Monday, August 27, 2007

New York Sees Renewables Progress

The summary of a report on New York's Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) makes for some interesting reading. Some highlights:

  • Two solicitations for renewable energy have resulted in contracts for approximately 3 billion kilowatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy from 26 projects, totaling more than 800 megawatts (MW), or enough clean energy to supply approximately 400,000 average-size homes.

  • The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) estimates that more than $1.9 billion will be invested to build the New York-based renewable generation facilities awarded contracts under the RES. NYSERDA estimates that these investments have the potential to yield more than $720 million of in-state economic benefits over a 20-year period.

  • In addition to the significant economic benefits, the facilities awarded contracts under the RES could result in potential reductions of 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, 4,400 tons of sulfur oxides, and 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

    NYSERDA is planning a third solicitation this fall, and says, "Considering the large number of wind projects under development, a significant number of potential bidders are expected, and consequently, reasonably priced bids are anticipated."

    What is happening in New York is a good example of what can happen with strong leadership at the state level. Former Gov. George Pataki (R) and current Gov. Elliott Spitzer (D) deserve enormous credit for pushing this effort forward.

    Regards,
    Tom
  • 6 comments:

    chris said...

    Tom,

    Pardon the interruption, but have you any advice for job-searching in the wind industry? I've been poking my nose around various places to see if I might be able to apply my skills, experience and intellect to this industry, but as an English professor, the opportunities appear to be quite limited. Any advice?

    Tom Gray said...

    Hi Chris,

    The best advice I have to offer is to consult the American Wind Energy Association Jobs Board. It's available through the AWEA home page. I see a couple of Communications listings there that might be possibilities. The industry is continuing to expand and there are many openings, but, of course, not too many that are non-technical in nature.

    Regards,
    Tom

    Thomas O. Gray
    American Wind Energy Association
    www.awea.org
    Wind Energy Works!
    risingwind.blogspot.com

    chris said...

    Thanks for the feedback, Tom.

    I check the AWEA job board fairly frequently. And I noticed a couple communication jobs.

    I'm curious, would you recommend attending the AWEA conference in June to search for such employment opportunities?

    Again, thanks.
    Chris

    Tom Gray said...

    Hi Chris,

    Certainly I'd recommend it for anyone with technical expertise. There will be many, many companies exhibiting and it would be easy to talk with them by cruising the trade show floor.

    I would guess that AWEA may hold a Job Fair in conjunction with the conference (for other readers, that's the WINDPOWER 2008 Conference & Exhibition we are talking about, more info here). I'll see if I can find out more about that for you.

    Regards,
    Tom

    Thomas O. Gray
    American Wind Energy Association
    www.awea.org
    Wind Energy Works!
    risingwind.blogspot.com

    chris said...

    "Technical expertise." Crap! If only I would have known 10 years ago that a wind turbine could have such allure...maybe I would have studied engineering like my cousins. Ah well, guess I'll just have to start a wind project of my own and gain some technical experience that way.

    Thanks for the information, though.

    Chris

    Tom Gray said...

    You're welcome. As an English major myself, I sympathize.

    Regards,
    Tom