Opinion:
¶ “New Coal Plants in China: A (Carbon) Bubble Waiting to Burst” – China’s coal consumption growth has slowed down and fell in 2014. At the same time, coal-fired power generating capacity is growing rapidly. This represents an investment bubble that will burst as overcapacity becomes too large to ignore. [Energy Collective]
World:
¶ Grassroots support for energy reform is substantial in India. This was seen most recently in Aan Adani Party’s win in the Delhi state elections, a jarring reminder that the Indian masses have clout. A central election issue was making electricity both more sustainable and more affordable for the poor. [Solar Novus Today]
¶ The government of the Australian state of Victoria has made good on a pre-election promise to support the state’s first solar-powered town. Energy audits and retrofits to reduce consumption have already begun in Newstead as the first step towards a community micro-grid using 100% renewable power. [The Fifth Estate]
¶ The New South Wales Greens have unveiled a plan for a secure and clean energy future in the state. It has households and small businesses become active participants in the electricity industry. Coal and gas-fired electricity generation in NSW generates over 60 million tons of carbon emissions annually. [Energy Matters]
¶ The Director of Electricity from Panama’s National Energy Secretariat says that the recent solar bid was very successful with more tenders being put forward than ever. He says this means the country will have over 80 MW of installed capacity in solar PV and there are many opportunities for more. [AltEnergyMag]
¶ Senvion is delivering 18 wind turbines for the Nordergründe offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. Each turbine has a rated power of 6.15 MW, enabling it to supply about 4,000 households with energy. The Nordergründe offshore wind farm will be completed in the fall of 2016. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
¶ A Swedish group is building the world’s first ‘climate positive’ data center, in the famous copper mining and snow sports city of Falun. The proposed data center will work in tandem with a local energy system, using its waste heat for a variety of purposes and incorporating various renewable sources. [The Stack]
¶ Hawkins Group, of New Zealand, is developing the two new geothermal plans as part of a joint venture with Indonesian partner Banguan Cipta Kontractor. Hawkins has experience in delivering geothermal projects in New Zealand having recently successfully completed three power stations in that country. [Renewable Energy Focus]
¶ March will mark the fourth year since the crisis began at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where decommissioning work continues. About 6,000 to 7,000 workers are working every day to try to bring the situation under control at the buildings and facilities still scarred by the accident. [The Japan News]
US:
¶ The US installed some 470 MW of wind and 70 MW of solar parks in January 2015, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. This compares to 235 MW of wind and 343 MW of solar deployed a year earlier. Total installed wind power capacity reached 65.66 GW, 5.61% of total capacity. [SeeNews Renewables]
¶ A new Massachusetts state Senate report on climate change is a call for the state to set policies in the face of deepening environmental impacts. Its title is its bottom line: “No Time to Waste: Our climate clock is ticking and our natural resources, public health and the future of our economy are at stake.” [The Recorder]
¶ Gulf Power has submitted four petitions this year to the Florida Public Service Commission for solar and wind projects that could potentially power more than 68,700 homes in Northwest Florida. Three are solar energy farms at military bases, and one would purchase power from wind-rich Oklahoma. [Pensacola News Journal]
¶ Ameren Corp. has proposed an alternative to the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. The company says its proposal would achieve the same final CO2 emission reduction goals as the EPA’s own plan, while saving $4 billion in costs and avoiding grid reliability problems related to closing key coal-fired plants. [PennEnergy]
¶ In the latest sign that a Bay Area renewable energy trend is picking up steam, San Mateo County, California is taking a close look at buying its own power on the open market, instead of relying on PG&E, in a bid to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. The county is considering a community choice aggregation program. [Chico Enterprise-Record]
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