Analysis:
¶ “Why Are IEA Renewables Growth Projections So Much Lower Than the Out-Turn?” The International Energy Agency has had an extraordinarily poor track record in projecting the growth of solar and wind power in recent years. [Energy Collective]
¶ “The future cost of nuclear: expert views differ” In a poll of experts on future costs of nuclear power, it was found the average expected cost of nuclear technologies in 2030 was around $4800 per kW, with estimates ranging from $506 to $14,156 per kW. [environmentalresearchweb]
Science and Technology:
¶ The next generation of energy storage has been developed using graphene to create supercapacitors that could be used for renewable energy storage. Graphene, a one atom thick layer of graphite has high conductivity, and is also strong and flexible. [AZoNano.com]
¶ Researchers at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) have found that real contribution to emissions targets is positive even in energy markets with high penetration of wind energy. [The Almagest]
World:
¶ France’s ban on fracking is complete, as its constitutional court upheld a 2011 law prohibiting the practice and canceling all exploration permits. The decision effectively protects the ban from any future legal challenge. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Renewable Energy Generation Limited, a UK-focused renewable energy group, has become profitable. The company posted a pretax profit of £5.8 million for the twelve months ended June 30 compared to a pretax loss of £2.0 million the previous year. [London South East]
¶ GE is supplying eight of its 1.4 MW Jenbacher J420 biogas engines for a new cogeneration plant that will generate 11.2 MW of renewable on-site power at the Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest of its kind in Israel. [Your Renewable News]
¶ Construction of what will be Australia’s largest PV power project officially commenced today, with a turning of the sod at the site of the 20 MW Royalla Solar Farm in Canberra by the ACT’s minister for environment, Simon Corbell. [RenewEconomy]
¶ The 20 biggest power companies in Europe had a collective value of $1 trillion at their peak in 2008, and they are worth “only” $500 billion now. Germany’s biggest utility E-On has managed to decline a full three quarters in value. Renewable energy is partly to blame. [RenewEconomy]
US:
¶ Ohio’s clean energy law has come under attack by a lawmaker affiliated with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Now, a group of 2,000 veterans, military family members and supporters is pushing back in favor of clean energy. [ThinkProgress]
¶ The Top 25 companies for solar investment, ranked by installed capacity, are Walmart, Costco, Kohl’s, Apple, IKEA, Macy’s, Johnson & Johnson, McGraw Hill, Staples, Campbell’s Soup, U.S. Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kaiser Permanente, Volkswagen, Walgreens, … [PR Web]
¶ The number of safety violations at US nuclear plants varies dramatically by region, pointing to inconsistent enforcement in an industry now operating mostly beyond its original 40-year licenses, according to a congressional study awaiting release. [Omaha World-Herald]
¶ The federal Government Accountability Office says the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant had the second fewest number of safety violations in the Northeast from 2000 to 2012 among facilities with only one reactor. [BurlingtonFreePress.com]
¶ The Indian Point power plant in Buchanan has been cited for more violations than any other nuclear site in the country, although 99 percent were low-risk violations, according to a federal report awaiting release. [The Journal News | LoHud.com]
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