Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) today commended the Obama Administration for the diverse selection of high speed-rail projects and national approach to awarding $8 billion in stimulus funding.
The 13 projects chosen represent critical first steps toward building a modern, national, passenger rail infrastructure and are the first significant passenger rail investments in nearly a century. These projects encompass 31 states. They enhance connectivity through a variety of technologies in the most environmentally responsible mode of regional transportation, noted Howard Learner, ELPC president.
“This is the beginning of transformative improvement to our nation’s transportation system, giving people a modern, fast, comfortable and convenient travel option,” stated Learner. This funding will put people to work while it improves our environment, strengthens key regions of our nation and enhances our ability to compete in the global economy.“
ELPC will host a National Press Club press briefing Monday, February 1, in Washington, D.C. to review the expected impact of the high speed rail investments. Panelists include Arthur Guzzetti, American Public Transportation Association, John Risch, United Transportation Union, and Thomas Simpson, Railway Supply Institute. The panel will be moderated by Howard Learner.
Currently, the Obama Administration’s total commitment to high-speed rail stands at $10.5 billion, with an additional $1 billion per year pledged to be included in the budget for the next five years. The House transportation committee has also recommended including $50 billion for high-speed rail development in the upcoming transportation reauthorization.
“Today’s awards are only the first step in a long-term process. Significant additional federal funding will be required if we are to truly realize the benefits of modern rail and compete in the global market,” Learner concluded.
To learn more about the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s high-speed rail advocacy, visit elpc.org/highspeedrail
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Monday, January 11, 2010
Crain’s Chicago Business examines the prospects for offshore wind power in Lake Michigan. ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner says that wind farms near Chicago would trigger public opposition. ”There’s a reason lakefront property is so valuable in Chicago,” said Learner.
Offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes are less likely to be built because the Midwest has excellent sites for wind power available on land, where wind power development is much cheaper than offshore. Read the article in Crain’s Chicago Business.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Chicago Tonight: The Opportunities for Solar Power in the Midwest
ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner joined Chicago Tonight at the nation’s largest urban solar plant, currently under construction on the south side of Chicago.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Chicago Public Radio ran a story on the new solar power plant on the south side of Chicago. When the project is completed, it will be the nation’s largest urban solar power plant. ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner talks about the opportunity now in solar power due to low solar panel prices and strong subsidies, “It’s a great time if you want to do a project to get the equipment at a very low price point. You know the plant in West Pullman is the first major solar facility in Chicago. And I think within a year or some we’re going to see four or five or six or even more of them in Illinois.” Read or listen to the story.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Watch E&E TV: Howard Learner Explains Midwest Role on Climate Change Solutions
ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner discussed the Midwest role in the climate debate on E&E TV’s On Point. The Midwest has the potential to be a big part of the solution and through its key swing votes, is playing a critical role in the Senate debate. Watch the interview here.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
ELPC hosted a special webinar on November 18th highlighting the potentialfor a solar power boom in the Midwest. Featured speakers included ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner, Staff Attorney Brad Klein and Policy Advocate Madeleine Weil.
Click here to hear the podcast.
Click here to download PDF slides from the webinar.
Price shifts, market changes and supportive policies are coming together in ways that can help solar power accelerate fast around the region. The economics of solar power are becoming more favorable due to a confluence of factors:
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) module prices have fallen sharply due to excess supply in the global market.
- Federal and state policies are working to support solar power. The federal economic stimulus legislation and other initiatives are providing new incentives and support for solar energy development. In the states, for example, Illinois has created a “solar carve out” in the state’s strong renewable energy standard that will provide a procurement market for 700-750 megawatts of solar power by 2015.
- Large-scale solar developments are going forward on former industrial sites where there is unobstructed sunlight and low-cost access to the electrical grid. In some cases, brownfield redevelopment, recovery bonds and other tax credits and subsidies are available.
- In the current economic downturn, there are skilled workers looking for “green jobs” installing solar systems.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Webinar: The Rise of Solar Power in the Midwest
ELPC hosted a special webinar on November 18th highlighting the potential for a solar power boom in the Midwest. Featured speakers included ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner, Staff Attorney Brad Klein and Policy Advocate Madeleine Weil. Listen to the webinar or download PDF slides.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Students Take Action to Fight Climate Change!
ELPC is teaming up with the Illinois Student Environmental Coalition to help mobilize student environmental groups from college campuses across the state. Each group has committed to collecting signatures from 5% of their student body in support of strong federal climate legislation.
This will result in thousands of youth voices calling on U.S. leaders to pass comprehensive climate change legislation and commit our nation to a true position of leadership in the fight against global warming.
Add your voice – call for America to take action on climate change today!
Monday, November 2, 2009
ELPC’s newly updated Community Wind Financing Handbook is now available! This hot-off-the-press guide reflects new financing opportunities available from federal energy and economic stimulus legislation, the new Farm Bill, and state incentives.
Since ELPC published the first edition of the Community Wind Financing Guide in 2004, wind power has become the United States’ fastest-growing source of electricity. Community wind projects, which represent a small but growing share of the wind market, are largely owned by farmers and other local investors with a significant economic stake in the project. Such local ownership generates powerful economic and social benefits for rural areas.
The updated Handbook provides the latest information on financing community wind projects, including ownership structures, roles of financial intermediaries, sources of federal and state financial support and consultant/developer directories. Although building these projects has become somewhat easier over time, understanding and accessing financing opportunities remains perhaps the most important requirement for a successful project. Download the Community Wind Financing Handbook.[pdf file]
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Sunday, October 25, 2009
By: Howard A. Learner
Executive Director, Environmental Law & Policy Center
The confluence of multiple economic and policy factors creates a huge strategic opportunity to advance solar power installations in the Midwest. This window of opportunity will likely be open for about two years while solar photovoltaic (PV) module prices are very low due to excess global supply. Soon after, hoped-for technology curve improvements will reduce module costs and key policy drivers, such as Illinois’ solar procurement legislation, will kick in. Here are the combined factors that are driving today’s solar PV opportunities:
Þ Solar PV module prices have come down to $3 per watt, or less, due to the excess supply in global markets. For several years, solar-friendly policies in Germany, Spain and other countries drove new global manufacturing plant investments to ramp up supply for the expected markets. Germany and Spain shifted their subsidy policies – designed to catalyze markets, not support mature markets – just as ramped up manufacturing came on line. The current excess supply has driven down solar PV panel prices to the lowest level in years.
Þ Solar will find a niche supplying peak power in Midwest electricity markets. Solar is available at peak times when regional power market prices are highest. As the Midwest power market has transformed from vertically-integrated utilities to a wholesale market dominated more by merchant generators and power auction-type processes, prices for generation are increasingly reflect time-of-day and time-of-year. In short, solar energy matches well at pricey peak demand times.
Þ Fairly lush federal subsidies for solar energy through the Investment Tax Credit, loan guarantees and various other tax credits and grants are making a difference. Recent federal energy legislation and the economic stimulus package provide significant price support and investment value for solar projects.
Þ Federal and state policy support for solar energy is making a difference. For example, the Illinois RPS “solar carve-out” in the state’s renewable energy procurement standard will drive a new market for 700 MW – 750 MW of solar power supply in 2015. Net metering standards and interconnection standards in several Midwest states are creating more favorable pricing for distributed solar-generated power. Expanding net metering policies to cover larger projects will boost solar even more.
Þ Solar development is finding a sweet spot with 10 MW – 20 MW projects on former industrial sites with nearby substations. These projects are large enough to achieve economies of scale on module purchases and installation costs. Locating systems on older industrial sites provides ready low-cost access to transmission substations in open areas with little blockages to sunlight. In some cases, brownfield redevelopment, recovery bonds and other tax credits and subsidies are available. In addition to SunPower’s 10 MW solar project on the old U.S. Steel site on the South Side of Chicago, there are at least three more developers seeking to move forward with 10 MW – 20 MW solar projects in Illinois. These solar projects are big enough to obtain economies of scale, but small enough to fit onto the transmission grid as well as provide grid support when needed most.
Þ Skilled electrical and other workers are available in the current economic downturn for solar installation “green jobs.” With the 10 MW – 20 MW projects, there is enough volume to bring down the per panel installation costs and, thereby, improve the overall economic robustness of projects. Moreover, in some cases, various federal and state job creation grants, subsidies and credits are available, as are federal job training programs directed to new “green jobs.” Because of the excess worldwide manufacturing capacity, the solar green jobs opportunities are predominantly installation jobs, rather than new manufacturing jobs in the Midwest. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is (re-) training new skilled solar installers at facilities in Illinois, Indiana and other states.
Þ Solar intensity in the Midwest is better than that of both Germany and Japan, the world’s largest solar markets. All right, Illinois and Nebraska are not the same as Arizona and Nevada, but there are some good solar sites here.
Þ New state policies can provide continued support for solar expansion as module prices increase after about two years when there is less excess supply. The Environmental Law & Policy Center and our colleagues are advocating a new ramp-up in 2010 – 2014 prior to the 700 MW – 750 MW Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) solar carve out now set to begin in Illinois in 2015. We are working on feed-in tariff models in Michigan and with colleagues in Iowa to improve the state’s net metering policies. As Wisconsin considers boosting its RPS in 2010, there may also be opportunities to include solar provisions. We have a two-year window of opportunity to gain solar policy improvements as the unusually low module prices, combined with federal economic stimulus incentives, can drive significant new development.
Solar PV is primed for take-off in the Midwest, and especially in Illinois. Let’s seize these strategic opportunities and move forward with solar power development that creates new jobs, spurs economic growth and helps to solve our global warming pollution problems.
Howard A. Learner is the executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the Midwest’s leading environmental and economic development advocacy organization. www.elpc.org and www.globalwarmingsolutions.org
