WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON POWER INITIATIVE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
March 27, 2015
FACT SHEET: The Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative

The United States is undergoing a rapid energy transformation, particularly in the power sector. Booming natural gas production, declining costs for renewable energy, increases in energy efficiency, flattening electricity demand, and updated clean air standards are changing the way electricity is generated and used across the country. These trends are producing cleaner air and healthier communities, and spurring new jobs and industries. At the same time, they are impacting workers and communities who have relied on the coal industry as a source of good jobs and economic prosperity, particularly in Appalachia, where competition with other coal basins provides additional pressure.

To help these communities adapt to the changing energy landscape and build a better future, the President’s FY 2016 Budget proposed the POWER+ Plan.  The POWER+ Plan invests in workers and jobs, addresses important legacy costs in coal country, and drives development of coal technology.

This year, the Administration will make a down payment on the POWER+ Plan by beginning implementation of a key part of the Plan - the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) initiative.  POWER will be a coordinated effort, involving multiple federal agencies, with the goal of effectively aligning, leveraging, and targeting a range of federal economic and workforce development programs and resources to assist communities negatively impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector. The POWER initiative will coordinate use of appropriated FY 2015 funds from a range of federal programs, while following the relevant statutory and regulatory requirements for each program.

The POWER initiative will award grants on two parallel tracks to partnerships anchored in impacted communities. These grants will help communities organize themselves to respond on behalf of affected workers and businesses, develop comprehensive strategic plans that chart their economic future, and execute coordinated economic and workforce development activities based on their strategic plans.  These activities will seek to: (1) diversify economies; (2) create jobs in new or existing industries; (3) attract new sources of job-creating investment; (4) and provide a range of workforce services and skills training, including work-based learning opportunities, resulting in industry-recognized credentials for high-quality, in-demand jobs.

These efforts in FY 2015 will lay the groundwork for a multi-year initiative with grants awarded in future years based on the availability of appropriations.  The President’s FY 2016 Budget includes over $55 million for economic and workforce development strategies across a number of federal programs, which would be used to continue and expand the POWER initiative after it begins this year.

POWER Funding and Administrative Structure

POWER will award grants using $28-$38 million in FY 2015 funds from the Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Labor (DOL), Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).  The grants will be designed to assist communities regardless of their different levels of capacity, planning and preparation.  A two-track grant-making process is described below, with an understanding that some communities will require some form of pre-planning technical assistance in order to effectively apply for either planning or implementation grants.

Track #1: Planning Grants

DOC and DOL will award planning grants to communities that have been or will be impacted by coal mining and coal power plant employment loss (or layoffs in the manufacturing or transportation logistics supply chains of either) and that do not have robust and/or recent comprehensive and integrated economic development strategic plans in place.  Grant funds would be available to help organize community stakeholders, analyze and inventory community assets, evaluate needs and resources, and develop comprehensive economic development strategic plans.  Grants would also go to State Workforce Agencies for in-depth labor market analysis and workforce development and dislocated worker planning connected with the provision of training and employment services.

Funding Sources:

DOC – Economic Development Administration (EDA), Assistance to Coal Communities, Economic Adjustment Assistance, and Partnership Planning
DOL – Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Dislocated Worker National Emergency Grants [1]
Track #2: Implementation Grants

DOC, DOL, SBA, and ARC will award implementation grants to communities that have been impacted by coal mining and coal power plant employment loss (or layoffs in the manufacturing or transportation logistics supply chains of either) and that have already done robust strategic planning.  Grants would support the implementation of linked economic and workforce development strategies to develop high-potential industry clusters, assist impacted communities to accelerate job creation by leveraging local assets, train and place workers in family-supporting, high-demand jobs (including Registered Apprenticeship and other on-the-job training models), and to create linkages that drive regional economic growth.

Funding Sources:

DOC -- EDA, Assistance to Coal Communities, Economic Adjustment Assistance, and Partnership Planning (up to $15 million total for both grant making tracks)
DOL – Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Dislocated Worker National Emergency Grants (up to $10-20 million total for both grant making tracks)
SBA, Regional Innovation Clusters and Growth Accelerators (up to $3 million combined[2])
ARC, Technical Assistance and Demonstration Projects (up to $500 thousand for applicants from its region)
The implementation grants will be awarded through a single POWER Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement that combines funding opportunities and activities and services from different programs and agencies but maintains the eligibility rules, permitted activities, and reporting requirements of the originating program and funding.  Partnerships will be encouraged to apply for more than one funding source where appropriate, but that will not be required.

Additional Federal Agency Participation

A number of other federal agencies will also participate in the POWER initiative by providing technical assistance and education and outreach to POWER partnerships, coordination with existing resources, and/or preference points for agency funding for applications from the partnerships.  The additional agencies will include:

USDA-Rural Business Cooperative Service
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Department of Energy
Department of Treasury, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund
DOC, SelectUSA
DOC, NIST-Manufacturing Extension Partnerships
Corporation for National and Community Service
Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Administration

EDA will be the administrative home for POWER given the economic development thrust of this initiative.  EDA will manage the joint FFO announcement and overall process of competitive solicitation, provide a single staff point of federal contact (with staffing assistance from other participating agencies when needed) for the selected partnerships, and coordinate cross-agency activities at the regional level that direct additional federal resources to impacted communities.  Grant selection, awards and execution will be managed by each authorized agency, with EDA playing a coordination role.

POWER Partnerships

Eligibility for applicants for POWER awards will be dictated by the sources of the funds.  Regardless of the primary applicant for Implementation Grants, POWER will encourage a broader partnership to participate, including (but not limited to) representatives from government, economic development organizations, workforce development boards, community and technical colleges, businesses, labor unions, and community groups.

Timeline

April/May, 2015: Track #1 POWER Planning Grant announcement issued

April/May, 2015:  Track #2 POWER Implementation Grant FFO issued

July/August, 2015: POWER Planning and Implementation Grant awards ready to announce


[1] The DOL-ETA will solicit applications for planning activities with implementation activities as part of the combined Implementation Grant FFO

[2] Regional Innovation Clusters funding will be $500,000 for the first year for one partnership, with an option to extend funding by another $2 million over the next four years.

SECRETARY KERRY'S STATEMENT ON SOLAR POWER FACILITY IN RWANDA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Launch of Solar Power Facility in Rwanda
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
February 18, 2015

I welcome the completion and launch of an 8.5 MW solar installation in Rwanda by Gigawatt Global. This is the first utility-scale solar project to come online under the U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Finance (ACEF) program, which is now an integral part of Power Africa. The project expands electricity generation capacity by more than 6 percent in a country where more than 80 percent of the people live without access to electricity, and is providing enough grid-connected power to supply 15,000 homes.

With continually decreasing costs, minimal maintenance, and no fuel costs, renewable energy makes more sense now than ever before, especially in remote settings.

Projects like Gigawatt Global's, realized with the support of the U.S. Department of State, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency through ACEF, underscore that the best path to energy access and economic development is also the sustainable path of clean energy.

SECRETARY KERRY MAKES REMARKS WITH UK FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Wind Technology Testing Center

Boston,, Massachusetts

October 9, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you very much. Thank you very, very much. Thank you. Good morning, everybody. First of all, there is nothing better than being home in Boston on a beautiful October day. The only thing that is missing, the Red Sox are not in the playoffs, not this time. Foreign Secretary Hammond, I want to share with you the four most important words in Boston sports are, “Just wait till next year.” (Laughter.) We’ll be back.

It’s very special for me to be back here for a lot of different reasons, and Deval, our superb governor, just hit on some of them. But since I’ve been privileged to be Secretary of State, I’ve now had occasion to travel and be either in the trail of or in the company of Deval Patrick. And we went to Panama together for the inauguration of the new president, and the reason Deval was there is he has been totally focused on jobs and opportunities for Massachusetts and for the United States, and he’s been a terrific ambassador in that cause. And I’m not at all surprised to hear that he has just come back from a clean energy conference in London, because as governor, he has made absolutely certain that Massachusetts is leading the way with respect to clean energy, future energy, renewable alternative, and together, with states like California, we really are setting the trend.

I might also point out the fact, which I’m very proud of as a Massachusetts citizen, that the governor has set the next big step of helping to move us forward by setting the goal for ending all reliance on conventional coal generation in the next four years, and that is something I don’t believe any other sitting governor in the United States has had the foresight to do. So Governor, thank you very, very much for that. (Applause.)

I also want to thank Massachusetts’s terrific Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Maeve Bartlett for her great work to help make Massachusetts more energy-efficient and the most energy-efficient state in the nation. As the governor just mentioned, not once, not twice, but for the third straight year in a row, we are leading the nation in energy efficiency, and I’m proud of that. I also want to brag on her brother for a minute. Those of you who don’t know it, but Maeve is the youngest sister of one of my oldest friends in politics and life, and a great citizen of our state, Tommy Vallely, and we will not hold that against you, Maeve. (Laughter.)

I want to also thank Alicia Barton, the CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and Rahul Yarala, executive director of the Wind Technology Testing Center, for showing us this remarkable facility here today. And most of all, I want to express a very warm Massachusetts welcome to our guest, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. We’re really happy to have you here today. We’re grateful for your leadership, and I’ll say a little more about that, but thanks so much for being with us here. And Mr. Ambassador, Madam Consul General, thank you for being here with us too.

It was in a time of war and a time of challenge when exactly 70 years ago this year, Sir Winston Churchill first talked about the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain. And his deep conviction expressed then that unless we always kept the United States and the United Kingdom together in that special relationship untold destruction would be the result. Well, seven decades later, our two countries are confronting real danger together, taking it on, stopping it, and ultimately, we will defeat it – not just on the battlefield against ISIL, but we’re also together confronting what is a “gathering storm” of this century. The gathering storm that Sir Winston also warned about. And there is no element of that gathering storm more critical than climate change.

Together, both of our countries recognize that never before has a threat like climate change found in its solution such a level of opportunity – the opportunity to unleash the clean-energy economy that will get us out of this mess but also take us forward towards a safer, more sustainable future.

Now I know that climate change to some people can just seem like a very distant, future prospect, maybe even a future challenge. That’s dangerous, falling prey to that perception, because it’s not. And it would be very dangerous to lull ourselves into believing that you can wait with respect to any of the things that we need to do to meet this challenge.

Climate change is already impacting the world in very real and significant ways. This past August was the hottest August the planet has ever seen in recorded history. And each year of the last ten years, a decade, has been measured as being hotter than the last with one or two variations of which year followed which, but as a decade the hottest in our recorded history.

There are now – right now – serious food shortages taking place in places like Central America because regions are battling the worst droughts in decades, not 100-year events in terms of floods, in terms of fires, in terms of droughts – 500-year events, something unheard of in our measurement of weather.

Scientists now predict that with glaciers and melting of the ice at the current rates, the sea could rise now a full meter in this century. A meter might not seem like a whole lot, but let me tell you, think about it just in terms of Boston. It would mean about $100 billion worth of damage to buildings, to emergency costs, and so on.

And thinking about climate change as some distant challenge is dangerous for other reasons too. We still have in our hands a window of opportunity to be able to make the difference. We don’t have to face a future in which we’re unable to talk about anything except adaptation or mitigation, already present in our planning. But the window is closing quickly. That’s not a threat; that’s a fact. If all of us around the world do not move to push back against the current trend line of what is happening in climate change, we will literally lose any chance of staving off this threat.

The good news is that we actually know exactly how to do it. This is not a challenge which has no solution. This is not a challenge that’s out of our reach. The solution is staring us in the face. It’s very simple: clean energy. The solution to climate change is energy policy. And the best news of all is that investing in clean-energy economy doesn’t just mitigate the impacts of climate change and make our communities cleaner and healthier. It actually also reinvigorates our economies and creates millions of good jobs around the world.

Let me just share with you something. We in Massachusetts ought to be particularly tuned into this. In the 1990s, America created more wealth than at any other time in our history, more even than the famous 1920s and ’30s, when people read about the history of the Carnegies and the Mellons and the Rockefellers and the Fricks and so forth. We created greater wealth in the 1990s in America than we did when we had no income tax in the 1920s.

And the truth is that that came about as a $1 trillion market with 1 billion users – remember the one for one – in technology, in personal computers, in communications. And guess what? Every single quintile of income earner in America saw their incomes go up. Everybody did better. Well, the energy market that we are looking at today, in a nation that doesn’t even have a national grid, a nation that has an east coast grid, a west coast grid, a Texas grid, and a line that goes from Chicago out into the west towards Dakotas – that’s it. We have a huge, gaping hole in the middle of America. We can’t take energy from solar thermal in the Four Corners down there by New Mexico and Colorado and California and bring it to the northeast where we need it. We can’t take energy from those wind farms of Minnesota or Wisconsin or Iowa and sell it south, or our wind ultimately from Cape Wind because we don’t have a transmission system.

Guess what? $1 billion of investment in infrastructure is somewhere between 27,000 and 35,000 jobs. And if we were to do what we know we need to do to build the energy future of this country, we’ll put millions of people to work, and here’s the kicker: The market we’re looking at is a $6 trillion market with four to five billion users today, climbing to a potential 9 billion users by the year 2050. It is literally the mother of all markets. Governor Patrick understands that. Massachusetts has understood that. But we have not yet been able to translate that into our national policy.

So once again, I’m proud Massachusetts is setting the trend. Massachusetts is leading by example. And that’s why many in the United States and the UK who are leading by example. And as the governor said, we’re a little behind them in terms of some of the things we ought to be doing, behind Europe in some respects. But in the United States we’re now targeting emissions from transportation and power sources, which are 60 percent of dangerous greenhouse gases. And at the same time, we bumped our solar energy production on a national basis by ten times and we’ve upped our wind energy production on a national basis by more than threefold thanks in large part to facilities just like this one.

So because of the steps that we’re now taking, we’re in a position to put twice as many people to work in the energy sector, nearly double the amount of people currently employed by oil and gas industry. This is the future. It’s already a $10 billion chunk of the Massachusetts economy and growing; 90,000 – almost 100,000 – people employed here in Massachusetts; 6,000 companies statewide are defining this future. And the Massachusetts wind testing center that we’re in now helps ensure that the global wind power industry is deploying the most effective land-based offshore wind turbine technologies to be used around the world.

This is global, what’s happening here, and that’s why Philip Hammond and I wanted to come here today, to underscore not just to Massachusetts but to America and to the world what these possibilities are. And the fact is that there is a lab not unlike this, a Narec blade testing facility in the United Kingdom city of Blyth. So we share this vision in very real ways.

I’d just say to all of you here that people need to feel the pressure from you. You all know what politics is about. I’m not in it now, but I’m dependent on it to help make the right decisions so that we move in the right direction. A clean energy future is not a fantasy. Changing course and avoiding the worst impacts of climate change is not a fantasy. And supporting healthier communities and ecosystems and driving economic growth and job creation – none of that is a fantasy. And for those people who still stand in the way, for those people who even still today want to try to question whether or not their science is effective or not, I’d just ask you – ask a simple question: If we’re wrong about this future, what’s the worst that could happen to us for making these choices?

The worst that could happen to us is we create a whole lot of new jobs, we kick our economies into gear, we have healthier people, healthier children because we have cleaner air, we live up to our environmental responsibility, we become truly energy independent, and our security is stronger and greater and sustainable as a result. That’s the worst that happens to us.

What happens if they’re wrong? (Applause.) If they’re wrong – catastrophe. Life as you know it on Earth ends. Seven degrees increase Fahrenheit, and we can’t sustain crops, water, life under those circumstances.

So I know, with Philip Hammond and I and President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron and a whole bunch of leaders around the world know, we need to go to Lima, Peru this year and we need to push forward on an agreement, and next year in Paris we need to reach an agreement where we live up to our responsibility to future generations and make all the difference in the world.

I am proud that we have a great colleague to help us in this fight, an individual who understands the security connection of this better than most because he just finished serving as the Secretary for Defense in Great Britain and was transferred into this role as the Foreign Secretary for Great Britain.

So will you please welcome a terrific partner, a great colleague in this endeavor, Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary of Great Britain. (Applause.)

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: Well, thank you, John, for that introduction, and one of the great things about having just been Secretary of State for Defense is that I’m quite used to speaking in aircraft hangars, which have vaguely similar acoustics to this room today. John, it’s a huge privilege to be here, to be invited to visit your hometown. Thank you for that. Thank you for the things that you’ve shown me today. And thank you to our hosts for hosting this event in this world class facility. It’s a fascinating snapshot of the degree of global collaboration that is going on as the green energy business develops on a worldwide basis.

I know that we’re looking at a facility here that is testing blades made in Europe, in China, in Brazil, as well as in North America. And nothing could more encapsulate the global nature of the challenge and the global nature of the response to that challenge. This is a city with a worldwide reputation not only as a seat of learning, but also as a hub for cutting-edge technology, and it’s been a great pleasure to see some of that here today.

Those of you who are working in the low-carbon energy sector know that you are generating jobs and investment for the long term. But above all, you know that you’re in the front line in the battle against climate change. Secretary Kerry, the governor, and I are in complete agreement that this is a battle that we have to win for the sake of our long-term security. When we think about keeping our nation safe, we have to plan for the worst-case scenarios, and Secretary Kerry just spelled out in very, very graphic terms how that equation works. We have to take the precautionary principle, we have to plan for the worst possible outcome, and we have to protect future generations from the impacts of those.

In the case of unchecked climate change, even the most likely scenario could have catastrophic consequences: a rise in global temperature similar to the difference between the last ice age and today, leading to rising sea levels, huge movements of people fueling conflict and instability around the world, pressure on resources, and a multitude of new risks to global public health. The worst case is even more severe: a drastic change in our environment that could see heat stress in some areas surpass the limits of human tolerance, leaving as the legacy of our generation an unimaginably different and more dangerous world for our children and our grandchildren.

So we have to act on climate change, but by doing so we will not just protect the future from the worst effects of climate change; we will bring tangible benefits to our people here and now. We’ll get cleaner air, more efficient transport, better cities, better health. And more than that, the technological transformation that is required will provide a greater stimulus than the space program did 50 years ago, generating massive new opportunities for innovation, jobs, and economic growth.

For too long this debate has been dominated by purists and idealists, people who are happy with the notion that we would have to sacrifice economic growth to meet the climate challenge. I think you’ve heard from all three of us on this platform this morning that we reject that choice. We do not accept that we have to choose between our prosperity and the future of our planet. Indeed, we are demonstrating across the world – here in Massachusetts, in the UK – we are demonstrating that the response to climate change can be a generator of economic growth, innovation, and quality jobs.

In the UK, 92 percent of business leaders think that green growth is an opportunity for their own businesses. Demand for green goods and services is growing faster both here and in Europe than the general economy is growing. Globally, as Secretary Kerry has said, the green economy will be worth over $6 trillion by 2030, and it’s expanding all the time.

But the full range of benefits is beyond our ability to estimate. The dividends of technology are often unpredicted and unpredictable. The potential is immense. And by seizing the initiative now, we can take first-mover advantage.

Moreover, in addition to creating jobs and growth, embracing green technology increases our energy security. At a time of international turbulence, this is an advantage we should not underestimate. And we in Europe, facing Russian energy bullying on a grand scale as we approach the winter, understand that better than most people. ISIL’s assault on Iraq poses another serious threat to our energy security, which could have knock-on effects in global energy markets and the prices that we pay at the pump.

Here in the U.S., the shale revolution has eased worries about dependence on overseas oil and gas, and in the UK we are committed to exploiting the potential of shale as part of our energy mix. But over the longer term, renewable energy sources, like those being developed and tested here, will be critical to reducing our vulnerability to energy supply shocks.

So the benefits of addressing climate change are multiple, but it will not happen by itself. It requires leadership, leadership that is now, some would say, at last beginning to take shape. Britain is leading by enacting into our domestic law the most demanding emissions targets in the industrialized world. We’ve already reduced emissions by more than a quarter, putting us on track for an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050. We have the world’s leading carbon-trading center in London, and we’ve established the world’s first green investment bank.

Here on this side of the Atlantic, Boston is leading with its innovative technology. Northeastern states collectively are leading with their Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Other states, from Iowa to Texas to California, are leading in their separate ways. And John, if I may say so, you are leading with your tireless diplomacy on this issue.

The U.S. has begun to take on the leadership role, which, as the world’s biggest economy, is essential if we are going to make progress globally. And there are signs that these efforts are inspiring others to follow, with positive steps from China, from India, from Brazil. This is a momentum that we have to harness and increase if we are to secure an effective global climate deal in Paris next year. And I look forward to working with Secretary Kerry and our partners in the European Union in order to bring that about.

But it isn’t just about governments and diplomacy. Scientists and universities are shaping the debate. Ordinary people and civil society are helping to keep this issue in the spotlight through actions like the Climate March a few weeks ago, but also through their own individual choices as consumers, which in turn drives the vital role that businesses have to play, shaping their investment, channeling innovation to support the fight against climate change.

Both here and – in the U.S. and in the UK, business is at the heart of our approach. We will get this job done by going with the grain, by using the power of the market, by creating the necessary incentives and structures to mobilize the creativity of private businesses to respond to the challenges of climate change. It is a complex task, but as Secretary Kerry said, it is not rocket science; it is something that we know how to do, we just have to put our shoulders to the wheel and get it done.

Fifty years ago, the U.S. showed us how a strategic challenge – putting a man on the moon – could guarantee innovation through economy-transforming investments. Today, we have an opportunity to do that again in response to the challenge of climate change. If we are to achieve our common goal of limiting climate to two degrees Celsius, we need everyone to play their part. It is clear that we have no time to lose.

Secretary Kerry just repeated his oft-repeated remark, that the window of time is still open for us to be able to manage this threat. But as he, himself, observed, that window is fast beginning to close.

To counter the threat and to seize the opportunity that rising to the challenge of climate change represents we have to act now. And by acting now, we will not only maximize our changes of avoiding catastrophic climate change, we will increase our resilience and create huge new opportunities for growth and innovation in all our economies. That is what I call a true win-win situation. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

NSF ON WALKING FOR ENERGY

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Walking can recharge the spirit, but what about our phones?

Device captures energy from walking to recharge wireless gadgets
Smartphones, tablets, e-readers, not to mention wearable health and fitness trackers, smart glasses and navigation devices--today's population is more plugged in than ever before.

But our reliance on devices is not problem-free:

Wireless gadgets require regular recharging. While we may think we've cut the cord, we remain reliant on outlets and charging stations to keep our devices up and running.
According to a 2009 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), consumer electronics and information and communication technologies currently account for nearly 15 percent of global residential electricity consumption. What's more, the IEA expects energy consumptions by these devices to double by 2022 and to triple by 2030--thereby slowly but surely adding to the burden on our power infrastructure.
With support from the National Science Foundation, a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology may have a solution to both problems: They're developing a new, portable, clean energy source that could change the way we power mobile electronics: human motion.

Led by material scientist Zhong Lin Wang, the team has created a backpack that captures mechanical energy from the natural vibration of human walking and converts it into electrical energy. This technology could revolutionize the way we charge small electronic devices, and thereby reduce the burden of these devices on non-renewable power sources and untether users from fixed charging stations.

Smaller, lighter, more energy efficient

Wearable generators that convert energy from the body's mechanical potential into electricity are not new, but traditional technologies rely on bulky or fragile materials. By contrast, Wang's backpack contains a device made from thin, lightweight plastic sheets, interlocked in a rhombic grid. (Think of the collapsible cardboard containers that separate a six pack of fancy soda bottles.)

As the wearer walks, the rhythmic movement that occurs as his/her weight shifts from side to side causes the inside surfaces of the plastic sheets to touch and then separate, touch and then separate. The periodic contact and separation drives electrons back and forth, producing an alternating electric current. This process, known as the triboelectrification effect, also underlies static electricity, a phenomenon familiar to anyone who has ever pulled a freshly laundered fleece jacket over his or her head in January.

But the key to Wang's technology is the addition of highly charged nanomaterials that maximize the contact between the two surfaces, pumping up the energy output of what Wang calls the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG).

"The TENG is as efficient as the best electromagnetic generator, and is lighter and smaller than any other electric generators for mechanical energy conversion," says Wang. "The efficiency will only improve with the invention of new advanced materials."

Charging on the go

In the laboratory, Wang's team showed that natural human walking with a load of 2 kilograms, about the weight of a 2-liter bottle of soda, generated enough power to simultaneously light more than 40 commercial LEDs (which are the most efficient lights available).

Wang says that the maximum power output depends on the density of the surface electrostatic charge, but that the backpack will likely be able to generate between 2 and 5 watts of energy as the wearer walks--enough to charge a cell phone or other small electronic device.

The researchers anticipate that this will be welcome news to outdoor enthusiasts, field engineers, military personnel and emergency responders who work in remote areas.

As far as Wang and his colleagues are concerned however, human motion is only one potential source for clean and renewable energy. In 2013, the team demonstrated that it was possible to use TENGs to extract energy from ocean waves.

The research report, "Harvesting Energy from the Natural Vibration of Human Walking", was published in the journal ACS Nano on November 1, 2013.

-- Valerie Thompson, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow
Investigators
Zhong Wang
Related Institutions/Organizations
Georgia Tech Research Corporation

WINDMILL ENERGY COMPANY RECEIVES SENTENCE FOR KILLING BIRDS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, November 22, 2013
Utility Company Sentenced in Wyoming for Killing Protected Birds at Wind Projects

Duke Energy Renewables Inc., a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp., based in Charlotte, N.C., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wyoming today to violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in connection with the deaths of protected birds, including golden eagles, at two of the company’s wind projects in Wyoming.   This case represents the first ever criminal enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for unpermitted avian takings at wind projects.

Under a plea agreement with the government, the company was sentenced to pay fines, restitution and community service totaling $1 million and was placed on probation for five years, during which it must implement an environmental compliance plan aimed at preventing bird deaths at the company’s four commercial wind projects in the state.   The company is also required to apply for an Eagle Take Permit which, if granted, will provide a framework for minimizing and mitigating the deaths of golden eagles at the wind projects.

The charges stem from the discovery of 14 golden eagles and 149 other protected birds, including hawks, blackbirds, larks, wrens and sparrows by the company at its “Campbell Hill” and “Top of the World” wind projects in Converse County between 2009 and 2013.   The two wind projects are comprised of 176 large wind turbines sited on private agricultural land.

According to the charges and other information presented in court, Duke Energy Renewables Inc. failed to make all reasonable efforts to build the projects in a way that would avoid the risk of avian deaths by collision with turbine blades, despite prior warnings about this issue from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).   However, the company cooperated with the USFWS investigation and has already implemented measures aimed at minimizing avian deaths at the sites.

“This case represents the first criminal conviction under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for unlawful avian takings at wind projects,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “In this plea agreement, Duke Energy Renewables acknowledges that it constructed these wind projects in a manner it knew beforehand would likely result in avian deaths. To its credit, once the projects came on line and began causing avian deaths, Duke took steps to minimize the hazard, and with this plea agreement has committed to an extensive compliance plan to minimize bird deaths at its Wyoming facilities and to devote resources to eagle preservation and rehabilitation efforts.”

“The Service works cooperatively with companies that make all reasonable efforts to avoid killing migratory birds during design, construction and operation of industrial facilities,” said William Woody, Assistant Director for Law Enforcement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.   “But we will continue to investigate and refer for prosecution cases in which companies - in any sector, including the wind industry - fail to comply with the laws that protect the public’s wildlife resources.”

More than 1,000 species of birds, including bald and golden eagles, are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).   The MBTA, enacted in 1918, implements this country’s commitments under avian protection treaties with Great Britain (for Canada), Mexico, Japan and Russia.  The MBTA provides a misdemeanor criminal sanction for the unpermitted taking of a listed species by any means and in any manner, regardless of fault.  The maximum penalty for an unpermitted corporate taking under the MBTA is $15,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, and five years’ probation.

According to papers filed with the court, commercial wind power projects can cause the deaths of federally protected birds in four primary ways: collision with wind turbines, collision with associated meteorological towers, collision with, or electrocution by, associated electrical power facilities, and nest abandonment or behavior avoidance from habitat modification.   Collision and electrocution risks from power lines (collisions and electrocutions) and guyed structures (collision) have been known to the utility and communication industries for decades, and specific methods of minimizing and avoiding the risks have been developed, in conjunction with the USFWS. The USFWS issued its first interim guidance about how wind project developers could avoid impacts to wildlife from wind turbines in 2003, and replaced these with a “tiered” approach outlined in the Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines (2012 LBWEGs), developed with the wind industry starting in 2007 and released in final form by the USFWS on March 23, 2012.   The Service also released Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance in April 2013 and strongly recommends that companies planning or operating wind power facilities in areas where eagles occur work with the agency to implement that guidance completely.

For wind projects, due diligence during the pre-construction stage—as described in the 2003 Interim Guidelines and tiers I through III in the 2012 LBWEGs—by surveying the wildlife present in the proposed project area, consulting with agency professionals, determining whether the risk to wildlife is too high to justify proceeding and, if not, carefully siting turbines so as to avoid and minimize the risk as much as possible, is critically important because, unlike electric distribution equipment and guyed towers, at the present time, no post-construction remedies, except “curtailment” (i.e., shut-down), have been developed that can “render safe” a wind turbine placed in a location of high avian collision risk.   Other experimental measures to reduce prey, detect and deter avian proximity to turbines are being tested.   In the western United States, golden eagles may be particularly susceptible to wind turbine blade collision by wind power facilities constructed in areas of high eagle use.

The $400,000 fine imposed in the case will be directed to the federally-administered North American Wetlands Conservation Fund.   The company will also pay $100,000 in restitution to the State of Wyoming, and perform community service by making a $160,000 payment to the congressionally-chartered National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, designated for projects aimed at preserving golden eagles and increasing the understanding of ways to minimize and monitor interactions between eagles and commercial wind power facilities, as well as enhance eagle rehabilitation and conservation efforts in Wyoming.   Duke Energy Renewables is also required to contribute $340,000 to a conservation fund for the purchase of land, or conservation easements on land, in Wyoming containing high-use golden eagle habitat, which will be preserved and managed for the benefit of that species.   The company must implement a migratory bird compliance plan containing specific measures to avoid and minimize golden eagle and other avian wildlife mortalities at company’s four commercial wind projects in Wyoming.

According to papers filed with the court, Duke Energy Renewables will spend approximately $600,000 per year implementing the compliance plan.   Within 24 months, the company must also apply to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a Programmatic Eagle Take Permit at each of the two wind projects cited in the case.  

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and prosecuted by Senior Counsel Robert S. Anderson of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Conder of the District of Wyoming.

SECRETARY SALAZAR'S REMARKS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY ON PUBLIC LANDS

Secretary Of Interior Ken Salazar

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
Secretary Salazar: Renewable Energy on Public Lands and Waters Making Rapid Advances
Looming sequester threatens to slow progress on permitting

BOSTON – The Obama Administration’s renewable energy program has authorized dozens of renewable energy projects on public lands and will hold the first-ever auctions for commercial wind development in the Atlantic this year, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told offshore wind stakeholders at a conference in Boston today. Salazar noted that the rapid progress – as well as conventional oil and gas development on federal lands and waters – could be stymied by potential cuts under sequestration.

"We have made impressive gains, approving dozens of utility-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects in the West and transitioning from planning to commercial leasing for offshore wind," Salazar told about 300 industry leaders in a keynote address at the Offshore Wind Power USA Conference. "The potentially devastating impact of budget reductions under sequestration could slow our economy and hurt energy sector workers and businesses."

Salazar said he elevated renewable energy development to a departmental priority and Interior worked with industry, state, tribal and local partners to approve 34 projects on public lands in western states and to build an offshore regulatory framework in the Atlantic. The 18 utility-scale solar facilities, 7 commercial wind farms and 9 geothermal plants Interior green-lighted onshore would provide 10,400 megawatts when built, enough to power 3.4 million homes. The developers estimate that these projects would support 13,000 construction and operations jobs.

Mandatory budget cuts under sequestration, however, could delay Interior’s ability to issue permits for new development, plan for new projects, conduct environmental reviews and lease new federal lands for future development – both for renewable and conventional energy. Delays in offshore oil and gas permitting in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, could affect more than 500 exploration plans and development documents that are anticipated for review this year.

Onshore, nearly 300 oil and gas leases issued for public land in western states could be threatened under sequestration, delaying prospective production and deferring payments to the states and the U.S. Treasury. Delays in coal leasing could defer $50-60 millions of dollars in revenue sharing among states and the Treasury. Sequestration could have serious consequences for the emerging domestic renewable energy industry. The cuts would mean fewer studies, fewer opportunities to obtain meaningful stakeholder input, and delays in identification of potential use conflicts. The result could be a slower pace in identifying and leasing wind energy areas in federal waters, adversely impacting Interior’s ability to address offshore renewable energy management in a timely manner.

Under a ‘Smart-from-the-Start’ strategy, Interior has identified six Wind Energy Areas along the Atlantic coast that contain the greatest wind potential and fewest conflicts with competing uses. Interior has already issued two non-competitive commercial wind leases, one off Massachusetts and another off Delaware, and is moving forward with the first-ever competitive lease sales for Wind Energy Areas off Virginia and Rhode Island/Massachusetts, which will offer nearly 278,000 acres for development. The areas proposed could support more than 4,000 megawatts of wind generation – enough electricity to power 1.4 million homes. Salazar also signed a lease and approved a Construction and Operations Plan for the 130-turbine Cape Wind project, the first commercial wind development slated for federal offshore waters.

Calling 2013 a pivotal year for the industry, Salazar said Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will propose additional commercial lease sales this year for Wind Energy Areas offshore New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts and is working to determine industry interest in three areas off North Carolina. BOEM also is processing a lease request from a company with Department of Energy funding to develop cutting-edge floating wind turbines in federal waters off Maine. Other demonstration projects are proposed off Virginia and Oregon.

In addition, BOEM is considering a mid-Atlantic wind energy transmission line that would 7,000 megawatts of wind turbine capacity to the grid. This Atlantic Wind Connection would run from southern Virginia to northern New Jersey, collecting power produced by wind facilities off New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and bringing it ashore.

TIGER 2.0: THE BATTLEFIELD GARBAGE-TO-ENERGY MACHINE

TGER 2.0 is a deployable machine tactically designed to convert military field waste into immediate usable energy for forward operating bases. It could also prove beneficial in commercial areas such as oil and mining operations, camp sites, hospitals, mess halls and post-natural disaster events like Hurricane Katrina or Superstorm Sandy

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 'ARMED WITH SCIENCE'

by jtozer
Army Scientists Improve Garbage-to-energy Prototype

The year was 2008 and the on-going war in Iraq was a dangerous landscape for soldiers on the ground. Especially for convoys traveling to and from base camps.

Roadside bombs and enemy ambushes were frequent occurrences for U.S. Armed Forces transporting fuel, a risk that may be reduced if camps are equipped with a Tactical Garbage to Energy Refinery prototype.

"If you’re a forward-operating base, you don’t want a local contractor coming in to haul your garbage out because you don’t know if they’re good guys or bad guys," said Dr. James Valdes, a senior technologist at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. "You also don’t want to be hauling fuel in because those convoys are targets and risk the lives of soldiers and contractors."

For 90 days, Camp Victory in Baghdad was home to the first two TGER prototypes, a deployable machine tactically designed to convert military field waste into immediate usable energy for forward operating bases.

The biorefinery system is a trailer-mounted hybrid technology that can support a 550-person unit that generates about 2,500 pounds of trash per day, and converts roughly a ton of that garbage–paper, plastic, packaging and food waste—into electricity via a standard 60-kilowatt diesel generator.

"We picked a forward operating base in Iraq because we wanted to really stress the system. All other energy systems had been tested in laboratories or under ideal conditions and temperature climates. What we really wanted to do was stress it with heat, sand and real world trash in a low infrastructure environment," Valdes said.
"You know that old Chinese saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for, you might get it’? Well, we got it," We learned an awful lot over there about what works, what doesn’t work and what’ll break."
As ECBC project director for TGER, Valdes is responsible for leading a team that has successfully implemented the necessary re-engineering of the new prototype, TGER 2.0. Among them is an automated interface that uses a touch-screen panel, which makes it easier for workers to input information and monitor every part of the machine, from oxygen levels in the gasifier-to-ethanol production and power output.

What used to take three technicians to operate the machine now takes two people: one person to feed the garbage and another person to monitor the progress. But Valdes hopes that as the prototypes advance, TGER could eventually be used by one technician or soldier.

One of ECBC’s most valuable lessons learned while the TGER was deployed in Iraq was the realization that the downdraft gasifier had a tendency to get clogged if there was too much plastic in the fuel pellets. Additionally, a large percentage of the synthetic gas was inert and could not be used as viable fuel. To fix the problem, Valdes’ team developed a horizontal gasifier with an auger device that rotates the trash, eliminating the mechanical step of pelletizing the trash.

The TGER 2.0 prototype also enables steam to be injected into the gasifier, which allows a larger conversion of output gas to become energetic. According to Valdes, the old system produced 155 BTUs (British Thermal Unit)/cubic foot of gas, whereas the new TGER 2.0 prototype produces 550, more than tripling the amount of usable energy.
Also, TGER 2.0 is environmentally friendly with its zero-carbon footprint.
"We think of garbage in terms of volume, not weight. There are things that take up a lot of space in landfills but they don’t weigh much, like Styrofoam. TGER reduces the volume of waste in 30 to one ratio. If you start off with 30 cubic yards of trash, you end up with one cubic yard of ash, and that ash has been tested by the Environmental Protection Agency. They call it a benign soil additive. You could actually throw it on your roses," Valdes said.

The advanced prototype was shipped back to the manufacturer for modifications after undergoing a final field trial on Sept. 20 here, where the green technology was tested to see how long it could run at the highest levels of garbage input before breaking down.

Within two hours of powering on, TGER 2.0 can make synthetic gas that enables a generator to be run on about ¾ power.

Within 12 hours, alcohol is produced and blended with the synthetic gas to run on full power at a steady state if the machine is continually fed.

One of the innovations Valdes said he would like to capitalize on is recapturing the excess heat that the machine produces with a heat exchanger that can apply the energy to field sanitation and heating water. The new TGER prototype could also be transitioned into the commercial sector, Valdes said.

"Longer term, we will be talking to project managers about transitioning it but we’ll also be talking to some companies that do things like support oil and gas operations in places such as Mongolia and parts of the world that are difficult to have camps in," Valdes said.

Oil and mining operations, camp sites, hospitals, mess halls and even post-natural disaster events like Hurricane Katrina are just a few of the places the green technology could prove beneficial.

ECBC and contracting firm SAIC recently entered into a cooperative research and development agreement–an agreement between a government agency and a private company–to speed the commercialization of the technology.

"It’s really geared for where there’s a concentration of people and there’s a need to get rid of garbage and make energy. If an oil exploration company is out in Mongolia, they’ve got a lot of people there. Those camps can be as big as 10,000 people," he said.

"TGER is geared toward a smaller base camp but industrial operations start off small and build up. They still have to get rid of garbage and they have to somehow get energy in. So what they’re looking for is ways to get rid of the trash and generate power. If you think about it, there are far more commercial opportunities for TGER than there are Army applications."

ECBC and defense contractor SAIC are also working with the TGER Technologies, Inc., Defense Life Sciences LLC and Purdue University.

By Ms. Kristen Dalton (RDECOM)

RENEWABLE ENERGY COMMITMENT AND THE SERVICE

Photo Credit:  Wikipedia.
FROM AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
Service Officials Affirm Commitment to Renewable Energy
By Amaani Lyle
WASHINGTON, June 13, 2012 - Army and Air Force senior leaders said they remain confident that industry partnerships will help develop large-scale renewable energy projects on the services' posts and installations.

During the Joint U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Industry Day yesterday, Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment, and Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, explored ways to leverage private sector capital in pursuit of cost-effective energy security strategies.

Ideas range from alternative fuel research and development, rooftop solar panels, and power-generating wind turbines, according to Hammock and Yonkers.
Hammack said behavioral changes and efficiency measures such as smart grid technology can reduce base and installation electrical loads.

"We hope to get energy security, and access to secure reliable uninterrupted power on posts and installations and do it at a lower cost," she said.

"It all adds up to overall energy security on our installations and the reduced cost of doing business -- that's really the focus," Yonkers said. "It's a pragmatic, practical approach to energy security, economic security and diversifying our portfolio."

As the cost of alternative and biofuels decreases over time, service officials said they also want to strengthen domestic capabilities by upping purchasing power for tactical and non-tactical operations.

"We are ... ready and willing to purchase about 2 billion gallons of [alternative and biofuels] on an annual basis," Yonkers said.

Yonkers and Hammack said they will continue dialogue with industry to ensure policies and procedures are as transparent and predictable as possible.

While officials assert the Army's and Air Force's overall goal of developing 1 gigawatt, equivalent to 1 billion watts, of renewable power on their installations by 2025, is attainable, costs could run has high as $7-8 billion per gigawatt, leaving the DOD to rely heavily on third-party investors to overcome technical challenges, build renewable energy capacity, and strengthen energy security, Yonkers and Hammack said.

NAVY'S ENERGY PARTNERSHIP WITH CALIFORNIA

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Navy, California Officials Meet to Advance Energy Partnership Goals
From Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Representatives from California government and industry met with Navy energy leadership April 25 to discuss important energy issues, mutual challenges, and ideas on how to ensure sufficient, secure and affordable energy in the future.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment Jackalyne Pfannenstiel kicked off a two-day "Smart Power Partnership Initiative" (SPPI) stakeholder summit that set forth the Navy's vision to develop regional smart grids capable of sharing power and responding quickly to grid outages and load curtailment events.

"We are seeking win-win scenarios with California through proactive efforts in which the Navy can ensure continuity of critical missions and participate in cost-incentives programs while simultaneously helping California meet load demands reliably during peak events and emergencies," said Pfannenstiel.

Leaders from the California Energy Commission, California Office of the Governor, California Public Utilities Commission, California Independent System Operator, Western Area Power Administration, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric participated with Navy officials in presentations and panel discussions on such issues as demand response, transmission planning, energy security, renewable energy, and associated regulatory requirements.

The Navy's flagship Smart Power Partnership Initiative is aimed at leveraging existing and planned energy investments inside installation fence lines, such as smart meters, and enhancing partnerships with energy suppliers and regulators. The initiative also explores how these investments can enable the Department of the Navy (DON) to reduce its electricity purchase costs and foster cost-effective renewable energy production at Navy and Marine Corps installations. Cost savings will come largely from aggregating the loads across installations and participation in significant utility demand response programs, in emergencies or to reduce costs.

"While our effort is long-term, proactive and strategic, the ongoing challenges with the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station highlight the importance of efforts we are piloting with SPPI," Pfannenstiel said.

The smart power initiative is currently being piloted among San Diego-area Navy and Marine Corps installations. Initial findings are expected this summer, and will be used to validate the concept and potentially export it to other large Navy and Marine Corps base areas.

In March, DON and San Diego Gas and Electric capitalized on a Navy-wide security exercise to test the ability of San Diego Navy and Marine Corps installations to reduce electrical consumption during an electricity curtailment period.

The Department of Navy's Energy Program requires the Navy to improve energy efficiency and increased use of alternative energy. Together, these strategies increase combat capability, reduce overall dependence on petroleum, and mitigate the risks posed by vulnerable energy supplies.

Also, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus established a 1 GW Task Force to assess and select renewable energy projects that will achieve DON's goal of producing or procuring 1 GW of renewable energy on or adjacent to Navy and Marine Corps installations. The 1 GW Task Force will work to achieve this goal at no additional cost to the taxpayer by using existing third-party financing mechanisms such as power purchase agreements (PPAs),joint ventures (JVs), enhanced use leases (EULs), utility energy savings contracts (UESCs), and energy saving performance contracts (ESPCs).

The 1 GW initiative continues progress toward the broadest of SECNAV's five energy goals: that by no later than 2020, at least half of all Navy energy consumption, afloat and ashore, would come from alternative sources.

DOD, NAVY, TEXAS WIND GROUP, SIGN AGREEMENT OF A MUTUAL APPROACH FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY

FROM:  U.S. NAVY

By Kenneth Hess, Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division Public Affairs

NAVAL AIR STATION (NAS) KINGSVILLE, Texas (NNS) -- The Navy released today a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by officials from the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of the Navy and Texas Wind Group (TWG) that outlines a mutual approach to enable a renewable energy developer to build and operate wind turbines at planned locations in Kleberg County, Texas, while reducing the potential for those turbines to affect flight operations at NAS Kingsville.

"Sustaining military readiness is the number one priority of everyone in the Navy chain of command," said Capt. Mark McLaughlin, commanding officer of NAS Kingsville. "This agreement helps preserve NAS Kingsville's capability to train naval aviators, while enabling the compatible development of new energy sources."

Signing for DoD was David Belote, director of the DoD Energy Siting Clearinghouse. Signing for the Navy were Roger Natsuhara, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment; John Quinn, acting director of the Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division; Vice Adm. William French, commander, Navy Installations Command; Rear Adm. John Scorby, commander, Navy Region Southeast; Capt. Douglas Edgecomb, commanding officer, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, and McLaughlin. Dru Steubing signed on behalf of Texas Wind Group Managing.

"The Navy recognizes the strategic and fiscal importance of developing domestic sources of energy for use both ashore and at sea," said Quinn. "As we develop new sources of energy, it is critical that we not create a new problem as we solve another. This agreement with the Texas Wind Group is proof that when energy developers and the military work together, it is possible to achieve a win-win for both national security and energy security. This agreement allows the military mission and alternative energy production to co-exist in South Texas, and may pave the way for similar agreements elsewhere."

TWG's Riviera I wind farm project will be comprised of 83 turbines between nine and 11.5 nautical miles south of NAS Kingsville's radars and navigation aids. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the turbines has the potential to impact those systems. However, the MOA describes technical solutions for this, such as connecting NAS Kingsville's air surveillance radar system with the radar at Corpus Christi International Airport and optimizing radars to "ignore" signals received from wind turbines. TWG will contribute $500,000 to help pay for these technical upgrades to Navy radar systems. Under the MOA, TWG also agreed to reposition certain turbines that would have caused interference with the Kingsville precision approach radar. TWG also agreed to temporarily curtail the operation of certain turbines if the precision approach radar is negatively affected.

"The Texas Wind Group is delighted to be the first wind energy company to finalize an agreement of this type with the Navy," said Steubing. "We are fully committed to protecting the capability of our nation's military, and we appreciate the opportunity to work with the Navy to make our development compatible with the Navy mission in South Texas."

The Navy and the Department of Defense will continue working closely with renewable energy developers and local communities in South Texas to ensure local wind turbine projects can coexist with the Navy mission.