ENERGY LAW

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Since Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity in 1752, policymakers have been trying to regulate its use and costs. 

As the renewable energy industry continues to evolve and expand, a legal expertise has developed to advise private and public clients on the unique legal and policy needs of this burgeoning industry.    

The world now adds more renewable power capacity annually than it adds from all fossil fuels and nuclear power combined .

• Renewable energy law  projects incorporate a variety of technologies, including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and tidal.  
• Renewable energy law also relates to the real estate, land use, siting, permitting, regulatory, tax, and finance issues encountered by developers of renewable energy projects.   
• Finally, renewable energy law also encompasses policies and legislation that facilitate further growth of clean technologies and renewable energy generation.   

• Solar Panel

Electricity from photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is produced when light strikes slices of crystalline silicon. The photons are absorbed by the silicon and converted into electrons. When those electrons begin to flow, electricity is generated. 

•  Biomass

Biomass is organic material from either plants or animals, including wood or wood waste; agricultural crops and waste materials; municipal solid waste such as the food and yard waste components of garbage; and animal manure or human sewage.

 There are two primary methods for converting biomass into energy: biochemical and thermochemical

-Biochemical processes involve the use of a biological process, such as enzymes and microorganisms, to convert biomass into biofuels or gases that can be burned to generate electricity. 

-In terms of thermochemical processes, biomass such as wood can be burned to produce heat for buildings, process heat in industry, or to produce electricity. Burning biomass for energy does create carbon dioxide and other air pollutants (such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and mercury), but there are some conversion methods that are designed to harness the produced carbon dioxide and other gases and convert them into other products. 

• Energy Efficiency

While technically not a producer of clean energy, there are many synergies between renewable energy and energy efficiency. Technological advances can allow previously energy intensive processes to operate using much less energy than before. As a result, that energy that would have otherwise been needed, no longer must be generated by non-sustainable fuel sources. This relationship shows the integral link between renewables and efficiency.

The term “megawatts” accurately portrays this relationship. The more energy one saves, the less energy one needs to purchase. For example, a net zero-energy building is a building whose energy demand is greatly reduced through efficiency measures, and the remaining energy that it needs is satisfied by using renewable energy. Therefore, the amount of renewable energy needed to satisfy a building’s energy demand depends directly on its level of energy efficiency. 

Therefore, the higher the energy efficiency of a building, the lower its energy demand, and the less energy it will need to achieve net zero-energy balance.

While the rest of the U.S. lags behind with implementing comprehensive commitments to renewable energy, we continue to be at the forefront of U.S. renewable energy policy and finance. NVWM is in the process of implementing several new programs intended to spur additional clean energy growth and support ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goal.