Opinion:
¶ “Like Coal, Natural Gas Losing Ground to Renewables” • As expensive, dirty coal power staggers toward its inevitable demise, natural gas has dominated the electricity market. Now natural gas is also losing ground to cleaner, cheaper renewable energy sources and technological advances, including those relating to batteries. [Environmental Working Group]
Oilfield pipeline
¶ “As Fossil Fuels Melt the Planet, Could Climate Change Cause a Nuclear Meltdown?” • Nearly three dozen US nuclear power plants are inadequately protected against major flooding from an upstream dam failure, flooding that could easily lead to an accident on the scale of the 2011 Fukushima Disaster. But the NRC downplays the risk. [Climate Science Watch]
World:
¶ The government of Norway and the country’s shipowners’ association have revealed their preference for global shipping related greenhouse gas emissions goals to target a figure of 50% by 2050, the two entities have revealed. This comes ahead of talks at the International Maritime Organization, slated to begin in London next week. [CleanTechnica]
Ship at sea
¶ Responding to falling oil industry revenues, the government of Algeria unveiled a suite of new programs meant to improve the country’s financial situation, including a solar PV facility build=out, and energy efficiency programs, and incentives to convert their vehicles to run on liquefied petroleum gas rather than petrol/gasoline or diesel. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Apple announced today that its global operations are now powered by 100% renewable energy after years of work in 43 countries around the world. Apple’s announcement means that all of its data centers, retail stores, offices and co-located facilities in 43 countries around the world are now 100% powered by renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]
Solar roof on Apple’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino
¶ London-based market data company IHS Markit predicted that strong demand in China will push global solar PV demand to a record of 113 GW in 2018, and should even result in the fourth quarter yielding 34 GW of new PV installations, the largest quarter in history. It predicted new installations will grow by 19% in 2018. [CleanTechnica]
¶ GE Renewable Energy and its consortium partner Elecnor announced that they will build the 100-MW Mass wind park in Jordan, under an engineering, procurement and construction deal. The GE subsidiary will provide its latest generation of 3.6-137 wind turbines for the project, which is its first in the country, they said. [Renewables Now]
GE turbines (GE Renewable Energy image, all rights reserved)
¶ Elawan Energy has signed a power purchase agreement to build a 102-MW wind farm in South Africa with an investment of €145 million. The Copperton wind farm will be built in the province of Northern Cape and its estimated annual production will be 360 GWh per annum. The wind farm is expected to be operating by 2020. [Power Technology]
¶ Samsung Renewable Energy and Pattern Energy Group have started operations at the 100-MW North Kent wind farm in Ontario. The project, which is located in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, has 34 Siemens Gamesa 3.2-MW turbines. It created about 175 jobs at peak construction and 10 permanent full-time jobs. [reNews]
Wind farm (Pixabay image)
US:
¶ While Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is busy deleting the role of humankind in causing climate change from the state’s websites, Eau Claire, the 68,000-strong former factory town in northwestern Wisconsin, has adopted an ambitious sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality and to get 100% of its energy from renewable sources. [Next City]
¶ An above-average storm season, with regard to the probability of major hurricanes striking the mainland, is facing the US this year, a report from meteorologists at Colorado State University says. The report states that the US Gulf Coast and the East Coast are facing 39% and 38% probabilities that major hurricanes will make landfall this year. [CleanTechnica]
Hurricane Harvey
¶ The governing board of Glendale Water and Power, a California municipal utility, last week halted plans for a 310-MW natural gas plant to explore renewable energy and storage options instead. GWP’s decision to table a natural gas project puts it in company with a growing number of jurisdictions rethinking investment in gas plants. [Utility Dive]
¶ Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative signed a power purchase agreement with EDP Renewables to buy electricity from a yet-to-be-completed 200-MW solar project in Indiana. The Riverstart Solar Project, which will generate enough energy to be supplied to 37,000 households is expected to be operating by 2022. [CleanTechnology News]
Solar panels (Photo: RK008 | FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
¶ Italian utility Enel SpA announced that it has broken ground on the 185-MW HillTopper wind farm in Illinois. The project, which is Enel’s first wind power facility in the state, already has power purchase agreements to sell portions of its output to media group Bloomberg LP and General Motors Co. It is expected to be operating this year. [Renewables Now]
¶ Central Iowa Power Cooperative announced development of the Heartland Divide Wind Farm, a major expansion of its wind energy platform, set for completion by the end of this year. CIPCO will purchase 100% of the output from the 104-MW facility, adding to a diverse energy portfolio that is already 60% carbon-free. [Windpower Engineering]
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