World:
¶ The Swedish government seeks to become the world’s first fossil fuel free nation. The country says it is laying the groundwork and reinforcing progress at every turn. It will be spending an extra $546 million on renewable energy and climate change action, according to “The Budget Bill for 2016 – Investing in Sweden’s Future.” [CleanTechnica]
Image by magnus.johansson10 (CC BY-SA)
¶ Siemens announced it had been awarded the contract to supply, install, and commission 54 of its direct-drive, SWT-3.2-101 wind turbines, amounting to 172.8 MW, for the Clyde Extension project. The project will increase the capacity of one of Europe’s largest onshore wind power plants to an impressive 523 MW. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Kenya’s electricity generator said on Wednesday it plans to add 511 MW of renewable energy to the national grid by the end of 2018. Electricity Generating Company MD Albert Mugo told an investor briefing in Nairobi that construction of the first 70 MW of geothermal power will begin in the first quarter of 2016. [Coastweek]
¶ Home to about 300 people, Tyalgum, New South Wales, is at the centre of a project to create the first Australian town powered by 100% renewable energy, with the potential to voluntarily disconnect from the electricity grid. It could save the community about $580,000 each year in energy costs, a feasibility study says. [The New Daily]
US:
¶ In 2008 the USGS reported that California has a 99% chance of a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake in the next 30 years. Just last year a 6.0 magnitude earthquake knocked out power to more than 40,000 people in the San Francisco Bay area. The City of San Francisco is not taking chances – they’re preparing with microgrids. [RMI Outlet]
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
¶ Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, will close no later than June 1, 2019, its Louisiana-based operator announced Tuesday morning. In its news release, Entergy said the exact timing, which depends on several factors, including discussions with regulators, would be decided during the first half of next year. [Fx Report Daily]
¶ Oregonians may get to vote on ballot initiatives that force utilities to phase out the sale of electricity from coal-fired plants and boost renewable energy. Two ballot measures were filed to require utilities to stop selling power from coal-fired plants by 2030 and mandate that 50% of energy from renewable sources by 2040. [Pamplin Media Group]
¶ US independent power producer EDF Renewable Energy said that the 194-MW Spinning Spur 3 wind farm in Texas has achieved commercial operation in late September, three months ahead of schedule. The facility consists of 97 units of Vestas’ V-100 2 MW turbines and generates enough power for 58,200 households. [SeeNews Renewables]
Wind park in Texas. Author: Rockin’Rita. Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic.
¶ A report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory says the increasing cost-effectiveness of solar power has resulted in a 70% decline in the prices of power purchase agreements since 2009. The report predicts the prices will continue to decline, while natural gas prices are expected to float upward with increased demand. [Solar Industry]
¶ Tesla battery packs will be used to part-power 24 office buildings in California. The Irvine Company, a real-estate firm with properties throughout California, will install Tesla battery systems the size of five parking spaces, that will reduce peak grid energy consumption across the company’s entire portfolio by 25%. [edie.net]
¶ There is a fight brewing against the Clean Power Plan, but most utilities won’t be a part of it, the Wall Street Journal reports. President Obama’s plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions largely aligns with market forces that the industry has already been following, including a greater focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. [Utility Dive]
geoharvey 
October 15, 2015 at 3:45 pm
Reblogged this on nuclear-news.