| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Wind Power News: Alabama
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Biden tax plan replaces U.S. fossil fuel subsidies with clean energy incentives
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday released details of a tax hike proposal that would replace subsidies for fossil fuel companies with incentives for production of clean energy in President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. Linked to the $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, it is part of wider plan that includes boosting the corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28%. A Treasury Department office estimated that eliminating subsidies for fossil fuel companies would boost government tax receipts by more than . . . Complete story »
World’s biggest wind, solar developer bets on gas pipeline
A unit of NextEra Energy Inc. has agreed to build a 50-mile pipeline into Alabama to supply a natural gas plant set to stand where a coal plant once did. NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s biggest wind and solar developer, said it views the Lowman pipeline as a way to secure a 40-year revenue stream and diversify its portfolio. If the project wins regulatory approval, it will supply a new PowerSouth Energy Cooperative natural gas plant being built to replace . . . Complete story »
TVA gets community feedback on electricity generation
TVA doesn't plan to build any wind turbines in its region, however. Hydas cited the imminent expiration of the federal production tax credit, which will be phased out completely by 2024. "In the mid-2020s, after the tax credit expires, wind is about 40 percent more expensive than solar," Hydas said. "Solar is better for our system." Complete story »
U.S. wind power slows thanks to tax policy meant to boost it
U.S. wind-power installations dipped for the second consecutive year in 2017, thanks to tax policies aimed at boosting the use of clean energy. Got that? Congress extended in late 2015 a key tax credit for wind. The new timeline let developers qualify for the full benefit with projects that begin construction by the end of 2016; the prior rule had applied to wind farms that began work by the end of 2014. That kind of years-long stability has taken some . . . Complete story »
Subsidy skeptic tapped to lead Perry’s grid study — sources
Travis Fisher, a political appointee at the Department of Energy, will lead a high-profile study that Energy Secretary Rick Perry ordered this week on what role environmental policies are playing in recent coal and nuclear plant closures, according to multiple sources. Fisher will help analyze the way baseload power is dispatched and compensated and the effect of “regulatory burdens” past administrations introduced to decrease coal-fired generation. Perry told his chief of staff, Brian McCormack, in a Friday memo that the . . . Complete story »
BLM sprints to cement Obama’s green legacy
The Interior Department is moving toward finalizing rules, policies and projects that it says should ensure renewable energy’s unprecedented growth spurt continues on federal land after President Obama leaves office. Building a clean energy program from scratch, the Bureau of Land Management has approved 60 commercial-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects that would power millions of homes and businesses. “We are incredibly proud of what the agency, with so many partners and so many private developers, has been able to . . . Complete story »
There’s no comfort in loss of power option
There’s no comfort in loss of power I was surprised by your June 28 “Our View” on “Less dependence on nuclear power a comforting trend.” The implication was that wind and solar power can eventually replace it. This sentiment suggests that there is a lack of understanding of what it takes for utilities to provide reliable electrical power to customers. Utilities absolutely depend on what is termed “dispatchable power,” i.e. a power source that is under the control of human . . . Complete story »
A state-by-state look at renewable energy requirements
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have requirements that utilities get a certain amount of their electricity from renewable sources. Nine additional states have goals for renewable energy, while a dozen others have no targets. A state-by-state look at renewable energy policies. ALABAMA No renewable energy standard. ALASKA A bill passed in 2010 sets a goal, but not a requirement, for Alaska to receive half its electricity from renewable and alternative energy sources by 2025. ARIZONA Public utilities must . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine company has no plans for Alabama after lawsuit from Cleburne County homeowners
HEFLIN – Officials with an Oklahoma-based company that had considered a wind turbine farm in Cleburne County are no longer planning to build in Alabama after pushback from homeowners near the site and scant support from government officials, the company’s attorney said Tuesday. “The adjoining states have been very welcoming,” said Kirk Tracey, general counsel for Nations Energy Solutions. “We’re going to go play elsewhere.” The company’s decision put an end to a lawsuit filed in Cleburne County in June 2014. . . . Complete story »
Alabama Power’s renewable energy proposal gets PSC approval
The Alabama Public Service Commission on Tuesday voted 3-0 to approve a proposal by Alabama Power to construct up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy generation projects in the state over the next six years. A spokesperson for the company said the decision will allow Alabama Power – a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Co. – to meet the demands of larger customers that want to implement renewable energy to their portfolio, according to a report from AL.com. Larger customers for . . . Complete story »
