geoharvey

Opinion:

¶ “Energy innovation for Vermont” by Peter Shumlin – Pursuing clean energy policies in Vermont isn’t just about doing what is right for our environment and protecting our unrivaled quality of life. A thriving clean energy sector is also integral to our economy, keeping young people in Vermont … [BurlingtonFreePress.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ Tesla’s crusade against fossil fuels could soon hit home with a battery-powered energy pack. The company plans to start producing a home battery within six months, Bloomberg reports, and will reveal more details in the next month or two. Backup power is one application, but there are a number of others. [TechHive]

World:

¶ South Africa’s government is forging ahead with plans to spend as much as 1 trillion rand ($85 billion) on new nuclear plants, ignoring objections from environmental activists, opposition parties, unions and even its own advisers. Bids will be sought to add 9,600 MW of atomic power to the national grid. [Bloomberg]
…Greenpeace anti-nuclear activists unfurled a banner saying “nuclear investments cost the Earth,” at the 2nd Nuclear Industry Congress Africa 2015 in Sea Point on Thursday. “Not only is nuclear power controversial, but it would never be ready to alleviate this crisis,” Melita Steele of Greenpeace pointed out. [Independent Online]

¶ Belectric UK is collaborating in a project led by National Grid to show how solar PV and other renewable energy operators can help stabilize the frequency and voltage of distribution networks, protecting the UK from power blackouts and instability, and thus reduce grid reliance on spinning reserve. [solarserver.com]

¶ China boosted its installed wind energy capacity last year to a record 19.81 million kW as the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter pushes its power grid to cleaner energy sources. The National Energy Administration says that wind farms produced 153.4 billion kWh in 2014, 2.8% of total generated electricity. [The Denver Post]

¶ In an initiative of New Zealand company solarcity, customers have panels installed on their roofs but, rather than buying those panels, they instead buy the power produced from them at a rate lower than they can buy it from power companies. Furthermore, that rate is locked down for 20 years. [New Zealand Herald]

¶ An Irish renewable energy company has raised $760 million to build three wind farms in South Africa. Mainstream Renewable Power was awarded contracts for the wind farms totaling 360 MW by the Department of Energy under the third round of its Renewable Energy Procurement Programme. [Energy Live News]

¶ Lucky Electric Power Company Limited has finally got a green signal from the federal government for the setting up of $1 billion coal-based power plant in energy-scarce Pakistan. The LEPCL would be setting up the 660 MW power generation facility here at Port Qasim within the next five years. [Business Recorder]

¶ European utilities shut more coal and natural gas power plants in 2014 than in any year since at least 2009 amid falling demand for electricity and tougher pollution curbs. European Union power companies turned off 63% more coal- and gas-fed generation than they started; net decommissioning was 5 GW. [Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide]

¶ In Belgium, GDF Suez subsidiary Electrabel announced that the operation to shut down the 433 MW Doel 1 nuclear reactor will begin on 14 February, with the unit scheduled to cease operating on the following day. The 121 fuel assemblies in its core will then be removed and transferred to storage pools. [World Nuclear News]

US:

¶ An analysis of concerns raised by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation about the impact on grid reliability of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan for reducing carbon emissions from the electric power sector finds that reliability is unlikely to be materially affected. [IT Business Net]

¶ State utility regulators on Thursday unanimously directed Xcel Energy to go ahead with three large solar projects that will mean a tenfold increase in the amount of electricity generated from the sun in Minnesota. The projects are expected to be completed in 2016 to qualify for solar power tax credit. [Duluth News Tribune]

¶ The first utility-scale solar farm will be built to power the Tennessee Valley Authority in Alabama. TVA directors Thursday approved a 20-year lease with Next Era Energy Resources to buy the power generated by an 80-MW solar farm planned on nearly 600 acres in Northern Alabama. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

¶ Google is partnering with NextEra Energy to power its Googleplex headquarters in Mountain View at California. Beginning from 2016, Google will receive approximately 43 MW of wind energy from plants at Altamont Pass. As part of the deal, 370 old turbines will be replaced with 24 advanced ones. [Greentech Lead]

Science and Technology:

¶ The last time we checked into the “bionic leaf,” it involved making hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. Now a team of Harvard researchers have come up with a new twist: a bionic leaf that throws bacteria into the mix. The result goes one step beyond hydrogen to produce a steady stream of… rubbing alcohol! [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ Electric vehicle registrations in Europe rose by more than 60.9% in 2014, as compared to 2013, according to recent figures. Overall, 65,199 electric cars and commercial vehicles were registered in Europe during 2014, representing a significant increase over the previous year, which saw 42,194 EVs sold. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The quarterly solar PV module revenue made by the 20 leading global suppliers reached $5.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, an increase of 12% over the year prior, according to the latest report from IHS. The report showed a combination of sharp decline in solar PV module prices and higher revenues. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Reliance Power today inked a pact with government of the Indian state of Rajasthan government to develop a 6,000 MW solar park in the state over the next 10 years. A memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed by the state’s Chief Minister and Reliance Power’s CEO here today. [The Hans India]

¶ Japan’s atomic regulator on Thursday cleared two more of reactors for restart, another step towards returning the country to nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster of 2011 led to the shutdown of all units. The two reactors are at the Takahama nuclear station operated by Kansai Electric Power. [The Straits Times]

¶ Plans for Britain’s first new nuclear plant in a generation at Hinkley Point face fresh delays after French developer EDF warned a decision on building the reactors may still be a “considerable” time off. The decision from EDF was to be by the end of March 2015 but now looks unlikely to meet that deadline. [Telegraph.co.uk]

US:

¶ An Arizona energy company has inaugurated a solar array at Fort Huachuca that will provide about one-quarter of the Army base’s energy needs. The array produces 17.2 MW of power, making it one of the largest arrays on a US military facility, and will offset about 58,000 tons of carbon emissions annually. [UPI.com]

¶ Two West Virginia power companies are attempting to eliminate competition from rooftop solar by misleading legislators about the language in House Bill 2201. Most recently, an industry lobbyist repeatedly misled the Senate Judiciary Committee about what the new bill language would do. [Your Renewable News]

¶ New York is looking at new energy laws, and might consider emulating Vermont’s Cow Power program. The manure from half the cows in New York could power about 45,000 homes. Capturing and utilizing this methane is equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions from about 120,000 cars. [Albany Times Union]

¶ Apple Inc will buy about $850 million of power from a new California solar farm to cut its energy bill. The First Solar Inc plant, with the capacity to power the equivalent of 60,000 homes, will be used to supply electricity for Apple’s new campus in Silicon Valley and all offices and stores in the state. [Christian Science Monitor]

¶ Gulf Power filed a petition asking the Florida Public Service Commission to approve an agreement that would make the utility a leading purchaser of wind generation among Florida utilities. The project, called Kingfisher Wind, would be sited in Oklahoma, where conditions are favorable for wind energy. [NorthEscambia.com]

¶ A measure that would see decreased taxes for businesses utilizing renewable energy was passed by the Virginia House of Delegates this week with broad bipartisan support. The bill allows lower tax rates for machinery and tools businesses use for renewable energy, including solar, wind, and other forms. [Augusta Free Press]

¶ Innovative Solar Systems, LLC has received all approvals and is ready to break ground on a 75-MW Solar Farm in Fayetteville. North Carolina. It will generate enough electricity to power approximately 15,000 to 20,000 average size homes, according to John E. Green, the CEO of Innovative Solar. [RenewablesBiz]

¶ Governor Dannel Malloy wants to provide new incentives for solar power in the state. His office is crafting new legislation that would let homeowners trade in renewable energy credits for the first time. People or companies that install solar arrays on houses could receive 15-year contracts for their energy credits.
[WNPR News]

¶ Texas’ only radioactive waste dump wants to open its gates to tens of thousands of metric tons of spent nuclear reactor fuel now scattered across the country. Waste Control Specialists is seeking federal approval to temporarily store highly radioactive waste at its complex northwest of Midland. [KERA News]

World:

¶ In Australia, the Bulli Creek solar project received approval from the Toowoomba Regional Council for building up to 2,000 MW over the next eight years across 13,000 acres of cattle grazing land. It has the option of building out the site in manageable stages of 100 MW to 500 MW or more per stage. [Renew Economy]

¶ A report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives questions the economic cost and environmental benefits of SaskPower’s $1.5-billion Boundary Dam Carbon Capture and Storage project, claiming there are cheaper, more sustainable options to reduce the province’s greenhouse gas emissions. [Regina Leader-Post]

¶ New figures released by the Global Wind Energy Council show that the global wind industry grew by 44% in 2014, installing over 51 GW. The figure indicates a “solid sign of the recovery of the industry after a rough patch in the past few years.” The cumulative total worldwide was about 369,500 GW at year’s end. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Some communities in Abuja, the Nigerian the Federal Capital Territory, have marked one year of steady power supply, following the implementation of the Light up Rural Nigeria project, National Mirror reports. The project uses renewable power generation to supply electricity to the communities. [Nigerian Bulletin]

¶ Sandfire Resources has signed an agreement with juwi, a renewable energy company, which will see the construction of a 10.6-MW solar power station at its DeGrussa copper mine in Western Australia. The $40 million project will involve the construction of the largest integrated off-grid solar array in Australia. [Australian Mining]

¶ In Pakistan, there are over 1.1 million agriculture tube wells, with only 30% of them operated by electricity. With the country’s growing energy crisis, farmers are left with no option but to switch from diesel to solar energy to irrigate their crops. Tube wells consume around 2,000 million liters of oil per year. [eco-business.com]

¶ Some 77% of people in the UK think the nation should generate more electricity from renewable sources, a study reveals. Solar energy had 78% backing rooftop solar for new houses. Some 51% of consumers identified nuclear power as the least desirable plant to have nearby, followed by coal-fired (21%). [reNews]

¶ At a joint press conference following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in Egypt’s capital of Cairo, the Egyptian head of state said a nuclear power plant would be constructed in Dabaa in northwest Egypt on the Mediterranean coast. [Press TV]

US:

¶ Elon Musk believes solar and utilities can exist together, despite uneasy feelings of many within the utility sector. Speaking at the Detroit Auto Show, Musk said that expanding electric vehicle markets, along with businesses and homes as solar power generators, will change how we view electricity demand. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Vermont Gas Systems has abandoned its plan to bring natural gas under Lake Champlain to a New York paper mill after the plant withdrew its financial support. The pipeline, proposed to go from Middlebury under the lake to the International Paper facility in Ticonderoga, New York, proved too expensive. [vtdigger.org]

¶ Congressional attention on the Keystone XL pipeline detracts from a number of other significant developments in our quest for a better economy. Three significant moves by state officials in the last month show that clean energy’s importance to America is swelling, much to the benefit of the economy. [Triple Pundit]

¶ In what may be the largest commercial power agreement in the clean energy industry to date, First Solar just announced that it will supply Apple 130 MW of power for 25 years from its California Flats Solar Project. The deal reportedly is worth a total of $848 million. The project should be completed in 2016. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A consortium of US companies joined with California energy officials to launch of the Calgren Ethanol Biodigester in Pixley, California. The project utilizes waste from dairy farms to power the production of tens of millions of gallons of ethanol. The project is 100% American made and constructed. [Dairy Herd Management]

¶ California lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a package of bills to significantly expand renewable energy use in California, cut gasoline use by 50% and require the state’s major government pension funds to sell off investments in coal companies. The bills support environmental goals of the state’s governor. [Santa Cruz Sentinel]

¶ Siemens has been awarded another order from Pattern Energy Group LP to supply and install 87 SWT-2.3-108 2.3-MW wind turbines for the Logan’s Gap Wind project. The 200-MW project, located in Comanche County, Texas, will create enough clean energy to power 50,000 homes in Texas annually. [PennEnergy]

Opinion:

¶ “Why nuclear industry needs to be paid $500/MWh” – South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill raised a few eyebrows about his plans for a “royal commission” looking into nuclear energy. But he is right about one thing: Nuclear energy would be economically viable in South Australia, or indeed the nation. [RenewEconomy]

World:

¶ The European wind sector installed more new capacity than gas and coal combined in 2014. The industry connected a total of 11,791 MW to the grid while coal and gas added 3305 MW and 2338 MW respectively. The coal and gas industries retired more capacity than they commissioned last year. [reNews]

¶ In the build-up to the Indian government-sponsored renewable energy investment summit, RE-Invest 2015, the participating companies have provided non-binding investment indication of 166 GW solar power generation capacity and 5 GW per year of solar manufacturing capacity. [Business Standard]

¶ Eskom, which provides about 95% of South Africa’s electricity, says there is a high probability of almost daily controlled power cuts for the next few months. Frustrated with epileptic power supply, South Africans are considering alternative power sources to reduce their dependence on the ailing grid. [Voice of America]

¶ Two new wind farms in the Philippines have added 303 MW of clean energy to the country’s power supply. The wind farms, which are located in Ilocos Norte and Panay, buffer the country’s expected power shortage in the coming month of March. Around 70% of Philippines’ electricity is generated from fossil fuels. [EcoSeed]

¶ Germany is not expanding power transport networks quickly enough and may need to extend a back-up power scheme beyond its planned expiry in 2017, the country’s energy regulator said on Monday. The scheme became necessary after Germany shut 40% of its nuclear capacity in 2011 after the Fukushima Disaster. [Reuters]

¶ The Japanese government is discussing setting a target of supplying 50% of Japan’s energy with a combination of nuclear and renewable power by 2030, increasing the ratio of renewable energy resources to nuclear power. It intends to show a positive attitude toward minimizing reliance on nuclear power. [The Japan News]

¶ Germany boosted its wind and solar capacity by 10% in 2014, adding a combined 6,800 MW of newly installed wind turbines and solar panels, putting further downward pressure on power prices, which already dropped to their lowest level in over ten years. The solar and wind capacity is now 77,400 MW. [Platts]

¶ Firms in Norway and Germany on Tuesday signed an agreement to build an over 600-km long power cable linking the electricity networks of the two countries, with 500 km under water. The Nordlink project is estimated to cost up to €2 billion ($2.2 billion) and is expected to go online in 2020. [Europe Online Magazine]

US:

¶ Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, a 550-MW farm that is the largest on public lands managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management, has begun operating and will provide enough energy to power more than 160,000 average California homes annually, according to the CEO of the farm’s developer. [Los Angeles Times]

¶ Solar power is really growing in Hawaii, according to the Energy Information Administration. Over the last five years, solar power has grown exponentially, particularly in Oahu where most of the state’s population lives: About 12% of Oahu residents have rooftop solar, compared to the US average of 0.5%. [Triple Pundit]

¶ The Federal Trade Commission will not investigate Green Mountain Power’s marketing of renewable energy, but cautioned the power company to be clear in its communications. A complaint had been lodged that GMP was claiming its power was renewable while selling renewable credits out of state. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶ A new UC Berkeley study shows that if biomass electricity production is combined with carbon capture and sequestration in the western US, power generators could store more carbon than they emit and make a critical contribution to an overall zero-carbon future by the second half of the 21st century. [AZoCleantech]

¶ In their fight against Wisconsin utilities, solar advocates haven’t had the state Public Service Commission on their side. But for the second time in less than a year, a judge has sided with Renew Wisconsin in a suit challenging changes in the way solar power customers are compensated. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

World:

¶ According to Frost & Sullivan, with no impending change in Saudi Arabia’s energy policy, the oil price could temporarily hit low $40 levels, or even lower for a brief period in 2015. However, they also say they expect tumbling oil prices will have little impact on renewable energy including solar power. [solarserver.com]

¶ Gamesa has signed two new wind turbine supply agreements in India totalling 260 MW. One contract is for160 MW, 80 G97 2-MW machines for developer and independent power producer Greenko. The other, with developer CLP India, is for construction of a 100-MW wind farm in Madhya Pradesh. [reNews]

¶ After decades of studies and field surveys, India has finally decided to focus on tapping clean and renewable geothermal energy. The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has drafted a national policy, which would make India a global leader in the sector, generating 1,000 MW in phase one, by 2022. [Daily News & Analysis]

¶ The Spanish Ministry of Industry intends to add 8,537 MW of renewable energy capacity between 2015 and 2020, local news agency Europa Press said Thursday. The government’s plan calls for the construction of 1,370 MW of solar PVs, 211 MW of solar thermal power plants, and 6,473 MW of wind farms. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Since 1903, Fortum Oyj’s Vaerta harbor site has generated power using coal, oil, natural gas and even considered nuclear. Now it’s phasing out the last coal furnace and replacing it with the world’s largest combined heat and power generator that will burn just wood chips and timber scraps by next year.[Bloomberg]

¶ The prospect of a nuclear industry in South Australia has been embraced by the state’s peak business group as a multi-million-dollar industry. Business SA chief executive Nigel McBride said it would be good for the state and could result in reduced carbon emissions. SA has one of the world’s biggest uranium deposits. [ABC Online]

¶ A planned Ararat wind farm will go ahead after the Australian Capital Territory government announced it would power Canberra from the Wimmera. The 20-year feed-in tariff will mean a significant portion of the wind farm’s total output will be contracted to the ACT, which will get 33% of its power from wind. [Stock & Land]

¶ India has resolved US concerns about its existing nuclear liability regime, setting the stage for commercial negotiations to generate atomic power. However, the foreign ministry categorically stated that India’s nuclear liability law and its associated rules would not be changed, maintaining liability for reactor builders. [Economic Times]

US:

¶ A report by international energy research company Wood Mackenzie says solar PV has the capacity to disrupt the US energy landscape with speed and tumult similar to the shale industry. It may even directly impact natural gas markets in the near future, as it has already begun to in California. [pv magazine]

¶ Swinerton Renewable Energy and Scatec Solar have started construction on a 104 MW photovoltaic solar plant in Iron County, Utah. When operational by the end of 2015, the plant will be Utah’s largest solar energy generation facility, generating enough energy to power approximately 18,500 homes annually. [AZoBuild]

¶ North Carolina’s Roanoke Electric Cooperative recently dedicated a 100-kW community solar farm developed with the help of its Raleigh-based North Carolina Electric Membership Corp. Individual panels are now being sold to Roanoke EC consumer-members at an initial sale price of $480 each. [Electric Co-op Today]

Power Investments:

¶ “Will This Ruin $124 Billion in Natural Gas Investments? (Hint: It’s Not OPEC)” – A new process for manufacturing ethylene developed by Brazilian chemical leader Braskem could be the biggest global threat to the natural gas industry. It’s secret ingredient? That would be bio-ethanol derived from sugar cane. [Motley Fool]

¶ “Nuclear Energy Renaissance Takes Another Blow and May Never Recover” – Setbacks like the Vogtle Nuclear Plant faced this week have become all too predictable in the nuclear industry, and they’re the reason a nuclear renaissance is unlikely in the US. Costs are simply too high, and competition too strong. [Motley Fool]

World:

¶ The premier of South Australia revived the nuclear debate when he announced a Royal Commission to investigate the costs and benefits of involvement in the nuclear industry. The commission would consider nuclear power stations, uranium enrichment plants, and a nuclear waste dump in the state. [The New Daily]

¶ There has been a surge in renewable energy uptake in the UK since the introduction of Feed-in Tariffs almost five years ago. Industry estimates suggest there is still as much as 20 GW of untapped generating potential on UK farms. But changing government support requires careful planning. [FarmersWeekly]

¶ Punjab is expected to achieve 2,500 MW renewable power generation with France pledging to become a partner in solar and biomass power sector in the State providing technologies along with investment by major French renewable energy companies. Special emphasis will be on Solar and Biomass projects. [NYOOOZ]

¶ Two Egyptian banks are moving into green lending with an initiative to finance rooftop solar power systems for residential consumers. National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr are offering loans within specific areas of Cairo, with plans to expand into Egypt’s other governorates. Interest range from 4% to 8%. [Green Prophet]

US:

¶ The Columbia, Missouri Water and Light Department generated 7.22% of its energy for utility customers using renewable sources, exceeding the 5% goal for 2014 and nearly halfway to the 15% objective by 2018. At the end of 2014, the city had spent $1.12 million of the $3.29 million allotted. [Columbus Telegram]

¶ New York state is encouraging community-based microgrids through NY Prize, a $40 million first-of-its-kind competition announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The competition was discussed before an audience of a hundred at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Poly last week. [Troy Record]

¶ Wyoming and Montana are among the country’s top coal producers, and both rely on coal for most of their electricity generation, but they have opposite approaches to the Clean Power Plan. Wyoming intends to fight the plan. Montana will comply with it. There are implications for the states’ economies. [Flathead Beacon]

¶ Solar power in Arkansas received a boost this week with the announcement of an agreement between a new Arkansas Electric Cooperatives subsidiary and an innovative Minneapolis solar panel company called tenKsolar to create the largest solar initiative for the electric company, which has 100,000 customers. [Times Record]

Opinion:

¶ “Nuclear Power Counts As A Renewable? Arizona Senate Committee Says So…” – Committee approval of a bill saying nuclear was renewable is especially funny considering the fact that Arizona is fast approaching some serious water-sourcing issues, and nuclear power plants require huge quantities of water. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ An engineer has devised a system to convert the power of the wind directly into heat in an invention which could rid Scottish roads of frost in the winter and allow certain crops to be grown for 365 days a year. He believes one of the systems could heat up to 250 acres of farmland and also generate electricity. [Herald Scotland]

World:

¶ India could start installing 20,000 MW of solar power capacity as early as April after companies pledged to support the government’s drive for clean energy, an official told Reuters. Details of the plan, which has commitments from US, German and Chinese companies, will be announced on Friday. [Economic Times]

¶ A rebound in demand for Victorian brown coal since the end of the carbon tax continues to drive up the carbon emissions intensity of the National Electricity Market, which supplies power to about 80% of Australia’s population across the eastern states. It is up 3.3% since the carbon price was scrapped in July. [SteelGuru]

¶ A new study released by the International Renewable Energy Agency says renewable power generation technologies reached a historical level of competitiveness between 2013 and 2014. Power from geothermal, hydro and onshore wind are in the same competitive price range as traditional fossil fuels. [The Weather Channel]

¶ Siemens has handed over the first of five North Sea grid connections, the BorWin2 offshore platform, to its customer TenneT, a German-Dutch transmission grid operator, for immediate commercial operation. It is important as the first offshore grid connection for efficient high-voltage DC power. [Breaking Energy]

¶ A leaky roof at the Kingspan Environmental factory was costing the company up to £15,000 annually. Now the company has transformed that roof into a major power plant, installing 4,900 solar panels to create Ireland’s biggest rooftop solar PV installation. The company is now saving £40,000 a year. [Belfast Telegraph]

¶ Northern Ireland has one of the best wind resources in Europe. Nevertheless, until now they haven’t been able to make full use of them. That’s all about to change with AES’ plans to install Europe’s biggest electricity storage battery, a 10-MW lithium-ion battery array, at a site next to Kilroot power station. [Belfast Telegraph]

US:

¶ Aerojet Rocketdyne and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation have signed agreements with Silicon Ranch Corporation to build and manage what will be the largest solar field in Arkansas. The 12-MW project will occupy approximately 100 acres. It is valued for its predictable energy costs. [MyArkLaMiss]

¶ The National Hockey League today announced that it is ranked Number 17 on the US EPA’s National Top 100 list of the largest users of green power, making it the first professional sports league ever to achieve the distinction. The league has a number of significant green power achievements that it can point to. [NHL.com]

¶ A Massachusetts lawmaker is proposing sweeping changes to the state’s energy strategy, including measures to help fund a gas pipeline, more efficiently site electric transmission and expand the use of offshore wind generation. The state is expecting to retire 8,000 MW of existing generation in coming years. [Utility Dive]

¶ Over a hundred representatives of energy efficiency and renewable energy businesses went to Richmond, Virginia for Clean Energy Lobby Day. They met legislators, witnessed a critical subcommittee meeting, and came away with a powerful impression: the only bills utility-backed bills made it out of committee. [Energy Collective]

¶ The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is taking a closer look at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station after the plant shut down unexpectedly during last week’s blizzard, the NRC announced Monday. The special inspection at the plant is to review problems that led to the shutdown on January 27. [Barnstable Patriot]

Opinion:

¶ “Putting renewable energy costs in perspective” Anti-renewable people consistently cite ‘increased’ rates due to renewable energy, without comparing what the rates would have been if there were no renewables. They speak as if oil, coal and natural gas prices never go up, despite their history. [New Hampshire Business Review]

World:

¶ The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has awarded power purchase agreements (PPAs) to almost 200 MW of projects following a large-scale reverse wind energy auction. The PPAs will be signed for a term of 20 years and are planned to meet some 33% of the ACT power demand in 2020. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Siemens Canada is a leading company in the Canadian wind market, contributing to more than half of the 1.9 GW of new capacity installed in 2014. That momentum is reinforced today with the completion of the 1,000th blade at Siemens’ wind turbine blade manufacturing facility in Tillsonburg, Ontario. [Your Renewable News]

¶ An investment management firm, InfraRed, has announced its agreement to invest in the £1 billion Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon in Wales. The project is designed to generate around 500 GWh of electricity every year for 120 years, enough to provide nearly all of the domestic electricity for the Swansea region. [ITV News]

¶ On Wednesday new figures showing the “incredible strength” of Scotland’s renewable energy industry were announced by World Wildlife Fund Scotland. In January 2015, wind turbines alone produced enough average daily electricity to meet the needs of 146% of Scottish households, a 27% increase from 2014. [Blouin News Blogs]

US:

¶ The city council of Hillsboro, Oregon unanimously endorsed a plan to have the city recognized as a member of “Northwest Solar Communities” by the US DOE. The designation will help to promote increased use of solar power, resulting in reduced costs for installation of solar rooftop panels on community homes. [Hillsboro Tribune]

¶ The demand for renewable power resources such as wind and solar is not only holding steady, but growing. CCTV America’s Jessica Stone reported the story from Albany. People want solar panels in the American snow belt. Hudson Solar is paneling more than a dozen houses a month in the state of New York. [CCTV-America]

¶ In a breakthrough proposal, Dominion Virginia Power is planning to build solar power plants generating 400 MW of electricity in the state, with the energy coming online by 2020. The Richmond-based utility expects to invest $700 million in the large-scale solar photovoltaic projects in a number of locations. [Richmond.com]

¶ Representatives from 20 different groups are getting together to block the proposed Bakken oil pipeline’s path across Iowa. The pipeline would carry oil across 18 Iowa counties on its way to the Gulf coast. A legal battle can be launched now that a permit application was filed with the Iowa Utilities Board. [KIWARadio.com]

¶ The probability of saving money by using solar energy rather than standard grid electricity is 92% for Indiana farm businesses and about 50% for homes, Purdue University energy economists find. Unlike homes, businesses can deduct their investment in solar systems from their revenues. [Purdue Agricultural Communications]

¶ Washington state Senate Republicans want to revise the state’s renewable energy standard to encourage utilities to pay for carbon reductions in the transportation sector. Other proposed amendments for SB 7535 include tax incentives for alternative fuel vehicles and small modular nuclear reactors. [Argus Media]

¶ The governor of West Virginia has approved a law repealing the state’s controversial 2009 Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act, which required the state to generate 25% of its electricity from renewables or alternative energy sources (including some coal-based technologies) by 2025. [World Coal]

World:

¶ North Eastern Electric Power Corporation has commissioned a 5-MW solar power plant at Monarchak in Tripura, which will be the biggest and the first of its kind in northeast India. NEEPCO will set up a 50-MW solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh and a 2-MW plant in Lanka in Nagaon district of Assam. [The Week]

¶ Developer and operator WPD has exported first power from its 288 MW Butendiek offshore wind farm some 32 km west of the island of Sylt in the German North Sea. The first of 80 Siemens SWT 3.6-120 wind turbines to be installed has commenced trial operations and is feeding electricity into the grid. [reNews]

¶ Welspun Renewables Energy Limited has signed an agreement to build a 100-MW solar photovoltaic power project in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. This follows other agreements by other companies to set up solar projects in Gujarat, Rajasthan and, Karnataka to totalling over 13 GW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Tohoku Electric Power Company found more than 4,000 improper entries in its inspection records for one of the reactors at its Onagawa nuclear power plant. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority had said company inspections were lax, and the firm was re-examining its records. [Citizens for Legitimate Government]

US:

¶ The electric power industry is turning away from coal, and clean energy is growing again in the US as investments in renewables increased in 2014 after a three-year decline. The 2015 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook report says US as second in the world behind China for clean energy investments. [Climate Central]

¶ In the current legislative session, Republicans who control the Washington state senate jumped into the discussion of how to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases. Senators from both parties outlined a plan for promoting such “carbon reduction investments” as electric-vehicle chargers and efficiency. [Bellingham Herald]

¶ The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to give tentative approval to a pair of proposed solar projects in Boulevard that are expected to generate enough energy to power around 46,000 homes. They are the 420-acre Tierra Del Sol Solar project and the 765-acre Rugged Solar project. [KUSI]

¶ Labor, business, and environmental leaders have formed a unique coalition that will urge Illinois lawmakers to pass new standards for energy efficiency and renewable energy, leading to tens of thousands of new, local jobs. More than 100,000 individuals across the state already work in the clean energy industry. [Forbes]

¶ Energy use in federal post offices, court houses and military bases has dropped to its lowest level on record. The sharp decline is largely thanks to a Bush-era push to slash electricity and fuel consumption in thousands of facilities and vehicles. The total was the lowest since record keeping began in 1975. [Investing.com]

¶ The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory has joined the Electric Power Research Institute to launch the Clean Energy Incubator Network to improve the performance of clean energy business incubators, connect potential partners, and advance new clean energy technologies from researchers. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ Southern Co expects the firms building its new nuclear plant in Georgia will pay $240 million in damages if the construction schedule slips another year-and-a-half, power company CEO Thomas Fanning said Wednesday. The payments would offset a portion of the extra costs associated with late completion. [Access North Georgia]

Science and Technology:

¶ Siemens introduced Spectrum Power 7 Microgrid Management System, the company’s first advanced microgrid management software. It allows microgrid operators to manage and control distributed energy resources dynamically with integrated weather and load forecasting, based on the microgrid’s goals. [PennEnergy]

World:

¶ European day-ahead electricity prices went sharply lower in January as wind power generation posted new records in Germany and the UK. The Platts Continental Power Index fell 7.44% in January to €35.81/MWh compared to December’s €38.69/MWh. The Index was down 11.12% from January 2014. [Your Renewable News]

¶ SunEdison, Inc and Brakes India Limited announced that they have installed a solar power plant to generate 7.72 MW at Brake India’s facilities in Munanjipatti in the state of Tamil Nadu. A Solar Purchase Requirement states that high tension wire customers must source 6% of their energy use from solar. [Your Renewable News]

¶ Renewable energy accounted for 14.8% of Estonia’s total electricity consumption in 2014, 2.2% more than in the year 2013, LETA/Public Broadcasting reports. Estonia has taken a commitment to bring the share of renewable energy in the total consumption to 17.6% by the year 2020. [The Baltic Course]

¶ The installation of a solar power station which could provide enough electricity to serve 4,500 homes is getting underway near the UK town of Tring. The proposals involve the construction of a solar park capable of generating up to 15 MW of electricity. The park will be on farmland, which can remain productive. [Hemel Gazette]

¶ Africa’s first grid-connected biogas plant will begin supplying power by March 1. The $6.5 million anaerobic digester in Kenya will consume an annual 50,000 tons of organic waste. The power that the 2.8-MW will put on the grid will cost $0.10/kWh compared with $0.38/kWh for diesel-generated power. [Bloomberg]

¶ Indian wind power capacity additions are expected to go up 10% to 2300 MW during the current financial year 2014-15. As on December 31, 2014, the total installed wind power capacity was 22,465 MW, constituting 9% of the overall installed capacity in the country and 66% of the renewable energy segment.
[Times of India]

US:

¶ According to a recent US Forest Service study, current policies in the European Union and elsewhere requiring the use of renewable and low greenhouse gas emitting energy are driving demand for wood pellets used for bioenergy. Such a demand could provide new markets for US timber exports. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A major Midwest utility holding company is teaming up with a Massachusetts equipment maker to create a statewide series of microgrids, including one in the Albany, New York Region. Microgrids using locally supplied power, including from renewable sources, can operate even during overall grid disruptions. [Albany Times Union]

¶ LaCrosse, Wisconsin-based Gundersen Health System has gone off the grid. As of October 14, 2014, the nonprofit healthcare network became the first hospital to offset all of its fossil fuel use with locally produced, green energy. After an energy audit, Gundersen turned to efficiency and renewable power. [Healthcare Finance News]

¶ For those focused on our transition to renewable energy, the general takeaway from the monthly US electricity generation report is that renewables had increased to 14.8% of US electricity generation in November 2014, and 13.5% for the year through November. This is despite a decline in hydropower due to weather. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Frustrated by its lack of influence in the siting of solar projects in town, the Rutland Town Select Board is distributing a resolution asking all Vermont municipalities to call for more municipal involvement in the Certificate of Public Good process required in permitting renewable energy projects in the state. [Vermont Public Radio]

¶ Arizona is one step closer to officially declaring nuclear power a renewable-energy source. (Yes, you read that correctly.) The Senate Committee on Water and Energy narrowly passed SB 1134, a bill that classifies nuclear power from recycled fuel or naturally occurring thorium to be a renewable-energy source. [Phoenix New Times]

Opinion:

¶ “Battery storage – the growing spectre of grid parity” In a study published this month, IRENA provides a global scope. One of the most interesting presentations in the study is a table showing what battery storage costs in Germany. It shows the point of grid parity for solar+storage as coming this year. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Low Carbon Fuels: How Clean Fuels Can Power the West Coast and Beyond” As California prepares to readopt their 2010 Low Carbon Fuel Standard, we are seeing clear evidence that diverse types of clean fuel can make a significant contribution to cutting fossil fuel use. [The Equation: Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists]

¶ Grid operators in New England have multiple options to offset the loss of generation from closing the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, and they will most likely use several of them in combination. One way is to expand transmission capacity into New England. Another is to reduce demand. There are others. [PennEnergy]

Science and Technology:

¶ While fossil energy use produces much more greenhouse gas emissions than other causes, land use alteration is another major source (roughly a quarter of all global emissions). GHG emissions arise from deforestation, peatlands, methane from cattle, nitrogen from overfertilization, and other human activities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Chinese renewable energy giant Hanergy Holding Group says it will unveil three to five solar-powered cars using its thin-film PV technology in October. The cars will have six square meters of PV modules on their frames. In theory, four hours’ sunshine could power a one-ton car to run 80 to 100 kilometers. [ecns]

World:

¶ Hong Kong-based GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Limited has plans to build 2 GW of solar power plants in China in 2015. If all goes well, the company could achieve 3 GW by 2017. Many of these projects are utility-scale, with some distributed generation. The company connected 52 MW to the grid in January. [CleanTechnica]

¶ More wind and solar plants raised Poland’s renewable energy installed capacity to 6,029 megawatts (MW) in 2014 from 5,511 MW a year earlier. Wind farm capacity rose 13% to 3,834 MW, while solar power capacity grew to 21 MW from 1.9 MW. Poland’s economy generates around 90% of its electricity from coal. [EurActiv]

¶ The Philippine government is keeping up its push for renewable energy projects to diversify energy sourcing and boost power supply in the country. At the of end of 2014, 638 renewable energy projects had been awarded with a total potential capacity of 10,041 MW, of which 2,584 MW were up and running. [eco-business.com]

US:

¶ Newly announced support from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has the city kicking its potentially 100% renewable-energy power program, CleanPowerSF, into high gear. CleanPowerSF is a proposed city-run power program that would provide solar, wind, small hydro and other renewable energy to San Francisco. [San Francisco Examiner]

¶ A recent report by Environmental Entrepreneurs, a national environmental policy group, notes that in the third quarter of 2014, North Carolina ranked fifth in the nation for new clean energy job creation. That’s due in large part over 200 companies focused on smart grid, water, and transportation technologies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ President Barack Obama’s proposed fiscal 2016 budget would make federal renewable energy tax credits permanent and provide billions of dollars for climate change initiatives, while eliminating almost $50 billion in fiscal incentives for the fossil fuel industries. He faces stiff opposition from Republicans. [Recharge]

¶ A bill in the Oregon Legislature this session would require electric companies to stop delivering coal-fired power to Oregon customers by 2025. Only coal-fired power from out of state would be effected, as Oregon’s only coal-fired power plant in Boardman is scheduled to be retired in 2020. [Jefferson Public Radio]

¶ The year 2014 may just shape up to be the best renewables have ever had in the United States. Data in the US Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Energy Review points to 2014 continuing an upwards trend in renewable energy production. At this time, data has only been released up to October 2014. [Energy Digital]

¶ Rocky Mountain Institute announced the launch of the Business Renewables Center, a collaborative platform to accelerate corporate renewable energy procurement. The BRC’s goal is to add another 60 GW of wind and solar by 2025 by decreasing costs and the complexities of installation for businesses. [AltEnergyMag]

¶ Apple will build a $2 billion global command center in Mesa, Arizona, with 150 full-time employees. The tech giant said it would be one of the largest investments it has ever made. Apple has pledged to completely power the facility with renewable energy, building out solar projects in the process. [Yahoo!7 News]

Opinion:

¶ “The fossil fuel industry’s continued chokehold on state resources” – According to International Energy Agency (IEA) figures, in 2012 global fossil fuel subsidies amounted to $544 billion. On the other hand, the financial support provided to the renewable energy sector was under 20% of that, at $101 billion. [eco-business.com]

¶ “Renewable Energy Jobs Soar, But What Does It Mean for Investors?” – Here’s my nominee for stat of the day: The American economy added over 8 million jobs from January 2011 to June 2014. Yet despite the shale gas boom, the nation’s electric power generation sector lost 5,800 jobs in the same period. [Motley Fool]

World:

¶ With six consented projects totalling up to 4.15 GW, the scale of ambition for Scottish waters is undeniable. Even so, the UK Government has been urged to provide policy certainty on offshore wind energy following news that the UK will be overtaken by Germany on the installation of new turbines. [Click Green]

¶ Renewable energy is still very much on the back-burner for the South African government, but a recent Council for Scientific and Industrial Research study says wind and solar energy saved around R3.7 billion ($327 million) that otherwise would have been used to generate of electricity with diesel and coal. [htxt.africa]

¶ The two largest German power producers, RWE AG and EON SE, are keen to sell their gas-fired plants, rendered uncompetitive by the rise of renewable energy on the one hand and record low coal prices on the other. They will take them apart, move them by truck and ship and reassemble them elsewhere. [BizNews]

¶ Good Energy, which specializes in providing 100% renewable power, confirmed today that as of April 15th it will cut its gas prices by an average of 3.2% and lower its electricity prices by an average of 2.1%. The company said the savings for an average dual fuel user would be £33 off their annual bill. [Business Green]

¶ SMart Wind has handed in its planning application to the UK authorities for the second phase of the 4-GW Hornsea offshore wind project. Plans for the 1.8-GW phase are built around a layout of 360 Siemens turbines installed 90 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast. The 1.2-GW first phase was approved in December. [Recharge]

¶ In order to curb pollution in the National Capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi- led NDA government has approved plans to make Delhi free of petrol and diesel generators, according to the Power, Coal and Renewable Energy Minister. He also said a programme to transmit 7400 MW to Delhi has been approved. [indiatvnews.com]

¶ Instead of investing in expensive nuclear power plants, the Pakistani government should be working to develop sources of renewable energy, advised a panel of experts at a consultation held on Sunday in preparation for a public hearing over the environmental impact of proposed nuclear plants. [The News International]

US:

¶ Solar City has a way to make solar installation easier for ordinary people to afford. They will provide and install all the equipment required with no up-front cost to get a household or business up and running. The consumer pays Solar City for the power that they generate, and Solar City maintains the system. [Irish Times]

¶ California State regulators have approved a Pacific Gas and Electric Company plan to offer a clean energy program that will provide up to 100% solar power for a modest monthly premium, for customers who want power with a low carbon footprint. The utility expects to start enrolling customers in late 2015. [SmartMeters]

¶ Independent solar PV developer 8minutenergy Renewables, LLC of Folsom, California, and renewable energy provider sPower, of Salt Lake City, Utah, announced that construction on three solar PV facilities in the 72.9 MW-dc Redwood Solar Farm cluster located in Kern County, California will begin in Q1, 2015. [solarserver.com]

Discussion:

¶ “Running on renewable energy, Burlington, Vermont powers green movement forward” Burlington, the state’s largest city, recently became the first of its size to use 100% renewable energy for its residents’ electricity needs. In a state known for socially conscious policies, the feat represents a milestone. [PBS NewsHour]

World:

¶ Israeli startup EnStorage is making news. The concept of a flow battery – which uses separate electrolyte components – is hardly new. Neither is the idea of using the common chemical hydrogen bromide for energy storage. EnStorage is putting the two concepts together in a low-cost commercial-sized unit. [TheTower.org]

¶ A new expert body has been formed to advise governments and organisations around the world on how best to ditch fossil-fuel and nuclear-energy systems and make the switch to 100% renewables. The group will focus on adopting a combination of energy efficiency and decentralized renewable energy systems. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The report, “RE100: the journey to 100%,” lists some achievements of RE100: H&M’s operations in the UK and Netherlands are already at 100%. Philips is getting half its power from renewable electricity. Mars is building a 200-MW wind farm in Texas that is expected to supply 100% of its US energy. [The Nation]

US:

¶ The state of Florida has been something of a solar power laggard, despite abundant sunshine. Politics has been the main barrier. Now, however, Florida Power & Light has announced plans to add at least 220 MW of new solar power capacity by the end of 2016, and plans to retire some of their fossil-fuel plants. [Solar Love]

¶ Plans to build Arkansas’ first wind farm have sparked interest and excitement in town and across the state. Dragonfly Industries International, a Texas wind company, hopes to install dozens of turbines, with a total capacity of 80 MW, costing $100 million, on more than 300 acres of rural land near Elm Springs. [Arkansas Online]

¶ Solar power has become the poster child of renewable-energy champions, leaving power sources such as biomass, hydro and wind in the shade. Small hydro isn’t dead, however, and small hydro projects can supply both energy and income through net metering, where the circumstances are right. [The Durango Herald]

¶ On Friday, 62 Senators approved Keystone XL. Fourteen of the 62 had voted for an amendment acknowledging that humans contribute significantly to climate change (the vote was 50-49). And nearly all of them had voted to acknowledge that climate change is no hoax and is happening now (98 to 1). [Scientific American]

¶ In 2009, after California passed a landmark law to source one third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, Southern California Edison formed a new lab. Engineers there are hatching plans to ensure its survival – and maybe even the survival of the other big utilities, which are watching closely. [ABS CBN News]

¶ In its first year of operation, the Colleton Solar Farm near Walterboro, South Carolina produced slightly more solar power than expected and demonstrated the benefits of tracking panels, even though they cost more. The 15-acre site generated 4,687 MWh, which was 5% more than expected in year one. [The Tand D.com]

Opinion:

¶ “How Eon’s Transformation Will Change The Energy Debate In Europe” – The decision to divide Eon has the potential to be far more significant than any policy pronouncement and could light the blue touch paper on a transformation of the energy system that will revolutionise the way energy is consumed. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Seven Reasons Cheap Oil Can’t Stop Renewables Now” – Oil prices have fallen by more than half since July. Just five years ago, this would have put the renewable-energy industry on bankruptcy watch. Here are seven reasons why humanity’s transition to cleaner energy won’t be sidetracked by cheap oil. [Bloomberg]

Science and Technology:

¶ Eos Energy Storage will be making its MW-scale Aurora system commercially available starting in 2016 at a price of $160/kWh, according to a recent press release. The company’s standard offering is a containerized 1-MW DC battery system that can provide roughly 4 hours of continuous discharge for cost-effective energy storage. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ Royal Dutch Shell has joined the ranks of energy companies who are slashing their spending. Shell said it was scaling back its planned capital investment by $15 billion over the next three years in a move that signals caution. Oil is now trading around $45 per barrel, down from over $100 per barrel this summer. [CNN]

¶ The government of the Indian state of Karnataka might not consider any more thermal power projects in future, the energy minister said. He warned that the summer might be tough because of coal mining licence cancellations by the Supreme Court. He pegs his hopes on renewable energy, especially solar power. [The New Indian Express]

¶ In Turkey, the Geycek Wind Power Plant officially opened. Each year, the plant is expected to produce around 400 million kWh of electricity with 70 wind turbines, and provide for the whole electricity requirement of the city of Kırşehir. It will eliminate 245,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. [Daily Sabah]

¶ ETESA, Panama’s state transmission company, selected five groups to build PV projects with a combined capacity of at least 172 MW in the country’s first solar auction. The developers offered an average price of $87.25/MWh. Decisions one projects were based on price and need for a power supply. [Recharge]

¶ The Australian Renewable Energy Agency invested $1 billion into more than 230 projects, fellowships, and scholarships. The news comes only days after the Bureau of Meteorology and science agency released a report which claims Australia will be subject to massive current and future climate impacts. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Over the course of last year the electricity generated from solar installations across the UK almost doubled. Official data finds that at the end of 2014 solar generated almost 5 GW, up from 2.8 GW at the end of 2013. The latest figure is enough power to supply 1.5 million homes across the country. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]

US:

¶ The city of Ann Arbor has worked out a license agreement with DTE Energy to construct a large solar array at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport. City officials say it could be the largest solar installation in the entire state of Michigan. Initially, it would be up to 1.6 MW, but a second phase could it to 2.15 MW. [MLive.com]

¶ Not only is demand for electric power in the US falling, but competition from renewable energy sources is growing. In the past few years, that competition is not just from other large power producers, but from utility customers themselves. The rising opportunity for consumers is a problem for utilities. [Huffington Post]

¶ Supporting the Administration’s effort to double renewable energy generation by 2020, the US DOE announced more than $59 million in funding for solar energy innovation. Innovative solar manufacturing technologies will get $45 million, and $14 million will go to multi-year solar community deployment plans. [PennEnergy]

¶ Delays and cost overruns are piling up for a new plant in Georgia that was supposed to prove nuclear energy can be built affordably. Instead, the companies building first-of-their-kind reactors at Plant Vogtle expect they will need an extra three years and $1 billion to finish construction. [Savannah Morning News]

World:

¶ A series of graphs shows how the German Energiewende renewable targets are on track, have lowered emissions, decoupled energy consumption from economic growth, pushed wholesale prices down to record lows, and are now pushing retail prices down. Interesting things are happening to the energy mix. [RenewEconomy]

¶ Germany’s newly installed onshore wind power capacity rose by a record 4,750 MW in 2014, marking what is likely to be a peak annual gain as the country gears up for a nuclear-free future. The increase production is roughly equivalent to one nuclear plant. It is a 58% percent bigger increase than 2013’s. [Reuters]

¶ Countries from Mexico to Germany and Malaysia are increasingly taking advantage of cheap oil by trimming fossil-fuel subsidies, easing the way for renewable power that can help the environment. The IEA’s latest report says fossil fuel producers were paid $548 billion in 2013, a $26.5 billion decline. [Bloomberg]

¶ New figures released by GTM Research show that the Latin America solar PV market grew by 370% in 2014, installing a total of 625 MW. In the fourth quarter of 2014 alone, Chile installed double the amount of Latin America’s annual solar PV total in 2013. Projections are for 2.1 GW of PV installed in 2015. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The northern African country of Algeria is doubling its previous 2030 goal for renewable energy, according to recent reports — with the new goal standing at 25 GW by 2030, rather than 12 GW. Currently, there are more than 350 MW of solar PV projects being developed in the very sunny African country. [CleanTechnica]

US:

¶ Renewable energy production has outperformed natural gas resources, contributing nearly half of new generating capacity in the US in 2014. Various renewable energy sources such as biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind contributed 49.81% of new capacity. Natural gas accounted for 48.65%. [Greentech Lead]

¶ The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board denied the state of Vermont’s request for a hearing designed to force Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee and Entergy Nuclear Operations to maintain an operational status regarding its Site Emergency Plan. [Nuclear Street – Nuclear Power Plant News, Jobs, and Careers]

¶ Even low-income families now have a path to embracing solar energy thanks to work being done by the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance. The organization has been working to create a system whereby families on the federal government’s energy assistance program can receive their electricity via solar technologies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ In a brief competition lasting all of two rounds, Offshore MW LLC and RES Americas Inc. were named provisional winners for offshore wind leases off the coast of Massachusetts. Offshore MW and RES Americas won Lease Area OCS-A 0500 (187,523 acres) and OCS-A 0501 (166,886 acres), respectively. [North American Windpower]

¶ Millions of apartment dwellers and home renters across California will soon be able to go solar, under programs authorized by state utility regulators. Though any customer can join, the effort is geared toward utility customers who don’t own property or may not want to tack on solar panels to their property. [U-T San Diego]

¶ MillerCoors has constructed a 3.2-MW solar array at its brewery in Irwindale, California, the largest PV array at any US brewery. The solar plant will generate enough energy to product 7 million cases of beer annually. The brewery also uses biogas from its wastewater treatment plant to power two GE engines. [Forbes]

¶ Environmental advocates called on the divided Maine Legislature to back a series of bill this session they say will expand the use of solar power, help residents cut their heating bills and bolster wildlife protections. The six-bill package includes incentives for solar power and financial aid for insulating. [The State]

¶ Two days after a major New England blizzard contributed to the shutdown of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the facility remains closed. Nuclear power critics cite the Pilgrim shutdown as one more proof the industry is not ready for storms driven by climate change. [InsideClimate News]

World:

¶ The UK could halve the amount of water used in energy generation by 2030, if it realises an ambitious renewable energy plan, says the International Renewable Energy Agency. IRENA’s report, Renewable Energy in the Water, Energy & Food Nexus, says the water benefits of renewable energy are under-reported. [edie.net]

¶ According to Northern Ireland Renewables Industry Group, this January has seen the highest levels of wind energy ever recorded there. A record was set just over three weeks ago, 2:45 pm on January 7, as windpower provided 42% of electricity needs at that moment, enough to power 361,400 homes. [Belfast Telegraph]

¶ Wind power solutions provider Inox Wind Limited, a subsidiary of Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited, says it was awarded two wind-farm project contracts of 54 MW and 118 MW in Gujarat and Rajasthan, respectively, by Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited, a subsidiary of The Tata Power Company Limited. [NetIndian]

¶ Conversion to hydrogen can provide a store for all of the excess electricity produced by the renewable industry, according to a report. It also points to a huge potential power to gas storage industry, with the European energy storage potential for electrolysis estimated at several hundred gigawatts. [Proactive Investors UK]

¶ Gamesa has secured 84 MW of wind turbine supply contract from Brazil’s Força Eólica do Brasil for three projects in Rio Grande do Norte. Delivery of 42 of the Gamesa G114 2-MW turbines is scheduled for the third quarter of 2016 and the wind projects are expected to be commissioned in the fourth quarter. [Greentech Lead]

¶ IKEA this week revealed demand for its greenest products jumped 58% last year to over €1 billion as consumers purchased such products as LED lighting, solar panels, and water-saving taps. Products that help customers achieve “a more sustainable life at home” are a major growth area for the company. [Business Green]

¶ The Scottish government has announced that it will place a temporary ban on the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking. The Scottish energy minister told the country’s parliament that the ban would allow for time for the government to conduct a public health assessment. [ThinkProgress]

¶ A UK village made famous after strong anti-fracking protests has installed the first community-owned solar panel project. Residents from Balcome, West Sussex set up an energy co-operative after the protests. The co-op has installed a total of 69 panels on the roof of a cow-shed at a nearby family-run farm. [E&T magazine]

US:

¶ Idaho Power has signed on 13 new solar projects representing 461 MW of solar capacity, which are scheduled to be built and come online in 2016, according to Idaho Power communications specialist Brad Bowlin. He says there are additional pending projects that will produce more than 800 MW. [Ontario Argus Observer]

¶ California State Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia has introduced a bill, AB 197, which would set a bold but achievable goal of utilizing a minimum of 50% renewable energy resources by 2030. This goal was highlighted by Governor Jerry Brown during his State of the State address earlier this month. [Imperial Valley News]

¶ NRG Energy and Denver-based SunShare announced a deal for SunShare to grow its community solar portfolio about eightfold. NRG Renew will finance the $25 million development of five new “solar garden” projects in Colorado. Four of these are in the metro Denver area and one in Colorado Springs. [Colorado Springs Gazette]

¶ Pennsylvania has developed a fast-growing clean energy economy, attracting investments for solar, wind, hydropower and other renewable energy, according to Pew Charitable Trusts. Between 2009 and 2013, Pennsylvania added nearly 1.4 GW of clean energy capacity and attracted $3.5 billion in investment. [keystoneedge]

¶ Illinois had been the fourth largest wind energy state behind Texas, California and Iowa for several years, but installed no new wind capacity in 2014 and is now in fifth place after Oklahoma. Illinois’ lack of growth had much to do with an ongoing stalemate over changes to the state’s 2011 clean power law. [Crain’s Chicago Business]

¶ Large-scale wind projects are the most cost-effective way for Vermont utilities to meet proposed new renewable energy requirements being considered by the Legislature, according to testimony. A bill backed by the Shumlin Administration would have 55% of the power come from renewable sources by 2017. [Vermont Public Radio]

¶ The Washington state legislature is considering nuclear power as a component of Governor Jay Inslee’s push to trim the state’s carbon emissions as a way to combat global warming’s detrimental ripple effects on Washington’s shellfish industry, residents’ health, snowpack, irrigation and increasing wildfires. [Crosscut]

World:

¶ There is a huge controversy about the level of subsidies in Germany towards renewables as it undertakes its energy transition – “Energiewende” – but the fact is that these subsidies pale in comparison to those that have been paid to conventional technologies, which have been more than twice as great. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Five of the 10 regional power monopolies in Japan will start buying renewable power again under a revised scheme that makes it easier for them to place limits on their intake if they face network limitations. The new rules allow the utilities to decline excessive solar and wind power at certain hours of the day. [Business Recorder]

¶ Bloomberg New Energy Finance has released figures showing that investment in clean energy in India jumped to $7.9 billion in 2014, up from $7 billion the year earlier. However, Bloomberg also predicts that clean energy investment is likely to jump up past $10 billion this year for the first time since 2011.[CleanTechnica]

¶ According to Mighty River Power, one of New Zealand’s largest electricity generation and electricity retailing companies, geothermal energy production is the second most important source of electricity fuel in the country, with hydro power taking the top spot. Geothermal increased 150% over the past decade. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

¶ Global nuclear power capacity increased slightly in 2014. Five new reactors (4.76 gigawatts) began supplying electricity and three were permanently shut down. Nuclear generating capacity increased by 2.4 GW, compared to 26 GW for windpower. Thus a long-standing pattern of stagnation continues. [Business Spectator]

¶ The world can enjoy higher standards of living and more travel, while drastically cutting emissions to avoid dangerous climate change, but only with sweeping changes to our infrastructure, the natural world, and agriculture, and continuation of poverty for many, UK Government analysis has found. [Greenwise Business]

US:

¶ The Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts shut down due to the storm after two transmission lines failed. The power lines into Pilgrim are working, but the plant could not deliver the electricity it generated. The plant has a week’s supply of fuel for its emergency generators. [Wicked Local Plymouth]

¶ The Vermont Public Service Department has awarded two Vermont-based companies, Casella Resource Solutions, Rutland, and Grow Compost, Waterbury, with Clean Energy Development Fund grants to build and operate pilot projects to demonstrate the feasibility of anaerobic digestion of food scraps. [Renewable Energy from Waste]

¶ US tight oil production from shale plays will fall faster than most assume. High decline rates from shale reservoirs is one reason. But also, every rig used in pad drilling has approximately three times the impact on the daily production rate as a rig did before pad drilling. Well productivity has decreased by about a third. [Resilience]

¶ With power less than $0.10/kWh throughout Washington state, some customers would not put solar panels on their roofs without the incentive. The state paid out about $19.6 million for incentives in 2013. A Solar Washington study found that every $1 of solar incentives puts $2.46 into the economy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Obama administration released a draft five-year plan for oil and gas lease sales that would open areas of the Atlantic Ocean and offshore Alaska to drilling. The draft plan includes 14 potential lease sales in eight planning areas, ten in the Gulf of Mexico, three off Alaskan coasts, and one off Virginia through South Carolina. [Huffington Post]

¶ Hawaiian Electric has proposed to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to raise the allowable PV penetration threshold from 120% to 250% of a circuit’s daytime minimum load. With the change, new net-metered PV customers would be paid less for their excess electricity, closer to the utility’s avoided costs. [Business Spectator]

¶ Solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, geothermal and waste-to-energy electricity production could account for 98% of Oregon’s and Washington’s electricity needs in just 15 years, according to two new reports from the Wind Energy Foundation’s Renewable America project, which promotes wind development. [Jefferson Public Radio]

Science and Technology:

¶ A new study has found that wave energy production, once the infrastructure is in place, would be a reliable, steady, and dependable source of electricity—even cheaper than wind power. Along the US coastline, it could make 1,170 TWh per year. That is enough to supply half the United States’ annual electricity demand. [TakePart]

¶ Global warming may boost the frequency of extreme and devastating La Niña events, a study released suggests. It says that as the climate warms, extreme La Niña events will occur almost twice as often as they do now, causing heavy flooding in some places, droughts in others, and increasingly intense storms. [NBCNews.com]

World:

¶ The largest concentrated solar power project in the Middle East, Shams 1, has performed better than expected, the Shams Power Company has reported. The company had expected to generate about 193,000 MWh electricity in 2014 but managed to generate just under 215,000 MWh, 12% over expected generation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The underlying theme of the agreements the US made with China and India, and the position taken by the leaders of the world’s three most influential national economies, is that coal no longer rules. The “all of the above” credo that once dominated their thinking on energy is morphing into “anything but coal.” [RenewEconomy]

¶ GE announced it will supply China’s Huaneng Corporation with 55 units of the GE 2.75-120 brilliant wind turbines, to be installed at the Huaneng Dali Longquan wind project in the Yunnan province of China. The project will provide 151 MW of capacity, making it GE’s largest wind order in China to date. [RenewablesBiz]

¶ The UK Government has been forced to perform a U-turn and concede to a number of Opposition amendments to squeeze through legislation that will allow shale gas development to go ahead. Ministers had to accept the 13 conditions laid out by Labour watering down fracking laws to pass them through Parliament. [Click Green]

¶ Following the recommendations of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the British government sacked NMP, the consortium responsible for cleaning up the Sellafield nuclear site, saying not enough progress had been made. NMP has been accused by oversight offices for cost overruns and countless delays. [Digital Journal]

US:

¶ Boston’s natural gas pipeline infrastructure is showing the signs of age and is starting to leak like a sieve, according atmospheric scientists at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Not only are these methane leaks, already responsible for severe climate changes, the lost gas is worth almost $90 million. [CleanTechnica]

¶ NV Energy announced that it is seeking proposals to secure an additional 100 MW of renewable energy resources for Southern Nevada customers. Its 2015 RFP will be combined with the previously issued 2014 renewable energy RFP for a total of up to 200 MW of new renewable energy resources. [Your Renewable News]

¶ An Oklahoma electric cooperative will get about a third of the electricity from a huge wind farm being built across 10,000 acres of farm and ranch land. Western Farmers Electric Cooperative will buy 50 MW produced by the 150-MW Grant Wind project, which will begin commercial operations later this year. [Electric Co-op Today]

¶ Florida Power & Light Co unveiled plans to add over 225 MW of solar power capacity to its portfolio by the end of 2016, thus tripling its current amount. The company currently owns 110 MW of solar photovoltaic assets in Florida and plans to expand its capacity for an expected increase in its client base in 2019. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation announced it will use wind energy to help power its manufacturing facility located in Findlay, Ohio. Two of the five turbines at Findlay Wind Farm will be used by the company to offset an estimated 22% of the manufacturing facility’s electric consumption. [Energy Matters]

¶ tenK Energy, Integrys Solar, LLC and groSolar today announced the completion of a 4.5 MW DC solar power project in Templeton, Massachusetts. The solar farm uses the high energy density tenKsolar ® DUO system, which provides nearly 40% more energy per unit area, as well as conventional PVs. [RenewablesBiz]

Weather Warning:

¶ Northeast residents are girding for a “crippling and potentially historic” storm that could bury communities from northern New Jersey to southern Maine in up to 2 feet of snow or more. A blizzard warning was issued for a 250-mile stretch of the Northeast, including New York and Boston, for Monday and Tuesday. [WXXI News]

World:

¶ The Indian government is looking to set a target of 100 GW under its national wind energy mission. While the mission is being mulled for almost a year it could be launched within months, if not weeks. The plan is to add 10 GW per year of windpower for seven years, adding to the country’s current capacity of 22.5 GW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Mahindra Group, a large Indian vehicle maker and industrial conglomerate, will treble its investments in solar energy this year. The group will have installed 180 MW of solar electricity by the end of its financial year in March and is now planning to add another 500 MW for itself and others in the following year. [Financial Times]

¶ News from the World Future Energy Summit and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is that GE is the latest in a number of high-profile companies to join the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium. The consortium now consists of Masdar Institute, GE, Etihad Airways, Boeing, Honeywell UOP, and Safran. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Bangladeshi government aims to provide electricity to all of the country’s households by 2021. It plans to generate 220 megawatts of electricity for around 6 million households by 2017 through the solar home system programme. Each solar home system will have a solar panel on the roof.
[eco-business.com]

¶ The world’s largest oil exporter has chosen not to cut production, counting instead on lower prices to stimulate consumption, because consumption is declining, according to a former adviser to Saudi Arabia’s petroleum minister. The Saudis are watching investments in fuel efficiency and renewable energy. [Malay Mail Online]

¶ President Obama says that the United States and India have reached a “breakthrough understanding” that would make it a lot easier for U.S. firms and other folks abroad to invest in Indian nuclear energy plants. Indian law holds suppliers, designers and builders of plants liable in case of an accident. [National Review]

US:

¶ North Carolina is forging ahead with plans to hop on the East Coast offshore wind energy bandwagon. It is not that the state’s lawmakers have any choice in the matter. The Interior Department is leasing large swaths of federal waters for offshore wind development, and North Carolina just happens to be included. [CleanTechnica]

¶ New figures show how steadily the solar industry has grown since 2008. According to preliminary numbers from Shayle Kann of GTM Research, America installed twenty-two times more solar in 2014 than in 2008. That includes both photovoltaics and concentrating solar power, tracked in AC terms. [Energy Collective]

¶ Gas and electricity prices spiked last winter in New England. So far, this winter is different. In December, wholesale electricity and natural gas prices were down 55% and 64% from last year, respectively. January saw some price increases on cold days, but much less than last year. [Foster’s Daily Democrat]

¶ Google has slowly been stepping out onto the energy scene with its acquisition of Nest Labs, its partial ownership of the Ivanpah solar array, and now, its Nest Rush Hour Rewards Program. Some may not realize why Google is branching out in this direction. Energy efficiency and home automation are taking off! [Energy Collective]

World:

¶ More than 800 MW of small-scale solar energy capacity was installed in Australia in 2014, according to recent figures released by Green Energy Markets. This 800 MW of new small-scale capacity was split amongst 185,950 different systems, with the average size of these systems being about 4.4 kW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A new report investigating the importance of public opinion and policy priority on renewable energy development was published in the UK by the Fabian Society. It concluded, “winning community consent is the only sustainable way to deliver affordable, green energy to the UK in the long term.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ In a letter, more than a dozen organisations, businesses and clean energy venture capitalists outlined the goals of a proposed initiative to help the Indian government increase the scale of clean energy deployment for its ambitious clean energy and energy access goals – including solar power for all by 2019. [mydigitalfc.com]

¶ Dairy farming requires cropland not only to produce feed for the herd, but also as a way to get rid of manure. Manure management is a hot-button issue in Metro Vancouver, where air quality and odour problems are significant issues. A biodigester can supply natural gas customers and eliminate problems. [The Province]

¶ Havana Energy signed a £500 million deal to build five renewable power plants with more than 300 MW capacity. During harvest time for sugar cane the plants will run on bagasse, the waste pulp from sugar cane production. The rest of the year they will be fuelled by ­marabu, a problematical invasive weed. [Scotsman]

¶ Left over cooking oil from full English breakfasts or fried fish and chips could be used to power homes across the country following the opening of a new power station in North Yorkshire. Whitemoor Power Station has the capacity to provide 18 MW of electrical power during periods of high grid demand. [The Press, York]

¶ The government of Sindh, Pakistan, has allotted 1408 acres of land in the Wind Corridor of Thatta District for development of a 49.5-MW wind energy project by Master Wind Energy Limited. The project will start its commercial operations in July 2016, and is expected to produce about 140 GWh of electricity per year. [The Nation]

¶ TEPCO, owner and operator of the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, says it will be unable to process all the highly radioactive water still stored at the plant before the end of March, as it had promised, due to ongoing problems with faulty and untested equipment. The new deadline is in May. [Live Trading News]

US:

¶ President Obama and the new GOP-controlled Congress face showdowns over climate change, health, and environmental safeguards. But new public opinion research shows a strong majority of Americans, including Republicans, in five key states support existing protections and tougher environmental enforcement. [Investor Ideas]

¶ Milford, Delaware is first in the nation in terms of cumulative solar watts per customer. With the 10-MW Dover Sun Park and the 15-MW Milford Solar Park, Kent County produces 27.7 MW of solar energy, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. [Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times]

¶ The SunZia project, a proposed $2 billion transmission line that would carry renewable electrical energy generated by solar and wind resources in New Mexico and Arizona to markets across the West, is a single step closer to being in service following final federal approval. The line is to be 515 miles long. [National Review]

World:

¶ More than 125,000 UK homes put solar on their roof last year, according to the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change’s statistics on small-scale solar PV installations. A total of 700 MW of solar, enough to power 212,000 homes, was installed on buildings and in ground-mounted solar farms. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶ Mexico will add 66 GW to its power grid over the next 15 years, with investments of $90 billion expected in renewables, according to a high-ranking Mexican energy official. The energy reform will create a competitive market and encourage use of renewables by awarding clean energy certificates. [Business News Americas]

¶ Efforts to combat climate change will figure prominently in talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Obama this weekend. India wants more private sector partnerships and technology to support a drive to expand its use of clean energy from the US. The US wants a global climate change deal in 2015. [Bharat Press]

¶ Vietnam’s plan to introduce nuclear power to its energy mix faced a fresh setback on Thursday as safety concerns and legal issues pushed back the planned construction of the country’s first nuclear plant by about five years from the initial schedule. Construction is not likely to begin until 2019. [Wall Street Journal]

¶ So many solar farms have been built or are planned in Wiltshire that this year more than half the county’s homes could be powered from the sun. Three years ago, there were nearly no solar installations in the county, now, there are enough to power 106,323 homes – or 54.7% of the total of 190,200. [Western Daily Press]

US:

¶ An energy program offered by the Northern Indiana Public Service Company allows the utility’s residential, commercial and industrial electric customers to receive 25%, 50%, or 100% of their energy from renewable energy sources, even if they don’t have a wind turbine or solar panels. [The Elkhart Truth]

¶ In addition to Wednesday’s budget speech, New York Governor Cuomo released 550 pages of proposals that go into more detail that included changes to the state’s power grid. The changes to utility regulation are meant to make it easier for local, small-scale producers to get their power to customers. [Innovation Trail]

¶ Ohio utilities are asking for sweeping bailouts for aging coal and nuclear power plants, to the tune of $3 billion. And Ohioans are asking why they should shell out billions to prop up harmful fossil fuels, when they could instead create thousands of good clean energy jobs, protecting their health and prosperity. [Huffington Post]

¶ The possible closure of three financially struggling Exelon nuclear plants in Illinois could deal an economic blow to the state, but increased investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency might mitigate much of those “near-term” impacts, according to a study issued this month by four state agencies. [Progress Illinois]

¶ Abengoa Yield celebrated the grand opening of the Mojave Solar plant, which is located 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, near Barstow, California. Mojave Solar has a gross capacity of 280 MW. It will provide clean energy able to serve about 91,000 California households, eliminating 223,440 tons of CO2 emissions. [Nasdaq]

¶ The US is about to auction development rights to the 5-GW Massachusetts offshore wind lease area, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s largest sale to date. The 742,000-acre zone 12 miles off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket will be sold as four commercial wind energy leases on 29 January 2015. [reNews]

Opinion:

¶ “Why utilities across the nation are embracing community solar” – The shared renewables movement is catching on, and 2015 could be community solar’s year. Utilities and private sector players are immersed in plans. Regulators from California to the District of Columbia are working on program designs. [Utility Dive]

World:

¶ Powerful fossil fuel companies and energy utilities have taken control of key renewable energy lobby groups in Europe in an effort to slow the transition to clean energy, according to industry insiders. They have majorities on the boards of the European Wind Energy Association and European Photovoltaic Industry Association. [The Guardian]

¶ French electric utility company Electricite de France (EDF) is seeking to either sell stake or opt for partial spinoff of its French distribution network Reseau de Transport d’Electricite this year. Whatever transaction the majority state-owned utility decides on may be worth about €15 billion ($17.1 billion). [Energy Business Review]

¶ South Africa’s fledgling renewable energy sector contributed $490 million worth of benefits to the country last year. It saved $320 worth of diesel and coal. It also saved $140 million of avoided costs to some consumers because the increased capacity made it possible to avoid a certain amount of load shedding. [Independent Online]

¶ Siemens has broken ground for its new 6-MW wind turbine assembly and blade facilities in northeast England. The £310 million investment will create 1,000 new jobs directly, with more in the construction phase and supply chain. The Dudgeon offshore wind farm will be the first supplied by the plant. [Recharge]

¶ In Taiwan, Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen said Friday her party is aiming to phase out nuclear power by 2025. Tsai said the DPP will try to achieve the goal by increasing the percentage of renewable energy from 4% at present to 20% at the end of 10 years. [Focus Taiwan News Channel]

¶ A Saudi Arabia company is to build the world’s first large-scale solar-powered water desalination plant, using solar PV for its power needs during daylight hours. Abengoa will build the 15-MW solar PV facility, with tracking, and expects it to provide all desalination plant’s energy needs during peak output. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ A groundbreaking for a trash-driven power project at an Orange County, California landfill could be one of the last on the books. With evaporating tax credits and grants, and low natural gas prices, the waste pit near Irvine is one of the last in the nation large enough to generate enough power to be profitable. [The Register-Guard]

¶ US company EDF Renewable Energy has kicked off commercial operations at its 200-MW Hereford wind farm in Texas. The Hereford wind park, in Deaf Smith County, is powered by 54 GE 1.85-MW turbines and 50 units of Vestas’ V100 2.0-MW machines. Construction started in November 2013. [SeeNews Renewables]

¶ Vermont is considering legislation changing its energy policy. It would end a practice critics say double-counts benefits of its renewable power sources. It would also allow utilities to count for credit weatherization or efficiency projects they sponsor, such as new windows, insulation, biomass heat, or heat pumps. [San Francisco Chronicle]

¶ Vestas has received a firm and unconditional order from First Reserve for 149 V100-2.0 MW turbines to be installed at the 298 MW Kingfisher Wind project in Oklahoma. When complete, Kingfisher is expected to be one of the two largest single-phase wind projects in Oklahoma. Completion is scheduled for 2015. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶ California is in a state of drought emergency. Residents are being urged to save water in any way they possibly can. In the midst of this time where conserving water is crucial, however, it has been discovered that at least nine underground water aquifers have been purposely contaminated by fracking waste water. [One Green Planet]

¶ Officials of Gulf Power, a Florida Panhandle subsidiary of utility giant Southern Co, the Navy, and the Air Force officials announced a partnership to install three solar plants at as many Panhandle bases, with a combined output of 120 MW. That’s enough power for 18,000 homes, and is the state’s largest solar project. [Orlando Sentinel]

¶ A partnership between Duke Energy, the Department of the Navy and the US Marine Corps will lead to a 13 MW solar facility being built at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County, NC. The facility will be owned and operated by Duke Energy Progress and is expected online in 2015. [PennEnergy]

World:

¶ Water saving potential of renewable energy is a key finding of new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency. Realising the current renewable energy targets of the Gulf Cooperation Council region will result in a 22% reduction in water consumption for power generation and associated fuel extraction. [Yahoo! Maktoob News]

¶ A project called Second Life Batteries is bringing Bosch, the BMW Group, and Vattenfall together to interconnect used batteries from electric vehicles to form a large-scale energy storage system in Hamburg. As part of a virtual power plant, its energy is available within seconds to help keep the power grid stable. [Autocar Professional]

¶ Gamesa announced its deal to supply 100 MW of wind turbines –50 units of 2 MW — in two phases for Orange Renewable Power’s plant in Maharashtra, India. The first phase of 50 MW of the project is scheduled for completion in March 2015, and the second phase should be completed by June 2015. [Greentech Lead]

¶ Dubai has more than doubled its target for renewables in its overall energy mix given the falling cost of solar power. The change comes days after the emirate upsized a planned solar after receiving what the consortium building the scheme said was the cheapest cost ever proposed to generate solar power. [Gulf Business News]

¶ A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency has found that the cost of generating renewable energy is now equal to or below the cost of fossil fuels in many parts of the world. The report also asserts that renewables should remain financially competitive even if oil prices remain low for a while. [Business Spectator]

¶ A low carbon heating project has received a government research grant to carry out a feasibility study into what will be the first district heating project in the UK using renewable energy sources for energy. The low carbon heating project will be led by E.ON in partnership with the University of Exeter. [Green Building Press]

¶ Japan’s nuclear watchdog gave the green light to the operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant to discharge pumped up groundwater into the sea if radioactive substances in the water are within safety standards. TEPCO will be obliged to remove radioactive substances in the groundwater. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶ Prologis Inc, an industrial real estate company, announced the completion of four new solar projects in Los Angeles. Some 1.1 million square feet of Prologis rooftop space will feed a combined 4.2 MW of power, enough for 1100 homes, directly into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power electrical grid. [AZoCleantech]

¶ Minnesota’s solar energy industry may have run into its first significant opposition. The Marshall Solar Energy Project, a 500-acre solar panel complex is planned to be installed on land on a farm in southwest Minnesota, but nearby residents are unhappy about the planned solar panel farm. [Duluth News Tribune]

¶ The first pieces of legislation put forth by a Republican-controlled West Virginia Legislature advanced Wednesday, with the Senate voting 33-0 to repeal the 2009 Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act and the House of Delegates advancing its own repeal to a third reading. [Huntington Herald Dispatch]

¶ Kansas City Power & Light, facing tougher environmental regulations, plans to curb its use of coal to generate electricity. The utility said Tuesday that a total of 700 MW of generating units will be shuttered or converted to use natural gas starting in 2016. This amounts to a nearly 19% reduction in use of coal. [Lake Expo]

¶ Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Heising-Simons family today announced the launch of a new Clean Energy Initiative to support state-based solutions that will ensure America has an energy system that is clean, affordable, and reliable. New energy technologies make it possible to achieve all three goals at once. [RenewablesBiz]

¶ Hawaiian Electric Companies, Hawaii’s biggest utility, wants to end to its solar net metering program by April, and replace it with a new tariff regime that will be less lucrative for solar-owning customers. The company says the change is needed to prevent distributed solar from overwhelming grid stability. [Greentech Media]

¶ The US DOE announced an incentive program for developers adding hydroelectric power generating capabilities to existing non-powered dams throughout the United States. According to the DOE, equipping non-powered dams with generating capabilities could provide up to 12 GW. [Renewable Energy Focus]

State of the Union:

¶ What President Barack Obama described as the greatest threat to future generations was neither terrorism nor ISIS. It wasn’t nuclear weapons in rogue states either. “No challenge  poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,” said Obama in his State of the Union speech Tuesday. His statement was met with scattered, muted applause. [CNN]

World:

¶ Chile’s combined PV and wind installed capacity almost quadrupled in 2014 to about 1.2 GW. Solar capacity grew from 6.7 MW to 362 MW in the year, and wind capacity grew from 330 MW to 836 MW. Chile’s total installed renewables capacity of 2.2GW and another 1.2 GW is expected in 2015. [Recharge]

¶ Southeast Asia’s first wind power plant, in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, has raised its power capacity by 19 MW bringing to 52 MW its total power generating capacity to augment other renewable energy resources’ power production. The Bangui wind farm is operated by the Northwind Power Development Corp. [Philippine Information Agency]

¶ In Australia, Carnegie Wave Energy says it has completed the onshore power plant for its Perth wind energy project. The company said the plant at HMAS Stirling on Garden Island south of Perth was now ready to be connected to the power grid, and is pending Western Power approval. [The West Australian]

¶ Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the Swiss co-founders and pilots of Solar Impulse, along with their partners, on Tuesday revealed the detailed global flight route of Solar Impulse 2. The solar-powered plane will land in 12 locations across the world and travel 35,000 kilometres on solar power. [Khaleej Times]

¶ Access Power MEA (‘Access’), a power project developer focused on the Middle East and Africa, and EREN, a leader in renewable energy, has announced the launch of Access Infra Africa. With $500 million, this project will be looking at investment opportunities in renewable energy in Africa. [Africa IT News]

¶ Global wind power capacity is set to rise from 364.9 GW in 2014 to 650.8 GW by 2020, increasing the demand for wind turbine components across the value chain, says GlobalData. They expect global investment in wind projects to increase from $70 billion in 2013 to $101 billion by the end of 2020. [Your Renewable News]

¶ Austria is to launch a legal challenge against the European Union’s decision to allow billions of pounds of subsidies for Hinkley Point C, casting fresh doubt over the UK’s first planned nuclear reactors in 20 years. The EU approved the controversial £17.6 billion subsidy deal for the power station last October. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ A Montana pipeline burst and sent 50,400 gallons of oil gushing into the Yellowstone River. The massive oil spill happened when the 12-inch pipeline, which crosses the Yellowstone River, ruptured Saturday about 5 miles upstream from Glendive, Montana. The state’s governor declared a state of emergency. [CNN]

¶ Dominion Virginia Power has filed an application with the State Corporation Commission to build the 20-MW facility on about 125 acres of company-owned land near its Remington Power Station in Northern Virginia. It would be the first commercial solar energy plant in the state. The expected cost is $47 million. [Lynchburg News and Advance]

¶ Amazon’s cloud computing services company is partnering with Pattern Energy Group to construct the fourth phase of a wind farm in Indiana. The project is part of the existing Fowler Ridge wind farm. Amazon Web Services has a goal of creating enough renewable energy to power all of its operations. [Indiana Public Media]

¶ The Portland Water Bureau and Lucid Energy, a provider of renewable energy systems for in-pipe hydropower and smart water infrastructure, have turned one of the city’s major water pipelines into a generator of renewable energy. The pipeline powers four 42” turbines, powering about 150 Oregon homes. [RenewablesBiz]

World:

¶ An 80-MW solar power plant will be built in Chile’s Antofagasta Region, beginning in the first part of 2015. It is scheduled to be completed and come online about one year later. Electricity generated by it will be sold to the spot market, making it the world’s largest merchant solar power plant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ China’s people expect electric vehicles to grow in significantly the next decade on the back of growing environmental awareness and stricter regulations, according to a new survey. It showed that 68% of the Chinese respondents expect EV sales to be between 11% and 15% of markets in the next 10 years. [ecns]

¶ A new study has shown that increasing Britain’s installed wind energy capacity could go a long way to securing energy independence for the island nation. Independent analysts Cambridge Econometrics concluded that additional wind power would cut Britain’s need for increasingly costly imports of fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Hydro and anaerobic digesters have long been seen as higher-risk investments than simpler technologies such as solar and wind. That may well still be the case, but high street banks appear to becoming more open to these schemes as more projects come on line and are able to demonstrate their performance. [FarmersWeekly]

¶ Saudi Arabia’s plans to build nuclear and solar energy projects will take about eight years longer to complete than originally intended, according to the head of the agency overseeing the projects. In 2012, the Saudi government said it would install 17 GW of nuclear power and about 41 GW of solar capacity by 2032. [Gulf Business News]

¶ Flexible grid management is a growing need. Technology investments to create a resilient grid infrastructure have become crucial as grid instability and power failures due to capacity overload plague Eastern Europe, and stand-by demand for intermittent renewable power sources grow in Western Europe. [PR Newswire UK]

¶ Egypt aims to build solar and wind power plants in the next three years with combined capacity of 4,300 MW, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told an energy conference in Abu Dhabi. The plan is part of Egypt’s strategy for renewable energy to contribute to more than 20% of its energy mix by 2020. [Egypt Independent]

¶ Fracking industry claims about job creation in the UK are wildly over-optimistic and any jobs boom would be short-lived, according to a new report. It also found investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy would create up to six-times more jobs than the same level of investment in fossil fuels. [Click Green]

US:

¶ Minnesota Power has completed commissioning on the latest phase of its Bison Wind Energy Center. All 64 turbines are now generating power. The 205-MW expansion makes it the largest wind farm in North Dakota and ranks Minnesota Power as one of America’s top-10 wind power-owning electric utilities. [AZoCleantech]

¶ Google has unveiled new plan to invest in two renewable energy projects worth more than $1.5 billion, reports Forbes. The first project consists of a $76 million investment in the 300-MW Balko Wind project in Oklahoma. The second is the 104-megawatt Red Hills solar power plant in Utah worth $157 million. [Greentech Lead]

¶ Clean-energy supporters and utilities are at odds over a new bill at the Indiana statehouse. Electricity customers who use solar power receive credits for selling excess power back to the grid, but HB 1320 would minimize those credits, and allow utilities to set fixed charges for solar users. [Public News Service]

¶ Maine’s wind power industry may double its energy output over the next four years and is projected to create more than 4,000 jobs in the state this year. Wind projects currently on the books have a capacity of 1,300 MW by 2018, largely replacing the closed Maine Yankee nuclear plant. [Foster’s Daily Democrat]

¶ Turboden, a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was chosen by Maine Woods Pellet Company to supply the world largest biomass based ORC power unit for its plant in Athens, Maine. The system will produce 8 MW using waste from wood residues from de-barking and chipping operations. [AltEnergyMag]

Science and Technology:

¶ The Harvard quinone flow battery got worldwide media attention in early 2014 for its inexpensive non-metal electrolytes. Now, a team of developers at Sustainable Innovations have verified Harvard’s results. This success, with funding from ARPA-E, this cleared the way for building a prototype test battery. [PR Web]

¶ New graphs show some new light on the falling costs of solar technology – both at utility-scale and on rooftops, and show how much further they may fall in coming years. They were released this weekend by the International Renewable Energy Agency at its annual conference in its home base of Abu Dhabi. [RenewEconomy]

World:

¶ Welspun Energy has announced fresh investment plans to expand its solar and wind capacity in India. Welspun Energy has signed agreements with the state government of Gujarat to install 1.1 GW of renewable capacity. The agreement includes 500 MW of wind energy capacity and 600 MW of solar energy capacity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ SunEdison has signed yet another landmark deal with a state in India to set up large-scale renewable energy projects. SunEdison will set up 5 GW of solar and wind energy capacity in the southern state of Karnataka. This is the second such deal the company has signed but the first to include wind energy as well. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The cost of unwinding nuclear is uncertain as estimates range widely, but concerns are rising. The International Energy Agency has said that almost 200 of the 434 reactors in operation around the globe would be retired by 2040, and estimated the cost of decommissioning them at more than $100 billion. [Yahoo News]

¶ For the second consecutive year, Canada has set a record for the installation of new wind energy capacity. According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association, a total of 1,871 MW of wind energy capacity was installed in five provinces in Canada in 2014, with most growth centred in Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶ Spanish company Gamesa says it will construct a 24-MW wind farm in Jamaica. Under the contract, signed with Wigton Windfarm Ltd, the company will deliver and install 12 2-MW turbines. Gamesa will ship its equipment in the third quarter of 2015. The company did not disclose the value of the deal. [SeeNews Renewables]

US:

¶ In Hawaii, Parker Ranch announced that Parker Ranch Foundation Trust has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources. This agreement provides NextEra Energy Resources with long-term access rights to PRFT lands to develop renewable energy derived from PRFT’s wind resources. [AZoCleantech]

¶ Like it or not, Idaho is going solar. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has recently approved agreements with 13 solar power projects. Together, federal regulations, tax incentives, cheaper solar panels and a rate-calculating method developed by the commission itself have made solar power financially attractive. [Idaho Press-Tribune]

¶ An empty lot in Plymouth, New Hampshire has become one of the largest solar arrays in the state. The 121-kilowatt system is projected to generate a quarter of the annual electric needs of the Plymouth Village water & Sewer District. It should help with the electric bill, which last year totaled nearly $70,000. [Washington Times]

¶ Kwigillingok, Alaska is off the power grid because it is too remote to be on one. It generates its own power, which now includes electricity from wind turbines. This is a microgrid, which can be independent of a larger power grid, as needed, to keep the power on. Such small systems could be the future of power. [Motley Fool]

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers at Glasgow University aim to harness photo-synthetic bacteria to create a hydrocarbon similar to petrol. As well as being renewable, the new fuel would be storable, cutting reliance on dwindling reserves of coal, oil and gas. The process would take up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be a greenhouse gas. [Scotsman]

World:

¶ European power sector emissions fell by 8% in 2014, and electricity consumption fell by 2.7%. These are fantastic numbers across the 28 member states of one of the most influential power-blocs in the world. This is according to Sandbag, which is dedicated to shining light on tracking emissions trading in the EU. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The UAE has signed partnership agreements to fund renewable energy projects in four Pacific island countries. The Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands will get 600 kW each, Nauru will get 500 kW, and Palau will have 434 kW. The solar-powered from are expected to be completed in 2016. [Gulf Business News]

¶ A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency, Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2014, concludes that biomass, hydropower, geothermal and onshore wind are all competitive with or cheaper than coal, oil and gas-fired power stations, even without financial support and despite falling oil prices. [Utilities-ME.com]

¶ China ranks the top in the world in terms of the use of renewable energy with the increasing switch to renewable energy resources. China’s investment in clean energy in 2014 hit a record $89.5 billion , accounting for 29% of the world’s total. Renewable generation provided for 22% of Chinese power consumption in 2014. [AsiaOne]

¶ The Bahamas is planning a major new green push, as the 700-island archipelago is set to launch a wide solar energy project. As part of its participation in the Carbon War Room’s Ten Island Challenge, the Bahamas will advance 20 MW of solar utility-scale farms on several islands this year. [Caribbean Journal]

¶ In British Columbia, the Surrey Biofuels Processing Facility project will be the first closed-loop fully integrated organics waste management system in North America. It will convert household organic waste collected at curbside into renewable natural gas to fuel the collection trucks and also produce compost. [Beacon News]

¶ Solar energy is now cheaper than grid prices and most competing technologies on a utility scale. Electric vehicles pose a real threat to gasoline consumption. One big oil company in France has committed to the future of solar energy and other nascent industries that could interrupt the energy industry’s status quo. [Motley Fool]

¶ The Japanese government is considering setting 20% as the amount of the total domestic electric power output to be generated using nuclear energy in 2030, almost the same level as renewable energy resources. Prior to the Fukushima disaster, nuclear power contributed 28.6% of the country’s power. [The Japan News]

US:

¶ Economic evaluation of US federal climate policies hinges on a social cost of carbon estimate of $37 per metric ton of CO2 in 2013. Unfortunately, each metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere causes $220 in economic damages, say the Stanford researchers, a staggering economic problem. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Last year, the 550-MW capacity Topaz Solar project became fully operational and claimed the title of largest solar plant on-line in the world. Now Topaz has to share the crown with First Solar’s 550-MW Desert Sunlight project in Riverside, California, which went all-on this month, according to the California ISO. [Energy Collective]

¶ Several of the Montana Legislature’s more conservative Republicans and a Democrat are sponsoring bills to broaden the market for renewable-power systems, by expanding net metering. Without it, most individual solar PV or windpower systems are un-economic for the average homeowner or business. [Ravalli Republic]

Science and Technology:

¶ 2014 was the Earth’s warmest year on record, according to the National Climatic Data Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Average temperatures were 0.07 degrees Fahrenheit above the previous high recorded since record-keeping began in 1880, the agency said. [CNN]

World:

¶ Wind power displaced £579 million of coal and gas imports in the UK in 2013, increasing resilience, according to Cambridge Econometrics. Coal imports were reduced by an estimated 4.9 million tonnes and gas by 1.4 billion cubic metres. Some 56% of the nation’s gas supplies and 79% of its coal were imported. [reNews]

¶ South Africa’s Department of Energy has announced two new concentrating solar power plants to be built in the Northern Cape. The Kathu Solar Park and Redstone Solar Thermal Power project, each of which will have 100 MW capacity, are in the third round of the government’s renewable power program. [BusinessTech]

¶ Scotland’s rural electricity network is to receive its most significant upgrade in decades after Perth-based utility SSE accepted a new £1.118 billion funding proposal for the project. An SSE subsidiary agreed to develop the 1.2 gigawatt Caithness to Moray subsea transmission link with energy watchdog Ofgem. [The Courier]

¶ Australian Greens have launched their Queensland election campaign in Brisbane by promising millions to encourage households to start using solar energy. Greens Leader Christine Milne announced the three-point strategy, saying it removed barriers to installing solar for the people who most needed lower power bills. [Full-Time Whistle]

¶ Spending on renewable energy, which surged 16% in 2014, will remain strong this year, largely unaffected by the slumping oil prices that have depressed their shares. That’s the message from Goldman Sachs’ global head of clean technology and renewables, and Deutsche Bank AG’s renewable-energy analyst. [The News Journal]

¶ An additional 78 MW of energy are expected to be supplied to the Jamaican power grid, through two renewable projects to be undertaken along the nation’s south coast. They are a 58 MW wind energy development in Manchester and a solar facility to generate approximately 20 MW of power in Clarendon. [Jamaica Observer]

¶ Renewable energy consumption is set to grow over the next few years, and according to a new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, said growth will outstrip growth in the fossil fuel industry. Despite this growth, non-fossil fuels are faced with political challenges that may hamper their ability to flourish. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Cuban government wants to make Granma province 100% renewably powered as a model for the rest of the island. They are well on their way. In 2013, renewables supplied 37% of all the energy consumed in Granma province, and the province currently has 3,664 renewable energy systems in operation. [BillMoyers.com]

US:

¶ The first large-scale wind turbine to be installed in New York City was installed in Brooklyn, built to help power a recycling plant at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. It was installed by Aegis Renewables, of Waitsfield, Vermont. The turbine was made by Northern Power Systems, of Barre, Vermont. [Greentech Lead]

¶ Michigan Governor Rick Snyder says he wants to look into weaning the state off coal-fired generation. Currently, Michigan sources about 50% of its power from coal-fired plants, but Snyder told the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum that now is the time to look at a long-term transition away from coal. [Platts]

¶ The Virginia administration put out the call this week, asking interested companies to suggest solar projects for state facilities. The state’s not planning to sign contracts immediately. It’s looking for ideas to harness the sun’s power “at, around and/or atop state-owned property,” the governor’s office said. [Daily Press]

¶ A subsidiary of New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR Clean Energy Ventures, has installed solar panels on more than 3,200 homes, making it the state’s third-largest residential solar provider. Including 17 commercial solar projects, the company invested almost $400 million in solar energy in New Jersey. [Asbury Park Press]

¶ With the aim of providing US customers with a single contracting group to manage and deliver nuclear decontamination and decommissioning, Bechtel and Westinghouse Electric Company have announced the formation a partnership between the two that brings more than 100 years of industry experience. [KHL Group]

World:

¶ India’s largest wind energy equipment maker is continuing with efforts to take full advantage of the changing regulatory and financial environment in the country. Suzlon announced a plan to invest $3.7 billion to develop 3 GW wind energy capacity in Gujarat at the Vibrant Gujarat Global investors summit. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Hanwha Group has recently completed construction of its 24 MW solar power plant in Japan, cementing its leading position in the Japanese solar power market. The Kitsuki plant is built on mountain slopes. The project has 97,000 modules and can produce enough electricity annually to power 7,190 homes. [The Korea Bizwire]

¶ The green bond market saw incredible growth last year, reaching $36.6 billion issued by 73 different issuers, according to figures released by the Climate Bonds Initiative. The figure for 2014 is more than triple the number recorded in 2013. The growth takes the total amount of green bonds outstanding to $53.2 billion. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]

¶ Boston-Power, a notable players in the lithium-ion battery market, is apparently now looking to “compete with Elon Musk” and will be scaling-up its battery factories to produce much higher quantities of batteries. The scaling-up process will be funded with $290 million from Chinese government agencies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Ethiopia has signed an agreement with an Israeli solar power company to further its goal of providing environmentally friendly and affordable renewable energy for its population. Ethiopia often suffers from blackouts due to its lack of lack of power and two-thirds of the country’s citizens have no electricity. [Jspace News]

¶ The reputations of companies linked to fossil fuels are at immediate risk from a fast-growing divestment campaign, warned a senior investment analyst at Axa Investment Managers, which manages over $700 billion of assets. She pointed to four Australian banks losing $328 million worth of fossil-fuel business. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ Prices of natural gas prices and electric power are not connected, as a graph from Deutsche Bank comparing them reveals. It shows that while natural gas prices in the US have fallen 88% since 2008, from a peak of $13/mmb to as low as $2/mmb, consumer electricity prices actually rose 20% over the same period. [CleanTechnica]

¶ California is clearly the US leader in energy storage after the state’s 2013 mandate that its largest utilities have 1,325 megawatts of electricity storage operating by 2024 to help fight climate change. Storage will help the state reach its climate goal of having 50% of its electricity supplied by renewables by 2030. [Discovery News]

¶ America’s clean energy economy is celebrating. A new report shows the solar industry’s explosive growth is creating new, highly skilled jobs at a rate nearly 20 times faster than the overall economy. One out of every 78 new jobs created in the US over the past 12 months was created by the solar industry. [Click Green]

¶ The West Virginia Legislature wants to repeal state renewable energy standards that require generating 25% of electricity have renewable or alternative power sources by 2025. A power company official said could be met at no additional cost. (Very efficient coal plants are included as alternative.) [Wetzel Chronicle]

¶ Florida businesses and property owners would be able to sell a limited amount of solar energy under a ballot initiative for a constitutional amendment rolled out Wednesday by a coalition, “Floridians for Solar Choice,” that brings together free-market conservatives, retailers and alternative-energy supporters. [RenewablesBiz]

¶ New York state regulators gave Rochester Gas and Electric and Exelon more time to negotiate the future of the Ginna nuclear power plant. Exelon says Ginna is losing tens of millions of dollars a year and needs to sell power at a higher price. RG&E would have to pass on extra costs to customers. [Rochester Democrat and Chronicle]

Opinion:

¶ “Why the Smart Money is Betting on Renewable Energy – Brewing Solar Power Boom” The price of oil may be down, for a while, but the decline in cost of renewable energy means last year’s investment brought in almost double the clean electricity capacity than what it did only four years earlier. [The Market Oracle]

¶ “Can Moore’s Law Be Applied to Power Electronics for Solar and Storage?” – Antoine Paquin, CEO of Solantro Semiconductor, based  in Ontario, Canada and Silicon Valley, believes Moore’s law can lower the cost of solar power electronics. And interestingly, the reasons for this are much the same. [Greentech Media]

World:

¶ The California-based renewable energy company SolarReserve, along with Saudi Arabian ACWA Power, have been given the go-ahead by the South African Department of Energy to build a 100-MW solar power + thermal energy storage project in the country. The Redstone project is expected to come online in 2018. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Finnish scientists believe that renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, will become the cheapest energy for consumers in Asia in next 10 years. A project has successfully modelled comprehensive energy systems based entirely on renewable energy sources for China, South Korea and Japan. [New Kerala]

¶ A new report shows electricity demand in Australia’s National Electricity Market decreased again in 2014. Following a trend that began in 2009, GreenMarkets says consumption fell last year by 1.1%, down 2098 GWh from 2013. The fact that power from roof-top solar PVs is not considered for the tally is relevant. [Energy Matters]

¶ German offshore windpower had 258 turbines totalling 1049.2 MW as 2014 ended. This is more than double what there was the previous year. A further 268 turbines totalling 1218.1 MW are in place but not fully grid-linked by the end of the year, so they are already set to more than double the capacity again this year. [reNews]

¶ China’s ambitions to be a leader in nuclear technology have been dealt a fresh blow, as construction of its most advanced reactor is facing a new delay. The project, which China is developing with Westinghouse Electric Co, faces new development problems and is not expected to start up until 2016 at the earliest. [Wall Street Journal]

US:

¶ It is now common practice in the US coal industry for companies to sell a significant portion of the coal that they mine back to themselves, through the use of subsidiaries. In this way, the coal companies can both increase the amount of money they get from the Interior Department and dodge tax payments. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Goddard College said it has completed its divestment from fossil fuel company investments, making it the third college in Vermont to divest after Sterling and Green Mountain College. Its president said the college has moved its endowment funds into fossil fuel-free accounts at Trillium Asset Management in Boston. [Boston Globe]

¶ The US can increase its use of renewable energy in power generation by more than triple by 2030, according to a new report, “Renewable Energy Prospects: United States of America,” by the International Renewable Energy Agency. Currently, renewable sources provide 14% of US power. This can grow to 50%. [EcoSeed]

¶ The group Floridians for Solar Choice, which consists of several conservative groups and a couple of not-so-conservtive ones, is teaming up with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy to get a solar energy amendment on the state ballot in 2016. It would allow owners of PVs to sell solar power to consumers. [Creative Loafing Tampa]

¶ The Obama Administration is announcing a series of steps to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40% to 45% from 2012 levels by 2025, encompassing both commonsense standards and cooperative engagement with states, tribes and industry to put us on a path toward the 2025 goal. [Renewable Energy Focus]

World:

¶ The South Australian grid operator is recognizing the value of rooftop solar. It says it has pushed the peak back much later in the day, reduced the breadth of peak demand (much to the chagrin of the conventional generators who relied on the peaks for income), and reduced stress on the grid at peak times. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Investment bank Deutsche Bank is predicting that solar systems will be at grid parity in up to 80% of the global market within 2 years, and says the collapse in the oil price will do little to slow down the solar juggernaut. Grid-based electricity prices are rising across the world, and solar costs are still falling. [CleanTechnica]

¶ GDF Suez is the latest European energy giant announcing plans to focus more on renewable projects. The French utility aims to double its power generation capacity from renewable energy in Europe by 2025, with emphasis on marine energies. It will have a renewables capacity of 21 GW by the end of 2015. [Utilities-ME.com]

¶ In Japan, the Abe administration decided to boost efforts next year to promote renewable energy, after the feed-in tariff system ran into trouble only two years after its introduction. The administration is expected to secure ¥130.7 billion ($1.12 billion) for renewable energy programs in the fiscal 2015 budget. [The Japan Times]

¶ The French energy and environment minister says France should build a new generation of nuclear reactors to replace its ageing power stations that provide a majority of the country’s electricity. The comments give the first signal the government will emphasize nuclear in France’s energy production. [Yahoo News UK]

¶ Based on a poll of E2Energy investors in the UK, wind was the most popular and preferred technology choice for investment at 87%, with solar coming second with 85%. The research also revealed 30% of lenders were female and an impressive 87% said they would consider investing again. [Click Green]

US:

¶ A recently released report from the NC Clean Energy Technology Center suggests that in almost every one of America’s 50 largest cities, a solar PV system of typical size offers a better return than the stock market, and for 42 of them, the cost of solar is already less than from their local utility. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Analysis of the impact US tight oil has on global oil markets shows that only around one quarter of the drop in US imports of 1.7 million barrels per day since 2005 to 2006 can be explained by the tight oil boom. Oil imports dropped by about 1 million barrels per day before the tight oil boom even began. [Resilience]

¶ The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation recently wrote a piece highlighting the impressive potential for offshore wind development in the US. The figures say the US has a projected 4,223 GW worth of offshore wind generating potential, with 50 GW from the Ohio waters of Lake Erie alone. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Northampton, Massachusetts may soon join dozens of other municipalities in the state that have turned old landfills into solar farms. And, in what appears to be a first in western Massachusetts at least, solar arrays may pop up at some municipal parking lots, according to the city’s energy officer. [WAMC]

¶ Spanish developer Iberdrola Renewables is laying the groundwork for a 100-MW wind farm in Maine. The Fletcher Mountain scheme will feature 30 to 35 turbines, depending on turbine type and final layout. It would interconnect into utility Central Maine Power Company’s Wyman Hydro substation. [reNews]

¶ Ohio’s two-year timeout on its mandate that utilities get more of their power from renewable and advanced technology sources has dampened investment in what were once booming solar and wind industries in the state, according to a study released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trust. [Toledo Blade]

World:

¶ Access Power MEA has teamed up with EREN to form Access Infra Africa, an investment vehicle for early stage development of power projects in Africa. The partners say AIA will be the largest privately funded vehicle of its kind and plan for a portfolio of power assets in Africa worth over $500 million. [Ventures Africa]

¶ In India, SunEdison and Omnigrid Micropower Company Pvt Ltd announced that they have signed a framework agreement to develop 5,000 rural projects, representing 250 MW of electricity, throughout India over the next three to five years. They hope the deal will bring electric power to 10 million people. [Power Online]

¶ Market research firm IHS projects growth in the global market for grid-connected residential PV solar installations with energy storage from the current 90 MW to over 900 MW in 2018. Cost reductions for storage, such as lithium-ion batteries, are starting to help drive the installation of solar systems. [SmartMeters]

¶ Samsung Renewable Energy Inc and Pattern Energy Group Inc today announced that the Grand Renewable Wind project has completed construction and reached commercial operation. The 149 MW facility has the capacity to produce clean power for approximately 50,000 Ontario homes each year. [AZoCleantech]

¶ US Secretary of State John Kerry said the US had hopes for talks next month between President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Modi in four areas, one of which is nuclear reactors. The others are agreements on renewable energy and climate change, defence partnership, and the economic partnership. [The Hindu]

¶ From turning the thermostat down one degree to harnessing waste heat from industry to power homes, energy efficiency measures are worth more than £37 billion to the British economy each year, according to analysis that will issue next week from the Combined Heat and Power Association. [Business Green]

¶ Only 96 people live in the Polish village of Zurawlow, but they stopped Chevron! For 400 days, farmers and families from Zurawlow and nearby villages blockaded a proposed Chevron shale drilling site with tractors and agricultural machinery. Eventually, the company abandoned its plans. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ MidAmerican Energy hopes to complete the final wind farm in its five-project, 1050-MW Wind 8 cluster in Iowa by year end. They estimate total investment in the project will be $1.9 billion. Siemens is supplying its 448 turbines. Google will buy up to 407 MW of the output for its Council Bluffs data center. [reNews]

¶ Three hundred professors at Stanford University, including latest Fields medal winner Maryam Mirzakhani and a number of Nobel Laureates, have urged the university’s president and board of trustees to divest away from all fossil fuel companies and fully recognize the urgency of climate change. [pv magazine]

¶ Three Illinois state agencies gave state legislators a list of options for keeping Exelon’s nuclear plants running, including a carbon tax and a cap-and-trade program, all of which will likely result in higher consumer power prices. The Illinois House had requested the agencies to report on the issue. [RTO Insider]

¶ The US could get nearly 50% of its generation from renewable sources by 2030 with existing technologies and the right policies and investments, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency. The report is one of the first in IRENA’s Remap 2030 series. [POWER magazine]

¶ The owner of the Vermont Yankee, nuclear power plant says the fuel has been removed from the reactor and placed in the spent fuel pool. The information was contained in a letter dated Friday from Entergy Nuclear Operations to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. [Greenfield Daily Reporter]