Henry Harrell"s Blog: June 23 Green Energy News

Headline News:

Two reports provide new details about Xcel Energy’s Colorado Energy Plan. The plan’s low bid prices for new renewable energy projects in the state include $35/MWh for solar with battery backup. The analysis of the impacts of the plan indicate boosts in employment and tax revenue for both Colorado and Pueblo County. [Clean Cooperative]

Wind turbines in Colorado (Jeffrey Beall, Wikimedia Commons)

The IRS is extending incentives for solar power and other clean energy sources by as long as four years. Developers can claim a 30% tax credit for solar projects as long as they prove they’ve started construction by the end of 2019, an IRS notice said. That means breaking ground or investing at least 5% of the total expected costs of the installation. [Bloomberg]
Former Senators Trent Lott of Mississippi and John Breaux of Louisiana, longtime lobbyists for big oil, formed a new political action committee. It is dedicated to the passage of a carbon tax. The plan would impose a carbon tax starting at $40, “rising gradually” at an as-yet-unspecified rate, with all the revenue returned as per-capita dividends. [Vox]
“Cleveland can lead in switch to clean energy” • On June 22, 1969, an oil slick in the Cuyahoga River caught fire, one of several such fires in the river’s history. Historically, the river was fed by pollution from Cleveland’s industry. The Cleveland of 2018 looks dramatically different – it’s a healthier city ecologically, and it’s working to diversify economically. [cleveland.com]
Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is accepting applications for a 1,200-MW offshore wind plant, which will be the biggest in the world and Turkey’s first. The ceiling price for one MWh has been set as $8 and applicants will compete for the lowest bid in a reverse auction. Applications are due no later than October 23. [Daily Sabah]

Henry Harrell"s Blog