
at Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
No backyard needed! Vermicomposting is an easy indoor system that produces rich compost for your plants. This hands-on workshop will teach you how to care for your very own bin. Each paying household will go home with a starter bin and worms. Fee $10 per household. Register early by calling (607) 272-2292, space is  limited!

Veggie Gardening: Beyond the Basics
Thursday March 14,6:30-8:30pm
at Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
Learn about less common veggies, maximizing your crop, seedstarting tricks, which seeds to start when, techniques to extend the season, and more. Fee: $5/person, please call (607) 272-2292 to pre-register so we can make sufficient handouts.  NOTE: For a more basic discussion of how to get started with veggie gardening, attend "Getting Started with Vegetable Gardening" either February 28 or April 16

Grow Your Own Spuds!
Wednesday, March 20, 6:00-8:00pm
at Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
Everything you always wanted to know about potatoes!  Potatoes are one of the most productive and easiest garden crops for anyone to grow. We will dig an Irish 'lazy bed' - this is a great way to break new ground for next year's veggie garden. We'll also cover information on common diseases and pests of potatoes and how to manage them organically.

Fruits for the Home Gardener
Thursday, March 28, 6:30-8:30 pm
at Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
Find out which small fruits and tree fruits are easiest to grow in a home garden. Using microclimates, picking the hardiest varieties for a cold site, selecting disease-resistant varieties, and preparing the soil are the keys to success. Pre-registration recommended; call (607) 272-2292 to sign up. Fee: $5/person

Spring Into Gardening! A Day of Workshops!
Saturday, April 6, 9:00 am-5:00pm
at Dewitt Middle School, 560 Warren Road, Ithaca
This one-day event will feature a range of talks and hands-on workshops on organic vegetable gardening, growing herbs, seed saving, beneficial insects and pests, home fruit growing, deer-proofing your garden, native plants, pruning, school gardening and more! The Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand for soil and pH testing, and the Ithaca Children's Garden staff will provide a space for children's gardening activities. Early bird registration (until March 15): $60.00 After March 15 registration: $75.00. Registration includes your choice of five workshops, a box lunch, soil testing and children's activities. For more information, call Chrys Gardener at (607) 272-2292.For more information, visit http://ccetompkins.org/garden, call (607) 272-2292, or stop by Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extension at 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NY (8:30am-4:30pm on weekdays).

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