World:
¶ In Australia, the Bulli Creek solar project received approval from the Toowoomba Regional Council for building up to 2,000 MW over the next eight years across 13,000 acres of cattle grazing land. It has the option of building out the site in manageable stages of 100 MW to 500 MW or more per stage. [Renew Economy]
¶ A report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives questions the economic cost and environmental benefits of SaskPower’s $1.5-billion Boundary Dam Carbon Capture and Storage project, claiming there are cheaper, more sustainable options to reduce the province’s greenhouse gas emissions. [Regina Leader-Post]
¶ New figures released by the Global Wind Energy Council show that the global wind industry grew by 44% in 2014, installing over 51 GW. The figure indicates a “solid sign of the recovery of the industry after a rough patch in the past few years.” The cumulative total worldwide was about 369,500 GW at year’s end. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Some communities in Abuja, the Nigerian the Federal Capital Territory, have marked one year of steady power supply, following the implementation of the Light up Rural Nigeria project, National Mirror reports. The project uses renewable power generation to supply electricity to the communities. [Nigerian Bulletin]
¶ Sandfire Resources has signed an agreement with juwi, a renewable energy company, which will see the construction of a 10.6-MW solar power station at its DeGrussa copper mine in Western Australia. The $40 million project will involve the construction of the largest integrated off-grid solar array in Australia. [Australian Mining]
¶ In Pakistan, there are over 1.1 million agriculture tube wells, with only 30% of them operated by electricity. With the country’s growing energy crisis, farmers are left with no option but to switch from diesel to solar energy to irrigate their crops. Tube wells consume around 2,000 million liters of oil per year. [eco-business.com]
¶ Some 77% of people in the UK think the nation should generate more electricity from renewable sources, a study reveals. Solar energy had 78% backing rooftop solar for new houses. Some 51% of consumers identified nuclear power as the least desirable plant to have nearby, followed by coal-fired (21%). [reNews]
¶ At a joint press conference following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in Egypt’s capital of Cairo, the Egyptian head of state said a nuclear power plant would be constructed in Dabaa in northwest Egypt on the Mediterranean coast. [Press TV]
US:
¶ Elon Musk believes solar and utilities can exist together, despite uneasy feelings of many within the utility sector. Speaking at the Detroit Auto Show, Musk said that expanding electric vehicle markets, along with businesses and homes as solar power generators, will change how we view electricity demand. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Vermont Gas Systems has abandoned its plan to bring natural gas under Lake Champlain to a New York paper mill after the plant withdrew its financial support. The pipeline, proposed to go from Middlebury under the lake to the International Paper facility in Ticonderoga, New York, proved too expensive. [vtdigger.org]
¶ Congressional attention on the Keystone XL pipeline detracts from a number of other significant developments in our quest for a better economy. Three significant moves by state officials in the last month show that clean energy’s importance to America is swelling, much to the benefit of the economy. [Triple Pundit]
¶ In what may be the largest commercial power agreement in the clean energy industry to date, First Solar just announced that it will supply Apple 130 MW of power for 25 years from its California Flats Solar Project. The deal reportedly is worth a total of $848 million. The project should be completed in 2016. [CleanTechnica]
¶ A consortium of US companies joined with California energy officials to launch of the Calgren Ethanol Biodigester in Pixley, California. The project utilizes waste from dairy farms to power the production of tens of millions of gallons of ethanol. The project is 100% American made and constructed. [Dairy Herd Management]
¶ California lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a package of bills to significantly expand renewable energy use in California, cut gasoline use by 50% and require the state’s major government pension funds to sell off investments in coal companies. The bills support environmental goals of the state’s governor. [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
¶ Siemens has been awarded another order from Pattern Energy Group LP to supply and install 87 SWT-2.3-108 2.3-MW wind turbines for the Logan’s Gap Wind project. The 200-MW project, located in Comanche County, Texas, will create enough clean energy to power 50,000 homes in Texas annually. [PennEnergy]
geoharvey 