World:
¶ If Spain had no wind parks, the average annual price on the electricity market would have been 23.8% higher in 2015, according to the Spanish wind energy association. Wind farms offered the lowest wholesale electricity prices in Spain, at about €46.14 ($49.60) per MWh. [SeeNews Renewables]
Wind turbines at work. Author: Nick Cross. License: Creative Commons, Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic.
¶ The Solar Energy Corporation of India and Russian Energy Agency have recently signed a memorandum of understanding to set up large scale solar PV projects in India between 2016 to 2022. Under the terms of the agreement, initially a 500 MW pilot solar PV project will be developed. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Earnings of utilities in central and northern Europe will fall about 7% in 2016, hampered by a reliance on coal, gas and nuclear generation. Spanish, Italian and Portuguese power companies, accounting for about 60% of Europe’s total renewable production in 2014, will do better. [Bloomberg]
¶ On January 1, strict rules for construction came into effect in Germany. Heating new buildings without using renewable energy is no longer permitted. Oil heaters cannot be used at all anymore. A new primary energy requirement that is 25% lower than the previous threshold. [Sun & Wind Energy]
Heating systems that use fossil fuels will have a hard time complying to new regulations in Germany. (Photo: dpa)
¶ French renewable power plants operator Voltalia is developing a wind power cluster in Brazil with an anticipated capacity of around 1.2 GW. A 52-km transmission line with a 400-MVA capacity will be used to transfer the power generated at the cluster to the national grid. [CleanTechnology News]
¶ Western Australia would not be able to privatize its electricity assets even if they were given away, because the popularity of rooftop solar panels has made state-owned power stations unprofitable, a renewable energy expert has said. The grid is over capacity and solar power is growing. [The Guardian]
¶ Last month, journalist Adrian Levy, working for the Centre for Public Integrity in Washington, reported that a “secret nuclear facility” was being created at Challakere amid concerns over safety from some of the local population. Now, scientists have confirmed the report. [The Indian Express]
US:
¶ EDF Renewable Energy said on Tuesday that its 250-MW Roosevelt wind farm in New Mexico has reached commercial operation in mid-December. The plant is now selling electricity to a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, under a 20-year fixed-price power purchase agreement. [SeeNews Renewables]
Author: MK Group. License: All rights reserved.
¶ Tesla just busted through the 50,000/year sales barrier, as it projected it would; Model X production is ramping up exponentially; and the company is now bringing in well over $1 billion a quarter in revenue. Everything seems to be moving along as planned at Tesla Motors. [CleanTechnica]
¶ SolarCity is no longer selling renewable energy in Nevada, after the Public Utilities Commissions decision on December 22 to increase rates for solar energy. Those rates took effect on January 1, and SolarCity announced it would close its Nevada training center on January 5. [KTNV Las Vegas]
¶ The Long Island Offshore Wind Project is designed to generate 350 MW with the possibility to expand to 700 MW. This wind facility operating at half its capacity would generate enough energy for about 112,000 homes. Its developers continue to move it through the permitting process. [Long Island Report]
Offshore wind farm
¶ Vermont regulators granted permission for a 154-mile power transmission line, known as the New England Clean Power Link, designed to bring hydroelectric power from Canada to southern New England. The power line, which has not yet received federal approval, uses Vermont as a corridor. [Vermont Public Radio]
¶ Silicon Valley Power, the municipal electric utility in Santa Clara, California, will become a coal-free utility on December 31, 2017, when it ends electricity imports from a New Mexico coal-fired power plant. SVP will replace the power with cleaner energy from renewable and natural gas. [Solar Industry]
¶ The 300-MW Kingfisher wind project in central Oklahoma has started commercial operations, according to Florida-based Gulf Power. Apex Clean Energy oversaw construction and will operate the $452 million wind farm. Vestas supplied 149 V100 2-MW turbines and will provide service for 10 years. [reNews]
Vestas V100 wind turbines. Credit: Vestas
¶ Environmentalists are expressing disappointment in the new Clean Power Plan Advisory Council that Montana Governor Steve Bullock announced on January 5. The 27-member body includes 17 people either directly tied to the coal-fired energy sector or supportive of it. [MTPR]
geoharvey 
January 7, 2016 at 2:02 pm
Reblogged this on nuclear-news.