World:
¶ Siemens has overcome important problems with expense, weight, and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. A brand new 6.0 MW wind turbine uses 50% fewer parts than rival designs, weighs less, costs less, and is less expensive to install. [Inhabitant]
¶ From Green roofs to rainwater collection, green initiatives are taking off in Canada. [Huffington Post]
¶ The Bank of Georgia is offering special loans for hydroelectric projects of up to 20 MW. [The FINANCIAL]
¶ UK renewable energy supplier Good Energy has announced plans to launch the country’s first local electricity tariff , with local households near its wind farms set to benefit by cost reductions of more than £110 a year. [AOL Money]
¶ The primary task of the annual UN climate negotiations will be to prevent consumption of two-thirds of the worlds proven fossil fuel reserves. The International Energy Agency warned this week that the reserves cannot be used without risking dangerous climate change. [Aljazeera.com]
¶ Greenpeace lodged a formal complaint with the Public Protector and South African Human Rights Commission after the ministry of energy refused to release the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review. Greenpeace claims the review clearly shows South Africa does not have resources to build nuclear power plants. [News24]
¶ The World Bank, the CIA, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers are all calling urgently calling for action on global warming. The predictions are dire. [The Atlantic Wire]
US:
¶ GM and ABB showed off a use for Chevy Volt batteries that have reached the end of their automotive service life. At that point, only 30% of the battery’s life is used. A set of five batteries can provide 25 kWh of household power, or the batteries can be used for grid backup. [PACE Today]
¶ The coal-fired Comanche Power Station is finally at 71% capacity. It had been scheduled to start in 2009, but leaks and a whine heard three miles away delayed it. In 2011, it ran at 52% capacity. Paying for the plant will add $3.73 a month to average residential energy bill. [KREX News Channel]
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