Opinion:
¶ “How South Australia can function reliably while moving to 100% renewable power” • Despite the criticism leveled at South Australia over its renewable energy ambitions, the state is aiming to be carbon neutral by mid-century, which will mean moving to 100% renewable electricity over the next 15-20 years. It can do that. [The Conversation AU]
Australian wind farm
World:
¶ Almost every railway station in India will soon be fed with solar power if the plans in India’s new union budget are implemented. The Indian Finance Minister announced that the 7,000 railway stations across the country will be fed with solar power as per the Indian Railways mission to implement 1,000 MW of solar power capacity. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Energy company RWE has cancelled its dividend for the second successive year, after writedowns of €4.3 billion ($4.5 billion) on its power plants and a surprise net loss of €5.7 billion euros ($6 billion) during 2016. RWE faces competition from renewables at the very time that Germany is moving away from nuclear power. [BBC]
RWE’s Niederaussem power plant in Bergheim, Germany (EPA)
¶ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to enact a national carbon tax by 2018. After meeting with US president Donald Trump, he said that Canada would aggressively pursue its climate change goals. But according to a study by four leading environmental groups, Canadian fossil fuel subsidies totaled $3.3 billion last year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Iberdrola announced it has completed the installation of the first of 70 5-MW Adwen wind turbines at the 350-MW Wikinger offshore wind farm off the coast of Germany. The turbines are being installed by Fred Olsen’s Brave Tern, one of two self-elevating, self-propelled jack-up vessels dedicated to installing offshore wind turbines. [CleanTechnica]
Brave Tern
¶ As the world’s number one exporter of crude oil, renewable energy may be the last thing that comes to mind when thinking of Saudi Arabia. But it is now turning to solar and wind power in a SGD 71 billion ($50 billion) bid to cut dependency on oil amid growing energy demands domestically, according to the Saudi energy minister. [VR-Zone]
¶ A new report on Australia’s rising power prices over the past decade, from the Australian National University, has undermined claims that South Australia’s high electricity prices have been driven by the state’s uptake wind and solar. It shows that its rises have been less in SA than in the states that are dependent on coal. [RenewEconomy]
Wattle Point wind farm near Edithburgh (Wikimedia Commons)
¶ China’s Plans to green-light eight nuclear reactors this year, in the world’s fastest-growing nuclear market, could depend on whether it’s able to complete some of the world’s most-advanced facilities, including Westinghouse Electric Co’s AP1000 and Areva SA’s EPR, neither of which has an operational track record. [BloombergQuint]
¶ Faced with the choice of replacing the ageing undersea electricity cable that powers South Australia’s Kangaroo Island or building a renewable grid on the island itself, mayor Peter Clements wants both. And he’s backing a radical “community ownership” model from Denmark’s Samsø Island to help pay for it. [InDaily]
Kangaroo Island
US:
¶ In a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra, a former conservative Republican congressman said President Trump would be forced to change his mind on climate change. Bob Inglis changed his position on global warming after extensive briefings with scientists. He founded a conservative movement lobbying for action. [Perth Now]
¶ Caterpillar announced that Cat dealer Altorfer commissioned a 1000-kW solar PV system in Rantoul, Illinois. The system fulfills a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency. It was built on an 8.5-acre site near Heritage Lake Park and the University of Illinois Transportation Lab. [Decentralized Energy]
Caterpillar Tucson Regional Offices
¶ Iberdrola Renewables announced a 15-year contract to supply Southern California Edison with renewable energy from the planned Tule Wind Power Project in eastern San Diego County. SCE will purchase the entire output of the 132-MW wind farm. The project is expected to be completed and operational in late 2017. [Windpower Engineering]
¶ A new study says Pacific Northwest utility ratepayers could save hundreds of millions of dollars if the region’s only commercial nuclear power plant is closed and its output replaced with renewable energy. The Portland-based McCullough Research consulting firm estimated savings from $261.2 million to $530.7 million over 10 years. [The Columbian]
Columbia Generating Station
¶ New York Governor Andrew M Cuomo announced state-supported solar power in New York increased nearly 800% in five years, leveraging nearly $1.5 billion in private investment. Solar growth is critical to the Governor’s Clean Energy Standard that 50% of New York’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2030. [Eagle News Online]
¶ Injecting large amounts of offshore wind power into the grid is manageable, will cut costs, and will reduce pollution compared to current fossil fuel sources, according to researchers from the University of Delaware and Princeton University who completed a first-of-its-kind simulation with the electric power industry. [Science Daily]
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