Influential Study on future of Electric Grid, Future of Energy Tax Incentives on the line

Members of the MIT study team presented the results of a new study on the Future of the Electric Grid yesterday. This report aims to provide a comprehensive, objective portrait of the U.S. electric grid and the challenges and opportunities it is likely to face over the next two decades. The report says the U.S. electric grid will face unprecedented technological challenges stemming from the growth of distributed and intermittent new energy sources such as solar and wind power, as well as an expected influx of electric and hybrid vehicles that require frequent recharging. But as long as some specific policy changes are made, the report says the grid is most likely up to the challenge.

The Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Energy, will be holding a hearing next Wednesday to look into energy tax extenders.  The hearing will actually be on expiring and short-term energy tax incentives.  The focus will be on how the start and stop nature of such incentives affect deployment, jobs, manufacturing, etc.  Witnesses are still being determined, but will likely include investor, manufacturer, and academic perspectives.  Two likely witnesses will be the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and someone from a renewable biodiesel firm from Texas (probably at request of the Ranking Subcommittee Member Senator Cornyn)

A coalition of wind energy companies and renewable advocacy organizations (including the American Wind Energy Association) are launching a new website today intended to push Congress to extend the production tax credit - which is set to expire in 2012 - for four years. Uncertainty over the credit's extension is making companies hesitant to put up turbines and is costing jobs, the groups say.