World:
¶ Water saving potential of renewable energy is a key finding of new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency. Realising the current renewable energy targets of the Gulf Cooperation Council region will result in a 22% reduction in water consumption for power generation and associated fuel extraction. [Yahoo! Maktoob News]
¶ A project called Second Life Batteries is bringing Bosch, the BMW Group, and Vattenfall together to interconnect used batteries from electric vehicles to form a large-scale energy storage system in Hamburg. As part of a virtual power plant, its energy is available within seconds to help keep the power grid stable. [Autocar Professional]
¶ Gamesa announced its deal to supply 100 MW of wind turbines –50 units of 2 MW — in two phases for Orange Renewable Power’s plant in Maharashtra, India. The first phase of 50 MW of the project is scheduled for completion in March 2015, and the second phase should be completed by June 2015. [Greentech Lead]
¶ Dubai has more than doubled its target for renewables in its overall energy mix given the falling cost of solar power. The change comes days after the emirate upsized a planned solar after receiving what the consortium building the scheme said was the cheapest cost ever proposed to generate solar power. [Gulf Business News]
¶ A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency has found that the cost of generating renewable energy is now equal to or below the cost of fossil fuels in many parts of the world. The report also asserts that renewables should remain financially competitive even if oil prices remain low for a while. [Business Spectator]
¶ A low carbon heating project has received a government research grant to carry out a feasibility study into what will be the first district heating project in the UK using renewable energy sources for energy. The low carbon heating project will be led by E.ON in partnership with the University of Exeter. [Green Building Press]
¶ Japan’s nuclear watchdog gave the green light to the operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant to discharge pumped up groundwater into the sea if radioactive substances in the water are within safety standards. TEPCO will be obliged to remove radioactive substances in the groundwater. [Asahi Shimbun]
US:
¶ Prologis Inc, an industrial real estate company, announced the completion of four new solar projects in Los Angeles. Some 1.1 million square feet of Prologis rooftop space will feed a combined 4.2 MW of power, enough for 1100 homes, directly into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power electrical grid. [AZoCleantech]
¶ Minnesota’s solar energy industry may have run into its first significant opposition. The Marshall Solar Energy Project, a 500-acre solar panel complex is planned to be installed on land on a farm in southwest Minnesota, but nearby residents are unhappy about the planned solar panel farm. [Duluth News Tribune]
¶ The first pieces of legislation put forth by a Republican-controlled West Virginia Legislature advanced Wednesday, with the Senate voting 33-0 to repeal the 2009 Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act and the House of Delegates advancing its own repeal to a third reading. [Huntington Herald Dispatch]
¶ Kansas City Power & Light, facing tougher environmental regulations, plans to curb its use of coal to generate electricity. The utility said Tuesday that a total of 700 MW of generating units will be shuttered or converted to use natural gas starting in 2016. This amounts to a nearly 19% reduction in use of coal. [Lake Expo]
¶ Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Heising-Simons family today announced the launch of a new Clean Energy Initiative to support state-based solutions that will ensure America has an energy system that is clean, affordable, and reliable. New energy technologies make it possible to achieve all three goals at once. [RenewablesBiz]
¶ Hawaiian Electric Companies, Hawaii’s biggest utility, wants to end to its solar net metering program by April, and replace it with a new tariff regime that will be less lucrative for solar-owning customers. The company says the change is needed to prevent distributed solar from overwhelming grid stability. [Greentech Media]
¶ The US DOE announced an incentive program for developers adding hydroelectric power generating capabilities to existing non-powered dams throughout the United States. According to the DOE, equipping non-powered dams with generating capabilities could provide up to 12 GW. [Renewable Energy Focus]
geoharvey 