Shell Game: Oil Giant Pulls out of U.K. Wind Farm

clipped from blogs.wsj.com We’ve mentioned before the belief that high oil prices will inevitably spur more alternative energy. Royal Dutch Shell said it is pulling out of the “London Array,” which—if it ever gets built—will be one of the world’s largest wind farms. Shell’s departure leaves the other two partners, Germany’s E.On and Denmark’s DONG, holding the bag on an increasingly expensive and complex project The Times of London called the departure a “huge blow” to Britain’s ambitious plans to harness offshore wind to meet growing energy needs. The Guardian is harsher: Even though it isn’t clear if or when U.S. federal clean-energy subsidies will be renewed, European utilities are champing at the bit to enter the U.S. wind market.

Answers About Alternative Energy in New York City

clipped from cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com Following is a first set of answers from Carol E. Murphy, who is taking questions from City Room readers about alternative energy choices for consumers, what New York City is doing to decrease its reliance on fossil fuels and how city dwellers can decrease their “carbon footprint.” Readers are invited to submit additional questions using the comment form below. Is New York doing enough to promote solar? Incentives, research, tax breaks? New York is playing catch up with the rest of the nation when it comes to investment in and policies promoting solar energy. Gov. David A. Paterson’s Renewable Energy Task Force calls for a comprehensive program for solar photovoltaic and solar thermal (heating water for domestic use and space heating) with a goal of 100 megawatts of installed solar PV systems and 1,100 solar thermal systems across New York by 2011. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. , Audubon Ask About Alternative Energy

DOE Seeks to Invest up to $60 Million for Advanced Concentrating Solar Power Technologies

clipped from www.energy.gov U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Clarence “Bud” Albright today announced the issuance of the Solar Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for up to $60 million in funding over five years Increasing the use of solar energy is an important component of the Administration’s efforts to diversify our nation’s energy sources in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our energy security. The FOA makes funding available for projects from industry and academia that develop advanced thermal storage concepts and heat transfer fluids to further increase the efficiency of concentrating solar power plants Read more information on the President’s Solar America and Advanced Energy Initiatives and the Department of Energy’s commercialization efforts on the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's website. Financial Opportunities page or Grants.gov.