South Korea pumps up renewable energy
The country has earmarked 1 trillion won US $891.2 million in support, up from 808.4 billion won last year, for new and renewable energy projects and financing, such as support for building solar and wind power energy facilities, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a statement.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Asia's fourth-largest economy, heavily dependent on energy imports, would strengthen its new and renewable energy sectors, expecting the sectors to achieve exports of $40 billion in 2015 compared with $4.6 billion in 2009.
The investment includes 20 billion won to set up four or five test beds for solar and wind power generation.
One of the world's fastest-growing carbon polluters, South Korea is seeking to shift from its dependence on fossil fuels by expanding investment in green resources.
In October last year, the South Korean government said it would spend 40 trillion won by 2015 in a combined push by the public and private sectors to boost renewable energy resources.
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Congressional Democrats push FERC to act on aggregated DERs
WASHINGTON - The Monday letter from Congressional Democrats illustrates growing frustration in Washington over the lack of FERC action on multiple power sector issues.
Last May, after the FERC technical conference, 16 Democratic Senators wrote to then-Chairman Kevin McIntyre urging him to develop guidance for grid operators on aggregated DERs.
In July, McIntyre responded, saying that FERC was "diligently reviewing the record," but the commission has taken no action since.
Since then, "DER adoption and renewable energy aggregation have continued to grow," House and Senate lawmakers wrote in their identical Monday letters, "driven not only by state and federal policies, but consumer interest…
