News Roundup
News Roundup for March 30
ATLANTIC WIND
Offshore wind farm
The Interior Department is beginning the process to offer the first commercial wind lease under the “Smart from the Start” Atlantic Offshore Wind program, off the Delaware coast. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called the non-competitive lease agreement with NRG Bluewater Wind Delaware “another major step forward in tapping the enormous offshore wind potential of the Atlantic coast.” The decision followed a determination that there is no competitive interest for commercial wind energy development in this area of the Outer Continental Shelf.
N-SAFETY REVIEW
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will review U.S. nuclear power plant safety in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and resulting crisis at a Japanese nuclear facility. An agency task force will conduct both short- and long-term analyses of lessons that can be learned from the situation in Japan, and the results of its work will be made public. Based on the review, NRC will determine whether changes are needed in U.S. programs and regulations, said Chairman Gregory Jaczko.
SOLAR FILM FUNDS
The Department of Energy has awarded 3M $4.4 million to support the company’s efforts to accelerate further development and commercialization of its Ultra Barrier Solar Film. According to 3M, high-efficiency flexible solar modules manufactured with this product have the potential to significantly reduce the total system costs for rooftop solar installations. DOE’s SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the total costs of photovoltaic solar energy systems by about 75 percent, so they are cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies.
NOT-SO-SMART METERS
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has proposed a plan to give residential customers the option to have radios in their smart meters turned off. The proposal, submitted to California regulators, responds to some customers’ concerns about the meters’ low-level radio frequency signals, even though the company considers them unfounded, a spokesman said. Upfront and recurring fees would cover costs of turning off the radio, manually reading the meters every month, modifying IT systems, and providing program information to customers through call centers and other channels, PG&E indicated.
—Based on news and wire reports
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