RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Climate Accord Could Provide Economic Assist As Utilities Reshape Power Generation Portfolios
By Ken Silverstein, Forbes.
The COP21 climate accord is likely to add momentum to a realignment occurring in energy markets. While the trend toward a lower carbon future has long been underway, market participants have a bit more certainty now that 187 nations have signed on.
The winners and losers are conspicuous: coal producers will get hit the hardest as national governments speed up the shift to cleaner fuels. Natural gas and renewables, meanwhile, can expect exponential growth. And with that, major makers of power generators smell the potential.
“I’m partial to natural gas,” says Joe Mastrangelo, chief executive of GE Power Systems, at the PowerGen conference in Las Vegas last week. “But we can sell anything: wind, solar, offshore wind, nuclear and even large coal plants. Right now, gas is hot and we are forecasting 50 percent growth” around the world.
Hoyer: Dems will 'strongly oppose' tax extenders package
By Mike Lillis, The Hill.
House Democratic leaders are voicing fierce opposition to an enormous tax-break package expected to be unveiled Tuesday.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the Democratic whip, said the proposal is too big and expensive and is one "we ought to strongly oppose."
"It would undermine the deficit, creating a larger debt. It would undermine tax reform, taking off the table [a number] of the things that would b included in a tax reform bill. ...And lastly it would substantially undermine our investments in growing our economy and creating jobs," Hoyer told reporters in the Capitol.
Consumer’s guide to generators & engines
By Curt Harler, Renewable Energy from Waste.
Running a generator for a waste conversion process is like hiking in the woods. If you have a good map and know where you are going, the trek will be a pleasant experience. Blunder blindly into the forest and there are many a big bad wolf out there to get you.
Whether municipal or private, the investment in a generation system represents a huge capital outlay. Getting the most out of a system involves a host of issues—most of which can be engineered properly if they are defined ahead of time.
Depending on the source material and the required output, there are different approaches and degrees of difficulty to generate fuel economically.
VIDEO: Food Waste from COP21 Talks Used for Biogas Production
By Ben Messenger, Waste Management World.
When any large group comes together to work on a project on the scale of the recent COP21 climate talks held in Paris, they have to eat. Unfortunately the inevitable consequence of that is food waste. Voice of America has published a video looking at what happened to the huge quantities generated by delegates to the talks.
The 40,000 people attending the talks were fed by six restaurants. The result? Over one tonne of food waste to dispose of every day.
To process the food waste from the talks specialist firm Moulinot uses an anaerobic digestion facility to produce biogas for energy generation.
Is this the week for extenders?
By Bernie Becker, with help from Brian Faler, Politico.
THIS IS THE WEEK. RIGHT?: Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but it looks like we don’t have any breakthroughs yet on the big deal to make temporary tax provisions permanent. Talks continued over the weekend, and tax writers and congressional leaders will continue to hash it out as the House and the Senate seek a year-end spending deal.
There’s a hope among some negotiators that they can wrap up the tax side of negotiations as soon as tonight. But it remains unclear whether Congress will land on the big deal, or the two-year extension of the expired tax breaks. And remember this: There’s no guarantee that lawmakers will beat their new next deadline for funding the government, Wednesday — meaning that the end game for Washington remains unclear less than two weeks before Christmas.
Read more...
NREL’s 2014 Data Book features bioenergy statistics
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released its 2014 Data Book, showcasing increased use of renewable energy. According to the report, renewables accounted for approximately 11.1 percent of U.S. energy production in 2014. U.S. energy production totaled approximately 87 quadrillion Btu (quad) in 2014, with renewables accounting for 9.7 quad of that amount.
Natural gas accounted for 35 percent of U.S. energy production in 2014, with coal accounting for 23.3 percent. Crude oil accounted for 21 percent and nuclear accounted for 9.6 percent.
Biomass accounted for 5.6 percent of energy production, followed by hydropower at 2.8 percent, wind at 2 percent, solar at 0.5 percent and geothermal at 0.3 percent.
This Week: Oil export ban teeters in Congress
By Timothy Cama, The Hill.
Congress is focused on passing legislation to fund the federal government and renew tax policies, two measures that could have a sweeping impact on the energy sector.
The current government funding measure runs through Wednesday, leaving lawmakers with a tight timeline for action as they also seek to extend certain tax policies and incentives before the holidays.
Republicans have been pushing to insert a provision into one of the bills that would lift the 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil from the United States, the top priority for the oil industry.
But in return, Democrats want to renew a tax credit for renewable energy on a long-term basis, or see other green energy measures included.
Oregon House GOP will unveil 2016 transportation plan at Oregon business summit
By Taylor W. Anderson, The Bulletin.
SALEM — Speeches by top politicians at a meeting of state business leaders Monday may sound familiar to attendees of this year’s Oregon Leadership Summit.
That’s because, for the second straight time, lawmakers will focus on the importance of raising money to make a dent in a backlog of work on roads, bridges and other infrastructure to keep up with maintenance amid an influx of drivers on state roads in a booming economy.
That’s a repeat of what attendees heard nearly a year ago at the summit put on by the Oregon Business Council, a group of CEOs, directors and other business people who work to shape public policy.
Helena's Centennial Park may receive landfill gas extraction system
By Zack Briggs, KXLH.
Helena City officials are expected to award a $138,000 bid to Helena Sand and Gravel.
According to city documents, methane gas generated by Centennial Park, Helena's former landfill, is migrating south.
Methane gas levels are said to have exceeded Montana's regulatory limit ever since improvements to the park were made.
Helena city commissioners will consider awarding a bid for the installation of a landfill gas extraction system at Centennial Park during Tuesday's meeting.
Senate GOP steels itself for fight over Paris Agreement
By Kyle Feldscher, Washington Examiner.
While President Obama and his team of negotiators celebrate the Paris Agreement, top Republican senators are steeling themselves for a fight over the deal.
Senior White House officials said Saturday the deal doesn't need to go to the Senate to be voted on, but it doesn't appear that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will allow the deal to get through his Republican-led Senate.
McConnell, in a statement issued Saturday, said Obama took a step too far with the Paris deal.
Don’t miss an update—join our weekly newsletter below.