Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) is a subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk, a global corporation with a long history of successful operation in offshore energy. MLL has decided to partner with a reputable offshore wind energy firm to collaborate on the development of potential wind energy projects. MLL views offshore wind energy as a way for the company to expand its existing portfolio of maritime technical and transportation services and to build upon its commitment to environmental sustainability. “MLL has chosen to partner with Apex Offshore Wind to speed the process of bringing offshore wind to North America,” said Greg Moore, Vice President of Business Development at MLL. “In Apex, we’ve found a partner that shares our values and entrepreneurial spirit, and that is committed to bringing this promising new energy resource to the continent.”

The Apex Offshore Wind management team has been working to develop offshore wind energy projects in North America for over 9 years. Apex sees significant potential for the industry’s growth and supports the U.S. government’s vision of an offshore wind energy sector capable of providing 54 gigawatts of clean domestic energy by 2030. Tim Ryan, President of Apex Offshore Wind believes that “to meet these ambitious goals, the rapid growth of the offshore wind energy industry in North American will require maritime players with significant experience, scale and resources, and a reputation for quality, responsibility, and safety. Maersk Line, Limited brings all of those vital elements into this collaboration.””

Read more: Apex Offshore Wind Press Release

Steven Chu

The Record Hill project will avoid over 70,000 tons of carbon pollution annually, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from over 13,000 passenger vehicles. The wind facility will consist of 22 2.3 megawatt SWT-2.3-93 turbines and new transmission lines to interconnect with Central Maine Power, the local utility. The turbines will be installed with innovative Turbine Load Control (TLC) technology, a system of sensors and processing software that allows the turbines to continue to generate electricity under turbulent conditions, rather than be shut down completely. TLC is also expected to reduce wear-and-tear on the turbines, reduce operation and management costs, and preserve the lifetime of the turbine components.

The Department of Energy, through the Loan Programs Office, has issued loan guarantees or offered conditional commitments for loan guarantees totaling nearly $18 billion to support 20 clean energy projects. The program’s nine generation projects will produce nearly 23 million megawatt-hours, enough to power almost two million homes. Additional DOE-supported projects include two of the world’s largest solar thermal projects, two geothermal projects, the world’s largest wind farm and the nation’s first new nuclear power plant in three decades.”"

Read more: DOE Press Release

SunWind Solutions’ core competency lies in the development of web-based software that makes renewable energy system configuration simple. This software allows for the easy customization of commercial or residential systems that combine grid, generator, solar and wind power sources. Not only does SunWind’s software cut design time from days to minutes, but it also increases accuracy, lowers costs, and eliminates the need for specialized training.

“With the SunWind acquisition, we now have a ‘best-in-class’ dealer support tool, and the capability to model and optimize the complex integration of different power-generating systems.” said Dixon Thayer, CEO of Southwest Windpower. “Southwest Windpower’s renowned wind generator technology coupled with SunWind’s user-friendly software interface, allow us to offer integrated solutions to those wanting affordable energy.

The acquisition will also increase Southwest Windpower’s ability to support dealers and distributors in identifying prospects, as well as to support the complex integration of wind and solar “hybrid” systems into advantaged value propositions.

“This only the beginning for Southwest Windpower,” continues Thayer. “We will continue to expand our resources and offerings in order to develop breakthrough products and services in the future.”

GE Energy Financial Services and Plutonic acquired and resumed construction of the project a year ago. Since then, the project’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Mortenson Canada Corporation, has completed mechanical erection of all 48 wind turbine structures. Nine turbines have to date completed final commissioning testing and are available for operation. The substation and transmission lines have also been commissioned and energized, allowing for wind turbine commissioning.

The project, located 1,100 kilometres northeast of Vancouver near Chetwynd, will sell energy generated during commissioning-prior to the commercial operation date, or “COD” -to Powerex, a subsidiary of BC Hydro.

“The start of energy generation at the Dokie Wind Project represents Plutonic’s and GE Energy Financial Services’ first wind project in Canada and a solid new growth platform for Plutonic in wind energy,” said Donald McInnes, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Plutonic Power.

GE Energy Financial Services and Plutonic, through their jointly formed Dokie General Partnership, announced the resumption of project construction in December 2009. The $228 million project will generate 320,000-340,000 MWh/a and, in addition to the turbines, includes a substation and seven kilometres of 230 kV transmission lines. The project is expected to reach commercial operation by early 2011.

In addition to the Dokie Wind Project, GE and Plutonic also jointly developed British Columbia’s largest independent run-of-river hydro project, the East Toba River and Montrose Creek hydroelectric project.”

Source: Plutonic Power Corp Press Release

Ken Salazar

According to the press release & speech, “Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar delivered the keynote address at the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) annual North American Offshore Wind Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Following his remarks, Secretary Salazar and Cape Wind Associates, LLC signed the nation’s first lease for commercial wind energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Secretary Salazar’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

Good morning!

Welcome to the American Wind Energy Association Offshore Wind Conference.

And welcome to a key chapter in America’s New Energy Frontier as we move forward to stand up the first ever offshore wind project in the United States with a lease for the Cape Wind project!

I want to thank Denise Bode, Rob Gramlich and the American Wind Energy Association for hosting this event.

Like the AWEA conference last year in Chicago, being here gives you a real sense of possibility and promise.

Walking through the displays on the exhibit floor, you see how fast the wind industry is moving.

Wind blades are getting stronger, lighter, and more efficient.

Companies are testing old assumptions and delivering new designs.

And developers are finding smart solutions to fit the needs of communities around the globe.

The old saying that “there will always be a frontier where there is an open mind and a willing hand” is as true today as it was in the first half of the twentieth century.

Under the leadership of President of Obama, the renewable energy world is opening a new frontier.

With the relentless efforts of my Deputy Secretary David Hayes, Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals, Wilma Lewis, counselor for energy, Steve Black, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, Michael Bromwich, and countless others, the Department of the Interior is resolute and determined to secure a safer, cleaner energy future for our nation.

We do so because we can’t afford to remain so dependent on foreign oil.

We do so because we can’t afford the risks that our energy dependence creates for national security, economic security, and environmental security.

And we do so because we can’t afford to fall behind China, Germany and India in the race for new energy technologies and renewable energy jobs.

We will not accept second place.

Today, I want to talk about the path President Obama has charted to a safe, secure, and sustainable energy future.

I want to begin by briefly addressing the role of conventional energy in this future.

The fact is that, even as we transition to a sustainable energy economy, we will continue to rely on oil, gas, and conventional fuels.

The Energy Information Agency projects that U.S. energy demands will rise 14 percent over the next 25 years.

We need oil and gas.

But – as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill made so clear – we need to produce it safer, smarter, and with stronger protections for the environment.
For thirty years, under the oversight of both Democratic and Republican administrations and congresses, industry ventured into deeper and deeper waters without adequate oversight.

Drilling technologies accelerated, but safety technologies and the government’s regulatory framework were left behind.

That gap is unacceptable.

That is why we have launched the most aggressive and comprehensive reforms to offshore oil and gas regulation and oversight in U.S. history.

We are raising the bar on industry’s safety practices and equipment.

We are requiring companies that want to drill to prove they are prepared to deal with catastrophic blowouts and oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon.

We are continuing our work to put science back in its rightful place in decisions about offshore oil and gas development.

And we are building a strong and independent agency with the resources, tools, and authority it needs to hold offshore operators accountable.

The former Inspector General for the Department of Justice, Michael Bromwich, is spearheading these reforms, and has already implemented a new internal investigations and review unit that will root out problems within the regulatory agency and target companies that aim to game the system.

Our offshore oil and gas reforms touch every stage of the planning, permitting, and development process.

They are comprehensive, and they will continue over the coming weeks and months.
But, while oil and gas are a necessity, our nation’s future depends on our ability to capture the power of sustainable renewable energy.

Now, to build a safer, more secure, and clean energy future, we must continue to expand on the progress we have made in the last two years on the renewable energy front.

President Obama understands that the jobs of tomorrow are in clean energy.

Those jobs are in places like Holland, Michigan, where the Recovery Act’s $2.4 billion investment in advanced battery technology has helped get a new manufacturing plant under way.

300 people are helping build the plant, and another 300 will find jobs when it opens.

Clean energy jobs are in places like Pueblo, Colorado, where a wind tower manufacturing plant opening there will put over 500 people to work.
The new energy revolution is springing to life across the country.

The U.S. installed a record 10,000 megawatts of new onshore wind capacity in 2009, or enough to power over 2 million new homes.

This is a great start, but it is only the beginning.

If we fully pursue our potential for wind energy on land and offshore, wind can generate as much as 20 percent of our electricity by 2030 and create a quarter-million jobs in the process.

As President Obama has said: it’s a win-win. Good for the environment, great for the economy.
As the department that oversees one-fifth of the nation’s land and 1.7 billion acres of Outer Continental Shelf, we have a major role to play in the transformation of our nation’s energy future.

We oversee sunny deserts in the southwest, windy open spaces across the Rockies and the West, and the breezy expanses of the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

The renewable energy potential on America’s public lands is staggering.

But to capture that potential, the Department of the Interior – in the last two years – has had to change how we do business.

When I became Secretary of the Interior, companies were eager to capture solar power on public lands, but dozens of permit applications were stalled.

There was a long backlog of pending applications and no process for transforming ideas on paper into projects on the ground.

To address the problem, Director Bob Abbey and the Bureau of Land Management worked
to create a collaborative, coordinated permitting process.

BLM identified and prioritized onshore renewable energy proposals that could show they were ready for prime time.

Those projects went through a vigorous assessment, extensive environmental review, and input from the public.

Just yesterday, I approved the first two projects from this fast-track process.

The two projects, both in California, are the first large-scale solar projects ever to be approved on public lands.

Together these projects will generate over 700 megawatts of power, and are among the world’s largest solar power plants.

And they will not be the last.

The Department of Interior is in the final stages of processing several major wind, solar, geothermal, and transmission energy projects in western states.

The goal is to get them reviewed by the end of 2010, when they can take advantage of the significant incentives in the Recovery Act.

As we announce these projects in the weeks ahead, they will represent the fruits of 18 months of work to fulfill a vision for smart, coordinated permitting for solar projects on public lands.

I am proud of the progress we have made.

It shows we can cut red tape without cutting corners.

And, if we can do this type of work on the 250 million acres of the Bureau of Land Management, we should be able to do the same on the 1.75 billion acres of our nation’s outer continental shelf.

I am determined to accomplish a similar objective of orderly, responsible, and straightforward permitting for wind development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

The Atlantic OCS is receiving significant – and increasing – interest from communities frustrated by rising energy costs, states seeking to meet renewable energy mandates, and companies looking to advance their respective turbine and transmission technologies.
But as with any new frontier, there needs to be a clear, common-sense, and fair process for exploration and development.

Until we started laying the rules of the road for offshore wind development a year and a half ago, no such process existed.

That’s why it took the Cape Wind project eight years to clear necessary reviews.

Eight long years.

But it’s a new day.

At the end of my remarks today, I will mark a historic occasion by signing the Cape Wind lease.

It will be our nation’s first lease for commercial wind energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf.

The 130 planned wind turbines could generate a maximum electric output of 468 megawatts with an average anticipated output of 182 megawatts.

At average expected production, Cape Wind could produce enough energy to power more than 200,000 homes in Massachusetts, or approximately 75 percent of the electricity demand for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island combined.

The 28-year lease I am signing today will cost the company a 2 to 7 percent operating fee during production.

The fee is based on revenues from selling the offshore wind energy in regional markets.
Cape Wind is a good project.

And it’s an improved project thanks to the robust review, consultation, and input it received.
Cape Wind now includes stronger protections for archaeological resources, has a smaller footprint than initially proposed, and has been reconfigured to reduce visual impacts.

Cape Wind, in many ways, has been a pioneer for offshore wind development in the U.S.

Our responsibility now is to take the lessons learned from that process – and from the growing pool of experiences with offshore wind development around the globe – and build a smart U.S. program.

I believe, for example, that we can cut the permitting time for offshore wind projects significantly if we are focused and proactive.

To achieve this objective, we need to be smart at every step of the process.

First, we need to get organized and coordinated at all levels of government.

We are working closely across federal agencies.

The Department of Energy, in particular, has been and will continue to be a key partner.

And the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium that I established earlier this year now includes 11 governors.

Through task forces the Consortium has established in 8 states, we are identifying high priority areas that may be appropriate for wind development off our coasts.

We are looking for areas that have bountiful wind energy, and relatively fewer potential environmental and use conflicts than other offshore areas.

We expect to identify high priority areas in most of the Atlantic states by the end of this year.
Second, to help shorten the permitting process, we aim to gather – up front – the best information available about resources, potential conflicting uses, and environmental concerns for these high priority areas.

We want to help investors identify places that make sense for their projects.
The federal government – working closely with the states – can and should help jump-start the permitting process in this way.

Third, once we assemble information about resources and potential development in high priority areas, we should coordinate area-wide environmental reviews up front.

Developing strong environmental analysis early-on will help investors and developers design proposals that have a greater chance of success.

Fourth, by identifying high priority areas offshore for potential wind projects, we can explore the development of a transmission backbone in the Atlantic Ocean to serve those areas.

Rather than develop transmission infrastructure plans on a piecemeal basis, we should – in close coordination with the private sector, states, and tribes – lay out a smart transmission system, up front.

Finally, when permit applications are submitted, project proponents and investors deserve a clear, coordinated process that ensures thorough review and public input.

The offshore wind rules we finalized last year are only a beginning.

Those rules provide a framework from which we can and will build.

This brings me to you.

And what you’re doing.

I recognize that you are the engine for the ideas that will help our nation transition to a clean energy economy.

You hold a key to the technology and the ingenuity that will help our nation compete with countries like China, Germany, and India.

Somewhere in the room is the next bright idea.

Somewhere in this room is the person who will push the boundaries of knowledge and possibilities for offshore wind development.

President Obama reminds us that: “Today’s frontiers can’t be found on a map. They’re being explored in our classrooms and our laboratories, in our start-ups and our factories…This is the nation that will lead the clean energy economy of tomorrow, so long as all of us remember what we have achieved in the past and we use that to inspire us to achieve even more in the future.”

So let us take stock of how much we have already accomplished.

Let’s celebrate the first solar projects approved for construction on public lands.
Let’s celebrate the great strides the wind industry has made to deliver clean power and to create jobs here in America.

And let’s venture into the new frontier of Atlantic OCS wind production with the signing of the Cape Wind lease.

Thank you all, now let’s sign the lease!”

Source: US Department of the Interior

The acquisition, valued at approximately $860 million with a provision for up to an additional $40 million upon commencement of construction on the advanced development projects, is an economically sound transaction that builds on the company’s commitment to renewable energy as part of Exelon 2020, a business and environmental strategy to eliminate the equivalent of Exelon’s 2001 carbon footprint. Exelon already is the least carbon-intensive of the large U.S. electric utilities, and this transaction marks its entry into owning and operating wind projects. Exelon will finance the transaction using Exelon Generation debt.

“Not only does this acquisition add value for Exelon shareholders, providing incremental earnings in 2012 and cash flows in 2013, but it also is one more way to implement a clean energy future,” said John W. Rowe, Exelon chairman and CEO. “Whether harmful emissions are priced or regulated, our combined capacity of nearly 19,000 megawatts of zero-emission wind, solar, hydro, landfill gas and nuclear power remains a clear competitive advantage that will only become more valuable.”

Under the terms of agreement, Exelon will acquire John Deere Renewables’ 735 megawatts of installed, operating wind capacity—enough to power 160,000 to 220,000 households—spread across 36 projects in eight states. Approximately 75 percent of the operating portfolio is already sold under long-term power purchase arrangements. As part of the acquisition, Exelon also has the opportunity to pursue 1,468 megawatts of new wind projects that are in various stages of development, including the 230 megawatts in advanced stages of development.

“We expect to see increasing demand for clean, efficient wind power at a national level and in the 29 states that already have a renewable energy standard,” Rowe said. “This acquisition gives Exelon a strong position in the wind generation business that adds diversity to our generation fleet and provides more options for future growth.”

The acquisition will become part of the Exelon Power division of Exelon Generation, which already includes more than 1,000 megawatts of owned and contracted renewable power, including hydroelectricity, wind, landfill gas and solar. Before this acquisition, Exelon was already the largest wholesale marketer of wind energy east of the Mississippi, with 352 megawatts of wind power capacity from five wind projects in Illinois, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Exelon Power also owns and operates a 10-megawatt solar plant in Chicago, the largest urban solar plant in the country.

Exelon expects to close the transaction with John Deere Renewables in the fourth quarter of 2010.”

Source: Exelon Press Release

According to Reuters, “Developers behind the 19 Chinese wind and hydropower projects rejected by a U.N.-backed clean energy investment panel have accused the board in charge of making arbitrary and non-transparent rule changes.

Most said they had no choice but to reapply to try to earn internationally tradeable carbon offsets they said were needed to make their projects viable.

At its meeting in Bonn, Germany, at the end of July, the Executive Board running the U.N.’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) examined the documentation of 19 Chinese CDM applicants.

The panel said none of them managed to pass muster, even after revisions.

A manager at one of the rejected projects, the Mudanjiang Xiaoguokui wind power plant in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, accused the executive board of moving the goalposts.

“The EB has changed the rules and we didn’t know about that when the projects were first proposed,” he said.

The CDM encourages investors from industrialized countries to fund clean-energy projects in the developing world by offering carbon credits known as certified emission reductions (CERs). The CERs can then be traded or used to comply with binding Kyoto Protocol emissions targets in rich nations.

China has generated more than half of the CERs so far in the scheme, but it has been widely criticized for exploiting the mechanism and flooding the market with cheap and dubious credits from projects that do little to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Chinese applicants have also been accused of deliberately under-reporting tariffs paid for renewable power in order to pass the CDM’s tough “additionality” test, designed to ensure that projects would only be viable if they receive CERs.”

Read more: Reuters

According to the press release, “Vestas, the world leader in wind energy, received an order from China Longyuan Power Group for 18 units of the V80-2.0 MW turbine, totaling 36 MW. The order represents another step in the collaboration, which Vestas has had with this important customer for several years.

China Longyuan Power Group is China’s largest developer of wind energy. The company’s IPO in Hong Kong at the end of 2009 raised USD 2.2 billion, which will help fund its aggressive pursuit of wind energy production.

“We are excited to receive this new order from China Longyuan Power Group, the leading developer of wind energy in China and an important customer for Vestas. We appreciate this customer’s strong commitment to the industry, and will work closely with them to achieve our common goal – a sustainable tomorrow,” says Jens Tommerup, President of Vestas China. “Fujian is also one of the most important provinces for the wind industry in southern eastern costal area of China. Just this past half year, Vestas has received over 150 MW in orders for Fujian province alone, so we are well under way in building up a firm presence in this province.”

The contract includes delivery, transportation, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines, a VestasOnline® Business SCADA solution and a service and maintenance agreement. The first delivery is scheduled to take place in the third quarter of 2010.”

Read more: Press Release

The development funding will be repaid at each respective project’s financial close and does not impact Finavera’s equity position in the projects. GE Energy has co-developed thousands of megawatts of wind projects in North America and that expertise will be applied to this partnership in order to deliver high return projects on time and on budget.

“We are extremely excited to be working with GE Energy on the development of these wind projects,” said Finavera Renewables CEO Jason Bak. “This partnership combines Finavera’s exceptional wind projects with GE Energy’s outstanding technical experience to produce a team that will ensure the success of these projects. This deal significantly enhances our ability to move our projects to construction and grow our wind portfolio over the next several years.”

In March, Finavera was awarded 25 years electricity purchase agreements for four wind turbine projects totaling 301 megawatts of installed capacity. The JDA will provide Finavera with the funding necessary to continue to achieve project development milestones and to move the projects through to financial close.

The JDA replaces the Development Funding Agreement (“DFA”) announced by the Company January 21, 2010. The signing of the JDA also removes the DFA security provision against a minority interest in the Company’s Cloosh Valley wind project.

Read more: Press Release