Opinion:
¶ “Solar panels and battery systems power off-grid living as a lifestyle choice” • For some people, off-grid living is not a lifestyle choice, but a necessity due to his home’s isolated location. Others choose to live off-grid. In either case, no compromise on lifestyle is necessary. [Domain News]
Off-grid family home near Gunnedah, NSW. Photo: Supplied.
World:
¶ Solar system owners in regional Queensland will start receiving a more generous rate for their solar electricity exports from July. The Queensland Competition Authority announced the new feed-in tariff for regional customers in 2016-17 is 7.448¢/kWh, 17.3% higher than 2015-16. [Energy Matters]
¶ A community hydropower scheme on the Thames at Teddington lock and weirs won planning permission and defeated a judicial review from the Lensbury club, but the club is now seeking to appeal against the judicial review decision. The Lensbury club is owned by oil giant Shell. [The Guardian]
Computer simulation of the Teddington & Ham hydro project, which could produce electricity for 600 homes. Image courtesy of THH.
¶ Australia’s prime minister pledged to create a program offering grants to community groups for the installation solar and battery systems, if he is re-elected. The program would build on the Solar Towns program as part of the $30 million Coalition parks and environment policy. [Energy Matters]
¶ A consortium of developers have made a positive final investment decision for the 588-MW Beatrice offshore wind farm in Scotland. SSE, Copenhagen Investment Partners and SDIC Power of China have committed to the 84-turbine, £2.6-billion project. Turbines will be installed in 2018. [reNews]
A Siemens offshore turbine. Siemens image.
¶ Britain is turning to a new way to make sure it doesn’t run out of power. So-called aggregator firms get commitments from businesses to reduce power usage. For example, supermarkets can turn down refrigerators by a few degrees for a short period without any impact. [euronews]
¶ Israel came one step closer to a clean-energy future on Sunday, when the country inaugurated a 50-MW solar in the northern Negev, through a partnership with a subsidiary of France’s national electric company. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls attended the inauguration. [Jerusalem Post Israel News]
¶ Proton Power Systems has sealed a deal to work on the Orkney Islands “Surf and Turf” green energy project. The Newcastle-founded firm’s fuel cells are used in vehicles and buildings; now the group’ expertise has been called upon for the Scottish renewables scheme. [ChronicleLive]
The AK-1000 tidal energy turbine about to be loaded on a barge.
¶ A US-Japanese consortium has been established to build the £14-billion Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant in North Wales. Horizon Nuclear Power has appointed Menter Newydd, a Hitachi-Bechtel-JGC consortium, to help deliver the company’s lead nuclear build project on Anglesey. [WalesOnline]
¶ GE signed an agreement with Vietnam’s government to develop renewable energy, as US President Barack Obama and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quangaims watched. GE will provide 1,000 MW of wind-power capacity for Vietnam by 2025, enough to power 1.8 million households. [Nasdaq]
US:
¶ Energy prices are to remain low and fuel supplies high this summer, according to federal energy experts. More than 18 GW of generating capacity will be added to the grid this summer, mostly from new wind and solar projects, though the first nuclear plant in 20 years is expected. [Electric Co-op Today]
Wind turbines. Credit: D. O’Keefe, Michigan Sea Grant.
CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.
¶ California ranks among the lowest states in per-capita energy consumption and per-capita energy spending, according to a new report from Beacon Economics. Nevertheless, with its large population the state is the second-largest energy consumer in the US, behind only Texas. [CleanTechnica]
¶ A Vermont solar facility developer is working with a Pittsfield, Vermont, property owner on a 1.9-MW power generating array, the second currently proposed in the town. Aegis Renewable Energy, of Waitsfield, Vt., proposes the facility on a 27.5-acre parcel off Cloverdale Street. [Berkshire Eagle]
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