geoharvey

World:

¶ Coal consumption is poised for its biggest decline in history, driven by China’s battle against pollution, economic reforms and its efforts to promote renewable energy. Global use of the most polluting fuel fell 2.3% to 4.6% in the first nine months of 2015 from the same period last year, according to a report released by Greenpeace. [The Australian Financial Review]

A woman in China wears a mask to counter pollution. Getty Images

¶ As Zimbabwe seeks to boost power generation, it finds the option of hydro-power provides little guarantee for power now and in the future. The 750-MW-capacity Kariba Hydro Power Station is an example, falling to 63% of capacity following just two consecutive drought seasons. Climate change is making hydro power unreliable. [AllAfrica.com]

¶ The first turbine at Zuidwester wind farm in the Netherlands started operation. Along the shore of the IJsselmeer, RWE Innogy replaced 50 older models with 12 of the world’s largest onshore wind turbines with a capacity of 7.5 MW each. Each of the new turbines can generate as much electricity as all 50 turbines of the old ones combined. [Sun & Wind Energy]

¶ South Korea’s leading battery-maker LG Chem said it has secured a deal worth millions of dollars to supply its batteries for a project to build the world’s largest energy storage system for frequency regulation in Germany. The company’s lithium-ion batteries will be used for frequency regulation in Nordrhein-Westfalen and Saaerland in 2016. [The Korea Herald]

¶ China has changed course and emerged as a leader in curbing greenhouse gas emissions six years after it was accused of obstructing the last high-level climate talks in Copenhagen. Beijing “recognizes it should take a different responsibility than a few years ago,” said Li Shuo, senior climate officer for Greenpeace East Asia. [Himalayan Times]

Wind turbines are built on a hill along a highway near Jiamusi, in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province on July 30, 2015. Photo: AP

¶ A majority of the UK public backs subsidies for renewable energy, according to a report. It says around 83% of over 2,000 people surveyed support subsidies for wind and solar. The support for coal is at 23%, and for nuclear power it is 33%. The UK Government is planning to scrap support for renewables. [Energy Live News – Energy Made Easy]

¶ Vestas has won a firm and unconditional order for turbines totaling 200-MW from Inner Mongolia Hanas Wind Power for two Chinese wind power projects. Under the deal, the Danish power equipment manufacturer will deliver 75 of its V110-2.0 MW and 25 of its V100-2.0 MW models. Commissioning is to be in the second quarter of 2016. [Power Technology]

¶ Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power held a ceremony Monday to mark the official operation of two reactors at its New Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju. The New Wolseong No 1 and No 2 reactors are each capable of generating 7.9 billion kWh of electricity annually. The No 1 reactor began producing power in 2012, and the No 2 in July. [Korea Times]

US:

¶ More Wisconsin farmers are letting the sun shine in – by bringing solar photovoltaic systems into their farming operations. Incentives and the falling prices of hardware have helped shorten return on investment periods for solar installations. Still, changes in net metering policies could reduce payouts to producers for the excess power they create. [Agri-View]

A 20 kWh solar panel system is installed on the south side of Han Breitenmoser’s free-stall barn.

¶ Legal professionals are warning that ongoing investigations of ExxonMobil practices could drag other oil businesses. The firm is the subject of controversy over allegations it mislead the public about climate change. But prosecutors are thinking about investigating all businesses that chose to fund organizations that promoted climate change denial. [California Turkish Times]

Opinion:

¶ “Renewables key in race against climate change clock” • Humanity has dithered for so long in the fight against global warming that the window of opportunity for decarbonizing the global economy fast enough to avoid devastating climate change is barely ajar. And fossil fuels get four times the subsidies of renewables. [The Nation]

Wind turbines and sustainable transportation

World:

¶ Figures from China’s National Energy Administration proclaim that the country installed 9.9 GW of new solar PV capacity in the first nine months of 2015. The National Energy Administration says China new solar PV capacity so far this year included 8.32 GW in solar PV power stations and 1.58 GW of distributed PVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Around 8.5 million diesel vehicles sold by Volkswagen over the past few years in Europe will be recalled, following the testing scandal of a few weeks ago, according to reports. A recall timeline has bee approved. The company is apparently currently considering the option of simply buying back affected vehicles in the US. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Scottish government has approved Statoil plans for the 30-MW Hywind 2 floating offshore wind project some 25 km off Peterhead. The Norwegian company was issued with a marine licence to build five Siemens 6-MW turbines on spar foundations. Statoil plans for final commissioning of the project before end-2017. [reNews]

Hywind 1 off Norway. Statoil Image.

¶ Bio2Watt is producing power from its first plant at a Beefcor feedlot in Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa, making it the country’s first viable commercial biogas project. The plant produces 4.4 MW, but that could be increased to 10 MW in the future. Most of the power it produces is going to a BMW plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria. [Independent Online]

¶ The Australian Financial Review told readers that South Australia’s large renewables share could cause blackouts. There were blackouts. They blamed renewable energy for volatile power prices that were spiking to A$13,800/MWh (A$1.38/kWh). As it turns out, the problems were caused by aging equipment. [Business Spectator]

¶ Africa’s largest solar car park opened recently at the Garden City Mall in Nairobi. It aims to cut carbon emissions by 745 tonnes annually from non-renewable energy sources. The car park has a total of 3,300 solar panels, which are capable of generating 1,256 MWh of electricity annually. It also provides shade to the cars. [The Straits Times]

Photo: Agence France-Presse

¶ The UK’s climate change credentials are under fire again after it emerged it had spent £2.2 billion in poor countries to help build coal power plants and other fossil fuel energy projects responsible for global warming. That is more than double the £1 billion spent on cleaner, renewable sources of power in developing countries. [Financial Times]

¶ Kyushu Electric Power Co said the No 2 reactor of its Sendai nuclear plant began full-capacity operation on Sunday, with its thermal output reaching the maximum level, about two weeks after it was reactivated. The reactor will be in commercial operation after examinations by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. [The Japan News]

US:

¶ Public Service Electric and Gas Company is halfway through the construction of a 12.93-MW community solar farm at the closed L&D Landfill in Burlington County, New Jersey. The facility is on property of over 50 acres in three communities. It will be made up of 41,720 solar panels and will become operational later this year. [reNews]

PSE&G’s Jacksonville solar facility (PSE&G image)

¶ Hanwha Q Cells USA Corp said start construction of a new 170-MW solar plant in the US after sealing a power purchase agreement with Austin Energy. The company says the solar plant will be built on roughly 580,000 square meters of land in western Texas to generate enough electricity to supply around 1 million people. [The Korea Herald]

¶ While New Jersey is stepping up its reliance on natural gas, most residents would instead prefer it ramp up its use of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, according to a recent poll. More than three-quarters of those responding said they favor a pending bill that would require a target of 80% renewables by 2050. [NJ Spotlight]

Science and Technology:

¶ Fitch Ratings says utility-scale solar PV projects often outperform expectations. On average, projects assessed made 9% more electricity than projected. Factors include higher than expected solar irradiance and lower than expected grid curtailments. With limited downtimes, arrays were available over 98.5% of the time. [CleanTechnica]

Topaz Solar Farm, a 550-MW photovoltaic power station in San Luis Obispo County, California. Image by First Solar

¶ The UN released its assessment of national plans to limit climate change, submitted by 146 countries. Officials say the submissions, in their current form, won’t keep global temperatures from rising by more than the 2° C danger threshold. However the UN report says the plans are a major step and the 2° C goal is “within reach.” [BBC]

World:

¶ Green energy is benefiting from the downturn in the oil sector, with more cash available for investments and more skilled manpower at hand, the CEO of Norway’s Statkraft, Europe’s largest producer of renewable power, told Reuters. Statkraft sees growth opportunities in South America, and it has been active in Peru and Brazil. [Prairie Business]

¶ The Chinese government announced that fourteen provinces will be required to develop 5.3 GW of further solar PV projects, in addition to the earlier determined 2015 goals. Plans for the new projects are expected to be submitted within the next month, and they have to be finished and grid-connected by the end of 2016. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels at new Zhongshan TCM Hospital Image by 罗伯特 (some rights reserved)

¶ Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd and the Electricity Regulatory Authority of the Cayman Islands announced that a power purchase agreement had been approved for a proposed 5-MW solar project. The project will provide energy to power 800 homes, reduce electric rates for customers, and significantly reduce carbon emissions. [Stockhouse]

¶ Spanish manufacturer Acciona posted a net profit of €166 million in the first nine months of 2015, an 11.6% increase over the same period in 2014, mainly due to the growth in renewable power generation and the sales of wind turbines manufactured by Acciona Windpower. Before tax earnings grew 69.5% to €248 million. [Windtech International]

US:

¶ An independent examination of two struggling coal-burning power plants in western New York has found that neither is needed to maintain reliability of the electrical grid, which could pave the way for their closure. The state’s Independent System Operator said the plants can be replaced by transmission system upgrades. [Capital New York]

The Dunkirk power plant. (Tim Lenz)

¶ The United States Department of Agriculture has announced a round of funding, in the form of loans and grants, to more than 1100 rural renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide. These are aimed at helping small businesses and agricultural producers reduce both their energy use and costs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Xcel Energy Inc is asking Colorado state regulators to approve a test of adding massive batteries to its system to store renewable energy and send the power to customers when they need it. Xcel is proposing to add the batteries to its grid system for commercial customers in a development near Denver International Airport. [9NEWS.com]

¶ US utility Exelon will defer decisions about the future of its Clinton nuclear power plant after the Midcontinent Independent System Operator acknowledged the need for changes to the design of the southern Illinois electricity market. Other factors, such as new requirements for decreased carbon emissions, influenced the utility. [World Nuclear News]

¶ DuPont has celebrated the opening of its cellulosic biofuel facility in Nevada, Iowa, with a ceremony including Iowa Gov. Terry Brandstad and many other dignitaries. The biorefinery is the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant, with the capacity to produce 30 million gallons per year of ethanol from agricultural waste. [Hydrocarbon Processing]

World:

¶ UK Prime Minister David Cameron is poised to launch an ambitious project that could see Britain harnessing the power of Iceland’s volcanoes within the next 10 years. The plan would involve the construction of 750 miles of undersea cabling, allowing the UK to exploit Iceland’s long-term, renewable geothermal energy. [The Independent]

Krafla geothermal power plant in Iceland. Photo by Hansueli Krapf. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Published by the International Renewable Energy Agency, a new report concluded that Poland could increase its share of renewable energy in the country’s power generation mix from 7% in 2010 to nearly 38% in 2030, as well as increasing its total final energy consumption more than double to nearly 25% by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Royal Dutch Shell reported a loss for the third quarter of the year, after taking a big charge to reflect the cost of halting major projects. The oil company reported a loss of $6.1 billion in the quarter, compared with a $5.3 billion profit last year. It has taken an $8.6 billion charge to cover the cost of halting projects, such as Alaskan drilling. [BBC]

¶ An energy company in Western Australia is about to trial the world’s first renewable microgrid power station using wave energy as one of its sources. Perth-based Carnegie Wave Energy will build the pilot project on Garden Island, using wave and solar energy to supply power to the Defence Department and a desalination plant. [ABC Online]

¶ China, the world’s biggest user of coal, is suddenly burning less of it, a change with enormous implications for the state of the atmosphere and the potential course of global climate change. Moving away from its old image, China is setting itself up to play a leading role at the next round of discussions, in Paris later this year. [Washington Post]

Charging coal at the Lao Ye Temple Mine. Photo by Peter Van den Bossche from Mechelen, Belgium. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Dong Energy is planning to build the world’s biggest offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea, to power almost half a million homes. The 660-MW Walney Extension project will use turbines from Vestas and Siemens AG. It’s expected to be complete in 2018 and surpass the current record-holder, the 630-megawatt London Array. [Bloomberg]

US:

¶ In the first three quarters of 2015, the US wind energy industry has installed more than double the capacity it did in the first three quarters of 2014. There is now over 69,470 MW of installed wind capacity across the US. A near-record of more than 13,250 MW of wind capacity is under construction, with more coming. [Sun & Wind Energy]

¶ LG Chem has announced that it will be ramping up lithium-ion battery production at its facility in Michigan, according to recent reports. The move follows closely on an announcement that GM will be expanding its business partnership with LG Chem in anticipation of Chevy Bolt production beginning next year. [CleanTechnica]

Chevy Bolt EV.

¶ The utility that heats and cools downtown St Paul is phasing out coal, a move that will greatly reduce its carbon emissions. But District Energy St. Paul isn’t ditching coal under government pressure or for sentimental reasons. It comes down to dollars and cents: other power sources are becoming cheaper than coal. [Grand Forks Herald]

¶ The Pew Charitable Trusts has released a report, “Distributed Generation: Cleaner, Cheaper, Stronger Industrial Efficiency in the Changing Landscape.” It shows how an array of technological, competitive and market forces are changing how the US generates power and the ways that Americans interact with the electric grid. [Biomass Magazine]

¶ A 137-MW photovoltaic solar power plant is scheduled to begin construction in the eastern Kern County town of Cantil, California. The 700-acre Springbok 1 Solar Farm is being developed by 8minutenergy Renewables LLC. Power will be sold to Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. [The Bakersfield Californian]

Nodding donkeys in Kern County, California. Photo by Antandrus at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ In Fairfield, Connecticut, town and state officials gathered at Police Department headquarters Wednesday morning for a ribbon-cutting to mark the installation of a microgrid, the first of its kind in a state municipality. The system will provide power to the police and fire buildings and Operation Hope in the event of an outage. [Fairfield Citizen]

¶ Billionaire Tom Steyer’s super PAC NextGen Climate launched an aggressive campaign against Republican presidential candidates who deny the existence of man-made climate change. Steyer, who spent $70 million on 2014 elections, has pledged to spend “what it takes” to elect candidates that will act on climate issues in 2016. [Greentech Media]

¶ The presidential election of 2016 will determine the United States’ role in confronting and managing the impacts of climate change for years to come. A new University of Texas poll found that 76% of Americans now believe climate change is occurring. Candidates are listed, together with what they believe on the issue. [Scientific American]

¶ The owners of Plant Vogtle announced that a different company will complete the construction of two nuclear reactors at the electricity-generating plant near Waynesboro. Westinghouse Electrical Company will complete the contract, taking over for CB&I, the original contractor. So far, construction has suffered delays. [Online Athens]

World:

¶ A new report says “time is rapidly running out” for the UK to ensure a decarbonized energy system to meet emissions targets. The report, by the UK Prime Minister’s own Council for Science and Technology, outlines the actions necessary to “create a secure and affordable low carbon energy system for 2030 and beyond.” [CleanTechnica]

Another proof of climate change? Clump of bamboo growing at about 1000 feet in England’s Peak District. Peter Barr. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ FTI Consulting has revised its forecasts for the global wind market for 2015, which is now expected to reach 59 GW. The global business advisory firm updated its forecast as part of FTI Intelligence’s latest renewable energy publication, Global Wind Market Update – H2 2015 Briefing, published on Monday. [CleanTechnica]

¶ If oil stays around $50 a barrel, most Middle Eastern oil producing countries will run out of cash within five years, warned a dire report from the International Monetary Fund this week. That includes OPEC leader Saudi Arabia as well as Oman and Bahrain. Low oil prices will wipe out an estimated $360 billion from the region this year alone. [CNN]

¶ Aela Energia, a 60/40 joint venture between private equity firm Actis and Ireland’s Mainstream Renewable Power has won contracts to build and operate two wind farms in Chile with a combined capacity of 265 MW. The Irish firm noted that Aela Energia won 65% of the auction in which a total of 31 companies participated. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind farm in Chile. Featured Image: Pablo Rogat/Shutterstock.com

¶ Less than two years ago, the German government called lignite East Germany’s “black gold.” Last week, it reached a deal with utilities that analysts see as the start of the phase-out for the dirtiest power-plant fuel. Producers agreed to close plants corresponding to 12% of the nation’s total lignite generation capacity. [Bloomberg]

¶ This year, China will become the world’s biggest installer of solar panels, but as companies increasingly struggle to secure the vast land banks they need for solar farms, they face greater needs to get around restrictions on converting agricultural land. So they grow everything from plants to hairy crabs beneath the solar cells. [Financial Times]

¶ Enel Green Power SpA has initiated construction of a 126-MW wind park in Mexico, which will boost the Italian firm’s wind capacity in the country to over 570 MW. The company will invest about $250 million (€226.6 million) in the Palo Alto wind farm in the state of Jalisc. The funds will come from group resources. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind turbines. Author: Vik Walker. License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic.

US:

¶ Austin, Texas just might become the most solar powered city in America. It has approved an additional 162 MW of solar capacity, adding to 288 MW already in the works and 220 MW installed, bringing the total to 670 MW. In case you wonder about costs, the 162 MW round of project set of contracts were at $38/MWh to $40/MWh. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The American energy boom is finally showing some cracks from the crash in oil prices. U.S. oil production decreased by 120,000 barrels per day in September from August, according to a report released by the Energy Information Administration on Tuesday. It marks the lowest monthly output in the last 12 months. [CNN]

¶ Selectmen in Andover, Massachusetts, approved increasing a solar power purchase made earlier this year. They had earlier agreed to buy about 4 million kWh of solar power but increased it to 6.2 million kWh, for a savings of about $300,000 per year. A cap on net metering could prevent the intended array from being built, however. [RenewablesBiz]

¶ A study produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that storm surge from a Category 3 hurricane could knock out a sixth of Southeast Florida’s electrical substations. Factor in sea level rise projections and the number doubles. By 2070, with sea rise fueling storm surges that spread farther inland, the number could triple. [Miami Herald]

Florida Power and Light workers replaced wood poles with sturdier concrete poles after a record number of hurricanes hit South Florida between 2004 and 2005. J. Albert Diaz Miami Herald Staff

¶ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released the month’s “Energy Infrastructure Update.” It says renewable sources (biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) accounted for more than 60% of the 7,276 MW of new electrical generation placed in service in the US during the first nine months of 2015. [Biomass Magazine]

¶ Calling for more stringent limits on methane emissions, Babcock & Wilcox formally commented on the EPA’s proposed emissions rules for municipal solid waste landfills. As a greenhouse gas, methane is much worse than carbon dioxide. Landfills are responsible for 18% of manmade methane emissions in the US. [Environmental Leader]

¶ The USDA provided $102 million in loan guarantees and $71 million in grants to 1,114 projects financed through the latest round of Rural Energy for America Program. REAP projects will generate or save an estimated 8.4 million MWh of electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 5 million metric tonnes. [Energy Matters]

¶ The NRC announced it will give Pacific Gas and Electric Company two extra months to reevaluate Diablo Canyon’s vulnerability to earthquakes. The agency is moving up the dates when most other plants must complete their seismic safety findings, but studies for Diablo and other West-Coast plants are being pushed back. [KCBX]

World:

¶ Australian coal and gas industry representatives have seized on the long-term nature of Chief Scientist-designate Alan Finkel’s vision of a fossil fuel-free future for Australia to insist their products will live on when renewable energy is predominant. Dr Finkel had acknowledged the industry could not be “arbitrarily” turned off. [Sydney Morning Herald]

It will take many, many years to phase out use of fossil fuels globally. Photo: Michael Kamber/New York Times

¶ According to The Maritime Executive, Norway is moving ahead with plans to construct a fleet of plug-in hybrid ships to service its marine industries. The ships will use LNG and batteries as energy sources. By some metrics, one large container ship creates as much atmospheric pollution as 50 million cars each year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ After many months of bad news for the country’s renewable energy industry, the UK House of Lords delivered some unexpected good news. In deliberations on Wednesday, the House of Lords voted to remove a section of the country’s Energy Bill that would end subsidies for onshore wind from 31 March, 2016. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Work has started on a £3.5 million floating solar power farm at Godley reservoir near Manchester, England. Around 12,000 individual panels will cover an area of 45,500 square metres on the reservoir. Engineers hope to install, test and launch the operation before Christmas.The project may generate 2.7 GWh per year. [Manchester Evening News]

The floating solar panel reservoir

¶ South Australian power provider ZEN Energy announced Tuesday it would become the nation’s first “dedicated community renewable energy provider.” Using solar energy as well as wind, hydro and biomass combined with battery storage, homes and businesses will be able to end their reliance on conventional electricity providers. [Mashable]

¶ Sixty-one prominent Australians, from a Wallaby Rugby star, David Pocock, to the Anglican bishop of Canberra, George Browning, have signed an open letter calling on world leaders to discuss a ban on new coal mines and coal mine expansions at the United Nations climate change meeting in Paris in December. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) announced her support for the Clean Power Plan yesterday evening, making her the first Republican Senator to support the landmark policy to curb carbon pollution from power plants, protect vulnerable communities, and galvanize America’s transition to a clean energy economy. [eNews Park Forest]

¶ A growing number of Nebraska farmers, home owners, and business people have sharpened their pencils, done the math, and found small-scale solar arrays will save money while reducing carbon footprints. Solar panels are powering water pumps for livestock, power irrigation systems for row crops, and have economic benefits. [Columbus Telegram]

Rick Hammond stands next to his new 25-kilowatt solar array, which will power his farming operation west of Benedict. Matt Ryerson/Lincoln Journal Star

¶ The Florida Supreme Court approved a new ballot initiative that aims to expand the state’s use of solar energy. The ballot is backed by Floridians for Solar Choice, a solar energy advocacy group. The group now has to get 683,149 petition signatures before February 1, 2016, for the initiative to qualify for the November 2016 ballot. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

¶ Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said he will seek the state Supreme Court’s opinion on the legality of Attorney General Cynthia Coffman’s lawsuit to stop implementation of the Clean Power Plan. Coffman’s office has joined 23 other states filing a lawsuit together against the EPA’s plan to reduce carbon emissions. [The Denver Post]

¶ Vermont’s first “ePark,” in the state’s southwest, will be created with a combination of solar power and Tesla Powerwall batteries. Pika Energy has been chosen by Green Mountain Power to plan and design Emerald Lake State Park so it will be powered by sunlight, with the Tesla batteries providing backup electricity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Southern California Edison is facing a $16.7 million penalty for holding improper talks with utility regulators related to the now-closed San Onofre nuclear power plant.The proposed penalty is the latest development tied to a dispute over a $4.7 billion settlement related to the shutdown of the San Onofre plant, in January, 2012. [KQED]

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station 2013 photo D Ramey Logan, by WPPilot – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons

¶ Rocky Mountain Power, Utah’s largest electric utility, is launching a new sustainable energy program aimed at meeting a growing demand for alternative sources of power. The utility announced that the Utah Public Service Commission has approved a pilot program that allows customers to sign up to get their power from solar. [RenewablesBiz]

¶ A Democrat running for governor of New Hampshire called on the state to quickly raise, and possibly eliminate, the limit on how much renewable power consumers can sell back to the state’s utilities under net metering. New Hampshire’s current law limits net metering to 50 MW, and the state’s utilities are closing in on that figure. [Valley News]

¶ New York’s Ginna nuclear plant’s owners appear to have struck a deal to continue generating power through at least next year. The deal will still need approval from the Public Service Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It would mean consumers pay about $2 more each month. The plant is currently refueling. [Utility Dive]

Photos Some People May Need to See:

¶ Almost 100% of climate scientists now agree that global climate change is caused by humans. If you believe this is not a serious problem, you owe it to yourself to look at the the pictures with this article. They show how climate-change-related events have affected regions around the world, whether directly or indirectly.  [Businessinsider India]

Click on image to View Slide Show

World:

¶ Coal is becoming obsolete. For the first time, the UK renewable energy market has moved ahead of coal for a whole quarter. In the period of April to June, renewable energy was responsible for supplying 25% of the UK’s energy needs. Meanwhile coal, a traditional mainstay of the British electricity market, fell to just 17%. [Pollution Solutions]

¶ The renewable energy offshoot of Toyota Corp has taken a 50% stake in a ground-breaking wind and solar hybrid energy park that could deliver “base load” energy to northern Queensland. Windlab and Eurus Energy says it will begin construction of the Kennedy wind park within 12 months. Eventually, capacity could be 1200 MW. [RenewEconomy]

Hybrid wind and solar plant in the US

¶ Investors around the world no longer see renewable energy as a risky or low-yield investment sector, a report by the UN on private sector climate finance has revealed. Trends in private sector climate finance shows that the renewable energy sector has matured significantly over the last few years as a safe investment avenue. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The African Development Bank’s new president wants to bring electricity to the poorest parts of the continent within a decade and says he can mobilize $55 billion a year to make it happen. At least 620-million people have no access to power, including those in war-torn countries such as South Sudan, Somalia and the Congo. [BDlive]

¶ A complex of four linked solar mega-plants, along with hydro and wind, will help provide nearly half of Morocco’s electricity from renewables by 2020. When they are finished, the four plants at Ouarzazate will generate 580-MW of electricity, enough to power a million homes. The first, Noor 1, has a generating capacity of 160-MW. [The Guardian]

Ouarzazate solar plant will create enough electricity to power a million homes once it is finished. Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian

¶ While plummeting oil and coal prices make fossil-fuel power projects more attractive, aggressive government support is making sure the renewable sector is still staying in the picture. While alternative energy sources are competing with cheap coal prices, new government policies are giving renewables extra market leverage. [CNBC]

¶ UK green energy company Ecotricity has announced plans to add sun parks to two existing wind parks in Devon and Lincolnshire, and add a third to a wind park currently being built in Leicestershire. Hybrid renewable energy parks combine wind and sun generation in the same project, in the same place, using the same grid connection. [H&V News]

US:

¶ After dropping to a 20-year low last year, Colorado coal production is still falling, state data shows. Statewide, 2015 production through August totaled 13.9 million tons, down from 15.5 million tons for the same period of last year. Production totaled nearly 40 million tons in 2004 and under 23 million tons last year. [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel]

Coal miner in Colorado completing paperwork for black lung screening. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health photo. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ A Chinese investment firm is shelling out $1.3 billion to buy giant oil fields in Howard and Borden counties, Texas, reflecting growing interest from China in US energy resources. Yantai Xinchao will acquire oil assets in the western Texas Permian Basin that are currently owned by Tall City Exploration and Plymouth Petroleum. [CNN]

¶ It is a violation of NRC rules for nuclear power plants to take money from their decommissioning trust funds to pay for building the concrete pads and rows of concrete and steel casks where waste is stored after it is cooled in special storage pools. But the NRC grants exemptions from those rules every time it is asked. [Valley News]

World:

¶ In Norway they use Teslas as taxis. Norwegians have the highest per capita ownership of the prestige plug-in. Taxi driver Trond Gustav Somme has owned his Tesla for the past two years, trading up from a Nissan Leaf. Mums and dads are also opting for a Tesla instead of a big Volvo; not only is it cooler, it’s cheaper. [New Zealand Herald]

Trond Gustav Somme with his Tesla taxi. Photo / Grant Bradley

¶ The Kyoto Prefectural Government signed an agreement with Alaska to explore the possibility of importing liquid natural gas. While there are financial and bureaucratic challenges to face before Alaskan LNG flows to Kyoto, the agreement is a step to achieve a larger goal: ending prefectural dependence on nuclear power by 2040. [The Japan Times]

¶ The government of Pakistan is taking necessary measures to develop renewable energy and a number of projects involve collaboration of the private sector. There are 30 wind power projects with 1760 MW capacity being developed, along with 31 solar projects with 999.6 MW and over 1500 MW of biomass power in the works. [Radio Pakistan]

¶ The UAE and New Zealand signed an agreement to develop a jointly-funded 1-MW solar PV power plant in the Solomon Islands. The power plant will meet seven percent of the Solomon Islands’ energy needs and reduce CO2 emissions by over 1,200 tons while saving over approximately 450,000 litres of diesel annually. [ArabianBusiness.com]

King Solomon Hotel in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands. Photo by Phenss. CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ At least 12 cities in five countries have pledged in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to shift to 100% renewable-power sources to help fight climate change as early as this year. Four of the cities are in the US, one is in Canada, five are in Sweden, one is in Denmark, and one is in Norway. [Business Mirror]

US:

¶ A planned 400-MW pumped hydro storage project in Montana could provide electricity when there are lulls in solar and wind power production. The project might be completed in 2017, and has support from Montana’s governor. Montana has wind resources to be the number three state for wind generating in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Image Credit: PD-US Gov-Interior-FWS

¶ Less than two years after Vermont almost quadrupled the amount of renewable power that customers could sell back to their electric utilities, at least one utility has reached the cap. Vermont’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power expects to reach the net-metering cap of 15% of their peak load by early next year. [Rutland Herald]

¶ An ordinary looking irrigation canal in west-central Colorado has become a small pivot in the great national debate about what our future energy system should look like. What it should be is small, decentralized power production from primarily renewable sources such as is proposed for the South Canal near Montrose. [The Denver Post]

A power developer proposes to harness the power of tumbling water in a canal, to produce 990 kWh of electricity, or enough for 1,445 people. (Allen Best, Special to The Denver Post)

¶ Local farmers in California may have to return to the polluting practice of burning their agricultural waste in the open air unless the state Legislature acts soon to subsidize struggling biomass power plants that run on such material, the executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District warns. [The Bakersfield Californian]

¶ Forty-two years and counting. That is how long it has taken to get America’s latest nuclear reactor up and running. The stop-start saga behind Unit 2 at the Watts Bar complex near Knoxville, Tennessee, moved a step closer to its conclusion on Thursday when the NRC granted the plant a 40-year operating license. [BDlive]

World:

¶ Typical industry scenarios see coal, oil and gas use growing by 30% to 50% and still making up 75% of the global energy supply mix in 2040, but none take into account the potential for reducing fossil fuel demand as ever-more countries seek to ‘decarbonize’ their economies, according to a new Carbon Tracker Initiative report. [National Observer]

Two of the oil pumps at the well head near Glentworth, Lincolnshire, UK. Photo by Richard Croft. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Climate change and the risk of stranded assets are of growing concern for investors. Ernst & Young’s second annual survey of over 200 global institutional investors finds that 63.6% of respondents believe companies do not adequately disclose the environmental, social and governance risks that could affect their business models. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has promised a solar power revolution in his country in the next one year. He made the promise after inspecting solar power stands mounted at a trade fair by the Department of International Development as a follow up to the agreement signed between Nigeria and the UK. [The Eagle Online]

50% of roofs in London are suitable for solar PV panels

¶ London Mayor Boris Johnson has called for a gradual reduction of solar subsidies rather than the ‘cliff edge’ cuts suggested by the UK Government. Johnson said that the current proposals created great uncertainty in the industry, threatening more than 3,000 jobs in London and affecting his energy efficiency programmes. [edie.net]

¶ This year marks the 70th anniversary of the nuclear industry in Russia, which is the world’s third-largest generator of nuclear power. The country never had a “nuclear pause” even after the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986. Russia’s current target program envisions a 25% to 30% nuclear power share of total generation by 2030. [EJ Insight]

US:

¶ The EPA officially issued the Clean Power Plan, regulations on power plants to cut carbon emissions part of the Obama administration’s plan to cut carbon emissions by more than 30% by 2030. The plan requires each state to create an effective plan to meet emissions cuts at power plants, but 24 states will fight the new rules in court. [Voice of America]

Steam billows from a coal-fired station in Bow, N.H., Jan. 20, 2015. VOA file

¶ California Governor Edmund G Brown Jr today issued a statement after numerous states took legal action to block the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan, which sets nationwide limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. He said he will do everything in his power to fight “this pernicious lawsuit.” [Imperial Valley News]

¶ Friday’s 24-state lawsuit seeking to block the EPA’s Clean Power Plan showed a rift between Colorado’s governor and attorney general. Governor Hickenlooper supports the EPA plan, but Attorney General Cynthia Coffman will fight it. Some accuse her of being unduly influenced by the fossil fuel industry. [The Colorado Statesman]

¶ The US wind energy industry installed over 1,600 MW in the third quarter, and nearly 3,600 MW for the whole year, but still faces policy uncertainty. The American Wind Energy Association’s most recent market report, highlights the more than 1,600 MW of new wind energy capacity, but also examines policy uncertainties. [CleanTechnica]

US annual and cumulative wind power capacity growth

¶ Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin has been a forceful proponent of renewable energy during his three terms in office. But a recent proposal by Ranger Solar LLC to construct 20-MW solar arrays in six Vermont communities, Ludlow, Brandon, Highgate, Randolph Center, Irasburg, and Sheldon, is going too far, he said. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶ Xcel, the Minneapolis-based utility that serves eight states, is receiving bids for 20-year power-purchase agreements at about $25/MWh for wind energy, according to its CEO. While gas prices are close to historic lows, he doesn’t see them remaining there forever, and expects prices for gas-generated electricity to be closer to $32/MWh. [Bloomberg]

¶ Analysis by the American Council of Energy-Efficiency Economy reviewed a sweeping array of factors in each of the 50 states. It rated the top ten states, in order, as Massachusetts, California, Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington, and New York, with Minnesota and Illinois tied for 10th. [GoLocalPDX]

World:

¶ Major cuts to a scheme supporting small-scale renewable energy are the latest blow to UK farmers already hit by low prices. The warning comes ahead of the end of a consultation on changes to the feed-in tariff scheme, which could see funding for solar cut by 87% and wind down 58%, or the end of support altogether. [The Galloway Gazette]

Wind turbine on a farm near to Dirleton Castle

¶ IEA estimates that in order to implement the climate investment pledges made to the UN by world leaders, the global energy industry must invest $13.5 trillion through 2030 in efficiency measures and low-carbon technologies. IEA’s analysis includes deployment of nuclear, wind, and solar power plus carbon capture and storage. [CleanTechnica]

¶ By population, Ontario would be the 5th largest state if it were in the US, but its installed solar capacity, 1,500 MW would rank it 3rd. The province has also shut down all its coal-fired power plants. How does a northern province become a solar and climate leader, despite one of the poorest solar resources in North America? Smart policy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ In East Africa, Kenya is currently utilizing temporary geothermal wellheads as another source of clean energy, which feeds an extra 56 MW to the national grid. Engineers at Kenya Electricity Generation Company are taking advantage of single wells to generate power using the steam while the main plant is being constructed. [ESI Africa]

Wellheads produces clean energy and has yet again placed Kenya in map. Pic credit: Thinkgeoenergy

¶ All 80 turbines at E.ON’s Amrumbank West offshore wind farm in the North Sea are connected to the grid. With 80 turbines working at full capacity, the 288-MW facility could produce enough energy to meet the demands of 300,000 average households and offset more than 740,000 tons of carbon emissions each year. [UPI.com]

¶ Turkey’s dash for coal puts it on course to breach a climate target analysts say is already inadequate. The country has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions up to 21% from business as usual by 2030. Yet it is reportedly planning to build 80 coal-fired power stations. Climate Action Tracker says something has to give. [Climate Home]

¶ The UK’s plans for a new series of interconnectors to link the power grid to the continent that would make it easier to share renewable energy across northern Europe have today taken a “major step forward”, after National Grid and its Danish counterpart Energinet.dk kicked off the tendering process for a new 1,400-MW link. [Business Green]

¶ ESB’s new €33 million Woodhouse Wind Farm in County Waterford, Ireland, has been completed. It is one of 15 wind farms ESB has in operation in Ireland, bringing the company’s installed wind capacity across the island to almost 300 MW. The new 20-MW Waterford wind farm will provide enough power 10,000 homes. [Irish Building Magazine]

ESB opens new €33m Woodhouse Wind Farm in County Waterford

US:

¶ At 12:30 am Thursday, the main Texas grid operator reported that nearly 37% of demand was met with wind power. The Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, which manages nearly 90% of the state’s electric needs, said it used 12,237.6 MW of wind power at the time. That bested a previous record of 11,467 MW. [mySanAntonio.com]

¶ Opponents of the US carbon pollution regulation, the Clean Power Plan rule, will soon be able to take legal action against it, according to the president of American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. On Friday, the US EPA is expected to publish the text of the Clean Power Plan rule in the Federal Register. [Sputnik International]

¶ Farmers RECC will have its own local renewable energy source and help out a city when the Glasgow, Kentucky, landfill-gas-to-energy plant begins producing power later this year. The 1-MW power plant will be the sixth such landfill methane-fueled unit owned and operated by Winchester-based East Kentucky Power Cooperative. [Electric Co-op Today]

The Caterpillar generator to convert methane gas to electricity was delivered at the Glasgow landfill on Oct. 12. (Photo By: Farmers RECC)

¶ A new report out this week finds the US leads the industrialized nations of the world in shifting away from coal, a feat even more remarkable because we are home to the world’s biggest fleet of coal plants. The report says the US is positioned to lead at the climate talks in Paris this fall, thanks to its progress on coal and clean energy. [Huffington Post]

¶ The US approved a request to begin generating electricity at a nuclear reactor, the first time in almost 20 years that federal regulators have given a new nuclear power plant such a license. The NRC gave approval to the Tennessee Valley Authority to load uranium fuel into the Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor in Spring City, Tennessee. [Wall Street Journal]

¶ The owners of the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant have been awarded $400 million in insurance money for the outages caused by the plant’s failed replacement steam generators. Customers, including those with Southern California Edison, will get 95% of the net insurance proceeds, Edison said in an announcement. [OCRegister]

Noteworthy:

Mealworms munch on Styrofoam, a hopeful sign that solutions to plastics pollution exist. (Photo: Yu Yang)

¶ Mealworms can subsist on a diet of Styrofoam and other polystyrene, according to two companion studies co-authored by Wei-Min Wu, a senior research engineer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford. Microorganisms in the worms’ guts biodegrade the plastic in the process. [Stanford University News]

Opinion:

¶ Hinkley point: UK energy policy is now hunkering in a nuclear bunker • The UK government’s official admission that new nuclear power stations will be subsidised blows a hole in already bewildering energy plans, which once said nothing should be subsidized but now back the failed and expensive over the cheap and successful. [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ One of the world’s leading experts on permafrost told BBC News the recent rate of warming of permafrost is “unbelievable,” about one-tenth of a degree C per year in northern Alaska since the mid 2000s. He says the current permafrost evidence has convinced him that global warming is real and not just a product of natural variation. [BBC]

This “drunken forest” of collapsed black spruce is also a sign of the melting permafrost. Science Photo Library

World:

¶ Apple announced plans to build solar energy projects with a capacity of 200 MW in the northern, eastern and southern regions of China, while iPhone supplier Hon Hai Precision, also know as Foxconn, said it will add solar power plants with a capacity of 400 MW, supplying the Zhengzhou factory in Henan province, by 2018. [Mobile World Live]

¶ It was announced that a strategic investment agreement has been signed for the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the UK. The Renewable Energy Association said it is struggling to see the larger joined-up vision of a national energy strategy. The strike price for nuclear power is about double that of solar. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ By the end of 2012, at the peak of the recent mining boom, the Australian coal industry had announced plans to triple or even quadruple black coal production on 2010 levels by 2030. Less than three years after such announcements were made, however, a number of the relevant projects have become financially unviable. [The Conversation AU]

Australian strip mine. Photo by Stephen Codrington. CC BY-SA 2.5. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Globally, coal mining companies are on the edge of the financial abyss. More planned coal plants are being cancelled than built, as renewable energy is attracting more investment than coal, a WWF report says. In 2014, 59% of net additions to global power capacity were from renewable energy, nearly 80% in Europe. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]

¶ Green energy provider Ecotricity has announced plans to build three new ‘hybrid’ renewable energy parks, combining wind and solar power generation in the same project. Hybrid renewable energy parks combine wind and solar power generation using the same grid connection to maximise efficiency and reduce initial costs. [edie.net]

¶ Mexico is planning to quadruple its wind-power capacity as part of its president’s efforts to transform its energy industry. The country expects to have about 10 GW of turbines in operation within three years spread across almost every region, up from 2.5 GW in 2014. The government plans for 20 GW of clean energy by 2030. [Bloomberg]

Mexican wind turbines. Photo by Laloixx. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons

¶ Origin Energy, Australia’s biggest electricity retailer, says it will embrace new products such as rooftop solar, batteries for storage and smart meters. It is making a major pitch to shareholders and consumers that it is shifting its focus from fossil fuels to disruptive new technologies, and it intends to be a leader in Australian solar power. [RenewEconomy]

¶ The No 2 reactor at Kyushu Electric Power Co’s Sendai nuclear power plant here in the southwestern city of Satsumasendai started generating and transmitting electricity on Wednesday. Kyushu Electric will raise the reactor’s output to 30% of capacity later on Wednesday and to full capacity in about 10 days, if no trouble emerges. [The Japan News]

US:

¶ GTM Research identifies community solar as the next largest solar growth market in the United States. Over the next two years, community solar in the US is poised to see its market share increase sevenfold, and by 2020 GTM Research expects US community solar to be a half-gigawatt annual market. [Green Building Elements]

The 550 kW Harvard Community Solar Garden is the first shareholder-owned solar garden in Massachusetts. Photo courtesy of Steven Strong, president of Solar Design Associates.

¶ Once the 3,088 panels of the solar array are turned on, the former sewage lagoon in Peterborough, New Hampshire, will be transformed into a golden, sunlit field. The 944-kW solar array will be the largest in New Hampshire. The town will celebrate the event by holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November. [Monadnock Ledger Transcript]

¶ Currently, about 200 Arctic Alaskan communities use diesel fuel as their primary source of electricity and heat. The costs to transport diesel to the Far North are significant, and these rural villages pay more for power than people do anywhere else in the US. One community, however, has turned to wind power, and it’s working. [Grist]

¶ New studies, using state-of-the-art seismic mapping technology, show that fault lines threatening the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant are more complex and interconnected than Diablo’s designers could have known. This complexity implies that the seismic predictions used to justify the plant’s location were wrong. [Santa Barbara Independent]

World:

¶ Australia has not just reached socket parity, it has smashed it, according to a report from Beyond Zero Emissions. In most cities in Australia, the cost of rooftop solar is now less than half the price of grid-based power. Indeed, even some utilities offer to install rooftop solar on your roof for free, and charge only 11¢/kWh for the output. [One Step Off The Grid]

Australia at grid parity.

¶ An unprecedented alliance of heads of state, city, and state leaders, has called for countries around the world to put a price on carbon. The call comes by way of the Carbon Pricing Panel, a group of world leaders convened by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde. [CleanTechnica]

¶ China’s leader is expected to put the seal later on its contribution to what will be the first UK nuclear power plant built in a generation. The Hinkley C plant could be opened by 2025, with China likely to cover about 30% of the cost. President Xi Jinping is meeting Prime Minister David Cameron on the second day of his UK state visit. [BBC]

¶ The Solar Trade Association claims solar could provide as much power as Hinkley Point C at half the cost. The plant was ridiculed as a white elephant in the House of Lords. Criticism of an expected nuclear deal with China is still growing. At current price estimates of £24.5 billion, it will be the world’s most expensive power plant. [Solar Power Portal]

¶ Eight months after becoming the first capital city to divest from coal, Oslo has announced it intends to divest its pension fund from all fossil fuels. According to Fossil Free Europe, which reported the news Monday, the City of Oslo announced that it intends to divest its $9 billion pension fund from coal, oil, and gas companies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Cars remained in the news over the past week, with VW facing further consequences of the diesel emissions scandal – while other car manufacturers are considering the effects of the scandal for each of them. The new emphasis on EVs by Volvo and Toyota is being mirrored by such car makers as Aston Martin Lagonda. [Business Spectator]

¶ China added 9.9 GW of PV power-generation capacity in the first nine months of 2015, the National Energy Administration said. The amount includes 8.32 GW from PV power stations and 1.58 GW from distributed PV power projects, according to NEA figures. China’s cumulative-installed capacity for solar PV power hit 37.95 GW. [China Daily]

¶ Google will buy out Vestas’ 12.5% stake in the Lake Turkana Wind Project in Kenya after it is up and running. Vestas said Google would purchase the stake for an undisclosed amount once the project was completed in 2017. The Lake Turkana wind project will have a capacity of 310 MW and will cost about $700 million. [TV Newsroom]

Google will invest in the Lake Turkana Wind Project

US:

¶ The Eastern Navajo Nation Agency is exploring the possibility of building a solar farm as part of efforts to chart a “new path,” according to a tribal official. The proposed project would deliver 2,100 MW of PV power at the Paragon-Bisti Energy Renewable Ranch, a 22,000-acre parcel south of Farmington, New Mexico. [Farmington Daily Times]

¶ Yuba County, California, supervisors authorized the sale of bonds for installation of a $5.8 million solar project at the county airport. Combined with projects that power the County Government Center in Marysville and Health and Human Services in Linda, the new array will result in all 13 county facilities being solar powered. [Appeal-Democrat]

¶ Microgrids work for utilities. During California’s Butte Fire, PG&E asked Jackson Rancheria’s microgrid to stay off-grid for two days. Then it turned out to be a week. And then things didn’t work out for them, so the rancheria stayed off the grid for 10 days. It marked the 14th time this year the rancheria was asked to go off grid. [Government Technology]

In September, the Butte fire killed two people, burned 475 homes and charred nearly 71,000 acres, mainly in California’s Calaveras County. Flickr/Eileen McFall

¶ As the fate of a nuclear plant in New York’s Oswego County hangs in the balance, tensions are rising between Governor Andrew Cuomo and the plant’s operators. On Monday, Cuomo released a statement accusing Entergy of using its employees as pawns in an attempt to win financial incentives for the FitzPatrick nuclear. [Capital New York]

¶ The EPA has announced its annual Green Power Leadership Awards recognizing 22 Green Power Partners and three renewable energy suppliers across the country. All three winners in the onsite generation category use of landfill gas or biogas. The awards were presented at the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference. [Biomass Magazine]

¶ Last week, Lander-Grinspoon Academy, in Northampton, Massachusetts, turned on 147 solar panels that were installed on its roof over the summer. The panels were installed by Greenfield-based Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics, or PV Squared, over the course of two weeks, and are now providing power for the whole building. [GazetteNET]

¶ Two representatives in the Michigan legislature from different political points of view are uniting on renewable energy. Jeff Irwin is a proud progressive, and Gary Glenn is widely considered one of the most conservative Republicans. But they’re working together on an energy package to encourage renewable energy in Michigan. [MLive.com]

World:

¶ China is urging its top wind and solar power production provinces to prioritize transmission of renewable energy over conventional energy sources as it seeks to get more clean power onto the grid. More than 15% of energy generated by wind power in the first half of this year suffered from curtailment, according to official data. [Reuters]

A security guard stands in front of windmills used to generate energy in Shanghai November 28, 2011. REUTERS/Aly Song

¶ In Canada, the Liberal party, under the leadership of 43-year old Justin Trudeau, swept to victory in the Canadian federal elections. The Liberals have won at least 184 seats, 14 seats more than needed to form a majority government. The Trudeau government is pledged to “Make critical investments” in the clean energy industry. [Biobased Digest]

¶ Australian electricity retailers continue to sit on their hands, refusing to sign power purchase agreements for new large scale renewable energy projects. Some 3,800 MW of capacity will need to be committed within the next twelve months if a shortfall in the renewable energy target is to be avoided, but current penalties appear ineffectual. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Renewables are reducing the wholesale price of energy and as a result offsetting a large part of the impact of subsidies on bill payers, according to a report by UK power supplier Good Energy Group. The report responds to government announcements in recent months that it will cut renewables support control costs for consumers. [SeeNews Renewables]

An Impressive Bank of Solar Panels St Marks Close, Bramley Green. Photo by Sebastian Ballard. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ One of India’s largest private power generation companies, Reliance Power, has decided to make a major transition to solar generation. Work on a 3,960-MW power plant has now stopped as the company expressed its inability to low-priced power from it. With India’s push to solar power, the company is looking to make a switch.  [CleanTechnica]

¶ French renewables firm Vergnet will add 13 MW of PV capacity in Nigeria’s southwestern Osun state for a total cost of €35 million ($39.6 million). Apart from the facility itself, the deal also covers certain training activities aimed at paving the way for future technology transfers between the two countries. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ German industrial group Siemens AG unveiled a new DC solution for connecting offshore wind turbines to the grid which can lower costs by as much as 30%. The platform involves a DC cable that can connect several of these platforms sequentially in a wind farm and then route them to an onshore transformer substation. [SeeNews Renewables]

Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm. Source: Siemens AG.

¶ Assuming a return of between 3% and 7% for financing the construction of reactors, and fossil-fuel generators will have to pay $30 per ton for their carbon emissions, nuclear power is cheaper than coal and natural gas, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report. The agency’s mission is to promote the use of atomic energy. [Bloomberg]

¶ The first UK nuclear power plant in a generation will be 33.5% owned by China, with EDF set to announce a landmark deal on Hinkley Point on Wednesday. Bosses at the French energy giant, which is building the £24.5 billion station in Somerset, reportedly have sealed an agreement with executives from China’s state-owned CGN. [Telegraph.co.uk]

¶ Japan has acknowledged a possible first casualty from radiation at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, a worker who was diagnosed with cancer after the crisis broke out in 2011. [NBCNews.com] (The Fukushima plant manager died of cancer after the meltdowns, but those in charge decided that it had nothing to do with radiation.)

US:

¶ A ten-year review of the Renewable Fuel Standard by researchers at the University of Tennessee found that the RFS is “too reliant” on corn ethanol and is not a “bridge” to renewables. It says that the production of this biofuel is resulting in additional water and soil problems, as well as “hampering advancements” in other biofuels. [CleanTechnica]

Archer Daniels Midland corn-processing plant near Columbus, Nebraska. Photo by Ammodramus. Placed in the public domain by author. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ A report from Navigant Consulting finds significant economic benefits take place in Illinois and Massachusetts while curbing energy use during peak demand periods. By using demand response systems to compensate customers for curbing their electricity use during times of peak demand, significant economic savings are achieved. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Canadian firm Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp said it will jointly build the 150-MW Deerfield wind project in Michigan with its developer, Renewable Energy Systems Americas. The $303 million project has a power purchase agreement in place with Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative and has already started construction. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ The Vermont Public Service Board held a public hearing to allow area residents to comment or ask questions about a proposed Green Mountain Power solar array in Hartford. The company would buy 47-acres just west of the Quechee Gorge off of Quechee-Hartland Road to build a 4.99-MW solar array. There was no reported opposition. [Valley News]

¶ San Diego-based EDF Renewable Energy will build a 123-MW wind farm north of Dallas to power Procter & Gamble plants, P&G announced at the White House. P&G was one of eighty companies signing the “American Business Act on Climate Pledge” to achieve 30% renewable energy power to its plants globally by 2020. [Chron.com]

World:

¶ Small and medium-sized hydro projects are being abandoned across Scotland following controversial changes in subsidy arrangements made by the government at Whitehall since the General Election. It will mean many millions of pounds of investment being lost and the potential for much-needed jobs in rural communities. [Herald Scotland]

A small hydro turbine building in a Scottish wilderness.

¶ Dutch company Seawind is developing an offshore wind system integrating a 6.2-MW wind turbine with self-installing support structures for water depths over ten meters. The aim of the system is to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy from its current level of up to €0.20 per kWh to below €0.09 within five years. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ Xinhua News Agency says China’s solar PV power capacity will hit 150 GW by 2020. The agency referenced information from the National Energy Administration, which said country’s total solar PV power capacity standing at 35.8 GW at the end of June, and that China will attempt to increase PV capacity by 20 GW each year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Envision Energy, a Chinese manufacturer of low-speed wind energy turbines, has acquired a majority stake in a portfolio of Mexican wind energy projects with total capacity of 600 MW. The construction of the projects is yet to start, and is expected for 2016, with operations scheduled to begin by the end of the same year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Protesters opposing Hinkley C have set up camp on a roundabout at the gates of the UK’s proposed nuclear site. They erected a compound in the early hours of Monday, October 19. They have written banners in Chinese telling the visiting Chinese President that EDF’s Hinkley C would be “a bad investment” for the Chinese state. [Western Gazette]

Artist’s rendering of the Hinkley C nuclear power plant

¶ The UN’s chief environment scientist has attacked the UK government over its stance on renewable energy subsidies. She told the BBC the UK was sending “a very serious signal – a very perverse signal” by cutting support for renewable energy while appearing to continue heavily subsidising fossil fuels. [Solar Power Portal]

¶ The UK Government says is necessary to stop spiralling renewables support costs. The Solar Trade Association, warning the move could cost up to 27,000 jobs, has launched a £1 solar rescue plan, which it says would add just £1 to consumer bills by 2019, on top of the £9 a year that clean technology currently cost ratepayers. [Energy Voice]

¶ Wind and solar farms brought down the wholesale cost of electricity by £1.55 billion in 2014, a study shows. The research comes as 30 community energy groups across the South West united to warn that subsidy cuts will cost jobs. The collective is calling on MPs as 3,000 of the 3,800 solar jobs in the region could be at risk. [Western Morning News]

¶ Minister for the Environment, Simon Corbell, told a Canberra tech conference that the country needs an ‘orderly exit plan’ from a dependency on coal-fired energy. He said that the solution for Australia’s electricity needs is a responsible policy that encourages long-term investment in emerging microgrid technologies. [OmniChannel Media]

Wind turbines in an Australian desert.

US:

¶ New York’s Westchester County will soon procure clean energy for around 75,000 residents. Over 15 municipalities are banding together to aggregate their demand for cleaner power sources and lower their energy bills through competitive bidding. The project is New York’s first implementation of community choice aggregation. [GreenBiz]

¶ The city of Bakersfield, California, has passed a resolution urging Congress to extend the federal Investment Tax Credit for solar energy. Bakersfield may be the first city in America to officially pass such a resolution supporting the solar tax credit. One reason is that solar power contributes billions to the California economy. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ The Adani-owned Carmichael mine in central Queensland was approved last week by Environment Minister Greg Hunt. He said the mine would have “strictest conditions in Australian history” but environment groups say the mine, which will produce up to 60 million tonnes of coal for export a year, will be “a disaster.” [Sydney Morning Herald]

Queensland’s Abbot Point, surrounded by wetlands and coral reefs, is set to become the worlds largest coal port.

¶ According to the French Minister of Ecology and Energy, Segolene Royal, the government in the country is going to be extending the current program – which rewards a €10,000 bonus to those switching to an electric vehicle from a 15-year-old diesel car – to encompass diesel cars that are “only” 10 years old as well. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Indian state of Odisha has unveiled an ambitious plan to set up a 1,000-MW solar park. The park will need about 5,000 acres, but might be developed in clusters. It is to be developed as a public-private partnership and has been approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. It will cost ₹6500 crore ($1.2 billion). [Business Standard]

Odisha bets big on solar power, plans to set up 1,000-Mw park

¶ Oil and gas industry bosses pledged to curb gas flaring as they sought to boost their image ahead of a United Nations summit later this year. The leaders of ten companies that produce 20% of the world’s oil and gas recognised that current greenhouse gas levels were inconsistent with a global warming limit of 2° Celsius. [MENAFN.COM]

¶ Construction of the Lake Turkana Wind Power project in Kenya celebrated a long journey’s success and groundbreaking in July. Officially launched with an inauguration by President Uhuru Kenyatta in July, the project has a max capacity of 310 megawatts of sustainable power. Now, it is being built and changing people’s lives. [CleanTechnica]

Lake Turkana, in Kenya.

¶ A new plan currently under development by Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority could see the site of a former nuclear power station being converted to Scotland’s first experimental “green energy park”, bringing scores of jobs to an economically fragile area. [Herald Scotland]

¶ Phoenix Solar and its partner Millennium Energy Industries, have been jointly awarded an order to build a series of three photovoltaic power plants with a total capacity of 11 MW in Jordan. The project aims at providing three hotels in Jordan with the capability to generate 100% of their power needs from solar energy. [Utilities-ME.com]

US:

¶ Nebraska’s Pine Ridge is down to its last big stands of ponderosa pine. Most of the state’s elms are gone, the cottonwood is in decline and the ash, beloved for its brilliant autumnal yellow, will disappear soon. Trees are under assault through the combined effects of climate change, invasive species and changes in land use. [Omaha World-Herald]

Forested Hills in the Pine Ridge region of Nebraska. Photo by Spencer. CC BY-SA 2.5. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Even before Entergy announced that the Pilgrim nuclear plant would close, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker had two filed bills ready. One would encourage Massachusetts utilities to enter into long-term contracts with renewable energy producers. The other would raise existing caps on the state’s net metering program. [Valley News]

¶ Washington County, Maryland, entered a public-private partnership with EPG Solar in 2012 to develop solar farms. They should produce a peak capacity of about 8 MW by the end of the year. A report last month from Environment Maryland Research & Policy Center found Maryland’s solar capacity grew 50% last year. [Herald-Mail Media]

¶ The National Wildlife Federation issued a report outlining the many ways that climate change is affecting wetlands, rivers and lakes and the fish and wildlife that inhabit them. The report was released just weeks after the US EPA unveiled its Clean Power Plan, an effort to reduce carbon pollution from the nation’s power plants. [Montana Standard]

Science and Technology:

¶ When 149 countries, with 87% of the global population and 86% of climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions, had submitted their carbon-curbing pledges to the UN, Climate Action Tracker, a tool developed to model changes, said the pledges would put world is on course for average global warming of about 2.7° C. [Yahoo News UK]

The Climate Action Tracker, a tool developed by a group of research organisations, in September predicted the Earth was on track for average warming of 3 degrees Celsius by 2100. AFP/AFP/File

World:

¶ Data from the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy says 4.35 GW of utility-scale solar and grid connected rooftop solar capacity will be added during FY 2015-16, with FY 2016-17 numbers adding up to 10.86 GW. This would multiply India’s cumulative installed solar capacity of 4 GW by more than four. [CleanTechnica]

¶ UK energy supplier Ovo Energy announced it has removed coal and nuclear power from its energy supplies, as part of a new initiative to accelerate the transition to a gas and renewables-based energy mix. The company said this would cut its carbon emissions by 34% but have no impact on customers’ rates. [Business Green]

¶ China’s wind power capacity is to hit 120 GW by the end of 2015, according to the National Energy Administration. Wind power capacity reached 105 GW by the end of June this year, making it an important part of China’s energy mix, according to a representative of the NEA’s New and Renewable Energy Department. [Moneycontrol.com]

¶ BMW South Africa’s Rosslyn, Pretoria, plant will get up to 30% of its power through renewable energy from a biogas project, the German car maker announced. About 40,000 tonnes of cattle manure and 20,000 tonnes of organic waste will be fed into digesters each year to produce biogas to drive a gas engine for power. [TechCentral]

A part of BMW’s Rosslyn plant (image: BMW)

¶ Bengaluru, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, is facing the worst power crisis of the decade. The city is gearing up for day-long power cuts on weekends, as the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has not been able to purchase power from other states so far. Power cuts of six hours have already become common in the city. [India Today]

¶ A survey by non-profit ethical investment platform Ethex concluded that 2.9% of the UK’s population are now actively involved in so-called “positive investing and saving.” Investment in values-driven enterprises grew 11% in the last year, the report says, reaching £3.6 billion, with projections they will grow to £11 billion by 2020. [Business Green]

¶ China-based construction machinery company Sany Group plans to invest about $5 billion in the Indian renewable energy sector. About $3 billion of the investment will be to install 2,000 MW of capacity between 2016 and 2020. The renewable projects are expected to generate 4.8 TWh of clean power annually. [Energy Business Review]

¶ Chile’s renewable power generation grew 17.8% year-on-year to 623 GWh last month, reaching 10.8% of total output, according to a monthly government report. Wind power was 28.9% of renewable sources, followed by mini hydro plants at 23.69%, biomass at 23.31%, solar systems at 21.06%, and biogas at 3.12%. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind farm in Chile. Featured Image: Pablo Rogat/Shutterstock.com

¶ Climate change is taking a heavy toll on Canada’s far north. Buildings collapsing as melting permafrost destroys foundations, rivers running low, and wildfires all drain limited finances. With a population less than 50,000, the Northwest Territories spent more than $140 million in two years on problems linked to global warming. [Reuters]

US:

¶ The United States is quickly approaching a major milestone when it comes to solar power systems installed at homes. More than 1 million homes should have solar panels installed on their rooftops by February 2016. This highlights the aggressive growth that the solar sector has been seeing over the past year. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

¶ Texas’ primary grid operator, ERCOT, released an updated Analysis of the Impacts of the Clean Power Plan and there are some bright spots. ERCOT’s analysis confirms that compliance with the plan will keep Texans’ 2030 electric bills below 2002 prices, when Texas first opened the electric market to competition. [Environmental Defense Fund]

Texas power plant. Pixabay.

¶ The city council members of Elgin, Illinois, voted to go green. A one-year contract, which council members approved by a narrow majority this week, went to Dynegy Energy Services, which will supply 100% green electricity at the rate of 6.798¢ per kWh starting in January, saving customers an average of $22 each year. [Chicago Daily Herald]

¶ A federal judge approved a $4.3 million settlement in the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians’ Clean Air Act lawsuit against a Nevada utility that polluted the tribe’s land by openly dumping coal ash. The settlement requires Nevada Power to pay $4.3 million to the tribe and close the Reid Gardner plant by December 31, 2017. [Courthouse News Service]

¶ Entergy announced it will take a $965 million charge against its third-quarter earnings for the decreased value of its FitzPatrick nuclear plant, which the company has said it might close. The write-down does not mean that a final decision has been reached about whether to close FitzPatrick, an Entergy representative said. [Syracuse.com]

Opinion:

¶ Kochi Airport’s Major Milestone Could Be The Answer To India’s Depleting Coal Capacity • India is heavily reliant on coal for its electricity needs. A report indicates that India’s contribution amounted to 28%, or almost a third of global emissions growth in 2014 alone. A move by Kochi Airport comes as a much-needed breather. [Youth Ki Awaaz]

Kochi Airport. Image source: WordPress

¶ A Low Carbon World – Are We Finally Getting It? • As we move closer to the Paris climate talks, ever more stakeholders seem to be ready to be part of the solution. Negotiations bogged down in zero-sum confrontations suddenly have a ring of can-do optimism about them. Why? … Actually, the new question seems to be: “Why not?” [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ Inox Wind has commissioned a wind farm of 116 MW capacity in Gujarat. The wind farm will prevent the burning of 0.17 million tonnes of coal and the creation of 0.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Inox Wind also commissioned a sub-station capacity capable of carrying 400 MW for further expansion. [CleanTechnica]

¶ SBJ Cleantech, a joint venture of SoftBank, Foxconn, and Bharti Enterprises, has stuck its first deal in the solar power market. It signed an agreement with the state government of Andhra Pradesh to set up 2 GW of solar capacity, which will be further expanded. The company will also set up 1 GW wind capacity in the state. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Irish power utility Electricity Supply Board inaugurated a 20-MW wind farm in County Waterford. The Woodhouse wind farm is expected to produce enough power for 10,000 homes. It consists of eight 2.5-MW Nordex turbines. Including this €33 million power plant, ESB’s 15 Irish wind farms have total capacity of 300 MW. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind farm in Ireland. Author: Harry Pears. License: Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

¶ Cuba says it is working to increase by six times the use of renewable energy in the national energy matrix by 2030. Among things it will do is to build 13 large wind energy farms capable of producing 633 MW. Cuba’s program is aimed at raising renewable energy sources to 24% of the country’s power generation. [postzambia.com]

¶ Vestas wind turbines have reached a global capacity landmark figure of 70 GW, enough to cover the annual electricity needs of 75 million Europeans. Vestas have installed 55,000 turbines, and Vestas believes its success provides evidence that wind energy provides the best combination of low-cost, availability and carbon-free energy. [reNews]

¶ Oil and gas industry leaders have launched a final charm offensive to highlight the sector’s relevance in the global fight against climate change before a key summit in Paris later this year. The leaders of 10 gas and oil companies issued a statement calling for an “effective” agreement at the United Nations climate change summit. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems announced it has received a firm order for 144 MW to be supplied for a project in Michigan. The supply-only contract calls for Vestas to deliver 72 pieces of its V110-2.0 MW turbine model. A 10-year Active Output Management 5000 service deal has also been agreed. [SeeNews Renewables]

Vestas wind turbine. Source: RenewableUK. License: All Rights Reserved.

¶ At a conference of American energy firms meeting about national security concerns, US law enforcement officials revealed ISIS is trying to hack American electrical power companies. They said the attacks by the Islamic State have been unsuccessful. Terrorists are not currently using the most sophisticated hacking tools as yet. [CNN Money]

¶ The US clean tech industry employed more than 1.47 million people during second quarter of 2015, marking an increase of 16% on the same period last year. The Institute said July 2015 saw the number of new jobs being created in the industry more than double year-on-year. August 2015 saw an increase of 57%. [Business Green]

¶ The James FitzPatrick nuclear plant in Oswego County, New York, may close. The Ginna plant is on life support. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he wants to close Indian Point. Vermont Yankee is down. Pilgrim is going down. Some nuclear experts say this may be a denouement to the story of nuclear power in the United States. [Capital New York]

Indian Point. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

¶ Aviation researchers and industry leaders came together to push for renewable fuels to replace fossil fuels in jets. Without them regulatory pressures could hamper the growth of commercial aviation. Aviation uses less than 6% of the world’s fossil fuel, the industry is highly vulnerable to regulations. [Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle)]

¶ A national network of utility interest groups and fossil-fuel industry-funded think tanks is providing funding, model legislation, and political cover for anti-solar campaigns across the country, and would-be solar power owners could pay the price, said a new report by Environment New York Research & Policy Center. [Long Island Exchange]

¶ Oklahoma is on track for more than 900 earthquakes this year, many presumed to be linked to oil and gas production. Cushing, the key pipeline and tank crossroads for the oil industry, just experienced a 4.5 quake Saturday. It came right after a government report found nearby geologic faults had awakened and reactivated. [KERA News]

World:

¶ Ormat Technologies Inc and Toshiba Corp have signed a strategic collaboration agreement that will bring together the companies’ expertise in different geothermal technologies. The two will explore ways to provide a more competitive offering for comprehensive geothermal development to capture a larger market share. [SeeNews Renewables]

Geothermal power plant. Featured Image: cate_89/Shutterstock.com

¶ Australian developers hope to tap into the voracious demand for clean energy from the big north Asian economies, and create a “solar fuels” export industry at a scale many would find unimaginable. Proponents are talking of developing massive solar arrays in the Australian outback at a scale of “multiple tens” of gigawatts. [RenewEconomy]

¶ On October 15 Japan restarted a second nuclear reactor after a shutdown triggered by the 2011 Fukushima crisis, as the government pushes to return to a cheaper energy source. The development is despite widespread public opposition. Engineers will now spend several days bringing the newly restarted reactor up to operational level. [Channel News Asia]

¶ Navigant Research has concluded that revenue from the global market for solar PV combined with energy storage nanogrids will expand rapidly through 2024. Navigant Research says the market for nanogrids based on PVs and energy storage nanogrids is likely to reach $23.1 billion, up from its current $1.2 billion in 2015. [CleanTechnica]

Total Solar PV plus Energy Storage Nanogrid Capacity and Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2015-2024. Source: Navigant Research

¶ The 21 member-economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation seek to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, double renewable energy use, and promote nuclear energy. Their goals include global energy security, sustainable development, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil fuel subsides are estimated at $5.3 billion annually. [InterAksyon]

¶ German energy giant E.ON said it would sell its Norwegian oil and gas exploration business to Deutsche Erdoel DEA for $1.6 billion (€1.4 billion) as it shifts focus to renewable energy. E.ON, hit by Germany’s green energy transition, said last year it would spin off its conventional power activities to focus on renewable energy. [Daily Sabah]

¶ The government of the UK is facing growing pressure to ease off on its plans to cut subsidies for renewable energy that have helped hundreds and thousands of people install rooftop solar panels, just days before a consultation on the feed-in tariff review closes. The government’s feed-in tariff review, proposes cuts of up to 87%. [Business Green]

¶ Two ageing nuclear reactors at the Oskarshamn plant in Sweden will be decommissioned, according to the owner and operator, OKG. The Oskarshamn 1 reactor will be closed between 2017 and 2019; no date was provided for the closure of the Oskarshamn 2 reactor. Sweden gets 38% of its power from nuclear plants. [Gulf Times]

AFP/Stockholm

¶ Taking forward an announcement made by the Indian Prime Minister on August 15, the Union ministry of power has readied a plan to electrify 18,500 villages in seventeen states over the course of three years. Of these villages, around 3,500 would get their electricity through off-grid or renewable energy solutions. [Business Standard]

¶ Net retail sales of ethical and socially responsible investment funds in the UK have more than doubled from £206 million in 2013 to £460 million in 2014. However the UK has some catching up to do. Funds under management in this area have grown from $13.3 trillion at the start of 2012 to $21.4 trillion at the start of 2014. [FT Adviser]

US:

¶ New figures from EnergySage show solar installation costs in the US for the first half of 2015 averaged around $3.79 per watt. This is one of the primary conclusions of EnergySage’s new 2H 2014-1H 2015 EnergySage Solar Marketplace Intel Report, which focused on the residential and small-scale commercial solar market. [CleanTechnica]

Two workers installing a tilt-up photovoltaic array on a roof near Poughkeepsie, NY. Photo by Lucas Braun. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Florida’s electric utilities have been fighting a battle over a proposed constitutional amendment intended to lift major obstacles to rooftop solar development. The issue is before the Florida Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on whether the proposed amendment can appear on the state’s November 2016 election ballot. [energybiz]

¶ The looming shutdown of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth is quickly changing the debate about energy on Beacon Hill, moving it out of the policy-wonk arena and into the political realm. The four big energy variables on the table are natural gas pipelines, Canadian hydropower, solar, and offshore wind. [CommonWealth magazine]

¶ The Democratic hopefuls for president vowed to embrace forceful measures to combat climate change in their curtain-raising debate last night. They did not explain how they would get help of Republican lawmakers needed to enact their plans. Four of the five candidates raised the climate issue in their opening statements. [Scientific American]

¶ The Hawaiian Public Utilities Commission has decided to do away with net energy metering, cutting the credit new Oahu PV customers get for sending excess energy to the grid from the current 26.8 cents per kWh to about 15 cents under a new grid supply program. Residents of the other islands will get different rates. [Hawaii News Now]

World:

¶ The Swedish government seeks to become the world’s first fossil fuel free nation. The country says it is laying the groundwork and reinforcing progress at every turn. It will be spending an extra $546 million on renewable energy and climate change action, according to “The Budget Bill for 2016 – Investing in Sweden’s Future.” [CleanTechnica]

Image by magnus.johansson10 (CC BY-SA)

¶ Siemens announced it had been awarded the contract to supply, install, and commission 54 of its direct-drive, SWT-3.2-101 wind turbines, amounting to 172.8 MW, for the Clyde Extension project. The project will increase the capacity of one of Europe’s largest onshore wind power plants to an impressive 523 MW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Kenya’s electricity generator said on Wednesday it plans to add 511 MW of renewable energy to the national grid by the end of 2018. Electricity Generating Company MD Albert Mugo told an investor briefing in Nairobi that construction of the first 70 MW of geothermal power will begin in the first quarter of 2016. [Coastweek]

¶ Home to about 300 people, Tyalgum, New South Wales, is at the centre of a project to create the first Australian town powered by 100% renewable energy, with the potential to voluntarily disconnect from the electricity grid. It could save the community about $580,000 each year in energy costs, a feasibility study says. [The New Daily]

US:

¶ In 2008 the USGS reported that California has a 99% chance of a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake in the next 30 years. Just last year a 6.0 magnitude earthquake knocked out power to more than 40,000 people in the San Francisco Bay area. The City of San Francisco is not taking chances – they’re preparing with microgrids. [RMI Outlet]

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

¶ Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, will close no later than June 1, 2019, its Louisiana-based operator announced Tuesday morning. In its news release, Entergy said the exact timing, which depends on several factors, including discussions with regulators, would be decided during the first half of next year. [Fx Report Daily]

¶ Oregonians may get to vote on ballot initiatives that force utilities to phase out the sale of electricity from coal-fired plants and boost renewable energy. Two ballot measures were filed to require utilities to stop selling power from coal-fired plants by 2030 and mandate that 50% of energy from renewable sources by 2040. [Pamplin Media Group]

¶ US independent power producer EDF Renewable Energy said that the 194-MW Spinning Spur 3 wind farm in Texas has achieved commercial operation in late September, three months ahead of schedule. The facility consists of 97 units of Vestas’ V-100 2 MW turbines and generates enough power for 58,200 households. [SeeNews Renewables]

Wind park in Texas. Author: Rockin’Rita. Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic.

¶ A report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory says the increasing cost-effectiveness of solar power has resulted in a 70% decline in the prices of power purchase agreements since 2009. The report predicts the prices will continue to decline, while natural gas prices are expected to float upward with increased demand. [Solar Industry]

¶ Tesla battery packs will be used to part-power 24 office buildings in California. The Irvine Company, a real-estate firm with properties throughout California, will install Tesla battery systems the size of five parking spaces, that will reduce peak grid energy consumption across the company’s entire portfolio by 25%. [edie.net]

¶ There is a fight brewing against the Clean Power Plan, but most utilities won’t be a part of it, the Wall Street Journal reports. President Obama’s plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions largely aligns with market forces that the industry has already been following, including a greater focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. [Utility Dive]

World:

¶ In 2013, renewables accounted for 5% of Africa’s needs but this figure could reach 22% over the next 15 years, the International Renewable Energy Agency said in its Africa 2030 report. Africa’s energy production must double and its electricity production triple to keep up with the pace of development and meet demand. [Yahoo7 News]

Portion of the Cookhouse Wind Farms in South Africa. Photo by NJR ZA. CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Genex Power has unveiled plans to build a 150-MW solar PV project at an old mine in Queensland, adjacent to a proposed 330-MW pumped hydro storage project. If it goes ahead, it could be the biggest solar plant in Australia, but it certainly will be the largest combined solar and storage project, and a world first on the latter metric. [CleanTechnica]

¶ VW has company. Emissions Analytics has tested almost 200 diesel cars from Audi, Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Citroen, Fiat, Volvo, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda, and Mitsubishi and found all but five of them emitted more nitrous oxide emissions in normal driving than they did during official testing – up to 20 times more. [CleanTechnica]

¶ According to new calculations by Platform London, and released in conjunction with 350.org, Friends of the Earth, and Community Reinvest, failed investments in coal firms caused by the recent coal crash cost UK local council pension funds up to £683 million, with Greater Manchester’s interests in coal crashing by £148 million. [CleanTechnica]

Open pit coal mine in green countryside.

¶ Europe’s climate change chief says he is astonished at the positive progress by governments towards a global deal on CO2, saying even six months ago he would not have believed such commitments would appear. He warned, though, that the pledges had not yet reached the level needed to prevent potentially dangerous warming. [BBC]

¶ Australia’s energy markets are on the cusp of rapid change, but it is not just the prospect of individuals quitting the grid that represents the biggest challenge to industry incumbents. It’s possible whole towns and communities will defect. The creation of micro-grids is seen by many as an obvious community-based solution. [RenewEconomy]

¶ The Isle of Man Government granted a survey licence for a local company to explore the possibility of developing a tidal array on an area of the island’s seabed. The seven-year agreement will enable Manx Tidal Energy Limited’s preliminary study on the commercial viability of offshore electricity production. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]

Chicken Rock Lighthouse, Isle of Man. Photo by Andy Stephenson. CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ For the French nuclear industry the past five years have been a tale of technical problems and cost overruns that brought Areva to its knees and called into question the country’s ability to deliver on next generation technology. A Finnish reactor is ten years behind schedule. A French reactor is at 350% of its budget. And it goes on. [Financial Times]

US:

¶ Pennsylvania has seen jump from 100 natural gas fracking wells in 2006 to 8,000 today. A study from Johns Hopkins University suggests that the industry’s growth has come at high price for local residents, especially expectant mothers. Along with increases in fracking have come increases in high-risk pregnancy and premature birth. [CleanTechnica]

Tower for drilling horizontally into the Marcellus Shale Formation for natural gas. Photo by Ruhrfisch. GFDL. CC-BY-SA. Wikimedia Commons.

¶ Colorado’s second-biggest power generation company is upping the ante on renewable energy. The Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a wholesale power supplier for 1.5 million customers, announced it will buy all the power from a new 25-MW solar power station in southwest New Mexico. [9NEWS.com]

¶ During the Polar Vortex cold, grid operator PJM only barely met demand. Over the past several months, Environmental Defense Fund and The Accelerate Group have been working closely with PJM, and others in Chicago to develop an innovative pilot program to how demonstrate demand response can play a vital role in grid stability. [Breaking Energy]

¶ Construction on a 7-MW/3.5-MWh energy storage facility in Ohio is scheduled to begin this month, with completion expected in February. It will be tied to a PV plant, which will be online by the end of the year. Changes to the state’s renewable energy standard made the owners of the plant look for added value from other sources. [pv magazine]

World:

¶ So far, about 150 nations have promised the UN to curb CO2 emissions, but analysts say the pledges are not enough. One think-tank estimates current promises will lead to a global temperature rise of about 2.7° C, well over the 2° C “safety threshold.” At a meeting of 36 nations in Morocco, governments will judge for themselves. [BBC]

How fast are countries prepared to decarbonise their economies?

¶ Sunlabob Renewable Energy Ltd recently finalized a contract to provide turnkey implementation of eleven solar-powered micro-grids in remote communities of Myanmar. The micro-grids will provide reliable, clean energy access at the household level in eleven villages throughout Shan State and Chin State, Myanmar. [pv magazine]

¶ German utilities’ reserves for the country’s planned exit from nuclear power are adequate, the ministry for economics and energy says, citing a government-commissioned report on the matter. “The affected companies have fully covered the costs with the designated provisions,” economics minister Sigmar Gabriel said. [The Australian]

¶ Gamesa has won new orders in several countries around the world, including India and Brazil with a new 8-MW offshore wind turbine on the way via a joint venture with Areva. Also, Gamesa is to build a 40-MW turnkey wind farm in India for ReNew Power, one of India’s leading independent power producers. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ US firm First Solar Inc installed the last of the 677,760 PV panels at AGL Energy Ltd’s 53-MW Broken Hill solar park in New South Wales, Australia. Roughly half of the capacity was put into operation in mid-September. The rest is expected to come online later in October, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency said. [SeeNews Renewables]

Solar park. Author: Chris Baird. License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic.

¶ India’s strategy of a foreign currency-denominated tariff plan for solar energy is aimed at providing solar power at a new low of ₹4.75 (7¢) per unit to the states. It will provide a purchase guarantee, making such projects bankable and helping solar power eventually cost the same as that purchased from the grid (ie, at grid parity). [Livemint]

¶ Every house in Canberra’s newest suburb will have solar panels installed. Denman Prospect will be Australia’s first suburb to have a minimum requirement for solar power installation on all residences; with each house to have a minimum 3-kW system. Each system is expected to generate approximately 4,146 kW annually. [Energy Matters]

¶ A fleet of 10 Renault electric vehicles powered by renewable energy are now available to hire by residents and visitors to the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The cars come to the region through a partnership between E-Car Club and the wind farm operators and are powered almost entirely by the wind farm’s renewable energy. [EV Fleet World]

US:

¶ Following in the footsteps of Burlington, Vermont and Greensburg, Kansas, Aspen, Colorado has weaned its electric power from fossil fuels and is running 100% on renewables. Aspen’s “Canary Action Plan” commits to reducing the community’s remaining greenhouse emissions 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. [EarthTechling]

Aspen, Colorado. CC License

¶ For every dollar spent on energy efficiency last year, Michigan ratepayers realized benefits of $4.38, a report from the Michigan Public Service Commission says. Between 2010 and 2014, the overall cost of the state’s Energy Optimization program has been $1.1 billion, but the lifetime savings to all ratepayers will be $4.2 billion. [MiBiz]

Opinion:

¶ “New ways to put energy in the bank” There are many ways to store energy. Big batteries cost a lot of money. But concerns about climate change and consumer demand for clean energy are creating more demand for energy storage solutions – especially to fully capture the possibilities of alternative energy. [Los Angeles Times]

DESI (Distributed Energy Storage Integration) uses lithium-ion battery technology by NEC Energy Solutions to help Southern California Edison deliver more reliable electricity. (Ivan Penn / Los Angeles Times)

¶ “China’s green revolution” China has overtaken the US as the world’s largest economy, and over the past two decades its blitz of industrialization has pulled millions of people out of poverty. The world’s worst polluter is worried about climate change, and is now the biggest global investor in green technology. [The Week Magazine]

World:

¶ Provincial carbon pricing programs can both cut emissions and drive economic growth if managed correctly, according to experts. Despite some claims that a carbon tax would have negative impact, carbon pricing plans would have little impact on the economy in the short term and positive effects in the longer term. [National Observer]

¶ A group of 11 leading energy utilities from around the world have published a major report detailing how 50 different electricity technologies could play a role in meeting international climate change targets. It projects costs for solar PVs to fall to $1 per watt, and a new generation of nuclear reactors coming by the 2040s. [Business Green]

Walney Offshore Wind Farm. Photo: DONG Energy AS

¶ The Latrobe Valley in the Australian state of Victoria is home to four operating brown coal-fired power plants, which are the most greenhouse gas intensive in the country. Many of the region’s towns were founded or expanded on the back of the industry over the last century. Now the Greens are pushing for closing the plants. [The Age]

US:

¶ Hilton has announced a rollout of EV charging stations. The stations are being installed at fifty Hilton Worldwide hotels in the US by the end of 2015; and a hundred US hotels by the end of 2016. It is worth noting that different charging stations will be present for those driving Teslas and those driving other EVs or plug-in hybrids. [CleanTechnica]

Lansing Board of Water and Light’s Eckert Power plant uses coal to create electricity for their customers. Photo: Greg DeRuiter, Lansing State Journal

¶ Coal-fired power plants have supplied over 50% of the Michigan’s electricity generation for years, but that figure will soon drop. Due to old age and tighter environmental regulations, 25 coal units at Michigan power plants are scheduled to shut down by 2020. Likely replacements are gas, renewables, and efficiency. [Detroit Free Press]

¶ A $2.75 million settlement announced last month between Friends of Maine’s Mountains and SunEdison involving New England’s largest wind farm, near Bingham, has exposed a deep rift in the state’s wind-power resistance movement. While opponents decried it, parties to the settlement explained it in interviews. [Press Herald]

¶ Electric cars are few and far between in Oklahoma, but that isn’t stopping a startup company from charging ahead to find uses for the large advanced batteries once their driving life is over. Spiers New Technologies began in late 2014 in a warehouse in Oklahoma City. Now, it has 15 employees and contracts with car companies. [NewsOK.com]

¶ In North Carolina, state and local officials worry that an end this year to tax credits for solar farms could halt or significantly curtail an industry that has helped build the tax base and generate economic activity in job-hungry rural areas. The state budget passed last month does not include a 35% tax credit for solar energy. [Fayetteville Observer]