The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has funded breakthrough innovation and new growth industries that are driving down the cost of clean energy and building the foundation for competitive 21st century U.S. industries, according to a new White House report released today on the impacts of the U.S. stimulus bill.

The report, “The Recovery Act: Transforming the American Economy Through Innovation,” is notable for highlighting the multifaceted and relatively comprehensive clean economy strategy now underway with stimulus investments, and for the Administration’s welcome focus on making clean energy cheap.

Yet while the White House report highlights the considerable clean energy momentum established by the Recovery Act, it also inadvertently raises the specter of an impending clean tech funding cliff which risks sending U.S. clean energy industries into deep freeze as stimulus funds begin to expire over the coming months. Read more

“Energy use tends to follow the level of economic activity, and that level declined last year,” he said. “Simply said, people are doing less stuff. Therefore, they’re burning less fuel.”

The last time energy use was this low was 1996, when it totaled 94.2 quadrillion BUTs. Despite the drop in overall energy use, Simon said the study also showed a substantial increase in alternative sources of energy, including gains in solar, hydro and wind power. Read more

PORTLAND, ME, August 18, 2010 – Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), an industry
leader in tidal, river and deep-water ocean current energy technology and projects, announced
today that its Beta Power System, the largest ocean energy “power plant” ever installed in U.S.
waters, has successfully generated grid-compatible power from tidal currents at its Cobscook
Bay site in Eastport, Maine.

The system’s core component, the proprietary Turbine Generator Unit, or TGU, is deployed below ORPC’s world-class research and testing vessel, the Energy Tide 2, and has a maximum design capacity of 60 kilowatts. Performance test results show that the TGU’s electrical output meets or exceeds expectations for the full range of current velocities encountered. ORPC will use the data obtained from the Beta Power System to fine tune the design of its commercial TidGen™ Power System, planned for installation in Eastport in late 2011. The TidGen™ Power System will be connected to the New England grid through the Bangor Hydro Electric Company system, and will generate enough electricity to power 50 to 75 homes.
“Proving the efficacy of the Beta Power System and its ability to generate gridcompatible
power day in and day out is a huge milestone for America’s ocean energy industry,”
said Chris Sauer, president and CEO of ORPC. “It reaffirms the limitless opportunities to advance
the nation’s renewable energy agenda and ensure a more sustainable future.”

Tidal energy has the potential to be a billion dollar industry in Maine within the next seven to ten years, creating hundreds of jobs. The bodies of water around Eastport have some of the most robust tidal
currents in the world, and through ORPC’s testing activities over the last three years, Eastport
has become known as the Kitty Hawk of tidal energy.

ORPC’s Beta Power System incorporates significant new advancements and technological
innovations. These include the TGU’s proprietary advanced design cross-flow turbines,
engineered with 100 percent composite materials, its permanent magnet generator, a
substantially composite support frame, and a power electronics system that converts the
generator’s variable output to grid-compatible power.

Through its three-year partnership with the University of Maine, ORPC is also setting the
standard for environmental monitoring of ocean energy systems with a program to observe the
marine environment around the Beta Power System. UMaine researchers, led by Gayle Zydlewski,
Ph.D., are supervising the program, which incorporates state-of-the-art visual and acoustic
monitoring technology. Data collected will allow UMaine and ORPC to better understand and
help minimize any potential interaction between ORPC’s technology and marine life.

“Development of alternative energy sources must consider the natural environment. We take
this very seriously, and we are working closely with ORPC to understand the dynamics of the
marine life where tidal power will be generated,” said Dr. Zydlewski.

Over the next two months, ORPC will also be demonstrating how tidal energy can be
delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard for use at its Eastport station through a battery electrical
supply system that is charged aboard the Energy Tide 2. This is the first application of tidal
energy by a federal agency.

“The Coast Guard in Maine encounters the power of the elements on
a daily basis. Capturing some of these sustainable forces to help achieve our energy needs is a
prudent and responsible thing to do. We are extremely pleased to be a part of ORPC’s exciting
initiative to harness tidal energy at Station Eastport,” said Captain James McPherson,
commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector in Northern New England.

ORPC is one of the few companies in the world to have generated electricity from ocean
currents without using dams or impoundments. The company holds FERC preliminary permits and
is in the process of obtaining FERC pilot project licenses for tidal energy sites in Maine and
Alaska, which have been designated world-class tidal resources by the World Energy Congress.
ORPC’s community outreach efforts in Eastport have been sited as the model for ocean energy
development by the Governor of Maine’s Ocean Energy Task Force. ORPC’s work is funded in part
by Maine Technical Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy.

About Ocean Renewable Power Company:
Ocean Renewable Power Company (www.oceanrenewablepower.com) develops breakthrough
technology and eco-conscious projects that harness the power of the world’s rivers and oceans
to generate clean, predictable, affordable energy. In partnership with coastal and river
communities, ORPC works to create and sustain local jobs while promoting energy independence
and protecting the environment.
# # #

I am 69 years old. In my lifetime I have seen many changes connected to global warming. A big part of where I grew up has permafrost. The small village where my mother was born has sunk in and is now part of a large lake. I saw the old village of Kasigluk begin sinking in my short lifetime. The island where my maternal grandparents lived is mostly gone. A new Kasigluk was created almost a mile downriver from the old village. A new school, federally funded houses, post office and airport had to be built at a high cost.

The warming has affected the fall white fish runs on the Johnson River not far from Bethel. People there rarely fish for them anymore. The black fish creeks are almost nonexistent because of the changing river channels due to warming. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta has been invaded by beaver, which dam up the many small tundra creeks, disrupting the black fish runs.
Newtok, where my maternal grandmother’s family is from, and the village of Shishmaref need to be relocated at great cost due to erosion. Our elders link the erosion to changing weather due to warming. The melting of the permafrost also increases the cost of constructing homes and public buildings.

In rural villages, the cost of fuel to heat homes is high. So is the cost of electricity, which comes from expensive diesel fuel.

Back in the early 1950s, a few places in my region had wind generators. I remember one that Johnny Samuelson had in Nunapitchuk. He used a series of batteries that stored the wind-generated electricity to power light bulbs in his home and store. I often wondered why public institutions such as schools did not take advantage of wind generators. Later in Bethel in the 1950s the city built a diesel power plant. It was noisy, and the diesel engine spewed foul-smelling smoke. Many empty 55-gallon fuel drums would litter the tundra villages.

Today’s high energy prices raise the price of everything else shipped into the villages. With the high costs and lack of jobs, we are seeing a migration of people leaving rural villages for regional centers. Even older people are leaving. They have fixed incomes, so living in their traditional villages becomes too costly. This diaspora causes cultural disruption. Those younger people left behind in the villages have fewer culturally competent elders to guide them. Read more

There’s also natural gas from the North Slope that may be available in as few as 10 years. With project costs for that pipeline estimated to be as high as $41 billion, North Slope gas may be plentiful but it isn’t likely to be cheap. According to a state report to the Legislature, the bullet line would have to charge between $7 and $14-plus per thousand cubic feet of gas to recover its costs — just for shipping the gas. That’s double what Southcentral customers currently pay for delivered gas.

Ninety percent of the Railbelt’s electricity comes from natural gas. That’s a lot of eggs in one basket and any way you slice it, those eggs are sure to get more expensive.

The most stably priced and cheapest power currently on the grid comes from the Bradley Lake hydro facility near Homer. But what is now praised as a great idea and a sound investment was derided back in 1990 when it was being built. Bradley Lake was too expensive, critics claimed: Cheap natural gas is all we need. Power from Bradley Lake has remained constant over the years, while the price of natural gas continues to rise. Read more

Denmark’s dedication to ending fossil fuel use was born out of the 1974 oil crisis. Back then, more than 90 percent of Danish energy came from petroleum. The economic effects of the oil crisis threatened the small country’s national security. Cars were banned entirely from streets on Sundays. Leaders across the political spectrum agreed to end dependence on oil as a national security measure. Climate concerns about burning coal and widespread opposition to nuclear power led the country to choose to rely entirely on renewable energy.

Today, wind power supplies more than 20 percent of the electric energy consumed in Denmark. In 10 years, it will be 50 percent. And the country won’t stop there. Indeed, the government’s goal is a carbon-free power grid, with most of the energy coming from wind power. Denmark is leveraging its green power grid by adopting electric vehicles as the main mode of personal motorized transportation (two-fifths of commuters are on bicycles). Efficiency is key too; power plant “waste heat” is captured to provide hot water and space heat through district heating systems that already serve 60 percent of all buildings. Read more

From Alaska Business Monthly: The City of Akutan is in hot water, but that’s a good thing.  The first of two geothermal energy exploration wells has produced water in excess of 360 degrees Fahrenheit.  According to the project’s geotechnical team, the early results point to a geothermal resource that could put Akutan on the fast track for developing Alaska’s first large-scale geothermal power system.

“The community has decided that renewable energy is our future,” said Akutan Mayor Joe Bereskin. “The results from our first test well make me optimistic that the future will be here sooner, rather than later,” he added. Read more

Haida Energy, Inc. is a newly formed entity established by Haida Corporation and Alaska Power and Telephone Company, Inc. (AP&T). The corporation was formed to construct and own the new Reynolds Creek 5MW plant, which has a total project cost of $17,245,000. State and federal grants totaling $5,340,000 were previously approved. Haida Corporation invested $4 million, and will reduce its equity investment to $2,905,000 through use of the PPF loan approved today.

AEA’s Power Project Fund provides loans to local utilities, local governments or independent power producers for the development or upgrade of electric power facilities, including conservation, bulk fuel storage and waste energy conservation.

AEA Board of Directors approval is required for any Power Project Fund loan that exceeds $2,000,000.

The Alaska Energy Authority is a public corporation of the state. AEA’s purpose is to reduce the cost of energy in Alaska.

In a place best known for its world-class salmon runs, workers are currently in the process of capturing a different kind of catch. Each day, a drilling crew is lifting from a deep hole in the earth enough water to fill nearly 500 bath tubs, at temperatures hot enough to slow-cook spare ribs. In the geothermal world a 250-degree heat source isn’t exceptionally warm but it’s plenty warm enough to get the job done.

Converting the earth’s trapped heat into energy isn’t an earth-shatteringly new endeavor. But the project underway on the northern tip of the Aleutian Chain is a first for the state of Alaska. The geothermal wells Naknek Electric Association is drilling are a lead up to the first utility-grade geothermal plant in Alaska history. If successful, the plant is expected to dramatically decrease utility rates in the Bristol Bay region. At first only three communities will tie into the new power source — Naknek, South Naknek and King Salmon — but the ultimate goal is to connect all 28 villages in the Bristol Bay region to the alternative energy grid. Read more