Opinion:
¶ America’s gathering offshore revolution • An article in Nature asserts that if the US were to exploit all its offshore resources, including in more difficult deep-water sites, it would be able to generate more than 4,000 GW of electricity, about four times more than it needs to power the country. [GCR]
The Walney wind farm, in the Irish Sea. The US wants to follow Europe’s lead on offshore wind. (Wikimedia Commons)
¶ Nuclear no match for renewables • South Africa is in an electric supply crisis. The government’s curiously oblique solution: eight new nuclear reactors, costing about R1 trillion ($60.6 billion). But renewable power costs a third as much and goes in six times as fast. [BDlive]
World:
¶ Avantha Group company CG has won a contract by Energinet.dk to provide power transformers and gas insulated switchgear for the 600-MW Kriegers Flak wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The order includes of two onshore autotransformers and four offshore substation transformers. [reNews]
CG’s technology is already been used on other wind farms. (CG)
¶ The Development Bank of Japan and Japan Wind Development Co will create the nation’s first fund for wind power, the companies announced on Wednesday. The companies aim to introduce the ¥50 billion ($423 million) joint fund in April, according to a statement. [Bloomberg]
¶ The Australian Renewable Energy Agency said Wednesday it will help finance Bombora Wave Power’s detailed cost of energy study for its Wave Energy Converter. ARENA is contributing as much as A$181,000 ($127,100/€117,300) towards the completion of the assessment. [SeeNews Renewables]
¶ Ormat Technologies Inc said it has started construction work on the 35-MW Geotermica Platanares geothermal project in Honduras. Commercial operation is expected by the end of 2017. The plant is seen to generate an average of $33 million (€30.5 million) in annual revenue. [SeeNews Renewables]
Geothermal power station. (That’s steam, not smoke.)
Image: N.Minton/Shutterstock.com
¶ China was the world’s leading market in 2015, bringing its renewable installed capacity to over 900 GW, says research and consulting firm GlobalData. China led the world for annual capacity additions in solar, biopower, small hydropower, and onshore wind in 2015. [Today’s Energy Solutions]
US:
¶ Hundreds of rooftop solar panels are going up on Fort Carson’s base housing, helping the post reach its goal to get 25% of its energy from renewables by 2025. The panels will generate enough power for 615 homes. They add to an exiting 5 MW of renewables. [Colorado Springs Independent]
Balfour Beatty has installed solar units at the Army post.
Courtesy Fort Carson
¶ According to Utility Dive, renewable electricity accounted for 61% of 2015 electricity capacity additions in 2015 across the United States, while natural gas contributed 35% of the total. This is encouraging news for clean energy proponents concerning climate change. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Vermont is reaffirming its commitment to get 90% of the state’s energy from renewable sources by 2050, and on Tuesday Governor Peter Shumlin, administration officials and lawmakers outlined some of the states plans that are being proposed to help achieve that goal. [Rutland Herald]
¶ Montana’s coal-fired power plants at Colstrip are facing another hit, as utilities and environmental groups in Oregon back a proposal to ban use of coal power there by 2035. The proposal would prohibit Oregon’s two largest electric utilities from using coal-fired power. [KBZK Bozeman News]
Colstrip power plants (MTN News file photo)
(A lot of smoke, with a little steam.)
¶ American Electric Power is turning away from coal, favoring instead wind, solar, and natural gas. The company recommended that West Virginia enact policy to comply with the Clean Power Plan rather than invite the Environmental Protection Agency to devise a plan for the state. [Beckley Register-Herald]
¶ Legislators moved closer toward lifting Wisconsin’s ban on new nuclear power plants, with the Assembly passing a bill that would end the moratorium despite Democrats’ warnings about dangerous nuclear power. The measure now goes to the state Senate. [TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press]
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