Graph of the day:
¶ “Why the fossil fuel industry hates renewables” With a series of graphs, REneweconomy shows how solar and wind power are depressing the coal generating industry in Germany. [RenewEconomy]
World:
¶ Around $1.3 trillion have been invested in the renewable energy sector since 2006 and the growth trend is set to continue, according to a new report by Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century. There were 5.7 million people employed in the sector in 2012. [EarthTechling]
¶ Nearly 22% of the world’s electricity is now supplied by renewable energy, and Central America is part of this global transition. The region is a worldwide leader in hydropower and geothermal energy, and most Central American countries are developing wind power. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Hydrogenics Corporation has announced that the largest Power to Gas facility in the world went “live” this week with the first direct injection of hydrogen into a gas pipeline using Hydrogenics technology. [Gasworld.com]
¶ The UK Shadow Energy Minister [energy spokesman for the opposition] has announced that the next Labour Manifesto will deliver a commitment to decarbonize the UK economy by 2030. The party will also drive forward the offshore wind industry. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
¶ At the same time that a rally brought an anti-wind campaign to the grounds before Parliament House, and pro-renewable groups held a rival get-together in the same city, the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturer has entered the debate with an “Act of Facts”. [RenewEconomy]
US:
¶ The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources has outlined its emergency regulation for applications for the state’s Solar Carve-Out, scrapping the original 400 MW cap. All existing applications with an Interconnection Service Agreement by June 7, 2013 qualify. [The National Law Review]
¶ Four dozen elected officials, from localities as diverse as Washington DC, Des Moines, Iowa and Santa Barbara County, California, released a one-page plan which laid out actions such as using more renewable energy and making buildings and infrastructure more energy-efficient. [Business Spectator]
¶ Former President Bill Clinton and leaders from six Sioux Indian Tribes announced a new wind power initiative that will harness South Dakota’s greatest natural resource and spur long-term development in the economically depressed region. [Your Renewable News]
¶ Running counter to a trend among US utilities to avoid expenses on nuclear power, Xcel Energy says it’s investing $1.8 billion to extend the life of its 40-year-old Minnesota reactors. [St. Cloud Times]
¶ Florida Governor Rick Scott signed SB 1472 into law. The new law attempts to clamp down on the state’s controversial nuclear cost recovery payment scheme that allows utilities to charge customers in advance for proposed new nuclear power generation. [PR Newswire]
¶ A new government report says it may take six years to start emptying a leaking tank of waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, mostly because it will take about six years to secure appropriate tank space to put all that sludge. [Northwest Public Radio]
¶ The Vermont Public Service Board on Monday began what is expected to be the final two weeks of hearings on whether it’s in the public’s best interest for Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to obtain a new state operating permit. Decommissioning is first on the agenda. [vtdigger.org]
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