Recently in North Carolina Category

From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

NOAA scientists have teamed up with experts from the University of Maryland and North Carolina State University to form the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites. The new institute will use satellite observations to detect, monitor and forecast climate change, and its impact on the environment, including ecosystems.

"To help us understand climate change, we have to find ways to best leverage all of our available resources, including the information we get from satellites," said Mary Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Science. "Bringing together some of the best minds to study satellite imagery and data will shed more light on how our climate is changing."

The institute will have two centers - one in College Park, Md., adjacent to the site of the planned NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, and the other at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.

The Institute for Emerging Issues' Business Committee on Energy has made two recommendations to North Carolina governor Beverly Perdue and the North Carolina General Assembly. The two recommendations were made to "ensure an energy future that enhances North Carolina's short-term and long-term economic competitiveness and maximize the number of green jobs created and retained in our state." The two recommendations are as follows:

• North Carolina needs energy leadership with authority and a clear mission statement for the state. This requires: a) appointment of an executive level energy official in the Governor's office; b) development and implementation of a comprehensive energy strategy; c) reform of the existing Energy Policy Council; d) redesign and relocation of the State Energy Office.

• North Carolina must coordinate the actions of state government in order to resolve policy and regulatory conflicts that impede development of North Carolina's green economy

Members of the committee include investor owned utility companies, renewable source companies, large industrial consumers of energy, and private capital investors. The two-page document can be found here.

The Biofuels Center of North Carolina is giving the emerging biofuels sector in the state a $2.77 million boost. The Center received 49 grant applications totaling almost $7.2 million in requests for funding on 15 January 2008 in response to the Center's request for proposals (RFP). The Center, which is tasked by the General Assembly with developing a biofuels sector in North Carolina, sets aside more than half its annual budget for grants to accelerate the technologies and feedstocks needed for a statewide biofuels industry to be successful. This grant cycle was narrowly focused on connecting feedstocks with conversion technologies. Read the full press release here.

North Carolina State University will be home to a new national research center aimed "to revolutionize the nation's power grid and speed renewable electric-energy technologies into every home and business." The NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems is focused on developing technology for transforming the nation's electric power grid into a "smart grid" that will "easily store and distribute energy produced from solar panels, wind farms, fuel cells and other energy sources." The center will begin operations immediately with support from over 60 private companies involved in electricity production. More information about the center can be found at the FREEDM Center website and the NC State press release.

A recent report from Forbes magazine ranks the top five states for alternative energy in the categories of wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. Rounding out the top five best places for biomass are Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Georgia's 25 million tons of mill wood debris; Mississippi's 3.6 million tons of logging waste, and North Carolina's methane from manure based on the 10 million hog population were the driving factors behind the rankings. Iowa and North Dakota ranked first and second.

In a press release, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue said, "Georgia's wealth of natural resources combined with our research institutions and a strong business climate create an ideal environment for the development of renewable energy. We appreciate Forbes' recognition of our ability to develop alternative energy sources."

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) recently released the report Cornerstones: Building a Secure Foundation for North Carolina's Energy Future. The report recommends North Carolina take specific policy steps to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent in 2030. The recommendations fall under the four categories of energy efficiency, clean energy, pollution capture, and long-range planning. The full report can be found here.

The Biofuels Center of North Carolina recently announced the recipients of their first grant competition. The grants, totaling $2.5 million, are spread across 15 different projects focused on biodiesel production enhancement, converting woody biomass to fuel, workforce development, and economic feasibility of renewable biomass. The Biofuels Center was created by a $5 million appropriation from the 2007 General Assembly. the full list of projects can be found here.

The theme for the 2008 Institute for Emerging Issues Forum at North Carolina State University was North Carolina's Energy Futures: Realizing a State of Opportunity. The forum provided a venue for energy stakeholders from across the industry to discuss the future of energy in North Carolina. Speakers included:

• Thomas Friedman, Foreign Affairs Columnist, New York Times
• Jeff Immelt, President & CEO, General Electric
• Rajendra Pachauri, Nobel Prize Winner, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Amory Lovins, Chairman, Rocky Mountain Institute

Audio and powerpoints from these presentations are now available online here.

In October 2006, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) released the report Energizing Appalachia - A regional blueprint for economic and energy development. The report focused on promoting energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy resources, and supporting the development of conventional energy sources. The paper state that

The commission's objective was to provide a strategic framework for the promotion of new energy-related job opportunities through the stimulation of sustainable energy production, efficiency measures, and innovation efforts throughout the region.

The report reviews the energy landscape for the ARC region and identifies strategies for reaching their objectives.