Energy Research Project for Alternative Energy, Renewable Energy, and Green Energy Technologies

"The campaign promoting Proposition 23, a referendum on California's November ballot that would essentially annul the state's landmark clean energy law, is being funded primarily by two Texas-based oil companies.

The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) today announced that it has launched a new Operational Demonstration Program. This program funds ...

A new government study shows that Americans are using less energy overall and making more use of renewable energy resources.

Vice President Biden has announced the release of a new analysis showing that the Recovery Act has supported major breakthroughs in renewable energy generation and manufacturing capacity.

DOE has extended the application deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy, and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitation.

The newest eurostat report on energy production and usage in Europe shows that renewable energy production increased 8.3% and coal consumption dropped 16.3% last year. In total, renewable energy accounted for 18.4% of energy production and coal accounted for 9.6%.

On 30th August begins the new TREE (Transfer Renewable Energy & Efficiency) series of seminars for employees of ministries and multipliers from 57 countries at the Renewables Academy, Berlin. The goal is to train relevant stakeholders on technical, economic and legal aspects of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, so as to provide an effective framework for market growth in the countries of origin. As part of the scholarship program there will be 11 seminars in different technology priorities, online courses and brochures provided with legal questions. Participants will learn which technology is suitable for which sites, how best the political environment can be shaped more efficiently, what funding mechanisms can be used, as well as aspects of project management. Seven more seminars will be held in South Africa, Mexico, Malaysia, the UAE and India on Solar Thermal Power Plants and Project Finance for Renewable Energies.

Almost all of today's renewable energy projects rely on regulatory financial incentives in order to make investment returns sufficiently attractive. Some incentives, such as rebates and tax credits, have known monetary value and are therefore rather easily incorporated in financial pro formas. Other incentives, namely renewable energy certificates (commonly known as "RECs") used for compliance with renewable portfolio standards (RPS), are inherently variable and therefore require exogenous methods to determine their value. Because RECs can be unbundled from the underlying renewable power and sold to utilities with renewable energy obligations, they are commodities subject to a variety of market forces that impact their value.