The Lewis and Roca Renewable Energy Blog

According to research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, worldwide investment in clean energy dropped to its lowest level in four years during the first three months of this year.  Total investment, which includes renewables, energy efficiency, and energy-smart technologies, was down 38% from the last quarter of 2012 and 22% from the same period (first quarter) of 2012.  The causes identified by BNEF include policy uncertainty in major markets like the U.S. and Germany and the sharp decrease in prices of solar PV panels which translates to lower investment, in dollar terms, for a project of equal capacity. read more

The Las Vegas Sun reported yesterday on NV Energy's proposal to begin decommissioning its existing coal-fired power plants and to accelerate its investments in renewable energy and natural gas generating capacity.  Interestingly, NV Energy is seeking to implement the plan legislatively, as opposed to having it approved by Nevada's Public Utilities Commission (PUC).  This is not surprising considering the difficulty the utility had in getting three renewable energy PPAs approved in 2011 (as we blogged about here).  According to the Sun article, the PUC would not be able to reject the plan if approved by the legislature. read more

Suntech announced last week that it will be closing its Goodyear, AZ panel manufacturing facility in April.  We blogged here about Suntech's decision to locate in Arizona in Nov. 2009.  The company blamed the closure on hefty tariffs imposed on Chinese solar cells by the U.S. International Trade Commission (although the panels were assembled in Arizona, the cells were produced in China).  However, the tariffs are not completely to blame for the company's financial problems -- Suntech announced last summer that it was defrauded into investing 530 million euros ($690 million) in non-existent German bonds. read more

According to a statement released earlier this month by BTM Consult, a division of Navigant, General Electric passed Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems in 2012 as the world's largest producer of wind turbines.  Vestas had held the top spot for twelve years.  Another American company, Siemens, came in third with German-based Enercon and India-based Suzlon rounding out the top five.  Although none made it into the top five, four Chinese companies were ranked in the top ten.  The only other top ten company was Spain's Gamesa.  The rankings are preliminary with the final report expected to be released in March. read more

In his second inaugural speech yesterday, President Obama mentioned climate change and promised a response.  He also voiced his support for a transition to "sustainable energy sources" but did not provide any additional details about how he will address climate change in his second term as President.  Here is the relevant portion of his speech: "We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. read more

Duke Energy Renewables and SOLON Corp. announced last week the completion of the 10MW Black Mountain Solar Project near Kingman.  Duke purchased the project from SOLON in May 2012.  SOLON constructed the project and will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the solar system.  Electricity generated by the project will be purchased by UniSource Energy Services, a sister company to Tucson Electric Power (TEP), under a twenty-year power purchase agreement.  The Black Mountain Solar Project is Duke's fifth photovoltaic (PV) plant in Arizona, along with the 5MW Ajo Solar Farm in southern Arizona, the 15MW Bagdad Solar Farm near Prescott, the 1.5MW Prescott Valley Solar Project, and the 6MW Gato Montes Solar Project in Tucson. read more