geoharvey

Opinion:

¶   “No, cheap oil will not kill solar power” Solar energy investors seem to fear that cheap oil will erase demand for alternative energy. But it won’t, say industry analysts. Oil dominates energy demand in transportation fuels, but solar power customers are primarily of two types: public electric utilities and large corporations, neither of which use oil to generate electricity. [CNBC]

Science and Technology:

¶   Comments on EVs from Renault-Nissan’s Chairman & CEO Carlos Ghosn indicated that Nissan will “very soon take the issue of range off of the table.” Jeff Cobb of Hybrid Cars says: “The company is otherwise still being vague, not ready to show what it has, but Ghosn suggested a near-ready battery to enable affordable electric cars good for as many 250 miles…” [CleanTechnica]

¶   The Jellyfish Barge, if you have not heard word about it, is one potential worldwide food and water solution, which deserves high praise. It is a holistic platform improving water and food security of coastal communities. It is a module for crop cultivation that doesn’t rely on soil, fresh water, and chemical energy consumption, according to Pnat. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A team at Rice University made a new graphene microsupercapacitor (same thing as a supercapacitor but smaller) using a process they call LIG, for laser induced graphene. They created their graphene battery on a base of plastic film. That took some doing, as it turned out that not all plastic film is equal when it comes to graphene batteries. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   The launch of a new coalition spearheaded by the United Nations Environment Program and focused on boosting renewable energy usage around the world was announced today as Member States head into the final three-day stretch of a major UN climate conference in Lima, Peru aimed at tackling the imminent threat of climate change. [AllAfrica.com]

¶   The region of Latin America and the Caribbean is already a global low-carbon leader in terms of power generation from hydrological and biomass resources. Declining costs, maturing technologies, and vast untapped potentials including geothermal, solar PVs, and wind offer an additional unprecedented opportunity in the region. [solarserver.com]

¶   The UK Government has approved the 1.2 GW Hornsea Project One, 64 miles off the coast of Yorkshire. Hornsea Project One will generate enough energy for over 800,000 homes.The project is expected to feature between 150 and 332 offshore wind turbines based on the size of the units selected. [CleanTechnology News, Industry Analysis, Market Research Reports – Clean Technology Business Review]

US:

¶   The U.S. is producing the most oil in 31 years, economic growth is picking up and crude prices are plunging. Nevertheless, American use of petroleum is waning. Greater efficiency is part of the cause. Another part is greater use of renewable resources. Another part is increased urbanization, particularly among younger people. [Bloomberg]

¶   Vermont will not meet its renewable energy goals unless policy changes are made, according to a report by the Shumlin administration.The Total Energy Study, prepared by the Department of Public Service, makes it clear that new policies are needed if the state wants to meet its goal of 90% renewable energy consumption by 2050. [vtdigger.org]

¶   The US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has announced it will work with GE and the Electric Power Research Institute on a new $8 million microgrid program. The program, which has been funded by the Energy Department, will focus on the development of seven microgrid projects. [pv magazine]

¶   As more solar and wind electric generating capacity is added in California, CAISO, the electric grid operator for most of the state, is facing an increasingly different net load shape. Net load, the total electric demand in the system minus wind and solar generation, represents the demand that CAISO must meet with other, dispatchable sources. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Three new utility-scale solar power arrays are a step closer to construction just north of the Las Vegas Valley under a new federal initiative aimed at fast-tracking renewable energy development on public land. Federal authorities have fast-tracked the three projects, which could receive final approval by spring 2015 and begin delivering power by 2016. [RenewablesBiz]

¶   The US DOE has issued the Advanced Nuclear Energy Projects loan guarantee solicitation of $12.5 billion to support innovative nuclear energy projects. The DOE’s Loan Programs Office also includes the $8 billion Advanced Fossil Energy Projects Solicitation, the $4 billion Renewable Energy and Efficient Energy Projects Solicitation, and the $16 billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program. [PennEnergy]

Science and Technology:

¶   Vitruvian Energy has a waste-to-energy project, converting sewage treatment biosolids and other organic waste into ethyl-3-ethoxybutyrate (EEB). EEB can be blended at rates up to 20% in gas and diesel engines without any modification to the engine. In some cases it can be used straight as a fuel for generating electricity. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Yet another scientific study has undermined one of the shoutiest claims of the anti-wind movement – that inaudible sound waves (or infrasound) emitted by wind turbines causes people living close by to wind farms to get sick, with a litany of symptoms ranging from anxiety and migraine to heart disease. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Proponents of carbon capture and storage (CCS) say it is the only feasible way to mitigate climate change because coal and natural gas are cheap. A study has now revealed how much it CCS would cost. It would be $17.6 trillion for the initial investment, and CCS power plants will use 10% to 40% more energy than non-CCS ones. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas has signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam’s Phu Cuong Group to develop a 170-MW wind farm. The project will be sited in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang and is Phu Cuong Group’s first venture in a pipeline of 800 MW. [reNews]

¶   Canada’s carbon pollution target for 2020 could have been nearly met if the country had widely implemented some successful regional policies six years ago, a report suggests. The report comes on the heels of a warning from Environment Canada that the country will only get halfway to its 17% reduction goal. [CBC.ca]

¶   A tire-fueled plant at Avonmouth, near the English city of Bristol, looks set to be given the green light. It would grind tires into crumb form, with the solid waste then converted into liquid petroleum gas, synthetic diesel oil and carbon black. Electricity also produced from the waste tires would supply power to more than 10,000 homes. [Insider Media]

¶   Oil prices have plummeted in recent months, from $115 a barrel in June to less than $70. That dramatic shift could increase greenhouse gas emissions in the short term, as consumers take advantage of cheap fuel. It also gives policymakers a “golden opportunity” to scrap fossil fuel subsidies and bring in carbon pricing. [RTCC]

¶   Official National Grid figures showed that on Sunday 7 December an average of 7.315 GW of power was produced by wind farms, beating the previous record of 7.234 GW set on 3 January this year. This means around 43% of all homes were powered by wind that day, trade body RenewableUK said. [Business Green]

¶   The German government aims to shut down the country’s nuclear power plants by 2022. The expansion of the renewable energy sector is proceeding at full speed as wholesale electricity prices slump. Conventional power is unprofitable. Operators of conventional plants are making losses amounting to billions of euros. [Deutsche Welle]

US:

¶   The US installed 1,354 MW of solar PV in the third quarter of 2014, up 41% over the same period last year. The country’s cumulative solar PV capacity is now 16.1 GW. The US residential segment exceeded 300 MW for the first time for the quarter, with more than half coming online without any state incentives to help it along. [CleanTechnica]

¶   In the first major congressional call on the EPA to further strengthen the proposed Clean Power Plan from its existing targets, a group of eleven Senators emphasized that it is essential for the plan to hit the target levels of emissions reductions necessary to avoid the most harmful effects of climate change. [Eurasia Review]

¶   While coal-powered mines are still the number 1 source for electricity in North Dakota, wind energy is closing the gap. Basin Electric Cooperative co-op members decided to produce 10% of their power with renewables, and within a few years went past that threshold to 19%. Now, 13% of their power is from wind and close to 6% from hydro. [Tribune-Review]

¶   A large farm in western Michigan plans to start producing electricity from manure produced by its 3,000-plus dairy cows. MLive.com reports that Sustainable Partners LLC says it has been selected to build a 1.4 MW anaerobic digester at Beaver Creek Farm in Coopersville at a cost of over $8 million. [Greenfield Daily Reporter]

¶   E.ON is spinning off its fossil fuel plants. In the US, costs of solar and wind energy are dropping fast, and customers are getting control of their electricity usage, putting utilities on the defensive. Some US power companies might embrace change as E.ON has. Although not a regulated utility, NRG Energy may be closest. [Greentech Media]

¶  Mary Powell, President & CEO of Green Mountain Power, Vermont’s largest utility, was just named Power-Gen 2014 Woman of the Year. Judges selected Powell because of how she has advanced the power generation industry, the positive impact she has made on her community, and her leadership. [Marketwired]

Science and Technology:

¶   A new report, issued the same day the latest round of global climate negotiations opened in Peru, highlights the fracking industry’s slow expansion into nearly every continent, drawing attention not only to the potential harm from toxic pollution, dried-up water supplies and earthquakes, but also to the threat the shale industry poses to the world’s climate. [Resilience]

¶   Renewable energy company Acciona has unveiled what will be the first zero emissions electric vehicle to participate in the grueling Dakar Rally. The vehicle features a 220 kW (300 HP) synchronous electric motor that weighs only 80 kg. It has four removable (quick release sliding) lithium-ion battery packs provide energy storage of 140 kWh. [Energy Matters]

World:

¶   The latest update on the Australian PV Institute solar map shows that Australia now has 4 GW of installed PV. Installed capacity has quadrupled since 2011, generating an estimated 5250 GWh per year from the sun. In many suburbs, especially in South Australia and Queensland, more than 40% of households have solar panels. [Climate Control News]

¶   Swedish state-owned Vattenfall wants to continue as a major player in Germany’s energy market even though it intends to sell lignite power plants and mines there, Chief Executive Magnus Hall said on Monday. He added that there will be no changes to the decision to sell the lignite operations in Germany. [Reuters]

US:

¶    Ceres, a nonprofit promoting investor support for efforts on climate change, has sent a letter endorsed by 223 companies to President Obama, in support of EPA’s controversial proposed standard for existing power plants to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Combined assets of the companies is $10 trillion. [National Legal and Policy Center]

¶   Right now only a couple of stations in Oklahoma and Texas are selling $2 gas. But the price of both oil and wholesale gas declined again Monday. Oil is already at a 5-year low, at less than $65 a barrel, and analysts think it could bottom out at $35 next year. Next year’s full-year average could be as low as $53, said Morgan Stanley analysts. [CNN]

¶   Revenues from renewables for electric power generators jumped by 49% to $9.8 billion from 2007 to 2012, while revenues  from the fossil fuel sector fell by 6.7% according to the Census Bureau. But wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass and solar accounted for just 8.2% of all industry revenues in 2012. [Electric Co-op Today]

¶   Massachusetts’ governor is just 30 days from leaving office, but his administration is making one last push to bring more Canadian hydropower to the state. His top environmental aides are working feverishly on new rules that could compel electric utilities to buy a certain amount of energy from Canada’s big hydro plants. [Boston Globe]

¶   Washington Gas Energy Systems, announced an agreement with Southern Company and the Electric Power Research Institute to evaluate battery storage at a 1-MW solar array in Cedartown, Georgia. The project will analyze a 1-MW/2-MWh lithium-ion battery with a specific focus on renewable integration. [RenewablesBiz]

¶   A Maine citizen board has rejected an appeal of Patriot Renewables’ 22.8 MW Canton Mountain wind project, unanimously dismissing complaints about noise impacts and potential effects on property values. The developer proposes to install eight GE 2.85-103 turbines along a ridgeline in Oxford County. [reNews]

¶   Wind power is on track to cut as much carbon pollution in Pennsylvania as four coal-fired power plants, or 3,689,000 cars produce by 2030, according to analysis by the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center. Growing at its current rate, wind would be able to supply 30% of our electricity needs by 2030. [NorthcentralPa.com]

¶   Duke Energy has received regulatory approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission to acquire and construct three solar PV facilities totaling 128 MW (ac) capacity in the state. Duke will own the three solar farms, whose output will help North Carolina comply with the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard. [Recharge]

¶   Two trends in the power sector, the expansion of distributed generation and advances in energy efficiency, could cost US utilities up to $48 billion annually by 2025, according to a new report . The study used models that examined improvements in solar panels, electricity storage and other trends impacting bottom lines of US utilities. [FuelFix]

¶   The Georgia Public Service Commission has warned for at least two years that Southern Co subsidiary Georgia Power is relying on an outdated project schedule for two new reactors at Plant Vogtle in eastern Georgia that contains almost no detail after December 2015, even though construction will continue for several more years. [Access North Georgia]

Science and Technology:

¶   2014 is currently on track to be hottest year on record, according to new reports from both the World Meteorological Organization and the UK’s Met Office Wednesday. Similarly, NOAA reported two weeks ago that 2014 is all but certain to be the hottest year on record. The last time a record was set was 2010. The time before that was 2005. [Energy Collective]

¶   Researchers at the University of New South Wales are the first in the world to convert more than 40% of the sunlight hitting a solar PV system into electricity. The record was first achieved in outdoor tests in Sydney, before being independently confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at their outdoor test facility in the United States. [solarserver.com]

World:

¶   The European Environment Agency published a report recently stating that air pollution cost the EU up to $235 billion for the year 2012. Most of this air pollution is generated by coal-fired power plants. (In the US, the cost of coal-based pollution has been estimated to be $500 billion, but that goes beyond air pollution.) [CleanTechnica]

¶   JA Solar Holdings Co, Ltd, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-performance solar power products, announced that it shipped 100 MW of modules to the first large-scale solar farm in Pakistan. Energy demand in Pakistan has grown approximately 8% annually, creating a production deficit of 6 GW. [Your Renewable News]

¶   A delegation headed by Egypt’s deputy minister of electricity and renewable energy visited Jordan to discuss a memorandum of understanding on nuclear power it plans to conclude at the end of a three-day visit. Jordan’s nuclear program has come a long way in its energy project, according to Egypt’s state news agency. [Ahram Online]

¶   A wind farm will power a Honda car manufacturing facility in Brazil. Honda has a car assembly plant in Sumare, Sao Paulo. The wind farm that will soon power this facility is located in the most southern part in Xangri-la, hundreds of miles away, and has nine 3-MW turbines. Honda wants to achieve a reduction of 30% in CO2 emissions by 2020. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Researchers at Cardiff University in Wales are working on ways of developing a ‘super grid’ for sharing wind power across Europe, cutting down on fossil fuels. Working with Leuven University in Belgium, the Multi-terminal DC Grid for Offshore Wind project is investigating ways of sharing power generated by offshore wind farms. [WalesOnline]

¶   November was a “big month” for Scottish wind power, according to new figures. Scottish wind turbines produced enough electricity to power 2.6 million homes for the month, equivalent to 107% of households, while eleven days in November saw wind power generate enough electricity to supply every home in the country. [Deadline News]

US:

¶   A paper published in Reviews on Environmental Health suggests that even tiny doses of benzene, toluene and other chemicals released during the various phases of oil and natural gas production, including fracking, could pose serious health risks, especially to developing fetuses, babies and young children. [Huffington Post]

¶   A Wal-Mart spokesman said the company is about a third of the way toward its goal in global renewable energy production. The company has its sights set on using 100% renewable energy and generating 7 billion kWh of power by 2020, which the retailer hopes to transform into real savings. This has had effects on the solar PV market. [Arkansas Business Online]

¶   Sen. Howard Walker, R-Traverse City, sponsored two new bills in the Michigan State Senate, seeking to protect utilities and wind farm developers from “nuisance” lawsuits. Walker was unsure if the legislation would get far enough for a vote before the end of the year. But if not, he felt it was likely to come up in some form in 2015. [The Detroit News]

Opinion:

¶   “Energy coming out of the woodwork” Biomass power plants pay taxes and provide jobs all across Maine. So the folk in Maine should understand EPA analysis, that biomass is “likely to have minimal or no net atmospheric contributions of biogenic CO2 emissions, or even reduce such impacts, when compared with an alternate fate of disposal.” [Press Herald]

¶   “Clear the dark clouds over solar energy production in Florida” It seems only natural that solar power will play a meaningful role in providing for Florida’s future energy needs. Yet when it comes to encouraging the use of solar power, Florida is well behind other states such as New Jersey, where programs are in place to advance its development and use. [TBO.com]

Science and Technology:

¶   While such technologies as batteries, pumped-hydro, and flywheels have their merits, none is able to offer seasonal deep storage at the terawatt scale. Power-to-Gas is an elegant innovation that simply takes excess renewable electricity to create renewable hydrogen and methane for injection into natural gas pipelines or use in transportation. [Energy Collective]

World:

¶   The fossil fuel divestment movement is gathering steam. Climate advocates 350.org are organizing the first-ever Global Divestment Day on February 13-14, 2015, when thousands of people on five continents will take collective action by demanding their respective institutions stop investing in dirty energy for economic and environmental reasons. [CleanTechnica]

¶   India is planning to create a buzz around its renewable energy program during the climate talks in Lima. A booklet specially prepared for the occasion sets out its achievements. India today has one of the most active renewable energy program in the world, meeting needs in ways that are environmentally benign. [The Hindu]

¶   Renewable energy looks set to benefit greatly from the European Union’s new €315 billion investment plan, according to recent reports. That plan will see that mountain of cash spread out across a number of different areas, including renewable energy, power network repairs/upgrades, and transportation infrastructure. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The Japanese government intends to store soil contaminated with radioactive substances on some land plots even before the land is purchased for construction of a temporary storage facility, according to sources. The substances were released in the 2011 crisis at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. [The Japan News]

US:

¶   Things are really cooking up in congress over the war on wind energy’s production tax credit. In the latest twist, a coalition of US Governors has waded into the fray with a letter to House leadership, citing a drop — yes, a drop — in electricity prices over the past five years, in states that have been producing more wind energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Bill Ritter, Colorado’s governor from 2007 to 2011,now directs the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. The center works directly with state governments to promote development of energy that provide environmental and economic benefits, because states can move more quickly on new energy initiatives. [Omaha World-Herald]

¶   For the first time in company history, solar energy is part of the energy mix being delivered to Ameren Missouri’s 1.2 million electric customers. Following more than a month of successful testing, the O’Fallon Renewable Energy Center, Ameren’s first solar center and the largest investor-owned utility scale solar facility in Missouri, is online. [Lakenewsonline.com]

¶   Home furnishing retailer IKEA has announced that they are increasing the size and energy generation capacity of a solar array, which was once the largest solar rooftop array in Michigan, in one of their Detroit-area stores. Now, a 240.9-kilowatt system, consisting of 765 panels, will be built on the addition’s rooftop. [EcoSeed]

Opinion:

¶   “‘Stranded assets’: Will efforts to counter warming render energy reserves worthless?” by Alex Morales. Former vice president Al Gore likens today’s fossil fuels to the subprime mortgages that triggered the global credit crisis. Their value “is based on an assumption every bit as absurd,” specifically the notion that all known oil, gas and coal will be consumed. [Washington Post]

Science and Technology:

¶   An efficient method to harvest low-grade waste heat as electricity may be possible using reversible ammonia batteries. Low-grade waste heat is an artifact of many energy-generating methods. In the winter, waste heat in cars is diverted to run the vehicle heating system, but in the summer, that same waste heat is lost. [Science Daily]

¶   SheerWind recently announced new technology that integrates three turbines in a row or series and increases the electrical power output for a single tower. SheerWind’s Invelox system is a large funnel that captures, concentrates, and accelerates wind before delivering it to turbines safely and efficiently located at ground level. [Windpower Engineering]

¶   Conventional natural gas is still a fossil fuel with significant carbon emissions that need to be contained. However, there is renewable natural gas, which can be blended into the natural gas supply. There is a wide variety of technologies and feedstocks that can be used to produce renewable natural gas at competitive costs. [Breaking Energy]

World:

¶   China had set itself a target to install 14 GW solar PV this year. However, due to delays and postponements in projects, the country does not seem to have enough time at hand to pursue it. Japan, on the other hand, has poured over $30 billion to tap solar power in a single year, despite having a lack of large amounts of available land. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The South African utility has announced stage three loadshedding. Doug Kuni, a former managing director of the South African Independent Power Producers Association, said that all South Africans can do about the current electricity situation is to buy candles and a generator, as the country’s power system had never been in such a bad state. [MyBroadband]

¶   In an astonishing, virtually unpublicized, reversal, China, which burns more coal than the rest of the world put together, has announced it will cap its use within six years. Even more surprisingly there are signs that it is already declining, way ahead of schedule, as the country undergoes a largely unrecognised green revolution. [Telegraph.co.uk]

¶   In a recent development, the Church of England has urged BP plc and Royal Dutch Shell plc to cut carbon emission levels and invest more in renewable energy. Two church funds, with a combined value of nearly $12 billion plan to file shareholder resolutions on climatic change in the next four weeks. [Royal Dutch Shell plc .com]

¶   At the UN climate talks, Friends of the Earth International activists urged the participating nations to start building clean, sustainable, community-based energy solutions. The benefits of community-owned renewable energy solutions include reduced CO2 emissions, reduced consumption, stronger communities, and jobs. [eNews Park Forest]

¶   On Friday the Finnish parliament voted for a nuclear power project with 115 in favour, compared to 74 against. The location for the plant is in Pyhäjoki, just 150 kilometres from Swedish municipalities such as Luleå, Piteå and Skellefteå. A group of Swedish anti-nuclear activists has told The Local they will continue to fight against it. [The Local.se]

US:

¶   Volvo Trucks North America’s New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Va., is now carbon neutral thanks to a switch to renewable fuels to produce power. The assembly plant uses landfill gas to generate electric power and replaces fossil fuels that produced over 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide last year. [Truckinginfo]

¶   For the longest time in Tallahassee, criticism regarding Florida’s Public Service Commission had been relegated to Democrats, environmental activist groups and editorial writers at Florida dailies, but its membership is growing larger by the day. Conservatives for Energy Freedom is becoming active in the state. [SaintPetersBlog]

¶   Few challenges facing California’s policymakers are more complex than dramatically reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. But regulators will soon consider one of the more straightforward solutions: increasing the state’s renewable energy mandate, which is is already one of the highest in the nation. [The Desert Sun]

¶   The carbon pollution from five coal plants could be eliminated in North Carolina if wind power is developed off the North Carolina coast, according to a new analysis by Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center. The report comes right as Congress considers whether to renew tax credits critical to wind development. [The Maritime Executive]

¶   Elon Musk’s so-called gigafactory may soon become an existential threat to the 100-year-old utility business model. The facility will also churn out stationary battery packs that can be paired with rooftop solar panels to store power. Already, a second company led by Musk, SolarCity Corp, is packaging solar panels and batteries. [Businessweek]

Science and Technology:

¶   With a global focus on reducing energy consumption continuing to grow, many methods of “going green” are getting increased attention. A new analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds that one of these concepts gaining prominence is the net zero–energy building. A net zero–energy building can generate more energy it needs. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶    Shanghai Electric Power said late on Thursday it was in preliminary contact with E.ON over the possible purchase of the German utility’s Italian coal assets, which the Chinese firm said were worth €150 million ($186 million). E.ON is spinning off its nuclear and fossil fuel assets to focus on renewable power. [Reuters]

¶   PV arrays coupled with battery storage systems are becoming the “new normal” in Australia’s wide-open spaces. The number of installations continue to increase as governments and businesses begin to realize the new reality of off or edge-of-grid solar plus storage affordability. A key to change is increasing familiarity with the technology. [RenewEconomy]

¶   China State Grid Corp will spend about 400 billion yuan ($65 billion) this year on its electricity networks as the nation, which last month reached a deal with the US to curtail fossil fuels, copes with an unprecedented influx of clean energy and higher demand. Spending will need to be maintained at current levels for the next five years. [Businessweek]

¶   Start-up company Tempus Energy has gone to the European General Court to challenge the UK Government’s Capacity Market as an unlawful subsidy. The Capacity Market was set up to offer subsidies to reliable forms of power capacity. Tempus Energy says that it prioritizes fossil fuel electricity generation. [Click Green]

¶   Subsidy-free solar in the UK could thrive by the end of the decade, according to a report published by Berlin-based think tank Thema1. The report predicts that all three sectors of the UK solar market (ground-mount, commercial and domestic) will be able to compete without subsidy with traditional forms of energy within the next 10 years. [PV-Tech]

US:

¶   A new report by utility and finance experts contains positive news for the environment, our air and our pocketbooks. The economics of electric power resources have made zero-emissions energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies the most financially attractive options to meet the nation’s future energy demands. [Energy Collective]

¶   Iberdrola, through its subsidiary Iberdrola Ingeniería, has received a contract by Footprint Power for the construction of a 674-MW combined cycle power plant in Salem, Massachusetts. The facility is to replace the existing 63-year old Salem Harbor coal-fired station, which is being decommissioned. [Energy Business Review]

¶   The USDA’s Rural Utility Service’s Energy Efficiency & Conservation Loan Program allows rural utilities to borrow money at low rates – 30 years at 3.3% – for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements at their facilities or properties owned by the customers it serves. Utilities may re-loan the money at a slightly higher rate. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The Badger Coulee Transmission Line, planned to run between La Crosse and Madison, Wisconsin, is one of 17 planned in the Midwest to move wind power through the region better. Without a path to move available wind power, some has to be curtailed, essentially turned off, when it is windy and there is an over-abundant supply. [Madison.com]

¶   The carbon pollution from approximately nine coal plants could be eliminated in New York if wind power supplied 30% of our electricity needs, according to a new analysis by Environment New York. The analysis comes just as Congress considers whether to renew tax credits critical to wind development. [Long Island Exchange]

¶   Ameren’s solar energy center in O’Fallon, Missouri is now in service. The 19-acre operation includes 19,000 solar panels and is currently generating 6 MW of power for the company’s electrical grid. According to papers the company filed with the Public Service Commission, it intends to build a second, larger solar energy center in 2016. [St. Louis Public Radio]

¶   UIL Holdings Corp will install a 3.4-MW fuel cell plant at a Connecticut Natural Gas Corp pressure-reduction facility. The plant includes a 2.8-MW fuel cell and a “turbo expander,” which will produce another 600 kW of renewable power by harnessing energy that isn’t used during the process of reducing natural gas pressure. [Hartford Business]

Science and Technology:

¶   This year is on track to be one of the hottest, if not the hottest, year on record, a UN agency reported Wednesday. The head of the World Meteorological Organization pointed out that provisional information for 2014 means that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all occurred in the 21st century, adding “There is no standstill in global warming.” [CNN]

¶   Toshiba Corporation announced the development of a new technology that uses solar energy to generate carbon compounds from CO₂ and water, and to deliver a viable chemical feedstock or fuel with potential for use in industry. Toshiba introduced the technology at the 2014 International Conference on Artificial Photosynthesis. [PressReleaseNetwork.com]

World:

¶   The European wind market is expected to stabilise this year, after a decline in 2013, with a 2.5% year-over-year growth. And while short-term outlooks for Europe’s wind energy industry show declining wind demand, consulting firm MAKE believe that, in the long term, the European wind market will grow 2.1% per year between 2014 to 2023. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A recent Pembina Institute fact sheet discusses how wind energy is subsidizing Albertan ratepayers. During 2013, the average price for wind energy was 5.5¢ in Alberta, lower than hydro (9.8¢), natural gas (8.3¢), coal (7.7¢), and peaker (21.4¢). Generators usually prefer natural gas to wind because the profit margin is bigger and revenues are more certain. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A short-circuit has impaired part of a nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, causing power shortages in parts of the country but putting no one in danger of radiation, the country’s newly appointed energy minister said Wednesday. Emergency repairs should be finished by Friday, according to the Energy Ministry. [CNN]

¶   Environmental groups are demanding tighter rules on climate finance for poor nations after an Associated Press investigation showed Japan bankrolled coal-fired power plants with money earmarked for fighting global warming. Japan included $1 billion in loans for new coal plants in the climate finance it reported to the UN in 2010-12. [Daily Journal]

¶   Solar power will prosper without subsidies in Britain as early as 2020, says a report which used the experience of Germany to project the outlook for solar costs in Britain and impacts on utilities. In 2015, solar PVs will overtake both gas and coal to become the number one generating technology in annual installations. [AltEnergyMag]

¶   Irish energy emissions decreased significantly last year, resulting in a slight overall reduction in the country’s production of greenhouse gases. Energy sector emissions decreased by 11.1% due to greater use of power from renewable resources like wind and biomass. This was mostly offset by emissions increases in other sectors. [Irish Examiner]

¶   The German government adopted a broad catalog of energy measures, ranging from new subsidies for homeowners who insulate their houses to mandatory emissions cuts for energy producers. Berlin said the steps would ensure Germany meets its target of cutting CO₂ emissions by 40% from their 1990 level by 2020. [Wall Street Journal]

US:

¶   A major new petroleum industry campaign is afoot to shoot down clean energy regulations in all three West Coast states, which is no surprise because that’s what the US petroleum industry should be doing in the face of a shrinking domestic market. While the “oil conspiracy” may meet with some short term success, it’s not going to hold up for long. [CleanTechnica]

¶   As opposition grows against the coal plant bailout cases before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Sierra Club is blanketing the state again with ads slamming state utilities for trying to prop up their outdated plants by increasing customers’ bills. Three utilities are requesting bailouts for all of Ohio’s remaining coal plants. [RenewablesBiz]

¶   US lawmakers today voted to reinstate renewable energy tax credits through the end of 2014, rather than a multi-year extension as the wind power sector and others had urged. The production tax credit expired in 2013. The House voted 378-46 in favor of the one-year extenders package and sent the legislation to the US Senate. [reNews]

World:

¶   Citigroup says the impact of the China-US climate deal signed earlier this month could total $3.9 trillion. That’s the loss in revenue for Big Oil and Big Coal over the next 15 years from the joint undertaking on greenhouse gas emissions by the world’s two biggest economies. Citigroup analysts suggest thermal coal is on a permanent decline. [CleanTechnica]

¶   All but one of Britain’s ageing fleet of nuclear reactors will have to be closed down within 15 years, according to a panel of experts. Only Sizewell B power station will still be operating beyond 2030, which would leave a shortfall of about 20% in the UK’s power demands unless replacement nuclear reactors come on-stream in the 2020s. [Belfast Telegraph]  (Why does the replacement have to be nuclear?)

¶   One in five Australian households has installed domestic solar energy systems, data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows. Solar Citizens national director Claire O’Rourke said most of the households were on lower and middle incomes, and that they were using solar as a way to reduce power costs. [eco-business.com]

¶   Nearly 90% of Australians support the current Renewable Energy Target, according to a WWF-commissioned poll. The current federal government, headed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, is planning to backtrack on the target, but the poll found that 88% of swing voters think the Renewable Energy Target should be increased, not decreased. [The9Billion]

¶   The number of people working for Canadian green energy organizations outnumbers those work on tar sands, according to a status report on the country’s shift to renewable power. The energy-generating capacity of Canada’s wind, solar, run-of-river hydropower and biomass plants has expanded by 93% since 2009. [eNews Park Forest]

US:

¶   Salem, Massachusetts is hoping to cut electricity costs for residents and businesses by combining the purchasing power of the entire city. The City Council recently approved program for combining purchasing power. The expectation is a reduction in both costs and carbon footprint through use of renewable power. [The Salem News]

¶   Massachusetts Audubon and Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance have partnered to help people reduce their carbon footprints. People who sign up will be matched with local green providers, bringing renewable power from wind, solar, biomass, and “cow power” to them through their regular utility companies. [Wicked Local Sharon]

¶   SunCommon, a 2012 spinoff of the advocacy group VPIRG, has made its 1000th solar installation in Vermont. SunCommon regularly works with 100 other Vermont companies and says it has created 100 jobs in the state. It also says that the solar installations it has done have saved customers $14 million. [vtdigger.org]

¶   Republicans in the US House of Representatives are championing a short-term, $44.7 billion package that would extend tax breaks for wind power, biofuels and mine safety equipment that expired at the end of 2013 or earlier this year, through the end of this month. A vote is expected on 4 December. [Argus Media]

¶   Americans filed more than 8 million comments in favor of the EPA’s plans to limit carbon pollution from new and existing power plants, the most ever received by the agency. According to a recent survey, 7 in 10 Americans view climate change as a serious problem and support federal action to reduce greenhouse gases. [EcoWatch]

¶   Before the US EPA released its Clean Power Plan earlier this year, with goals for each state to slash carbon dioxide emissions, Texas was already preparing for a changing energy mix. The state’s grid operator has been evaluating its grid-balancing and energy storage needs as it takes on more wind power and retires more coal. [Greentech Media]

World:

¶   EON SE’s plan to spin off its fossil-fuel plants may bolster Germany’s already leading position in green energy. EON’s announcement is the culmination of a push to wind, solar and other alternative energy forms that the German government began 14 years ago with subsidies to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels. [Bloomberg]

¶   As Germany’s largest utility is exiting conventional generation, unwanted conventional fossil fuel burning power plants, now considered risky assets, are being bundled into a new company to be spun off. While both management teams will benefit from focus, this “bad power” spinoff will struggle to offer a tempting investment case. [The Globe and Mail]

¶   About $1 billion in loans, under a UN initiative for poor countries to tackle global warming, is going toward the construction of power plants fired by coal. Japan gave the money to help its companies build three such plants in Indonesia, saying they burn coal more efficiently and are therefore cleaner than old coal plants. [The Philadelphia Tribune]

¶   Falling oil prices show the “high risk” of fossil fuel investments compared with renewable energies, the UN’s climate chief said at the start of 190-nation talks to slow global warming. She said oil price volatility “is exactly one of the main reasons why we must move to renewable energy which has a completely predictable cost of zero for fuel.” [Stabroek News]

¶   France and Spain have agreed to boost the capacity of electric power lines across their border, which is well behind European targets for interconnection. They want Spanish interconnection capacity to be at least 10% of its generation capacity. Currently, it is at just 3%, and Spanish windpower being wasted while France needs power. [EurActiv]

¶   Emissions from the Australian power sector began rebounding as soon as the Abbott government scrapped the carbon tax. The increase has come even though electricity demand remains subdued and generators have stepped up use of gas-fired plants to exploit cheap supplies of the lower-emission fossil fuel before big export contracts kick in. [The Canberra Times]

¶   While OPEC is helping drive down global oil prices, it’s having less success squeezing the $250 billion green energy industry. Clean power will receive almost 60% of the $5 trillion expected to be invested in new power plants over the next decade, because the US, China, Japan and the EU are all pushing for global limits on greenhouse gases. [Moneynews]

US:

¶   Ohio state regulators told the US EPA that new federal goals for reducing mercury and other hazardous air pollutants from power plants are unachievable, costly and based on flawed assumptions. Roughly a third of tall smokestacks of coal-fired plants are concentrated in five states along the Ohio River Valley, including Ohio. [Ashland Times Gazette]

¶   The three largest electricity providers in Ohio, FirstEnergy, AEP, and Duke, are hoping the state will approve individual plans to keep their older power plants operating. For FirstEnergy, the proposal would guarantee a market for energy produced at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant and the coal-fired WH Sammis power plant. [Cleveland Scene Weekly]

¶    Green Mountain Power is the world’s first utility to become a certified B Corp, or benefit corporation. The state’s largest electric utility has joined nearly two dozen other Vermont companies that have met a high standard for social and environmental consciousness, joining the ranks of such companies as Ben & Jerry’s. [vtdigger.org]

¶   Under intense lobbying from Duke Energy, Florida Power and Light, and Tampa Electric, Florida regulators voted 3-2 to cut the state’s energy conservation goals by more than 90% and eliminate rebates for installing solar panels. Complete abandoning energy efficiency standards represents a drastic shift in environmental policy for the Sunshine State. [allvoices]

¶   In a letter to the EPA, fifty-three members of the Illinois General Assembly joined together to signal their support for the Clean Power Plan. As the legislators make clear in their letter, Illinois stands to gain significantly with the move to a clean energy future that will mean more jobs for the state. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

¶   The amount of electricity generated by US utility-scale solar PV power plants is up more than 100% in 2014 over the same period in 2013, thanks to big projects, many of them highly productive, that have been coming online. A number of major factors made this possible, including the steep decline in the price of PVs. [Breaking Energy]

¶   On the public comment deadline for the EPA proposed power plant rules, Americans Against Fracking, a national coalition to ban fracking, delivered a letter from over 250 environmental, health, labor and consumer protection groups, along with over 200,000 comments criticizing the rules for incentivizing fracked natural gas. [YubaNet]

¶   Imergy Power Systems announced that Foresight Renewable Solutions has selected Imergy’s ESP30 series vanadium-based flow batteries for a Smart Microgrid project sponsored by the California Energy Commission, to be deployed at the Navy’s Mobile Utilities Support Equipment Facility in Port Hueneme, California. [pv magazine]

Opinion:

¶   “Oil price slump to trigger new US debt default crisis as OPEC waits” By encouraging ever more drilling in pursuit of lower oil prices, the US DOE has unleashed a potential economic monster and pitched heavily debt-laden shale oil drilling companies into an impossible battle for market share against some of the world’s most powerful low-cost producers. [The Telegraph]

Science and Technology:

¶   Climate change will be the cause of roughly 250,000 “extra” deaths a year by 2030, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization on climate change and human health. Of this figure, about 48,000 will be from diarrhea; 60,000 from malaria; 95,000 from under-nutrition during childhood; and 38,000 from heat exposure. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   EON SE, Germany’s largest utility, will break itself up, spinning off fossil fuel power plants into a separate company so it can focus on renewable energy. EON also announced it will write down the value of assets by €4.5 billion, leading to a substantial full-year loss. Even so, the shares had the largest jump in more than two years on the plan. [Businessweek]

¶   West Australian Energy Minister Mike Nahan has instructed the state-owned utility Horizon Power to investigate renewables-based micro-grids as a means of providing cheaper and more reliable power to regional areas. Nahan had been a fierce critic of renewables, but says the stretched-out grid is too expensive and unreliable. [RenewEconomy]

¶   Scientists using a comprehensive computer model that simulates German energy supply and demand say they have demonstrated that there are several economically viable ways to achieve a low-carbon future, using existing technologies. They used real data from 2011 and 2012 and ran millions of simulations to optimize the model. [New York Times]

¶   After Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the country should consider nuclear power, Prime Minister Tony Abbott declared he had no objection. “If we are to dramatically reduce emissions, we have to remember that the one absolutely proven way of generating emissions-free baseload power is through nuclear,” he said. [Perth Now]

US:

¶   New utility-scale solar projects in the US are being installed much more slowly than in 2013, with new capacity down 31% year on year, according to the Federal Electricity Regulatory Commission. In the first ten months of 2014, just 1,801 MW of utility-scale solar projects were installed, compared to 2,628 MW in the first ten months of 2013. [CleanTechnica]

¶   National Grid has filed comments on the EPA’s Clean Energy Power Plan and issued a statement supporting the proposed regulations, which aim to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants. National Grid US president Tom King. says expanding access to energy efficiency was an especially exciting aspect of the plan. [PennEnergy]

¶   The East Texas Electric Cooperative and Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative joined forces to bring renewable wind energy to power up to 56,000 homes. The member-owned electric cooperatives signed Renewable Energy Purchase Agreements for wind generation from Apex Clean Energy subsidiary Grant Wind LLC. [Tyler Morning Telegraph]

¶   A competitive lease sale of 742,000 acres off the coast of Massachusetts will be offered for commercial wind energy development on January 29, 2015. According to the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the area could provide up to 5 GW, enough electricity to power over 1.4 million homes, or half the homes in Massachusetts. [Oliver Reports]

¶   Michigan’s two largest utilities are mounting a major public relations effort to make legislators and electric customers aware that a shortage of power generation reserve could occur starting in 2016. The utilities blame the planned retirement of nine coal-fired power plants in Michigan over the next two years. [Crain’s Detroit Business]

¶   A new report found that better energy storage could significantly increase the use of renewable energy in the United States. The study also urges the development of hybrid systems in which one form of renewable energy, such as solar, is available while the other, such as wind, is minimal. Such systems are already in use in a number of places around the world. [SmartMeters]

Opinion:

¶   “OPEC’s message to US shale: Drop dead” Despite tumbling prices — the lowest since 2010 — the cartel surprised the energy industry by deciding to keep pumping oil at current levels. One motivation is to squeeze higher-cost producers in North America, including the booming US shale industry that has reshaped the global energy landscape. [CNN]

¶   “Solar as Industrial Revolution” The Hanergy Holding Group, created in 1994, is a major renewable-energy company. Its founder and chairman, Li Hejun, has written a book, “China’s New Energy Revolution,” recently translated into English, in which he argues that solar energy will lead a third industrial revolution. He is interviewed here. [New York Times]

¶   “Energy Efficiency May Be the Key to Saving Trillions” Compared with eye-catching renewable power technologies like wind turbines and solar panels, energy efficiency is nearly invisible. But advocates say doing more with less power may be an even more critical weapon in the fight against climate change and offers big economic benefits, too. [New York Times]

World:

¶   Energy suppliers in remote areas are turning to renewable-powered microgrids like those on islands. They can operate independently or in conjunction with the area’s main electrical grid. By being able to produce electricity on site, distributed solar and wind systems reduce utility infrastructure requirements, cutting the cost of rural electrification. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The largest pension funds manager in Norway, KLP, is divesting completely from coal energy. The money involved, around $75 million, will instead be invested into renewable energy companies. With assets of around $84 billion, KLP is second in the world only to Norway’s state-owned oil-revenue fund with regard to investment clout. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The global nuclear energy industry is facing an increasingly uncertain future according to the International Energy Agency’s recent World Energy Outlook 2014. Many factors contribute to this, including inability to compete economically, low public confidence, massive subsidy reliance, changing government policies, and more. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Buoyed by Narendra Modi-led government’s thrust on renewable energy, Swiss technology major Meyer Burger expects to tap opportunities worth billions of dollars in the Indian solar market. Meyer Burger is a photovoltaic technology supplier and offers manufacturing processes for wafers, solar cells and solar modules, among others. [Economic Times]

¶   A team of engineers from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore is building a small hybrid power grid to integrate multiple renewable sources of energy. The network, first in the region, tests and demonstrates integration of solar, wind, tidal, and other technologies, to ensure that these energy sources operate well together. [Beta Wired]

¶   The National Institute of Solar Energy in India has determined the country’s solar power potential at about 750 GW, using the wasteland availability data in every state and jurisdiction of India. The estimate is based on the assumption that only 3% of the total wasteland available in a state is used for development of solar power projects. [CleanTechnica]

US:

¶   AmeriPride Services Inc, a textile services and supply, has teamed up with Solect Energy Development to pilot a 210 kW solar photovoltaic energy system atop its Worcester, Massachusetts facility. The 840-panel system is expected to offset up to 25% of the facility’s electricity needs. [Worcester Telegram]

¶   As California Governor Jerry Brown and the state’s legislature work to keep California on track with its long-term plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a wide range of potential low-carbon policies is on the table. One possibility long overlooked would be allowing businesses and universities to switch fully to renewable sources of electricity. [Sacramento Bee]

Opinion:

¶   “A New Climate? How A Utility, Germany, Elon Musk And Falling Oil Prices Are Conspiring To Fight CO₂” By piecing together a series of seemingly unrelated threads, there’s a case to be made that 2014 will be remembered as a critical year in the decarbonization of the global economy. Sound unbelievable? Tie these eight stories together and see. [Forbes]

¶   “There’s no place for nuclear in the ‘Clean Power Plan'” The EPA’s plan for ‘clean power’ is welcome – except for its inclusion of nuclear, and economic distortions and serious omissions that favor it. An open letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy calls on her to ditch the ‘false and irrational assumptions’ used to justify both new and existing nuclear power. [The Ecologist]

World:

¶   The UK Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has set out a £17 billion investment plan to be implemented over eight years to renew and boost the local UK distribution network and help connect renewables generation. Ofgem said the electricity distribution part of customers’ bills would fall by an average of £11 over the next eight years. [Big News Network.com]

¶   In Scotland, a new £177 million incinerator plant that will burn more than 300,000 tonnes of rubbish a year has been given the stamp of approval. Viridor will build the recycling plant at the Oxwellmains waste treatment hub in East Lothian and the firm says it will help Scotland meet its ambition of becoming a zero waste country. [Scotsman]

¶   Construction of the 270-MW K2 feed-in tariff wind farm in Ontario is continuing amidst an ongoing court challenge. Crews have completed road work and foundation construction, and more than a quarter of the 140 turbines have been erected. K2 is expected to start commercial operation in the second half of 2015. [reNews]

¶   The Indian government had planned to set up 1 GW of solar power capacity at currently unused land owned by the defense forces. The Indian defense forces say they do not have any surplus land available to set up large-scale solar power projects, and this has forced the government to reduce its defense force target to just 300 MW. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Coal use in China could peak earlier than previously forecast as slower economic growth cuts power demand and the government clamps down on energy-intensive industries to meet its emissions reduction goals. The Natural Resources Defense Council predicts coal use will peak before 2020, cutting years off earlier forecasts. [Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide]

US:

¶   Ford’s new discount solar partnership takes the competition between electric vehicles and gasmobiles into new territory. The new discount solar partnership joins the Sierra Club along with Ford and SunPower to offer a rebate for solar customers, along with a nice chunk of a donation for the Sierra Club for use in its EV advocacy initiatives. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The world’s largest solar power plant has gone online in California, with enough power to supply 160,000 homes. Spanning a huge 9.5 square miles (25 square km) – a third of the size of Manhattan – the Topaz Solar Farm consists of nine million solar panels and has a capacity of 550 MW. The plant cost $2.5 billion. [Daily Mail]

¶   A new poll found that wide majorities of Republicans, Democrats and Independents support keeping Production Tax Credit, a key federal policy support mechanism for wind energy. The poll found 73% of registered voters support continuing the PTC, including 63% of registered Republicans, 74% of Independents. [Energy Collective]

Science and Technology:

¶   Stanford engineers have invented a revolutionary coating material that can help cool buildings by radiating heat away from them and sending it directly into space. A new ultrathin multilayered material can cool buildings without air conditioning by radiating warmth from inside the buildings into space while also reflecting away the heat of sunlight. [Science Daily]

World:

¶   Hard on the heels of last week’s historic US-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change, in which China pledged for the first time to cap its CO₂ emission by 2030, China’s State Council has just announced a new energy strategy action plan that includes, also for the first time, a cap on national coal consumption by 2020. [Energy Collective]

¶   Oil prices came crashing down Thursday to trade below $70 per barrel after OPEC announced it was leaving oil production levels unchanged. The low price is bad news for certain oil-producing countries like Russia, Nigeria and Venezuela, which depend on prices of at least $90 a barrel. While they last, lower oil prices could also halt the US shale oil boom. [CNN]

¶   Solar power is expanding dramatically around the world, with capacity expected to triple by 2020, according to a report by UK-based research firm GlobalData. The study forecasts installed capacity of currently 136 GW will expand to 414 GW by the end of the decade in 2020. The bulk of new installations are expected in emerging Asia. [Gulf Times]

¶   The Tokyo metropolitan government aims to install solar panels across the capital to produce 1 GW in electrical power along the system by 2024, four times the current amount, it said in a report. The aim is to raise the proportion of renewable energy in power consumption in the capital to 20%, up from about 6% in 2012. [Asahi Shimbun]

¶   The importance of alternative energy sources increases amid falling oil prices, which naturally affect the budgets of fossil fuel producing countries. Azerbaijan has great potential for the development of alternative energy – 4500 MW of windpower, 1500 MW of biomass, 800 MW of geothermal, and 350 MW of small hydro. [AzerNews]

¶   The Indian government has received proposals from twelve states for setting up of solar power parks/ultra mega solar power projects with a total capacity of 22,100 MW. The the biggest of these is to be a 7,500 MW park to be set up in Leh and Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir. There have been hundreds of proposals. [I Government]

¶   Next month, European Union ministers will debate urgent ways to improve cross-border energy links to make the 28-nation bloc less dependent on imported fuel, especially from Russia, a draft document shows. They will address fragmentation of Europe’s energy market, long been a source of frustration to many EU nations. [Economic Times]

¶   Japan is now confident it can process all 320,000 metric tons of highly contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by the end of March 2015, the deadline designated in the plant’s decommissioning roadmap. The water processing system has finally started working stably after more than a year of adjustments. [Wall Street Journal]

US:

¶   Several automakers have been investing in the establishment of a working hydrogen fuel infrastructure ahead of the launch of fuel cell vehicles, but building new fuel stations has proven to be a time consuming process. Honda is among these automakers and has announced plans to begin building new hydrogen stations in California. Hydrogen Fuel News]

¶   Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp, a renewable energy company, announced plans for a 10-MW solar PV project in Bakersfield, California. Bakersfield II Solar will be located on 64 acres of land next to a 20-MW project already in the works. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2015, with completion in 2016. [Bakersfield Californian]

¶   Apex Clean Energy will sell wind energy generation to East Texas Electric Cooperative and Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative. The purchase will bring 101.2 MW of renewable wind energy into the mix for the cooperatives in east Texas. The wind project would be enough power for over 56,000 homes. [CSP World]

Books:

¶   The 14th edition of Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook has been published.Written first in 1982, John Schaeffer’s sourcebook has been regularly updated to meet the information demand of solar living and building enthusiasts. This 463-page book, published by New Society Publishers, does not disappoint. [Green Building Elements]

Science and Technology:

¶   September and October were the hottest months ever recorded, continuing the record-breaking streak that started in April and almost assuring that 2014 will be the warmest year ever. Canadian ocean surface temperatures for September, shown in the NOAA images, approached 4^oC above normal. This is where the entire planet may be headed by the end of the century. [Energy Collective]

World:

¶   Scotland has broken renewable energy generation records, producing 10.3 TWh of electricity in the first half of 2014 and overtaking nuclear as the country’s main source of power. The data also shows that nuclear accounted for 7.8 TWh, coal provided 5.6 TWh and gas-fired electricity generation produced 1.4 TWh during the same period. [edie.net]

¶   The British government views marine energy developments as a cornerstone of a low-carbon economy despite industry setbacks. The British Energy Secretary said  tidal energy accounts for only a tiny fraction of global power, but is expected to expand more than tenfold by 2040, with much of the new generation within the European Union. [UPI.com]

¶   A waste to biofuels plant operated by Enerkem in Northern Canada is the first in the world to transform solid waste into biofuels and chemicals. The waste is heated and converted into a gas, then changed into liquid methanol, which is then used in the production of local products, including windshield wiper fluid and gasoline. [OilPrice.com]

¶   Gamesa has signed an agreement with wind farm developer Exus Management Partners for the turnkey construction of a 50-MW facility in northern Portugal. Gamesa will provide transportation, installation and commissioning of eight of its G97-2.0 MW turbines and 17 of its G114-2.0 MW model at the Pisco wind farm. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶   Belectric and Vattenfall cut the ribbon for a new battery storage facility at the Alt Daber solar power plant in Germany. The solar plant went live in 2011. Now, thanks to a battery storage system, the PV plant can not only generate power but also provide operating reserve power just like a conventional power plant. [pv magazine]

US:

¶   Renewable energy in the United States could take a significant leap forward with improved storage technologies. But an alternative is to “match” different forms of alternative energy systems in hybrid systems, with one form of renewable energy ramping up while another is declining to provide an even electric supply. [AZoCleantech]

¶   Vega Biofuels, Inc announced it has entered into a joint venture to build and operate a manufacturing plant in Allandale, South Carolina to produce a product called Bio-Coal. Bio-Coal has a high energy density of up to 13,000 BTUs/Lb and meets the Renewable Portfolio Standards and Renewable Energy Credits in the United States. [SteelGuru]

¶   Opponents of a new natural gas power plant planned near San Diego are petitioning California’s Supreme Court to intervene. The project was deemed necessary because of the early retirement of the San Onofre nuclear plant, but its opponents say sufficient power resources already exist to serve the needs of the San Diego area without it. [U-T San Diego]

¶   By 2050, the technology will likely be available to provide 80% of the country’s electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources. In the era to come, much of the power will be generated on rooftops and in backyards. Many people will feed power back into the grid, a two-way system that changes the energy landscape dramatically. [The Weather Channel]

¶   Public Service Co of New Mexico will add another 40 MW of utility-scale solar to the grid in 2015 after state regulators approved the company’s renewable energy procurement plan for next year unanimously. PNM will construct new solar PV facilities in Central New Mexico next year at a cost of $79.3 million. [Albuquerque Journal]

A Sign of our Times:

¶   “Google engineers say renewable energy won’t solve climate change” Can climate change be solved with technologies like wind and solar energy? No, it can’t, according to a new report by two Google engineers. [Fox News] (You should be aware of this very widely published story. It is about a project Google terminated years ago. The data in it are comically out of date. It is misleading. But they call it “news.”)

World:

¶   Through changing industrial and policy dynamics, India looks set to install 1.5 GW of rooftop solar power capacity by 2018, according to a recent report  by consultancy Bridge to India. The current installed capacity is just under 300 MW. Only 13% of the installed projects have received subsidies from the energy ministry, and this shows the robust economics of rooftop solar. [CleanTechnica]

¶   In Australia, a plan outlined by libertarian (low taxes, minimal government) Senator David Leyonhjelm essentially delivers on the Coalition plan to limit new build renewables to around 26,000 GWh, but has the bizarre inclusion of handing nearly $14 billion in subsidies earmarked for new projects to state-owned hydro plants that were built decades ago. [RenewEconomy]

¶   NextEra Energy Canada has achieved commercial operation at the 149-MW Jericho wind project in Ontario.The project features 92 GE 1.6-MW turbines and has a 20-year contract with the Ontario Power Authority. Borea Construction was the general contractor. Jericho is the sixth of NextEra’s eight-project feed-in tariff wind portfolio in the province. [reNews]

¶   The Australian Senate has given the green light to yet another review of renewable energy – the ninth in just three years. The Senate inquiry will focus on wind farms and include an examination of their economic impact and health effects. Clean energy advocates call the process a destructive waste of taxpayer money. [Energy Matters]

¶   Italian cement maker Italcementi signed an MOU with the Egyptian government to build a wind farm on the Red Sea, part of the country’s effort to mitigate its power shortages through renewable energy. The company will build a facility to generate 120 MW of electricity with an investment of $200 million. [Ahram Online]

¶   TEPCO started work Tuesday to fill an underground trench at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant with cement while pumping up radioactive water inside at the same time. The company expects to finish the work by the end of next March. The company will begin next month pouring cement in reactor 3′s trench. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶   Media reports on the American crude oil industry have been uniformly positive in the past few months. But instead of being on the dawn of a new age of plenty, a careful analysis of all available data indicates the probability of near to mid-term trouble even maintaining current levels of production, let alone eliminating the chasm between US production and consumption. [Resilience]

¶   The nation’s first large-scale commercial anaerobic digestion facility, privately owned and operated by Zero Waste Energy Development Company, has proven successful. The facility is capable of digesting and composting 90,000 tons of organic waste per year and is expected to produce 1.6 MW of power and 18,000 tons of compost per year. [ECNmag.com]

¶   The Illinois Commerce Commission unanimously approved an order granting Rock Island Clean Line a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to construct and operate the Illinois portion of a new 500-mile direct-current electric power line. It will deliver 3,500 MW of low-cost wind power from northwest Iowa area to Illinois. [The Rock River Times]

¶   A report by the nonprofit organization Ceres says energy efficiency, distributed (onsite) energy, and renewable energy are enticing investments for utilities because they bring lower risks and will cost less than traditional energy sources, such as large base-load fossil fuel and nuclear plants, which are riskier and more expensive. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

¶   According to a new report from the Environment America Research Policy Institute, solar capacity is growing so fast in the United States that the nation could potentially generate 10% of its electricity with solar power by 2030. This holds true even if the current rate of growth is cut markedly. [Energy Matters]

¶   The Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp has reached an long-term power purchase agreement with the Origin Wind Farm in southeast Oklahoma for 150 MW of wind energy. The energy will come from a 75-turbine, 17,600-acre farm with an expected output of 650,000 MWh, which is enough energy to serve about 50,000 homes. [Arkansas Business Online]

¶   NRG Energy, the second-largest conventional power generation company in the US, has broken ground on corporate headquarters touted as not just “green,” but “ultra-green,” and grid-resilient. NRG’s green, co-generation and solar-powered headquarters will showcase the ability of businesses to foster sustainability while reducing grid dependence. [Fierce Energy]

¶   The Vermont Department of Public Service and its Clean Energy Development Fund are seeking proposals from qualified financial institutions with a physical presence in Windham County, Vermont that offer loans to residential customers interested in development of the Windham County Solar Finance Program. [Commons]

World:

¶   A Nestle confectionary factory in northern England has installed a 200-kW power generation unit that converts leftover chocolates and residual raw material used for making confectionaries into electricity. The unit is based on anaerobic digestion that generates methane gas from decomposition of waste products. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The World Bank will invest heavily in clean energy and only fund coal projects in “circumstances of extreme need” because climate change will undermine efforts to eliminate extreme poverty, says its president Jim Yong Kim. He was alarmed by World Bank-commissioned research from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. [Business Green]

¶   Danish manufacturer Vestas has confirmed a deal to supply turbines at the 46.2-MW Brotorp wind farm in Sweden. The contract with a BlackRock-managed fund covers 14 V126 3.3-MW machines, which will be installed at Småland in the municipality of Mönsterås. Swedish player Arise is developing the facility and construction is underway. [reNews]

¶   SunEdison Inc, of Belmont, California, and Brazilian renewable energy company Renova Energia SA have announced that they have created an exclusive joint venture to develop, own, and operate 1 GW of utility-scale solar PV projects which will supply the Brazilian Regulated Electricity Market. [solarserver.com]

¶   Scotland, a world leader in renewable energy development, still has a lot to learn in terms of wave energy programs, the energy minister said. Minister Fergus Ewing unveiled plans to develop a technology center dubbed “Wave Energy Scotland,” which he said would encourage innovation and development in the offshore marine energy sector. [UPI.com]

¶   The world record for power production by a wind turbine in a 24 hour period was broken early in October when an 8-MW turbine in Denmark produced 192,000 kW/h during steady wind conditions. The power produced by the turbine in one day was enough to supply the energy needs of approximately 13,500 Danish households. [Maritime Journal]

¶   A UK’s long-delayed final decision on whether the French electricity utility company EDF will build two 1.6-GW nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset was due in the new year. Projected costs have risen to  £25 billion ($39.4 billion), leaving the British government considering whether it is just a white elephant. [eco-business.com]

US:

¶   The US Department of Energy has granted Freeport LNG two final authorizations to export natural gas to non-Free Trade Agreement countries. The ruling authorizes Freeport to export up to 1.8 billion cubic feet of LNG per day for 20 years. Freeport LNG is owned by ConocoPhillips and Michael Smith. The plant is expected to cost $14 billion. [Energy Collective]

¶   Iowa is a leader in ethanol production and wind power, and when the new Congress is sworn into office in January, voters from both sides of the aisle will be expecting action on clean and renewable energy. A poll by the Sierra Club, shows up to 73% of voters more likely to support a candidate who wanted to increase the use of renewable energy. [Public News Service]

¶   Solar power is growing so fast in New York that goals once considered ambitious are now seen as readily achievable, according to a new report by Environment New York Research & Policy Center. They say Solar could account for 20% of the energy in New York by 2025, making “a big difference in the quality of our lives and the future of our planet.” [AltEnergyMag]

¶   The federal government said Monday that it will hold its largest-ever competitive lease sale for offshore wind development early next year. The area is more than 742,000 acres off the coast of Massachusetts. If fully developed, the area could support as much as 5 GW of commercial wind generation, enough to power more than 1.4 million homes. [Houston Chronicle]

¶   As Exelon Corp considers shutting down three of its nuclear facilities in Illinois, it is asking lawmakers and the public to see value in the energy it produces. A senior vice president of policy development at the Nuclear Energy Institute, said the three stations at risk for closing are Quad Cities, Byron , and Clinton. [Quad-Cities Online]

Opinion:

¶   “Cheap electricity for poor squeezing out solar” The villagers of Dharnai in northern India had been living without electricity for more than 30 years when Greenpeace installed a microgrid to supply reliable, low-cost solar power. Then, within weeks and unannounced, the government utility hooked up the grid to supply cheaper power. [Gulf Times]

World:

¶   Germany is arguably the leading renewable energy market in the world. It’s big in wind energy, biomass energy, and of course solar energy. Professor Doctor Bruno Burger of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has released a series of charts on the Germany renewable energy market. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Australian energy provider AGL Energy gave some insight into how it was preparing for solar and storage. AGL plans to launch its own power purchase agreement model early next year that will allow solar and storage to be installed in homes at zero upfront cost. It says it aims to have one million “distributed” customers by 2020. [CleanTechnica]

¶   India’s recently announced target to install 100 GW solar power capacity by 2022 could make it one of the largest solar power markets in the world and put it in direct competition with China. Essentially, India wants to do in five years what China plans to do in 10 years! [CleanTechnica]

¶   Vattenfall has left the Magritte Group of big European energy companies over issues of incentives. The Magritte Group, established by Gérard Mestrallet of GDF Suez in May 2013, has pushed to stop or reduce radically subsidies for renewable energy, while seeking support for conventional power generation. [Financial Times]

¶   The Scottish National Party has said the financial crisis surrounding the future of the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant demonstrates yet again the folly of the UK government’s decision to spend huge amounts of public money to subsidize new nuclear power stations. [SNP]

¶   After deciding to scrap nuclear power, Germany is pondering saying goodbye to coal, its biggest energy source but also its top polluter and main threat to ambitious climate goals. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is split on the issue, with only weeks until her cabinet is set to present its next climate action plan. [The Local.de]

¶   The government in Morocco secured $3.4 billion in international financing this autumn for an ambitious spate of power projects aimed not only at supplying the kingdom’s increasing demand for electricity, but also with a long-term plan to export surplus renewable energy to Europe. [Zawya]

¶   Tata Power, India’s second-largest private sector power company, seems to have realized the business case behind the fuel cost advantage of renewable energy projects over conventional power projects. It is now looking to expand its renewable energy portfolio. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The first reactor to be tested at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project in India has been lying idle since 26 September 2014 due to problems with its turbo-generator, which had a secret overhaul before it was even started. It failed after running only a few hours. [CounterCurrents.org]

US:

¶   Sunpower CEO Tom Werner just announced that the company intends to triple its upstream solar manufacturing capacity over the next five years. This capacity expansion includes a 350-MW solar cell factory expected to produce up to 100 MW next year, a planned 800-MW planned solar cell and module plant, and more. [Energy Collective]

¶   Just a few days after responding angrily to the US House vote to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, Sioux Nation Native American leaders met with the Obama administration to explore renewable energy options. The meeting involved more than eight federal agencies and offices. [Summit County Citizens Voice]

Science and Technology:

¶   Two of the most repeated oppositions to wind turbines are their impact on wildlife and their supposed “ugliness” (which those of us who love the look of wind turbines don’t really understand). A new report has managed to solve one of these issues while simultaneously making the other issue worse. It says to color them purple. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   As China has the worlds largest population and a rapidly growing economy, cutting emissions along the same lines as Western nations like the US would see its economy take a catastrophic hit. However, a new study says “China can achieve economic development, energy security and reduce pollution at the same time.” [CleanTechnica]

¶   UK farms offer 10 GW of untapped renewable energy potential, according to a report commissioned by the Farm Power coalition. The bulk of the power – three times that of the planned Hinkley Point nuclear plant – would be from ground-based solar and wind, with a smaller proportion from anaerobic digestion. [edie.net]

¶   China’s commitment on carbon-free energy could be met by roughly 1,000 nuclear reactors, or by 500,000 wind turbines or by 50,000 solar farms. The cost will run to almost $2 trillion, holding out the potential of vast riches for nuclear, solar and wind companies that get in on the action. [Bloomberg]

¶   Europe faces power shortages in the next decade unless it balances its drive for low-carbon energy with investment in clean coal and nuclear generation, according to the International Energy Agency. Clean coal is coal-fired power that includes carbon-capture technology. [Businessweek]

¶   According to a report from Mercom Capital, India’s solar power generation capacity has crossed 3,000 MW even as overall capacity addition this year is expected to be lower at about 800 MW than seen in 2013. So far this year, 734 MW solar power capacity has been added. [SteelGuru]

¶   Toko Electrical Construction is building a 10-MW solar project in eastern Japan’s nuclear exclusion zone. Construction is on 14 hectares of unused farmland in the village of Iitate, which was evacuated after the meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi and remains uninhabited. [Recharge]

US:

¶   Texas transmission and distribution company Oncor is proposing installing energy storage on the Texas grid, with thousands of battery systems ranging from the size of a fridge to a dumpster around the state, having a combined power capacity of 5,000 MW and a combined energy storage capacity of 15,000 MWh. [Scientific American]

¶   China and one or two other countries have the capacity to shut down the US power grid and other critical infrastructure through a cyber attack, the head of the National Security Agency told a Congressional panel. The US has detected malware from China on US computers systems that affect the daily lives of every American. [CNN]

¶   Walmart announced it will install up to 400 new solar projects at facilities across the nation over the next four years. The company has a global commitment to drive the production or procurement of 7 billion kWh of renewable energy by the end of 2020 and its goal to be supplied by 100% renewable energy. [Dubuque Telegraph Herald]

¶   SolarCity has entered into contract with Walmart to install new solar projects in up to 36 states. SolarCity has installed energy storage projects co-located with solar power generation at 13 Walmart facilities since early 2013, and will be incorporating ten additional storage projects in the next year. [MarketWatch]

¶   NRG Energy yesterday announced new long-term sustainability targets, which include slashing carbon-dioxide emissions from 2014 levels 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050. The International Panel on Climate Change has called for an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. [Business Green]

¶   The US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL ) and SolarCity have entered into a cooperative research agreement to address the operational issues associated with large amounts of distributed solar energy on electrical grids. [Solar Novus Today]

¶   Southern California utility customers will pay $3.3 billion in costs associated with the early shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, under a settlement approved Thursday by the California Public Utilities Commission. The deal resolves who pays, consumers or stockholders. [U-T San Diego]

World:

¶   Bangladesh has installed 3.1 million new residential solar energy systems since May, with support coming from the World Bank and other various agencies. More than 15 million people now benefiting from these new systems, according to the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star.  The total capacity of the new systems is somewhere around 135 MW. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Amidst national policies in Australia that seem to be growing ever further from reality, the City of Melbourne and several other local councils and businesses initiated a “Request for Information” process intended to seek out “proposals for new projects from the renewable energy sector,” reducing dependence on the coal-powered grid. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Almost 60% of Portugal’s energy needs came from renewable sources last year, a 20% increase from 2012. Not long ago, large utilities were being paid by small consumers. Now families have their own power, and small wind farms, solar farms, small biomass feed power to the grid. In addition, thousands of jobs were created by renewables industries. [Radio Australia]

¶   Coal-powered power stations, starting with Victoria’s most polluting, would be phased out from next year under a plan the Greens party will pursue if it wins the balance of power at next week’s state election. The announcement is the first time the Greens have been specific about their priorities if the party manages to be a pivotal force in a hung parliament. [The Guardian]

¶   A report on global nuclear decommissioning market says nuclear decommissioning is expected to post a compound annual growth rate of 14.1% from 2014 to 2018. The report focuses on the growing competition from renewable energy sources which is edging out nuclear power. The Fukushima Disaster slowed nuclear development and promoted renewable power. [MENAFN.COM]

¶   Amazon has vowed to run its cloud-computing division completely on renewable energy, following in the footsteps of tech giants Apple, Google and Facebook in making a comprehensive environmental pledge regarding its data services. The company said that its web-services segment would aim to achieve 100% renewable energy usage in its global infrastructure footprint. [TIME]

¶   The future of the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in the UK is under a cloud amid a financial crisis at Areva, a shareholder in the project and the designer of the proposed reactors. Power plants in both Finland and France are massively over-budget and behind schedule, forcing Areva to consider whether it needs an injection of new cash to survive. [The Guardian]

¶   Lockheed Martin and Concord Blue announced a new contract to build a power generation facility that will provide a new renewable energy source to meet the needs of 5,000 homes and businesses in Herten, Germany. The 5-MW power generation facilities will use forestry waste through advanced gasification. [Utility Products]

US:

¶   There has been a lot of controversy around the Ivanpah concentrating solar power plant. Charges range from the idea that it is killing thousands of birds to the idea that it is producing only a fraction of the power it was designed to make. One thing to remember is that you should not believe everything you read in the media. [CleanTechnica]

¶   AES is building a 100 MW, 400 MWh lithium-ion battery for Southern California Edison as an alternative to gas peaker plants. The president of AES Energy Storage called it “the new state of the art.” He added, “This contract marks the emergence of energy storage as a cost-effective alternative to peaking power plants for local power capacity and reliability.” [Energy Collective]

¶   Renewable energy generators in the US have had a revenue boost of 49% over five years. Revenues by hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, biomass and solar power companies rose from $6.6 billion in 2007 to $9.8 billion in 2012. The wider electric power generation sector saw an overall decline of in revenues of 1.2%, dropping from $121 billion to $119.5 billion. [reNews]

¶   As Texas state regulators fret about how President Obama’s effort to combat climate change would affect the Texas power grid, a new study says the rules would be simpler to adopt than those regulators suggest – and that it would save the state billions of gallons of water annually, cutting consumption by 28 billion gallons each year. [Gilmer Mirror]

¶   The US EPA’s proposal to curb carbon pollution from power plants overestimates the electric power industry’s compliance costs by as much as $9 billion, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council report. The report shows the power sector could actually save nearly $2 billion in 2020 while meeting the EPA’s targets. [Click Green]

¶   In Fountain Valley, California, a novel system runs on anaerobically digested biogas from the Orange County Sanitation District’s municipal wastewater treatment plant. A 300-kWh molten carbonate fuel cell uses the biogas to produce heat, electricity and hydrogen—making it a “tri-generation” system. [Scientific American]

Opinion:

¶   “How To Profit From Solar & Storage” When there is a sudden surge in demand, the electric grid needs to deploy additional power immediately and ramp up and down to provide a stable power supply. Batteries are able to provide an instantaneous response (within 4 seconds or less), which is known as frequency regulation. [CleanTechnica]

¶   “Reclaim the power! Democratic energy must replace corporate capture” Democratising energy would not only save thousands of lives a year but would be a big step forward in saving the planet. Could Eigg in Scotland, an island owned collectively by its inhabitants and supplied by renewable electricity, be the model for a transformation of energy? [The Ecologist]

World:

¶   In the official communique that ended the G20 summit, the group of most powerful nations stated: “Increased collaboration on energy is a priority. Global energy markets are undergoing significant transformation.” The group of world leaders asserted that strong and resilient energy markets are critical to global economic growth. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A new €600 million data center Google is building in Eemshaven in the Netherlands will be completely powered by renewable energy from its first day of operation. A new announcement from Google on its Green Blog touts the new long-term agreement the internet and advertising giant has signed. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The latest in a series of first wind turbine orders in countries such as Morocco and Pakistan, GE announced it will supply Vienna-based renewable energy developer RP Global with twelve GE 2.85-103 wind turbines for GE’s first wind farm in Croatia. The 34-MW project will be near the southern coastal city of Dubrovnik. [Balkans.com Business News]

¶   Two sources of renewable energy are expected to help ease power shortage in the Philippines when they become operational in 2017. The Frabelle Group of Companies is spearheading the venture by a consortium of players in the fishing industry to build hydroelectric plants that will cover areas in Luzon and Mindanao. [Inquirer.net]

¶   During the first 10 months of 2014, the UK’s National Grid has shelled out nearly $67.3 million to wind farms to shut down their turbines, mostly in Scotland. Scots’ demand for electricity is not as high as the amount of electricity generated by their wind farms, but the cables to move the power south are not ready yet. [OilPrice.com]

¶   Renewable energy would not be more costly than coal power for Turkey. World Wildlife Fund Turkey chairman Ugur Bayar said in a press conference in Istanbul that renewables, such as wind, could very well satisfy Turkey’s energy demand as efficiently as coal, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s analysis report. [Trend.az]

¶   The massive task of refurbishing 10 nuclear reactors – at a cost of $25 billion, is the crucial issue for keeping electricity rates under control in Ontario, says a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce investment banker. He illustrated by running through a list of projects that have missed deadlines and gone hugely over budget. [Cambridge Times]

US:

¶   The Senate blocked a measure Tuesday that would have authorized construction of the Keystone XL pipeline as Democrats chose their pro-environment base over an old friend, embattled Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. Republicans will be ready to try again, with much better odds of success, once they take control of the Senate next January. [CNN]

¶   University of California at Irvine is installing solar PV systems under a 25-year power purchase agreement with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC. The subsidiary will own and maintain the solar installations and sell electricity to the campus at a price below what UCI would expect to pay a utility. [domain-B]

¶   Georgia, blessed with abundant sunshine, has nevertheless been slow to embrace solar energy. But that’s changing, a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts points out. “State and federal policies have helped to make the Peach State the fastest-growing solar market in the country,” Pew reports. [Savannah Morning News]

¶   Allison Macfarlane, the outgoing chair of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Tuesday the industry must finish making the safety changes required after a nuclear disaster in Japan, and it faces unresolved questions over how to store nuclear waste as existing plants close. [Greenfield Daily Reporter]

¶   New York utility regulators said they wanted Rochester Gas and Electric to negotiate with the Ginna nuclear power plant to keep the reactor in service to maintain the reliability of the power grid. They ordered RGE to negotiate an agreement with Ginna, which is owned by Exelon Corp and Electricite de France SA. [Reuters]

Opinion:

¶   “The U.S. Government Has Invested $34 Billion in Renewable Energy – and It’s Making a Profit” Is the United States government a savvier investor in green technology than Silicon Valley’s masters of the universe? It sure looks like it. A report shows that the DOE has far fewer failures than a typical venture capital firm, and is earning money for taxpayers. [TakePart]

World:

¶   The Leader of the US Senate says that under the China-US climate deal, China can “do nothing at all for 16 years.” That turns out to be the very reverse of the truth. China is already leading the world in greening its energy supply, and has committed to add a massive 1.3 GW of renewable power capacity every week for 15 years. [The Ecologist]

¶   In a huge victory for local communities, public health, and the rule of law, yet another enormous proposed coal plant has been denied clearance in India. In another major setback for the expansion of the coal industry, a panel of judges rejected the environmental clearance for a 3,600-MW coal-fired power plant in Tamil Nadu, India. [Energy Collective]

¶   As critics of the Energiewende like to point out, in 2013, Germany’s emissions rose to 952 million tonnes. Nevertheless, while that is an increase, it is actually 23% lower than its figure for 1990, which is the baseline year adopted by nations who signed the Kyoto Accord. By comparison, the world’s emissions are now 61% higher than 1990 levels. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Russia and China have signed two large natural gas deals in the last six months as Russia turns its attention eastward in reaction to sanctions and souring relations with Europe, currently Russia’s largest energy export market. But the move has implications beyond Europe, and will have effects on the natural gas producers in the US. [Resilience]

¶   Australian senators opposed to wind energy are set to establish yet another inquiry into its alleged effects on power prices, human health and wildlife. The new inquiry, the latest in a long list of investigations into renewable energy and wind power, is proposed by senators who have favored abolishing the renewable energy target. [The Guardian]

¶   The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a 71-MW c-Si solar panel manufacturing facility in the San Juan province of Argentina was attended by a number of important politicians. Completion is currently expected sometime next year, with the first solar panels coming off the lines sometime in late 2015. [CleanTechnica]

US:

¶   Coal-fired power plants have been the backbone of US electricity production for decades, but 25% of them will be retired by the end of this decade. Some of their replacements will be fueled by LNG. Others will make way for a disruptive technology that can “switch from charging to discharging in less than 1 second” and has a “significantly higher capacity use factor.” [CleanTechnica]

¶   Ikea, the largest furniture retailer, made its biggest renewable-energy investment to date by buying a 165-MW wind farm in southern Texas. Apex Clean Energy Inc is building the wind farm, which will have 55 Acciona SA 3-MW turbines. Ikea plans to invest a total of $1.9 billion in wind and solar power by the end of 2015. [Businessweek]

¶   SunEdison can continue its growth even without the support of tax credits in the US, the company said on Monday, as it agreed to a $2.4 billion deal for privately owned First Wind that will make it the world’s largest developer of wind and solar power. First Wind has wind farms in several states, including Maine, New York, and Vermont. [Financial Times]

¶   Earthjustice released an interactive map displaying where states currently stand on renewable energy in light of the Obama Administration’s proposed Clean Power Plan. It shows that many states can readily comply with the Clean Power Plan, and some are already aimed at achieving even achieve greater emissions reductions. [AltEnergyMag]

¶   The Electric Reliability Council of Texas anticipates that implementation of the US EPA’s proposed rule for reducing greenhouse gas emissions will result in the retirement of up half of ERCOT’s coal generation capacity, raise retail energy bills up to 20% and lead to a greater likelihood of rotating outages. [Platts]

¶   Altus Power America, Inc. announced a long-term solar Net Metering Credit Purchase Agreement with the Town of Belchertown, Massachusetts. The 20-year contract will help Belchertown save up to $160,000 annually with estimated savings of $2.7 million over the duration of the 20-year term. [Virtual-Strategy Magazine]

¶   Ratepayers have sued Southern California Edison Co and state electric power regulators for $3 billion in federal court. They allege the defendants have illegally collected millions in monthly electric bills from more than 17 million customers since a nuclear power plant was shuttered last year. [PennEnergy]

Opinion:

¶   “Japan’s 21st-century tsunami stones” A familiar sight along Tohoku’s Sanriku coastline are the tsunami stones erected by past generations that alert residents to the high-water mark of previous tsunami and the perils of building any closer to the sea. There have been four investigations into why the possibility of tsunami was ignored in the nuclear safety culture. [The Japan Times]

Science and Technology:

¶   Solid-state batteries capable of delivering on a 400+ mile range per single charge are a real possibility and possess “great potential” according to Volkswagen’s Chairman of the Board Dr Martin Winterkorn. If such a battery can be economically manufactured, then that would more-or-less turn the industry upside-down. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   The UK’s Junior Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Amber Rudd, recently made a rather blunt statement that solar farms “are not particularly welcome in the UK.” This follows closely on the heels of comments by the UK’s Environment Secretary that she didn’t want English farmland to have “its appearance blighted by solar farms.” [CleanTechnica]

¶   With India getting ready to give a big push to tap solar energy in the next six to eight years, the Indian prime minister pushed for a global effort to make clean energy available to all. In his statement on energy at the G20  summit in Brisbane, Australia, he stressed the major economic opportunity for all countries. [Times of India]

¶   Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antic opened the largest solar power plant in Serbia in Kladovo on Saturday. It is owned by a Serbian company that invested €3 million in it. Renewable energy sources account for 21% of Serbia’s power production currently and that share will go up to 27% by 2020, he pointed out. [InSerbia News]

¶   Danish developer DONG Energy has been named as the preferred partner to create a wind farm off the coast of the Isle of Man. It could accommodate up to 100 turbines and potentially generate 700 MW of electricity for the UK, generating an income of at least £5 million per year for the Isle of Man Government by 2023. [Isle of Man Today]

¶   Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott may have thought he left global climate change off the agenda for the G20 summit in Brisbane, but US President Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put it in the spotlight through a series of actions in the past few days. Obama ensured climate change was front and center before he even got to Australia. [Mashable]

US:

¶   The Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s microgrid project, the “Complete System-Level Efficient and Interoperable Solution for Microgrid Integrated Controls,” aims to standardize the toolkit for managing and controlling an effective, reliable, and safe microgrid. It is now two years in, and the fruits of the labor are starting to show. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Arizona Public Service Co. recently opened a solar power plant near Gila Bend that brings the state’s largest utility closer to its renewable-energy goals. The Gila Bend Solar Power Plant is the newest in APS’ AZ Sun program, which now includes seven solar-energy plants around the state. Two more solar plants are in the permitting and planning stages. [azcentral.com]

¶   Another big renewable energy project is coming to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Thursday the Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville hosted a pre-proposal conference for companies interested in building and operating a large combined heat and power project on Redstone Arsenal. [AL.com]

¶   President Barack Obama will pledge $3 billion to a United Nations climate-change fund that’s intended to help poor nations boost renewable energy and counter the ill effects of global warming. With pledges in place from Germany and France, and one coming from Japan, the Green Climate Fund is nearing its goal of securing $10 billion in pledges. [Businessweek]

Opinion:

¶   “OPEC Doesn’t Take Electric Cars Seriously” Just how dominant will oil remain? In the latest OPEC World Oil Outlook report, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries thinks that electric cars will have almost no impact on oil usage. I say let’s prove them wrong. [Gas 2.0]

¶   “More Lies From ALEC About Climate Change” I don’t envy Lisa B. Nelson, the new CEO at the American Legislative Exchange Council. If Nelson thought she was going to be able to quietly go about her business when she joined the secretive lobby group, she was sadly mistaken. [Huffington Post]

Science and Technology:

¶   Aquion Energy announced the second generation of its Aqueous Hybrid Ion battery and energy storage system technology. The new technology reportedly offers an increase in energy “of up to 40%,” without any increase in the size or weight of the S-Line Battery Stack or the M-Line Battery Module product lines. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A new kind of battery is by far the cheapest of a new generation of large, long-lived batteries enabling heavy use of intermittent energy sources for microgrids. It is produced by Aquion Energy, a company spun out of Carnegie Mellon University. It costs about twice as much as a lead-acid battery. [MIT Technology Review]

World:

¶   A cool summer and increased levels of hydro generation has resulted in a significant reduction in coal-generation in China over recent months, with coal consumption in August down by 11%. A large impact, has been on coal imports, which have fallen by half, with heavy impact on Australia. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A landmark lawsuit that challenges the lax regulation of hydraulic fracturing in Canada has just scored a major victory. An Alberta Chief Justice dismissed all key arguments made by the government of Alberta against the lawsuit, including the fear of a flood of lawsuits against a government dependent on hydrocarbon revenue. [Resilience]

¶   The UK’s Energy Secretary unveiled a £10 million fund to support community-owned renewable energy schemes in England. The Urban Community Energy Fund will give community groups in England the opportunity to bid for grants of up to £20,000, or loans of up to £130,000 to help kick-start their projects. [Click Green]

¶   Small Scale Power Generation Sector through renewable energy sources such as wind power, solar power and biomass sources has contributed effectively to the generation of electricity in Sri Lanka and the country expects to reach a target of 20% of the power supply by renewable energy by 2020. [Colombo Page]

¶   Reliance Power has commissioned a 100-MW concentrated solar power project in India by successfully synchronizing the grid and power generation. It is the world’s largest CSP project based on compact linear Fresnel reflector technology, provided by Areva Solar. [Business Standard]

¶   The UK’s first 2-MW lithium-titanate battery is to be connected to the energy grid as part of a new research project to tackle the challenges of industrial-scale energy storage. The project aims to provide tests of the technological and economic challenges. [The Guardian]

US:

¶   The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is supporting research and development in the field of energy storage by partnering with nine companies. The program is designed to develop new clean technologies, create prototypes, bring them to be real-world applications. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The Ginna Nuclear Power Plant is losing money to the tune of $100 million over the past three years. A decade-long power purchase agreement between Ginna’s ower, Exelon and Constellation Energy and RG&E expired last month. The future of the plant seems uncertain. [WROC-TV]

¶   Energy developer Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. has announced two grid-scale energy storage projects near Chicago . Each will use lithium iron phosphate batteries with a 19.8 MW capacity, capable of storing 7.8 MWh. The two projects will be named Jake and Elwood. [JD Supra]

¶   Imergy Power Systems has landed its first battery order in the United States with Hawaiian renewable energy company Energy Research Systems. The company purchased four ESP5 vanadium flow batteries, which are capable of 5 kW of capacity and can store up to 30 kWh of electricity. [pv magazine]

¶   Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy, a contractor based in Charlotte, North Carolina, says in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that Xcel has refused to pay the full cost for replacing a pair of massive steam generators at the plant’s Unit 2. The project was completed last December. [Minneapolis Star Tribune]

Opinion:

¶   “China’s Climate Change Plan Raises Questions” Many questions surround China’s plans, which President Xi Jinping announced in Beijing alongside President Obama after months of negotiations. In essence, experts asked, do the pledges go far enough, and how will China achieve them? [New York Times]

¶   “Carbon Capture, Water, and the U.S.-China Climate Agreement” The agreement commits both countries to focus on reducing the negative water implications of carbon capture and storage. Here’s why we’re even talking about the issue, and what this accord says about it. [The Equation: Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists]

World Energy Outlook report:

¶   Fossil fuels see about $550 billion a year in subsidies, dampening investment in cleaner forms of energy, the International Energy Agency said. Crude oil, coal and natural gas received more than four times the $120 billion paid out in subsidies for renewables, according to the annual World Energy Outlook. [Live Trading News]

¶   Renewable energy technologies are set to gain ground on fossil fuels rapidly as they are helped by falling costs and subsidies, according to World Energy Outlook 2014. It suggests that by 2040 world energy supply will be divided into four almost equal parts: low-carbon sources (nuclear and renewables), oil, natural gas and coal. [reNews]

¶   Such developing countries as China and India will lead a projected 60% increase in worldwide nuclear power generation capacity through 2040, while costs to decommission aging reactors in advanced nations will soar, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday in its World Energy Outlook report. [Nikkei Asian Review]

World:

¶   An integrated residential rooftop solar and  electricity storage system will be launched in Germany in December. Hanwha Q Cells rooftop solar and Samsung lithium-ion batteries will be sold together so German citizens can produce their own electricity from the sun and store it at home. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Iberdrola Ingeniería, in a consortium with Gamesa, has completed the construction of its first wind farm in Kenya, the Ngong II project with an installed capacity of 13.6 MW. It was awarded by the state-owned Kenyan Electricity Generating Company Limited in a contract worth €21.4 million. [Your Renewable News]

¶   Danish manufacturer Vestas has won a deal to supply turbines for the 52-MW second phase of the Bayinzile wind farm in China. The contract with Inner Mongolia Huitong Energy Zhuozi Wind Power Company Ltd covers 26 V80 2-MW machines, which will be installed in the Wulanchabu area of Inner Mongolia. [reNews]

¶   According to the influential Carbon Tracker Initiative, developing economies seeking to provide universal energy access are more likely to step up investment in renewables than coal infrastructure, despite a coal industry claim that coal is “essential to meet the scale of Africa’s desperate need for electricity”. [Business Green]

¶   SunEdison has announced the signing of a joint framework agreement with Aboitiz Renewables to scope, develop and operate up to 300 MW of utility-scale solar PV projects in the Philippines over the next three years. They aim to develop the first in a series of utility-scale Philippine solar power projects next year. [Energy Matters]

¶   Ontario regulators have approved the 230-MW Niagara Region wind farm, one of the largest projects in the province, as the Environment Ministry has issued a renewable energy approval for the project. The project will employ 77 Enercon turbines, a mix of E82 2.3-MW and E101 3-MW machines. [reNews]

US:

¶   San Jose, California–based STEM, a company with a mission to help large organizations meet sustainability goals, has been selected for an 85 MW distributed energy storage system by Southern California Edison. 85 MW is a big system in terms of energy storage, and all of it must be operational by 2021. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Linc Energy recently received a research & development license for Underground Coal Gasification, the first issued in the USA in twenty years. Linc Energy is moving ahead with a demonstration phase project in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, one of the country’s most active coal mining regions. [Energy Collective]

¶   Fort Hood is one step closer to bringing a large-scale renewable energy project that will save money and leverage solar and wind power for the post’s energy needs because of efforts by the Defense Logistics Agency, Energy, in coordination with the Office of Energy Initiatives and Fort Hood Directorate of Public Works. [The Fort Hood Sentinel]

¶   The nation’s largest solar provider and the U.S. Navy announced a deal Wednesday that will equip nearly 6,000 homes in the San Diego area with rooftop solar energy systems. Navy and Marine Corps housing in 27 neighborhoods from Imperial Beach to Vista will receive rooftop solar energy systems. [U-T San Diego]

World:

¶   US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced both countries will curb greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. The US would cut its 2005 level of carbon emissions by 26-28% before 2025. China would peak its carbon emissions and get 20% of its energy from zero-carbon sources by 2030. [CNN]

¶   The prime ministers of Pakistan and China are reported to have witnessed the signing of 19 agreements and memorandums mostly focused on the energy sector. China has pledged $42 billion funds of which $31 billions are dedicated to projects in the energy sector. Coal accounts for 80% of the new power. [Business Recorder]

¶   Despite pledging in 2009 to phase out the use of fossil fuels, G20 countries are spending $88 billion a year in taxpayer money to discover new reserves around the world, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Overseas Development Institute and Oil Change International. [eNews Park Forest]

¶   Yingli Green Energy Spain announced it has supplied over 5 MW of solar panels for Bolivia’s first solar power plant. Isotron, a subsidiary of Isastur, installed more than 17,000 solar panels in the 5-MW project, which is Bolivia’s largest solar project and the world’s largest storage-equipped hybrid PV-diesel project. [Your Renewable News]

¶   Natural gas could help reduce emissions until renewables deployment is more widespread, but investment in gas infrastructure could result in the fossil fuel outstaying its welcome, scientists have warned. They also accuse the British government of over-hyping the potential for a domestic shale gas industry. [Business Green]

¶   SolarReserve, a developer of utility-scale solar power projects, has announced that the 96-MW PV Jasper solar power project has completed construction and is fully operational. The power project, located in South Africa’s Northern Cape, is the largest solar installation in Africa. It was completed two months ahead of schedule. [BusinessTech]

¶   Negotiations to establish a bipartisan commitment to renewable energy in Australia have collapsed. The opposition Labor Party has walked away from talks with the government about generating 20% of the country’s power from renewable energy because of government inflexibility on a plan to cut the target dramatically. [eco-business.com]

¶   UK Energy secretary Ed Davey warns that the Conservative party’s opposition to onshore wind turbines risks undermining the creation of British jobs. Davey also said that the opposition to onshore turbines is driving up customer bills because wind is the cheapest clean energy. [The Guardian]

¶   The Isle of Man has selected DONG Energy, Manx Tidal Energy Ltd and Tocardo Tidal Energy Ltd to develop an offshore wind farm and several tidal energy projects. It is progressing offshore energy opportunities and working with the UK to help meet its renewable energy targets. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶   In order to achieve its energy 2021 energy target providing electricity access to all residents, Bangladesh is seeking to more than double electricity generation to 24 GW, 10% of which from renewables. The country has installed more than 3.1 million systems since May with support from the World Bank and other agencies. [pv magazine]

US:

¶   In the face of an aging fleet of plants, new EPA regulations for pollution and carbon, and decreasing natural gas costs, coal plants may well become a thing of the past in Michigan. According to the Energy Justice Network and Crain’s Detroit Business, five more Michigan coal-fired power plants are slated for closures. [Detroit Free Press]

¶   Some utility companies are starting to encourage consumers to make the switch to plug-in electric vehicles. JEA, a utility company in northeastern Florida, recently began offering to its nearly half a million household and business electricity customers a rebate of up to $1,000 for the purchase or lease of a plug-in electric vehicle. [Huffington Post]

¶   Ford has this week announced innovative new plans that could see its dealers across the country become renewable energy hubs. Ford and Wind Energy Corporation partner to deploy solar panels and vertical axis wind “sails” at four Ford dealerships as part of a pilot programme. [Business Green]

¶   Six years ago, Wisconsin’s Gundersen Health System, which makes up a network of hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes and other health facilities,  set a goal to reduce energy consumption. It has more than reached that goal. Every day since October 14, it has produced more energy than it consumed. [ThinkProgress]

¶   Vermont and Entergy continue to disagree on how to pay the cost of decommissioning the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Entergy, is now seeking permission from federal regulators to eliminate off-site emergency response planning about 15 months after the reactor stops turning. [vtdigger.org]

Science and Technology:

¶   Grid operators may be able to use buildings to help regulate grid frequency as they integrate more renewable energy sources. Variable-speed drives used to run heating and cooling systems can be rapidly modulated by grid operators to keep the frequency of electricity on the grid within necessary tolerances. [Energy Collective]

¶   The Canadian public health department released its preliminary findings of a study on wind turbine noise and health, and an Australian court ruled on a challenge to a 105-MW wind farm based on wind turbine syndrome. In both cases, windpower was found not to have demonstrable adverse health effects. [Energy Matters]

World:

¶   The Kenya Electricity Generating Company decided to capitalize on their geothermal resources by adding 280 MW of geothermal energy to the national grid, and the power started feeding into the national grid in July. Kenya saved $100 million in the first three months of operation. [ESI Africa]

¶   Denmark’s government plans to have the country completely off of fossil fuels by 2050, including cars. One problem with this is that energy production from wind and solar plants cost very little to run, so the more they appear, the less energy will cost. This means energy companies will struggle to make any profit. [UPI.com]

¶   French renewable energy developer, Neoen announced that it is completing the financing for the project and starting construction of the developed facility located in the town of Cestas near Bordeaux. The facility will consist of several power plants with a combined power output of 300 MW. [PV Insider News and Analysis]

¶   A report by the Overseas Development Institute and Oil Change International says governments around the world are funding high carbon energy sources at the expense of renewable energy projects. Australian taxpayers subsidize exploration by coal and energy companies by as much as $4 billion every year. [ABC Online]

¶   Canadian Solar has finalized a deal to provide 4 MW of energy storage, to be used to support the electrical grid in Ontario, Canada. Ontario has a target to procure 50 MW of energy storage by the end of this year, of which 33.54 MW has already been procured by the Independent Electric System Operator. [PV-Tech Storage]

¶   Senvion has signed a contract to supply turbines for the 150-MW Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n wind farm in Quebec. The MU project is owned and developed in a 50-50 partnership between the three Mi’gmaq First Nations of Quebec and Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. Senvion will deliver a cold-climate-version wind turbines. [North American Windpower]

US:

¶   Massachusetts is currently considering extending its net-metering qualification guidelines to include small hydroelectric projects over 60 kW in capacity, in addition to those under 60 kW. This would put hydroelectric on level ground with solar energy, wind energy, and anaerobic digestion systems in the state. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Acer Americas is joining the growing ranks of US businesses meeting 100% of their electricity needs from renewable energy resources. The company has announced it is joining the EPA Green Power Partnership and has purchased enough green power to offset all of its carbon emissions from electricity in the US. [Triple Pundit]

¶   A 5-MW solar array could be in place by next spring in the hills overlooking Lake Sonoma under a cooperative venture announced Monday between the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Dry Creek Band of Pomo Indians. The system would be the largest in Sonoma County, California. [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]

¶   Traces of radioactive cesium-134, believed to have come from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, were detected 100 miles off the coast of Eureka, California, according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The isotope is present at 0.1% of the level allowed by the EPA for drinking water. [CNBC]

Science and Technology:

¶   The Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology recently announced it has made white solar PV modules to use in buildings, offering applications in several consumer-centered sectors. The technology can be used to modify any crystalline solar PV module to produce white or coloured modules.  [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   The Climate Council says foreign investors are going to other countries because Australia’s government has no clear renewable energy policy. Another damning report on the state of renewable energy in Australia said the country was losing out on valuable business. [eco-business.com]

¶   New renewable energy projects create 10 times more green jobs than similar-sized fossil fuel investments, new research has found. A study by the UK Energy Research Center taking data from the US, Europe, and China, suggests green energy provide a boost to employment, short term construction jobs and lifetime plant jobs. [Business Green]

¶   In Indonesia, geothermal power plant developer PT Supreme Energy expects to commence the first stage of construction of its 220 MW Muara Laboh project in West Sumatra as early as next year while working on land-related issues in two other phases of development. [Jakarta Post]

¶   The Green Investment Bank announced a £200 million lending program for community-scale renewable energy projects in the UK, the institution’s first investment in the sector, although energy from waste is not included. The program will be funded half by the GIB and half by global investment firm KKR. [Materials Recycling World]

¶   Wind farms have been paid £43 million to stand idle so far this year, a new British record. The payments were made to suppliers because the National Grid was unable to use their electricity. The sums paid in ‘constraint payments’ to wind farms have risen rapidly in the past four years, according to electricity market data. [Daily Mail]

¶   Osaka will seek to sell its shares of Kansai Electric Power Co, operator of the Ohi nuclear plant, to comply with a policy calling for less reliance on investment income. The mayor had pledged to rid the city of its holding in Kansai Electric should the utility ignore calls to stop using atomic power. [Businessweek]

US:

¶   Presumptive Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised to bring energy bills up for votes in the next Congress, and Senator Lisa Murkowski, who is likely to become the next chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, isn’t waiting until January to start pushing fracking and pipelines. [Washington Times]

¶   Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are part of a growing number of tech and other major companies that are entering into long-term “power purchase” agreements (PPAs) with wind farms to ensure a steady stream of power, at a fixed cost, over a period as long as several decades. The reason for that is largely long-term price stability. [Tonga Daily News]

¶   Arkansas’ burgeoning biomass industry got a big boost earlier this summer when in the space of 30 days two privately held investor groups announced multi-million dollar projects to produce commercially viable fuel from the state’s vast supply of forest dregs. Both are building wood pellet plants. [The City Wire]

¶   Today at Olympian High School, Sweetwater Union High School District and SunPower Corp are celebrating the installation of 9.3 MW of high efficiency SunPower solar power systems at 21 California district schools. The district estimates that the systems may offset about 60% of its utility grid demand. [AZoCleantech]