A bill (AB 222) that would expedite the introduction of new conversion technologies to produce advanced biofuels and/or green power from organic waste materials in California has recently gained support from three state regulatory agencies. Without endorsement from two Democrats on the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, however, AB 222 will not reach the Senate floor and will die at the end of the year, allowing many barriers to bioenergy growth to remain in place. AB 222 passed the California Assembly in June 2009; in July, it was approved in the Senate Utilities, Energy and Communications Committee, and since is awaiting action in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, which elected not to act on the bill. Overall, AB 222 corrects scientifically inaccurate definitions and antiquated provisions in the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, and thus enables and expedites the in-state production of advanced, nonfood-derived biofuels and green power from biomass through new nonincineration technologies such as gasification, fermentation and pyrolysis.

The Solar Energy Industries Association recently released its 2009 yearly review. A total of 1,653 MW has been installed in the U.S., with 441 of that coming in 2009 (almost 27%). Commercial/utility projects led the way with 273 MW, but residential had a push, accounting for 156 MW (double that of 2008). California still leads the total US solar PV market with three times the capacity of all other U.S. states combined, counting a cumulative capacity of 1,102 MW through 2009.

The DOE said it has made $62 million available to 13 companies to test equipment and materials, such as molten salts, to add storage to solar power systems that use heat to produce electricity. Concentrating solar power, in which the sun's heat creates steam to drive an electricity turbine, is seeing a renaissance because it can be used for large-scale power plants in deserts. Adding storage can extend the time these plants supply electricity to the grid and can potentially improve the economics of solar versus fossil fuels. The DOE's target is to extend the output of concentrating solar power systems to 18 hours, covering the peak times of electricity usage.The top three recipients are Abengoa Solar, eSolar, and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, each of which received more than $10 million for molten-salt research.

The Senate plan to deal with global warming and energy has been unveiled to considerable fanfare but uncertain prospects. After nearly eight months of negotiations, Sens. John Kerry (D. Mass) and Joseph I. Lieberman, (I. Conn), produced a 987-page bill that tries to limit climate-altering emissions, reduce oil imports and create millions of new energy-related jobs. The sponsors rewrote the section on offshore oil drilling in recent days to reflect mounting concern over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, raising new hurdles for future drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts while allowing it to proceed off Louisiana, Texas and Alaska. President Obama endorsed the proposal. The bill’s overall goal is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 17% (compared with 2005 levels) by 2020, and by 83% by 2050. The targets match those in a House bill passed last year and in the Obama administration’s announced policy goal.
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Leaders from 15 countries, the European Commission, and the U.S. met recently for the first policy meeting of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC). The group sought to forge partnerships among governments to combat climate change, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and boost the global clean energy economy. DOE Assistant Secretary Cathy Zoi, elected to a two-year term as the first chair of the IPEEC policy committee, called for nations to use unprecedented speed and scale in the effort to deploy energy efficiency, thereby cutting energy demand and emissions worldwide while building economic development. Zoi heads DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The percentage of U.S. electricity produced by non-hydro renewable energy sources will increase from 4% in 2009 to 12.3% in 2030, according to the "Annual Energy Outlook 2010" published by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA). Last year the EIA projected of 11% renewables in 2030. This projected growth in renewable energy is due primarily to state renewable electricity standards (RES) and federal tax credits included in last year's stimulus bill that are set to expire as early as next year for some renewable energy technologies.

The Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASEnergy) released its “Policy Roadmap for Clean Energy”, a four-point strategy it says is designed to put the U.S. on a viable path to realize a clean energy future. The roadmap calls for investing in nuclear energy to preserve and create thousands of clean energy jobs. The four-pronged policy encourages business and policy leaders to: enact policies to allow the nation to take control of its energy security; ensure access to financing for clean energy projects; increase its investment in clean energy jobs; and address used nuclear fuel storage needs through federal support for recycling and other safe, innovative solutions.

San Diego Gas & Electric has signed a 20-year power-purchase agreement with an LS Power subsidiary to procure up to 130 MW of solar energy from the proposed Centinela Solar Energy facility in the Imperial Valley, helping to solidify the company's commitment to employ the future Sunrise Powerlink to transmit renewable energy. Upon completion in 2014, the new Centinela Solar Energy facility will send up to 130 MW of solar power to SDG&E's service territory across the Sunrise Powerlink, a 120-mile, 500-kilovolt electric transmission line which was designed to tap into the Imperial Valley. When completed in 2012, the new power line is expected to carry up to 1,000 MW of electricity. The Centinela facility will employ photovoltaic technology on a 1,150-acre site near Calexico.

Cleantech America, a subsidiary of Meridian Energy, has developed CalRENEW-1, the first utility scale photovoltaic solar project now in operation. The commercial operation is to be combined with a transmission system from PG&E under California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. The venture will produce five megawatts of peaking solar electricity, emission free, to PG&E under a long term power purchase agreement. CalRENEW-1 is the company’s first U.S. solar farm to go into operation. With more than 50,000 solar panels over the span of 50 acres, the plan is for this project to be a model for the U.S renewable growth strategy.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved renewable energy contracts for Southern California Edison (SCE) and PG&E. Through its 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Ram Power and Orita Geothermal, SCE will procure renewable generation from a new geothermal facility in Imperial County. The Orita 1 facility has an expected initial capacity of 50 MW, which may be expanded to 100 MW. This facility should produce approximately 400 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy per year beginning in 2013. In addition, the CPUC approved a PPA between PG&E and the Geysers Power Company that adds 50 MW of geothermal capacity from the geothermal resource area in the Sonoma and Lake Counties to PG&E's renewable energy portfolio.