Technology:
¶ The cost trend for solar PVs appears to be a 7% decline per year. If this holds true, power from PVs will cost about half of that from coal by 2030. We can expect electricity from coal and solar to be at parity in 8-10 years [from the beginning of 2011]. [MINING.com]
Japan:
¶ The new Japanese government will review its options on energy policy, basing its decision on technology, and possibly abandoning the earlier decision to phase nuclear power out. [Bloomberg]
¶ The NRA says it will not be possible to meet a deadline of deciding whether to restart reactors within three years. Nevertheless, Japan’s new government says it hopes to stick to a three-year deadline for the decisions. [AsiaOne]
World:
¶ The UK government says it is on track to meet its targets for renewable energy for 2020, despite recent setbacks. [Electric.co.uk]
¶ UK environmentalists are calling for nuclear energy projects to be abandoned in favour of “cheaper, safer and more efficient” renewable technologies. [Coastal Scene]
¶ A Finnish company has asked for government permits to construct a final repository for spent nuclear fuel, planned to be the first site in the world to start burying capsulated nuclear waste. [Climate Spectator]
¶ Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator has chosen three suppliers of regulation service, a grid-balancing function traditionally provided by generators. The service compensates for variability of renewable resources. [Solar Industry]
US:
¶ Two Michigan wind farms, with a combined capacity of 210 MW, have opened. The state’s utilities are pushing hard to meet a 10% renewable requirement for 2015 that was set by law four years ago. [Power Engineering Magazine]
geoharvey 