Opinion:
¶ “Putting renewable energy costs in perspective” Anti-renewable people consistently cite ‘increased’ rates due to renewable energy, without comparing what the rates would have been if there were no renewables. They speak as if oil, coal and natural gas prices never go up, despite their history. [New Hampshire Business Review]
World:
¶ The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has awarded power purchase agreements (PPAs) to almost 200 MW of projects following a large-scale reverse wind energy auction. The PPAs will be signed for a term of 20 years and are planned to meet some 33% of the ACT power demand in 2020. [SeeNews Renewables]
¶ Siemens Canada is a leading company in the Canadian wind market, contributing to more than half of the 1.9 GW of new capacity installed in 2014. That momentum is reinforced today with the completion of the 1,000th blade at Siemens’ wind turbine blade manufacturing facility in Tillsonburg, Ontario. [Your Renewable News]
¶ An investment management firm, InfraRed, has announced its agreement to invest in the £1 billion Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon in Wales. The project is designed to generate around 500 GWh of electricity every year for 120 years, enough to provide nearly all of the domestic electricity for the Swansea region. [ITV News]
¶ On Wednesday new figures showing the “incredible strength” of Scotland’s renewable energy industry were announced by World Wildlife Fund Scotland. In January 2015, wind turbines alone produced enough average daily electricity to meet the needs of 146% of Scottish households, a 27% increase from 2014. [Blouin News Blogs]
US:
¶ The city council of Hillsboro, Oregon unanimously endorsed a plan to have the city recognized as a member of “Northwest Solar Communities” by the US DOE. The designation will help to promote increased use of solar power, resulting in reduced costs for installation of solar rooftop panels on community homes. [Hillsboro Tribune]
¶ The demand for renewable power resources such as wind and solar is not only holding steady, but growing. CCTV America’s Jessica Stone reported the story from Albany. People want solar panels in the American snow belt. Hudson Solar is paneling more than a dozen houses a month in the state of New York. [CCTV-America]
¶ In a breakthrough proposal, Dominion Virginia Power is planning to build solar power plants generating 400 MW of electricity in the state, with the energy coming online by 2020. The Richmond-based utility expects to invest $700 million in the large-scale solar photovoltaic projects in a number of locations. [Richmond.com]
¶ Representatives from 20 different groups are getting together to block the proposed Bakken oil pipeline’s path across Iowa. The pipeline would carry oil across 18 Iowa counties on its way to the Gulf coast. A legal battle can be launched now that a permit application was filed with the Iowa Utilities Board. [KIWARadio.com]
¶ The probability of saving money by using solar energy rather than standard grid electricity is 92% for Indiana farm businesses and about 50% for homes, Purdue University energy economists find. Unlike homes, businesses can deduct their investment in solar systems from their revenues. [Purdue Agricultural Communications]
¶ Washington state Senate Republicans want to revise the state’s renewable energy standard to encourage utilities to pay for carbon reductions in the transportation sector. Other proposed amendments for SB 7535 include tax incentives for alternative fuel vehicles and small modular nuclear reactors. [Argus Media]
¶ The governor of West Virginia has approved a law repealing the state’s controversial 2009 Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act, which required the state to generate 25% of its electricity from renewables or alternative energy sources (including some coal-based technologies) by 2025. [World Coal]
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