Renewable Energy

Global energy consumption continues to increase each year and, with this increase, the demand for safe, clean, and unlimited energy is on the rise. The Federal and State governments promote clean energy through a variety of financially-beneficial incentives.  With the understanding that renewable energy laws and regulations are constantly changing, The Chanler Group is committed to investing in its understanding and practice of this area of law.  Our understanding allows us to guide homeowners, businesses, and/or developers on the various ways to structure these projects in order to take advantage of the many benefits.
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recent posts - Renewable Energy

January 6, 2014
A new study released by a Stanford professor suggests that giant offshore wind farms, in addition to providing electricity, could also help protect cities from hurricanes, reported Climate Central.  In early December, civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Z. Jacobson and his research team reported that the offshore wind farms would lessen the force of approaching hurricanes. The team ran computer simulations imagining that a massive wall of tens of thousands of wind turbines... full text
December 19, 2013
San Francisco may become the first major metropolitan area in the United States to ban the sale of plastic water bottles, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.  Board of Supervisors President David Chui introduced a bill last Tuesday that would eliminate the sale of plastic water bottles on public property, including parks, concerts, large events and mobile food trucks. Chui believes that the proposal could eliminate the sales of millions of plastic water bottles annually.  According... full text
December 12, 2013
President Obama has ordered federal agencies to more than double their renewable energy use over the next seven years, reported the Los Angeles Times late last week.  In a presidential memorandum that was released on Thursday, Obama asked federal agencies to receive 20% of their energy from renewable sources by fiscal year 2020.  According to the Times, Obama’s memorandum specifically instructed agencies to increase the use of wind, solar, geothermal, and other energy sources to... full text
December 10, 2013
Members of the European Parliament passed a rescue plan for the European Union’s carbon trading system on Tuesday, reported the New York Times.  The lawmakers are attempting to restore the price of carbon credits, which have fallen so low in recent years that the system no longer creates adequate incentives for industries to cut back on their emissions of greenhouse gases. Europe’s Emissions Trading System is the largest carbon trading system in the world.  Under the... full text
December 2, 2013
The largest solar energy installation in New York City will be built at Freshkills Parks on Staten Island, announced Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement last week.  After a competitive bidding process, SunEdison was selected to design and operate a solar power facility on 47 acres of land which will be comprised of approximately 30,000 to 35,000 solar panels.  The facility has the potential to generate up to 10 megawatts of power - enough to power 2,000 homes.  The planned... full text
November 22, 2013
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, said the U.S. Department of Justice in a statement.   This case represents the first ever criminal enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for... full text
November 19, 2013
The Arizona Corporation Commission resolved the dispute over net metering policies between the solar energy industries and utility companies late Thursday evening.  In what the Associated Press reports as “a major win” for the solar industry, the commission voted to adopt a $5 monthly fee for solar panel users, instead of the $50-$100 monthly rate sought by the largest utility in Arizona, Arizona Public Service Company (APS).  The debate began when APS requested to change... full text
November 12, 2013
The governors of California, Washington and Oregon allied with the premier of British Columbia last week to forge a new climate and energy plan, Examiner.com reported.  The “Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy” strives to combat climate change and promote clean energy. The leaders met in San Francisco to finalize and sign the pact.  California Governor Jerry Brown sponsored the meeting, which was attended by Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, Washington Governor... full text
November 5, 2013
Under a new city policy introduced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Department of Transportation, New York City will replace its 250,000 street lights with light-emitting diode lamps (LEDs) by 2017, reports the Wall Street Journal website.  The city’s conversion to LEDs will be the largest of its kind in the world and is expected to save the city and its taxpayers $14 million a year in power and maintenance costs. In contrast to the old sodium lights, which had a lifetime... full text
October 30, 2013
According to the Solar Means Business 2013 report produced by the Solar Energy Industries Association, companies all over America, including some of the most recognizable brands, are implementing solar energy projects at an unprecedented rate.  The report concluded that the 10 businesses with the greatest solar capacity in the U.S. are Wal-Mart, Costco, Kohl’s, Apple, IKEA, Macy’s, Johnson & Johnson, McGraw Hill, Staples and Campbell’s.  The solar capacity is... full text