geoharvey

Science and Technology:

¶   Continued global warming after CO2 emissions stoppage, a new study by Princeton University researchers, says the carbon dioxide already present in the Earth’s atmosphere will cause continued global warming for decades after emissions stop. [Energy Collective]

Finance and Economics:

¶  “Heating Cost Comparison: Oil vs Gas vs Electric Prices” Graphs provide comparisons of costs in the US and the UK. [Energy Collective]

World:

¶   The Wilderness Society, and Australian environmental non-profit organization, will shift its focus from protecting wildlife to campaigning against fossil fuel mining, saying fossil fuels are the greatest driver of climate change. [Sky News Australia]

¶   Wind generated a record 6004 MW in the UK on November 29, National Grid has confirmed. The average was notched between 2.30pm and 3pm and accounted for 13.5% of total electricity demand at the time. [reNews]

¶   A recent GE announcement noted that E.ON Climate & Renewables’ will “PowerUP” 469 of its GE 1.5-77 wind turbines with “Brilliant” technology. The goal is to boost wind turbine output by up to 5%, producing about 20% more profit per wind turbine. [CleanTechnica]

¶   In the UK, Labour has unveiled details on how it proposes to reform UK electricity markets it says are “not functioning properly”. The Green Paper sets out 10 key actions, including abolishing Ofgem for a new energy watchdog. [reNews]

¶   The Northern Ontario towns of Ignace, Hornepayne, and Schreiber, together with Creighton, Saskatchewan, are moving on to the next round in a government process to find a long-term home to store Canada’s nuclear fuel waste. [Northern Ontario Business]

US:

¶   BrightSource Energy, a US company specializing in solar thermal electricity generation, is about to inaugurate the largest solar power plant ever built. The new plant of Ivanpah will use 170,000 mirrors to concentrate sunlight on three towers. [Environmental Expert]

¶   Connecticut is pushing aggressively to expand solar energy to homes across the state. In the past 22 months, 2,160 residential solar systems contracts have been approved. [New Haven Register]

¶   Biodiesel producer and marketer Renewable Energy Group announced it has entered into an agreement with Dutch Hill Terminals, a heating oil terminal in New Jersey, to market biodiesel and biodiesel blended heating oil at its Clifton, New Jersey location. [Biofuels International]

Opinion:

¶   “Why COP19 Fell Woefully Short of the Urgent Action We Need” UN climate talks saw the unprecedented walk-out by 800 civil society groups and trade unions. NGOs blamed the lobbying from fossil fuel companies for impeding progress at the talks. [Huffington Post UK]

Renewable Gourmet:

¶   RenewableUK, Energyshare and campaigning celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are hosting a roundtable discussion during a dinner featuring ingredients from farms and suppliers powered by wind energy. [reNews]

World:

¶   LEGO Group has this week published a new set of environmental goals as it seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of its supply chain and move towards sourcing 100 per cent of its power from renewable sources. [Business Green]

¶   Infinis Energy PLC, the renewable energy company that listed on the London Stock Exchange just nine days ago, reported higher operating profits and revenues for the first half of its fiscal year, driven by the construction or acquisition of new wind farms. [London South East]

¶   Central America has launched a range of small clean energy projects to address climate change, high oil prices, and power for remote regions. Now, almost 65% of the electric power supplied to public utilities in the region is from renewable energy sources. [Reuters AlertNet]

¶   Renewable energy helped some UK farmers stay afloat after their incomes were hit by bad weather and poor yields. The National Farmers’ Union credits green energy for a vital stream of income at a crucial time, with wind offering the highest rate of return. [Plymouth Herald]

¶   More than one-fifth of Ireland’s daily electricity needs are now met from wind energy, new figures show. National grid operator EirGrid says Ireland was on track to meet a target by 2020 that 40% of its power comes from renewable resources. [Irish Independent]

¶   An Irish renewable energy company hopes to secure permission to test a tidal energy device in Canada. DP Energy said it hoped to secure permission to use a testing site in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, and will submit an application in the coming weeks. [Irish Independent]

¶   The solar energy market in Northern Ireland appears to be taking off – the number of installations this year is three times what it was in 2012 according to figures from Ofgem. The popularity is driven by rising energy prices and falling costs for solar. [BBC News]

¶   Typhoons that hit Japan each year are helping spread radioactive material from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the country’s waterways. Contaminated soil is washed into streams and rivers by wind and rain, spreading radiation. [The Borneo Post]

US:

¶    A grassroots Colorado coalition of government leaders, business and environmental organizations want to increase the production of solar power tenfold in the next 15 years, but face challenges, as Xcel Energy wants to pay lower prices for the power. [Summit County Citizens Voice]

¶    Entergy representatives and state officials will meet on Monday in Gov. Peter Shumlin’s office to negotiate a number of issues related to the shutdown of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. [Valley News]

Opinion:

¶   “The Cost Of Nuclear Is Still Unknown, But The Cost Of Solar Is Known” The cost of nuclear projects are hard to understand exactly, partly because it takes a long time to build a nuclear power plant. The comparison with solar costs is revealing. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   Renewable energy investment company Low Carbon has announced that it will collaborate with Macquarie Capital on a solar farm portfolio of up to 300 MW. The first phase will include three solar farms in Cornwall and Wales totaling 25.7 MW. [Solar Power Portal]

¶   Jordan Wind Project Company has signed a financing agreement to begin construction of the Middle East’s first utility-scale wind-power project. The Tafila Wind Farm will have a power capacity by 117 MW. [Zawya]

¶   Germany is increasing its renewable energy targets under a grand coalition agreement by the country’s two major political parties, but is also toying with the idea of introducing the concept of  “virtual base-load”. [RenewEconomy]

¶   The UK got a record share of electricity from renewable sources in April to June this year, the government’s latest statistics show. A record 15.5% of electricity was generated from renewable sources between April and June. [Carbon Brief]

¶   The World Bank and United Nations on Wednesday appealed for billions of dollars to provide electricity for the poorest nations but said there would be no investment in nuclear power. The focus is hydro, geothermal, solar, wind, and efficiency. [Tuoitrenews]

US:

¶   The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority announced it would participate in a regional effort to reduce non-hardware or “soft” costs for PV systems in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. [Energy Business Review]

¶   South Carolina utility SCG&E, which has been criticized in the past for a lack of interest in renewable power, has plans to develop five solar farms in the state. It will start with a 2 MW farm near the Lake Murray dam. [The State]

¶   The leading plaintiffs in a lawsuit that put all US nuclear plant licensing decisions on hold a year ago have been hinting that the legal battle over the NRC’s waste confidence rule is far from finished because the new proposals are critically flawed. [National Journal]

¶   A court ruling found in favor of a proposed nuclear plant in Utah. The judge said the plant was allowed to use the Green River, and that there is reason to believe that the project will not be detrimental to the public welfare. [fox13now.com]

Science and Technology:

¶   Every source of electricity we have kills some number of birds. And while solar panels may fare better than anything else, it’s actually clear (and uplifting) that wind turbines fare better than nuclear or fossil-fueled power plants on this front. [CleanTechnica]

¶   BASF has produced its first commercial volumes of 1,4-butanediol (BDO) from renewable raw material, and is offering this product to customers for testing and commercial use. [4-traders]

World:

¶   With growing incentives and larger end-user awareness, the small-wind power market is expected to increase significantly, from $609 million in 2012 to $3 billion by 2020, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 22%, according to GlobalData. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶   United Arab Emirates’ $15 billion pilot project at Masdar has started producing results. Masdar pilot project, in the outskirts of the country’s capital of Abudhabi, is generating 100 MW of electrical power using solar PVs. [Business Recorder]

¶   Royal Dutch Shell includes a high price for carbon dioxide when evaluating new projects. The $40 a metric ton price that Shell uses would — if widely adopted — reshape domestic and international energy consumption and investment trends. [Energy Collective]

¶   The deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness, MLA, opened a £125 million wind farm, Slieve Kirk Wind Park, near Limavady. The wind farm is expected to produce 200 GWh per year, enough to power over 65,000 homes. [Londonderry Today]

¶   An independent Scotland would seek to sell wind power and other green electricity south of the border as “the most cost-effective means for the rest of the UK to meet its renewable ambitions,” according to a Scottish White Paper on independence. [reNews]

¶   The president of Taiwan says safety at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant was enhanced by a system that can destroy the plant to prevent radiation leak. The system would come into operation if a disaster were about to happen. [Taipei Times]

¶   Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif launched the construction of the country’s biggest nuclear power project. The 2200 MW Karachi Coastal Power Project is to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea coast. [Jagran Josh]

US:

¶   Renewable Energy Vermont, a trade group for the solar industry and other renewable technologies, has asked Governor Peter Shumlin to support the state’s net metering program. To avoid standstill, new goals are needed as old goals are met. [Clean Energy Authority]

¶   The University of Vermont and the state’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power, will work together to develop energy efficiency programs and seek ways to protect the environment under an agreement announced Tuesday. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶   The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has made changes to the nation’s Small Generator Interconnection Procedures, which the Interstate Renewable Energy Council says should allow a more efficient interconnection process. [solarserver.com]

¶   The first year of the 113th Congress (2013-2014) draws to a close with no passage of climate-specific legislation, but signs that some in Congress understand the importance of addressing this issue. Here’s a by-the-numbers look. [Energy Collective]

¶   If Seabrook nuclear power plant union workers and plant owner NextEra Energy don’t come to a contract agreement by midnight on Monday, the 226 union workers will be locked out, according to the owners, NextEra Energy (Florida Power & Light). [Foster’s Daily Democrat]

Opinion:

¶   “The Answer to Climate Change Is Renewable Energy, Not Nuclear Power” While it’s too late to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle, let’s stop pretending that human political systems or organizational processes can manage the risks of this technology.  [Huffington Post]

¶   “As We Consume More Fossil Fuels, Air Quality Actually Improves” For the record, this is sort of thing supporters of fossil fuels want us to believe. Using flawed logic, progress we make in fighting pollution is cynically implicitly credited to the polluters. [Forbes]

Science and Technology:

¶   Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published a research paper concluding that the US EPA has severely underestimated the extent of methane emissions, particularly from the oil and gas industry. [Newswise]

World:

¶   The Tasmanian Government has released a climate change strategy aimed at 100% renewable power. The Climate Smart Tasmania plan includes energy reduction targets across government, land use, infrastructure, transport and waste systems. [Yahoo!7 News] (Several news articles say the date for completion of this project is 2020, but looking quickly at the government proposal, it appears that 2020 is an interim date, with the final date being 2050.)

¶   A recent study from Bihar says electrical access in rural India is determined by proximity to the Central power grid, meaning remote villages in rural India would remain without power. They must turn to microgrids for electricity. [Hindu Business Line]

¶   Weeks after warning that the government was treating environmental subsidies as a “political football”, the German-owned RWE npower is pulling out of the £4 billion Atlantic Array project in the Bristol Channel because the economics do not stack up. [The Guardian]

¶   The Fukushima nuclear crisis is creating business opportunities in parts of the world. For example, Britain has 120 tons of plutonium, partly due to the nuclear crisis, and now sees the opportunity to make money in storing unused plutonium. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶   The pipeline of solar PV projects has grown 7% over the past 12 months and now stands at 2,400 solar installations that would generate 43,000 MW, according to a report released today by market research firm NPD Solarbuzz. [Quartz]

¶   Bills pending in the Vermont state House and Senate would have Vermont’s public employee pension funds sell off their investments in any company which has as a principal business the extraction, production, or manufacture of fossil fuels. [Rutland Herald]

¶   Lincoln Renewable Energy, a developer of U.S. solar and wind projects, today announced the commencement of construction of its 300 MW Hereford 2 wind power project located in Castro County, Texas. [ElectricNet]

¶   New York’s largest solar array so far will sit on 47 acres of Freshkills Park, a landfill-turned-green space on Staten Island. It will be built and run by SunEdison and have 10 MW capacity, power approximately 2,000 homes. [Curbed NY]

¶   Two new wind farms went on the map of Texas Monday. Lincoln Renewable Energy will have a 300 MW project in Castro County, and Miami Wind I, a 288 MW project is planned for the northeast Texas Panhandle. [Amarillo.com]

¶   The monthly energy infrastructure report from FERC, tracking utility-scale projects, shows that through October, 190 solar units totaling 2,528 MW in installed capacity had been added in 2013, more than double the 1,257 MW for the same period in 2012. [EarthTechling]

¶   Ecotech Institute has released its Clean Jobs Index, which shows more than one million job postings in the clean energy sector from July 1, 2013 through September 30, 2013. These numbers reveal a 54% increase and the rapid growth of the sector. [Fierce Energy]

Science and Technology:

¶   Nordex is boosting its Generation Delta wind turbine platform with the addition of the low-wind N131/3000. The 3 MW unit is designed for IEC-3 locations and can derive up to 28.6% more yield, for high efficiency combined with low sound power levels. [reNews]

¶   Improvement in battery technology and new laws make it possible for Germans to get government support for the installation of stationary battery storage with new PV installations. [Solar Novus Today]

World:

¶   The UK is ending international financing for coal projects except in exceptional circumstances. This follows similar actions by the US, Nordic Countries, the World Bank, and the European Investment Bank. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Lack of certainty in renewable energy policy is holding institutional investors back, according to an Ernst & Young survey. Of the 75 major pension and insurance funds surveyed, 61% have no current renewable energy infrastructure investment. [FTSE Global Markets]

¶   Vestas has launched “Wind for Prosperity” to help bring affordable electricity to energy-poor, wind-rich rural communities by combining factory-refurbished wind turbines with advanced diesel power generation for remote mini-grids. [reNews]

¶   The UK’s first floating wind farm is set to be located off the Scottish coast, in Buchan Deep, approximately 20-30 km off Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. The project comprises five, 6 MW floating turbines operating in waters over 100 meters deep. [Your Renewable News]

¶   A report by Green Energy Markets shows Australians installed more than 1 GW of solar panels last year, with 13% of homes now having them, but during the past year, installations have dropped 22% as a result of winding down of rebates and incentives. [Energy Matters]

¶   Wind power output in Ireland reached record levels, according to the Irish Wind Energy Association. The new record of 1,564 MW, enough to power over one million Irish homes, was recorded on November 20. [Today’s Energy Solutions]

¶   Spanish car manufacturer SEAT has taken the lead in solar power generation, installing the biggest solar panel array in the automotive industry, with a staggering 53,000 panels now fitted at its Martorell manufacturing plant. [TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk]

¶   A team of experts formed by the International Atomic Energy Agency began Monday reviewing the ongoing efforts to scrap the crippled reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. [GlobalPost]

US:

¶   The DOEs National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released its 128-page 2012 Renewable Energy Data Book, providing data on renewable energy. Renewable energy now supplies 12.4 % of US demand, and 23% worldwide (4,892 TWh). [Energy Matters]

¶   Nebraska is rated third among the states for its wind-energy potential. And yet a year ago, it ranked only 26th for its actual wind-energy production. Several people familiar with wind energy in Nebraska say this is because of one anti-wind, anti-solar person. [Midwest Energy News]

¶   SolarCity, guided by Elon Musk has just become the first of its kind to offer bonds backed by rooftop solar panels. This innovation will allow solar manufacturers and distributors to become energy companies, selling solar power as a service. [Triple Pundit]

Opinion:

¶   “The (Untapped) Carbon Conundrum” Pension fund executives say oil and coal companies in their portfolios need to go back to the drawing board on how climate change threatens their business plans. [Huffington Post]

¶   “Reality check on renewable energy could unblock climate talks” The potential solutions to rising greenhouse gases appear insurmountable to negotiators: Yet the solutions are staring them in the face. [RenewEconomy]

Science and Technology:

¶   Today, the vast majority of plastics are still made using non-renewable fossil fuels, especially petroleum. With concerns for the environment and climate change, some researchers have begun to look for alternatives. [The Nation]

World:

¶   In India, social entrepreneurs have turned the crippling power grid problems into an opportunity to offer electricity at low cost and by using local resources to light the lives of rural masses groping in darkness. [Chandigarh Tribune]

¶   The non-hydro renewable energy capacity is poised to grow 30 fold in Middle East-North Africa region by 2020, thanks to the over 100 renewable energy projects. [Trade Arabia]

¶   The Asian Development Bank will provide a loan of $110 million for a 100 MW solar power plant in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The plant will be the largest of its kind in Central Asia. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶   Secretary of State John Kerry and leaders from five other world powers early Sunday reached a nuclear deal with Iran, following intense negotiations that took place over several days in Geneva. [NBCNews.com]

¶   The deputy chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that Iran is planning construction of the two nuclear power stations. The announcement came during negotiations on Iranian capabilities. [Fars News Agency]

US:

¶   New Mexico energy regulators altered the state’s renewable energy law this week, infuriating renewable energy advocates who say the move will stunt the state’s growing solar industry. [ThinkProgress]

¶   Nobel Prize-winning physicist and former head of the US DOE says Canada and the US should cooperate on hydroelectric and wind energy and boost transmission infrastructure between the two countries. [GlobalPost]

Opinion:

¶   “Avoidable Problem of the Wrong Answer for Climate Change” A recent article claiming that nuclear power is necessary to avoid climate change is a sad example of the faulty conclusions being reached by people consider themselves environmentalists. [Dissident Voice]

World:

¶   A new survey shows Australians love having their household own solar power, but the government has a bill to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which has already passed in the house, going to the country’s senate. [PV-Tech]

¶   A survey of British farmers, conducted in association with energy company E.ON, showed that 67% of respondents planned to make operations more efficient in the coming 12 months, with 48% saying rising energy costs were a key priority. [FarmersWeekly]

¶   Construction of three wind power plants with a total capacity of 135.3 megawatts in Azerbaijan will be completed in 2015, according to the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources. [Eurasia Review]

¶   International banks provide 75% of their energy project support for  fossil fuel projects in 12 high emitting developing nations. Rich countries spend seven times more supporting coal, oil and gas than they do helping poorer nations fight climate change. [The Progress Report]

¶   TEPCO and three Mitsubishi group companies plan to construct two cutting-edge coal power plants in Fukushima. The new facilities are expected to open as early as 2020, and should be about 20% more efficient than conventional coal-fired plants. [Channel News Asia]

¶   TEPCO has transported 22 fuel assemblies from the Unit 4 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan to the nearby common pool building at the power plant for safe storage. [Energy Business Review]

US:

¶   Duke Energy has agreed to pay $1 million over the deaths of more than a dozen protected eagles and other birds at its wind farms. The 14 eagles are not of an endangered species, but are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. [The Hill]

¶   Duke Energy, together with SCE&G, joined Clemson University in South Carolina on November 21 to dedicate what is claimed to be the world’s most-advanced energy systems testing and research center. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶   Dominion dedicated the Somers Solar Center – capable of producing enough electricity to power more than 1,500 homes – marking a major milestone in the development of renewable energy in Connecticut. [Sacramento Bee]

¶   When Facebook settled on Altoona, Iowa as the location for their fourth data center, one of the deciding factors was the opportunity to help develop a new wind project in the state. [Environmental Defense Fund]

Science and Technology:

¶   New research says there were errors in earlier measurements of global temperatures that indicated global warming had slowed, because data from Africa was omitted. It says global warming has continued in a way consistent with earlier computer models. [Energy Collective]

¶   Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed a process to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen, two of the most common elements on earth, into a renewable alternative for crude oil. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

World:

¶   The potential for many thousands of battery systems to act as a grid stabilizer has been highlighted at a renewable energy storage conference underway this week in Berlin. The solution is cost-effective and be optimized for battery life. [RenewEconomy]

¶   The UK’s National Grid said Thursday it expects to spend around £1 billion ($1.6 billion) on new connections and system reinforcements to the power network to connect up EDF Energy’s planned 3 GW new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. [Platts]

US:

¶   In January 2014, leftover pasta and other unfinished food from the dining commons will be put to use as the newly established UC Davis Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester converts organic waste into campus electricity. [The Aggie]

¶   New York State is falling behind on its goal of converting 30% of the state’s electric grid to renewable energy sources by 2015, according to a new report. The state currently generates about 22% of its energy from alternative energy sources. [Capital New York]

¶   Construction of Du Pont’s cellulosic biorefineries is underway in Nevada, Iowa. The biorefinery will use agricultural waste from neighboring farms as a feedstock and annually supply 30 million gallons of cellulosic renewable fuel. [Zacks.com]

¶   According to a report released by the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center, wind energy is providing more than 2.2 million MWh in Pennsylvania, and that number is expected to rise 97% in the next five years, reducing pollution and water use. [90.5 WESA]

¶   Tisbury, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard, is seeing its large first solar array built. The 1.2 MW project is expected to save the town more than $78,000 over the first year, and an estimated cumulative total of $2.3 million over 20 years. [Martha’s Vineyard Times]

¶   One of the largest solar projects in Vermont is up and running. The 15-acre solar farm near the Harbor View housing development will generate enough electricity annually to power more than 400 homes. [St. Albans Messenger]

¶   According to the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 25% of a building’s energy performance is directly related to occupant behavior. This means software can improve efficiency by allowing occupants to become engaged in new ways. [Buildings]

¶   Trinity Solar has completed a 12.3 MW residential solar installation at United Communities LLC, the private manager of the military multifamily community at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., that serves over 2,100 military families. [Solar Industry]

¶   The TVA will retire more than 3 GW at eight coal units in Alabama and Kentucky to address “challenging trends” that point to lower power demand, a slow economy, uncertainty in commodity pricing, and tougher air pollution rules. [POWER magazine]

¶   Nuclear Regulatory Commission staffers are rejecting the concerns of lawmakers, state officials and watchdog groups who say nuclear waste tightly packed in spent-fuel pools at U.S. power plants is vulnerable to terrorist attacks. [National Journal]

236

Opinion:

¶   “Green Energy Is Grassroots Energy In Germany” One of the most misunderstood aspects of Germany’s energy transition is the assumption that this is top-down mandate to adopt green energy. Nothing could be further from the truth. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶   Researchers have made the first battery electrode that heals itself, opening a new and potentially commercially viable path for making the next generation of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, cell phones and other devices. [Science Daily]

¶   NEC Corporation has developed the world’s first technology that enables direct remote control of a large number of consumer’s stationary batteries, thereby enabling coordinated control of the charge and discharge of individual units. [DigitalJournal.com]

World:

¶   First Solar Inc. announced that it will invest approximately $100 MM in Japan to develop solar power plants. Japan is expected to become one of the key solar markets due to its significant energy demand. [CIOL]

¶   Days after the Abbott government confirmed it would slash funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, ARENA has revealed it will be providing financial backing for a strategy to build up Australia’s community renewable energy sector. [RenewEconomy]

¶   One of the largest wind farms in Australia’s state of Victoria has started producing electrical power. The Mt Mercer wind farm, 30 km south of Ballarat, features 64 turbines with a capacity of 131 megawatts. [Weekly Times Now]

¶   What lies ahead at Fukushima Daiichi is a decades-long journey filled with uncertainty. Nobody knows exactly how much fuel melted, or where exactly the fuel went — how deep or in what form it is, somewhere at the bottom of reactor Units 1, 2 and 3. [ABC News]

¶   Environmental concerns and the still haunting images of the Fukushima disaster continue to divide the world on whether nuclear energy should grow or go away. Hungary, however, is opting for nuclear. [Budapest Business Journal]

US:

¶   A carbon tax of $25 per ton of emissions would cut the deficit by $1 trillion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Of 103 cost-cutting ways detailed, the carbon tax was far and away the biggest deficit reducer of any option listed. [CleanTechnica]

¶   After much debate and speculation, Colorado regulators proposed new air quality rules for the state’s booming oil and gas industry on Monday, including the nation’s first statewide standards for methane emissions from drilling. [Huffington Post]

¶   General Motors and Detroit Renewable Energy (DRE) today announced a renewable energy project to turn solid municipal waste from Metro Detroit into process steam that will be used to heat and cool portions of GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. [Your Renewable News]

¶   The Department of Interior has approved the 900-mile Gateway West Transmission Line project, to stretch from southern Wyoming to southern Idaho and will carry 1,500 gigawatts of energy, mostly generated by wind farms. [International Business Times]

304

Opinion:

¶   “The UK Needs to Take a More Serious Look at Importing Renewable Electricity” Imports of renewables may have a significant role to play in diversifying supply and limiting the total costs of providing low-carbon power.  [Energy Collective]

Science and Technology:

¶   West-facing rooftop solar panels produced 49% more electricity during peak demand compared to south-facing panels, according to a new study from Pecan Street Research Institute. The research is the first of its kind to evaluate orientation of PV panels. [Energy Collective]

World:

¶   Premier Solar has partnered with Chicago-based New Generation Power to set up solar farms in Andhra Pradesh. The Indo-American consortium has a project underway for 70 MW capacity. It hopes to finalize another 245 MW soon, and foresees 1,000 MW. [DealCurry]

¶   Dong Energy has committed to build out the 330 MW Gode Wind 1 and 252 Gode Wind 2 offshore wind farms in the North Sea 45 km off the German coast. The €2.2 billion project will feature a total 97 Siemens turbines of 6 MW each. [reNews]

¶   A private company is proposing to build a renewable energy station in Perth that would add power to the south-west energy grid using recycled waste. Gas produced from waste material will be burnt to produce electricity for the grid. [ABC Online]

¶   Political squabbling about the UK energy sector is leaving renewables investors, particularly those involved in offshore wind, in “a state of heightened uncertainty”, according to Ernst and Young’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices. [reNews]

¶   Poland, host of the climate change negotiations, is going to extreme lengths to protect its coal-fired electricity industry, even going so far as erecting a form of electronic barrier to keep renewable energy from neighboring Germany out of its grid. [RenewEconomy]

¶   South Korea’s nuclear regulator has cleared the way for one of six closed reactors to restart after checks on welding. It also said it had approved replacement cables for three more shut in a safety scandal, but it was unclear when these would restart. [Reuters]

¶   Tokyo Electric Power Co. has started removing nuclear fuel from a damaged reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant for the first time, marking a new stage in the decades-long decommissioning process. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶   Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), has introduced the American Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act. It would require electric utilities to get at least 25% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025, starting at 6% in 2015 and rising gradually. [Grist]

¶   Renewable Energy Group® formally opened the latest in a series of major enhancements to its biodiesel operations Friday with a ribbon cutting at the new barge loading facility at the company’s Seneca, Illinois biorefinery. [Your Renewable News]

Opinion:

¶   “Renewable Energy Can Pave The Path To Peace – Analysis” One way or another, society has to pay the price of conflict over energy, more often than not perpetuating an endless cycle of poverty. Procuring energy does not need to be so brutal. [Eurasia Review]

World:

¶   The newly projected 350% growth of Japan’s solar market from 2012 to 2013 dwarfs estimates made earlier this year. The latest forecast is almost a full gigawatt higher than the 5.3 gigawatts expected by analysts earlier this year. [EnergyCollective]

¶   Swedish furniture giant IKEA announced Thursday it has purchased a 46-megawatt wind farm currently under construction in Pincher Creek, Alberta, about 200 km south of Calgary — the company’s first wind farm outside of Europe. [Calgary Sun]

¶   On Nov. 12, Neste Oil committed itself  to a Dutch initiative aimed at the deployment of sustainable biofuel in the aviation sector. Neste Oil’s role in the initiative is to explore the production opportunities for aviation biofuel and scaling up production. [Biomass Magazine]

¶   DuPont has begun construction of a 4.4 MW solar power plant in Cernay in northern France. Once completed, the facility will be the largest installation on company’s grounds to date. The solar farm is planned to cover about 15 acres, and will feature 17,952 PV panels. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶   ClearSky Advisors (Toronto) says that South Korea’s shift away from its emphasis on nuclear power in the wake of a scandal over safety certificates could be positive for the continued development of renewable energy over the long run. [solarserver.com]

¶   Japan took a major step back Friday from earlier pledges to slash its greenhouse gas emissions, saying a shutdown of its nuclear power plants in the wake of the Fukushima disaster had made its previous target unattainable. [New York Times]

US:

¶   California is set to nearly double its wind and solar power generation over the next seven years as utility companies try to meet the state’s requirement to source 33% of energy from renewables by 2020, reliability regulators said. [Business Spectator]

¶   Legislation is moving through both houses to tweak the tax code to let clean energy developers form master limited partnerships, publicly traded companies not subject to corporate taxes. Fossil fuel companies have used MLPs to raise hundreds of billions. [Kitsap Sun]

¶   Iowa has 3,200 wind turbines producing 5,100 megawatts of wind energy, or 25% of the state’s electric needs. It also is home to 13 manufacturers producing wind turbine parts. Tom Wind, an expert on windpower in Iowa, says there is growth ahead. [Quad City Times]

¶   Obama administration officials, under pressure from advanced-biofuel producers and farm-state lawmakers, have told industry representatives that they’re considering raising the quota for their product next year above what was contained in an August draft plan. [Bloomberg]

¶   A rift has developed among New England states over who should pay for transmission lines needed to carry electricity from renewable energy projects. The issue is whether ratepayers across the region should foot the bill for power lines needed for southern NE. [MPBN News]

289

Opinion:

¶   “The elephant in the room” There’s an African saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Here in Vermont, achieving 90% renewable energy by 2050 can be done one house, one business, and one institution at a time. [Commons]

¶   “The six U.S. nuclear power plants most likely to shut down” A report by investment research firm Morningstar in its latest Utilities Observer publication warns about the sector’s risks. The nuclear power industry is melting down financially. [Grist]

Science and Technology:

¶   Eos Energy Storage says it has a breakthrough energy storage systems that could make a huge impact on the energy market. The 1-MW/6-MWh Aurora energy storage system can reportedly achieve 10,000 cycles and costs $160/kWh for a DC system. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   Two separate coalitions of green businesses and energy companies representing more than €250 billion of annual revenue and 176,000 jobs have thrown their weight behind the push for a new renewables target for 2030. [Business Green]

¶   Electricity from the Kalkbult solar PV power station flowed into the national grid on Tuesday, making it South Africa’s first solar plant to come online – three months ahead of schedule. The 75 MW plant will generate power for 33,000 households. [South Africa.info]

¶   A remote-controlled robot has succeeded in pinpointing two holes in the containment vessel of the damaged Unit 1 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi. The robot’s camera captured images of water leaking into the building housing the reactor. [RTT News]

¶   The head of the World Energy Council has warned that without governments providing financial support to nuclear power projects, the sector’s share of the power generation market will remain stationary. [PennEnergy]

US:

¶   Facebook says it will begin operating its new data center in Altoona in early 2015 powered entirely by renewable energy that will come from a new wind project in Wellsburg, Iowa. [DesMoinesRegister.com]

¶   By 2015, Nebraska will have the potential to generate more than 1,200 megawatts of electricity from wind farms. Nebraska currently has 459 megawatts of installed wind power capacity but will add 750 megawatts this year and in 2014. [Lincoln Journal Star]

¶   Google and global private equity firm KKR are to make a joint $400m investment into six solar plants – five in California and one in Arizona – with a combined capacity of 106 MW of electricity. [NewNet]

¶   A new report, “The Values of Geothermal Energy: A Discussion of the Benefits Geothermal Power Provides to the Future US Power System,” has been released by the Geothermal Energy Association and the Geothermal Resources Council. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶   A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists says that the NRC is ignoring its own safety regulations at Diablo Canyon. They say the plant is located dangerously close to recently discovered fault lines, which could potentially put people living nearby at risk. [KCOY.com]

285

Opinion:

¶   “The $523 Billion In Fossil Fuel Subsidies Is Money We’re Not Spending On Renewables” One of the hardest problems in halting climate change is the way countries continue to subsidize the problem, and the problem is fossil fuels. [Co.Exist]

¶   “Quebec holds the answer to Ontario’s power problems” A plan to increase nuclear power generation would cost twice as much as what Quebec is selling: clean, renewable power for right now. [Toronto Star]

Science and Technology:

¶   A recent breakthrough from and the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory could spark U.S. solar manufacturing when the approach hits the assembly line next year. The approach simplifies manufacture and lowers costs. [Energy Tribune]

World:

¶   Nicaragua is what many experts call a paradise of renewable energies. The country has extensive geothermal resources, resulting from its large volcanic chain and seismic activity, with excellent exposure to the wind and sun and a variety of water sources. [Nicaragua Dispatch]

¶   Iceland’s president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, says developing geothermal and hydropower resources boosted their economy and slashed carbon dioxide emissions. Iceland now wants to export its clean energy model to Europe, the US and China. [Petroleum Economist]

¶   China will build more renewable power plants through 2035 than the European Union, U.S. and Japan combined, according to the IEA. The share of renewable energy sources in world electricity supply will rise above 30% in that period. [Businessweek]

¶   Japan’s flagging anti-nuclear movement is getting a boost from two former prime ministers, Junichiro Koizumi and Morihiro Hosokawa, who are calling for atomic power to be phased out following the Fukushima disaster. [Richmond Times Dispatch]

¶   Donald Trump’s legal challenge to an offshore wind farm project is expected to get under way on Tuesday. He opposes the 11-turbine project off the Aberdeenshire coast, claiming it will spoil the view from his nearby luxury golf course. [stv.tv]

US:

¶   The Vermont Electric Cooperative hopes to build the state’s largest utility-owned solar power project as part of the effort to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The 5 MW project would be built in the western part of the co-op’s service territory. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶   A new power plant that burns wood and sawdust is now producing power at Domtar Corp.’s paper mill in north-central Wisconsin. The biomass plant produces up to 50 MW of electricity, while also supplying steam to the paper mill. [Wisconsin State Journal]

¶   MidAmerican Energy Co. has unveiled additional details about its plan to develop up to 1,050 megawatts of additional wind generation in Iowa by the end of 2015. Construction activity is now underway at each of the five project sites. [RenewablesBiz]

342

Opinion:

¶   “3 Ways Superstorm Sandy Could Change Utilities Forever” Half of Manhattan went black after Hurricane Sandy overwhelmed a substation one year ago. But Manhattan was relatively lucky. Most of the lights came on within days. Not so for other places … [theenergycollective]

World:

¶   Japan switched on the first turbine at a 1000 MW wind farm 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast of Fukushima on Monday, feeding electricity to the grid tethered to the tsunami-crippled nuclear plant onshore. [Ventura County Star]

¶   Eltek, the world leader in high efficiency power systems for telecommunications, industrial applications and renewable energy projects has more than 430 successfully deployed solar projects in 17 African countries. [Your Renewable News]

¶   The Chief Development Officer of Energy and Climate Change for Sydney, Australia, intends to have the city rely 100% on renewable energy sources for power, heating, cooling, and transport by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶    Abundance Generation is in the business of crowdfunding solar and wind projects where everyone benefits.  The company finances clean, renewable energy projects. Individuals can participate in these projects by investing as little as £5. [Crowdfund Insider]

¶   Two Maryland-based companies have  announced they have been awarded a contract to build, operate, and transfer three solar sites, each of 100 MW, in the eastern region of Ethiopia. [Your Renewable News]

¶   Serbian Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Zorana Mihajlovic says that the construction of a nuclear power plant in Serbia is out of question for environmental reasons and because it would be extremely expensive. [Balkans.com Business News]

¶   Fundy Tidal and Clean Current Power Systems have signed an agreement to test and demonstrate a 3.5 meter diameter Clean Current tidal turbine as part of a Tidal Power System project in Digby County, Nova Scotia. [Energy Business Review]

¶   Officials, experts, and other workers interviewed by the AP say the quality of the tanks at Fukushima Daiichi suffered because of unavoidable haste, because there is so much contaminated water leaking from the wrecked reactors. [Las Vegas Sun]

US:

¶   Starting in 2014, California is implementing a tsunami of building code revisions called Title 24. These revised building codes will move California’s residential and commercial buildings toward Zero Net Energy, making as much energy as they take. [Triple Pundit]

¶   The United States Department of Energy has announced a plan to spur solar power deployment by cutting red tape for residential and small commercial rooftop solar systems. Cutting red tape can cut a large part of the costs of a system. [SmartMeters]

¶   A wind farm just west of Anchorage produced 50,092 megawatt hours of energy at the one-year anniversary September 24. That’s enough power for about 6,422 homes. Now, its owners are planning on doubling the wind farm’s size. [Anchorage Daily News]

¶   Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station officials have announced the pending layoff of seven administrative positions, and no one should be surprised. It is hard for a nuclear plant to make money in the face of cheaper energy alternatives and new regulations. [Wicked Local Kingston]

229

A Helping Hand:

¶   After the devastating typhoon, it may be months before power is restored to some parts of the Philippines. A Chicago-area non-profit called Watts of Love hopes to have 10,000 solar lights to the area by Christmas. [CBS2 Chicago]

World:

¶   The Scottish island of Gigha is to be the focus of a £2.5 million experiment aimed at solving a major technological problem: how to store energy generated by wind, tide and wave power plants. [The Guardian]

¶   Ethiopia is planning to multiply its power output by five over the next five years, increasing from 2,000 MW to 10,000 MW. Primary power sources will be wind, hydro, and geothermal. [Tadias Magazine]

¶   The European Commission’s energy chief says a proposal on mandatory disaster insurance for nuclear power plants will be presented in coming weeks. The proposal may be one of the first items on the European Parliament’s agenda after May elections. [Las Vegas Sun]

¶   TEPCO will begin implementing a plan early next month to freeze water in tunnel pipes where they connect with turbine buildings as part of a battle to remove highly radioactive water accumulated in the pipes at Fukushima Daiichi, according to sources.[The Japan News]

¶   Another leakage of water with excessive concentration of radioactive substances has taken place at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in Japan, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the power plant, says. [The Voice of Russia]

US:

¶   Consumers Energy has broken ground on the 105 MW Cross Winds Energy Park, located in Akron and Columbia townships of Tuscola County, Michigan. The project is scheduled to feature 62 General Electric 1.7 MW turbine units. [SmartMeters]

¶   The USDA has announced it is awarding nearly $10 million to a consortium of academic, industry and government organizations to research using insect-killed trees in the Rockies as a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. [Prairie Star]

¶   Now is the right time to purchase solar panels for your home or business according to a group of solar panel local experts in Colorado.  They spoke in favor of alternative power and said it is time to ditch your local power company and invest in solar. [Daily Herald]

¶   In 2011 and 2013, Xcel spent more than $2 million telling the citizens of Boulder that the utility knows better than the community when it comes to power production. Now Boulder has voted 2 to 1 in favor of a municipal utility. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Three Rutland residents are forming a group they call “Vermonters for Responsible Solar” to oppose plans for a 2.3 MW solar power installation that would be built in part of a 15-acre field in the Vermont town. [Danbury News Times]

¶   The fire at Unit 1 at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station Tuesday night was caused by degraded electrical cable insulation, NRC officials said Friday. The insulation on the cables was found to have some cracking. [Timesonline.com]

¶   The owner of a North Texas nuclear power plant has tabled its request for federal permission to expand the plant. Luminant Generation had asked the NRC for a license to build two new reactors at Comanche Point, but is putting the request on hold. [CBS Local]

119

Opinion:

¶   “Climate Science, Nuclear Power, and a Renewable Energy Future” The usefulness of nuclear power for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change is limited at best. Renewable energy technologies are cheaper, less risky, and ready for deployment today. [The Equation: Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists]

¶   “Clean energy in big business: How to make it happen” WWF’s Power Forward report showed 60% of Fortune 100 and Global 100 companies have climate goals, but buying and investing in renewable energy is challenging. [Christian Science Monitor]

¶   “CNN Documentary Propagates 3 Nuclear Power Myths” The pro-nuclear power film “Pandora’s Promise” claims nuclear is less expensive than renewables, downplays nuclear waste issues, and blames anti-nuclear “scare-tactics” for lack of deployment.  [Media Matters for America]

Science and Technology:

¶   According to David Olinger, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, tethered underwater kites could be used to generate large amounts of electricity by harnessing the power of ocean waves and currents. [inhabitat.com]

World:

¶   The UK’s largest offshore facility for wind farm testing has received planning consent. The National Renewable Energy Centre will construct 15 turbines with a total capacity of 99.9 MW off the coast of Blyth, Northumberland, at a cost of £350 million. [BBC News]

¶   German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats agreed to retain a moratorium on fracking for gas and cut incentives for wind power in areas where it is abundant, if they form a new coalition government. [Reuters]

¶   Scottish Renewables has published a set of standards which will deliver numerous benefits for local communities including improved financial benefits and a more consistent approach to the development of community benefits packages. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶   A floating experimental wind turbine set around 20 kilometers off the coast of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is seen to be a huge step toward building the world’s largest offshore wind farm, and possibly replacing nuclear power. [The Japan Daily Press]

US:

¶   Farmers Electric Co-op, the oldest rural electric cooperative in Iowa, has plans to purchase about nine acres of land close to their headquarters near Kalona. The co-op manager says they are about to take solar power to a whole new level. [WRAL.com]

¶   A glitch in the wording of a state law has prevented solar power from being purchased for Illinois electric customers even though they are paying into a fund for that purpose. So far, they have paid $53 million. [Chicago Tribune]

¶   Hoosier Energy and local guests celebrated official start-up of the Livingston Renewable Energy Station just north of Pontiac, Illinois. The newly refurbished adds a 15 MW generating to Hoosier Energy’s clean energy portfolio. [MyWebTimes.com]

¶   California leads the nation in solar installations, with ambitious targets for the percentage of power generated through sustainable means. Examples include the Adobe Star, California Community College, and the San Luis Obispo County PV projects. [GetSolar.com]

¶   Arizona announced that Apple is opening up a new manufacturing facility there. In announcing the new facility Governor Jan Brewer and the Arizona Commerce Authority also said that Apple would power the facility with solar and geothermal power. [Clean Energy Authority]

¶   For the third time in 18 months, inspectors have uncovered missing flood seals at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, a problem that could compromise the plant’s ability to operate electrical safety systems. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶   A string of unplanned shutdowns in the past year at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has led the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to downgrade the performance rating of the 41-year-old Plymouth facility and increase scrutiny by regulators. [Boston Globe]

Opinion:

¶   “Dave’s atomic white elephant: Hinkley Point C is a truly terrible deal for the consumer” Nuclear physics is a mysterious subject to most of us, but not nearly so incomprehensible as nuclear economics. [Conservative Home]

¶   “5 Reasons Solar Is Already Beating Fossil Fuels” The solar industry is growing dramatically every year, while fossil fuels continue to be phased out. Solar is no longer the cottage industry it was decades ago. [Huffington Post]

Economics and Finance:

¶   Wind farms and solar parks are changing hands at record rates, signaling both an increased taste for the assets among pension funds and hard times for utilities that are the biggest sellers. [Bloomberg]

World:

¶   Wind energy giant Vestas recently announced that it is expanding its wind energy education campaign, “Acts on Facts,” to the Swedish, UK, and Irish markets. The campaign was created to educate the general public and counter common misconceptions about wind power. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The European Commission’s energy department published today (5 November) guidance for member states on how to award subsidies for electricity generation. The aim is to bring greater clarity and predictability to processes, particularly in feed-in tariffs for renewable energy. [European Voice]

¶   Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa has signed a framework agreement for the supply of up to 285 MW in Finland. The deal with TuuliWatti covers up to 57 of the company’s G128 and G132 5 MW machines. [reNews]

¶   Canadian Solar has selected ABB, a world leader in power and automation technologies, and its consortium partner Bondfield Construction Company to supply a 100 MW PV power plant in Ontario. The solar farm will be Canada’s largest PV project. [Your Renewable News]

¶   Kyocera has announced the launch of a 70 MW solar power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan. The Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power Plant went online on November 1. [Your Renewable News]

¶   On-site renewable energy schemes could save businesses up to £33 billion between 2010 and 2030, according to new calculations from analyst firm Verdantix that suggest distributed generation from renewable technologies could generate significant economic benefits. [Business Green]

¶   In the UK, renewable energy capacity has increased by almost 40% since 2012, with renewables now supplying a record of more than 15% of electricity generation and employing 35,000 people. Businesses have invested £31 billion in renewables over the last three years. [Plastics & Rubber Weekly]

US:

¶   New research released by an independent grid operator confirms that wind energy is drastically decreasing both the price of electricity and emissions of harmful pollutants. The study was led by PJM, which serves all or parts of 13 Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes states. [CleanTechnica]

¶   In Colorado, Xcel Energy earlier this year set a new record, generating 60.5% of its electricity using the wind, up from its previous 56.7% record. At the time, the wind farms generated 1,874 MW of the total 3,100 MW load (power demand from Xcel’s generator network). [CleanTechnica]

¶   Hawaiian Electric Co. is asking Hawaii regulators to allow it to negotiate with developers of six additional renewable energy projects that could be up and running quickly to provide electricity on Oahu at a lower cost. [Pacific Business News (Honolulu)]

World:

¶   The UK’s biggest developer of solar farms has said it wants to spend £100 million developing 20 sites in Northern Ireland over the next two years. Lightsource Renewable Energy is currently considering two large-scale farms in County Antrim and one in County Down. [H&V News]

¶   PetroEnergy Resources Corp. on Tuesday announced the Philippine Electricity Market Corp.’s  approval for MGI’s power facility in Santo Tomas, Batangas, to be a direct trading participant in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, effective November 4. [Business Mirror]

¶   Lightsource Renewable Energy is investigating installing a 6.5 MW solar farm at a farm in Devon. A key aspect of the solar farm could be the role solar development could play in boosting local biodiversity, including consideration for hedgerows and a wild flower meadow. [Solar Power Portal]

¶   Researchers in Fukushima on the Pacific coast of Japan are uncovering higher than expected rates of thyroid cancer in children. One prominent former thyroid surgeon – a veteran of the Chernobyl disaster – says that cancer cases in Fukushima are appearing faster than expected. [Radio Australia]

US:

¶   As part of an effort to become carbon neutral, Microsoft Corp. has entered a 20-year deal to buy power from a new wind farm in Texas, the first time the tech giant is directly purchasing electricity from a specific source. [Longview News-Journal]

¶   Existing law in Michigan sets a 10% target for renewable power that must be met in 2015. A report issued Monday to Gov. Rick Snyder says 15% renewable power by 2020 and 30% by 2035 are “achievable.” [Iron Mountain Daily News]

¶   Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, and Turner Renewable Energy have started commercial operations of the 139 MW Campo Verde solar facility in Imperial County, California. The project includes 2.3 million PV modules, and will power around 48,000 homes. [Energy Business Review]

¶   Michigan is about to become one of only a handful of states to generate more than a gigawatt electricity from wind power. More than 40 companies in the wind industry now employ more than 3,000 Michiganders. [CBS Local]

¶   Many Mainers are surprised to know that nuclear waste is still stored at the former Maine Yankee site in Wiscasset. Even more shocking is that if you use electricity in Maine, you are paying to maintain that waste. [WLBZ-TV]

¶   Entergy Nuclear wants another $790,000 in attorney’s fees on top of its earlier claim of $4.6 million from the state of Vermont over the energy’s company fight with the state over the future operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

Opinion:

¶   “Nuclear energy verdict: Costly, slow and very high maintenance” An analysis from Deutsche Bank makes some interesting observations about the cost of nuclear, the comparisons with gas, the price of abatement, and the cost of upkeep for France’s existing fleet. [RenewEconomy]

¶   “Australia poised to ride a wave of success” The immense power of Australia’s oceans has the potential to provide huge amounts of clean energy if we can get the technology and the policy settings right. It could also create a major opportunity to create a high-value export industry. [Business Spectator]

Science and Technology:

¶   Four of the world’s leading environmental scientists urged politicians and environmentalists to back the development of ‘safe’ nuclear power plants to stop global warming, instead of planning to rely on solar and wind power, which they said was ‘unrealistic’. [Daily Mail]

World:

¶   Scotland’s Energy Minister has warned that the UK Government’s Electricity Market Reform proposals could undermine Scotland’s renewables sector and supply chain, while threatening security of supply across the UK, and further price increases on consumers bills as a result. [The Edinburgh Reporter]

¶   Azerbaijan’s State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources reports that potential capacity of alternative energy sector in Azerbaijan exceeds existing generating capacities of traditional energy sector, and is talking about ending use of oil and gas. [Azerbaijan Business Center]

¶   Wind and solar farms have become an accepted part of the Cornish landscape and can even enhance the visitor experience, according to a major new survey of holidaymakers in Cornwall. Of visitors polled, 94% said they make no difference, and 4% found them an added attraction. [DCA]

¶   Solar power produces electricity at mid-day, when it is most needed, when prices use to be highest. In Germany, peak wholesale electric prices have dropped 30%, and in southern Italy, the wholesale price of electricity at noon is nil, because home-produced solar provides all needs. [The Guardian]

¶   South Africa approved 33.8 billion rand ($3.3 billion) for 17 clean-energy projects in the third of five bidding rounds of a program to cut its reliance on coal. The Department of Energy received bids for 6,023 megawatts of capacity and allocated 1,456 megawatts. [Businessweek]

US:

¶   Vote Solar and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council concluded the policy outlook for distributed generation from solar energy is bright as ever in Freeing the Grid 2013, the 7th annual report card ranking all 50 US states on net metering and interconnection policies. [RenewEconomy]

¶   The city council of Cambridge, Massachusetts has created a “Getting to Net Zero” task force framework as a step to a new building code. The aim is to require that all new large-scale buildings be net-zero producers of carbon emissions. [Cambridge Chronicle]

Executive order by President Obama:

¶   “PREPARING THE UNITED STATES FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to prepare the Nation for the impacts of climate change …” [Newsroom America]

Opinion:

¶   “The Financial Case for Divestment of Fossil Fuel Companies by Endowment Fiduciaries” by Bevis Longstreth, Former SEC Commissioner. Rising global temperatures are a reality, and so too is the primary cause: Energy-related CO2 emissions caused by human-beings. [Huffington Post]

Science and Technology:

¶   New research from the University of Delaware suggests the existing tight grid layouts of offshore wind farms reduce power generation. Spacing turbines farther apart and staggering rows decreased output losses from eddies 14% and improved overall performance by 33%. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   In the 1990s, a wave of sell-offs swept away countless publicly owned enterprises. But now the trend is being reversed in Germany. In a referendum in Hamburg a month ago, 51% voted to buy back the energy grid the city sold. [BBC News]

¶   A revolution is under way in personal finance in the UK. Investment in clean energy projects is going retail, as people plough their savings and pension funds into renewable energy ventures offering much greater returns than bank deposits. [The Ecologist]

¶   Recent political messaging risks undermining job creation and investment in the UK’s renewable energy industry, the Renewable Energy Association has warned. recent moves putting energy policy at the center of political electioneering’ are increasing perceived investor risk. [OilFiredUp]

¶   TEPCO has accepted Washington’s offer to help with the cleanup and decommissioning of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The move comes as TEPCO prepares for the major operation of removing fuel rods from Unit 4. [RT]

US:

¶   Nebraska ranks 13th in the nation for potential solar production, yet only half a percent of the energy produced in Nebraska is, in fact, solar. That could change if Nebraska would allow residents to join a community solar garden, allowing credit on their electric bills. [Kota]

¶   In just weeks the Texas electrical grid will get another 18,500 MW, all from wind power farms in West Texas, as 3,600 miles of transmission lines come into service. The system also utilizes the best electrical storage technology. [Marshall News Messenger]

¶   A new analysis by an anti-nuclear organization says earthquake risks were seriously underestimated when Washington state’s only commercial nuclear power plant was built about 30 years ago at the Hanford nuclear reservation. [Bend Bulletin]

¶   Scientists at the University of Alaska are concerned about radiation leaking from Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, and the lack of a monitoring plan. Some radiation has arrived in northern Alaska and along the west coast. [CBC.ca]

Investment and finance:

¶   As renewable energy companies have grown and improved profits, their stocks have outperformed big oil by a wide margin. While ExxonMobil and Chevron showed declines in revenue, earnings from First Solar and SunPower have crushed everyone’s expectations. [DailyFinance]

¶   World demand for electric vehicles is projected to increase 6.5% per year to $122.5 billion in 2017. In the mature motor markets of the US and Western Europe, growth in demand will be driven by rebounding motor vehicle production and a healthier fixed investment environment. [InvestorIdeas.com]

Science and Technology:

¶   Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan’s largest high-tech applied research institution, has introduced the first biochemical technology for bio-butanol transportation-fuel production with a negative carbon footprint. It can achieve a transportation-fuel price of $2.00/gallon. [InvestorIdeas.com]

World:

¶   Irish state-owned utility Bord na Móna has announced plans to establish a new wind energy export business, a clean energy hub which will generate 2 GW when operational and create an export business worth €1 billion in annual revenue. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶   Iran plans to widely expand its use of renewable energy, according to Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian. Iran’s private sector will build 600 wind power turbines by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2014). [Tehran Times]

¶   Some 300 million manats (about $380 million) have been invested in the development of alternative and renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan. The plan is to achieve 20% renewables by 2020, which will cost about 7 billion manats ($8.9 billion). [AzerNews]

¶   TEPCO President Naomi Hirose said the utility will work with the U.S. Department of Energy in decommissioning the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and in dealing with radioactive water amassing at the site. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶   The Skylands Sierra Club Group will host a presentation about an initiative called NJ FREE, a renewable energy policy plan for New Jersey, seeking adoption of a state requirement for 80% renewable electricity by 2050, with an intermediate requirement of 30% by 2025. [The Advertiser News South]

¶   A new report from Progress Now says that of the 37 bills introduced in 2013 attacking states’ renewable portfolio standards, which set minimum levels for power from renewable sources like solar and wind, only one had any success, and that was partial. [Huffington Post]

¶   Duke Energy has established a group that will determine how to develop and operate solar projects at its regulated utilities. The utilities currently purchase some renewable energy, but they own almost no generating capacity of their own. Duke expects that to change. [Charlotte Business Journal]

¶   As part of the international Open Government Partnership, which President Obama formed in 2011, he announced the US will start publishing annual totals of federal subsidies for fossil fuels. There are 60 countries participating in the Open Government Partnership. [SustainableBusiness.com]

Opinion:

¶   “Graph of the Day: Nuclear prices itself out of market” The extent to which nuclear is being priced out of electricity markets has finally been revealed by the pricing mechanism unveiled by the British government in the deal to subsidize the Hinkley C nuclear. [RenewEconomy]

Science and Technology:

¶   Increases in global emissions of CO₂ slowed to 1.1% in 2012, down from an average annual increase of 2.9% over the last decade. This is remarkable, as the global economy grew by 3.5%. Meanwhile, the share of the ‘new’ renewable energy sources solar, wind and biofuel went from 1.1% in 2006 to 2.4% in 2012. [Business Spectator]

¶   A multi-million Euro project has advanced global progress on capturing tidal and wave energy. Estimates suggest that 0.1% of ocean generated energy could be capable of supplying the entire world’s energy requirements five times over. [Balkans.com Business News]

¶   Lockheed Martin and Beijing-based Reignwood Group are to kick off design work on a 10 MW Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion plant in a drive to commercialize the technology. The companies signed a contract that will see the US giant provide project management, design and systems engineering services. [reNews]

World:

¶   Azerbaijan’s State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources is preparing feasibility study for construction of hybrid power stations to work on wind, solar and biogas energy in 10 regions of the country. Each station will make 30 MW. [Azerbaijan Business Center]

¶   German citizens owned 48% of the nation’s solar PV capacity in 2012, or roughly 15 GW. This compares to only 3%, or roughly 1 GW held by utilities. For overall renewable energy including wind and biofuels, citizens held 47%, or 34 GW, as compared to 9 GW (12%) held by utilities. [solarserver.com]

¶   The Areva-Siemens consortium has increased its claim against Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj to €2.6 billion ($3.5 billion) in relation to the delay and cost overruns of the Olkiluoto EPR. Areva-Siemens had previously sought damages of €1.9 billion ($2.6 billion) from TVO. [World Nuclear News]

US:

¶   Senator Markey, D-Mass., has introduced his first bill since joining the Senate. It would require utilities to get at least 25% of the power they sell from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass, but 2025. The starting requirement would be 6% from such sources in 2015. [The Patriot Ledger]

¶   Xcel Energy customers interested in solar energy will have a redesigned incentive for rooftop solar under a proposal filed today with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The proposed system would provide an incentive based on the amount of energy produced, rather than making an upfront payment. [4-traders]

¶   After Arizona’s largest utility admitted it had been secretly contributing to outside nonprofits running negative ads against solar power in Arizona, a utility commissioner is asking for all the key players in a debate over a solar energy policy in the state to be open about PR campaigns. [Huffington Post]