geoharvey

Opinion:

¶ “Clean Power Plan no problem for the Northeast” • The grid operator for 13 northeast states and Washington, DC, PJM Interconnection, recently released a report with some encouraging news: meeting the CPP should be a breeze. That’s a big deal because of the area’s dense population and economic activity. [Into the Wind – The AWEA Blog]

Wind power is a low-cost Clean Power Plan solution for the Northeast.

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers have created an interactive web tool to estimate the amount of energy that could be generated by wind or solar farms at any location. The tool, called Renewables.ninja, aims to make the task of predicting renewable output easier. Companies such as RWE are using it to test their output models. [AZoCleantech]

World:

¶ UK electricity generated from offshore wind hit 5.1 TWh in the first quarter of 2016, up 10% on the same period last year, government data said. Onshore wind generation fell to 6.4 TWh in the quarter, compared with 7.2 TWh for the first quarter of 2015. The largest percentage of increase was for solar, at 41%, to 1.3 TWh. [reNews]

Westermost Rough offshore wind farm. (Dong Energy)

¶ Norges Bank, in administering Norway’s $900 billion Government Pension Fund, has decided to exclude Duke Energy and its subsidiaries based on the risk of severe environmental damage. The bank’s investment guidelines had already excluded 52 companies that derive 30% or more of their revenues from coal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The UK will fail to meet its renewable energy targets, with take-up of clean fuels for heating and transport falling badly behind aims, MPs have warned. The findings of the energy and climate change committee show that ministers have little clear plan for meeting the 2020 target to get 15% of energy from renewable sources. [The Guardian]

Electric car charging in the UK.
(Andrew Curtis, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0)

¶ Despite not receiving funding in the Australian Renewable Energy Agency large scale solar funding round, Lyon Solar says it is committed to going ahead with the largest single large scale solar and battery storage facility in the world – in South Australia – along with a similar solar plus storage plant in north Queensland. [RenewEconomy]

¶ The Innu Nation teamed up with Boralex to develop, build and operate the 200-MW Apuiat wind farm in Quebec. Boralex will be partnering with Renewable Energy Systems Canada, which has developed the site in Port-Cartier in the Côte-Nord region so far, a Boralex spokesperson said. The Innu Nation will control a 50% project share. [reNews]

Wind turbine. (Boralex)

¶ China is drawing more and more power from renewables. In fact, new data collected by Greenpeace shows that in 2015 the country’s growth in wind and solar energy more than exceeded its increase in electricity demand. Putting this in perspective, China installed half of the world’s new solar and wind capacity last year. [ZME Science]

¶ Royal Dutch Shell Plc may bid in the Dutch government’s tender for the Borssele III and IV offshore wind sites, Reuters reported. The tender will open on September 15 and run until September 29. A spokesman for the Anglo-Dutch oil and gas major told Reuters the company is studying the opportunity. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind turbines in Dutch waters. (Photo by Eneco.
Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic)

US:

¶ Renewable energy groups are beginning a push to get Congress to extend vital tax credits for their industries before the end of the year. The groups, including biomass energy and hydroelectric industries’ lead trade groups, sent letters to Republican and Democratic leaders making the case the subsidies are needed. [Washington Examiner]

A 100-kW wind turbine at the National Wind Technology Center will power hydrogen electrolysis for an experiment. (Jerry Cleveland / The Denver Post)

¶ Xcel Energy said it reached a settlement that will speed up development of a 600-MW wind project and the construction of a 125-mile transmission line to move energy to the Front Range from the eastern plains. The Rush Creek Wind Project would rank as the Colorado’s largest, boosting wind generation capacity by 20%. [Fort Morgan Times]

¶ A wind power proposal submitted to Vermont regulators includes an offer to buy out close neighbors who object to the turbines, according to consultants for the project. Property owners living within 3,000 feet of the Swanton Wind project will have six months after the project goes online to take up the offer. [BurlingtonFreePress.com]

¶ FirstEnergy is monitoring recent efforts by New York to help subsidize the continued operation of at-risk nuclear plants owned by Exelon and Entergy, and may support a similar scenario for its three nuclear plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania, a company official said. FirstEnergy is currently acquiring the Fitzpatrick plant in New York. [Platts]

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Opinion:

¶ “Beauty and power: how Norway is making green energy look good” • On the edge of a forest in northern Norway, an unusual hydroelectric plant is generating a buzz. Øvre Forsland is a big departure from the hulking power stations. It looks more like an elegant, custom‑built home from TV show Grand Designs. [The Guardian]

Øvre Forsland hydroelectric station.
Photograph: Pedro Alvarez for the Observer.

¶ “Dear Theresa: Let it go! Six powerful reasons to dump Hinkley C” • Theresa May ducked out of a signing ceremony to review the Hinkley C nuclear project. Soon she will have to make a decision. In this open letter Scientists for Global Responsibility set out six compelling reasons for her to let the monstrous white elephant go. [The Ecologist]

Science and Technology:

¶ Torrential rains unleashed on south Louisiana in August were made almost twice as likely by human-caused climate change, according to a quick-fire analysis. The team of scientists concluded that the likelihood of such an event is probably twice as great now as in 1900, but it is at least of 40% more likely. [Carbon Brief]

Flooding and devastation in Baton Rouge, 15 August 2016.
Credit: Melissa Leake/US Department of Agriculture.

World:

¶ In the UK, a Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn would ban fracking, ditch coal-fired power, and massively increase renewable energy, his campaign announced. He pledged to phase out all coal power stations by the “early 2020s” and invest heavily in energy-saving to avoid building many new power stations. [The Guardian]

¶ Vattenfall and Stadtwerke München have exported first power from the 288-MW Sandbank offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. A total of 20 Siemens 4-MW turbines have been installed. The wind farm will have 72 turbines altogether and is due to finish about three months earlier than originally planned. [reNews]

MPI Adventure is installing the turbines at Sandbank. (Stefan Jürgensen)

¶ Australia is set to triple its large-scale solar energy capacity after funding from a threatened federal agency helped drive down costs almost to those of wind farms. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency will announce the 12 projects that will share part of its latest funding round of about $100 million on Thursday. [Whyalla News]

¶ The Chinese government estimates that the country’s data centers consume more electricity than all of Hungary and Greece combined. Chinese technology and Internet businesses are looking to burnish their environmental credentials and lower costs of operation, so they work to reduce electricity and water usage. [chinadialogue]

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s new green data
center on Qiandao Lake. (Image by Alibaba Cloud)

¶ The government of Mexico announced that they would soon join the growing ranks of countries that have adopted cap and trade to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Mexico’s pilot carbon pricing program will begin in November on a trial basis as a testing ground for a national carbon market to be launched in 2018. [CleanTechnica]

¶ French Energy Minister Segolene Royal announced France will soon launch a series of tenders for rooftop solar power installations for a total capacity of 1,350 MW. Each year between 2017 and 2019, France will tender 450 MW, in a move to help lift its solar capacity to over 18.2 GW by 2023. [SeeNews Renewables]

Rooftop solar in France. Photo by Lionel Allorge.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Several hundred American service personnel who say they became sick from radiation during the Fukushima nuclear disaster are now getting high-profile support in Japan. Junichiro Koizumi, a former Japanese prime minister, has set up a special fund to collect private donations, mainly to help with medical bills. [Laconia Citizen]

¶ A new report highlights 15 signals of an energy transition occurring across the world, indicating a sustainable and equitable global energy system has irrevocably begun. The signs, detailed in a report by WWF-France and WWF-China, provide encouragement that the transition can be found just about everywhere. [Energy Matters]

Solar panels in Hong Kong. Photo by Snowacinesy.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

US:

¶ California Governor Jerry Brown said that he remains committed to expanding California’s power grid to include other Western states, despite a delay announced this summer when it appeared the state Legislature was unprepared to grant the broader approval needed to advance the project this year. [Mail Tribune]

¶ Iowa is cultivating new ground in a transformational shift to renewable energy and resilient economy. With several record-breaking wind energy projects announced this year, impressive growth in solar, and high ranking in other renewable technologies, Iowa’s position as a renewable leader has never felt more secure. [DesMoinesRegister.com]

Wind turbines in Iowa. Photo by Bill Whittaker.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The Portland, Maine, City Council voted unanimously to authorize an agreement to build one of the state’s largest municipal solar power arrays on a landfill. The City Manager will negotiate an agreement with ReVision Energy. The project would reduce the city’s reliance on fossil fuels for electricity by 25%. [Press Herald]

¶ After Duke University announced in May a proposal from Duke Energy to build a new 21-MW combined heat and power natural gas facility on campus, some students and faculty members have raised concerns about the proposed plant’s impact and a lack of transparency surrounding the initial stages of the facility’s planning. [Duke Chronicle]

George gets up early to get you the
news of energy and climate change.
If you wish to help:

Science and Technology:

¶ Shipping routes across the Arctic are going to open up significantly this century even with a best-case reduction in CO2 emissions, a new study suggests. University of Reading, UK, researchers have investigated how the decline in sea-ice, driven by warmer temperatures, will make the region more accessible. [BBC]

Sea-ice is in decline but scientists expect a lot of annual variability. SPL

World:

¶ The G20 meeting in China may have been notable for the decision by both China and the US to ratify the Paris climate treaty. But the G20 nations are still taking little action on ending fossil fuel subsidies, despite agreeing to the move in 2009 to end what has been described as the “dumbest policy” in the world. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The London Metropolitan Police is now trialling the use of a range-extended BMW i3 as a patrol car, exploring the value of a nearly silent police vehicle in urban environments, according to recent reports. The EV is being loaned to the Met by BMW for free, presumably in hopes of a large order from them. [CleanTechnica]

The police got an electric police car. Image via Wandsworth government.

¶ Greenpeace India questioned the Centre’s decision to sustain an “obsolete and polluting” coal industry, saying renewable energy holds the potential to meet energy needs. Greenpeace India asked the power sector to think beyond coal and stop maintaining the desire to prop up a “dying industry.” [The Indian Express]

¶ Canadian renewable energy producer and pipeline operator Enbridge agreed to acquire Houston-based Spectra Energy in a $28 billion all-stock deal, to create the largest energy infrastructure company in North America. Low oil prices have forced companies, including even pipeline operators, to consider mergers to cut costs. [reNews]

Cedar Point wind farm Colorado (Enbridge image)

¶ Jeremy Corbyn will pledge to create an energy policy “for the 60 million, not the big six” if he becomes prime minister. He has hopes of creating 300,000 jobs in the renewables sector. The Labour leader will set a target of generating 65% of UK electricity renewably by 2030, making the UK a world leader in green technology. [The Guardian]

¶ A Swiss energy company, The meeco Group, will partner with electric products maker and distributor Powerspeed Electrical in Zimbabwe to offer solar turnkey solutions. Meeco said the two firms have formed a joint venture Onesun Solar Ltd to install clean energy systems in Zimbabwe. [SeeNews Renewables]

Photo Source: The meeco Group.

¶ Coal-fired power generation under development worldwide has shrunk by 14% this year, driven down by China as it struggles with oversupply and promotes cleaner energy, a study showed on Wednesday. India also introduced policies curbing plans for coal-fired plants, partly due to under-utilization of existing plants. [Himalayan Times]

¶ Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi blasted current premier Shinzo Abe’s stance that the situation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant is under control. “It’s a lie,” an impassioned Koizumi, 74, told reporters. “They keep saying it’s going to be under control, but still it’s not effective.” [Bloomberg]

A distant sign reads, “nuclear, bright and future energy.” No one reads it. 
Photo by Hohoho. CC BY-CA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons.

US:

¶ A request to approve a new 100-MW solar energy project, as well as a request to close one of the utility’s coal-fired power plants 10 months earlier than expected, has been filed by NV Energy as part of the second amendment filing for its most recent Emissions Reduction and Capacity Replacement. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Massachusetts has signed a letter of intent with Dong, Deepwater Wind and OffshoreMW to lease a marine terminal as a base for offshore wind projects. The developers will lease the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal as a staging and deployment location, paying $5.7 million annually under a two-year commitment. [reNews]

DONG Energy image.

¶ FuelCell Energy announced the development of a utility scale power project for affordable and clean power generation in land-constrained areas. Construction will begin within weeks for a 3.7-MW fuel cell power plant at a location in Danbury, Connecticut, following recent approval by the Connecticut Siting Council. [StreetInsider.com]

¶ The Narragansett Bay Commission owns and operates the two largest wastewater treatment facilities in Rhode Island. Cleaning water is expensive, so the wastewater agency is aiming to run on 100% renewable energy within two years. This is expected to stabilize electric rates for users for 25 years. [Rhode Island Public Radio]

Opinion:

¶ “Turn California’s dead trees into electricity” • California’s drought and invasive beetles have killed millions of trees, now fuel for wildfires. While everyone seems to agree that removal is the answer, we need to help support the infrastructure to remove and process it. Biomass power plants provide an opportunity. [San Francisco Chronicle]

California’s dying forests.
Photo: Max Whittaker / Prime, Special To The Chronicle.

¶ “Time to stop pretending that gas is a climate solution” • A push to boost Australian gas supply and lift state gas bans is a worrying move that will send the mercury rising to dangerous levels, condemn local communities to undrinkable water and wrecked farmland, ruin a transition to a 100% renewable energy future. [Huffington Post]

Science and Technology:

¶ Global warming is making the oceans sicker than ever before, spreading disease among animals and humans and threatening food security across the planet, a major scientific report said. The findings, from peer-reviewed research, were compiled by 80 scientists from 12 countries, experts said at the World Conservation Congress. [Rappler]

President Obama visited Turtle Beach on Midway Atoll. Saul Loeb / AFP

World:

¶ The price of oil jumped after Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed to discuss ways to stabilize the oil market. The announcement was made by the countries’ energy ministers, Alexander Novak and Khalid al-Falih. The price of Brent crude initially jumped by 5%, but then it fell back to stand 1.6% higher at $47.56 per barrel. [BBC]

¶ Brazil’s wind power output reached 4,499 MW on average in August, marking a 29.2% year-on-year increase, according to preliminary figures from the Power Trading Chamber. Wind power’s share of the country’s total electricity generation grew to 7.4%, from 5.7% a year back, while demand increased 0.1%. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind farm in Brazil. Author: Otávio Nogueira.
License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic.

¶ Vattenfall is seeking to fill 130 new positions in its wind energy business over the next 12 months, as the Swedish power company invests another €5 billion in European renewable energy projects. The new staff would help the company reach its goal of expanding wind capacity by 400 MW to 600 MW each year. [reNews]

¶ The Argentine energy ministry announced it has received 123 bids for 6,336 MW of power capacity in its renewables tender for purchase contracts to 1,000 MW of capacity. There were wind power bids totaling 3,468 MW, and bids for 2,834 MW for solar power. Bioenergy offered 53 MW and small hydro 11 MW. [SeeNews Renewables]

Solar farm in Argentina. Photo by sustentator.
CC-2.5-SA. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Wind turbine makers in India are looking at building more renewable energy projects combining solar and wind in a bid to provide a reliable and cost-effective power supply. Gamesa Corp Tecnologica SA and Suzlon Energy Ltd, two of India’s largest wind turbines makers, both expect to focus on hybrid projects in the near future. [Bloomberg]

¶ A robot will be sent into the No 2 reactor containment vessel at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to locate the melted fuel inside and assess its spread ahead of future retrieval. TEPCO announced on August 25 that it would undertake the difficult operation early next year at the soonest. [Asahi Shimbun]

TEPCO plans to use this survey robot. Asahi Shimbun file photo.

US:

¶ The town of New Paltz, New York, has proposed a nested microgrid project, a $12 million system to maintain critical energy supplies. Within the microgrid are 10 independent zones, or nodes, each with its own energy resources to serve one or more of the critical facilities within its geographic footprint. [Microgrid Knowledge]

¶ A solar energy initiative by the University of Massachusetts will have 15,576 solar panels newly installed this year, with an aim to save $6.2 million in a span of 20 years. There will be eight solar panel installations, with six of them placed on rooftops and the other two placed above parking lots. [The Massachusetts Daily Collegian]

Solar canopy under construction over parking. Daily Collegian Archives.

¶ The American Wind Energy Association released figures showing that the rapid rise of American wind power has been accompanied by increased support among US voters. In Iowa, which maintains the current US record of 35% electricity generation from wind, the support for wind technology is at 91% of voters. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ In Fall River, Massachusetts, more than 200 solar panels on Morton Middle School’s roof will finally be switched on after three years of sitting unused. The chief operating officer for the Fall River Public Schools said the panels will be activated following the finalization of an agreement with National Grid. [Fall River Herald News]

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers produced a 15% boost to wind generation across a single project using “wake steering” and “total wind farm control” alongside a Zephir lidar unit. The test used three turbines. By yawing two of the upwind turbines to laterally deflect their wakes, the rearmost was able to increase production 15% for the wind farm. [reNews]

Zephir lidar unit. Credit: Zephir.

World:

¶ Solar power generation capacity of 4.8 GW is likely to be added this year in India, as installations are picking up, says a report by Mercom Capital Group. The report also said that power distribution companies continue to be a “drag” since they are showing reluctance to buy solar energy amid low electricity prices. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ India has set an ambitious target of achieving 100,000 MW of solar power capacity by 2022 as well as doubling farm incomes. Both these targets can be a game changer for rural India if implemented in unison, suggests a recent study by the International Council for Research in International Economic Relations. [Livemint]

Solar power can help water crop fields and augment farm incomes by
feeding the surplus power generated into the grid. Photo: Bloomberg

¶ State-run mining major Coal India will develop solar power plants of 600 MW capacity in four states, under the second phase of its plan to set up a total 1,000 MW green energy plants. The Solar Energy Corporation of India has already floated tenders for development of solar capacity in the second phase. [Khabar India]

¶ UK energy storage manufacturer RedT has completed testing of a 75-kW/1.68-MWh vanadium redox flow battery system to be installed on the Scottish island of Gigha. The London company will install by the end of the year seven 15-kW/240-kWh vanadium redox flow batteries to remove constraints on the island’s 1MW wind farm. [reNews]

RedT battery storage at Power Networks Development Centre (RedT image)

¶ The Philippine Energy Department may limit the exposure of renewable energy sources in areas where there are transmission line constraints, an official said over the weekend. An official said the department was trying to avoid duplicating the situation in Negros island where there was too much solar concentration in one area. [The Standard]

¶ Australia has announced the launch of the AUS$20 million ($15 million) Clean Energy Seed Fund, to provide seed and angel funding to ventures developing clean energy solutions. The fund will target investments in thirty to fifty startups over a 5 year period. Artesian Venture Partners will manage the fund. [DEALSTREETASIA]

Wind farm in Australia

¶ India has proposed to implement a large-scale project of solar street lights in Bangladesh to ensure energy efficiency and promote renewable energy, via Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. The Indian high commissioner proposed to start a pilot project of installing solar street lights in any particular area using Indian fund. [Dhaka Tribune]

¶ September 5 marks one year since the lifting of an evacuation order for Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, that was imposed following the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. However, of Naraha’s registered population of 7,300, fewer than 10%, only 681, people had returned to live there. [AsiaOne]

Kindergarten pupils playing at the Kohitsuji kindergarten in Fukushima
city, soon after soil removal and decontamination in 2011. Photo: AFP

US:

¶ Roughly 3.4 GW of large-scale wind and solar parks went into service in the US in the first seven months of 2016, though there were no wind additions in July, according to a report by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The country put 7.1 GW of natural gas-fired power stations online in January to July. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Hydropower producers Brookfield Renewable Partners LP and Hydro-Quebec are seeking support under New York’s recently adopted Clean Energy Standard, which has support for small hydropower facilities along with non-hydro renewables. The companies want support for large hydropower as well. [SeeNews Renewables]

Hydro dam. Author: grendelkhan.
License: Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.

¶ Xcel Energy claims to be the biggest wind power producer in the nation, 12 years running. It has a new 100-turbine Odell wind farm in southern Minnesota. The Odell farm will power over 100,000 homes. Xcel plans to have 35% of its power generated through renewable sources by 2030. [La Crosse’s NewsTalk 1410AM 92.3FM]

¶ Western communities are facing effects of a warming climate with slower and earlier snowmelt, reducing stream flows and possibly the amount of water reaching reservoirs used for drinking water and agriculture, a recent study says. Counterintuitively, as the climate warms, there is actually a slower snowmelt. [Growing Produce]

Opinion:

¶ “Trump’s Fossil-Fueled Ambitions Are Totally Out of Step With Economic Trends” • Considering how much he brags about his business acumen, shouldn’t Donald Trump do a better job of keeping up with economic trends? Instead of looking to the future, Trump is wallowing in nostalgia for coal mining. [AlterNet]

Why stop at coal? We could bring back manual typewriters! Slide
rules! Whale oil for lamps! Photo Credit: Max Goldberg / Flickr CC

¶ “Ohio must return to innovative roots to develop clean energy” • A global revolution in the world of energy generation and distribution is increasingly gaining momentum. Change is happening at the speed of a wind turbine’s blade tip. If America wants to keep up, we’re going to have to pick up the pace. [Crain’s Cleveland Business]

¶ “Why Natural Gas Could Be the Bridge Fuel to Nowhere” • Increasingly, knowledgeable people argue it’s time to prioritize zero-carbon energy. This year will be the first when CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants drop below those from natural gas, according to a new analysis from the US DOE’s Energy Information Agency. [TakePart]

Crews drilled this relief well to help stop a massive methane
leak at Aliso Canyon. Photo: Dean Musgrove / Pool / Reuters

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers believe that recently found fossils, discovered, ironically, because global warming melted some long-frozen snow in Greenland, could be the fossilized remains of ancient bacteria. If they are correct, the newly discovered fossils would be fully 220 million years older than anything else ever uncovered. [The Inquisitr]

¶ For decades, as the global warming created by human emissions caused land ice to melt and ocean water to expand, scientists warned that the accelerating rise of the sea would eventually imperil the United States’ coastline. Now, those warnings are no longer theoretical: The inundation of the coast has begun. [Bend Bulletin‎]

On a rainless June day, water came up through drains to flood a
market in Charleston, SC. Scientists have documented a sharp jump
in this nuisance flooding. Hunter McRae / The New York Times.

World:

¶ A clean energy strategy based on five pillars is all set to reduce carbon emissions in Dubai by 16% in the next four years. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has joined the efforts to make sure the city is among those with the lowest carbon footprints worldwide, in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. [MENAFN]

¶ Canada’s Federal Environment Minister has discussed a plan with the provinces to speed up the shutdown of coal-fired power plants across the country. The move would put Ottawa on a similar track to Alberta, forcing such power-generating facilities to close before their economic lifespan is up. [Calgary Herald]

Coal moving equipment at the new $1.9 billion Keephills 3
power plant in Alberta. Bruce Edwards / Edmonton Journal.

¶ Thirteen Japanese nuclear reactors were constructed with steel made by Japan Casting & Forging Corp, the same company that produced material used in a French power plant that has come under scrutiny after anomalies were found in the structure of its reactor vessel. They must all be inspected for weakness. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶ Siemens Energy announced its Hutchinson, Kansas, plant is filling an order from Apex Clean Energy for 64 wind turbines for Grant Plains Wind in Oklahoma. Officials expect the 147-MW project to be operational this year. This will bring Siemens’ completed orders for Apex Clean Energy in Oklahoma to 600 MW for the year. [Hutchinson News]

Siemens wind turbines. Photo by Bodoklecksel.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The Oklahoma Corporation Commission told operators to shut down 35 disposal wells that may have played a role in a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that shook at least six states Saturday, the state’s governor said. She said the directive is mandatory, and added that the EPA is investigating the earthquake as well. [CNN]

¶ GTM Research waxes optimistic on US microgrid market prospects in a Grid Edge market research report released recently. Utilities are showing greater interest in co-developing microgrids, seeing them as a new means to relieve grid congestion, reduce infrastructure costs, and enhance overall system resiliency and reliability. [Microgrid Media]

GTM microgrids 2016. Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ Northern New Mexico is the testing ground for a new kind of utility, one that may make its way into rural Colorado and overturn a decades-old system of providing power. A startup says it can provide certainty on prices, through long-term contracts, for electric cooperatives and municipalities, even meeting rising demand. [The Denver Post]

¶ Clean Line Energy Partners wants to build the Grain Belt Express, a transmission line to carry wind-generated power through four states. The company filed its third application for approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission. Though it is approved elsewhere, the project been rejected in Missouri. [Columbia Daily Tribune]

Opinion:

¶ “Why smart utilities are embracing distributed electricity” • The growth of distributed energy generation, particularly in the form of solar energy, leaves the aging, monopolistic electric utility system a daunting choice: Defense of the status quo or accepting a clean energy future. [eco-business.com]

Reducing fossil fuel use is a challenge. Image: Shutterstock.

Science and Technology:

¶ At Yellowstone Park, the question of how to respond to climate change doesn’t yield an easy answer, with warming temperatures, decreasing snowpacks, longer fire seasons, and disappearing food sources for animals. Each means something different and requires a different response. [Chron.com]

¶ Over recent decades, the US has seen a dramatic rise in the number of extreme winter temperature events at opposite ends of the country. According to a new study, the ‘warm West, cold East’ temperature gap is growing, and is likely driven greenhouse gas emissions. [Daily Mail]

The eastern US has experienced colder days, while
there were extremely warm days in the West. Stock image.

World:

¶ Pakistan is expected to see a huge jump in wind energy installed capacity over the next two years as 21 projects are lined up for commissioning. Government officials in Pakistan has told local media that 1,012 MW capacity is expected to be added to the grid by 2018. [CleanTechies]

¶ A joint commitment from China and the US, the world’s super-polluters, expected to be announced later on Saturday, is a big step towards turning the Paris climate agreement into reality. The deal will take legal force when it is ratified by 55 signatories producing 55% of global emissions. [BBC]

Switching from fossil fuels like coal to renewable energy has
got easier , as the cost of wind and solar power has dropped. PA

¶ Australia is poised to see its biggest ever boom in large-scale solar construction over the next year as a range of international market factors and local policy incentives take hold. The boom has been a long time in the making but is now ticking nearly all the investment boxes. [RenewEconomy]

¶ Solar plus storage may be cheaper than grid prices within one year for some Australian households. A study suggest that the standard tariff offered to households in West Australia will be more expensive than rooftop solar and battery storage at some time in 2017. [RenewEconomy]

Sustainable apartments in Australia. Photo by Biatch.
Released into the public domain. Wikipedia Commons.

¶ TEPCO announced that the ice wall under construction at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was critically affected by rainfall from recent typhoons that melted parts of the ice dam, allowing contaminated water to leak from the basements of the reactor buildings. [Enformable]

US:

¶ In Colorado, a team of financial analysts revealed the stunning results of a two-year study of clean energy generation potential. Financial modeling indicates that two gigawatts of wind power could effectively replace 6,000 GWh of energy generated at coal plants in Colorado. [CleanTechnica]

Grover, Colorado wind farm.
Credit: Carlye Calvin, UCAR.edu, Colorado

¶ If you live near the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in Montana, your morning shower may be in jeopardy. Owners of the plant recently asked residents to reduce their water usage in response to record-low flows in the Yellowstone River. The plant needs the water. [The Missoulian]

¶ The mayor of Boulder, Colorado, announced that the city would commit to being powered by 100% clean energy by 2030. Boulder now represents the 17th city in the US to commit to be powered by renewable energy from clean sources such as wind and solar. [Windpower Engineering]

Landscape near Boulder Colorado.

¶ More wind turbines and solar PVs could be coming to vast tracts of public lands in the West if the Obama administration finalizes a new rule this fall aiming to streamline how federal lands can be developed for renewable energy. But some say it does not cut costs enough. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Republican-controlled House this month will examine the climate change investigations launched by several state attorneys general – investigations that some lawmakers and officials from energy-rich states have blasted as “witch hunts” and “extortion.” [Houston Chronicle]

World:

¶ Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland have joined forces to advance the development of ocean energy technology by forming a new collaborative network. Separate agencies from each of the three countries formed the Ocean Power Innovation Network in Dublin. [reNews]

SXC image

¶ Average power supply delivered to the UK grid was the lowest on record in August. The increase in embedded generation capacity and improved energy efficiency measures combined to cut the amount of demand the transmission system was required to meet. [Argus Media]

¶ Construction on one of India’s largest, if not the largest, solar park is expected to being soon. The Minister for Energy in the southern state of Karnataka told media outlets that construction on the proposed 5-GW Pavagada solar park will begin there soon. [CleanTechnica]

An 11.5-MW solar array in India. Photo by Citizenmj.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Highly radioactive waste from the decommissioning of nuclear reactors should be buried at depths beyond 70 meters for 100,000 years, the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority has decided. The decision relates mainly to spent control rods from the reactors. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶ The National Renewable Energy Laboratory used detailed software and a supercomputer to model how much solar and wind power the eastern United States’ power grid could accommodate. It said it could have a 30% penetration of wind and solar by the year 2026. [Energy Matters]

NREL renewables modeling.

¶ Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association will close two coal-fired power stations and one coal mine in Colorado as it moves to comply with plans to reduce regional haze, the co-op said. The utility said additional emissions controls would cost too much. [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel]

¶ While the US market share of the solar industry declined in the early 2000s, the residential solar market is booming once again. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, there’s been a 50% annual growth of the solar market in 2015. [American Recycler Newspaper]

Rooftop solar in the USA.

¶ California will spend $900 million in revenues raised by its cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions and hold back $462 million for later under a deal reached by Governor Jerry Brown and the state’s Senate and Assembly leaders. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

¶ A wide range of critics, at least 15 interest groups, have challenged New York’s new “clean energy standard,” which mandates subsidies for nuclear plants and renewable energy, by petitioning the state Public Service Commission to reconsider the policy. [Syracuse.com]

At least 15 parties have filed administrative challenges. Credit: NRC 

¶ Roeslein Alternative Energy announced that the first Renewable Natural Gas produced from methane captured using covered manure lagoons at a Smithfield Hog Production farm in Missouri is now being injected into the national pipeline. The project cost $120 million. [Farm Forum]

¶ A Connecticut hospital unveiled a PV plant that will generate nearly 535,000 kWh expected annual electricity production along with more than $600,000 in energy savings over 20 years. The array’s 1,485 panels are on the fourth floor of the visitor parking garage. [Solar Novus Today]

Science and Technology:

¶ The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research released a study on hurricane losses. The researchers concluded that not only will the financial damages from hurricanes increase dramatically by the end of the century, but that the rate of economic growth won’t keep pace with hurricane-caused financial losses. [CleanTechnica]

Flood waters from Tropical Storm Irene in Quechee, Vermont.
Photo by Stephen Flanders. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ At the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, the Environmental Defense Fund and other national organizations launched the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative, working to expand on-the-ground solutions to protect air and water quality, enhance soil health, and maintain high yields in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. [Environmental Defense Fund]

World:

¶ Costa Rica has gone 113 days without using fossil fuels to keep the lights on. This shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been keeping tabs on Costa Rica, because in 2015, 99% of its electrical energy was derived from renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, there is a certain symbolism to getting all your energy from renewables. [ZME Science]

The luxurious nation of Costa Rica is setting an example.
Photo by Wha’ppen Costa Rica.

¶ A report, Renewable Electricity in Ireland 2015, shows that renewables contributed the second largest source of electricity last year behind gas and ahead of coal. More than 80% of renewable electricity generated in Ireland came from wind power accounting for three quarters of the avoided CO2 emissions. [The Nationalist]

¶ An islanding solar project reliant on battery backup is about to undergo a two-year test in Queensland. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency partnered with four large companies in a Knowledge Sharing Project. It will test a system big enough to support 3,000 homes with grid-tied solar power and a 5.3-MWh battery. [The Green Optimistic]

Origin solar farm.

¶ More than 3,500 of Britain’s 50,000 churches have moved their electricity supply to renewables, or plan to do so, according to newly released data. The majority of Salvation Army’s sites, about a third of Quaker meeting houses, and approximately 2,000 Catholic churches are running entirely on renewable energy. [The Guardian]

¶ SSE completed the installation of 26 out of 33 GE 2.85-MW turbines at its 94-MW Dunmaglass wind farm in the Scottish Highlands. The utility added that it has also cleared a path to full energization of the wind farm. Six machines are at the “mid tower stage,” and installation of another turbine is yet to get underway. [reNews]

Dunmaglass wind farm. Image: www.aerialvision.scot.

¶ The Chinese government is considering a proposal to boost residential green energy use, the latest move to cut air pollution and a dependence on coal-fired electric power. The government could offer certificates that reward residential users who use more green power and install equipment like solar panels. [Thomson Reuters Foundation]

¶ A massive Reachtel poll of 10,271 people has found a thumping majority of Australians oppose the government cutting $1 billion from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. And support for an emissions intensity scheme to force high emissions power plants to reduce their emissions is even stronger. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

There is strong support for emissions reductions. Photo: Paul Jones

¶ Five employee representatives on EDF’s board have filed a lawsuit to overturn the French power company’s controversial decision to build nuclear reactors in Britain at Hinkley Point. The representatives argue that board leadership failed to convey critical information before the vote and had conflicts of interest. [Yahoo News UK]

US:

¶ California State University, Long Beach and SunPower Corp have announced that construction is under way on a 4.8-MW SunPower Helix Carport solar power system at two university parking areas. SunPower says the university could offset approximately 15% of campus electrical load with the renewable power. [Solar Industry]

SunPower Helix Carport. Photo courtesy of SunPower.

¶ Donald Trump has been a harsh critic of wind energy, but Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley warns it’ll be “over my dead body” if the GOP nominee wins the White House and tries to do away with wind power. In an interview with Yahoo News, Grassley lauded wind energy for its environmental and economic benefits. [Newsmax]

¶ A Maine-based company appears to have found a formula to win local backing in Vermont for often controversial solar-energy projects: careful siting, a dose of patience and a willingness to alter plans to overcome objections. Ranger Solar has won outright support in three towns for arrays that average 100 acres apiece. [Seven Days]

Solar Trackers. File: Robert Nickelsberg.

¶ These days, the biggest buyers of renewable energy aren’t utilities. They’re corporations like Google, Walmart, and Owens Corning. Over the last year and a half, there’s been a surge of power purchases first by tech companies and more recently by more mainstream businesses, such as General Motors and Steelcase. [Co.Exist]

¶ Talen Energy announced it’s withdrawing its license application for a proposed nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The company sent a written request to the NRC, saying it sees no “viable path” to obtaining a license for its proposed Bell Bend nuclear power plant. The application was filed in 2008. [PA home page]

Opinion:

¶ “Solar power does work – and a lot better than we thought” • Murdoch media carried an op-ed piece, “Solar and wind power simply don’t work, not here, not anywhere.” It was written by the former chairman of a coal mining company. But analysis shows utility-scale solar works better than expected in Australia. [RenewEconomy]

Solar farm in Australia.

World:

¶ The sharp increase in the use of renewables like solar and wind has provided more flexibility to the German electricity market. Energy-intensive industries have renewables to thank for the decline in wholesale prices. There have been a number of other economic benefits, including creation of jobs and exports. (Graphics) [EurActiv]

¶ The Nordex Group says it is supplying 11 N90/2500 wind turbines to Brookfield Renewable for the Slievecallan East project, in County Clare, on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland. According to Nordex, the wind farm is due to start operations, with a nominal output of 27.5 MW at the end of next year. [North American Windpower]

Turbines at sunset.

¶ A recent comprehensive study concluded that coal combustion is the single largest source of air pollution-related health impact in China, contributing to 366,000 premature deaths in China in 2013 alone. The new study took advantage of enhanced satellite data and China’s expanding network of air pollution monitors. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A biogas plant of the German manufacturer Weltec Biopower went live in Varazdin, northern Croatia. The 250-kW plant on a pig farm suits provides the farm with power, heat, and fertilizer. The slurry from a newly erected pigsty with 130 sows and 2,800 porkers forms the basis for the energy production. [Renewable Energy from Waste]

Weltec plant in Croatia.

¶ In a joint statement published by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), major insurance companies Aviva, Aegon NV, and MS Amlin have urged governments to commit to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies by 2020 at the upcoming G20 leaders’ summit set to take place in September in Hangzhou, China. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The 240-MW Ararat wind farm in the southern Australian state of Victoria has started generating electricity, it was announced on Tuesday. The first five of the project’s 75 GE turbines are producing about 23 MWh a day. Less than a year after ground was broken on the site, 25 turbines have now been erected. [SeeNews Renewables]

Ararat Wind Farm. Source: ararat-windfarm.com. All Rights Reserved.

¶ About 47.2% of Spain’s power in the first eight months of the year came from renewable energy sources, according to provisional data. Though Nuclear power plants were the leading source of power generation with a 23.2% share, wind provided 21.8%, hydro provided 17.8%, and solar supplied 5.8%. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ A survey of 3,000 Chinese city-dwellers by Ipsos Mori, a polling company, found that a massive 97.6% of them would like to buy clean power. Of those, over 90% would be willing to pay extra for it. The poll was commissioned by the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association. The problem is no one is selling it. [Quartz]

Talk about a market opportunity. (Reuters/Aly Song)

US:

¶ The Palo Duro and Permian basins are known for oil and gas production, but an Oklahoma electric cooperative serving those areas sees a future in solar energy development. Western Farmers Electric Cooperative is adding 43 MW of utility-scale solar through solar projects and power purchase agreements. [Electric Co-op Today]

¶ GM’s Orion Assembly manufacturing plant now ranks as the 8th largest user of green power generated onsite in the US, out of the Environmental Protection Agency’s network of “Green Power Partnership Partners.” The plant gets power from a 350-kW PV system and methane collected from a nearby landfill. [CleanTechnica]

Orion Assembly has a 350-kW solar array that sends energy to the grid.

¶ A tax exemption for businesses installing solar systems and other renewable energy equipment was overwhelmingly approved by Florida voters Tuesday as part of the state constitution. Under the proposal, renewable energy equipment on homes or businesses will not be taxed for twenty years starting January 1, 2018. [MyPalmBeachPost]

¶ Ocean Renewable Power Company has won a $5.3 million grant from the DOE to finalize the commercial design of its TidGen 2.0 power system. The new design will be tested, operated, and monitored in the Western Passage, an inlet off the Bay of Fundy, off the coast of Maine. The company is working toward a 5-MW project. [reNews]

TidGen 2.0 (ORPC)

¶ Omaha Public Power District announced Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station will cease operations October 24. The plant went into operation in September, 1973. The public power district says the move could save nearly $1 billion over the next 20 years, and executives say the move will keep electricity rates flat for the next five. [KETV Omaha]

¶ A consumer group is demanding that the State Corporation Commission force Dominion Virginia Power to obtain approval for its $19 billion proposal to add a new nuclear reactor at its North Anna Power Station before spending more money on the project. They say Dominion already has spent about $600 million. [Richmond.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ A Columbia University environmental economist published a paper examining the cost of dealing with climate change. He said it comes to $42 billion to $176 billion per year every year between now and 2050. That is about 33% more expensive than the war in Afghanistan, though spread over more than twice as much time. [Yahoo News]

Smoke billows from a controlled burn of spilled oil. Reuters / Sean Gardner.

¶ Researchers from the University of Waterloo have developed a long-lasting zinc-ion battery that’s 50% cheaper than current lithium-ion batteries, uses non-flammable, non-toxic materials, and a pH-neutral, and water-based salt electrolyte. One electrode is made of vanadium oxide, and the other is metallic zinc. [Electronics360]

World:

¶ The residents of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, a hamlet of about 1,400 people, welcomed 1,000 visitors as the giant cruise ship Crystal Serenity lay anchor off the shore. In the past, any ships that traveled through the region needed the help of ice breakers. However, now, with record sea ice loss in the Arctic, there isn’t the need. [Globalnews.ca]

Crystal Serenity in a Norwegian Fjord. Photo by Bundesstefan.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change has 130 institutions, supporting $13 trillion worth of investment. They urged the G20 nations to ratify the Paris agreement, saying countries must ratify the Paris COP21 climate agreement soon to guarantee strong climate policy and attract renewable energy investment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Akuo Energy, a French independent renewable power producer, and San Diego-based Eurus Energy America Corp, the Toyota Tsusho Corp subsidiary responsible for renewable energy investment in the Americas, have commissioned Florida II, a 50-MW Uruguayan wind farm, with 15 Vestas V117 turbines. [North American Windpower]

Cow and wind turbines. Photo by Dirk Ingo Franke.
CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ UK Prime Minister Theresa May will face tough questions over the delay to the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant when she flies to China this weekend for the G20 summit. There is a potential for awkward discussions between Mrs May and President Xi of China, who are scheduled for face to face talks. [Express.co.uk]

US:

¶ The Iowa Utilities Board has given MidAmerican Energy the green light for Wind XI, the utility’s planed $3.6 billion wind energy investment, the largest renewable energy project in the state. The project is part of Des Moines-based MidAmerican’s goal to reach 100 percent renewable energy for Iowa customers. [The Gazette]

MidAmerican personnel examine a wind turbine.
(Stephen Mally/The Gazette)

¶ The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is awarding $40 million for the design and construction of microgrids across the state for resilience and low-carbon energy. Microgrids can help communities keep the lights on during extreme weather, while providing cheaper and cleaner power. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Ever since 1999, when then-governor George W Bush signed a law deregulating the state’s power market, Texas has been building wind turbines like crazy. And what’s more, the boom isn’t likely to end anytime soon, thanks to a combination of federal subsidies and the falling cost of both wind and solar. [MIT Technology Review]

Wind turbines. Photograph by Michael Gil | Flickr

¶ E.ON began construction of its Twin Forks Wind Farm, the Chicago-based company’s the third wind farm in Illinois. The project is expected to be completed in 2017. Twin Forks’ 278 MW of generation will bring E.ON’s wind generating capacity in Illinois to 578 MW, enough to power more than 180,000 homes. [Your Project News]

¶ The US microgrid market is growing faster than expected, says a report released today by GTM Research. GTM now forecasts that US microgrid capacity will reach 4.3 GW by 2020, up from the research firm’s estimate last quarter of 3.71 GW. The US currently has about 160 microgrids with 1,649 MW of capacity. [Microgrid Knowledge]

Opinion:

¶ “Public lands and the next president” • The GOP platform, approved by the party in July, calls for the sale, privatization, or transfer of our public lands, including our national parks and monuments. The party’s nominee also poses serious risks to our public lands through his denial of the science of climate change. [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel]

Recently fallen snow on Colorado National Monument.
Photo by Tewy. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Science and Technology:

¶ The death of a boy and his grandmother in the far north of Russia after an anthrax outbreak raises questions about the impact of climate change on other pathogens that have been suspended in the ice. We can now include deadly diseases awakening as ice melts among the disasters climate change is bringing. [The National]

¶ Several high-octane, waste-based biofuels are now being tested by airlines as a way of curbing CO2. UN officials are set to endorse these fuels as a key part of global plans to stabilize aviation emissions by 2020. But critics say the plans are unrealistic and airlines are not taking the issue seriously. [BBC]

Isobutanol is more powerful than ethanol and has
now been approved for use in aircraft fuel blends.

World:

¶ Japan and Indonesia agreed to team up on 28 projects under the Joint Crediting Mechanism, a bilateral carbon offset credit program signed in 2013 between the two governments, a senior official said. The mechanism would allow Japanese companies to earn carbon credits by helping Indonesia cut its CO2 emissions. [Jakarta Post]

¶ Nova Innovation has put power on the grid from a pair of 100-kW tidal turbines in the waters of Shetland. The device developer said the two-unit Bluemill installation is the “first offshore tidal array in the world to deliver electricity to the grid.” The initial M-100 turbine was installed off Shetland in March. [reNews]

M-100 turbine. Nova image.

¶ The public cost of dealing with the aftermath of the March 2011 nuclear accident at TEPCO’s stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant topped ¥4.2 trillion ($41.12 billion) by the end of fiscal 2015. The public financial burden is expected to increase, as TEPCO will doubtless seek further government assistance. [The Japan Times]

¶ The comprehensive win for Labor in the Northern Territory election means that state and territory governments proposing ambitious renewable energy targets are now in the majority in Australia. The new chief minister, who favors renewables, replaces one who loudly supported coal seam gas and fracking technologies. [RenewEconomy]

Solar array in Alice Springs. Aerial Photo Volataic Installation.

US:

¶ According to US Wind, Maryland is poised to develop the nation’s first large-scale offshore windfarm. The 750-MW project would have up to 187 turbines, producing power for more than 500,000 homes. The company is surveying and installing a meteorological station to assess weather conditions at the site. [Southern Maryland Online]

¶ Texas has added more wind-based generating capacity than any other state, with wind turbines accounting for 16% of electrical generating capacity as of April. Now Texas is anticipating a huge surge in solar power. Texas has taken an approach that works within the state’s free-market-based electricity system. [MarketWatch]

Part of the Panther Creek Wind Farm in Howard County, Texas.
Photo by Larry D. Moore. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Two reports from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the DOE show that solar industry growth is being supported by the continued decline in the prices for solar power systems. The falling price of solar power has made solar energy more attractive and accessible to consumers throughout the country. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

¶ A 1.8-MW solar farm at Ogdensburg, New York, will be partly online and generating power by the end of September, according to a public update from Ogdensburg’s City Manager. Full operation is expected in November. The solar farm is expected to save the city more than $45,000 per year over the next 25 years. [North Country Now]

Opinion:

¶ “Backers hope nation’s first offshore wind farm will jump-start an
industry” • At 30 MW, America’s first foray into offshore wind power is modest compared with sprawling European developments. It will provide enough power for about 17,000 homes, but there is one truly momentous thing about it: It exists. [Yakima Herald-Republic]

The Block Island Wind Farm. Photo courtesy of Deepwater Wind.

¶ “Why Theresa May should plug the plug on the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant” • Britain’s new Prime Minister should understand what was clear to many. Courting Chinese investment was opening the doors to an undemocratic, expansionist regime, with an appalling human rights record, that has long been a strategic enemy. [This is Money]

World:

¶ Over the last five years, French oil and gas giant Total has acquired stakes in solar giant SunPower and battery integrators Stem and Sunverge, and has bought a battery company called Saft. Eventually, these companies could create a vertically integrated renewable energy giant of the future, replacing big oil. [Motley Fool]

Total is investing in SunPower. SunPower image.

¶ India is planning to initiate work on several fronts to maximize the use of renewable energy at least cost possible. Officials of the Central Electricity Authority told media outlets that the central government is planning to set up 10 GW of pumped storage capacity across the country at a cost of₹80,000 crore ($12 billion). [PlanetSave.com]

¶ Expansion of the global clean energy sector is the single most influential factor in fighting climate change. Around the world, now over eight million people are employed in the clean energy industry. In the US, more people now work in the solar industry than in oil and gas extraction. This is quite remarkable, given low oil prices. [Justmeans]

Moonrise at a wind farm. Image Credit: Flickr via “Caveman Chuck” Coker

¶ The Indian Power Ministry is looking to engage Power Grid Corp to electrify 1,000 km of rail tracks on a pilot basis, as part of plans to energize 35,000 km of unelectrified lines. The electrification project will help the government cut down crude imports and also ensure faster movement of trains on these tracks. [Business Standard]

¶ Pakistan’s renewable energy generation sector attracted another $500 million investment, as local and international investors have approached the regulator, seeking generation licenses for 300 MW. Despite two years of crashing prices for oil, natural gas, and coal, renewable generating capacity is being expanded. [The News International]

Clean energy is attracting investment in Pakistan.

US:

¶ Tesla Motors moved a step closer in its bid to buy SolarCity after federal regulators said the $2.6 billion deal doesn’t present antitrust concerns. According to Reuters, the Federal Trade Commission quickly signed off “because the merging companies have few or no overlaps.” The deal was announced earlier this month. [89.3 KPCC]

¶ Over the past year, Belfast, Maine, has quietly become a leader among the state’s municipalities investing in renewable energy sources, and it’s done it so with a core tenet of renewable energy: use what you already have. The city is on a new track, and the reason has a lot to do a new assistant city planner. [Republican Journal]

Solar array on a capped landfill at Belfast Maine. Photo by Ethan Andrews.

¶ Soon, residents of Sudbury, Massachusetts will have the option to buy electricity from an alternative supplier to Eversource, selecting “renewable generation.” At a Board of Selectmen meeting, an electricity aggregation plan was approved to be submitted to the Department of Public Utilities for approval. [Patch.com]

¶ The renewable energy vision former CEO David Crane had for NRG Energy may be taking shape just months after he was fired from his post. The utility is emerging as a leading bidder for assets held by bankrupt SunEdison, and if it can close on those assets, it could be a windfall for the company. [Motley Fool]

Science and Technology:

¶ Hydraulic fracturing and unconventional natural gas development may be associated with health issues such as sinus problems, migraines, and fatigue, according to a peer-reviewed study. The study acknowledges its own limitations and says more research is necessary to determine whether fracturing caused the symptoms. [Bloomberg BNA]

Photo by Battenbrook. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

World:

¶ The UK can meet its energy and climate change targets without the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, an Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit report found. More wind farms, gas-fired power stations, and demand management could save £1 billion a year “while keeping the lights on and meeting climate targets.” [This is The West Country]

¶ Sun Brilliance says it plans to build a 100-MW solar farm east of Perth. It would be the biggest solar system in West Australia by size, and biggest to date in Australia by output. The project was originally envisaged as a 25-MW solar farm, but Sun Brilliance decided to increase the size to 100-MW, partly based on market factors. [RenewEconomy]

Sun Brilliance site.

¶ National Grid has awarded eight contracts worth a total of £65.95 million to energy storage companies to balance system frequency in the UK. National Grid is facilitating the use of new technologies for maintaining frequency in the face of increasing renewable generation and the continued closure of thermal plants. [Network]

US:

¶ Arizona land developer Vermaland announced its support for a proposal made by the Arizona Corporation Commission chairman that supports doubling the state’s requirements for solar and wind energy. Under the proposal, utilities would need to generate 30 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2030. [AZ Big Media]

Wind farm and commuters.

¶ Some experts within the coal business say winning or losing the Clean Power Plan won’t affect coal’s fortunes greatly. Utilities are diversifying their energy portfolios because of market forces, including cheap natural gas, new technology making renewables more reliable, and reduction in demand. [West Virginia Public Broadcasting]

¶ Driving in Seattle or in nearby areas in the Puget Sound is driving in congestion. Ridership has boomed more than expected on light rail in Seattle, and perhaps this is a reason why. The regional transit authority now has more plans to grow this more efficient option – plans for the third phase of light-rail expansion. [bikocity]

Sound Transit light rail. Photo by Oran Viriyincy (some rights reserved)

¶ For the first time since 1972, energy-associated CO2 emissions from coal are dropping below natural gas CO2 emissions. The Energy Information Administration’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook reports that energy-related CO2 emissions from natural gas are expected to be 10% higher than coal emissions for 2016. [CleanTechnica]

¶ With funding from the DOE, Cornell University will develop a scalable co-optimization solution for transmission and microgrids that includes demand response, storage, and renewable resources. It will incorporate realistic modeling and integration of responsive demand in the system for uncertainty management. [ithaca.com]

Greenstar solar panels in West Danby. Photo: Diane Duthie

¶ Furman University announced plans to install a 743-kW PV array on six acres of land near the main campus entrance. The solar panels will reduce the campus electricity expenditures by up to 5% and greenhouse gas emissions by 3%. The project cost $1.7 million. The university expects an 8-year return on investment. [WSPA.com]

Opinion:

¶ “The hydrogen economy is much nearer than we think” • Hydrogen made from renewable electricity is already fueling vehicles at affordable prices. But now the ‘green’ fuel is set to go from niche to mainstream – powering not just cars, trucks and buses, but storing surplus renewable energy to supply the grid with power. [The Ecologist]

Hydrogen made with renewable energy is already finding a market as a ‘green’ fuel. Photo: University of Nottingham via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA).

Science and Technology:

¶ A CNN meteorologist is speaking out about going from questioning climate change to siding with the 97% of scientists who acknowledge human activities are warming the planet beyond repair. “As I tell my 11-year old, It’s OK to be wrong as long as you learn from your mistakes,” Chad Myers wrote this week. [Huffington Post]

¶ In central Texas, a crew is repurposing an abandoned oil and gas well. They are developing a way to turn oil and gas wells into vaults for storing electricity, pumping water into the earth to be heated and pressurized. When it is released, it races through a turbine-generator above ground, generating electricity. [The Guardian]

A new startup is proposing turning abandoned oil and gas wells
into energy storage vaults. Photo: Jurgen Vogt / Alamy / Alamy

World:

¶ More than 150 Australian experts have signed an open letter to the country’s prime minister urging for legislation and action on climate issues. In it, they say the Australian federal government should make “meaningful reductions of Australia’s peak carbon emissions and coal exports, while there is still time.” [ZME Science]

¶ One of the UK’s leading 100% green energy suppliers, Good Energy, is rolling out a system for peer-to-peer trading of local, renewable energy between businesses and local clean energy generators. The idea behind this initiative is to create greater transparency and autonomy in how renewable energy is priced and sold. [Treehugger]

Wind farm. CC BY 2.0 Tony Webster

¶ Advocates of geothermal energy say British Columbia’s losses due to low oil prices and closing oil wells, which have caused job losses, represent a massive window of opportunity for the province. They say the province should retrofit old oil and gas wells to capture geothermal energy to generate power. [DeSmog Canada]

¶ Power Africa announced a partnership with the government of Japan, focused on energy poverty reduction and growing access to sustainable energy in sub-Saharan Africa. The Memorandum of Cooperation with the US and Japan includes commitments to share strengths, expertise and resource. [ThinkGeoEnergy]

Olkaria geothermal plant, Naivasha, Kenya
Source: Lydur Skulason, creative commons

¶ A local Japanese governor, who was elected governor of Kagoshima prefecture last month on an anti-nuclear platform, asked Kyushu Electric Power to temporarily suspend the Sendai nuclear plant, one of two operating in the nation, further clouding efforts by the government and utilities to restart more idled reactors. [swissinfo.ch]

US:

¶ Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners said it has acquired Offshore MW LLC, a company eligible to bid in Massachusetts’s tenders for offshore wind, the first of which is expected next year. It bought 100% of the US company, which holds an offshore wind energy lease for an area of 166,886 acres (675 sq km). [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind turbines at sea. Photo by Harvey Barrison.
Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.

¶ Continuing to defy projections, wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources have set a series of records for domestic electrical generation during the first half of 2016, says a report from the US Energy Information Administration. Renewable generation was up 14.5%, natural gas rose by 7.7%, and coal declined 20.1%. [Greentech Lead]

¶ Across California, tens of millions of trees are dead, intense wildfires burn, and orchard and forest waste piles up, as more power plants that use wood waste to generated electricity close due to expiring contracts. The plants’ power-purchase contracts were not renewed because renewable-energy alternatives were cheaper. [Sierra Sun Times]

Tree Mortality in California. Photo Credit: CAL FIRE

¶ The Vermont Green Line says it has entered into a partnership with Citizens Energy Corp to give low-income Vermont residents access to large quantities of renewable energy. Citizens Energy will finance its share of the Vermont Green Line and use its profits to help those in need in Vermont. [North American Windpower]

¶ During Superstorm Sandy, flooding knocked out three power substations in Hoboken and left residents without electricity for more than two weeks. The city’s mayor decided it needed a backup to keep the lights on and elevators working for essential facilities; it needed a microgrid, with self-sustaining power generation. [CityLab]

Floodwaters in Hoboken on October 31, 2012. (Gary Hershorn / Reuters)

¶ Lawmakers in California voted to extend the state’s climate change law by 10 years, resisting the opposition of the fossil fuel industry and other business groups. The law’s provisions range from restricting the carbon content on gasoline to taxing pollution, and it is the most aggressive of its kind in US. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ Bowling Green’s commitment to renewable energy will surge with construction of a 20-MW solar field that is to be completed in December. The project would bring that Ohio city’s mix of energy from renewable sources to 38.16% when completed, a large increase from its current level of 12.04%. [Toledo Blade]

Science and Technology:

¶ A study raises questions about how much exports of Canadian liquefied natural gas would reduce carbon emissions abroad, a core justification for developing such an industry. The CD Howe Institute report said Canada’s LNG exports would likely increase emissions in most potential markets, aside from Asia. [Prince George Citizen]

LNG Carrier Galea. Photo by Wolfgang Meinhart.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

World:

¶ A pumped storage scheme using sea water, instead of drawing on freshwater from inland lochs, has been proposed for the Scottish island of Lewis, near a planned 30-turbine wind farm. Eishken Limited, which owns the island’s large Eisgein Estate, hopes to secure permission for the £200-million project later this year. [BBC]

¶ The UK’s energy infrastructure will need investment totaling almost £215 billion by 2030, nearly all of which will need to be earmarked for solar, wind, and other “disruptive” technologies, according to analysts at Barclays Research. They argued in a research note that security of supply in the UK is “on a knife edge.” [Solar Power Portal]

Renewable generation investment is needed.

¶ UK restaurant chain LEON announced that it is using 100% renewable energy in all its stores. The business has chosen a renewable energy tariff from Opus Energy, which sees more than 30 sites use 100% renewably sourced energy. Sustainability-oriented LEON describes its menu offering as “naturally fast food.” [CNBC]

¶ Renewable energy accounted for nearly a quarter of China’s power generation last year, even as wind and solar farms with 39 billion kWh of capacity sat idle due to poor planning in the rush to meet Beijing’s green energy targets, the National Energy Administration said. Hydropower was the biggest contributor. [Caixin Media]

Though they are not big producers, there are some small hydro stations
in China. Photo by Vmenkov. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The US tech giant Apple has been given the go-ahead to develop a data center in the West of Ireland, to be powered by 30 MW of renewables. National planners An Bord Pleanala said the first phase of the scheme has been given the green light in Athenry. The company is expected to power the 30 MW with onshore wind. [Energy Voice]

¶ Iberdrola has confirmed that it has won subsidies to develop two wind farms with a combined 32.2 MW in Spain’s Canary Islands. The company and a local partner will build the 13.8-MW Las Aulagas and the 18.4-MW Chimiche II wind farms in Tenerife. They will represent an investment of about €40 million. [reNews]

Iberdrola image

¶ Two new wind farm contracts announced this week have been hailed as the final ones necessary to ensure the Australian Capital Territory reaches its goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2020. The two contracts will have wind farms produce 200 MW of renewable power under the Territory’s reverse auction process. [PS News]

¶ France has launched a tender to develop 3 GW of solar as the country attempts to triple its photovoltaic energy production by 2023. The tender will be divided into six application periods of 500 MW each until June 2019, with the first ending on 1 February next year, environment minister Ségolène Royal said. [reNews]

A concentrating solar plant built in France in 1983.
Photo by Jeroen Komen. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Westminster sources told The Independent civil servants are looking to see if there is any loophole, clause or issue in contracts yet to be signed that allow the Government to pull back without huge loss and while also saving face. Ministers are acutely aware of the potential damage a withdrawal could do to relations with China. [The Independent]

US:

¶ Solar energy systems are proliferating across Ohio, growing by more than 23% in just the past year, in-depth analysis of state records reveals. This is despite Ohio lawmakers passing a law last year to suspend mandates requiring power companies to increase the percentage of power get from the sun or wind. [cleveland.com]

The Minster, Ohio, solar array, which has a lithium-ion
battery power storage system (American Renewable Energy)

¶ The Vermont Public Service Board has approved Green Mountain Power’s plans to distribute $302,719 from a Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited fund to various projects around the state. Anaerobic digester research, renewable energy education, and Rutland solar development are the latest beneficiaries. [vtdigger.org]

¶ The first of 61 turbines has been raised at the 200-MW Frontier wind park in Oklahoma, Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S said. The developer is the renewables arm of Duke Energy Corp. The wind park is expected to provide enough power for about 60,000 local households annually. [SeeNews Renewables]

First V126-3.3 MW turbine raised in North America

¶ The growth of jobs in the solar and wind industries could easily absorb coal-industry layoffs over the next 15 years and provide full-time careers, if investments are made to retrain workers. That’s according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the Michigan Technological University. [Utah Public Radio]

¶ NiSource, a subsidiary of Northern Indiana Public Service, is considering shutting its 480-MW Bailly baseload plant as early as mid-2018, more than a decade sooner than previously planned, and two units totaling 722-MW at its RM Schahfer baseload plant by the end of 2023, according to a spokesman for the utility. [Platts]

Opinion:

¶ “Holding Clean Energy Hostage” • Nuclear power got a much-needed lifeline in New York, at an estimated eventual cost to electricity customers of over $7 billion. Coal plants are uncompetitive. Clean energy is cheap, but electric utilities, invested in old technology, stand squarely in the way of such an energy future. [Jacobin magazine]

A coal-fired power plant in Flint Hills, Kansas. Patrick Emerson / Flickr.

World:

¶ Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water has reportedly scrapped plans to build a nuclear power plant citing cost concerns. The country had planned to obtain a licence for the project from the United Nations. The ministry said alternative energy sources like wind and solar power were more cost-effective. [Gulf Business News]

¶ A study of the UK’s offshore wind energy potential has suggested that the total amount of economically feasible installed capacity offshore might be up to 675 GW. This could provide more than six times the UK’s present electricity demand. Steady winds and shallow waters make offshore wind in the UK especially attractive. [CleanTechnica]

Specialist ships are needed to build offshore
wind turbines. Nightman1965 / shutterstock.

¶ In a bid to cut the increasing costs to run bank branches across Nigeria, many deposit money banks are now opting for renewable energy. The banks’ new strategy will have them spend less on diesel and maintenance of their power generating plants. Solar PVs power facilities from large branches down to ATMs. [AllAfrica.com]

¶ The South African government made it clear it is pursuing a diversified energy mix which includes independent power producers. This comes after a utility chairperson wrote a letter to the energy minister saying the power utility will not sign further power purchase agreements with IPPs without engagement over the matter. [ITWeb]

The South African government is pursuing a diversified
energy mix, which includes independent power producers.

¶ Germany’s opposition Green party unveiled Monday a 10-point plan to end electricity generation from coal within 20 years, a key plank of its campaign heading into next year’s general elections. Coal currently accounts for 40% of the energy mix in Europe’s top economy and has been the focus of determined protests. [Prothom Alo]

¶ In India, a dam-top solar project of the Kerala State Electricity Board set up at Banasura Sagar Dam is ready to be commissioned. Under the project, 400 kW of solar panels have been fixed to form a canopy on the dam-top road at a length of 285 meters. The project has 1,760 solar panels. [ETEnergyworld.com]

Banasura Saga Dam has 400 kW capacity.

¶ Members of the environmental audit committee have called for a ban on microbeads after hearing that trillions of tiny bits of plastic are accumulating in the world’s waters, harming marine life and entering the food chain. A single shower could result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean, said the committee chair. [The Guardian]

¶ The 300 residents of Tyalgum, near the Queensland-New South Wales border, are fond of saying their town is “beautiful 24-7.” Soon, if all goes to plan, this town in a region famed for its alternative lifestyle could be the first place in Australia to get off the electricity grid and keep the lights on 24-7 using 100% renewable energy. [BBC News]

The town of Tyalgum has just 300 residents and is
aiming to be taken off the electricity grid. Kacey Clifford.

US:

¶ The EPA told Texas to improve its regulation of fracking, linking the energy extraction method to seismic activity in the state. Its annual report to the state body that oversees fracking concluded, “there is a significant possibility that North Texas earthquake activity is associated with disposal wells.” [The District Sentinel News Co-op]

¶ Canadian Solar subsidiary Recurrent Energy announced that its 100-MW Mustang solar installation in Kings County, California, has reached commercial operation. The Mustang solar project is part of a historic year for Recurrent Energy, in which the company will complete of more than 1 GW of US solar PV projects. [PV-Tech]

The Mustang project is expected to produce enough energy
to power around 45,000 homes. Image: Recurrent Energy.

¶ A long-awaited campaign to rebrand fossil fuels called Fueling US Forward made its public debut at the Red State Gathering 2016. The top line takeaway is that the campaign, which is backed financially by Koch Industries, is an effort to rebrand fossil fuels, focusing on the “positive” sides of oil, gas and coal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A solar farm that will generate enough electricity to power more than 150 homes, or about 10% of the Black Bear Casino’s electric needs, was unveiled Tuesday by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The 1-MW solar farm was built on five acres of a reclaimed gravel pit near the casino. [Bemidji Pioneer]

The 5-acre solar power array on the Fond du Lac Reservation
features 3,230 panels in 10 rows. Bob King | Forum News Service.

¶ Green Mountain Power and Efficiency Vermont are partnering on a community-wide rapid energy transformation project in Panton to reduce energy costs, lower fossil fuel use, and improve comfort. The project is called eVolve Panton, and it will put Panton at the forefront of energy innovation in Vermont. [Vermont Biz]

¶ As residents of Louisiana this week struggle to recover from a 1,000-year flood, “one of the worst floods in modern history,” there is a chance that federal aid may not be so forthcoming thanks to a trio of Bayou State Republicans, who back in 2013 voted against helping victims of another storm: Hurricane Sandy. [eNews Park Forest]

Science and Technology:

¶ According to a report by the New York Times, the coral reef on the floor of a remote island lagoon halfway between Hawaii and Fiji started to become a dead zone in the early 2000s. However, a team of biologists in 2015 was “stunned and overjoyed to find Coral Castles, genus Acropora, once again teeming with life.” [The Weather Channel]

AP Photo / Keith A. Ellenbogen

¶ In a new study, scientists who study the largest ice mass on Earth, East Antarctica, have found that it is showing a surprising feature reminiscent of the fastest melting one: Greenland. The satellite-based study found that meltwater lakes have been forming, nearly 8,000 of them in summer between the year 2000 and 2013. [The Independent]

World:

¶ Navigating through the icy waters of the Arctic, a Greenpeace ship is delivering solar panels to the Inuit community of Clyde River, Nunavut. Delivering solar panels and a team to install the systems for the Clyde River community is Greenpeace’s way of offering a better solution to meet increasing demands for energy. [CleanTechnica]

Arctic Sunrise.

¶ A strong national commitment to nuclear energy goes hand in hand with weak performance on climate change targets, researchers at the University of Sussex and the Vienna School of International Studies have found. Pro-nuclear countries have been slow to implement wind, solar, and hydropower technologies. [(e) Science News]

¶ Construction of the $750 million staged Hornsdale wind farm in South Australia’s mid-north is now fully secured with the ACT Government signing up to its third 20-year power purchase agreement with the owners. The power will be provided at a fixed 20-year rate of AUS$73/MWh (US$55.79/MWh). [The Advertiser]

A turbine at the Hornsdale project, near Jamestown.

¶ Residents in Kidal in northern Mali are finding it easier to work and study into the night thanks to a solar lighting project recently introduced to the area. About 1,500 households are now able to switch on their lights thanks to a $50,000 project funded by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali. [Business Insider]

¶ The Arkona offshore wind power project in the German Baltic Sea has moved from the planning to the construction phase. The cornerstone for the joint project being carried out by E.ON and Statoil was laid on August 18, 2017, in Sassnitz on the island of Rügen. The wind farm will have an installed capacity of 385 MW. [PennEnergy]

Arkona offshore wind power project.

¶ A large-scale solar and battery storage project in north Queensland has drawn interest from the world’s biggest miner, BHP Billiton, which is looking at the technology for its remote and off-grid mine sites. The project will combine 10.4 MW of solar PV with 1.4 MW / 5.3 MWh of lithium-ion battery storage. [RenewEconomy]

¶ Russia will soon launch several projects to build mini-hydropower plants, in an attempt to resolve the problem of power supply to remote regions of the country. At the end of July 2016, the BRICS New Development Bank’s Board of Directors agreed to provide $ 100 million for hydropower generation. [Russia and India Report]

Local power generation from mini-hydropower plants is much
more effective than central power. Source:Vicktor Vonog / TASS

¶ Cumulative utility-scale capacity reached 75 GW by the end of June and there’s a possibility the 100 GW mark could be attained by the end of this year. A report states figures at the end of June indicate 2016 will be the 6th consecutive record year for utility-scale solar, with 10 GW of new solar plants to that point. [Energy Matters]

US:

¶ Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz recently told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources recently that increased investment is needed in US energy emergency response. Moniz highlighted the need for response capabilities in the face of increasingly integrated energy systems and evolving threats. [Electric Light & Power]

Flooding is just one type of emergency the DOE needs to face.

¶ The Climate Investigations Center, a progressive group that monitors energy and environmental outliers, says the coal lobbying influence is waning. CIC released a survey this month of the lobbying spend and the influence of climate change on it. Banks and utilities are reducing support for the coal industry. [CleanTechnica]

¶ In a fast-developing industry teeming with technologies that promise to be the next big thing, energy storage appears to be the biggest. Its supporters not only sing its praises but also tout what they say is its inevitability. Growth in the next decade could multiply our storage capacity to ten times what it now is. [Techwire.net]

A pumped hydro storage facility. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

¶ This year, the high power demands that come with hot Texas weather did not produce shortages that lead to soaring prices, partly because of renewable energy sources. Power generators didn’t earn their usual profits from the summer price spikes. Now they want regulators to essentially guarantee them those profits. [Houston Chronicle]

Opinion:

¶ “UK energy mix faces seismic shift” • These last weeks have been a time when an inescapable set of signals emerges, all pointing in the same direction. The idea that renewables are not competitive with fossil fuels and nuclear power has lost all basis in fact. It’s time to wake up to the energy revolution. [Climate Home]

Wind turbine and moon. Pic: Pixabay.

¶ “Trump’s Toxic Threat: Oblivion To Climate Change, Even In His Backyard” • One of the largely unrecognized dangers of Donald Trump’s slash-and-burn presidential campaign is that his many outrageous statements are causing us to lose sight of the very real threat he poses to our shared environment. [WBUR]

Science and Technology:

¶ A team of Australian National University scientists brought economically competitive solar thermal energy generation closer to reality. They hit a record in efficiency for the technology with a design that boosts conversion of sunlight to steam to 97%. This could produce a 10% reduction in the cost of solar thermal electricity. [RenewEconomy]

The ANU solar thermal dish. Image: Stuart Hay, ANU.

World:

¶ A business based in South Canterbury, New Zealand has signed an Asian Development Bank contract to supply solar/battery mini-grids in the Cook Islands. The systems have been designed to supply nearly all the electricity requirements of four islands. Currently, the islands’ electricity is supplied by diesel generators. [Timaru Herald]

¶ A small Central American country of nearly five million people, Costa Rica is moving to create a society without fossil fuels, as nearly 100% of its electricity comes from five renewable sources – hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar and biomass. In 2015, they went 299 days with using fossil fuels for electricity. [The American Bazaar]

Costa Rican landscape.

¶ IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has invested $161 million in three biomass power plants in the Philippine province of Negros Occidental with support from the Canadian government and the Clean Technology Fund. The project is expected to generate 70 MW of clean renewable energy for the country. [The Standard]

¶ Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of wind and solar farms would need to be built in West Australia over the next four years under plans to double the state’s renewable energy. The Energy Minister wants obligations under the Federal Government’s revised renewable energy target to be sourced locally. [The West Australian]

Albany Wind Farm.

¶ Jordan’s first nuclear power plant could be operational by 2025, if sufficient financing is secured, the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission said. The $10-billion, 2,000-MW project will be 30% financed by Jordan and Russia. JAEC is engaged in discussions with companies to secure the remaining 70%. [Ammon News]

US:

¶ New York state committed to getting 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2030, and conservation groups are creating tools to help. The Nature Conservancy is launching an initiative called “Renewables on the Ground” to facilitate good decision making for siting wind farms and large solar installations. [Public News Service]

Utility-scale wind and solar infrastructure can affect plant and wildlife habitat. Photo by Sgt bender / Wikimedia Commons

¶ East Kentucky Power Cooperative is working on a $2.9 million expansion to add capacity to a landfill gas plant in Boone County. The expansion is expected to be completed before the end of August, increasing power production to 4.6 MW, or enough electricity to power 2,500 average Kentucky homes. [Electric Co-op Today]

¶ The Utah Public Service Commission approved Rocky Mountain Power’s plan to supply electricity to a potential Facebook data center, ahead of a vote on whether to allow the facility itself. Given the unique rate structure of the power deal, PSC gave itself two days to approve the request, but it took only 45 minutes. [DatacenterDynamics]

Opinion:

¶ “If wind and solar power are cheaper and quicker, do we really need Hinkley Point?” • Should Theresa May take the axe to the troubled Hinkley Point nuclear project, it will propel wind and solar power further into the limelight. Britain would do well to focus such things as on lithium-air, sodium-ion, and flow batteries. [The Guardian]

The floating solar farm on Godley Reservoir near Manchester.
Photograph: Ashley Cooper

¶ “If we’re serious about industrial strategy, renewables is a good place to start” • Cancelling the planned new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point will be a huge victory for the offshore wind industry. The word from inside No 10 Downing Street is not clear yet, but so many Tories, including the prime minister, are unsettled. [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ In a rare endeavor, Crystal Serenity has embarked on a 32-night journey through the Northwest Passage, the Arctic region north of Canada that was unattainable until just 100 years ago. Crystal Serenity is about to become the largest ship ever to attempt the Northwest Passage. There are nearly 1,000 passengers aboard. [RusTourismNews]

Crystal Serenity.

¶ Even the inexpensive electric automobiles, with their limited ranges and charging requirements, could be used for 87% of the trips taken by gasoline-powered cars traveling US highways today. These findings come in a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published in the journal Nature Energy. [TakePart]

World:

¶ Energy for 500 Alberta schools is being completely offset by a 17-turbine wind farm near Provost, Alberta. A 20-year power purchase agreement was reached between BluEarth Renewables and the Alberta Schools Commodities Purchasing Consortium, which represents numerous school boards across the province. [Edmonton Journal]

BluEarth Renewables’ Bull Creek wind project is offsetting
100% of the energy used by 500 Alberta schools. Photo Supplied.

¶ At least three municipalities in Finland are considering founding solar parks within their city limits to create energy from the sun. In one community about an hour north of Helsinki, a biogas facility would make use of biomass from the local community and agriculture, in addition to the solar-powered electricity. [YLE News]

¶ Developing hydro power projects in the north-eastern states will help India to meet its electricity demand and achieve energy security, a report said. Of India’s estimated hydro potential of around 145,000 MW, north-eastern states account for 58,000 MW. However only 2% of the total potential in the northeast has been tapped. [VCCircle]

Indian Hydro facility.

¶ Tokyo Electric Power Company’s initiative to create a frozen soil barrier around Japan’s damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to prevent the groundwater from becoming contaminated with radioactive materials has not shown any success, the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority’s expert panel member said. [Sputnik International]

US:

¶ Massachusetts announced more than $1.8 million in funding to support local efforts to prepare for and reduce the impacts from coastal storms and climate change, including storm surge, flooding, erosion, and sea level rise. The funding can be used to help minimize environmental and public health risks. [Wicked Local Wareham]

Wicked Local Wareham file photo / Ashleigh Bennett.

¶ Some of Wisconsin’s businesses could go elsewhere because of high electric rates, the Public Service Commission is being warned. Comments collected in an assessment say consumers should be able to choose their power provider rather than being restricted to the current utility monopolies in the state. [Chippewa Herald]

¶ Texas is uniquely poised to meet the Clean Power Plan’s standards. That also means that even if those Environmental Protection Agency regulations fall by the judicial wayside, Texas would still be likely to improve emissions dramatically. State leaders don’t have to do anything other than let old coal power plants retire. [mySanAntonio.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ When produced using renewable energy, hydrogen could cost nearly the equivalent of 50-cent-per-gallon gasoline, according to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The NREL plan assumes large-scale production of hydrogen through electrolysis, but with renewable energy used for power. [Green Car Reports]

Hydrogen fuel cell cars fueling, Fountain Valley, California.

Opinion:

¶ “Analysis Finds Wind Could Replace 6,000 Gigawatt-Hours of Coal in Colorado” • Financial modeling shows that Colorado’s clean energy transition is getting cheaper. Colorado voters bet costs dropping for wind and solar energy as they were used more, and it looks like the initiative’s promise is coming to fruition. [Greentech Media]

World:

¶ In India, a dam-top solar project of the Kerala State Electricity Board on the Banasura Sagar Dam at Padinharethara in Wayanad district is ready for commissioning. A trial run was successfully conducted recently, and the Power Minister is scheduled to commission the project at Padinharethara before the end of August. [The Hindu]

Solar panels erected atop the Banasura Sagar Dam.

¶ British Columbia’s Climate Leadership Plan will have a major focus on electrifying oil and gas development and expanding BC Hydro’s renewable power capacity in lieu of a carbon tax hike, BC’s premier announced. Clark laid out the details of the plan at a news conference during a record-setting heat wave. [Dawson Creek Mirror]

¶ Developer Cennergi started operating the Tsitsikamma community wind farm in South Africa. The 95-MW Eastern Cape project near Port Elisabeth features 31 Vestas V112 turbines rated at 3.075 MW, according to the Exxaro and Tata Power joint venture. The project was part of a power producer procurement program 2012. [reNews]

Vestas V112 turbines. Vestas photo.

¶ Ontario has denied an appeal on the 75-MW Amherst Island wind project, clearing the way for construction to begin. The provincial Environmental Review Tribunal upheld a renewable energy approval that was granted about a year ago. Canadian developer Algonquin Power plans to build 26 Siemens 3.2MW-113 turbines. [reNews]

¶ RES has completed its first energy storage project in the UK with a 300-kW/640-kWh lithium-ion battery system at a solar farm in Somerset. The Hertfordshire developer’s system was installed alongside a 1.3-MW British Solar Renewables’ PV site at Butleigh near Glastonbury. The storage system features BYD batteries. [reNews]

Energy storage system at Butleigh. RES photo.

US:

¶ The oil and gas sector is headed for much more “turbulent times” beyond the ongoing oil bust, former Vice President Al Gore said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. He said the industry will go through the same pains as the coal sector unless it adopts more renewable and sustainable sources of power and fuel. [Houston Chronicle]

¶ The University of California switched on a 60-MW solar energy plant that it intends to expand to 80 MW by mid-2017, at which point it will be the largest solar purchase by any university in the United States. Five Points Solar Park has 271,200 panels and will supply roughly 14% of the system’s electricity demands. [Clean Energy Authority]

Five Points solar array. Photo Credit: Elena Zhukova.

¶ Work is under way to build a solar array in Steamboat Springs that will benefit low-income residents. Yampa Valley Electric Association is building the array with support from GRID Alternatives and the Colorado Energy Office. The solar array is being built at the YVEA headquarters on Elk River Road in Steamboat. [Steamboat Pilot & Today]

¶ A solar farm located 20 miles southwest of Colorado Springs will be the first of its kind to provide energy directly to the state’s ratepayers. The new Clear Spring Ranch Solar Array is set to generate enough power to supply between 2,900 to 3,000 homes with renewable energy. The power is under a 25-year contract. [The Denver Channel]

Clear Spring Ranch Solar Array.
Courtesy: Amy Trinidad, Colorado Springs Utilities.

¶ This summer’s dry conditions have resulted in a drop in output from the hydroelectric power generation plants belonging to Vermont’s largest consumer utility, Green Mountain Power. Rivers have been running low due to a dearth of rainfall, meaning less water rushing through the turbines of hydro plants to produce power. [NECN]

¶ Even before opposition develops to New York’s subsidizing nuclear power plants, the beneficiary of almost $500 million in annual payments is airing its legal defenses. Exelon, owner of the Ginna and Nine Mile Point plants, and owner-to-be of FitzPatrick, has vetted all potentially opposing arguments. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

Opinion:

¶ “Dirty power games: Coalition steps on the gas” • Yet more evidence has been produced about the dirty power games being played in the South Australian energy market, as the federal government promotes new gas field development. What is needed is new competition in the market, not new gas. [RenewEconomy]

Australian gas pipeline.

¶ “Clean energy doesn’t require a nuclear renaissance” • Reducing carbon is cheaper and more quickly achieved without adding nuclear capacity. This is because of opportunity cost: Money spent on nuclear projects is not used for efficiency and renewables, which reduce carbon emissions more effectively and less expensively. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Science and Technology:

¶ A tiny device, half the size of a postage stamp, which can rapidly disinfect water with solar energy, has been developed by researchers at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. One scientist said, “We just dropped it into the water and put everything under the sun, and the sun did all the work.” [CleanTechnica]

The device works by using solar power to make hydrogen peroxide.

¶ EarthSpark International has built a 93-kW solar-powered microgrid in the small town of Les Anglais (population 3,000 in the central area), which currently supplies clean reliable power to approximately 2,000 people. The microgrid could be a model of how to bring electricity to the 1.2 billion people still living in the dark. [RenewEconomy]

World:

¶ Investment in Europe’s offshore wind sector reached €14 billion in the first six months of 2016, which was more than the whole of 2015, a report by data provider Planet OS says. The Offshore Wind Energy 2016 Market Report said 75% of the growth came in the UK, with European capacity increasing 4.2% during the period. [reNews]

London Array. Credit: reNEWS.

¶ National Grid has cut its forecasts for the number of big new power plants expected to be built in the UK in coming years, while admitting its estimates for the growth of solar farms and other small-scale generators were almost 50 times too low. In four years, it has cut projections of large new power plants by more than half. [Telegraph.co.uk]

¶ German biogas plant specialists Weltec Biopower are to build an 800-kW biogas plant for Colombia’s largest egg producer. The plant generates electricity from gas produced by anaerobic digestion, in which organic material is broken down by microorganisms in an airtight container, and produce fertilizer for the farm. [Energy Digital]

The electricity produced by anaerobic digestion will power farm operations.

¶ A new anaerobic digestion facility in Nottinghamshire, which will produce renewable energy from agricultural feedstock, has received £13.2 million in funding. Half of the funding will come from the Recycling and Waste LP Fund, specifically formed in 2015 to fund small-scale recycling and waste projects in the UK. [Resource Magazine]

¶ The recent power supply auction in Chile got a solar bid of $29.1/MWh (€25.65/MWh) for the Maria ElenaPV park, built by SunEdison. That bid marks the world’s record lowest for solar. The previous record was an offer of $29.9/MWh for the 800-MW third phase of a 5-GW solar power complex in Dubai. [SeeNews Renewables]

The 100-MW Amanecer Solar Park in Chile by SunEdison. Author: Gobierno de Chile. License: Attribution 2.0 Generic.

US:

¶ Two heads of the EPA, one under Presidents Nixon and Reagan, and one under George H W Bush, signed a joint statement released last week on Clinton’s campaign website. In it, they say, “Donald Trump has shown a profound ignorance of science and of the public health issues embodied in our environmental laws.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ Fred Olsen jack-up vessel Brave Tern has lifted the final turbine at the 30-MW Block Island project in Rhode Island, a long-awaited milestone for America’s first offshore wind farm. “The Block Island wind farm is now fully constructed,” Deepwater Wind’s CEO said on Twitter. Crews are working on electrical connections. [reNews]

Final turbine installed at Block Island. Deepwater Wind photo.

¶ There is a way that you can cover half of your home’s electricity use with clean wind energy, at no additional cost, thanks to a unique offering from Arcadia Power. This program is available across 450 utilities, in all 50 US states, is for renters and homeowners alike, doesn’t require a contract or equipment installation. [Treehugger]

¶ Apple announced this week that it has moved one step closer towards its goal of being 100% renewable energy powered, with two big pieces of news. Apple final assembly sites now zero waste compliant, and major supplier Lens Technology has agreed to run its Apple operations entirely on renewable electricity. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ July was the world’s hottest month ever, according to NASA, the tenth month in a row to break temperature records globally. Since October 2015, every month has set a new global record for hottest temperatures, but the rise may slow down soon. A developing La Nina weather pattern may help, though probably not until 2017. [CNN]

Road closed due to weather. FEMA photo, after Hurricane Katrina.
Public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

World:

¶ Scotland’s next generation of onshore wind farms could be at least 20% cheaper if the Scottish and UK governments work with industry and regulators to remove barriers, according to Scottish Renewables. A Scottish Renewables study said industry could cut onshore wind costs by more than £150 million per year. [reNews]

Hill of Towie wind farm in Scotland (reNEWS)

¶ Under an agreement with China, Egypt is to construct a 1,000-MW solar power station and a solar panels factory that will be implemented in two stages, 500 MW each. The terms of the agreement say China will fund the establishment of the station and the factory with 3.3 billion in concessional financing. [MENAFN.COM]

¶ Acciona SA will build a 183-MW wind farm in Chile to meet the output won in the country’s energy auction that was completed on Wednesday. The wind farm will supply of 506 GWh of electricity per year. The tender offered 20-year power purchase contracts for a total of 12,430 GWh annually, starting in 2021 and 2022. [SeeNews Renewables]

Acciona wind farm. Source: Acciona SA.

… Mainstream Renewable Power was awarded contracts by the National Energy Commission of Chile to build and operate seven utility-scale wind farm with a combined capacity of 986 MW. The projects are located throughout Chile and are scheduled to begin supplying low-cost energy to the grid from January 2021. [Your Renewable News]
… Plans for a series of new gas-fired plants in Chile have been put on hold after none of the projects won contracts at the country’s largest-ever electricity tender. More than half of the demand on offer was taken by a series of wind and solar energy projects, and all of the remainder was awarded to hydro generation. [Platts]

¶ Brazil generates the third-highest amount of electricity in the Americas, behind only the United States and Canada, according to the Energy Information Administration. Hydroelectricity provides more than 70% of Brazil’s generation. Brazil has 158 hydroelectric plants, totaling over 89 GW, and more are coming. [Electric Light & Power]

Hydro plant in Brazil.

¶ To encourage renewable energy use by farmers, the government of the Indian state of Haryana announced that 3,050 solar water pumps will be installed in current financial year in the state with 90% subsidy. The pumps will be of two, five, or ten horsepower, with 10% of the cost covered by the farmers. [The Indian Express]

¶ The UK government has approved phase two of the world’s largest wind farm, adding 300 turbines to a project 55 miles off England’s shore, in the North Sea. Many people concerned about the long-term dangers of nuclear energy are hoping that renewable projects like Hornsea will pave the way for a complete transition. [ThinkProgress]

Offshore wind farm. Shutterstock image.

US:

¶ Electric utilities cannot pass on to their Massachusetts ratepayers the costs of financing new natural gas pipelines, the state’s highest court ruled on Wednesday. The unanimous decision from the Supreme Judicial Court was cheered by environmental groups, which had dubbed the proposed tariffs a “pipeline tax.” [Boston Herald]

¶ Wind energy pricing remains attractive to utility and commercial purchasers, according to an annual report released by the US Department of Energy and prepared by the Electricity Markets & Policy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The levelized long-term price of wind power averages around 2¢/kWh. [EurekAlert]

Wind turbines in North Dakota. USFWS Mountain-Prairie photo.
CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Vermont’s largest electric utility has committed to purchase 14 hydroelectric dams in New England and to get power from two others, a buy that will net Green Mountain Power an added 17 MW of energy production for just over $20 million. The dams will help the company meet statutory renewability requirements. [vtdigger.org]

¶ Residents of the Alaskan island village of Shishmaref voted to give up their ancestral way of life and relocate to safer ground over fears of erosion from rising sea levels and melting permafrost. The village, with about 650 people, is located on a barrier island that is experiencing a rapid rate of erosion due to rising temperatures. [BuzzFeed News]

Shishmaref, Alaska. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve photo.

¶ In the second solar announcement in a week, the governor of Virginia said that Hecate Energy LLC has received a permit for a new utility-scale solar facility to be built in Cape Charles in Northampton County. The 20-MW project will provide enough energy to power more than 3,000 households. [Virginia Business Magazine]

¶ American companies are increasingly making their own power with wind turbines located near the factories and buildings that consume the power they make, the 2015 Distributed Wind Market Report says. Distributed wind can range from a small turbine at a remote cabin to a set of several large turbines. [Newswise]

Opinion:

¶ “Global climate is spinning out of control – but now, we have the technology!” • Heatwaves of more than 50° C in Iraq and India in recent weeks show climate disruption is a present-day reality, not something for a leisurely response. But almost by the week, real-world advances provide a more positive prognosis. [The Ecologist]

Installation of a new 3-MW Siemens offshore
wind turbine. Image: artist’s impression by Siemens.

World:

¶ A Solar Citizens consumer campaigner said that in the first five months of this year, the uptake of small-scale solar in Tasmania had been up by at least 25%. He attributes the turnaround to the recent energy crisis when Basslink was disabled, coupled with an extremely dry year which depleted Hydro’s water reserves. [ABC Online]

Solar irrigation shaves more than six thousand
dollars off this farmer’s annual power bill. (Margot Foster).

¶ The Netherlands may soon approve of an outright ban on new cars fueled by gasoline or diesel fuel by the year 2025. Only zero-emissions cars powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells would be permitted. Germany may not be far behind, with growing murmurs in support of a ban on conventional cars by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Mainstream Renewable Energy installed the first turbine at the 140-MW Loeriesfontein wind farm in the Northern Cape region of South Africa. The project will have 61 Siemens turbines and is expected to start supplying electricity to the grid in 2017. Siemens Wind Power and sub-contractors are installing the turbines. [reNews]

Wind turbine installation. Mainstream image.

¶ A group of Philippine geothermal developers asked the government to implement a specific geothermal feed-in-tariff structure for emerging geothermal technologies. A special geothermal feed-in-tariff for emerging technologies is still seen as a crucial element to push development of geothermal resources. [ThinkGeoEnergy]

US:

¶ Deepwater Wind has hit the home stretch at the 30-MW Block Island offshore wind project in Rhode Island. Fred Olsen Windcarrier’s jack-up Brave Tern installed the fourth turbine yesterday and is preparing to erect the fifth and final GE Haliade 150 6-MW machine at the site, about 3 miles southeast of Block Island. [reNews]

Block Island Wind Farm. Deepwater Wind photo.

¶ The federal government calls the impact of carbon dioxide the “social cost of carbon,” and the EPA set a price at $36 per metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. A group of refrigerator makers sued, calling the price “arbitrary and capricious,” but a federal district court ruled against them unanimously. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Many dams that are needed for flood control or other reasons are being refitted to make electricity. For example, Boston based Rye Development is investing $775 million in 23 hydro projects that upgrade dams to produce power, all east of the Mississippi River. The upgrades will add 265 MW of capacity. [Circle of Blue WaterNews]

Olmsted Locks and Dam, on the Ohio River.
Photo © Keith Schneider / Circle of Blue

¶ US utility NV Energy is asking the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to approve construction of a 100-MW solar project in Eldorado Valley. The single-axis solar PV project is planned to be on line in the fourth quarter of 2018. Power would be sold to Techren Solar under a 25-year power purchase agreement. [Energy Business Review]

¶ NASA issued a report that identified 250 sites that release methane in the San Juan Basin around southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The two-year study determined that 10% of emitters accounted for more than 50% of the total methane released into atmosphere, estimated at 600,000 metric tons annually. [The Durango Herald]

Looking at methane emitters. Photo by Jonathan Romeo / Durango Herald.

¶ Nevada Power Co wants to close its coal-fired Reid Gardner plant at Moapa ahead of schedule. In a filing made Monday with the Nevada Public Utilities Commission, the utility is proposing to close the fourth unit at the plant after using all the remaining coal inventory, which is estimated to occur about February 28. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

¶ The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is checking competitive interest in a lease area requested by Trident Winds LLC for a 765-MW floating wind farm off the California coast. The BOEM is issuing a Request for Interest in the proposed 67,963-acre lease area, 33 nautical miles northwest of Morro Bay. [SeeNews Renewables]

Map of the lease area. BOEM image.

¶ Regulators in Arizona and New Mexico have sided with solar customers in two cases. The Arizona Corporation Commission rejected a utility’s request to add fees for solar customers and do away with net metering. Regulators in New Mexico approved a settlement decreasing a utility’s connect fees for solar customers. [SolarLove]

¶ The 185-MW Yankee Rowe nuclear power plant in Massachusetts was shut down 1992, leaving in place 15 dry casks of radioactive spent fuel. Now, the town of Rowe and other US communities with “de facto” interim spent nuclear fuel storage sites are seeking annual compensation for storage from the federal government. [The Recorder]

Science and Technology:

¶ The tropical glaciers of South America are dying from soot and rising temperatures, threatening water supplies to communities that have depended on them for centuries. But experts say that the slow process measured in inches of glacial retreat per year also can lead to a sudden, dramatic glacial lake outburst flood. [CTV News]

Tourists walk near the Tuco glacier in Peru. (AP / Martin Mejia)

¶ Greater scrutiny needs to be placed on the mining industry’s energy use, if millions of dollars are to not be wasted, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute-Carbon War Room. The goal of this is to accelerate reduction of CO2 emissions. In gold mines, energy use accounted for an average 22% of overall operational costs. [Mining Technology]

World:

¶ Van Oord has completed installation works on 90% of the wind turbines at the 600-MW Gemini offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea. The Dutch company is working on 150 4-MW Siemens machines, using the offshore installation vessels Aeolus and Pacific Osprey. Full commissioning is scheduled for spring 2017. [reNews]

Installing a mast for a turbine. Gemini Windpark photo.

¶ Five renewable projects in Wales are drawing local investor interest. The largest, by Awel Co-op, is building two wind turbines to generate power for 2,500 homes. It is offering 5% per year in interest for 20 years, in return for investment of £50 upwards. The co-op has already raised £1.23 million of the £2 miilion it needs. [BBC News]

¶ A Perth start-up is set to begin trials of its blockchain-based software program that, if successful, could mean the beginning of peer-to-peer energy trading in Australia, in which consumers buy, sell or swap excess solar electricity directly with each other, rather than to the grid for a minimal return. [One Step Off The Grid]

Rooftop solar arrays in Australia. Shutterstock.

¶ BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company, posted a record loss. Just how much of the commodity price crash was foreseeable is debatable, but just about every big decision BHP made leading up to the sudden glut in iron ore, coal, oil and gas developing has exacerbated the company’s problems. [ABC Online]

¶ University of Queensland is saving $50,000 a year in mowing costs at its Gatton campus solar farm by using sheep to keep the vegetation down. The ABC reports that to mow the grounds used to take 4 days and cost a significant chunk of change. Now, ten sheep help cut mowing costs and seem to be enjoying doing so. [Energy Matters]

Solar panels and sheep at the biggest solar park of the Benelux.
Photo by Antalexion. CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons.

US:

¶ Last week, the Sierra Club issued a report that looks at communities that are planning to move or already have moved to 100% renewable energy in at least one sector, as part of its “Ready for 100” campaign. The cities and towns featured are located around the nation, although the three largest are in eco-conscious California. [pv magazine]

¶ Wind energy still accounts for an extremely small share of all federal energy incentives, according to the most comprehensive review of energy incentives to date. AWEA’s compilation of all available data shows that for every dollar spent on federal energy incentives, wind energy received less than 3 cents. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ It looks like the Koch brothers really are beginning to lose their grip. Last Friday, the Department of the Interior brought the hammer down in favor of offshore wind development in North Carolina, where the fossil-fuel-friendly industrialist brothers are used to wielding an outsized influence on energy policy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Xcel Energy says it reached a sweeping settlement agreement on renewables and pricing that could change the way electricity is produced and paid for in Colorado – if state regulators sign off on it. The agreement, which would promote renewable energy and community solar projects, is hailed by solar interests. [Denver Business Journal]

Namaste Solar employees put solar panels on a house in Denver.
Kathleen Lavine | Denver Business Journal

¶ A Maine company can get value from poop. Casella Organics, which finds uses for organic wastes that don’t involve shoveling the stinky stuff into landfills, has told Pennsylvania regulators it wants to dry sewage sludge into pellets and bring them into Pennsylvania to be used as fuel at coal-fired power plants. [PowerSource]

¶ Fresh from success in New York, the nuclear industry is increasing lobbying in other states. From a meeting of utility regulators in Nashville to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2016 Legislative Summit, the industry trying to save a dozen or more nuclear reactors at risk of being shut down. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

Opinion:

¶ “A green path to industrialisation” • At recent economic forums in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, N’Djamena in Chad, Rabat in Morocco, Abuja in Nigeria, even New York in the United States, and elsewhere, Africa’s experts have been expressing their support for green industrialization, with careful use of the Earth’s resources. [The New Times]

Wind turbines in Mahe, Seychelles. / Internet photo.

¶ “EPE scam to avoid renewable energy requirements” • The most efficient new natural gas power plant costs 7.5¢/kWh over its lifetime. Solar power is routinely offered for long-term purchase power agreements at 4¢/kWh and falling. Wind power contracts are approaching 3¢/kWh. But El Paso Electric builds gas plants. [Las Cruces Sun-News]

¶ “Britain’s vast national gamble on wind power may yet pay off” • Wind power has few friends on the political Right. No other industry elicits such protest from the conservative press, Tory backbenchers, and free market economists. But wind generates home-made energy and could be seen as a patriotic choice. [Telegraph.co.uk]

The London Array has shattered records, lifting renewables
to 25% of UK power earlier this year. Credit: Emily Gosden

World:

¶ Speaking on the occasion of India’s 70th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need for qualitative change in the lives of the citizens. He stressed the need to focus on renewable energy. In the last year, renewable power production increased by 40%, and solar energy increased by 116%. [BloombergQuint]

¶ The Northern Territory Labor party has promised to adopt a renewable energy target of 50% by 2030, ahead of the August 27 election, which they are expected to win easily. This is in line with most other Labor state’s and territories in Australia, as well as federal Labor, and puts it ahead of the federal Coalition government. [RenewEconomy]

Solar PV installation in the Northern Territory.

¶ The Carbon Clean 200 report crowned automobile manufacturer Toyota as the most sustainable company in the world. The company has placed sustainability central to its corporate strategy and has adopted six targets to achieve by 2050, including reducing emissions from its manufacturing facilities to zero. [Clean Energy News]

¶ The Australian Energy Market Operator has issued a stark warning: more wind and solar power will demand new approaches to avoid interruptions of the power supply. But the biggest variability that the electricity sector has to contend with is not intermittent solar or wind output; it is the ups and downs of power demand. [RenewEconomy]

Australia will likely have to close more coal
power stations to meet climate targets. Shuttershock

¶ The crown estate has waded into the battle over Hinkley Point, pointing out that offshore windfarms are already cheaper than the proposed nuclear reactors. The crown estate said that windfarms at sea will be on course to meet 10% of the country’s electricity by 2020, sooner than Hinkley Point C can to produce 7%. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ By mid-morning on Friday, in just a 12-hour stretch, more than a foot of rain fell near Kentwood, Louisiana. It was  a downpour with an estimated likelihood of just once every 500 years, and roughly three months’ worth of rainfall during a typical hurricane season. It’s the latest in a string of what had once been rare rainstorms. [Pacific Standard]

Stormy weather. (Photo: Ines Hegedus-Garcia / Flickr)

¶ The managing forester for Stiles Brook Forest, in Windham County, Vermont, sees an uncertain future because of climate change. Some signs are stunted trees, increasing numbers of invasive insects, and a dwindling moose population. A controversial plan to install 28 wind turbines at Stiles Brook is part of the solution. [vtdigger.org]

¶ Lauded as a leader in adopting renewable energy, California requires utility companies get at least a third of their energy from renewable sources by 2020 and half by 2030. But for a growing number of elected leaders from Southern California to Humboldt County, that timeline isn’t nearly aggressive enough. [The San Diego Union-Tribune]

Opinion:

¶ “Who owns the wind? We do, Wyoming says, and it’s taxing those who use it” • Four years ago, the Wyoming Legislature began entertaining a lofty question: Who owns all of that wind? They concluded, quickly and conveniently, that Wyoming did. Then they did something no other state has done: They taxed it. [Los Angeles Times]

Mountain Wind Power wind turbines in Uinta County, Wyoming.
Photo by CGP Grey. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

World:

¶ The Philippine Department of Energy has issued certificates of endorsements to 49 power projects as of the end of July, government data showed. Of these, 26 are renewable energy projects. Solar farms accounted for 22 projects, including one with a capacity of 100 MW in Subic Freeport Zone. [Philippine Star]

¶ Though it was not reported at the time, on July 10 a new reactor vessel in Belarus slipped to the ground during preparations for installation, according to Rosatom. Workers failed to properly secure the vessel, causing it to “slip[] down slowly and touch[] the ground softly.” The company said there was no damage. [POWER magazine]

Workers at the nuclear plant apparently dropped the first unit’s 330-ton reactor vessel (shown here before the accident). Courtesy: Rosatom.

… Rosatom is ready to fulfill Minsk’s demand and replace the reactor pressure vessel of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, which is being built with Russia’s assistance, representatives of the Russian nuclear engineering corporation Rosatom told TASS. The reactor is a VVER-1200 type nuclear power system. [Belarus News (BelTA)]

¶ In a boost to wind energy potential in Tamil Nadu, the government of India announced a policy for repowering wind energy projects. Repowering refers to replacing ageing wind turbines with powerful and modern units in order to boost power generation. It can help old wind sites to more than double their installed capacities. [The Hindu]

Older wind turbines are usually below 500 kW capacity. The Hindu file photo.

¶ Off-grid solar is increasingly being viewed as the way to bring cheap, sustainable lighting to the vast parts of India that are yet to be connected to the electricity grid, especially in difficult terrain. The government is targeting 12 GW of new capacity and getting 6 GW. This means off-grid solar is looking more attractive. [The Hindu]

¶ The World Wildlife Fund offered the people of the village of Sardar Para, in Bangladesh, home solar systems, but many were skeptical. Then local women formed a self-help group and found an acceptable answer. A 4.1-kW PV array provides power, and each home has its own battery-powered energy access kit. [The Weekend Leader]

Residents of Sardar Para and the village’s solar array. WWF photo.

US:

¶ Xcel has reduced carbon by 30% since 2005, according to the company’s CEO. He says Xcel will continue its environmental work and will reduce carbon by another 30% over the next 15 years. The company will invest in the grid, moving power from wind farms to customers in a way that is affordable to them. [Minneapolis Star Tribune]

¶ According to the American Wind Energy Association, Virginia currently has no wind projects online. Hopefully, that will change soon. Apex Clean Energy, a Charlottesville-based independent renewable energy company that ranks as one of the nation’s leading developers, hopes to construct the first wind project in Virginia. [Richmond.com]

Wind turbines. The Associated Press.

¶ An anti-fracking group says Pennsylvania’s approval of more than 40 natural gas power plants over the last two years will lead to more fracking and it is calling on the governor to limit gas usage. Pennsylvanians Against Fracking is also concerned about the fact that small power plants can fall below regulatory thresholds. [Timesonline.com]

¶ New York’s governor announced the completion of a solar array expansion at Davidson Chevrolet near Watertown. The 2,000 panels add to the dealership’s previous project, built in 2014, which consists of about 5,500 panels. The new array will save an estimated $1 million in expenses over the next 20 years. [WatertownDailyTimes.com]

World:

¶ Global alcohol company Diageo intends to get all of its power from renewable sources by 2030 after seeing its energy use fall 10% in its latest reporting year. The company said in its report that it had seen an increased stakeholder focus on climate change. Its brands include Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Gordon’s. [Clean Energy News]

Roseisle Stillhouse, one of Diageo’s distilleries. Image: Diageo.

¶ US tech giant Apple has been given the go-ahead to develop a data center in the west of Ireland that will be powered by 30 MW of renewables. National planners An Bord Pleanala approved the first phase of the scheme in Athenry this week. The company is expected to power a 30 MW phase one with onshore wind. [reNews]

¶ The UK’s surging solar PV capacity has helped the country to a new quarterly renewable generation record. In Q1 2016 renewables generated 25.1% of the UK’s electricity despite lower than expected wind speeds and rainfall. That figure was up 2.3 percentage points on generation recorded in Q1 2015. [Solar Power Portal]

Lightsource solar farm.

¶ Macquarie Capital and Macquarie Commodities and Financial Markets have reached financial close on £900 million of funding for the 299-MW Tees renewable energy plant in the northeast of England. The biomass combined heat and power plant will be the world’s largest new-build biomass plant when completed. [reNews]

¶ Scotland is pledging to reach 100% renewable sustainability for energy production by the year 2020, a reasonable goal after meeting 100% of the energy demand through wind power alone for a day. Scotland is believed to have the largest oil reserves in Europe, but has proven they largely do not need it. [Interesting Engineering]

Scotland’s wind turbines (Image: Dorli Photography)

¶ Britain’s Chinese partner in the Hinkley Point power station deal has been accused of plotting to steal US nuclear secrets. A nuclear engineer for state-owned China General Nuclear is accused of setting up US experts to obtain sensitive information, confirming the worst suspicions of critics of the UK-Chinese nuclear deal. [Sputnik International]

¶ The Indian Ministry of Shipping is planning to install almost 83 MW of solar PV panels at the country’s 12 major ports. The port plans are part of the Green Port Initiative undertaken by India’s Shipping Ministry, which aims to cut the cost of purchasing power from the grid. The 12 ports handle 61% of India’s cargo traffic. [Energy Digital]

The plans are part of the Indian Shipping Ministry’s Green Port Initiative.

¶ Of Japan’s 43 ‘operable’ nuclear reactors, few are actually running, as renewables and a 12% fall in demand eat into their market. And while Japan’s ‘nuclear village’ defends safety standards, the IAEA, tasked with promoting nuclear power worldwide, has expressed deep concerns over the country’s safety regulation. [The Ecologist]

US:

¶ In less than five years, the Army has engaged in 127 energy-saving projects with the private sector that now exceed $1 billion in investments, according to the Secretary of the Army. He explained that these projects were undertaken in response to a challenge from President Obama to save energy. [Product Design & Development]

Solar array at Tooele Army Depot, Utah. US Army Corps of Engineers photo.

¶ SolarCity and Balfour Beatty Communities, managing member of military housing projects located at Fort Detrick, Maryland, and Fort Carson, Colorado, have completed the installation of more than 18,000 solar panels at Army family housing. The installations total more than 4.7 MW of solar power generation capacity. [PennEnergy]

¶ Facing high summer temperatures that strain power supplies, Vermont utilities issued peak alerts yesterday asking customers to reduce their energy use. Meanwhile, Renewable Energy Vermont says that renewables, including wind and solar power, are helping to reduce both peak costs and use of fossil fuels. [North American Windpower]

Vermont Law School 9.36 kW solar array. Photo by
SayCheeeeeese. CC BY-SA 1.0 Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Neste Renewable Diesel is now being used by the Sacramento County, California. By doing so, the county will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its fleet by up to 80%. The county estimates that greenhouses gas emissions will be reduced by about 8,000 tons per year. The switch does not require engine modifications. [Energy Global]

¶ NRG Energy has agreed to pay up to $188 million to buy wind and solar projects from bankrupt SunEdison in Texas and other states. NRG, based in Houston and New Jersey, was seemingly scaling back its renewable-power focus after a CEO change last year. But the company says that’s not the case. [Houston Chronicle]

Opinion:

¶ “Vote with Your Utility Bill for Wind Energy” • Some politicians and utilities say renewable power raises utility costs and sacrifices reliability. But real examples tell a different story. In Colorado, renewable energy is replacing coal plants and driving down costs of electricity service without sacrificing reliable service. [Red, Green, and Blue]

Arcadia Power image.

¶ “Why Bill Gates Is Hugely Misinformed About Renewables & Loves Impractical Nuclear” • Why does Bill Gates not understand that we have all the science we need to stop climate change without nuclear power? Why does he not see that renewables are less costly and faster to install than nuclear power. There is an answer. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Climate science: revolution is here” • It takes a long time to heat up a world. Even if emissions are stopped, climate change will continue for a long time. But week by the week, we can see a much more positive prognosis based on the rapid advances being made in the development of renewable-energy. [Open Democracy]

Elan valley, Wales. Flickr/Richard Walker. Some rights reserved.

Science and Technology:

¶ Speaking to analysts and investors during the Q2 earnings call for SolarCity, Elon Musk went into detail about his plans for what he calls the “Solar Roof.” It is not a system of solar panels mounted over an existing roof but the actual roof itself. The product is especially attractive for situations where a roof is getting old. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ A weaker economic outlook means demand for oil in 2017 is likely to grow at a slower rate than this year, according to the International Energy Agency. Global demand for oil will grow by 1.2 million barrels per day in 2017, down from 1.4 million bpd this year, representing a cut of 100,000 bpd from the IEA’s forecast last month. [BBC]

Oil pipeline worker. Reuters photo.

¶ With a target of adding 40 GW of rooftop solar power capacity by March, 2022, looking more difficult, the Indian government is seriously looking at other unconventional ways to expand solar power capacity in India. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has agreed to pursue floating solar power projects. [CleanTechnica]

¶ RWE boosted power generation by 5% to 107.1 billion kWh in the first half of the year, partly on the back of new renewables capacity. The German utility said group pre-tax earnings dropped 5% to €3 billion in the period driven by losses in its trading business and capital spending fell 30%, compared with a year ago. [reNews]

Gwynt y Môr wind farm. RWE photo.

¶ BMR Energy LLC inaugurated its 36-MW wind power plant, west of Jamaica’s capital of Kingston. The wind park is expected to generate some 120 GWh of electricity per year, enough to meet roughly 3% of Jamaica’s current energy demand. It has 11 turbines manufactured by Vestas, which also provided engineering. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Vestas has confirmed an order for 31 V126 3.45-MW turbines for OX2 Wind’s 112-MW Raskiftet wind farm in the municipalities of Åmot and Trysil in Norway. Delivery is expected to start in the second quarter of 2018. The order also includes Vestas’ advanced de-icing system, using heaters within the turbine blades. [reNews]

Vestas wind turbines. Vestas photo.

US:

¶ Entergy New Orleans has started generating electricity at its new solar power plant in New Orleans East, one of only a handful of solar projects nationwide to incorporate battery storage. The utility is pitching the project as a way to test the cost and reliability of using sunlight to power local homes and businesses. [NOLA.com]

¶ American offshore wind power is one step closer to becoming a reality, with installation of the first turbines at Deepwater Wind’s Block Island project now complete. The Block Island Wind Farm will be America’s first offshore wind farm, and it remains on-schedule to be fully commissioned this fall. [Renewables International]

Deepwater wind, the first US offshore project. Deepwater wind photo.

¶ Pacific Gas & Electric formally submitted a proposal for the shutdown of California’s lone remaining nuclear power plant to the California Public Utilities Commission. A number of environmental organizations and labor unions joined PG&E in the proposal. It would close both units at the nuclear plant by 2025. [Los Angeles Times]

¶ Northland Power’s pre-tax earnings for the six months ended 30 June was up $19.4 million on the same period last year at $207.9 million, with increased income from its renewable energy assets. The company said the operating result from its renewables facilities grew $12.3 million in the period compared with last year. [reNews]

Mont Louis. Northland Power photo.

¶ A coalition of individuals and businesses seeking to protect Vermont’s environment and repower our state with local renewables have launched a campaign in support of wind power in Vermont. The coalition, Wind Works VT launched a website and will promote wind power as an essential part of the state’s energy future. [Vermont Biz]

¶ North American utilities company Algonquin Power and Utilities has commenced full commercial operation of the 200-MW Odell Wind Project in Minnesota. The site has excellent wind resources, so it can generate an average of 832 GWh of power every year, which will be sold under a 20-year PPA. [Power Technology]

Opinion:

¶ “Holy Grail of energy policy in sight as battery technology smashes the old order” • The world’s next energy revolution may be no more than five or ten years away. Research into clean electricity storage is moving fast, obsoleting 20th century power plants, including nuclear white elephants such as Hinkley Point. [Telegraph.co.uk]

With stored renewable energy, Britain could become self-sufficient
in its energy usage. Credit: Charlotte Graham / Rex Shutterstock.

¶ “The Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor shouldn’t be delayed – it should be scrapped” • Theresa May’s government has delayed decision on Hinkley Point C. But the government really should stop agonizing and cancel it. There is no commercial or environmental sense in investing billions into the outdated project. [City A.M.]

Science and Technology:

¶ With South Africa in its worst drought in history, a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Johannesburg created a super absorbent polymer out of orange peel and avocado skins. It is capable of storing reserves of water hundreds of times its own weight, forming reservoirs that would allow farmers to maintain their crops at minimal cost. [CNN]

Kiara Nirghin won Google’s Community Impact Award.

World:

¶ Australia’s government has preliminarily blocked Chinese and Hong Kong bidders from taking a controlling stake in the country’s largest electricity network, citing worries over national security. The Australian treasurer said the foreign investment proposals from “were contrary to the national interest.” [BBC]

¶ Donald Trump has taken time out of his busy presidential campaign to reiterate his intention to keep fighting the planned offshore wind farm which is scheduled to be built off the coast of Aberdeenshire. He has signalled his intention to bring the case before the European courts if necessary. [International Environmental Technology]

Donald Trump continues fighting Scottish wind farm.

¶ The Portuguese secretary of state for energy announced that subsidies to renewable energies are to be phased out, as existing contracts expire. Portugal will opt for a gradual phase-out and non-interference with existing contracts, unlike Spain, which tore up existing contracts when it decided on its phase-out. [Power Engineering International]

¶ A large and growing global glut of crude is set to keep oil prices at their depressed levels in the coming months. High stockpiles of refined oil products – petrol and diesel – as well as crude oil mean that unless there is substantial disruption to production or soaring demand, any recovery looks to be a long way off. [BBC]

Oil tankers laden with oil and refined fuel are used as storage venues.

¶ Germany added 150 bio-gas plants in 2015, with 23 MW of capacity. This was the smallest annual increase since the Renewable Energy Sources Act was first adopted in 2000. The overall pace of additional construction is somewhat disappointing. Nearly 9,000 bio-gas plants are currently operational in Germany. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]

¶ Wind power generated the equivalent of all Scotland’s electricity needs on 7 August, according to WWF Scotland. Analysis by WWF of data provided by WeatherEnergy found that for August 7, wind turbines in Scotland provided 39,545 MWh to the National Grid. Scotland’s demand for the day was 37,202 MWh. [reNews]

Harestanes wind farm in Scotland (Iberdrola image).

¶ Solarsense has revealed details a series of commercial rooftop solar installations finished this year for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at a seven nature reserves. The installations increased RSPB’s solar capacity by a total of 104.78 kW and are expected to deliver 88 MWh in annual output. [Solar Power Portal]

¶ Huge spikes in wholesale electric prices in South Australia have been a result of energy companies gaming the system, according to a report by the Melbourne Energy Institute. It said fossil fuel generators may have withheld electricity at “strategic” times, causing massive price spikes, which have led to a $30.3 million windfall. [The Guardian]

A Melbourne Energy Institute report found evidence of fossil fuel
companies gaming the system. Photograph: David Crosling / AAP

¶ France’s Socialist Party said a full review of the Hinkley Point project is needed before any decision is taken to build the British nuclear power plant, in effect siding with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May over France’s Socialist President Francois Hollande. Doubts center to a degree on the high cost of the nuclear plant. [Bloomberg]

US:

¶ Solana Beach, California, is considering forming an electric collective to buy power on behalf of residents and businesses, through community choice aggregation (CCA). Residents are members of the CCA unless they opt out and go back to incumbent utility San Diego Gas & Electric Co. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

A cliff at Solana Beach. Photo by Jamie Lantzy, courtesy of Flickr.

¶ Exelon Corp said in its August 9 quarterly Form 10-Q report that the New York ISO has said its doesn’t need the Ginna nuclear plant operating beyond March of next year for grid reliability purposes. Ginna is a 581-MW, single-unit pressurized water reactor located in Ontario County, New York. [Electric Light & Power]

¶ A new project to capture stormwater at GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, home of the Chevrolet Volt, is slated to save the plant nearly $2 million every year. The initiative, two years in the making, now allows the plant to reuse rainwater for manufacturing processes throughout the 4 million square foot facility. [Justmeans]

Science and Technology:

¶ A team of international scientists from Switzerland and the United States developed a powerful osmosis power plant capable of generating more power than any osmotic power generator that has come before. An osmosis power plant creates power by use of a membrane separates salt water from fresh. [Nature World News]

Power can be made where salt water meets fresh. (Photo: 27707 / Pixabay)

World:

¶ Brazil’s state-owned energy research firm EPE said 35,147 MW of wind and solar projects have registered for the second reserve energy auction, scheduled for December. Overall, 1,260 renewable energy projects will compete for contracts. This tender will award 20-year solar and wind power supply contracts. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ The TechnoCentre éolien has been granted Canadian federal financial contribution of about $3 million to continue its role as a catalyst in Quebec wind energy. This financial support, which will cover the fiscal years 2016 to 2019, was granted by Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. [Windpower Engineering]

The TechnoCentre éolien R&D test site has a wind-diesel-storage microgrid.

¶ The government of Ghana is scaling up the construction of mini-grids to provide electricity to over 200 islands and 2,000 lakeside communities in the medium term. These are in addition to the mini-grid facilities by the World Bank to provide electricity to populations on five island communities on the Volta Lake. [Graphic Online]

US:

¶ Local scientists at Massachusetts Maritime Academy are testing an underwater turbine at the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay. They believe the technology could revolutionize how we get power. The machine centers around an oscillating set of blades. At Mass Maritime, they call it a hydrokinetic energy solution. [CBS Local]

Underwater turbine tested at Mass. Maritime Academy (WBZ-TV)

¶ Alaska averaging 33.9° over seven months may not seem warm to folks in the Lower 48. But that just proves they haven’t lived there. A not-far-above-freezing high from January 1 to July 31 is a virtual heat wave. This year’s average is 8.1° above the 20th century average of 25.8°. So far, 2016 has been the hottest year on record. [CNN]

¶ Vestas says that it has received a firm and unconditional order from EDF Renewable Energy for 80 turbines of 2.0 MW each that qualify for the US production tax credit. Vestas says the nacelles, blades and towers will be made at its Colorado factories. The order is part of a larger, global agreement. [North American Windpower]

Wind turbines power generator on sunset at farmer field

¶ The University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a $500,000 grant for a solar energy project from the state Department of Energy Resources. The grant will go toward a 4.5-MW solar array at two university parking lots, as well as two electric vehicle charging stations, according to a statement from UMass. [Amherst Bulletin]

¶ New figures from GTM Research have revealed that the United States currently has 10 GW of utility-scale solar PV projects currently under construction. In 2015, the entire US solar sector installed a record 7,286 MW. In 2015, the country’s utility solar sector grew 6%, but 2016 may see a growth rate of over 100%. [CleanTechnica]

US Utility PV Pipeline.

¶ The Massachusetts legislature passed a bill to make the state one of only three to have an energy storage mandate, and Governor Charlie Baker (R) signed the landmark measure on August 9. Massachusetts began paving the way for more far-reaching storage policies over a year ago with an energy storage initiative. [Utility Dive]

¶ Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $16 million will be made available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to support the design and construction of new energy-efficient housing and to complete similar improvements in existing buildings across New York State. [LongIsland.com]

Program to provide energy savings worth $180 million.
Photo by: Renaude Hatsedakis, via Free Images.

¶ With a total capacity of 150 MW of DC power, the Aurora solar project will be the largest solar plant in Minnesota, according to Enel Green Power North America. All told, the 477,000 PV panels will generate 121 million kWh of electricity each year, enough to meet the needs of more than 17,000 homes. [Fergus Falls Daily Journal]

¶ New York Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke on the sale of the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power plant. Entergy had said nine months ago it would close the financially struggling plant, but recently agreed to sell it to Exelon. The sale is touted as saving more than 600 jobs at the plant and benefiting the local economy. [WRVO Public Media]

Opinion:

¶ “Wisconsin Wind Industry Finally Shakes Off Koch Brothers” • Wisconsin has been a wind energy wallflower despite its prime location for wind. But now it seems cracks are beginning to appear in the state’s anti-wind armor. The state hasn’t seen a new wind farm in five years, but at least two are now in development. [CleanTechnica]

Wind potential in Wisconsin. Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Tesla Poised To Deliver Knockout Punch To Fossil Fuels In The Next Decade” • Tesla Motors has a stated mission that flies directly in the face of carbon-emitting fossil fuels. It is bringing about sustainable energy. Electric cars, battery storage, and solar power could be a potent combination in the fight to replace fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ A prolonged electricity blackout affecting two of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland has given renewed impetus to making the islands carbon-neutral and independent, according to a local renewable-energy project. The outage began when a submarine cable was broken on Friday and lasted until Monday night. [Irish Times]

Solar panels were used to charge devices during a power
outage on the Aran Islands. A little power is better than none at all.

¶ The Scottish Government and two key players in the bid to develop huge windfarms in the North Sea have lodged appeals against the Court of Session’s controversial refusal of the projects. The Inch Cape, Seagreen and Neart na Gaoithe arrays would generate enough electricity to power several cities the size of Edinburgh. [The Courier]

¶ ReNew Power Ventures Private Limited announced that it signed a Power Purchase agreement with the Chandigarh International Airport for solar PV installations. The 5-MW PV plant will use single axis solar tracker technology. The power generated is expected to reduce the cost of energy for the airport by 20%. [solarserver.com]

25 MW ReNew Power reference PV plant in Andhra Pradesh.

¶ The Chinese ambassador in London said the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant represents a “crucial historical junction” for relations between the UK and China, which has a minority stake in the £18 billion ($24 billion) project. In an opinion piece, he said the cancellation of the plant could have an effect on trade. [Bloomberg]

¶ A Climate Council report warns that Australia’s rural communities are on the front line in the battle against climate change, with worsening extreme weather events including as bushfires and drought. It called for a rollout of renewable energy to generate cheaper and cleaner power, and as a major driver of economic growth. [RenewEconomy]

Adelaide Hills. Photo by Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia.
CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ EDF’s decision to invest in the £18 billion Hinkley Point nuclear plant should be declared invalid, French trade unions have said. The unions at the French firm said senior board members knew that the UK government was considering delaying its final decision, but did not disclose this before last month’s vote. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ Solar energy is gaining traction among business owners in Westchester County, New York, and momentum has been building. From some of the county’s most recognizable destinations to smaller, unassuming shops, scores of forward-thinking merchants and property owners are embracing solar energy. [Westchester Magazine]

Solar power has proved a sound investment for
local businesses like Sleepy Hollow Country Club.

¶ A festive feeling took hold as Governor Charlie Baker signed an energy bill that could launch an offshore wind industry in Massachusetts. New Bedford is poised to benefit from offshore wind development, potentially at the $113 million, state-funded Marine Commerce Terminal just inside the hurricane barrier. [SouthCoastToday.com]

¶ The US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division’s self defence test ship completed sea trials using ReadiDiesel, a 100% drop-in renewable diesel fuel. It features the same molecular composition as petroleum fuels, but it is claimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to petroleum. [Naval Technology]

Test ship USS Paul F Foster. Photo courtesy of US Navy, by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy M. Black / Released.

¶ Donald Trump claimed that Michigan lost 50,000 jobs due to President Obama’s “war on coal.” The claim was clearly untrue. The state has no coal mines and its power industry employs less than half that number of employees. Trump’s press release cites the National Mining Association as its source of information. [Washington Examiner]

¶ US electricity consumers could end up paying more than $2.5 billion for nuclear plants that never get built. Utilities Duke Energy, Dominion Resources, and NextEra Energy are being allowed by regulators to charge $1.7 billion for reactors that exist only on paper, company disclosures and regulatory filings show. [Bloomberg]