Neighboring Archbold and Pettisville school districts, which both received around $2 million in American Recovery and Revitalization Act funds to construct one turbine at each community's main school complex, are experiencing monthly energy savings of several thousand dollars as a result of the turbines, The Toledo Blade reports. The Pettisville turbine has "generated 305,421 kilowatt hours of power since it's Feb. 22 activation," valued at $23,212, while the Archbold turbine "is expected to provide about 64 percent of the electricity the district's neighboring high school and elementary school consume," the article said. For more, read the full story.

Meanwhile, officials said that because most of Hilliard's school buildings are now energy efficient, the district has experienced more than $1 million in savings in less than two years, ThisWeek Community News reports. The Ohio School Facilities Commission approved the district's energy efficiency upgrades as part of a program that allows "districts to issue bond debt without going to the ballot." The savings that result from the upgrades will be used to pay down the bond, for which the "federal government reimburses the district for interest," the article said. For more, read the full story.

Bricker & Eckler associate Caleb Bell recently served as a panelist at the Central Ohio NAIOP's Six Pack for Lunch event that took place on March 20, 2013, at the firm's main office in Columbus. A member of the firm's Public Finance group, Caleb explained the meaning and uses of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, which is a unique option for financing energy efficiency and alternative energy projects. Bricker & Eckler is Ohio's leader in PACE law. For more, watch the full video.

Cedarville University's new 2,154 kilowatt solar array, which supplies, on average, 10 percent of the school's demand, is now hooked into its power grid, according to The Hannah Report. Cincinnati-based Melink Corporation, which constructed the array, said that it is "the largest solar system directly connected to a university in Ohio," the article said. For more, read this Cedarville University press release announcing the array.

The fact that Cincinnati's program of granting tax breaks to owners of homes receiving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification has been so successful can be interpreted one of two ways: a resounding success for a program that offers comparatively significant incentives or proof positive that incentives are still necessary for expensive energy upgrades to be pursued, The Columbus Dispatch reports. Studies are showing an increase in green construction's share of the overall new home market as well as higher fetching prices than those gotten by conventionally constructed homes; however, the payoff isn't yet so evident that homeowners undertake larger green features upgrades like solar panels and geothermal heating without the aid of tax incentives, the article said. For more, read the full story.

Now that the Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee's hearings on the state's energy efficiency and renewable energy standards have concluded, it may be months before the panel reintroduces the issue, The Columbus Dispatch reports (See the May 01, 2013, blog – "Ohio Sen. Bill Seitz says S.B. 58 is meant to modify, not repeal, Ohio's energy efficiency and renewable energy laws").  The committee's chairman, Sen. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), said it needs time to "digest what we've heard" before introducing a substitute bill to S.B. 221, which established the standards. Throughout the testimonies, little opposition was voiced against the state's renewable energy rules as FirstEnergy Corp. and others focused on the bill's energy efficiency requirements, the article said. For more, read the full story.

Yesterday, the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) authorized Rolling Hills Generating, LLC to increase "its existing natural gas-fired electric generating facility in Wilkesville, Ohio, from 860 megawatts (MW) to 1,414 MW" by converting four existing simple-cycle combustion turbines into combined-cycle turbines, a press release from the board announced. Construction will take 30 months and is expected to commence in 2014, a company press release said. The combined-cycle mode will enable "excess heat from four of the five existing gas turbine-generator sets" to generate steam for two new steam turbine-generator sets, the releases said. Bricker & Eckler partner Sally Bloomfield served as counsel on the project. For more, read the full OPSB press release and the full company press release.

Yesterday, the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) authorized Oregon Clean Energy, LLC to construct the 799-megawatt Oregon Clean Energy Center, which will "utilize advanced gas turbine and combined-cycle technology to generate electricity," a press release from the board announced. Construction of the $860 million project will begin next month and it is expected to come online in May 2016. The application, which was filed in January 2013, was approved on an expedited basis. Bricker & Eckler partner Sally Bloomfield served as counsel on the project. For more, read the full press release.

During its March meeting, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) approved $10 million in Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECB) for "major energy efficiency and conservation upgrades at four county buildings in Columbus," a press release from the authority said. The projects are part of a policy enacted in 2006 by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners to "protect environmental stability while advancing economic growth." Combined, the upgrades will avoid the annual emission of 3,515 tons of carbon dioxide while also delivering $657,722 in annual utility cost savings. For more, read the full press release.

Ohio Sen. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), the chairman of the Senate Public Utilities Commission who introduced S.B. 58 – the legislation to review the state's energy efficiency and renewable energy requirements – said that the review is "more about modifying" than repealing the standards outlined in S.B. 221, according to the Gongwer Ohio Report (See the Feb 26, 2013, blog – "Ohio Sen. Bill Seitz outlines plan for S.B. 221's future"). One of the nation's largest electric utilities, Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp., is leading the industry charge against the laws, testifying earlier this month "that the formula used to analyze the costs" of utilities' energy efficiency efforts was flawed. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is currently reviewing claims made by the utility that it exceeded the three percent cost cap years ago, which – if true – would exempt them from having to comply with the renewable energy portfolio requirements, the article said.

The board of directors unanimously elected Tom Kiernan as the new chief executive officer of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), a press release from the organization announced. Kiernan has served as president of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) since 1998 and will assume his new position on May 28. Before his most recent position, Kiernan served as president of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire and was a senior-level official in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation under President George H.W. Bush. For more, read the full press release.

Experts at a gas industry forum hosted by the West Virginia University College of Law last week said that "outdated policies and anti-competitive regulations" are hindering the potential growth of combined heat and power (CHP) systems, Coshocton Tribune reports. CHP, or cogeneration, systems produce electricity by capturing and reusing the heat that is usually wasted by traditional coal-fired power plants. About 80 percent of these systems in the United States are powered by natural gas, but the process only accounts for nine percent of U.S. power generation, the article said. Because prisons, colleges and other institutions "that produce electricity using coal- or oil-fired boilers and heat using separate systems" will soon have to comply with new clean air regulations, Ohio and the U.S. Department of Energy are "conducting a pilot project with CHP," the article said. For more, read the full story.

Last week, the North Carolina General Assembly's Public Utilities and Energy Committee voted down H.B. 298, which would have "repealed the state's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS)," North American Windpower reports (See the Apr 01, 2013, blog – "Legislation to scale back renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements has been introduced in 14 states this year"). North Carolina's REPS requires that investor-owned utilities procure "12.5 percent of their generation from renewable energy by 2021" and that electric cooperatives and municipal utilities procure "10 percent by 2018," the article said. For more, read the full story.

U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation that pushes for energy efficient manufacturing using "a variety of low-cost tools to reduce barriers for private sector users" and encouraging "adoption of off-the-shelf efficiency technologies among the largest energy consumers," Dayton Business Journal reports. Among its provisions, the Portman Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act would incentivize the use of more energy efficient electric motors and transformers; direct the U.S. Department of Energy to work with the private sector to develop and commercialize energy efficient technology for industrial applications; and create a Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Financing Initiative, the article said. For more, read the full story and the full text of the introduced bill.

Because a "vast majority of interested parties" inquired about obtaining electronic transcripts of testimonies from a recent Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee hearing on the state's energy portfolio rules, Ohio Sen. William J. Seitz's office has made copies available regarding last Tuesday's hearing. Testimonies include the following:

•  Steven Giles, Hull & Associates, Inc.
•  Jeff Blake, Parker Hannifin Corp.
•  Grant Milliron, Milliron Recycling
•  Rick Taylor, Jay Industries
•  Jeff Bishop, EDP Renewables
•  Laura Steinbrink and James Nice, Energy Avenue
•  Al Rosenfield, League of Women Voters-Ohio
•  Steve Millard, Council of Smaller Enterprises
•  Kate Melges, Greenpeace-Ohio
•  Lisa Kochheiser, Resident
•  Greg Pace, Resident
•  Lois Hornbostel, Resident
•  Carolyn Harding, Resident
•  Heat is Power Association
•  Linda Butler and Steven Nissen, Residents
•  Terri Dawson, Resident
•  Amber Bellamy, Resident
•  Jennifer Abram, Resident
•  David Hoehnen, Resident
•  Ruth Hardy, Resident
•  Brian Kunkemoeller, Sierra Club-Ohio
•  Brett Heffner, Resident
•  Eric Burkland and Ryan Augsburger, Ohio Manufacturers' Association

Yesterday during the Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee's ongoing review of the state's energy efficiency and renewable energy laws, Associate Director for Research at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Neal Elliott testified on the findings of an analysis of rates and expenditures that was commissioned by the state's largest manufacturing trade group, the Ohio Manufacturers' Association, The Plain Dealer reports (See the Apr 09, 2013, blog – "Two major Ohio newspapers defend state's energy efficiency laws"). The 50-page analysis, completed by the ACEEE, concludes "generally that the efficiency rules have lowered demand, which in turn has helped push wholesale power prices down," the article said. Elliott also said that as opposed to FirstEnergy Corp., who is leading the charge to change the laws, "American Electric Power, Duke Energy of Ohio and Dayton Power & Electric have embraced the programs, maybe because they have figured out how to profit from it in the long run." For more, read the full story.

The Solar Foundation, a nonprofit organization that uses research and education to demonstrate the global benefits of solar energy, offers a map of detailed solar energy industry employment data for all 50 states. According to the foundation, the State Solar Jobs Map uses numbers that are "believed to be the most credible and up-to-date state-level jobs numbers in existence," and is the first resource to aggregate this information for all 50 states. Figures provided for each state include the total number of solar energy industry jobs and companies, as well as calculations determining each state's rank in the nation for its maximum solar resource, its number of homes powered by solar energy and its electricity price. For more, explore the State Solar Jobs Map.

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency released its quarterly National Top 50 List for Green Power Partners, which ranks the green energy usage of companies, governments and academic institutions that work with the EPA to procure and utilize green power, Dayton Business Journal reports. Only one Ohio entity – The Ohio State University – made the list. Ranked 38th, OSU was recognized for purchasing 24 percent – 141,000,000 kWh – of its total electricity use from the Blue Creek Wind Farm. For more, read the full story and access the National Top 50 list.

Ever since President Obama signed off on the extension of the production tax credit as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 on the first of this year, alternative energy developers have been waiting for the IRS to define the new qualification standard for PTCs (See our Jan 02, 2013, blog, "Congress passes a one-year extension of the production tax credit"). The new law replaces the requirement that the project be producing energy in order to qualify for the credit and instead requires that construction of the project begin by Dec. 31. The IRS released rules last week that define "the beginning of construction as 'starting physical work of a significant nature,' including road construction, pouring of concrete or off-site assembly of turbines," Bloomberg reports. Conducting environmental studies, securing financing and getting permits are preliminary development activities that do not qualify as construction; however, developers "can also qualify if they incur 5 percent of the total cost of the project and make continuous progress toward completion," the article said. For more, read the full story.

This week, Ohio’s four utilities filed their required annual plans "for compliance with future annual advanced- and renewable-energy benchmarks, including solar, utilizing at least a ten-year planning horizon." The plans are required to include the following:

1.  Baseline for the current and future calendar years;

2.  Supply portfolio projection, including both generation fleet and power purchases;

3.  A description of the methodology used by the company to evaluate its compliance options; and

4.  A discussion of any perceived impediments to achieving compliance with required benchmarks, as well as suggestions for addressing any such impediments.

For more, view the FirstEnergy, AEP-Ohio, Duke Energy and Dayton Power and Light benchmarks.

Kent State University will host its second annual Symposium on Advances in Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) on April 17, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. in the Moulton Hall Ballroom on the Kent Campus, a press release from the university announced. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will feature academic speakers who will discuss recent progress made with regard to OPV, which are "specialized carbon-based materials used in solar cells" that can potentially be "produced at much lower costs than conventional solar cells using processes such as jet printing, spray painting and roll-to-roll manufacturing processes," the release said. For more, read the full press release.

This week, Jeff Perkins, executive director of Friends Fiduciary Corp. – a Quaker nonprofit that provides financial services to more than 300 Quaker organizations – penned an impassioned op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer in defense of Ohio's renewable energy and energy efficiency laws. Perkins said that such a policy decision has "diversified Ohio's energy mix, lowered energy bills and given investors the green light to fund companies that are helping the state reach its goals," and that outside groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are responsible for the Ohio legislature's decision to review these laws (See our Apr 01, 2013, blog – "Legislation to scale back renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements has been introduced in 14 states this year"). He argued that transitioning to clean energy enables his company to invest in other companies that are able to deliver solid returns "through long-term efforts that serve customers and build shareholder value" while still reflecting Quaker values. For more, read the full op-ed.

Through the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program, commercial borrowers are "set to receive record loans this year" for solar energy installations, Bloomberg reports (See the Feb 14, 2013, blog – "The PACE program: a new approach to financing commercial energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades"). The decision by two of the nation's largest commercial real estate owners – "Prologis, an international owner of industrial properties, and Simon Property Group, the country's largest U.S. Real Estate Investment Trust" – to use the program to fund projects ranging from rooftop solar panels to energy-saving systems has "radically changed market acceptance," Bond Buyer reports. Simon Property alone recently used $5 million in PACE financing for three energy efficiency projects in Ohio and California.

Although they vary from state to state, most PACE programs feature a municipal government that offers PACE bonds to investors who provide loans to businesses and consumers for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The government provides financing by creating an assessment district that is added to the tax roll, which the property owner then pays on a tax bill for a period of up to 30 years.

At a time when banks are becoming "less eager to provide long-term capital for renewable energy," it is estimated that more PACE loans will be made in 2013 "than in the past four years combined," and that as much as $150 million in PACE loans will be provided for projects like these, Bloomberg reports. The commercial property side of the program is drawing so much interest, Bond Buyer reports that "market watchers think in a few years enough volume could exist in California to start bundling the currently privately-placed bonds to sell in the public market." For more, read the full Bloomberg story and the full Bond Buyer story.

Bricker & Eckler LLP is Ohio's leader in PACE law. Bricker attorneys assisted in drafting Ohio's PACE law and served as bond counsel for Ohio’s first three issues of PACE bonds, including the energy efficiency bonds for the Simon Properties' project in Lake County, Ohio.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released figures yesterday that ranked Ohio's "ability to produce energy from wind" 26th out of the 40 states that have "at least one utility-scale project," The Columbus Dispatch reports. A single project – the 305-megawatt Blue Creek Wind Farm in Paulding and Van Wet counties – quadrupled the state's ability to generate power from wind when it went online last year. Should the legislature repeal or weaken the provisions in the state's renewable energy and energy efficiency laws that help make renewable energy projects viable, the wind developers behind the "dozen or so" wind projects that are approved and not yet built, or that are currently pending approval, stand to lose millions of dollars that were put toward the Ohio Power Siting Board process, the article said (See the Apr 09, 2013, blog – "Two major Ohio newspapers defend state's energy efficiency laws"). For more, read the full story.

As Ohio's energy efficiency and renewable energy laws are being reviewed in the Statehouse, Cleveland City Council voted 17-0 this week on Resolution No. 13 – an emergency ordinance  "supporting energy efficiency and renewable energy, and urging Gov. Kasich and the Ohio General Assembly to preserve" these measures, EcoWatch reports (See the Apr 09, 2013, blog – "Two major Ohio newspapers defend state's energy efficiency laws"). During a press conference announcing the ordinance, Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone said that the laws "created thousands of jobs and will save our residents billions of dollars," the article said. For more, read the full story.

Today, the New Energy Capital Cleantech Infrastructure Fund announced the final commissioning and term financing for a completed, 5-megawatt solar array that is connected to Celina's municipal grid and capable of providing up to eight percent of the city's total energy demand, Columbus Business First reports. The $18 million project, developed by Westerville-based SolarVision LLC and co-owned with New Energy Capital, "was financed with New Market Tax Credits, in partnership with the Finance Fund and JPMorgan Chase," the article said. For more, read the full story.

Gov. John Kasich recently appointed Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) member Andre Porter to serve as director of the Ohio Department of Commerce – a vacancy left last month when the department's former director, David Goodman, was named Ohio Development Services Agency director, The Columbus Dispatch and a press release from the governor's office report. Porter, whom Gov. Kasich appointed to the PUCO in 2011, will begin his new position on April 22, 2013, thereby leaving a vacancy on the PUCO. For more, read the full Columbus Dispatch story and the full press release.

The Toledo Blade and The Plain Dealer both used their editorial sections last week to defend Ohio's energy efficiency and renewable energy laws. The Plain Dealer Editorial Board said that FirstEnergy Corp.'s battle with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio over it's three-year energy efficiency program for the company was "not in the best interests of Ohio's utility ratepayers," arguing that the plan not only makes Ohio residents pay less for energy, but also reduces Ohioans' exposure to pollution from coal-fired plants. For more, read the full Plain Dealer editorial.

The Toledo Blade editorial goes a step further, insisting that the benefits of diversifying the state's power supply are so far-reaching and plentiful that the laws setting it into place should not only be "maintained" but "strengthened." Insisting that "conventional-energy interests" are behind the legislative push to weaken these standards, the editorial board argues that the state's clean energy standards are "creating jobs, promoting advanced manufacturing and small business, diversifying the state’s power supply, improving public health by reducing pollution, and lowering utility bills." For more, read the full Toledo Blade editorial.

A two-year pilot program will launch May 1 wherein city-owned Cleveland Public Power will install four varieties of light-emitting diode (LED) lights throughout Cleveland to help "gauge efficiency, coverage and how well they hold up to harsh Cleveland weather," The Plain Dealer reports. Existing bulbs range in price from $125 to $150, but only burn for about four years. The new lights range in price from $250 for a 150-watt bulb to $750 for a 400-watt bulb, but "have a lifespan of about 25 years and use roughly 50 percent less energy" than traditional bulbs. $500,000 in city coffers and $200,000 from a federal energy conservation initiative are jointly funding the project. For more, read the full story.

Erin Miller, environmental steward for the city of Columbus, delivered a presentation to Ohio State University students recently that highlighted three of the city's environmental sustainability projects: RecyColumbus, BikeShare and the Green Columbus Fund, The Lantern reports. The recycling initiative RecyColumbus has so far collected 15,000 tons of waste and saved $826,000 in landfill fees, while the BikeShare program will offer memberships and passes for, as well as some free use of, bikes throughout the city beginning in July. The Green Columbus Fund was also mentioned, which is "an annual grant to fund the cost of having buildings earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification," the article said. For more, read the full story.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the federal production tax credit for wind and other alternative sources of generation will increase from $0.022/kWh in 2012 to $0.023/kWh in 2013 – the first time it has been raised since 2010, North American Windpower reports. For tax purposes, this means that "each each hour of electricity generated" by qualified projects is "slightly more valuable"; however, the average price of electricity sold at wind farms was $0.0453/kWh in 2012, which is significantly less than the $0.1205/kWh needed to begin the automatic phase-out of the PTC, the article said. For more, read the full story.

Using hydro, geothermal, solar and wind resources, Apple Inc. announced in a new company report that it "has achieved 100% renewable energy use at its data centers – and 75% renewable energy worldwide," North American Windpower reports. The company said it uses a combination of renewable energy credits, direct purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources, and on-site solar and fuel cell projects, the article said. For more, read the full North American Windpower story and access the report from Apple.

Ohio is just one of 14 states with legislators who this year have introduced bills to repeal or reduce renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements, The Wall Street Journal reports (See the Mar 20, 2013, blog – "Ohio Senate panel continues review of state's energy efficiency and renewable energy requirements"). These opponents liken renewable energy mandates to forced taxes that increase energy bills for consumers and distort the free market's effects on new energy industries. Proponents of the mandates insist that consumer cost increase estimates are being overblown and that many legislators behind the move to repeal these requirements are taking directives "from conservative think tanks 'funded by fossil-fuel interests,'" the article said. For more, read the full story.

The City of Cincinnati, which last April put into place an electric supply contract requiring all of the city's power supply to be backed by Renewable Energy Credits, is now working to "establish new financing mechanisms for expanding the city's solar energy capabilities," Business Courier reports. Following a town hall meeting on the topic of solar energy, Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls called on the mayor's administration to "work with local organizations like Green Umbrella, Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) to develop Property Assisted Clean Energy (PACE) financing," which would use "third-party financing tools to overcome existing financial barriers" for solar energy projects, the article said. For more, read the full story.

Tom Ford, president and chief executive of Advanced Energy Economy Ohio, wrote an editorial for the Akron Beacon Journal this week in defense of the state's energy efficiency and renewable energy requirements. Ford explained that three-quarters of the coal used in Ohio plants is imported from out of state, and that recent legislation like S.B. 221 and S.B. 315 has lowered the cost of electricity for ratepayers, reduced energy demand, and diversified energy sources. For more, read the full editorial.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco overruled a district court last Tuesday when it ruled that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) does not have to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to underwrite mortgages for homes with Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans, Bond Buyer reports. Started in Berkeley, California, in 2008, PACE "allows residential and commercial property owners to use municipal bonds to finance energy efficiency and water conservation projects." Expressing concern over the fact that because "PACE liens are senior to the mortgage," the PACE lender would "be paid ahead of the bank, or Fannie or Freddie, in the case of foreclosure," FHFA effectively halted the program on the residential side in July 2010, the article said. PACE programs have emerged throughout the country to fund commercial, industrial and governmental projects, but FHFA’s position has blocked the use of PACE for residential projects. For more, read the full story (Subscription required).

The Associated Press reports that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a nonprofit, conservative policy advisory group, is a "leading force behind the push" to repeal several states' renewable energy standards, including having provided "model legislation" to Ohio known as the Electricity Freedom Act (See the Nov 09, 2012, blog – "American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to launch campaign to repeal renewable energy standards"). The "council's influence" became increasingly evident during the Ohio Senate panel's review of the state's energy portfolio rules when a senior fellow with the Heartland Institute – a "leading voice in promoting skepticism about climate change" – appeared as an early witness, the article said (See the Mar 20, 2013, blog – "Ohio Senate panel continues review of state's energy-efficiency and renewable-energy requirements"). For more, read the full Associated Press article.

A new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association found that Ohio moved from 18th in the United States in 2011 to 14th in 2012 for the amount of installed solar power, Dayton Daily News reports. Major installations highlighted include: two wind turbines that will be active at the Honda Transmission Mfg. of America, Inc. plant in Russells Point by year's end; IKEA's installation of 4,186 solar panels in West Chester; Wal-Mart's installation of solar arrays atop a dozen Ohio stores; and the Assurant Group's installation of 6,200 solar panels in Springfield, the article said. For more, read the full Dayton Daily News story and access the purchase page of the full report.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced that cash grants for specified energy property in lieu of tax credits made under Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 as amended, (1603 Cash Grants) will be reduced by 8.7 percent.  The reduction, made as a result of President Obama’s March 1, 2013, sequestration order, will impact any 1603 Grant awarded after March 1, 2013.  The reduction applies regardless of when the grant application was submitted, and applicants are not permitted to adjust claims to account for the impact of sequestration. The 8.7 percent reduction rate will apply until the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30, 2013), at which time the sequestration rate is subject to change. The investment tax credit (ITC) is not impacted by sequestration and remains available to developers and investors up the full 30 percent amount allowed.  Sequestration also reduces a number of other advanced-energy programs, including Rural Energy for America Program (REAP),  New Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) and Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECBs).

The Ohio Power Siting Board announced that Northwest Ohio Wind Energy, LLC will hold a public informational meeting regarding a proposed 100-megawatt wind farm of "approximately 50 wind turbines to be located in Blue Creek and Latty townships" in Paulding County, as well as the infrastructure associated with the project, Times Bulletin reports. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Wayne Trace Junior/Senior High School, 4915 U.S. 127, near Haviland, the article said. For more, read the full story.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio had the fifth-highest number of jobs associated with green goods and services (GGS) in 2011 with 137,143 jobs, North American Windpower reports. That year, the number of green jobs in the U.S. increased by 157,746 to 3,401,279 – representing 2.6 percent of the total U.S. workforce, the article said. For more, read the full North American Windpower story and the Green Goods and Services Summary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.