Opinion:
¶ “Nuclear power is the greenest option, say top scientists” – In an open letter, more than 65 biologists, including a former UK government chief scientist, support a call to build more nuclear power plants as a central part of a global strategy to protect wildlife and the environment. [The Independent] (Rude remark)
World:
¶ The city of La Paz, Mexico, is to be powered 100% by solar energy. It already has 39 MW of solar PVs, and another solar plant is being built. It will have 97,000 solar panels on 44 acres, with a 30 MW capacity. It will also have an 11 MW storage battery. The system’s cost is expected to be $80 million. [CleanTechnica]
¶ The UK’s wind turbines have to be shut down at certain times because the electricity network is unable to cope with the power they produce. The wind farm owners then receive compensation payments for not producing electricity. They are paid more than £1 million a week, on average. [Telegraph.co.uk]
¶ The Awami-led coalition government of Pakistan has achieved a number of successes in the power sector during the past six years. Power generation capacity more than doubled from 4,942 MW in 2009 to 11,265 MW currently, with 68% of the population having access to electricity. [DhakaTribune]
¶ The Philippine DOE noted in a year-end report it has sent to the media, that power generation across the nation remains robust with 319 MW of committed projects being recorded for the year alone, adding that nearly 5200 MW of additional projects were expected in 2014 through 2020. [Manila Bulletin]
¶ A hybrid generating plant, with both solar with combined cycle turbines, will be built in Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea coast. The turbines will have a capacity of 550 MW, and the solar will provide 50 MW. Between the two systems, the power produced will be enough to supply about 600,000 homes. [Zawya]
¶ A renewables firm has defied critics of wind turbines by revealing its farms have produced far more clean power than expected. Lincolnshire’s officials say Bambers wind farm near Mablethorpe now powers almost 3,000 homes across the region each year, [about 116% of what was expected]. [Lincolnshire Echo]
¶ As the Indian government prepares to overhaul of the coal mining sector, an advisory group for integrated development of power, coal, and renewable energy has dismissed the idea of restructuring the sector’s monopoly Coal India, instead recommending empowerment of its subsidiaries. [Business Standard]
¶ Japanese power companies have resisted government calls to construct safer storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel and are instead waiting for a fuel reprocessing plant to finally start running after nearly two decades of delays. The utilities do not want to spend money on dry cask storage. [Asahi Shimbun]
US:
¶ New figures from the US Energy Information Administration suggest that for the fastest-growing parts of the country, electricity is gaining share as the heating fuel choice. In the future, that electricity for heating could increasingly come from renewable sources, such as wind or solar. [Energy Collective]
¶ Solar energy had a banner year in 2014. As more and more US households turn to solar PVs for power, they’re paying less to electric utilities. That’s making the utilities a little nervous. In some states, those companies are fighting back. Two reporters discuss trends in California and Colorado. [Iowa Public Radio]
geoharvey 
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