Opinion:
¶ “Energy companies are paying a heavy price for shunning renewables” The argument for green solutions is not just about climate change – traditional sources of power will soon cost more. [The Guardian]
Science and Technology:
¶ The German experience shows that the more wind and solar PV installations one has across the country, the less the so-called intermittency is an issue and the daily electric power levels become more stable and more foreseeable as the number of installations increases nationwide. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ Developing countries made 46% of the global investment in renewables in 2012, according to the UN Environment Program. Wind accounted for 39% of new renewable capacity, followed by hydropower and solar PVs, which each accounted for 26%. [Irish Times]
¶ Hydro Tasmania says its King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project has achieved extended periods of 100% renewable energy for the island’s grid – the first time that a grid of this scale has been serviced by wind, solar and storage devices. [RenewEconomy]
¶ China is working extensively to unlock its domestic solar potential by pushing small-scale distributed projects. The State Council’s guideline to facilitate development of the solar products’ industry, issued on July 15, is a major boost in this regard. [People’s Daily Online]
¶ Wind integration studies suggest that grid operators could cope with more renewable power without adding big back-up plants, obviating the need for European governments to intervene in power markets. [Gulf Times]
¶ The £128 million deal to compensate Somerset for hosting the proposed new Hinkley C power station is “a drop in the ocean” according to campaigners. [South West Business]
¶ Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has won control of the parliament in upper-house elections. This is seen to pave the way for the reopening of many of the nation’s shuttered nuclear-power plants. [MarketWatch]
… Many in the US media infer from the election results that the Japanese nuclear plants will be restarted soon. The inference is wrong. [geoharvey]
US:
¶ Vermont’s homegrown Green Mountain Power Cow Power program is paving the way for cleaner air, happier farm neighbors and more successful Vermont businesses. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]
¶ A slump in power prices, increasing maintenance expense as plants age and stricter safety regulations following Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster may prompt the industry to retire as many as five plants before the end of the decade, according to research firm UBS Securities LLC. [Businessweek]
geoharvey 
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