Opinion:
¶ “All-in for Offshore Wind in Massachusetts” • These two words should guide Beacon Hill on offshore wind: Go big. On the surface, the new House energy bill is a miracle for offshore wind. But the case for renewables in Massachusetts is more urgent than ever. [The Equation]
Offshore windpower in the Netherlands.
Science and Technology:
¶ A recent decade-long study following the lives of over 6,000 US residents has shed some new light on the connection between air pollution and heart disease. It showed that people living in areas with more outdoor air pollution accumulate deposits in the arteries that supply the heart. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ The innovative Eco Wave Power wave energy station has been installed on the ammunition jetty in Gibraltar. It is a big moment for both Gibraltar and a company with big plans for a promising green energy tech, as it is Europe’s first grid-connected wave energy plant. [Gizmag]
The buoys are fixed to Gibraltar’s World War II ammunition platform. Credit: Chris Wood / Gizmag.
¶ New research highlights growing over-capacity for coal in Asian energy markets with rising competition from lower-cost renewable power. Together with massive write-downs for coal in Europe and US plans close more coal-fired plants, the findings warn: Coal power expansion is dicey. [ValueWalk]
¶ Senegal got a $40 million loan to build the largest solar plant in West Africa. Proparco, a French development agency, provided the loan, which is to be repaid over 18 years. A quarter of a million residents will benefit from the 30-MW plant. It is expected to be on line by early 2017. [Energy Digital]
A quarter of a million residents will benefit from the 30-MW plant.
¶ The main European electricity companies will invest nearly €85 billion over the next four years to speed up their strategic transformation to enable them to deal with the foreseeable drop in coal and gas prices. They plan to focus more on renewable energy and networks. [The Corner Economic]
US:
¶ According to SUN DAY Campaign analysis of data on the first quarter of 2016, electric generation by wind rose 32.8% from first quarter 2015 and set a new record of 6.23% of total generation. Similarly, electrical generation from utility-scale solar thermal and PVs grew by 31.4%. [North American Windpower]
Sun and wind.
¶ Dartmouth College has released a historic report recommending fossil fuel divestment. It provides a full assessment of the pros and cons of fossil fuel divestment, but goes further still by providing a more comprehensive decision analytic approach to divestment. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Solar panels are sprouting amongst the corn fields and on the rooftops of Minnesota, and more can be expected soon. At the end of 2015, the state calculated that its solar electric capacity had reached 35 MW. By the end of this year, it projects the total will be 400 MW. [West Central Tribune]
Kandiyohi Power Cooperative solar garden in Minnesota.
Photo by Rand Middleton / Tribune.
¶ Many local environmentalists spoke against New York’s inclusion of nuclear power in the Department of Public Service’s new Clean Energy Standard policy. The comments came at a public hearing held at Kingston City Hall. Long-term policy goals on the issue will be set in June. [Mid-Hudson News]
¶ Constellation Energy joined the Baltimore Ravens to flip the switch on a new 400-kW solar generation project at the team’s headquarters and training facility in Owings Mills, Maryland. The project expands Constellation’s already extensive relationship with the team. [PennEnergy]
Baltimore Ravens solar system.
¶ The DOE is awarding $40 million to the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp to build a six-turbine pilot wind farm in Lake Erie by the end of 2018. The money will be delivered in three $13.3 million grants that depend on meeting engineering, permitting, and construction goals. [cleveland.com]
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