geoharvey

Science and Technology:

¶ Scripps operates one of the most capable research fleets in the world, including three research vessels and one floating research platform. They venture worldwide on research projects, powered by diesel fuel. A noble experiment with biofuel marked the start of a new chapter in sustainability for the Scripps fleet. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Scripps research vessel.

World:

¶ The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, unveiled plans to crack down on the most polluting vehicles. It is said to be the toughest plan ever proposed by any major city in the world. Specifically, Khan has proposed a £10 per day Emissions Surcharge on older vehicles and an extended Ultra-Low Emission Zone. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Work on a concentrated solar plant, the first of its kind in Africa to use of thermal power, is expected to start in the Northern Cape within the next two months. The Redstone Solar Thermal Power Plant will be able to generate 100 MW of electricity, enough to power 200,000 local houses. It will be developed by SolarReserve. [Independent Online]

Rendering of the Redstone Solar Thermal Power Plant. Credit: Supplied

¶ The foreign oil firm TransCanada has filed a lawsuit against the US government under NAFTA rules, seeking $15 billion in compensation for the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline project. The suit alleges that the US violated NAFTA’s broad rights for foreign investors by thwarting the company’s “expectations.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ The total lifetime cost of the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant could be as high as £37 billion ($48 billion), according to an assessment published by the UK government. The figure was described as shocking by critics of the scheme, especially as the same energy department’s estimate 12 months earlier had been £14 billion. [The Guardian]

Illustration of Hinkley Point C nuclear station. Image: EDF Energy/PA

US:

¶ Rhode Islanders will have more options to “go green” for energy sources, as Governor Gina Raimondo signed several renewable energy measures into law. The measures offer tax incentives for those using solar power and include a “community solar” program so people get can get credit for power from joint projects. [WPRI 12 Eyewitness News]

¶ Recognizing the upsurge in community solar, the Solar Energy Industries Association, along with the Coalition for Community Solar Access, recently released The Residential Consumer Guide to Community Solar. The guide gives concise and necessary information to consumers to make very informed decisions. [CleanTechnica]

Westmill Solar Cooperative, via Wikicommons.

¶ The city of Los Angeles is one step closer to getting rid of coal. On July 1, the LA Department of Water and Power stopped buying electricity from the Navajo Generating Station, a huge coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. The sale means the DWP has cut its dependence on coal power by a quarter. [89.3 KPCC]

¶ On hot summer days, Los Angeles residents turn on air conditioners, creating a high demand for power. Five years from now, natural gas may no longer cover those summer peak loads. It is to be replaced by the world’s largest storage battery, capable of delivering over 100 MW for four hours. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

AES Corp’s Laurel Mountain battery complex in West Virginia. AES photo.

¶ Duke Energy Corp expects to start construction this month of a 17-MW solar farm at a Navy base in Indiana. The construction process will include installation of 76,000 solar panels on a land plot of roughly 145 acres (58.68 hectares) southwest of Bloomington. The solar park is expected to be completed by early 2017. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ UK company Renewable Energy Systems Ltd said it expects to begin construction this month on the 102-MW Lamesa solar power plant in Texas. The plant, to be built Dawson County, will consist of 410,000 PV panels, producing enough electricity for around 26,000 households. It should enter service by mid-2017. [SeeNews Renewables]

Solar PV park. Author: mdreyno. Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic.

¶ The Highland Wind Farm, a $250 million project that’s been in the works for five years in northwest Wisconsin’s St. Croix County, has won the final piece of regulatory approval, for the second time. The wind farm will consist of 44 turbines, of 2.3 MW each. With optimal conditions, they will produce power for over 35,000 homes. [Madison.com]

¶ A federal plan to offer leases for offshore wind power development near the coastline of Oahu could help Hawaii take a big step toward reaching its goal of getting all its electrical power from renewable energy by 2045. Stationing giant turbines in the ocean north and south of the island will be a huge engineering challenge. [InsideClimate News]

The Walney wind farm, in the Irish Sea. Credit: Wikimedia

¶ Coloradans care about climate change, surveys say, and analysts point out that politicians ignore the issue at their own peril in this critical swing state. The Guardian newspaper produced a report stating voters, especially young ones, are increasingly dismayed that climate change has been “the missing issue of the 2016 campaign.” [RealVail]

¶ SolarFest, a two-day festival will be held on July 15 and 16 at Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont. Folks from all over the Northeast will gather to witness over 20 musical acts on two stages powered by solar panels and over 50 presenters surrounding the grounds. A two-day pass costs $60. [Brattleboro Reformer]

World:

¶ DONG Energy set a record low price for offshore wind power in a winning bid to build two arrays off the coast of the Netherlands. DONG committed to supply electricity at €72.70/MWh ($80.40/MWh), not including transmission costs, which may add about €14/MWh. An industry goal is €100/MWh by 2020. [Climate Home]

Low cost steel and favourable regulations are helping
to cut offshore wind power costs (Pic: DONG Energy A/S)

¶ Trustpower, a renewable energy developer based in New Zealand, says it has been granted planning approval for the 300-MW Dundonnel Wind Farm in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a community-driven project initiated in 2008 by a group of land owners who intended to develop a wind farm on their property. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Almost a third more biogas energy is being produced in the UK compared to this time last year, according to new figures from industry trade body Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association. The AD Market Report shows that the UK now has 617 MW of biogas capacity, enough to power the equivalent of 800,000 homes. [FarmingUK]

An anaerobic digester system in the UK.

¶ The Philippine government plans to require buildings in Metro Manila to install solar panels as an alternative source of energy, according to its Economic Planning Secretary. He said it would be easier and quicker to build renewable energy projects, such as solar facilities on rooftops, than coal-fired power plants. [The Standard]

¶ Bank of China raised a total of $3 billion (€2.7 billion) by issuing five tranches of green bonds in different currencies. It issued $2.25 billion in US dollar-denominated bonds, €500 million in euro bonds to mature in 2021, and ¥1.5 billion in yuan bonds. The bonds were issued in Luxembourg and New York. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind farm in China. Author: Land Rover Our Planet.
License: Creative Commons. Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic

¶ Seven of the 32 turbines for the first phase of the 100-MW Hornsdale wind farm in South Australia are now on the grid. The remaining turbines are expected to come online in the coming months, the developers said. Hornsdale was awarded a contract for 100 MW for the Australian Capital Territory in February of 2015. [reNews]

US:

¶ Southern Power has acquired a controlling interest in SunPower’s 102-MW Henrietta solar farm in Kings County, California. SunPower, which owns the remaining interest, is constructing the facility and will operate and maintain it upon completion. The project is expected to be fully operational in the third quarter of this year. [reNews]

Desert solar farm. SunPower image.

¶ Pattern Energy Group LP announced it has acquired from SunEdison the development rights to the proposed 600-MW King Pine Wind power project in Maine. King Pine Wind is a 600-MW, 174 turbine, wind power project currently under development in Aroostook and Penobscot Counties, in the state’s northeastern region. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ Solar energy is expected to supply roughly 3% of New England’s power each year by 2025, and serve more than 20% of the demand during peak daytime periods in the spring and fall, according to the latest calculations by the region’s power grid operator. Massachusetts and Connecticut lead in development, while Maine is trailing. [Press Herald]

Hans Albee, an engineer at the ReVision Energy, at the Sky Ranch Solar Farm in Kennebec County, Maine. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

¶ In a mixed ruling, a federal court ruled that the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management were not in compliance with the Endangered Species Act or the National Environmental Policy Act when they issued a lease for the Cape Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts. [North American Windpower]

¶ New York storage advocates want the state to set storage mandates, directing utilities to acquire battery resources to back up more renewable power. According to the NY-BEST group, state’s 50% renewables goal would require about a quarter of peak load to be sourced from storage. It wants 4 GW of storage by 2030. [Utility Dive]

¶ Indian Point’s Unit 2 automatically shut down Wednesday morning while technicians were testing the nuclear reactor’s electrical systems, company officials said. Unit 2 has had a difficult year, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke of a pattern of problems at the nuclear facility. [The Journal News | LoHud.com]

Opinion:

¶ “Did Exxon Lie About Global Warming?” • In the case against Exxon, the plaintiffs do not have to show that the company injured a specific victim or conspired to hide what it knew about climate science, just that Exxon did not tell its own investors the truth about the investment risks of climate change. [RollingStone.com] (Thanks to Tad Montgomery)

Protesters gather outside Exxon’s shareholders
meeting in Dallas. Ben Torres/Redux

Science and Technology:

¶ The average cost of electricity from wind and solar energy could drop by 26 to 59 percent, according to a new report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency. The report finds policy framework and the regulatory environment to be key unknown factors in the future cost of electricity from wind and solar energy. [Triple Pundit]

¶ Nuclear plants have estimated fixed costs that range from 5¢/kWh to 7¢/kWh, depending on age and the specific reactor. New wind power has unsubsidized costs in the 3.5¢/kWh range. At those costs, new wind can produce more GHG-free electricity cheaper than keeping aging nuclear power plants running. [CleanTechnica]

Wind power is less expensive than the the fixed costs of nuclear.

World:

¶ Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator announced it will allocate 936 renewable energy projects, including 907 small-scale solar projects, under its feed-in tariff program. The small-scale projects will range from 10 kW to 500 kW and will be installed atop commercial, industrial, and municipal buildings. [CleanTechnica]

¶ In January, Chhotkei in Orissa became India’s first smart village powered by Smart NanoGrid technology developed by SunMoksha. Power comes from a 30-kW solar plant, and meters and sensors collect data on energy usage and system health. This makes it possible to schedule power use and maintenance. [India Live Today]

A high-tech system in a rural setting.

¶ The South Korean government has announced that it would invest a total of 42 trillion won ($36 billion) in the new energy sector by 2020. Out of the total, 30 trillion won is slated to be spent on the construction of renewable energy power plants with a combined power generation capacity of 13 million kW. [BusinessKorea]

¶ Spanish firm Acciona SA and Canberra-based Windlab Ltd will build two wind farms in the Australian state of Victoria and sell the renewable energy certificates to the government. Accona’s 66-MW Mt Gellibrand project and Windlab’s 30-MW Kiata wind farm will provide sufficient power for 80,000 homes. [SeeNews Renewables]

Australian wind farm. Photo by Steven Caddy.
License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic

¶ German engineering major Siemens has added a 8-MW offshore wind turbine to its portfolio and plans to install the first SWT-8.0-154 machine in early 2017. The 8-MW turbine is based on the existing offshore direct drive platform and the higher rating will be achieved with a few component upgrades. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Alterra Power said the 62-MW Jimmie Creek run-of-river hydro project in British Columbia achieved full capacity output for the first time on 29 June. On the same day its East Toba and Montrose plants achieved 238 MW of output. The company expects the project to achieve full commercial operations in August. [reNews]

Run of river hydro power plant intake. Alterra photo

¶ After Cochin International Airport Limited, which has become India’s first solar energy powered airport, Kochi Metro Rail Project is also going to become green. Kochi Metro Rail Limited and Hero Solar Energy Ltd signed the power purchase agreement for 4 MW of solar power for the Kochi Metro project. [India.com]

US:

¶ For nearly as long as there has been electricity in Kentucky, coal has been used to make it. Slowly, however, that’s changing. In 2015, coal’s share of electricity generation in Kentucky dipped below 90% for the first time in decades. And in the future, electricity will come from a combination of sources, including solar. [The Lane Report]

LG&E and KU inaugurated a 10-MW solar power array in Mercer County.

¶ The authoritatively viewed Energy Information Administration just can’t seem to get it right. It continues the confusion of policy-based growth, assuming renewables growth lags once subsidies end (after 2020). In a highly dynamic market, the EIA just doesn’t seem to get that the market is dynamic and interactive. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Southern Power has acquired the Passadumkeag Windpark, located in Penobscot County, with a nameplate capacity of approximately 43 MW. It is its first project in Maine. Once operational, the Passadumkeag Windpark is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the energy needs of about 14,000 US homes. [North American Windpower]

Wind farm in Maine.

¶ Leaders of the public power utility in Minster, Ohio, had long been solar advocates when they were approached by CEO Michael Hastings of Half Moon Ventures, a development and financing company. The company proposed what is now the United State’s first municipal utility-owned solar-plus-storage project. [Utility Dive]

¶ The Imperial Irrigation District, with more than 150,000 customers in the Imperial Valley, sued the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s electric power grid, claiming its plan to join a regional power group will invite the disastrous price-gouging the state saw during the 2000 electricity crisis. [Courthouse News Service]

Science and Technology:

¶ The Energy Transitions Commission, made up of corporate, government, academic and non-profit groups, is now working on analysis to enable a high penetration of renewable energy onto energy grids. Its early findings have said intermittent renewable power can contribute up to 70% of grid electricity. [Business Green]

West of Duddon Sands

¶ Research from MIT says various different energy storage options make economic sense at current prices for some renewable energy projects. The energy storage options profiled by the study included: battery systems, pumped hydroelectric storage, and compressed air energy storage, among others. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ The wide-scale deployment of solar energy technologies in Ireland would see the generation of over 7,300 “high-value” jobs and would also slash fines from the European Union by more than €300 million a year onward from 2020, according to a new report from the Irish Solar Energy Association. [CleanTechnica]

Ireland. Photo by infomatique via RemodelHunt | CC BY-SA

¶ Renewable energy accounted for nearly 25% of global electrical capacity in 2015, according to a new study by REN21. Renewable power also saw its largest annual increase in capacity ever in 2015. Wind and solar PV had record additions again this year, accounting for about 77% of new installations. [ACHR NEWS]

¶ The Irish government is facing fresh calls for clarity over a delayed solar energy subsidy scheme. The Irish Farmer’s Association claims thousands of acres of land are under contracts awaiting news. A consultation on a support scheme and future tariffs in was expected in June but has not come. [Solar Power Portal]

Six thousand acres of farmland are currently under
contract with solar developers. Image: Lightsource.

¶ French energy giant EDF has reiterated support for its delayed new nuclear power station in Hinkley, although a final investment decision is yet to come. EDF has been consulting with unions in France, some of which have voiced concern about the financial impact of the £18 billion project on the company. [Energy Voice]

¶ Renewable electricity development in the UK is advancing well, but slow progress in other sectors means the country will miss 2020 renewables targets, a National Grid report says. The report’s most optimistic scenario is that the UK will only consume 12% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. [reNews]

Renewable energy on a Northumberland homestead.
Photo by Oliver Dixon. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Japan, it seems, is willing to gamble when it comes to nuclear power. Five years after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the country’s Environment Ministry has announced its decision to reuse the tainted soil from the nuclear site even before its radiation level reaches the safety criteria. [Nature World News]

US:

¶ The California Public Utilities Commission has moved to allow Southern California Edison to put $8.7 million more into demand response programs intended specifically to deal with problems created by the Aliso Canyon leak. The investment is reportedly to be part of broader energy efficiency measures. [CleanTechnica]

Flying over the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak.

¶ In the latest development for the rapidly shrinking US coal industry, last week the Interior Department announced a new rule closing a loophole basing royalties on artificially low prices. The loophole enabled exporters to pocket millions in revenue that could have gone back to the taxpaying public. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Murray Energy, the largest privately held US coal company, is warning workers of massive layoffs planned for September. As many as 82% of workers could lose their jobs at the company, which employs people across six states. Murray says Obama’s environmental regulations are partly to blame. [Antigua Observer]

Science and Technology:

¶ Vestas has produced the initial kilowatt-hour from its multi-rotor wind turbine demonstrator in Denmark. The manufacturer said the milestone test site installation produced satisfactory results. The machine, which features four nacelles supported by a single tower, will continue to be put through its paces. [reNews]

Vestas multi-rotor wind machine. Vestas image.

World:

¶ Households account for about 18% of total energy use in the Beijing region but produce 50% of black carbon emissions and 69% of organic carbon emissions, according to research by institutions including Princeton, the University of California Berkeley, Peking University and Tsinghua University. [Science 2.0]

¶ The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said that in response to growing demand it has provided $110 million in new funds to Akbank to finance private companies investing in renewable energy and efficiency projects in Turkey. Its goal is to diversify Turkey from imported fuel. [Hurriyet Daily News]

Wind farm in Turkey

¶ MRC Allied Inc is pursuing a $90-million solar farm in the Philippine province of Cebu to beef up its presence in the renewable energy sector. MRC’s president said the 60-MW solar facility will be put up in the company’s industrial estate in Naga City and will be financed solely by the company. [The Manila Times]

¶ Crookedstone Solar Farm provides 27% of the Belfast International Airport’s electricity. On its official launch day, there the sky was perfectly clear and the solar farm operated at 100% capacity. But even during the dullest of periods on the greyest of days, it is producing at 25%-30% of its capacity. [Irish Examiner]

Belfast International Airport and, inset, Crookedstone Solar Farm

¶ Technology developed at the University of Alberta helps save lives of Ugandan children using solar power. The oxygen delivery system has already been deployed at two hospitals and there are hopes to expand that to 80. The solar-powered set-up costs $15,000 to install, but costs almost nothing to run. [Edmonton Journal]

¶ Tamar Energy’s new anaerobic digestion facility in Hertfordshire will recycle up to 66,000 tonnes per annum of food waste, to generate up to 3 MW/h of renewable energy, enough to power more than 6,000 homes. It will also produce a valuable biofertiliser for agricultural use. [Bioenergy Insight Magazine]

Vehicle inside Tamar Energy’s reception hall

¶ As it became clear Japan’s nuclear regulators would allow extensions to certification of two ageing reactors, a former commissioner broke a silence kept since he left the agency in 2014 and said “a sense of crisis” over safety prompted him to go public and urge more attention to earthquake risk. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶ Irish renewable energy developer BNRG has pledged $200 million to develop solar energy in the United States. Local developers in New England and Oregon have given BNRG the rights to develop 140 MW of utility-scale solar energy. The construction and installation are scheduled to begin next year. [Energy Digital]

BNRG has major presence in the UK, with projects in Greece and Bulgaria.

¶ South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are creating the largest network of community solar installations in the state, significantly expanding access to solar energy for their consumers. The initiative will add solar installations of up to 250,000 watts each, totaling up to 5 million watts statewide. [The Times and Democrat]

¶ More than $1.2 billion will go to upgrading aging hydropower projects in the Southeast, under an agreement signed by federal agencies, the Tennessee Valley Authority and an association representing customers. It aims to modernize projects along the Cumberland River over the next 20 years. [Electric Co-op Today]

Opinion:

¶ “Diablo Canyon closure shows California’s power grid is changing
fast” • Pacific Gas and Electric Co’s surprise decision to shut down Diablo Canyon, the last nuclear plant in California, came after the company studied the future and realized that the massive facility would be an awkward fit. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

¶ “In Illinois, the nuclear age comes creaking to a halt” • Exelon is a $34.5 billion company that earned $2.2 billion last year. For two straight years, it has tried to convince Illinois lawmakers to cover its losses. Exelon wants a taxpayer supported handout of an estimated $170 million for each of the next six years. [STLtoday.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ An ecology professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage is leading a long-term project to examine seabirds, what they eat and how that reflects ocean conditions in a rapidly warming climate. Increasingly, their diets include large quantities of plastic particles that float in the waters of the Bering Sea. [Alaska Dispatch News]

US Fish and Wildlife Service vessel, R/V Tiglax, stops at Attu Island,
most western of the Aleutians. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News)

¶ The continent of Antarctica has been home to Adélie penguins since millions of years ago, but climate change may soon force the penguin species to leave the place. A new study has suggested that about one-third current Adélie colonies will disappear by 2060 if Antarctic ice continues to shrink. [Northern California News]

World:

¶ Working out how to use some of New Zealand’s vast stores of renewable energy to fuel the transport sector may be the country’s next big challenge. Renewable energy now contributes about 82% of New Zealand’s electricity, but the picture is not quite so rosy when you look at the country’s total energy use. [Stuff.co.nz]

Much of New Zealand’s electricity comes from hydro stations. John Bisset.

¶ Sweden approved the sale of Vattenfall AB’s German lignite plants and mines to Czech power producer Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding AS and its financial partner PPF Investments Ltd. Vattenfall, a state-controlled Swedish utility is seeking to divest its dirtiest power units, and wants to focus on renewables. [Bloomberg]

US:

¶ Nevada’s Renewable Portfolio Standards call for 25% of its electricity demand to come from renewable energy by 2025. This target has already been achieved. A conservative think-tank has published a study on its website saying the standards kill jobs and reduce growth. Energy experts disagree. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

Solar panels being installed at a home in northwest Las Vegas.
Jeff Scheid / Las Vegas Review-Journal

¶ The Kit Carson Electric Cooperative agreed to pay $37 million to get out of a wholesale power contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission, which it blames for holding back renewable energy development. Under the contract, the co-op could generate only 5% of its own power from solar sources. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

¶ The utility industry is clamoring more loudly in an election year for energy reforms that Congress and the administration have failed to deliver on, and one independent agency is being eyed to fix it all. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the nation’s energy market watchdog, is that agency. [Washington Examiner]

The nuclear industry said it is lobbying FERC. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

¶ A Cape Cod Research institution has once again received some lofty recognition from an international organization. For the third year in a row, the International Center for Climate Governance has ranked the Woods Hole Research Center as the world’s number one climate change think tank. [CapeCod.com News]

¶ The old Knickerbocker Landfill in East Whiteland, Pennsylvania, might go from an old waste ground to a renewable source of power, if a local electrical contractor’s development plans come to pass. Keares Electric has plans to build a solar farm on the landfill to provide clean energy to the area. [Daily Local News]

Opinion:

¶ “North American energy deal places focus on Mexico” • Although Canada already far exceeds its own goals for the trilateral pledge to generate half of North America’s electricity from carbon free sources by 2025, and the United States has a clear path forward, Mexico faces a number of major hurdles. [Science Magazine]

Wind farms on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.
L Hernández / Associated Press

¶ “A Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free California Is Within Reach” • California has taken some bold actions to reduce carbon emissions, but closing the Diablo Canyon, the state’s lone remaining nuclear power plant, is also a tremendous victory for safe, renewable energy. It will be replaced by solar and wind. [Huffington Post]

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers say they have found the first clear evidence that the thinning in the ozone layer above Antarctica is starting to heal. The scientists said that in September 2015 the hole was around 4 million square kilometers smaller than it was in the year 2000 – an area roughly the size of India. [BBC]

The researchers believe that healing of the ozone hole has
begun in the stratosphere above Antarctica. SPL

World:

¶ A statement by Coal India Ltd to the Bombay Stock Exchange said they have signed agreements with the Solar Energy Corporation of India to implement 200 MW of solar projects in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Details are lacking, but SECI will likely call for bids and allocate projects on behalf of Coal India. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator announced it will offer 936 long-term contracts for 241.43 MW of small-scale renewable electric power generation, including solar, wind, hydroelectric and bioenergy projects. The grid operator says it had received a total of 1,702 FIT applications. [Solar Industry]

Toronto

¶ Sunlabob Renewable Energy Ltd, which specializes in decentralized renewable energy and clean water solutions, has recently completed eleven solar-powered mini-grids in remote communities of Myanmar. The mini-grids are providing reliable, clean electricity to nearly 1,000 households. [eco-business.com]

¶ The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is providing €10 million in debt financing for the construction, development, and operation of five solar PV parks, with a total capacity of 11.9 MW, in Cyprus, it was announced. The projects will help Cyprus to utilize solar potential. [Cyprus Mail]

Solar power in Cyprus

¶ The World Bank has agreed to lend India more than $1 billion to help deliver the country’s ambitious plan for 100 GW of solar generating capacity by 2022. The loan is to be provided over the 2017 financial year. It is the largest support for solar power provided by the World Bank Group in any country. [Business Green]

¶ French legislators planned to impose a heavy tax on palm oil products to help protect natural environments. But when the Indonesian government threatened to retaliate economically by refusing to buy Airbus airplanes and communications technologies, economics trumped environmental concerns. [Clean Malaysia]

A palm oil plantation in Indonesia. Photo Credit” Wikimedia Commons

US:

¶ Alaska Power and Telephone announced it would build a 1.8 MW wind farm with help from a $3 million High Energy Cost Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. The 7-Mile Wind, would reduce the power costs for about 1,500 residents in Tok, Tetlin, Dot Lake, and Tanacross. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]

¶ After receiving numerous endorsements and commitments over recent weeks, the Grain Belt Express Clean Line took a step for final approval, filing an application with the Missouri Public Service Commission. A number of large companies operating in Missouri are expected to endorse the project. [The Missouri Times]

Flat Ridge wind project in Kansas.

¶ Mom’s Organic Market, a family owned chain based in Maryland, has begun purchasing all the power generated by a designated 1.5-MW solar farm in Kingsville, Maryland. The solar farm will provide 25% of the power needs of Mom’s stores in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. [Chain Store Age]

¶ The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has reconsidered a decision it had made to turn down Xcel Energy’s plan to buy power from certain community solar gardens. It has approved a settlement agreement on the project, thus paving the way for the development of projects totaling 29.5 MW. [SeeNews Renewables]

Opinion:

¶ “Coal Is Literally Killing Us” • Taken together, the Clean Power Plan’s reductions in atmospheric pollutants associated with coal would reduce problems with heart disease, asthma, and other diseases enough save us of a whopping $38 billion a year in the US. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

Smoke stacks. Photo: Jon Sullivan / Flickr

World:

¶ The North American Climate, Energy and Environment Partnership announced Wednesday in Ottawa has much to say about clean power generation, renewable energy and efficiency but barely a word about natural gas, save for methane emissions reduction goals. [Natural Gas Intelligence]

¶ The City of Sydney has a new five-year plan that targets 50% renewable electricity by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Reports say the City may use a scheme under which the council, businesses and residents group together to sponsor large-scale renewable energy projects. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power station in White Cliffs, NSW, Australia. Photo by
 Richard Gifford. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Australia’s burgeoning residential battery storage market is set to have yet another contender come September, with the release of a modular 2.5-kWh lithium-ion product by prestige car maker Mercedes-Benz. The cost per 2.5-kWh battery unit has not yet been released. [RenewEconomy]

¶ Britain’s decision to leave the European union could delay the Moray Firth offshore wind energy project in Scotland owned by the renewables unit of Portugal’s Energias de Portugal-EDP. The project’s planned capacity would be enough to meet the needs of 700,000 households. [Investing.com UK]

Specialist offshore construction vessel North Sea Giant in Bangor Bay. Photo by Rossographer. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Confectionery giant Mars now diverts all of the waste produced at its factories worldwide away from landfill, the company said. Publishing its annual Principles in Action 2015 report, Mars said all of the waste from its 126 factories is now reused, recycled or used for energy generation. [Business Green]

¶ Nissan Motor published its annual Sustainability Report showing that the automaker’s CO2 emissions have fallen by 22.4% over the past decade. Nissan’s success in reducing emissions made it the highest-performing auto company tracked by the Carbon Disclosure Project. [Autocar Professional]

Nissan electric test car. Photo by JM Rosenfeld (flickr). 
CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Google has purchased 100% of the output of a 160-MW Norwegian wind power farm through a 12-year power purchase agreement. The deal will power Google’s European data centers. The permits have already been granted. The wind farm include 50 Siemens 3.2-MW units. [North American Windpower]

¶ Germany is offering to help Greece develop environmentally friendly power plants on its Aegean islands, the German Economy Minister said. The aim is to bring clean energy to the islands, many of which are dependent on dirty diesel-powered generators for electricity. [Europe Online Magazine]

Salamina, Greece. Photo by Barba’ s.
Placed in the public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

US:

¶ Projections that coal utilization will decline faster than previously forecast have spurred Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises to shed 200 jobs and restructure its traditional power business that serves coal-fired power generation in a bid to reduce overhead and improve efficiency. [POWER magazine]

¶ Rhode Island has nearly tripled the state’s renewable energy standard to 40% by 2035, up from 14.5% by 2019, as the governor signed the legislation into law. A growing number of states, including California, Oregon, Vermont, and Hawaii have increased existing renewable energy goals. [reNews]

Wind turbines. SXC image.

¶ Bringing off-shore wind energy to the US electric system for the first time took a major step forward this past weekend with the landing of a 20-mile undersea cable from Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island, to the wind project, and then to Crescent Beach on Block Island. [Digital Journal]

¶ Danish manufacturer Vestas has secured 162-MW turbine supply contracts for a pair of wind farms in the US. The unconditional awards are for V110-2.0MW hardware and delivery is scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2017. Some of the machines will be optimized at 2.2 MW. [reNews]

V110 wind turbine blades. Credit: Vestas

¶ A new bill may lead to freeing up funds intended for use by the troubled San Francisco to Los Angeles high-speed rail project, with the funds being made available for other projects such as the electrification of Caltrain’s Gilroy to San Francisco route, according to recent reports. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Illinois lawmakers adjourned June 30 without addressing a controversial bill intended to keep two nuclear power facilities open. The legislation was back by Exelon, the plants’ owner, but many consumer advocates and state Attorney General Lisa Madigan opposed the measure. [WJBC News]

Opinion:

¶ “Floating Solar: A Win-Win for Drought-Stricken Lakes in
U.S.” • Floating PV projects are increasingly used around the world. One prime spot for them could be the US Southwest, where they could prevent evaporation in major man-made reservoirs as they make energy. [Yale Environment 360]

A 2.3-MW floating solar array in Kasai City, Japan.

¶ “The End of the Era of Baseload Power Plants” • PG&E’s plan to close the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant marks a historic transition for the electric power industry. While it ends nuclear power in California, it also ushers in an entirely new paradigm for our electric system. [Greentech Media]

World:

¶ HVDC grid connections in the German North Sea could be planned and built almost two years faster than is currently the case, and technical innovations could also help cut costs by up to 30%, according to a new report commissioned by Germany’s offshore wind industry. [reNews]

Riffgat offshore wind farm in the German North Sea (EWE image)

¶ The UK’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate said the UK’s energy plan of offshore wind, new nuclear, and gas would remain despite the EU referendum. She added small modular nuclear reactors to the mix, despite the fact that they are decades away from any delivery. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]

¶ Pope Francis’ Laudato Si makes clear that the Catholic Church is committed to the environment. So top Vatican officials responded enthusiastically as all 31 schools in one Queensland diocese switched to solar power. The switch resulted in annual electricity savings of $250,000. [CleanTechnica]

Solarized catholic schools in the Townsville Diocese are
now saving $250,000 a year. Credit: catholicleader.com.au

¶ The British government is set to confirm a world-leading climate change target. Ministers are expected to announce that the UK will cut carbon emissions by 57% by 2032, from 1990 levels. This may be reassuring for investors needed to overhaul the UK’s ageing energy system. [BBC]

¶ The Global Wind Energy Council has set out the basis for future offshore wind feasibility assessments in the states of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu in India. In a new report, the council assesses key supply chain elements, port infrastructure, logistics, vessel requirements and installation strategies. [reNews]

London Array. Credit reNews.

¶ India won’t buy GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s atomic reactors that haven’t been used in nuclear power plants before, the country’s top atomic-energy bureaucrat said. GE Hitachi has signed an accord for supplying reactors for a nuclear power plant in the state of Andhra Pradesh. [Livemint]

¶ French renewable energy company Akuo Energy has been chosen to build 100 MW of PV power plants on the Indonesian island of Bali. The scheme will be carried out based on the Agrinergie model for production of clean energy and organic farming on the shared land. [SeeNews Renewables]

Solar park in Indonesia. Author: Bart Speelman.
License: Creative Commons. Attribution 2.0 Generic.

¶ Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems A/S said it has received an order for 22 turbines to be installed at the Lyrestad wind park in Mariestad, Sweden, with power produced from the development sold to Google as part of the tech company’s drive to power its entire operations on clean energy. [Nasdaq]

¶ A grand opening ceremony has been held for Ontario’s 180-MW Armow Wind power facility, expected to generate enough energy to power approximately 70,000 Ontario homes each year. The wind farm’s 91 Siemens turbines have locally made towers and blades. [Windpower Engineering]

Armow wind farm.

US:

¶ The District of Columbia took another step toward nation-leading climate action today, as the DC Council unanimously approved legislation to expand DC’s renewable energy target to 50% by 2032. The bill creates incentives for 1,500 MW of new solar and wind power. [RealEstateRama]

¶ The San Diego region reached a milestone on Wednesday, as private, rooftop solar power produces 5% of the city’s peak electricity demand. San Diego Gas & Electric and major solar installers cheered the milestone in what has become a $1 billion local industry. [Times of San Diego]

Solar panels during installation on a San Diego home.
Courtesy San Diego County News Center

¶ Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter has offered an energy plan that sets goals of reducing peak electricity demand by 10% over five years and cutting carbon pollution emitted through transportation. The plan focuses on efficiency, solar power, and energy storage. [vtdigger.org]

¶ All HP brand paper and paper-based product packaging will be derived from certified and recycled sources by 2020, with a preference for virgin fiber from Forest Stewardship Council certified sources. This pledge is outlined in the company’s latest Sustainability Report. [Power Engineering Magazine]

World:

¶ India’s National Hydro Power Corporation has announced plans to set up a 600 MW floating solar project at one of its largest hydro power complexes. Media reports say that the company will set up the solar project at the 1,960 MW Koyna hydro power project. [CleanTechnica]

The Koyna Dam in Maharashtra, India. Photo by Nichalp.
CC BY-SA 2.5. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The Jamaican Minister for Science, Energy, and Technology recently told the country’s legislature that the government will allocate 150 MW of renewable energy capacity this year. The minister said that 50 MW of capacity will be based on waste-to-energy technology. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The London Array has reliably powered 500,000 homes. Originally leased a second area in the hope of doubling the size of the farm, but this second phase was cancelled due to concerns about the welfare of the red-throated diver, a seabird that spends winter in the area. [The Guardian]

One of the London Array’s two substations.
Photograph: Pedro Alvarez for the Observer

¶ According to GlobalData’s latest report, the global installed capacity of solar PV will increase from 271.4 GW in 2016 at a compound annual growth rate of 13.1% to 756.1 GW in 2025. Unsurprisingly, China is expected to remain the world leader in PV installations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Harith General Partners and Africa Finance Corporation have announced they are merging their power sector assets. Their joint portfolio will supply energy to over 30 million people in 10 African countries and will have a gross operational capacity of 1,575 MW. [reNews]

Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (ltwp.co.ke)

¶ Siemens, one of the few firms to openly back a Remain vote, will not make new investments in the UK until its relationship with Europe becomes clearer. A £310-million manufacturing hub in Hull that employs 1,000 people will not be affected by the decision. [The Guardian]

¶ A canal-top solar power project of 1 MW capacity at a cost of ₹8 crore ($1.7 million) will be coming up on Losari Main Canal in rural West Godavari, India. The project is already generating power and people from 10 villages are getting uninterrupted quality power from it. [Deccan Chronicle]

Canal-top solar power project

¶ MAKE Consulting expects 255 GW of wind power to be installed and 263 GW commissioned in China between 2016 and 2025. China’s central government introduced multiple policies over the last year to support growth in wind power and other renewables. [North American Windpower]

US:

¶ The first batch of GE 6-MW Haliade 150 turbine blades for use at the 30-MW Block Island offshore wind farm in the US have arrived at the ProvPort facility in Providence. The project will feature five of the GE turbines and will be the first offshore wind farm in the US. [reNews]

Construction at the Block Island wind farm site (Deepwater Wind)

¶ Vermont’s largest utility is also the first utility in the country to sell Tesla home batteries to its customers, betting that this could be the way of the future. It is doing this both for the homeowner’s private use and for the utility to draw on as a source of electricity. [WBUR]

¶ US coal generation fell slightly in April to 72.2 GWh, down 0.1 GWh from March and down 18.5% from the same month a year ago. Overall, coal accounted for 24.6% of April generation compared to 34.1% from natural gas, 21.3% from nuclear and 19.8% from renewables. [Platts]

¶ After a daylong public hearing, the State Lands Commission in California voted to extend PG&E’s lease of the power plant land for the next nine years without an environmental impact report on the promise that the utility would not extend its license to operate the nuclear plant. [FOX40]

Opinion:

¶ “Diablo Canyon’s closure is good news for energy and the
earth” • The nuclear plant’s closure is important for the future of energy generation and for the health of the earth. The agreement to close the plant could also serve as a positive example for other states. [The San Luis Obispo Tribune]

Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Joe Johnston jjohnston@thetribunenews.com

Science and Technology:

¶ Four years ago, Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at Cambridge University, said the Arctic Ocean could well be free of sea ice within only a few years. Some considered his statement controversial. Now, it appears that he may have been right. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ Scotland’s carbon emission level in 2014 was around 46% lower than its emission levels in 1990, meaning that the country has managed to achieve its 2020 target of 42% lower emissions, and even beat it, a full 6 years early. Recent data show a year-on-year decrease of 12.5%. [CleanTechnica]

Scottish wind farm

¶ A new European research project coordinated by DTU Energy will develop innovative electrolysis technologies to convert excess renewable electricity into methane, which can be easily stored in the existing natural gas grid. The methane can be distributed in natural gas pipelines. [I-Connect007]

¶ Denham Capital and GreenWish Partners have signed an agreement to finance and develop 600 MW of renewable energy projects across Africa. The companies will target sub-Saharan countries and markets where renewable energy projects are competitive without subsidies. [CleanTechies]

Kengen wind power plant. Photo by Rotsee2.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ EDF Group announced the commissioning of Ensemble Eolien Catalan wind farm, a 96-MW facility at Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées. The wind farm has “stealth” wind turbines, the world’s first solution for interference from wind farms for weather radar. [CleanTechnology News]

¶ Saft has clinched a deal to supply its Uptimax battery systems at E.ON’s Amrumbank West offshore wind farm. The 302-MW wind farm’s remote location meant backup batteries were required for reliable operation without the need for regular maintenance visits. [SeeNews Renewables]

Offshore wind turbines.
Image: Teun van den Dries / Shutterstock.com

¶ This week, the US and Mexico will commit to joining Canada in boosting their use of wind, solar, and other carbon-free sources of electricity, helping the North American group meet an ambitious goal of generating at least 50% of its energy from “clean” sources by 2025. [BOE Report]

¶ Diesel fuel has long been the primary source of energy in Arctic communities. Above all else, it is reliable. But its reliability has high logistical, financial and environmental costs. A WWF-Canada report shows these sacrifices in the name of reliability may no longer be necessary. [Huffington Post Canada]

Nunavut (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren)

¶ The UK’s nuclear future could be left on the chopping block by the country’s shock referendum vote to quit the EU. One government energy adviser said the Hinkley Point C project, which is expected to cost upwards of £20 billion, is now “extremely unlikely” to be completed. [Ars Technica UK]

US:

¶ Gulf Power filed a petition asking the Florida Public Service Commission to approve adding 94 MW of wind energy from the Kingfisher Wind farm in Oklahoma. The diversification of the energy sources reduces price fluctuations, including some caused by natural disasters. [Pensacola News Journal]

Kingfisher Wind farm in Oklahoma
(Photo: Special to the News Journal)

¶ Volkswagen has reportedly reached a $15 billion settlement with US car owners after admitting it cheated emission tests. The deal would offer to repair or buy back the affected diesel vehicles and pay owners compensation. The US settlement is still pending approval by a judge. [BBC]
($15 billion is about 23% of VW’s market capitalization.)

¶ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission affirmed the right of the Delta-Montrose Electric Authority, a distribution cooperative, to buy electricity outside of purchases from Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association. It rejected a fee the G&T utility sought for the lost revenue. [Utility Dive]

Fort Mill solar trackers

¶ In Pennsylvania, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority contracted with a Dutch company that specializes in processing municipal waste-to-energy ash to sell recovered metals at premium prices. A $14 million facility will be built next to the Frey Farm Landfill. [PennLive.com]

¶ California regulators are expected to decide whether to drop environmental objections to the state’s last nuclear power plant in return for its promised early closing. Their vote is one of a number of regulatory hurdles facing the agreement to shut down plant ahead of schedule. [Greenfield Daily Reporter]

Opinion:

¶ “IEA report says fossil fuels killing three million people a year” • The International Energy Agency has adopted a more informed vision in a new report. Anyone parroting the mantra that ‘coal is the lowest cost source of electricity’ is clearly also putting a pretty low value on human life. [RenewEconomy]

Coal worker with pneumoconiosis. Photo: Greenpeace India.

Science and Technology:

¶ US solar panels maker and project developer SunPower Corp said it achieved a 24.1% efficiency for its X-Series solar module, beating the prior world record for PV panel efficiency for silicon cells. The record was validated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. [SeeNews Renewables]

World:

¶ Indonesia’s decision to stop coal imports to the Philippines could spell problems for the local power industry that relies on coal-fired power plants to supply electricity, the Department of Energy said. The Philippines is heavily reliant on Indonesia for coal for power plants. [Philippine Star]

Transmission lines in the Philippines. Philstar.com/File photo

¶ Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has awarded a consortium led by Abu Dhabi’s Masdar to build the 800-MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The contract was awarded to the lowest bid, which is 2.99¢/kWh, which sets a new world record. [Emirates 24|7]

¶ BMW’s new $1 billion plant in Mexico will rely on renewable energy to become BMW’s most efficient factory. The ground-breaking for the plant was two weeks ago. The plant will have a capacity of up to 150,000 cars a year and will be powered entirely by the sun and wind. [BMWBLOG]

Image of BMW plant in Mexico.

¶ In India, Greater Chennai Corporation will install solar panels on the rooftops of 130 buildings in the second phase of a project to power its offices. The civic body had identified 836 buildings suitable in a feasibility study. Of these, 77 buildings were part of phase one implementation. [Times of India]

¶ India is looking to announce a comprehensive policy to promote hydropower generation by September, with viability gap funding for projects, compulsory hydropower purchase obligations for distribution companies and a set of good practices that states have to follow. [Livemint]

US:

¶ Georgetown, a small city in Texas, about 40 kilometers north of the Lone Star state’s capital Austin, has a big dream to become greener by using 100% renewable energy next year. It will be the first in the state and one of the few in the nation to be entirely powered by wind and solar energy. [Xinhua]

Courthouse Square in Georgetown. Billy Hathorn.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Iberdrola Renewables is developing a 40-turbine wind farm project in the New York state towns of Hopkinton and Parishville. The project is moving forward despite five years of seeming inactivity. The 100-MW North Ridge Wind Farm could power up to 24,000 homes. [North Country Now]

¶ National Grid wants to build New York’s largest solar energy farm on Long Island, but residents are not welcoming the plan. The plan calls for a 350-acre farm near the former Shoreham Nuclear Plant. Some residents about cutting down trees to make space for solar panels. [WSHU]

Solar panels. Credit courtesy of Pixabay

¶ Greensmith Energy, founded in Herndon, Virginia, in 2008, has delivered over 70 MW of energy storage over the last two years for things like renewables smoothing, frequency regulation, and microgrids. It announced that at the current pace, it will install over 100 MW this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ After watching Iowa and other states harness the wind, Nebraska is working to catch up. New incentives are helping to build the largest wind farm in the state, in which 200 turbines will turn over farmland in Holt County by the end of the year. It will be Nebraska’s largest wind farm. [KETV Omaha]

World:

¶ Sweden is testing its first electric highway system for trucks. Siemens will help the country for next two years to test the eHighway system on a 1.25 miles stretch of highway on the north of Stockholm. The project may see a similar testing phase unveiled soon in California. [The TeCake]

Electric highway in Sweden

¶ The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, addressing a seminar of Chinese companies and businesses, said the state is planning to increase its installed renewable energy capacity by five times in coming three years. The capacity is currently 2567 MW. [The Hitavada]

¶ The World Bank has approved a loan of $90 million to Vietnam. This is the first in a series of three credits that will support climate change and green growth policy actions under the Vietnamese government’s Support Program to Respond to Climate Change. [Thanh Nien Daily]

Flooded street after a heavy rain in the northern province
of Quang Ninh. Photo: Pham Hai Sam / Thanh Nien

¶ Indian state-run National Hydroelectric Power Corporation is planning to set up a 600-MW solar power project at the Koyna power complex in Maharashtra as part of an initiative to expand its solar portfolio. The company is already carrying out the feasibility study for the project. [Moneycontrol.com]

¶ New Brunswick Power customers received a record amount of renewable energy in 2015-16, experienced fewer and shorter outages and took advantage of rebates that will save them millions of dollars’ worth of energy in the years ahead, according to utility financial statements. [Sackville Tribune Post]

Cape Enrage, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick. Photo by Tango7174. CC BY-SA 4.0 international. Wikimedia Commons.

US:

¶ Democrats approved a draft of the party platform that shows Bernie Sanders’ influence. Among lacking elements, however, were a carbon tax to address climate change and a moratorium on fracking. Bernie Sanders has said climate change is our biggest problem. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

¶ Idaho has been slow to adopt solar power. It ranks 43rd on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s list of solar production, though members of the Snake River Alliance say that the state has great solar producing potential. Now Canyon County has a Solarize campaign. [Idaho Press-Tribune]

Aerial view of a CPV solar farm in Canyon County, Idaho. Photo by Morgan Solar. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Every year, the EPA releases a proposed figure for the Renewable Volume Obligations, the amount of biofuel that fuel blenders are required to blend into fuel. The EPA proposed 14.8 billion gallons for 2017, rather than the anticipated 15 billion. Some political leaders are upset. [The Dickinson Press]

¶ In Colorado, the El Paso County Assessor’s Office reported in February that values on property around a recently constructed wind farm near Calhan were on the rise. That trend still has not changed, county assessor told the county commissioners on Tuesday. [Colorado Springs Gazette]

One attraction in El Paso County is Pike’s Peak. Photo by Aravis. Released into the public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ A new report addresses the important issue of solar equity and access, the idea that we need to do more so underserved people have better access to solar PV systems and the benefits that come from them. The report focuses on three things utility companies can do. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Public Service Company of New Mexico, the state’s largest utility, is buying a controlling interest in one of three units at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona, which it has leased for 30 years. And the company is asking its customers to pay for the purchase. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Opinion:

¶ “Overview – Brexit charts uneasy future for renewables” • The “world’s most complicated divorce” will have a huge impact on the UK’s environment and energy policies and on climate policy in the EU, the world’s largest political bloc, with a combined population of 500 million people. [SeeNews Renewables]

Brexit CC0 1.0 Universal by PublicDomainPictures.net

World:

¶ The Australian Renewable Energy Agency says the final round of bidding for its large scale solar funding shows technology costs are still falling, and will likely continue to fall. ARENA may be in its last grant funding round before funds are stripped by the Coalition government. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Dong Energy is to go ahead with the 448-MW Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. The company said the project, which is expected to be fully commissioned in the first half of 2019, will consist of 56 MHI Vestas 8-MW turbines with rotor spans of 164 meters. [reNews]

Borkum Riffgrund 1 (Dong Energy)

¶ The World Health Organization estimates that two-thirds of the EU’s 50 most-polluted cities are in Poland, largely in the mining region of Upper Silesia. As other European countries shun coal, Poland is still addicted, getting almost 90% of its electricity from it. [Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide]

¶ The Australian electric utility company AGL will be offering a flat AUS$1 a day for all-you-can-do electric vehicle charging to customers with one of the company’s smart meters, according to recent reports. Media reports say the offer applies any car that plug into a charger. [EV Obsession]

Toyota Prius Plugin charging

US:

¶ Rhode Island is already leading the way on utilizing the nation’s vast offshore wind energy potential, and its General Assembly has just signed on to an extended renewable energy standard that sets an ambitious statewide goal of 38.5% by 2035, based on the state’s wind capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Image source: Facebook

¶ According to Bloomberg, Volkswagen has agreed to pay up to $10 billion to resolve all issues pending before the US District Court in the cheating scandal. The agreement will be presented in court on June 28. Details are not known, but people who bought the cars in question may be paid $1,000 to $7,000. [Gas2]

¶ Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker visited a Belchertown fish hatchery for the groundbreaking of a new pipeline and hydropower turbine that will bring water from the Quabbin Reservoir. The pipeline is intended to add renewable energy and improve trout production. [GazetteNET]

¶ Key lawmakers in the Massachusetts Senate released a version of an energy bill that is more comprehensive than the House has passed. The Senate bill would require more renewable energy and would also include new provisions related to energy efficiency and energy storage. [MassLive.com]

Searsburg Wind Power Facility in Searsburg, Vt.
(AP File Photo/Tim Roske)

¶ The North Carolina Senate this week approved a bill to add siting restrictions for wind farms, including new noise restrictions, requiring a review by the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as giving some oversight to the Department of Military Affairs. [Utility Dive]

¶ Polling has revealed widespread support for New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision initiative, which was already transforming utility stakeholders views of the sector’s future. Strongly positive consumer attitudes toward the plan have major implications for utilities. [CleanTechnica]

Solar installation under construction in New York State. Photo by Lucas Braun. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Georgia Power Co will add 1,200 MW of renewable energy to its generating portfolio during the next five years, enough to power nearly 200,000 homes, under an agreement with the state Public Service Commission. The agreement envisions 150 MW of distributed power. [Atlanta Business Chronicle]

¶ Approximately 80 protesters gathered and locked down the entrance to Greenpeace’s San Francisco headquarters because PG&E announced a closing date for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. SFPD officers reported that multiple groups were protestong from opposing positions. [SFist]

Opinion:

¶ “We’re all going solar, rooftop panels or not” • Solar power has gone beyond a rooftop revolution. Thanks to rapid cost reductions that even surprised experts, solar is on the verge of transforming Australia’s energy mix, whatever the outcome of the July 2 election. [The Australian Financial Review]

Solar power is set to capture almost all the investment in new generation. Justin McManus

¶ “EDF should delay Hinkley Point decision following Brexit: union” • EDF’s unions have argued for months that the state-owned firm should delay its investment decision on the Hinkley Point. Now, the UK has voted to leave the EU, and UK politics have taken uncertainty to a new level. [The Fiscal Times]

Science and Technology:

¶ BMW announced battery packs from its i3 model can power your home, integrating seamlessly with solar panels to store energy for use at night, to offset peak tariffs and act as a backup supply. Used BMW i3 battery packs could expand the system as they become available, extending their life. [Car Keys]

BMW i3

¶ A solution to help mitigate the impact of wind turbines on radar performance has been successfully implemented at two radar sites in the UK. It will enable the release of 600 MW of renewable energy by allowing otherwise impossible wind turbine developments to go ahead. [Air Traffic Management]

World:

¶ Giving a major push to clean energy, the Delhi’s AAP government on June 6, 2016, came out with an ambitious policy, announcing incentives and tax breaks to promote solar power and making it mandatory for government and public institutions to install rooftop solar panels. [Firstpost]

Delhi

¶ The German state of Schleswig-Holstein announced plans to completely electrify its railway network, using hydrogen fuel cells to power it. The state expects to have a hydrail system in place by 2025, making the railway system more environmentally friendly and efficient. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

¶ The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s draft national policy for minigrids and microgrids aims to create up to 500 MW of capacity over the next five years, supporting rural electrification. This follows past challenges in getting the sector off the ground. [Greentech Media]

Indian microgrid. UK Department for International Development photo.

¶ The French branch of Renewable Energy Systems Ltd inaugurated a 54-MW wind power plant in the Cote-d’Or department, in eastern France. The development has 27 turbines of 2 MW each. The total investment was less than €85 million ($96.7 million). [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Ulstein delivered a new offshore wind service vessel to BS Offshore, chartered to Siemens Wind Power Service to be deployed at the 600-MW Gemini offshore wind farm. It is designed to offer increased accessibility with less time lost waiting for suitable weather conditions. [reNews]

The vessel during sea trials (Ivan Schrooyen)

¶ Resistance from incumbents in the economy may be fierce, but according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the future is clear: In Australia, wind and solar will replace coal and gas, and a lot quicker than many people think, with one third of all capacity “behind the meter.” [Echonetdaily]

¶ Berlin’s parliament voted to pull its money out of coal, gas and oil companies. The new investment policy, part of the German capital’s goal of completely weaning off carbon by 2050, will make the city’s pension fund, of $852.8 million, divest itself of fossil fuel companies. [Huffington Post]

The Spree, Berlin. Photo by Botaurus stellaris.
CC BY-SA 2.5. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Shikoku Electric Power Co started loading nuclear fuel Friday into a reactor at its Ikata power plant, paving the way for a scheduled restart next month. On Friday, a group of local residents shouted, “No to restart” near the power plant, saying the reactors should be decommissioned. [Japan Today]

US:

¶ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission removed an exemption for wind generators from the requirement to provide reactive power as a condition of interconnection. The costs of building wind facilities that could provide reactive power had been high but have come down. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind farm in USA. Author: Brian Jeffery Beggerly.
License: Creative Commons. Attribution-2.0 Generic

¶ The US is expected to deploy 77.3 GW of distributed renewables, especially solar PVs, distributed wind power and biogas, between 2016 and 2025, according to a new report from Navigant Research. The report takes changes in net metering and tax incentives into account. [North American Windpower]

¶ Maui Electric’s solar grid has reached its limit, but the electric company says those customers who want solar still have options. They can opt for the Self Supply program by installing PV systems, typically with batteries, providing power to the home but not exporting electricity to the grid. [KHON2]

Opinion:

¶ “Can Renewables Replace Nuclear Power?” • Utility PG&E’s announcement that it would shutter California’s last nuclear plant and replace the power with energy efficiency and renewable energy was the result of a confluence of progressive state policies making it more feasible. [Scientific American]

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Station, on the coast of California. Credit: Doc Searls/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

Science and Technology:

¶ Solar Impulse 2 has landed in Spain, completing the Atlantic leg of its historic bid to circumnavigate the globe. The landing in Seville marked the end of the 15th stage of Solar Impulse’s route. Mission managers will now plot a route to Abu Dhabi where the venture began in March, 2015. [BBC]

World:

¶ Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy approved six renewable energy plants, with a combined capacity of 165 MW, to join the national Incentive Regime for Infrastructure Development. REIDI grants tax incentives to companies investing in infrastructure projects. [SeeNews Renewables]

Brazilian wind farm. Author: Carla Wosniak.
License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic

¶ In its Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2016-2020, SolarPower Europe lauded the record 50.6 GW of new solar capacity which was added worldwide in 2015, while predicting that it would smash through that record, passing the 60 GW mark in 2016. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Zambia is having two solar power projects built that will provide the cheapest electricity in Africa. First Solar Inc and Neoen will partner to build a 45-MW plant that will sell electricity for just over 6¢/kWh, and Enel will build a 28-MW plant selling it for just under 8¢/kWh. [Africa Middle East]

Zambia is getting solar power.

¶ Siemens projects that from 2025 its offshore wind farms will deliver electricity at a levelized cost of energy below €0.08/kWh. The company said at that it is confident its current goal of generating offshore wind power below €0.10/kWh by 2020 will be reached. [reNews]

¶ Offshore wind turbine manufacturer Adwen and turbine rotor blade supplier LM Wind Power announced this week that manufacture of the first of the 88.4 metre-long blades has now been completed at a factory in Denmark. It was designed for a new 8-MW turbine. [Business Green]

New 88-meter turbine blade

¶ Ghana is giving a big boost to renewable power under a ”Capital Subsidy Scheme” for installing solar panels on rooftop of homes across the country. The country expects to add 20,000 rooftop solar systems under the scheme, according to the its Energy Commission. [domain-B]

US:

¶ The California High-Speed Rail Authority and the California Energy Commission have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding that focuses attention on how the high-speed rail program can help California meets its climate goals and become a greener state. [RailwayAge Magazine]

California high-speed rail

¶ Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter laid out an energy plan focused on reducing emissions, supporting clean energy job growth, and cutting energy costs. Minter also called on all candidates to oppose moratoriums and bans on clean energy technologies. [Vermont Biz]

¶ A judge ruled that federal regulators lack the authority to set rules for hydraulic fracturing, dealing a setback to the Obama administration. The judge said the Bureau of Land Management can’t set the rules because Congress has not authorized it to do so. [PennEnergy]

Drilling for gas. AP image.

¶ Solar shade canopies installed at two North County San Diego schools have saved San Dieguito Union High School District more than $4.4 million in energy in five years. This exceeded the original projections. The developer had guaranteed a $10.5 million savings over 15 years. [PennEnergy]

¶ The US government has kicked off an offshore wind competitive lease sale in Hawaii. Secretary of the interior Sally Jewell issued a call for information and nominations on Wednesday to gauge developer interest in two areas offshore Oahu spanning about 485,000 acres. [reNews]

Windfloat system in action off Portugal (Principle Power image)

¶ The Governor of Montana announced a new blueprint for the state’s energy future. The American Wind Energy Association praised the plan, pointing out that the blueprint recognizes the value of a stronger electricity grid and the expansion of wind power in the state. [North American Windpower]

¶ The Rhode Island legislature has passed a bill to advance the state’s renewable energy target from 14.5% by 2019 to 40% by 2035. The bill would ensure that Rhode Island homeowners and businesses have greater access to renewable energy, including wind power. [North American Windpower]

Opinion:

¶ “The U.S. Nuclear Boom Has Turned Into a Dud” • Five years ago, we were supposed to be entering a nuclear renaissance. New nuclear plants were being planned and there were loan guarantee programs in place. Today, the nuclear industry in the US is dying. [Motley Fool]

Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. NRC photo. Public domain.

World:

¶ Warmer winters played an important role in the decline in EU greenhouse gas emissions. A report says CO2 emissions across the bloc dropped by almost 25% from 1990 to 2014. Renewable energy, a switch from coal to natural gas, and recession also contributed to the fall. [BBC]

¶ The University of Cambridge has blacklisted all investment in coal and tar sands companies following mounting pressure to divest from fossil fuels. The University currently has no coal or tar sands investments, and has “no expectation of having any such exposure.” [CleanTechnica]

Image Credit: University of Cambridge

¶ Dutch technology company Royal Philips has committed to a new sustainability program that it hopes will render its operations carbon neutral by 2020. The company announced a new 5-year sustainability program, “Healthy people, sustainable planet.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ Leading investment bank Morgan Stanley believes the Australian energy market is seriously underestimating the grow of solar and battery storage, and says the technology will be installed at rates four times quicker than the incumbent energy industry expects. [RenewEconomy]
¶ A new £20-million biogas plant is being built in Ireland to generate 3 MW of renewable energy from up to 40,000 tons of chicken litter each year. One important goal of the project is to avoid the unhealthy spreading of untreated litter on land. [Power Technology]

¶ Brazil’s wind power hit an average of 2,935 MW in the first two weeks of June, marking a 30.6% year-on-year increase, according to preliminary figures. Wind power’s share of the country’s electricity generation grew to 4.9% from 3.8% a year ago. [SeeNews Renewables]

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

¶ A wind farm in the Scottish borders will power Nestlé’s operations in the UK and Ireland. The deal will see a brand new nine-turbine wind farm open in Dumfries and Galloway in the first half of 2017. It will produce enough power annually for 30,000 homes. [Your Renewable News]

¶ The NorthConnect project cleared its first hurdle as Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, granted a licence to the developers, paving the way for the project to begin navigating a set of complex regulatory rules governing electricity transmission in Europe. [Telegraph.co.uk]

Credit Alamy / Alamy

¶ The utility that ran the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant admitted its delayed disclosure of the meltdowns at three reactors was tantamount to a cover-up and apologized. TEPCO’s president in 2011 instructed officials to avoid using the word “meltdown.” [Japan Today]

¶ Solar Citizens says it has calculated the savings solar owners have made on their electricity bills since 2007-2008. It says solar households have saved $4.4 billion on their power bills since that time and almost a billion dollars every year for the past three years. [Energy Matters]

Rooftop Solar in Australia. Photo by Orderinchaos.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

US:

¶ The nuclear reactors at Diablo Canyon, the last two in California, will close in 2024 and 2025 when their licenses expire, according to a proposal by PG&E, environmental groups, and unions. They are not economically viable, as costs for solar and wind power decline. [Bloomberg]

¶ Exelon, known mostly as the largest nuclear generator in the US, is to become a wind energy developer as well. It notified the Ohio Power Siting Board of its intent to install up to 87 turbines to generate as much as 200 MW in northern Ohio’s Seneca County. [Platts]

Wind farm in Ohio. Photo by Nyttend, released
into the public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The Missouri Chamber of Commerce backs wind energy is endorsing the Grain Belt Express Clean Line, which would transmit wind-generated electricity from Dodge City, Kansas, across northern Missouri and Illinois, to a substation in Sullivan, Indiana. [CBS Local]

¶ As part of an effort to transform how it delivers energy, DTE Energy Co recently said it will retire eight coal-fired generators at three coal plants in Michigan in the next seven years. It will also build one of the largest solar arrays east of the Mississippi River. [Daily Energy Insider]

Science and Technology:

¶ An electric plane project is in the works at NASA, and the new aircraft is called the X-57. It’s an initiative to demonstrate that electric-powered aviation can be clean, quiet, and quick. With 14 small engines means the X-57 will need less energy to cruise at a speed of 175 mph. [Fox News]

Artist’s concept of the X-57. (NASA
Langley / Advanced Concepts Lab, AMA, Inc.)

¶ Planet OS, a provider of online geospatial environmental data, announced a data intelligence system to help wind farm operators and renewable energy service providers boost power output by up to 30%. RWE has joined forces with Planet OS as the launch partner. [GISuser.com]

¶ A study says temperatures are rising faster than the development of crop varieties that can cope with them. Researchers found that it can take 10-30 years before farmers can grow a new breed of maize, by which time the new crops face conditions different from what was intended. [BBC]

Maize in a drought in Texas. Photo by Billy Hathorn.
CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

World:

¶ ABB has commissioned an integrated solar-diesel microgrid installation at a 96,000 square meter facility in Johannesburg, South Africa. ABB’s solution is designed to maximize the use of renewable energy while providing an uninterrupted power supply during outages. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶ Throughout the second half of 2015, and first six months of 2016, renewables have weathered the global price slump for oil handily. This is turning out to be the year when cheap renewable energy sources are beginning to dominate the global energy markets. [Global Risk Insights]

Kobenhavn Energy photo.

¶ Greenpeace NZ put together its renewable energy and legal experts to create a solar hot desk service to assist people stung by New Zealand’s first-ever charge for using solar. Lines company Unison had said it would increase fees for any households generating renewable power. [Scoop.co.nz]

¶ China is on track to generate more than a quarter of its electricity from wind power by 2030, and the figure could rise to nearly a third with power sector reforms, a new study found. More new generating capacity will come online in China than currently exists in the entire US. [The Guardian]

Beijing wants to increase the country’s wind capacity.
Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

US:

¶ The advocacy group Public Citizen released a report showing how top executives for three giant coal companies got large compensation boosts even as they laid off workers. Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources are all operating under bankruptcy protection. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A proposal by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to build an 8.8-MW power plant in an industrial complex near one of its stations might have attracted little attention. Members of the climate-change campaign 350 Philadelphia, however, have sounded an alert. [Philly.com]

GE Jenbacher engines like those to be installed. GE Power photo.

¶ Recent trends demonstrate a rapid growth in corporations directly buying renewable energy from wind, solar and other renewable energy generators. Renewable energy capacity under corporate power purchase agreements doubled each year from 2012 to 2015. [Lexology]

¶ North Dakota regulators approved NextEra Energy Resources’ 150-MW Brady wind project. They also granted a certificate for a 19-mile transmission line and associated facilities to connect the project to the grid. NextEra hopes to complete the wind farm by the end of 2016. [reNews]

Summerhaven wind farm in Ontario NextEra image

¶ In a recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers at MIT found that it currently makes economic sense to combine large-scale energy storage systems with renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar farms, in some locations. [The National Law Review]

¶ Entergy is pitching a new natural gas-fired plant as an affordable way for New Orleans to meet future electricity demand. Opponents argue the plant will pollute and contribute to subsidence the area, and it will allow Entergy to continue to dodge investment in renewable energy. [NOLA.com]

Entergy linemen at work. (Photo by Susan Poag,
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)

¶ Entergy Nuclear got approval from state regulators to build another storage facility to hold the balance of its spent nuclear fuel that is currently in Vermont Yankee’s spent-fuel pool. The decision allows Entergy to create space for 22 dry casks to hold radioactive fuel. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

Science and Technology:

¶ This past May was the warmest May month in a 137-year period, breaking global temperature records, according to a report published Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Right now, 2016 is on pace to be the hottest year on record. [CNN]

The planet could see 20 more hurricanes and tropical
storms each year by the end of the century.

World:

¶ India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has come out with its most ambitious capacity addition target yet, for 16,600 MW of renewables added this fiscal year. During the current fiscal year, solar capacity is expected to reach its largest-ever capacity addition target of 12,000 MW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ India’s renewable energy targets will see massive amounts of capacity added quickly to the grid. The Indian government is looking at ways to minimize its impact on the existing grid. A possible energy storage policy would most likely be linked with the solar or wind energy policy. [CleanTechnica]

Aliyar Reservoir Dam. Solar and wind plants are developed faster. Photo by Siva301in. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ In the middle of southern Israel’s desert, engineers are hard at work building the world’s tallest solar tower, reflecting the country’s high hopes for renewable energy. Once completed in late 2017, the Ashalim Tower will rise to 240 metres and will resemble a giant lighthouse. [The Express Tribune]

¶ Researchers from the University of Sussex found that the ancient West African method of adding charcoal and kitchen waste to highly weathered, nutrient poor tropical soils can transform the land into enduringly fertile, carbon-rich black soils which they call “African Dark Earths.” [The Marshalltown]

Soil samples in Africa

¶ Plans to start cutting greenhouse gases by 80% from 1990 levels by the year 2050 will go before Manx legislature. A detailed strategy on reducing emissions will start a series of five-year action plans. Included on the list is encouraging people to reduce use of cars. [Isle of Man Today]

US:

¶ President Obama says climate change is the biggest threat to US national parks. He says meadows are already drying out at Yosemite National Park in California, where he spoke Saturday after spending the night in the park with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha. [Capital Public Radio News]

President Barack Obama speaks in front of the Yosemite Falls. Jacquelyn Martin / AP Photo

¶ Residents of Davis, California, and rural Yolo County may soon get access to renewable energy at a cheaper price than PG&E. Supervisors started the ball rolling on a community choice energy program. The project could reduce the county’s greenhouse gas production by 45%. [Daily Democrat]

¶ The largest solar power rooftop in Central Texas was unveiled at the Strictly Pediatrics Surgery Center in Austin. Built by Freedom Solar Power, its nearly 2,500 solar panels should meet half of the building’s energy needs. It is expected to create more than 1.2 million kWh of electricity annually. [KXAN.com]

Aerial view of the solar rooftop at Strictly Pediatrics Surgical Center.

¶ While the oil boom in North Dakota may be over, the recent wind boom could be here to stay. In the past decade, there have been more than 400 wind turbines placed on the western side of the state with an additional 550 proposed to be constructed by 2018, with more to come. [The Dickinson Press]

¶ State legislation allowing South Carolina Electric & Gas Co to charge customers for two new reactors at its nuclear power plant years before they are completed has been compared to making payments on a new car before it leaves the assembly line, without knowing the final price. [Charleston Post Courier]

Science and Technology:

¶ The Dead Sea, the salty lake located at the lowest point on Earth, is gradually shrinking under the heat of the Middle Eastern sun. It surface level is dropping by more than a meter (3.4 feet) per year. For those who live on its shores it’s an ongoing slow-motion crisis. [BBC]

The ruins of the Naharayim hydro-electric power plant.

World:

¶ According to Solar Intelligence analyst Finlay Colville, the UK installed 1.553 GW of new solar PV capacity during the first quarter of 2016. The UK’s first quarter was the second highest quarter ever for the UK solar PV industry, as the first quarter of last year retains its record. [CleanTechnica]

¶ El Salvador will conduct an auction to deploy 170 MW of renewable electricity. This follows an award of 100 MW of PV projects in its previous auction, even though no project is operational yet. The solicitation is structured for a 100 MW block using solar PV and 70 MW using wind. [PlanetSave.com]

El Salvador. Image via Shutterstock

¶ German industrial megalith Siemens and Spanish wind energy giant Gamesa have announced they will merge their wind energy businesses. They have signed binding agreements to merge Siemens’ wind business with Gamesa, to create a leading global wind power player [CleanTechnica]

¶ The president of SaskWind says a report from Canada’s parliamentary budget office shows carbon capture technology will double the price of power from Boundary Dam Unit 3. The wholesale cost of power is about $60 per megawatt hour. Removing CO2 has about the same price. [CBC.ca]

Carbon capture and storage project at Boundary Dam is the first such commercial operation. (Michael Bell / Canadian Press)

¶ Construction has started on Scotland’s first community hydro scheme. When complete, the Donside Hydro scheme will produce electricity to be sold to the national grid, generating clean, renewable electricity and a sustainable income for the local community to invest in local priorities. [Third Force News]

¶ EDF EN Canada Inc has dedicated the 74-MW Mont Rothery Wind Project, which generates enough electricity for about 15,000 Quebec homes. The project consists of 37 wind turbines supplied by Senvion. Construction began in 2014 and was completed in December. [Windpower Engineering]

The 74-MW Mont Rothery Wind Farm. (Credit: Business Wire)

¶ The Japanese government has advised Nigeria to adopt renewable energy for the provision of electricity in the country. The leader of a Japanese delegation gave the advice in relation to the continuous militant activities which is disrupting gas supply for the generation of electricity. [TODAY.ng]

US:

¶ Renewable power production in the US is expected to overtake coal-fired generation by 2029, according to the Reference case of the US Energy Information Administration. This projection is based on the assumption that the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) is implemented. [SeeNews Renewables]
NB The EIA is notorious for overstating the time it takes for renewable energy to grow.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2016. Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ The EPA proposed adding new hydropower and geothermal generation to the criteria of projects eligible to receive emissions reductions credits under a voluntary program that would reward states that choose to make early investments in preparation for the Clean Power Plan. [Bloomberg BNA]

¶ Iowa is a leader in wind energy due to bipartisan support. Amid the variability in crop prices, the turbines mean a steady annual income for the farmers who have long-term leases for turbines on their land. Such lease payments can net $5,000 to $10,000 a year per tower. [chinadialogue]

Wind turbines near Nevada, Iowa. (Image by Carl Wycoff)

¶ Ameresco Inc has completed an 18.6-MW solar project at the US Army Garrison Fort Detrick Army installation in Frederick, Maryland. The project consists of 59,994 solar panels on 67 acres, and is designed to serve about 12% of Fort Detrick’s annual electric load requirements. [Solar Industry]

¶ Exelon Corp’s recent threat to close the Nine Mile 1 and Ginna nuclear reactors if it doesn’t get a subsidy from utility ratepayers by September has drawn barbed complaints from business, municipal and green energy advocates, many of whom would rather the money go to wind or solar power. [Syracuse.com]

Exelon Corp is looking for state incentives. (Michael Greenlar)

¶ Florida Power & Light Co will install several different types of battery systems in southern Florida as part of a pilot project. The systems will be at locations in the counties of Miami-Dade and Monroe to research a range of potential future benefits of energy storage. [North American Windpower]

World:

¶ Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has announced it will divest from investments in coal, oil, and gas, following a one-and-a-half year citizen-led campaign. The city declared that it would withdraw investments in coal, oil, and gas companies, amounting to about $3.5 million. [CleanTechnica]

Stockholm

¶ The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has floated a draft policy for large-scale development of geothermal power projects in the country. The policy calls for installed geothermal power capacity of 1 GW by 2022, which will then be increased to 10 GW by 2030. [Planetsave]

¶ The energy and climate change select committee has called on the UK government to split up National Grid to radically change the way power transmission and distribution is operated. Their inquiry report recommends transferring system operation from National Grid to a more distributed system. [reNews]

T pylon (National Grid)

¶ Lebanon plans to bulk up on renewable-energy assets beyond just rooftop solar in a move that could wean reliance on fossil fuels and avoid blackouts, according to a government agency. The country is currently dependent on imported fossil fuels for its power. [Bloomberg]

¶ Volkswagen plans to launch 30 all-electric models to reposition itself as a leader in “green” transport. VW’s chief executive said huge investments would be needed as the firm moves beyond the “dieselgate” scandal. He hopes that all-electric cars would account for about 20-25% of sales by 2025. [BBC]

VW e-Golf. Photo by Norsk Elbilforening (Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association). CC BY-SA 2.0 generic. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is pushing coal power, both at home and through exporting technology abroad. At the same time, some of Japan’s powerful trading houses are cutting or freezing coal investments over concerns about the environmental fallout. [Financial Express]

¶ Alberta and Saskatchewan are renewable energy laggards, while Ontario and Quebec are leaders, according to a new report from Clean Energy Canada. While $78 million was spent in Alberta and $60 million in Saskatchewan, investment in Ontario was $5.3 billion. [CBC.ca]

Magrath Wind Power Project in southern Alberta. Photo by Chuck Szmurlo. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The outlook for Australia’s four remaining big brown coal generators looks bleak following the Victorian Labor government’s decision to set a 40% renewable energy target for 2025. The inherent inflexibility of the ageing brown coal power stations marginalizes their capacity. [RenewEconomy]

¶ Hive Energy is set to become the first British company to net a major PV project contract in Cuba. Hive Energy will develop a 50-MW installation. It will stand as the first utility-scale site to be developed in the country and is expected to generate up to 93 GWh of electricity annually. [PV-Tech]

The 50-MW project is expected to generate up to 93 GWh of electricity annually. Image: Hive Energy

¶ The Japanese nuclear industry has had another setback, as it tries to recover after the Fukushima Disaster. A Japanese court upheld an order to keep two reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant closed, leaving efforts to get the struggling industry up and running in limbo. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶ Canadian renewable energy company Alterra Power Corp announced that it has acquired the Flat Top scheme, a 200-MW wind project under development in Texas. Alterra also said that it had placed a $1.6-million security deposit with the local transmission provider. [SeeNews Renewables]

An existing wind park in Texas. Author: Kool Cats Photography over 2 Million Views. License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic

¶ The American Wind Energy Association celebrated the 10th annual Global Wind Day by highlighting the 66% drop in the costs of wind-generated electricity that has happened over the past six years. The AWEA also pointed to wind industry’s employment figures for the country. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Omaha Public Power District voted Thursday to shutter the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station, which is the nation’s smallest nuclear power plant. The board decided it was in the best financial interest of the utility and its customers to close the plant by the end of this year. [York News-Times]

Fort Calhoun nuclear reactor during Missouri River flood. Photo by US Army Corps of Engineers. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ The Nikola Motor Company has revealed a plug-in gas/electric semi-truck. Following the opening of pre-orders for the Nikola One semi-truck , they apparently received more than 7,000 pre-orders. This means about $10.5 million in reservation funds for around $2.3 billion in sales. [EVObsession]

¶ The Obama Administration laid out an extensive list of federal, utility and private actions to scale up microgrids, energy storage and renewable energy throughout the US. The commitments made at the event represent about $1 billion in energy storage investments alone. [Microgrid Knowledge]

World:

¶ The global wind power industry now employs 1.1 million people, representing growth of 5%, according to International Renewable Energy Agency data. The increase in jobs is mainly due to strong installation rates in China, the US, and Germany, and it is being driven by declining costs. [reNews]

Onshore wind farm turbines pic credit MorgueFile.

¶ Australia is expected to be producing 25,000 GWh of annual power from rooftop PV systems by 2035-36, as compared to 5,600 GWh today, the Australian Energy Market Operator said. This would be equivalent to 11% of current electricity consumption from the grid. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ An energy park in Scotland will be used for the construction of a £2.8 billion wind farm. Siemens will use Nigg Energy Park’s facilities in Moray Firth to build the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm. The engineering giant has signed a contract to use the site from spring 2018. [Energy Live News]

Artist’s impression of the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm. Image: SSE

¶ The Indian Ministry of Power says slowing demand growth means India doesn’t need any power plants over the next three years beyond those already under construction, or renewable projects which the government is committed to. It is a sign that the coal industry is weakening. [RenewEconomy]

¶ Siemens said it will deliver the steam plants and generators for the Noor II and Noor III concentrating solar power plants in Morocco at the end of 2016. Noor II and III are parts of a huge solar thermal power complex, which is to become the world’s largest of its type. [SeeNews Renewables]

Below the mirrors at the Noor I CSP park in Morocco.
Source: http://www.kfw.de. All Rights Reserved.

¶ A senior official of the German government stated that all new cars registered in Germany will need to be emissions-free by the year 2030. If the Germans hope to cut 80%-95% of their carbon dioxide output by 2050, they need to radically reduce pollution from transportation. [Carscoops]

US:

¶ Maryland could soon join 10 other US states with community solar programs, as the state’s Public Service Commission has just approved its final regulations for establishing a three-year pilot community solar program, which are expected to be published in the coming weeks. [CleanTechnica]

SunGen Sharon Solar Farm in Sharon, Vermont. Photo by SayCheeeeeese. CC0 public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ LG Chem delivered and installed batteries for a 7 MW/3 MWh system in Minster, Ohio, which is combined with a 4.2 MW solar PV array. The system benefits will be shaving of peak demand, improving power quality, and deferring $350,000 in transmission and distribution costs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Embracing the sun or wind isn’t necessarily a scalable option for islands such as Hawaii that have limited soil-bound real estate. The state is also still heavily dependent on oil, which was responsible for about 68% of its electricity as recently as 2014. Ocean energy is an option. [GreenBiz]

WindFloat prototype in Portuguese waters. Courtesy of WindFloat.

¶ The New York Power Authority has completed the Marcy South Series Compensation Project, a $120 million transmission upgrade that will move up to 440 MW of additional capacity from upstate, where there are abundant wind and hydro resources, to downstate cities. [Greentech Media]

¶ Wyoming’s energy-based economy is faltering with increased fossil fuel regulations and dropping prices, but the University of Wyoming is taking steps to expand its renewable options. The university’s solar array, which was old and had fallen into disrepair, has been replaced. [Wyoming Business Report]

Science and Technology:

¶ A new study by Harvard University shows why criticisms of high costs to lower carbon emissions are nothing more than 100% baloney. It not only gives the lie to such absurd notions, it demonstrates in stark terms just how much economic value lowering emissions can create. [CleanTechnica]

Smokestacks.

World:

¶ As grids get smarter and consumers get savvier about energy consumption, letting customers have more control over their own energy needs is one way to get to a more efficient, less costly, and lower carbon system. The EDF Group is transforming its residential PV solutions accordingly. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Scotrenewables Tidal Power has launched its SR2000 turbine at the marine engineering company Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The 2-MW machine is the company’s first commercial-scale turbine and also the largest in the world. [Power Technology]

SR2000 tidal turbine. Photo courtesy of Scotrenewables Tidal Power.

¶ The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation reportedly has signed an agreement to purchase electricity generated from a planned 750-MW solar power park in Madhya Pradesh. Power generated from the Rewa-based solar park will be transmitted to Delhi, around 800 km away. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Zambia set a new benchmark for low-cost solar power in Africa with a competitive auction under the ‘Scaling Solar’ program. The winners of the auction are France’s Neoen SAS and American PV manufacturer First Solar, who jointly bid at just 6.02¢/kWh, and Enel SA, which bid 7.84¢/kWh. [PV-Tech]

Northern Cape scenergy. Source: Flickr – Zoe Shuttleworth

¶ Saudi Arabia’s first wind turbine will be operational later this year. It will be installed by GE and Saudi Aramco at Turaif bulk plant and will replace diesel as the primary source of power generation for the site. It has been specially designed to cope with the harsh climate. [Energy Live News]

¶ The average cost of electricity from renewable sources is set to decline more, according to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency. The cost from PVs could fall as much as 59% by 2025. Offshore wind may see cost reductions of 35%, followed by onshore wind at 26%. [Bloomberg]

Source: International Renewable Energy Agency.
Please click on image to enlarge.

¶ Struggling French nuclear giant Areva said Wednesday it will create a new nuclear fuel subsidiary as it withdraws from the business of building reactors. Areva, 87% owned by the French state, is restructuring after being hit by a slump in demand for nuclear power. [The News International]

¶ Vienna will soon be home to the world’s tallest wooden building, the so-called HoHo project. It will be 276 feet tall and cost about $65 million to construct. The project developer told The Guardian that her firm chose wood because of its environmental benefits. [CleanTechnica]

HoHo wooden high-rise. Credit: Rüdiger Lainer and Partner

US:

¶ Con Edison and SunPower Corp will partner on a pilot program to offer solar power systems with battery storage to more than 300 New York homeowners. In aggregate, they can be a cost-effective and innovative “virtual power plant” to improve grid resiliency, reliability, and sustainability. [PennEnergy]

¶ The Boardman Hill Solar Farm is a great example of neighbors coming together to get affordable power through community-scale solar. The 150-kW project in West Rutland, Vermont arose when two people invited the town to a meeting to talk about a community project. [GreenBiz]

Aerial view of Boardman Hill Solar Farm in Rutland, Vermont.

¶ Senator Chuck Grassley accused those who oppose wind energy tax credits of employing a double standard, pointing to “market-distorting” benefits to other electricity sources such as nuclear power. The Iowa Republican has championed the production tax credit for wind power since 1992. [Morning Consult]

¶ Exelon Generation told the New York State Public Service Commission the company needs to know by September whether the regulator will approve a compensation plan for nuclear generators, otherwise Exelon will shut the Nine Mile Point-1 and Ginna reactors, according to a letter. [Platts]

Science and Technology:

¶ A big spike in atmospheric CO2 levels means the greenhouse gas is about to pass a symbolic threshold. This year will very likely mark the first time the concentration of CO2, as measured atop Hawaii’s famous Mauna Loa volcano, has been above 400 parts per million for the entire year. [BBC]

Night falls at the Mauna Loa Observatory. Photo by LCDR Eric Johnson, NOAA Corps. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

World:

¶ India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy announced that it has received a major funding boost for its ambitious rooftop solar power program. The program is expected to receive low-cost debt funding worth $2.5 billion from several international development banks. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Siemens and Van Oord have installed 75 of the 150 4-MW turbines at the 600-MW Gemini wind farm in the Dutch North Sea. The units are being transported from Esbjerg, in Denmark, to the project. It should be completed in 2017; it delivered first power in February. [reNews]

Turbines being installed at Gemini (Van Oord image)

¶ According to a recently issued document by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, as many as 52 departments and ministries of the central government have pledged to add almost 6 GW of rooftops solar power capacity on land and rooftop area available with them. [PlanetSave.com]

¶ The Indian Energy Ministry cancelled plans for four coal-fired power plants to reduce carbon emission and focus on renewable energy. The four plants have a total capacity of 16 GW and were initially planned to be built in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. [Power Technology]

India cancels plan to build four coal-fired power plants.
Photo courtesy of meepoohfoto / Freedigitalphotos.

¶ Last week, the much-awaited monsoon rains arrived in India, to the relief of authorities and citizens. But this isn’t going to fix India’s long-term water issues. A Greenpeace report highlights how India’s coal industry is depleting water resources, though Renewables can mitigate this. [Quartz]

US:

¶ Last year 35% of all the electricity provided by San Diego Gas & Electric came from renewable sources, a record for the company and for California investor-owned utilities. That puts the company well ahead of schedule for California climate change requirements of 33% by 2020. [inewsource]

NRG Borrego Springs plant. Jim Sulley / newscast

¶ The Supreme Court on Monday left intact a key Obama administration environmental regulation, refusing to hear an appeal from 20 states seeking to block rules that limit the emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from the nation’s power plants. [Washington Post]

¶ Toyota is about to move into its new 2.1 million square foot North American headquarters in Plano, Texas. It engaged Priority Power Management, an independent energy management and consulting services firm, to help it plan how to use almost entirely renewable power. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota image

¶ Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed S. 260. He said the bill addresses criticism of weak local control over wind and solar-energy projects in an earlier bill he had vetoed, while at the same time supporting the growth of green-energy infrastructure. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶ Utah is one of several states with budget shortfalls this year, as oil and gas production hit all-time lows. Coal production was at a 30-year low in 2015 and total energy revenues were half of what they were in 2014. Consumers are considering rooftop solar to take control of their own power. [KSL.com]

Photo Courtesy of Legend Solar

¶ New York policymakers are considering the most cost-effective way to reach the state’s 50% renewable energy target by 2030 within a competitive market. The Public Service Commission held a conference on a plan to transition the state away from fossil fuel, and eventually nuclear. [RTO Insider]

¶ The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a plan by Minnesota Power Co to idle two units totaling 150 MW at the company’s Taconite Harbor Energy Center this fall and ceasing coal operations at the site in 2020. The plan also move up the date for closing two other facilities. [POWER magazine]

Opinion:

¶ “The World Nears Peak Fossil Fuels for Electricity” • The way we get electricity is about to change dramatically, as the era of ever-expanding demand for fossil fuels comes to an end, in less than a decade. That’s according to a new forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. [Bloomberg] (More articles about this below.)

Bloomberg New Energy Finance image

World:

¶ The French Ecology Minister announced the 33 winners at a 52-MW solar power plus storage tender for France’s overseas departments and territories. The projects will have a feed-in tariff of €204/MWh, which is competitive for islands not connected to the mainland grid. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Taiwan Power Co is planning to invest NT$400 billion ($12.37 billion) developing renewable energy over the next 15 years, spending more than 80% of that on wind power. Green energy is one of the five key industries in President Tsai Ing-wen’s economic policy. [Focus Taiwan News Channel]

Wind turbines in Penghu County. (CNA file photo)

¶ Victoria says it will “lead the nation” on climate change, with a goal to become net zero by 2050. It is good news for the built environment, and in accord with Paris climate goals. The move puts the state into direct competition with South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. [eco-business.com]

¶ BluEarth Renewables Inc announced the official inauguration of its 29.2-MW Bull Creek wind park in Alberta. The facility consists of 17 General Electric wind turbines near Provost. They will be able to generate enough power annually for 10,000 average Alberta homes. [SeeNews Renewables]

The Bull Creek Wind Facility. Source: BluEarth
Renewables Inc. License: All Rights Reserved

¶ Twelve months ago, Indonesia was the world’s biggest exporter of fossil fuels, but now, the rest of the world is moving away from the products. The country is reacting to the drop in coal exports by ramping up local production, putting health, environment and economy in danger. [Southeast Asia Globe]

¶ Bloomberg New Energy Finance says low prices for coal and gas are likely to persist, but will fail to prevent a fundamental transformation of the world electricity system towards renewable sources such as wind and solar, and towards balancing options such as batteries. [Offshore Wind Journal]

BNEF’s latest NEO suggests that investment in renewables
is going to grow rapidly and their cost will fall steeply

¶ Norway’s oil and energy ministry gave permission for Oslo-based Fred.Olsen Renewables to build a 135-MW onshore wind power plant. The newly approved plant in Norway’s southeastern region of Rogaland would be able to produce 400 GWh per year, enough to supply 20,000 homes. [Reuters Africa]

¶ The way we get electricity is about to change dramatically, as the era of ever-expanding demand for fossil fuels comes to an end—in less than a decade. That’s according to a new forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which plots out global power markets for the next 25 years. [Livemint]

Wind and solar will be the cheapest forms of producing
electricity in most of the world by the 2030s. Photo: Bloomberg

¶ A dress rehearsal is under way to install a huge “hat” over a crippled nuclear reactor building at Fukushima Daiichi. The dome-shaped cover is meant to stop the spread of radioactive material and protect equipment necessary to retrieve 566 bundles of fuel rods from a spent fuel pool. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶ While state officials are struggling to define New Hampshire’s energy future through a variety of legislative and regulatory proceedings, cities and towns in the state are not standing by waiting for the next signal from Concord. Many of them are moving forward aggressively, on their own. [The Union Leader]

Dan Reed of Siemens installs a LED street light on Carroll
Street in Manchester last year. (Union Leader File)

¶ Renewables will overtake natural gas as the dominant source of electricity generation in the US in 2031, even without subsidies, as wind and solar costs plunge, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis showed. This shift will be driven by $745 billion in investments through 2040. [Bloomberg]

¶ WPPI Energy, based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, has issued a request for proposals for approximately 100 MW of generating capacity from wind, or an equivalent amount of energy from other renewable resources. WPPI Energy is owned by 51 local not-for-profit electric utilities. [hngnews.com]

Opinion:

¶ “US Carbon Tax ‘Close To Inevitable,’ Conservative Leader Proclaims – Moral Disgrace Of Ignoring Global Warming Too Strong” • Some Republican congresspeople have taken the time to learn about global warming. They don’t want their party’s legacy to be denial supporting corruption. [CleanTechnica]

George Shultz, Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, has long been an outspoken supporter of a carbon tax.

World:

¶ TenneT Holding BV presented a plan for building an island in the North Sea to connect over 30 GW of offshore wind farms and deliver power to countries in the region. The transmission system operator says the most suitable location for that island will be the Dogger Bank. [SeeNews Renewables]

The island. Image by Tennet (www.tennet.eu).

¶ Costa Rica is finishing up the largest hydroelectric power project in Central America, as the last generators come on line. The Reventazon dam is expected to produce 305.5 MW, enough for 525,000 homes. Costa Rica already gets 98% of its power from renewables. [PennEnergy]

¶ When Prince Edward Island’s government crafted a plan to wean their grid off costly and carbon-intensive diesel, they turned to wind power, one renewable resource that the island has plenty of. Now, 34% of PEI’s electricity is wind powered, with 204 MW of wind capacity installed. [Huffington Post Canada]

A wind farm at North Cape, PEI, had a capacity factor of 69% for the entire month of January. Photo Wind Energy Institute of Canada

¶ The UK solar power industry has lost more than half its 35,000 jobs due to recent changes in government energy policy, just at a time when solar power has eclipsed coal as a major generator of Britain’s electricity. Experts believe ministers had cut subsidies too far and too fast. [The Guardian]

¶ The Swedish government coalition, with some opposition parties, presented a new agreement for Sweden’s energy consumption. Sweden’s energy production will be 100% renewable by 2040, but nuclear power gets lower taxation, new facilities, and no expiration date. [Business Insider Nordic]

Forsmark nuclear power plant. Source: Tomas Oneborg – TT

US:

¶ Coal production during in the first quarter of 2016 was the lowest its been since 1981. Demand for coal is down because of low natural gas prices, competition from renewables, and environmental regulations. An unusually warm winter also reduced demand. [Wyoming Public Media]

¶ Los Angeles’ City Council will consider a motion to direct the municipal utility to determine how to move the city to 100% renewable energy. The motion has broad support on the council, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is already working on the report. [ThinkProgress]

It takes a lot of energy to run all those lights.
But could it all be green? Credit: Shutterstock.

¶ Consumers Energy celebrated its first solar power plant located at Grand Valley State University yesterday that will produce electricity for many Michigan homes and businesses. Called the Solar Gardens, the 17-acre facility generates 3MW, enough to power around 600 homes. [WHTC]

¶ The Kodiak Electric Association has two flywheels, each of which can store up to 1 MW. That’s enough power to lift a heavy cargo container from the dock and move it to the ship. Renewables are supplying power at a much reduced cost, and diesel is 99.8% out. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

Matson Inc’s massive electric crane and the Pillar
Mountain wind farm. Photo by Margaret Kriz Hobson.

¶ The Charlevoix, Michigan, City Council diversified one city portfolio Monday to give it less exposure to a particular sector of the market. The council approved an electrical purchasing agreement that will boost the city’s renewable energy portfolio to 22.4% for 20 years. [Petoskey News-Review]

¶ A solar energy generating facility to be built in Alabama will help the world’s largest retailer move a step closer to meeting its renewable energy goals. Under a long-term contract with Alabama Power, Walmart will subscribe to a majority of the solar plant’s renewable energy credits. [Yellowhammer News]

Opinion:

¶ “Illinois power plant closings reveal worldwide nuclear issues” • Exelon and Illinois are dancing around the issues, with the industry taking the position that government (read: the people) should subsidize the waning years of nuclear installations, or else. It is a global issue, however. [CleanTechnica]

Clinton power station, near Clinton, Illinois. Photo by Dual Freq.
CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers reported on an experiment in Iceland where they have pumped CO2 and water underground into volcanic rock. Reactions with the minerals in the deep basalts converted the carbon dioxide to a stable, immobile chalky solid. It took only months to covert 220 tonnes of CO2. [BBC]

World:

¶ Australian wind energy saw its biggest ever month in May, producing nearly a quarter more electricity than any previous month, and overtaking hydro to provide 8.5% of the country’s grid electricity. And new analysis shows wind generation keeps a lid on wholesale electricity prices. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm in Australia.

¶ Siemens has received its first order from J-Wind Setana to supply, install and commission 16 direct-drive wind turbines of 3.2 MW capacity each. The Setana Osato wind farm, which will have a total capacity of 50 MW, will be installed off the Japanese coast. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ The Paris Agreement may provide a major to boost wind turbine sales over the next decade. In a report, Moody’s said it expects to see renewable energies such as wind and solar get a significant increased investment needed to meet carbon reductions implied by the Agreement. [Business Green]

Offshore wind farm.

¶ Portugal’s Economy Ministry and Morocco’s Energy Ministry have agreed to research the possibility of laying an undersea electricity interconnector between the two countries, according to an announcement published by the Portuguese government on Wednesday evening. [Platts]

¶ The European Investment Bank has signed a €125-million loan agreement with Landsvirkjun, the National Power Company of Iceland, to finance a new geothermal power station and its geothermal wells at Þeistareykir, near Húsavik in north-eastern Iceland. [Iceland Monitor]

Construction at the Þeistareykjavirkjun power plant. Photo: Mbl.is

US:

¶ Apple became the world’s most valuable company by selling a lot of stuff. But one thing it’s never sold is power. That looks like it’s about to change, as Apple has created Apple Energy, a Cupertino-owned subsidiary that has the ability to sell power to end users at market rates. [Yahoo News]

¶ New US solar PV installations in the first quarter accounted for 64% of all new electric generating capacity installed across the country, according to new figures from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. They predict 14.5 GW of new solar PV installed in the US in 2016. [CleanTechnica]

Share of New US Electric Generating Capacity Additions.
Please click on the image to see a larger view of it.

¶ A new report from the Brookings Institution points to numerous examples of solar actually lowering rates for utility customers, whether they have solar panels or not. Net-metered solar power reduced needs for more expensive power sources and helped stabilize the grid. [Grist]

¶ In Vermont, newly installed turbines at Ball Mountain Dam in Jamaica and Townshend Dam are now operational. Crews remain on site for final details, but the projects have been successfully tested and have met state commissioning deadlines, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy said. [vtdigger.org]

Ball Mountain Lake and Dam. US Army Corps of
Engineers photo. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ After 11 hours in the Vermont Statehouse, there has been a policy resolution. A renewable energy bill vetoed by Governor Peter Shumlin earlier this week has been replaced by lawmakers with a substantially similar stand-in that addresses the governor’s concerns. [Vermont Public Radio]

¶ Some rural electric co-ops in Nebraska are exploring renewable energy to help them reduce costs in months when power demand peaks. Just 10% of power in Nebraska comes from renewable sources like wind and hydroelectricity, but declining costs are changing that. [Nebraska Radio Network]

Wind turbine in Nebraska. Photo by Urban.
CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ An agreement administered through the Michigan Public Power Agency Energy Services Project Agreement would allow the Zeeland Board of Public Works to buy up to 11.796 MW of wind energy from Huron Wind for 20 years, eliminating the need to buy energy credits. [HollandSentinel.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ Carbon emissions stopped growing in 2015 for the first time in 10 years as the world turned its back on coal and embraced energy efficiency and renewable power more vigorously, according to a new set of statistics from BP. China led the way, but the progress may not last. [The Guardian]

China passed Germany and the US as the biggest generator of solar power in 2015. Photograph: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images.

World:

¶ Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has taken bold steps in his role as chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs. The latest of these is an ambitious plan to move the country away from an oil-based economy to one that is investment-based. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Norway has become the first country to stop clear-cutting of trees, a huge step toward curbing global deforestation. In their pledge last week, Norwegian lawmakers also committed to find a way to source essential products like palm oil, soy, beef, and timber sustainably. [CNN]

Deforestation for palm oil in Liberia.

¶ The German firm, Energtrag, is adding a power-to-gas facility to its existing hybrid power plant. Deutsche Bahn is the first customer. The process uses electrolysis to make hydrogen, then adds carbon to that to create synthetic methane, which can be stored indefinitely. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Enel Green Power grid-connected a 66-MW solar farm in South Africa, one of three projects in the country the utility announced in March. Enel’s South African portfolio is now nearly 160 MW and a further gigawatt of projects has been awarded or is already under construction. [PV-Tech]

A South African PV project by Enel. Image: Enel Green Power.

¶ The new Cốc San power plant in Vietnam’s Lào Cai Province, a run-of-river hydropower facility supplying almost 30 MW of power to regional off taker Northern Power Corporation, opened yesterday. It represents the first foreign direct investment in hydropower in the region. [Viet Nam News]

¶ A gold and copper mine in Western Australia has switched to solar power, with 34,000 PV panels supplying electricity alongside 1.8 MWh of battery storage. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is supporting the project with $20.9 million recoupable grant funding. [EcoGeneration]

DeGrussa Solar Project.

¶ Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen stressed that the goal of her administration to phase out nuclear power by 2025 “has never changed and will never change.” Tsai, made the statement amid controversy over restarting a reactor at the country’s No. 1 nuclear power plant. [Focus Taiwan News Channel]

¶ Renewables’ portion of the global power generation mix has increased substantially in the last half decade. Particularly in European countries, renewable energy sources contributed more than 26% of overall electricity generation in 2015. This was a rise from nearly 20% in 2011. [Market Realist]

US:

¶ Analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis highlights the recent numbers, which showed the amount of electricity generated by hydro, wind, biomass, and geothermal sources together reached 19.2% of all power generation in the United States during March. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Legislation that could make hydro and wind power a bigger part of the state’s overall energy mix passed the Massachusetts House. The bill would require utilities to solicit long-term contracts for importing an additional 1,200 MW each of Canadian hydro-power and offshore wind. [Woonsocket Call]

Windmill Point, Hull, Massachusetts. Photo by Doc Searls from Santa Barbara. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Dairyland Power Cooperative announced an agreement to build the 98-MW Quilt Block Wind Farm in southwestern Wisconsin. They are working with EDP Renewables on the 49-tower wind farm 20 miles southeast of Platteville. It could be operational by the end of next year. [WXOW.com]

¶ DTE Energy Co plans to shut down eight more coal-fired units at three power plants in Michigan within the next seven years. DTE said the plants together generated about 25% of all the electricity produced by the utility in 2015, which is enough to power 900,000 homes. [Crain’s Detroit Business]

Opinion:

¶ “Can wind and solar make us rich?” • With low-cost electricity storage, Jamaica could cut electric costs by 60%, while cutting of costs for imported fossil fuels by $100 million each month. Finally, free at last! Economic independence attained after 50 years of political independence. [Jamaica Observer]

Jamaican wind farm.

¶ “Renewables versus climate change – the battle heats up!” • The renewable energy revolution is in full swing, but global warming is also accelerating, with global temperature records broken every month for a year. Will the energy transition happen in time to avert catastrophe? [The Ecologist]

World:

¶ Japanese renewables firm SB Energy Corp will start on June 10 commercial operations at the 48.43-MW Hamada Wind Farm, in Shimane prefecture, Japan. The company expects the new wind power plant to generate some 85 million kWh per year, sufficient for 23,600 local homes. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind turbine in Japan. Author: Seiichi Ariga.
License: Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.

¶ The leaders of India and the United States on Tuesday vowed to ratify the Paris climate accord this year. They also set a one-year deadline for concluding a deal for six commercial nuclear power plants. But the two sides provided few specifics about how they would achieve those goals. [NDTV]

¶ A Lagos-based renewable energy company, Arnergy, announced a pay-as-you-go service for users in communities without a stable power supply, which is pretty much all those in Nigeria. The service lets consumers install affordable solar panels and pay for power as they consume it. [TechCabal]

Solar technology for people who never had power.

¶ Shell has changed its mind about renewables and how it will make money in future, in a world after the Paris COP 21 climate change deal. The company’s chief executive concedes that the previous team may have got it wrong when it stopped investing in renewables, especially wind power. [ITV News]

¶ So far this year, 98% of Uruguay’s electricity has come from sources of renewable energy, according to the president of the state-run electric company UTE. The announcement came at a meeting of business owners, executives and investors in the energy sector. [Latin American Herald Tribune]

El murallon del dique compensador. Photo by Starbock1948.
CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ UK solar developer Hive Energy has won a contract to install a 50-MW PV park for Union Electrica de Cuba in the Caribbean island republic. Under its terms, Hive Energy will build the solar park in the Mariel Free zone. The facility is expected to produce up to 93 GWh per year. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Solar power in the UK produced more electricity than coal across the whole of May, the first ever month to pass the milestone, according to research by analysts at Carbon Brief. Solar generated an estimated 1,336 GWh of electricity in May, compared to 893 GWh output from coal. [The Guardian]

The new floating solar farm on Godley reservoir in Hyde, Manchester, UK. Photo: Ashley Cooper/Alamy

¶ As plans emerge for a new “baseload” solar thermal and storage plant to replace coal in South Australia, a new report from WWF Australia questions the very concept of “baseload,” arguing that this model of power generation is made redundant by a 100% renewable energy grid. [RenewEconomy]

¶ Another 30 children in Fukushima have been hit by thyroid cancer, up from 16 in February following the threat of radiation exposure after its nuclear plant exploded in 2011. This brings the total number of Fukushima children diagnosed with thyroid cancer to 131. [AsiaOne]

Checking a child for radiation.

¶ Scottish homes fitted with solar panels would have seen enough sunshine last month to meet their entire electricity consumption, according to the WWF Scotland. A report they issued said wind turbines also produced enough electricity to meet the needs of around 76% of homes in May. [The National]

US:

¶ Hawaiian Electric Company is preparing to issue a Request for Proposals for renewable energy projects on Oahu island that can start power generation by the end of 2020. The utility operates under a state requirement to achieve sourcing from 100% renewables by 2045. [SeeNews Renewables]

Hawaii wind farm. Author: David J Laporte.
License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic.

¶ Two New York State agencies are working with the Electric Power Research Institute and Central Hudson Gas and Electric to install a hybrid solar PV generation and battery storage system at the State University of New York at New Paltz, about 85 miles north of midtown Manhattan. [Solar Industry]

¶ Energy forecaster GTM Research predicted that the price of building big solar-power farms will drop below $1 a watt by 2020. That is a big deal, as it is both a competitive goal for the solar industry and is the target set in 2011 by the US DOE’s SunShot Initiative. [Next Big Future]

Opinion:

¶ “French nuclear under pressure – from German renewables” • In late May, strikes reduced nuclear power production in France. Yet even more plants were offline a few weeks earlier without any strikes at all. This was partly because of renewable electricity from Germany. [RenewEconomy]

Nuclear plant Paluel 2 “just barely escaped catastrophe,” Le Parisien said, on March 31. (Photo by Bodoklecksel, modified, CC BY-SA 3.0)

World:

¶ A 20% increase in wind and solar energy generation in 2015 has combined to deliver another annual increase in the amount of Australia’s electricity sourced from renewables, more than compensating for a drop in hydro production, a new report has found. [CleanTechnica]

¶ More detail has come on Solastor’s proposal for a “baseload” solar thermal and storage power plant in Port Augusta, South Australia. The ambitious 170-MW, $1.2 billion project could produce the lowest-price 24/7 solar power in the world, according to the company’s chairman. [RenewEconomy]

Solastor system for 24/7 solar power.

¶ Last year was a huge 12 months for renewable energy, with a new global status report on clean energy highlighting how 2015 was a record year for the industry – including the revelation that renewable energy can now satisfy nearly a quarter of the world’s power demands. [ScienceAlert]

¶ Disappointed by hydroelectric power reduced by drought, Zambia is turning to the sun. The landlocked country plans to build two solar projects that will charge the lowest tariffs in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Zambian Industrial Development Corporation. [Quartz]

Lake Kariba is drying up, and so is Zambia’s electricity supply. (Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo)

¶ Norway’s four major political parties agreed last week to ban the sale of cars powered by gas or diesel by 2025, according to Electrek, citing a story in Norwegian paper Dagens Næringsliv. There is, however, some question about how much all parties actually support the proposal. [Huffington Post]

¶ A group of Norwegian companies has sent the government proposals for an offshore wind demonstration project off the coast of Norway to help boost the country’s export potential in the sector. The Offshore 2025 proposals have been put together by Norwea, which has 130 members. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm. Credit: reNews.

¶ Origin Energy’s managing director says it is unlikely any more coal-fired power stations will be built in Australia, as the renewable energy target helps force coal power out of the market. But there still may be the need for more gas-fired power stations if coal-fired power comes off quickly. [The Australian]

US:

¶ The governor of Vermont vetoed a bill supporters hoped would give communities more say over siting renewable energy projects and bring new sound limits on wind turbines. He said last-minute amendments to the bill would unacceptably slow or halt renewable energy development. [vtdigger.org]

Wind energy in Vermont. File photo by Roger Crowley / VTDigger

¶ A microgrid at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in California helps show the potential of net-zero green projects to aid military installations reduce reliance on fossil fuels and expand the use of green energy. Net-zero systems generate as much energy as is used. [SEAPOWER Magazine Online]

¶ In the next 15 years, Texas expects to add somewhere between 14 GW and 27 GW of solar capacity, according to a new long-term system assessment from the state’s grid operator, ERCOT. Meanwhile, over 5 GW of coal are expected to go offline in the next five years. [Breaking Energy]

¶ Minnesota Power’s first community solar garden got the go-ahead from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. It will be constructed in two locations in Duluth, one being a 40-kW array and the other a 1-MW array. Both locations will be available for subscribers. [Mesabi Daily News]