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- ECIX NEWSLETTER / This item is <abridged>
-
- Subject: ECIX Newsletter #12 - Oct 1992 (43K)
-
- The EcoNet Energy and Climate Information Exchange Newsletter
-
- Volume 2, Number 7
- October, 1992
-
- Edited by Lelani Arris
-
- This month's issue features two articles by Tom Gray on renewable
- energy issues. We also have our usual lineup of EcoNet conference
- highlights and upcoming events.
-
- The ECIX Climate Digest is published concurrently with this
- newsletter - included in this month's issue is information about
- the 1992 Antarctic ozone hole, new information about the global
- carbon budget, an update on the Climate Convention, a detailed
- report from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on some of
- their projects, and more! The digest can be found in the
- conference [climate.news].
-
- The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an
- international computer network of environmental activists and
- educators with over 10,000 users worldwide. EcoNet is one of the
- APC networks, based in San Francisco, with users connecting via
- the Internet, SprintNet, international public data networks or
- through one of the other APC networks. The ECIX project is funded
- by a grant from the Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, with
- additional support from the Energy Foundation. For more
- information about subscribing to EcoNet or one of the other APC
- networks, send e-mail to support@igc.apc.org.
-
- If you are not an APC subscriber, or if you are on an APC node
- which does not have access to one of the listed conferences, and
- you would like more information about any of the subjects covered
- in this newsletter, please send e-mail to the editor at
- larris@igc.apc.org, indicating the topic(s) that you are
- interested in.
-
- If you are an APC user, you can find any of the referenced topics
- by going to the specified conference and then (s)earching by
- (t)itle for the topic of interest.
-
- Feel free to reproduce or distribute any part of this newsletter
- with the appropriate credit. Contributions and letters are
- encouraged, and can be sent to the editor at larris@igc.apc.org
-
-
- Table of Contents
-
- 1. State Policies Spur Renewable Success
- 2. Hohmeyer Reaffirms View on Social Costs
- 3. Conference Highlights - en.climate
- 4. Conference Highlights - en.energy
- 5. Conference Highlights - transport
- 6. Conference Highlights - other conferences
- 7. New ECIX files
- 8. Calendar
-
- ******************************************************************
-
- STATE POLICIES SPUR RENEWABLE SUCCESS
-
- by Tom Gray (tgray@igc.apc.org)
-
- A "supportive [policy] environment . . . for renewable energy
- development" has been a key ingredient in the growth of renewable
- energy technologies in many states, according to a preliminary
- report commissioned by the National Association of Regulatory
- Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
-
- Jan Hamrin of the San Francisco-based consulting firm Hansen,
- McQuat, Hamrin & Rohde, Inc., authored the summary of the "NARUC
- White Paper on Renewable Energy in State Regulatory Processes,"
- prepared for a NARUC conference on integrated resource planning
- in Burlington, VT, September 13-16.
-
- States which today lead the country in renewable resource
- electric capacity, Hamrin said, fall into two general categories:
-
- "(1) Those that developed implementation policies to promote the
- intent of [the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of
- 1978]. These include, most notably, California and Maine, as well
- as Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada,
- New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Vermont; and
-
- "(2) Those that simply had abundant renewable resources of the
- more conventional type (wood and hydro) that large industries
- were able to develop exclusively or primarily for their own use.
- In some cases, these facilities arranged to sell excess power to
- local utilities under the federal PURPA law without any
- particular . . . policies or programs. These states include
- Alabama, Hawaii, Georgia, and Virginia."
-
- Policies enacted in the first group of states, Hamrin said,
- include the following:
-
- o Standard contracts which set forth the terms and conditions for
- the sale of power from non-utility generators to utilities: "This
- greatly reduced the expense and delay of negotiations, . . .
- transaction costs and the time required to obtain a financeable
- contract."
-
- o A long-term contract price to be paid by utilities for power,
- based on avoided utility plants: "Many utilities offer contracts
- based on short-term energy and capacity, even when the utility
- has plans [to add] base or intermediate resources. Long-term
- contracts based on the cost of new resources are more likely to
- provide a sufficient revenue base for [renewable energy]
- development."
-
- o A requirement that utilities pay for both energy and capacity:
- "Renewable projects cannot generally recover costs unless they
- receive some payment for their capacity value. Even if a utility
- does not need new capacity to meet demand, added capacity always
- has some value because it increases the reliability of the
- utility system."
-
- o A fixed or predictable payment stream: "This is critical for
- any non-utility developer to obtain financing."
-
- o Levelized or front-loaded payments for power. Levelized or
- front-loaded payments anticipate an increase in generation costs
- over a number of years (e.g., 20 or 30 years) and provide extra
- funds to a developer in a project's early years in exchange for
- low payments later on. "This allows developers of
- capital-intensive renewable energy projects to pay debt service
- on the loan, which is generally 10 to 15 years." Although such
- payments have occasionally been the focus of controversy, Hamrin
- notes that in no case did they equal or exceed standard utility
- revenue requirements.
-
- o No dispatchability or minimum capacity factor requirement:
- "This meant that intermittent/low-capacity-factor renewable
- resources (hydro, wind, solar) and non-dispatchable resources
- (geothermal) could participate."
-
- o Special rates for renewable energy facilities.
-
- ... <abridged>
-
- ******************************************************************
-
- NEW ECIX FILES
-
- New listings of files on energy and climate issues currently
- available via anonymous ftp or email from ECIX has recently been
- released. Many of the topics discussed in this newsletter are
- available as files, including a number of recent postings in
- [en.energy] as well as most of the climate change newsletters we
- carry.
-
- These files can be obtained via anonymous ftp to igc.apc.org
- (192.82.108.1) or by sending email to ecixfiles@igc.apc.org
- requesting the file listings. You may also write to the ecixfiles
- address to request that you be placed on the mailing list for
- regular updates on available files. File names and
- subdirectories are as follows:
-
- subdirectory /usr/ftp/pub/ECIXfiles
-
- ClimateFiles -- list of climate related files available (10K)
- EnergyFiles -- list of energy related files available (22K)
-
- ******************************************************************
-
- UPCOMING EVENTS:
-
- The following calendar lists events related to energy, climate
- change, and transportation issues. For detailed information about
- the listed events, check the specified topics in the relevant
- conference.
-
- ** NEW FOR IGC USERS **
-
- There is now an online Calendar of Events database, where you can
- search for or enter events of interest. At the main menu, select
- (d)ata, then select 7: EVENTS from the menu.
-
- ** 1992 **
-
- October 24. The Earth Summit and its Lessons for the Sonoran
- Bioregion, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Contact Bill Altaffer, phone
- +1-602-327-0266 or Susan Ward, phone +1-602-881-7060
- (cnu.information, "US Citizens Network Newsletter #15", 7/8/92,
- response 1)
-
- October 25-29. Biotic Feedbacks in the Global Climatic System,
- Woods Hole, MA, USA. Contact Shelagh Varney, IPCC/WG1
- Secretariat, Hadley Centre, Meteorological Office, London Road,
- Bracknell RG12 2Sy, UK (climate.news, "Tiempo Issue #6 -
- September, 1992", 9/25/92, response 5)
-
- October 26-30. Supercities: Environmental Quality and Sustainable
- Development, San Francisco, CA, USA. Contact Noreen Dowling,
- Conference Coordinator, National Institute for Global
- Environmental Change, 1477 Drew Avenue, Suite 104, Davis, CA
- 95616-8756, USA, phone +1-916-757-3350, fax +1-916-756-6499.
- (climate.news, "Tiempo Issue #6 - September, 1992", 9/25/92,
- response 5)
-
- October 27-29. Changing Climate and Water Resources, Charleston,
- SC, USA. Contact David Smith, Director, Southeast Regional
- Climate Center, 1201 Main St., Suite 1100, columbia, SC 29201
- USA, phone: +1-803-737-0849, fax: +1-803-765-9080.
-
- October 29. Global Climate Change: Focus on Illinois. An
- Economic and Business Perspective, Bloomington, Illinois.
- Contact Dr. Stephen Vermette, Illinois State Water Survey, phone
- +1-217-333-7128, email vermette@mcc2.sws.uiuc.edu OR Mr. Rick
- Diericx, Illinois Power Company, phone +1-217-424-6835, OR Steve
- Hilberg, phone +1-217-333-8495, email hberg@uiuc.edu (en.climate,
- "Upcoming Events", 10/14/91, response 9).
-
- November 1-5. AWRA 28th Annual Conference & Symposia: Managing
- Water Resources During Global Change, Reno, Nevada. Contact
- Raymond Herrman, WR-CPSU, Colorado State University, Fort
- Collins, CO 80523, phone 303-491-7825, fax 303-491-2255, email
- wrcpsu@lamar.colostate.edu (en.climate, "Upcoming Events",
- 10/14/91, response 1)
-
- November 4-6. Fourteenth New Zealand Geothermal Workshop,
- Auckland, NZ. Contact Mr. Barry Williams, Centre for Continuing
- Education, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, New
- Zealand, phone +64 9 373 7999 ext. 8903, fax +64 9 373 7419
- (en.energy, "Alternative Energy Network 3/24", 3/25/92)
-
- November 5-7. Applications and Prospects of Biotechnology for
- Arid and Semiarid Lands Lubbock, TX, USA. Contact Arid Lands
- Conference, RGK Foundation, 2815 San Gabriel, Austin TX
- 78705-3594, USA (climate.news, "Tiempo Issue #6 - September,
- 1992", 9/25/92, response 5)
-
- November 10. Denver Solar Energy Association meeting: Tour of
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO. Contact Jay
- Stein, DSEA President, E-Cube Inc., 1900 Folsom #112, Boulder, CO
- 80302, phone 303-443-2610, email jaystein@igc.apc.org (en.energy,
- "DSEA 1992-1993 Season", 8/28/92).
-
- November 11-16. Energy Opportunities '92, Saratoga Springs, NY,
- USA. Contact Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, 23 Ames
- Street, Greenfield, MA 01301, phone +1-403-774-6051 (en.calendar,
- "11/16-18 NSEA Energy Opp Conf, NY", 9/8/92)
-
- November 16-17. Science Center NRW Annual Congress: Dialogue
- Between Environmental Managers and Conservationists, Bonn-Bad
- Godesberg, Germany. Contact Science Center NRW, Mr. Michael
- Henze, Reichsstrasse 45, D-4000 Dusseldorf 1, FRG, phone
- +49-211-370581, fax +49-211-370586.
-
- November 18-20. 4th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal
- Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Copenhagen,
- Denmark.
-
- November 23-27. Africa and Global Change, Niamey, Niger.
- Contact IGBP Executive Director, Prof. Thomas Roswall, IGBP
- Secretariat, The Royal Academy of Sciences, PO Box 50005, S-104
- 05 Stockholm, Sweden, fax: +46-8-166405.
-
- November 24. Agenda 21 in Action: An Invitation to Join in First
- Steps Toward a U.S. Sustainable Development Strategy, Washington,
- DC. Contact Global Tomorrow Coalition, 1325 G Street NW, Ste.
- 1010, Washington, DC 20005-3104, USA, phone +1-202-628-4106
- (en.unced.news, "US Citizens Network Newsletter #17", 10/16/92,
- response 5).
-
- November 30 - December 4. Third Technical Conference on
- Meteorological Research in Eastern & Southern Africa, Arusha,
- Tanzania. Contact W.S.M. Minja, Directorate of Meteorology, PO
- Box 3056, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (climate.news, "Tiempo Issue #6
- - September, 1992", 9/25/92, response 5)
-
- December 2-7. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. Contact
- Meetings, American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave. NW,
- Washington, DC 20009 USA, phone +1-202-462-6900, fax
- +1-202-328-0566.
-
- December 4-6. Canadian Peatlands Workshop, Calgary, Alberta,
- Canada. Contact Dale Vitt, Calgary, phone +1-403-492-3380 or
- Marie Ross, Ottawa, phone +1-613-991-5639 (climate.news, "DELTA
- Vol. 3, #2 - Fall 92", response 16).
-
- December 7-9. 10th Miami International Congress on Energy,
- Environment and Economics, Miami, Florida, USA. Contact Clean
- Energy Research Institute, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL.
-
- December 7-10, 1992. Sixth Session of the Intergovernmental
- Negotiating Committee for a Framework Convention on Climate
- Change, Geneva, Switzerland. Contact Mr. Michael Zammit Cutajar,
- Climate Change Secretariat, 16 Ave. Jean Trembley, 1209 Geneve,
- Switzerland, phone +41 22 798 5850, fax +41 22 788 3823
- (en.unced.news, "US Citizens Network Newsletter #17", 10/16/92,
- response 5).
-
- December 7-11. First International Conference of the African
- Meteorological Society on Recent Climate Anomalies, Nairobi,
- Kenya. Contact Mr. Stephen Njoroge, Chairman, Local Organizing
- Committee, PO Box 30259, Nairobi, Kenya (climate.news, "Tiempo
- Issue #6 - September, 1992", 9/25/92, response 5)
-
- December 7-11. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San
- Francisco, CA, USA. Contact Meetings, AGU, 2000 Florida Ave NW,
- Washington, DC 20009 USA, phone +1-202-462-6900, fax
- +1-202-328-0566.
-
- December 9. Is Climate Prediction Possible? (Royal
- Meteorological Society/Dynamical Problems Group), London, UK.
- Contact Dr PL Read, Hooke Institute, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks
- Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK; phone +44-865-272082
-
- December 15. Denver Solar Energy Association meeting: Video
- Night, Golden, CO. Contact Jay Stein, DSEA President, E-Cube
- Inc., 1900 Folsom #112, Boulder, CO 80302, phone 303-443-2610,
- email jaystein@igc.apc.org (en.energy, "DSEA 1992-1993 Season",
- 8/28/92).
-
- December 28-31. Symposium on Climate and Climate Change (in
- memory of Professor Yale Mintz), Jerusalem, Israel. Contact (1)
- Dr. J.R. Bates, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 911,
- Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 USA, phone +1-301-286-7482, fax
- +1-301-286-2717; (2) Dr. E.H. Steinberger, Department of
- Atmospheric Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904,
- Israel, phone +972-2-639926, fax 972-2-2-2-666804
-
- ** 1993 **
-
- January 11-16. Technical Conference on Tropical Urban Climates,
- Dhaka, Bangladesh. Contact Secretary-General, WMO, Case Postale
- 2300, CH-1211, Geneva 2, Switzerland (climate.news, "Tiempo Issue
- #6 - September, 1992", 9/25/92, response 5)
-
- January 17-22. American Meteorological Society Fourth Symposium
- on Global Change Studies, Anaheim, CA. Contact Dr. Eric J.
- Barron, Earth System Science Center, 248 Deike Building, Penn
- State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA, phone
- +1-814-865-1619, fax +1-814-865-3191.
-
- January 19. Denver Solar Energy Association meeting: Alternative
- Fuel Vehicles, Golden, CO. Contact Jay Stein, DSEA President,
- E-Cube Inc., 1900 Folsom #112, Boulder, CO 80302, phone
- 303-443-2610, email jaystein@igc.apc.org (en.energy, "DSEA
- 1992-1993 Season", 8/28/92).
-
- January 31 - February 4. 12th Annual Wind Energy Symposium of the
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Houston, Tex.
- Contact Susan Hock, Technical Chairman, NREL, 1617 Cole
- Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393, USA, phone +1-303-231-7650
- (en.energy, "--ASME Call for Wind Papers", 9/17/92)
-
- February 8-19. Coupled Climate Systems Modeling: A Southern
- Hemisphere Perspective, North Ryde, Australia. Contact Dr. Julia
- Porter, Climatic Impacts Centre, School of Earth Sciences,
- Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia, fax
- +61-2-805-8428.
-
- February 8-21. XVII International Grassland Congress, Palmerston
- North, New Zealand. Contact Bruce Campbell, DSIR Grasslands,
- Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand (climate.news,
- "Tiempo Issue #6 - September, 1992", 9/25/92, response 5)
-
- February 15-16. Climate Change Symposium XVII, Palmerston, New
- Zealand. Contact Agronomy Dept., Massey University, Palmerston
- North, New Zealand, fax +64-6-350-5614.
-
- February 16. Denver Solar Energy Association meeting:
- International Night, Golden, CO. Contact Jay Stein, DSEA
- President, E-Cube Inc., 1900 Folsom #112, Boulder, CO 80302,
- phone 303-443-2610, email jaystein@igc.apc.org (en.energy, "DSEA
- 1992-1993 Season", 8/28/92).
-
- March 3-6. Building Solutions - Uniting Excellence and
- Innovation, Boston, MA, USA. Contact Northeast Sustainable
- Energy Association, 23 Ames Street, Greenfield, MA 01301, phone
- +1-403-774-6051 (en.calendar,"3/3-6, 93 NSEA Building Conf.
- Bost", 9/8/92)
-
- March 16. Denver Solar Energy Association meeting: Utility
- Rebate Prorgams for Solar, Golden, CO. Contact Jay Stein, DSEA
- President, E-Cube Inc., 1900 Folsom #112, Boulder, CO 80302,
- phone 303-443-2610, email jaystein@igc.apc.org (en.energy, "DSEA
- 1992-1993 Season", 8/28/92).
-
- March 24-27. From Rio to the Capitols: State Strategies on
- Sustainable Economic Development, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
- Contact Diana Taylor, Conference Coordinator, Office of the
- Governor of Kentucky, phone +1-502-564-2611 or Karen
- Armstrong-Cummings, Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental
- Protection Cabinet, phone +1-502-564-7320 (cnu.information, "US
- Citizens Network Newsletter #15", 7/8/92, response 1)
-
- March 29-31. IEA Carbon Dioxide Symposium, University of Oxford,
- UK. Contact IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, Carbon Dioxide
- Symposium, CRE, Stoke Rochard, Cheltenham Glos, GL52 4RZ, UK.
-
- March 29 - April 2. Fourth International Conference on Southern
- Hemisphere Meteorology and Oceanography, Hobart, Australia.
- Contact (1) Dr. David Karoly, 41CSHMO, Centre for Dynamical
- Meteorology, Monash Univ, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia,
- phone +61-3-565-4413, fax +61-3-565-4403, email
- cdm@cyclone.maths.monash.edu.au; (2) Dr. Rick Rosen, Atmospheric
- Environmental Research Inc, 840 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA
- 02139, USA, phone +1-617-547-6207, fax +1-617-661-6479, email
- rdrorosen@aer.com (en.climate, "Upcoming Events", response 3)
-
-
- ******************************************************************
- Lelani Arris * Project Director
- EcoNet: larris * EcoNet Energy & Climate
- Internet/Fidonet: larris@igc.apc.org * Information Exchange
- BITNET: larris%igc.org@stanford * Box 1061
- Telephone: 403-852-4057 * Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0
- Fax: 403-852-5173 * Canada
- ******************************************************************
-