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Communicating Smart Meter Value

Sep 9 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

If you are involved in Management or Customer Service and are responsible for communicating the value of smart meters to your utility customers, you don’t want to miss this online discussion - Communicating Smart Meter Value.  more...

Social Media: The new frontier in recruiting, communications and marketing

Sep 13 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

Join social media mavens Matthew Burks and Amanda Shewmake as they provide an insider's perspective on how HR, communications and marketing professionals in energy companies can harness the power of social media to be more effective and productive. more...

Eliminating Obstacles and Delivering the Benefits of the Smart Grid - IBM's Optimized Energy Value Chain (OEVC)

Sep 14 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

The convergence of power and information technologies in the smart grid has created opportunities for finer grained and broader controls of energy flows. These opportunities can improve electric service in multiple dimensions: lower cost, greater reliability, greater customer satisfaction, and more...

Achieving Operational Excellence - What to Consider Before Implementing or Upgrading Your Distribution Management Solutions

Sep 16 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

Significant cost over runs. Changing business requirements. A well thought out plan is essential. Attend this free webcast discussion to hear inside hear three experts in utility operations discuss what utilities need to evaluate when they are considering upgrading or more...

Outsmarting the Smart Grid: IT, Security and Communication Infrastructure  Challenges & Opportunities for Utilities

Sep 21 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

The smart grid is shifting the playing field for utilities. And when the game changes, it pays to be prepared. A nimble solutions partner can help you design the solutions that keep operations on track, even as new challenges come more...

1st CSP Today Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Summit India

Sep 7 2010 - Sep 8 2010 - New Delhi India

Deliver a profitable, productive and commercially successful large scale CSP business in India. Building on the success of past events in USA, Europe & MENA, CSP Today brings to New Delhi the most relevant international experience for the concentrated solar more...

Offshore Wind Energy in North America's Great Lakes Conference

Sep 9 2010 - Sep 10 2010 - Toronto

Two day conference that tackles the most important challenges. A blend of European knowledge from the companies who have been installing offshore wind turbines for the last decade alongside local state governing bodies and leading project developers. Permitting, securing long more...

Autovation 2010

Sep 12 2010 - Sep 15 2010 - Austin, TX - USA

Autovation 2010 is a not-to-miss educational forum that will attract utility executives from around the world looking for new ways to optimize their operations through automation technologies. more...

Global Sustainable Bioenergy North American Convention

Sep 14 2010 - Sep 16 2010 - Minneapolis, MN - USA

The North American convention provides a remarkable opportunity to play a part in guiding renewable energy policy for the 21st century. Attendees will create a resolution that, along with similar resolutions already drafted on four other continents, will help set more...

GridWise Global Forum

Sep 21 2010 - Sep 23 2010 - Washington, DC - USA

Hosted by the GridWise(R) Alliance and the U.S. Department of Energy, the GridWise Global Forum will convene thought leaders from the highest levels of government, business, NGOS, and academia from around the world to discuss the ultimate enabling potential of more...

1. Intro to Nat Gas Trading & Hedging 2. Option Applications in Energy

Sep 20 2010 - Sep 23 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Introduction to Natural Gas Trading & Hedging - This program provides a comprehensive understanding of the structures that underlie Natural Gas trading. Beyond Essentials: Option Applications in Energy - This course provides a solid practical and conceptual (non-quantitative) understanding of more...

Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Sep 20 2010 - Sep 21 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the electric industry. Position yourself for career advancement by gaining a solid understanding of how the electric business works including key physical, market, and regulatory aspects and how market participants navigate this more...

Electric Market Dynamics Seminar

Sep 22 2010 - Sep 23 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Electric Market Dynamics offers participants an in-depth understanding of North American electric markets and how they function. Enhance your career by furthering your knowledge of market structures, pricing mechanisms, services offered in markets, and how various participants use the markets more...

Gas and Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Oct 5 2010 - Oct 6 2010 - Los Angeles, CA - USA

Gas and Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the natural gas and electric industries. Position yourself for career success by gaining a solid understanding of how each business works, including key physical, market and regulatory aspects, as well more...

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Marine Renewables Make Some Headway
5.27.09   Bill Opalka, Editor-in-Chief, Topic Centers, Energy Central

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    Slowly but surely, energy produced by the waves and tides is gaining some measure of momentum as a viable alternative source of power. At least on the policy front, marine renewables have gained greater visibility in a series of recent decisions, proposals and legislative acts.

    In recent weeks, Congressional legislation to encourage development of renewable ocean energy has been introduced in the Senate and House. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., have introduced companion legislation that would authorize as much as $250 million annually for ocean research.

    The Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2009, along with a tax provision for accelerated depreciation, would expand federal research of marine energy to $250 million annually. The Act also provides for the takeover of cost verification of new wave, current, tidal and thermal ocean energy devices, and create an adaptive management fund to help pay for the demonstration and deployment of such electric projects.

    Other goals of the proposed legislation include: develop new marine technologies; reduce manufacturing and operations costs; increase reliability; integrate marine renewable into the national electric grid; identify opportunities for integration with offshore wind facilities, including developing economies of scale; identify environmental impacts; and establish project standards and provide for incentives.

    "The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) supports the legislation introduced in the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. We believe that in order to capture the energy, economic, and environmental benefits of utilizing our vast marine-based renewable resources, it will require additional federal support for research and development, along with much needed environmental studies and tax treatment on par with other renewable technologies," says Sean O'Neill, OREC's president. "This legislation moves our nation closer to a clean energy future."

    There was some consideration given to getting this proposal included in the comprehensive energy bill now before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, of which Murkowski is the ranking Republican member, but it is not included in the massive bill that was supposed to be ready by the Memorial Day recess.

    Marine renewable also has potential benefits from the renewable energy provisions of the economic stimulus package of tax credits and grants. But questions remain if many projects could become viable in time to take advantage of its provisions.

    The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- the stimulus package -- provides for a four-year extension of the production tax credit for geothermal, biomass, hydropower, landfill gas, waste-to-energy and marine facilities through December 31, 2013.

    The Act also has $1.6 billion of new clean energy renewable bonds to finance publicly owned renewable energy projects, including and marine renewables.

    Also, the Department of the Interior last month finalized a long-awaited framework for renewable energy production on the Outer Continental Shelf, ending months of uncertainty over jurisdiction by two federal agencies over renewable energy development. The Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS) essentially keeps jurisdiction over offshore wind development while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will oversee marine renewable development.

    Under the agreement, the MMS has exclusive jurisdiction over the production, transportation, or transmission of energy from non-marine renewable energy projects, including wind and solar. FERC will have exclusive jurisdiction to issue licenses for the construction and operation of marine projects, including wave and current, but companies must obtain a lease through MMS.

    The agreement sets a program to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way for environmentally responsible renewable energy developments on the outer continental shelf, including the siting and construction of offshore wind farms. It establishes ways for sharing revenues generated from OCS renewable energy projects with adjacent coastal states. The framework will seek to enhance partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies and tribal governments to assist in maximizing the economic and ecological benefits of OCS renewable energy development.

    The Energy Policy Act of 2005 granted the MMS the authority to regulate renewable energy development on the OCS, but no action had been taken under that authority until recently.

    For information on purchasing reprints of this article, contact Tim Tobeck ttobeck@energycentral.com.
    Copyright 2010 CyberTech, Inc.
     
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    Readers Comments

    Date Comment
    christina hilfiker
    6.2.09
    Great news! There is so much opportunity for advancement in Wave &Tidal Power Generation Technologies. It's about time!

    We're looking forward to riding this proverbial wave! http://mechanicalelectric.com/ocean-power/

    Fred Linn
    6.3.09
    Harnessing wave energy is good.

    There is also another area where renewable energy is making an inroad into the marine environment.

    http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/06/wrtsil-engines-running-on-biofuels

    Biodiesel can be produced from saltwater algae.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGgZtY1r1R4&feature=related

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