World:
¶ More than 125,000 UK homes put solar on their roof last year, according to the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change’s statistics on small-scale solar PV installations. A total of 700 MW of solar, enough to power 212,000 homes, was installed on buildings and in ground-mounted solar farms. [Renewable Energy Focus]
¶ Mexico will add 66 GW to its power grid over the next 15 years, with investments of $90 billion expected in renewables, according to a high-ranking Mexican energy official. The energy reform will create a competitive market and encourage use of renewables by awarding clean energy certificates. [Business News Americas]
¶ Efforts to combat climate change will figure prominently in talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Obama this weekend. India wants more private sector partnerships and technology to support a drive to expand its use of clean energy from the US. The US wants a global climate change deal in 2015. [Bharat Press]
¶ Vietnam’s plan to introduce nuclear power to its energy mix faced a fresh setback on Thursday as safety concerns and legal issues pushed back the planned construction of the country’s first nuclear plant by about five years from the initial schedule. Construction is not likely to begin until 2019. [Wall Street Journal]
¶ So many solar farms have been built or are planned in Wiltshire that this year more than half the county’s homes could be powered from the sun. Three years ago, there were nearly no solar installations in the county, now, there are enough to power 106,323 homes – or 54.7% of the total of 190,200. [Western Daily Press]
US:
¶ An energy program offered by the Northern Indiana Public Service Company allows the utility’s residential, commercial and industrial electric customers to receive 25%, 50%, or 100% of their energy from renewable energy sources, even if they don’t have a wind turbine or solar panels. [The Elkhart Truth]
¶ In addition to Wednesday’s budget speech, New York Governor Cuomo released 550 pages of proposals that go into more detail that included changes to the state’s power grid. The changes to utility regulation are meant to make it easier for local, small-scale producers to get their power to customers. [Innovation Trail]
¶ Ohio utilities are asking for sweeping bailouts for aging coal and nuclear power plants, to the tune of $3 billion. And Ohioans are asking why they should shell out billions to prop up harmful fossil fuels, when they could instead create thousands of good clean energy jobs, protecting their health and prosperity. [Huffington Post]
¶ The possible closure of three financially struggling Exelon nuclear plants in Illinois could deal an economic blow to the state, but increased investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency might mitigate much of those “near-term” impacts, according to a study issued this month by four state agencies. [Progress Illinois]
¶ Abengoa Yield celebrated the grand opening of the Mojave Solar plant, which is located 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, near Barstow, California. Mojave Solar has a gross capacity of 280 MW. It will provide clean energy able to serve about 91,000 California households, eliminating 223,440 tons of CO2 emissions. [Nasdaq]
¶ The US is about to auction development rights to the 5-GW Massachusetts offshore wind lease area, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s largest sale to date. The 742,000-acre zone 12 miles off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket will be sold as four commercial wind energy leases on 29 January 2015. [reNews]
geoharvey 