World:
¶ Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited recently floated tenders for the preparation of detailed project reports for setting up solar power projects over water bodies in the state. The company plans to share revenues with government agencies that own the water bodies. [CleanTechnica]
Solar PVs over a canal in India. SunEdison image
¶ The southern Indian state of Kerala has finally joined the bandwagon of Indian states launching massive solar power tenders. The Kerala State Electricity Board has floated a tender for 200 MW solar power capacity. Bidders shall be able to submit bids for project capacity between 10 MW and 200 MW. [Cleantechies]
¶ A study from two research organizations at the London School of Economics concluded, as China finalizes its 13th Five Year Plan for economic development for 2016 to 2020, that the country is moving toward a new development mode, focused on better quality growth. [Daily Star Gazette]
¶ Two Jordanian wind power plants with a total capacity of 100 MW will be ready and connected to the grid by 2019, according to one of the companies involved in the project. The first $110 million 50-MW wind plant, will be located in Tafileh, some 180 km southwest of Amman. [Zawya]
Photo credit: Arnd Wiegmann | Reuters
¶ The US won a ruling in Indian courts against domestic-production requirements, but Indian companies are overwhelmingly choosing Chinese products over US and Indian. US solar-panel exports to India are climbing slowly, but Chinese exports to India continue to grow much faster. [Business Standard]
¶ Four villages in Bijnor district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, will soon be solar powered. The state government has given the projects a green signal. They are to be managed by the New and Renewable Energy Development Agency and established by 2017. [Times of India]
Astonfield Renewables’ 2-MW solar plant in Uttar Pradesh. Photo by Citizenmj. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.
¶ Earlier this year, the UK Government announced giving the green light to develop mini-nuclear plants. Now the Government is assessing suitable sites to push ahead with a build of the small modular reactors. They could be built as early as 2025, according to The Telegraph. [Telegraph.co.uk]
US:
¶ According to The Fresno Bee, a Sacramento, California, judge denied the efforts of Kings County Board of Supervisors to halt production of a high-speed bullet train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The project which has been held up in litigation and bureaucracy for the several years. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Hawaiian Electric Companies submitted a revised power plan to the Hawai’i Public Utilities Commission to get to 100% renewable energy in 30 years. The company would use a broad mix of solar energy sources, onshore and offshore wind, hydropower, and geothermal. [Big Island Now]
Micro-CSP collectors on the Big Island of Hawaii. Photo by Xklaim. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.
¶ South Carolina utility Santee Cooper has launched the state’s first community solar project in Grand Strand. Santee Cooper Solar Share was opened for subscriptions Friday, centered along coastal Horry and Georgetown counties. It is offered as a less expensive alternative to rooftop solar. [Myrtle Beach Sun News]
¶ In recent years, CEI Electrical Contractors, whose offices in Billings and Colstrip are in the heart of Montana’s coal country, has seen its biggest work demand from the wind-energy industry. CEI services the giant turbines, nacelles and other equipment that dot hillsides of wind farms in several states. [Billings Gazette]
geoharvey 