Science and Technology:
¶ Solar Impulse 2 has successfully landed in Varanasi, India. It seems there was some drama on the tarmac in Ahmedabad, of which the details have not yet come out. Turbulence and short sleep schedules add to the difficulties of the flight, as the solar-powered airplane flies around the world. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, who were among the authors of a new study published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience about the huge, fast-melting Totten Glacier in Antarctica, say it contains enough ice to contribute at least 11 feet (3.4 meters) to the rise the global sea level. [CNN]
¶ DNV GL, a large international testing body, gathered views from over 1,600 energy sector participants across more than 70 countries. Eight out of 10 respondents believe that the electricity system can be 70% renewable by 2050. Almost half of them believe this can be achieved in the next 15 years. [Your Renewable News]
World:
¶ Public Investment Corporation, South Africa’s largest pension fund, has announced it will take a 20% stake each in two CSP projects with an investment of $1.8 billion. Both of these projects are expected to be commissioned by 2017 and will use parabolic trough reflectors, with a capacity of 100 MW each. [CleanTechnica]
Solar trough collectors in Hawaii. Photo by Xklaim, from Wikimedia Commons.
¶ The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority has challenged the private sector to invest in renewable energy projects to support their own operations and ease the power deficit from the national grid. Zimbabwe’s power capacity remains at an average of 1,300 MW due to ageing infrastructure. Demand is 2,200 MW. [The Herald]
¶ New rules intended to combat air pollution from EU power plants could be weaker than coal standards currently in place in China, the US, and Japan, according to media reports. Apparently, industry lobbyists comprise over half (183 of 352) of the key official group formulating the new EU limits. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Japan approved a proposal to cut the incentive for solar power by as much as 16% as the costs of operation and maintenance fell. The tariff for applications approved from April 1 to June 30 will be lowered to ¥29/kWh (24¢/kWh) from ¥32 as proposed last month. The tariff will be lowered to ¥27/kWh on July 1. [Bloomberg]
¶ A report from Ernst & Young finds a perfect storm of disruption – from technologies such as renewable energy storage and generation, pricing, debt and project finance, and global sentiment on climate change. And financial analysis is catching up, with longer term perspectives that factor in these risks. [The Fifth Estate]
¶ Kyushu Electric Power Co hopes to restart a nuclear reactor in southwestern Japan in July, marking what would be the nation’s first resumption in about two years following stringent safety checks that were imposed after the 2011 Fukushima crisis. There may be further delays in courts, however. [TODAYonline]
US:
¶ According to a new report, the costs associated with offshore wind in New York could be reduced by as much as 50% over the next ten years by a the combined actions of specific actions taken by New York State and/or other states, ongoing technological improvements, and continuing industry advances. [CleanTechnica]
Offshore wind turbines
¶ A decision by the US IRS to give wind developers an extra year to bring projects online and still collect the $0.023/kWh production tax credit sets the stage for two years of robust growth. Prior to the decision, windfarms delayed by lack of congressional action had to be finished by the end of the year. [Windpower Monthly]
¶ Akuo Energy has signed a power purchase agreement with Walmart for 50 MW of power from a wind farm in Del Rio, Texas. According to the agreement, Walmart will purchase 80% of the output from 50 MW of the project for a period of 12 years. The project should be complete in the third quarter of 2016. [Greentech Lead]
¶ Georgetown, Texas will be among the first cities in the US to get its electricity exclusively from solar and wind energy. SunEdison says it is building a 150-MW solar farm to serve the city’s municipal utility about 30 miles north of Austin. That farm will produce about half the city’s needs, with the rest from wind. [Texas Public Radio]
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