Daniel Englander
The Morning Feedstock February 21, 2008 at 9:31 AM
I’ve been in New York the last few days for GTM’s Solar Market Outlook show. And now, back to work.
- The California Public Utilities commission has approved to the use of feed-in tariffs. The new program will support the development of 480 MW of small-scale generation capacity. CPUC President Michael Peevey explained “until now, only large renewable projects were able to effectively participate in the [RPS] program,” but now large utilities like PG&E and SoCal Edison can buy power directly from these small projects. That splash you hear in the background is Pete Darbee taking a header into the Calistoga geyser field.
- Spain’s Abengoa Solar will build the world’s largest solar power plant in Arizona. Weighing in at a mean 280 MW, the 1,900 acre plant will generate an estimated $4 billion over a 30 year period. Abengoa plans to sell electricity produced at the plant to Arizona Public Service Co., once the plant comes online in 2011. But, according to the company “construction of this solar plant and others under contract in the U.S. are subject to a long-term extension of the solar investment tax credit by the U.S. Congress.” No sweat, those giant mirror things looked kind of silly out there in the desert with all that sun.
- Ethanol supporters, fear no more! Magellan Midstream Partners, a large oil and gas distribution firm, has announced it is planning a 1,700 mile long, $3 billion ethanol pipeline with Buckeye Partners LP. The pipeline will stretch from South Dakota to New York, ensuring a supply of fresh, non-polluting American corn ethanol to the East Coast. No word on whether the federal government plans on going to war with South Dakota to defend the pipeline, err… defend freedom. Yeah, freedom.
- Omaha’s Tenaska Inc. filed an air permit application with Texas officials on Tuesdays seeking permission to build a 600 MW coal plant that captures more than 90 percent of its emissions. The plant, which will take several years to approve, will be situated over the Permian Basin and will cost nearly $3 billion (a popular figure this morning). Captured carbon dioxide from the plant will be pumped into empty oil wells in the basin, forcing out as yet unreachable oil. Well, at least now we know what the President is going to do after his term is up.
President Bush in Happier Times - And finally today… Have it out with Coskata’s Wes Bolsen on a GM-sponsored live chat at 1 p.m. Just don’t ask him what he’s wearing.
