Opinion:
¶ “ScottishPower: the Journey to Renewables” • ScottishPower, one of the UK’s biggest utilities, announced it will switch to 100% renewable energy. The move is hailed as touchstone moment and a good example for any big utility seeking to shed its fossil fuel legacy, but does the move make economic sense, and if so will more utilities follow? [Power Technology]
Ardrossan, Scotland (Courtesy of Vincent van Zeijst)
¶ “Australia Could Hit 100% Renewables Sooner than Most People Think” • Not since the invention of the steam engine have we seen such fast change in energy systems around the world. In Australia our electricity system is changing rapidly, from new technologies and business models to changes in policy and perhaps even regulation. [The Guardian]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Climate Change Poses Threat to Sugarcane Crop” • Climate change is affecting production of sugarcane and there is dire need to develop such varieties as could have resistant against climate change, an environmental expert in Pakistan said. One problem is that farmers are not fully aware of the dangers posed by climate change. [The Nation]
Sugarcane crop
World:
¶ “Saudi to Produce 60 GW of Renewable Energy by 2030, Says Official” • Speaking to the UAE’s state news agency, WAM, Dr Khalid bin Saleh Al Sultan, president of the King Abdullah Atomic and Renewable Energy City, said Saudi Arabia is looking to generate 40 GW from solar energy, and 20 GW from wind and other sources by 2030. [Gulf Business News]
¶ “Suzlon Secures 50.4 MW Wind Power Order from Atria Power” • Suzlon Group announced its first order from Atria Power. It is for development of 50.4 MW wind farm in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Suzlon will install 24 wind turbines with rated capacity of 2.1 MW each. The project will be commissioned in two phases by H1, FY20. [REVE]
Suzlon Wind Turbine
¶ “Copenhagen Opposes Ørsted Divestment Plan” • The Danish Ministry of Finance has told Ørsted there “is no longer political support” for a plan to sell off a number of non-core businesses. The offshore wind giant said it is surprised by the decision but believes divesting them remain “in the best interest” of the stakeholders. [reNEWS]
¶ “Renewables Accounted for 93% of Installed Power Last Year” • Last year, Turkey added 4,025 MW of new power capacity, around 93% of which are renewables, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez. Solar power provided 40.8% of new capacity, hydroelectric provided 22.1%, and windpower provided 12.7. [Daily Sabah]
Wind farm
¶ “Hitachi to Decide on Fate of UK Nuclear Plant” • The UK’s nuclear policy is under renewed scrutiny as the firm behind a £20 billion reactor in Wales looks set to halt construction. Japanese media say Hitachi will suspend work on its Horizon division’s Wylfa Newydd plant this week. The company says there is no formal decision yet. [BBC]
US:
¶ “Wind Energy Companies Move to Protect Wildlife” • In a biannual meeting at Saint Paul, Minnesota in December, leading American wind energy companies announced a new Wind Wildlife Research Fund for research that will accelerate the development and deployment of innovative solutions to protect wildlife at wind sites. [Market Business News]
Block Island Offshore Wind Far (Image: awae.org)
¶ “SK Innovation Will Increase Investment in US Battery Manufacturing Plant to $5 Billion” • SK Innovation committed to spending $1.67 billion to construct a battery making facility in Georgia, just four weeks back, Now, a report says that its CEO, Jun Kim, has announced it is increasing its planned investment to $5 billion. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar + Storage Half the Cost of Gas Peaker Plants” • Prices for electricity from solar-plus-storage plants have had a precipitous fall. As prices continue to drop, Wood Mackenzie has forecast that as the market for solar plus storage matures, it could put over 6,400 MW of new natural gas-fired peaking capacity in the US at risk by 2027. [CleanTechnica]
EDF battery storage units
¶ “All the Good News About Renewable Energy – From the US Department Of Energy” • Trump pledged to revive the US coal industry, but during his tenure its growth prospects flatlined. The latest outlook on electricity generation from the DOE has bad news for coal, good news about renewable energy, and some so-so news for natural gas. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Invenergy Obtains Funds for Building 160-MW Solar Park in Georgia” • Chicago-based renewables developer Invenergy said it has secured the needed construction financing for the 160-MW Southern Oak solar park in Georgia, its largest PV project to date. The 160-MW solar park is expected to be operational by the end of this year. [Renewables Now]
Solar farm (Credit: Juwi Renewable Energies Limited)
¶ “Solana Beach to Enter Three-Year Energy Purchase Deal” • To reduce the risk from fluctuations in the energy market, the city of Solana Beach will enter into a three-year purchase agreement for hydroelectric power, under the city’s program. It allows residents to purchase electricity as an alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric. [Del Mar Times]
¶ “Colorado Co-op Amps Up Solar Generation” • Colorado-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a group cited by analysts for its high wholesale power costs and its reliance on coal-fired units, announced that it will get power from a 100-MW project that will more than double the capacity of its solar power portfolio. [POWER magazine]
Have a fantastically fun day.
geoharvey 