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Opinion:

¶ “China reaps benefits of U.S. solar innovation while American workers are left behind” • IRENA reported over 500,000 new jobs in renewables in 2017 bringing the total to well over 10 million. Two thirds of solar jobs are in China. But in the US, where the technology was developed, solar jobs are on the decline. [ThinkProgress]

Installing PVs in China (Credit: Kevin Frayer | Getty Images)

¶ “Trump withdraws from Iran deal: What’s next?” • President Trump announced that the US intends not to participate in Iran nuclear deal and will re-impose sanctions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani responded that Iran may be willing to remain a part of the deal, subject to negotiations with the remaining international partners. [CBS News]

Science and Technology:

¶ Research demonstrates that private electric vehicles in China can have a positive effect on CO2 reduction if they are charged slowly during off-peak hours when renewable energy from renewables like wind turbines is available. By contrast, fast charging during peak demand periods increases output from coal-fired generation. [CleanTechnica]

Jiangsu Nantong power plant (Kristoferb, Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ Shanghai-based solar manufacturer JA Solar reported long-delayed Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2017 Results late last month. It reported record shipments of 7,143.1 MW for the full year, an increase of over 55%, while revenues increased by over 25%. Total shipments for the fourth quarter alone amounted to 2,205.9 MW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Solar developer SkyPower announced that it will invest $1.3 billion into Uzbekistan. The Canadian company will build 1 GW of solar capacity and sell the power to Uzbekistan’s government through the country’s first Power Purchase Agreement. This will make SkyPower Uzbekistan’s first independent electric power producer. [CleanTechnica]

Shir Dor Mosque, Uzbekistan (Credit: Robert Wilson, via Flickr)

¶ With construction of a 50-MW plant, Zambia will have its first large-scale solar facility in September, a state-owned agency said. Zambia is dealing with a power deficit that threatens industrial output, as an electricity shortfall has forced Africa’s second-largest copper producer to ration power supply to the mines, the biggest consumers. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ Seajacks won a contract in Taiwan, its first order outside of Europe. The 10,000-tonne jack-up vessel Zaratan will install 20 6-MW wind turbines in the Taiwan Strait in water around 30 meters deep, up to six kilometres off the north-west coast of Taiwan. The work is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2019. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Seajacks Zaratan (Courtesy of Seajacks)

¶ EBRD, along with Triodos Investment Management and FMO Dutch Development Bank, will provide a $30.7 million loan to finance the construction and operation of Mongolia’s largest utility-scale solar plant. It is a 30-MW project to be located in the Gobi Desert region, around 450 km south-east of Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar. [pv magazine International]

¶ Plans for a 1500-MW PV park have been submitted to the Somerset Regional Council in Queensland. The proposed plant would spread over a 2,055 hectare site east of Harlin, northwest of Brisbane. The largest solar plant currently under construction in Australia is the 250-MW Sunraysia solar farm in New South Wales. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Large solar array

¶ A report from IMechE report called on the government and industry of the UK to introduce pro-hydrogen policies, including updating pipes and materials in the gas distribution network to handle concentrations of up to 20% by 2023. Hydrogen could be a green and efficient alternative to lithium-ion batteries, the report claimed. [Professional Engineering]

¶ Italian energy major Enel SpA will invest $97 million (€81.7 million) to expand by 10% the capacity of three renewable energy plants under construction in Mexico, the company said. Enel Green Power Mexico will increase the capacities of the 754-MW Villanueva and 238-MW Don Jose PV farms, and of the 93-MW Salitrillos wind park. [Renewables Now]

Mexican solar park (Credit: Presidencia de
la República Mexicana, CC-BY-2.0 Generic)

US:

¶ Puerto Rico is considering large-scale solar as a part of its reconstruction of its energy infrastructure, which was seriously damaged by the hurricanes Irma and Maria last year. This comes alongside a number of mini-grids and rooftop solar projects all targeting future power resiliency. Project sizes range upwards to 100 MW. [pv magazine International]

¶ The renewables arm of GE announced that it will supply 190 wind turbines totalling 470 MW for two projects in Iowa owned by Alliant Energy Corp. GE Renewable Energy will deliver the turbines for the 300-MW Upland Prairie Wind Farm in Clay and Dickinson counties, and the 170-MW English Farms Wind Farm in Poweshiek County. [Renewables Now]

GE 2.75-120 wind turbines (GE Renewable Energy image)

¶ Eight Democratic attorneys general are pushing EPA head Scott Pruitt to rescind a proposed regulation that would restrict the science it could use to write and enforce regulations. The group might sue the EPA if it moves forward with the rule, which critics say is an attempt to stop the EPA from using some important scientific findings. [The Hill]

¶ Virginia regulators have rejected a proposal from Dominion Energy to offer 100% renewable energy plans to large electricity customers in the state. The decision was praised by clean energy groups and retail suppliers that argued that approving the utility program would effectively eliminate competition from third-party vendors. [Greentech Media]

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Opinion:

¶ “Electric Aviation Is The Next Big Thing” • Greg Bowles, vice president of global innovation and policy at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, explained the current situation of combustion aircraft engines as yesteryear’s dial-up, wired telephones, as battery technology has improved about 3% to 5% every year for 20 years. [CleanTechnica]

Bye Aerospace’s electric two-seat Sun Flyer

¶ “NRC Cherry-Picking in the Post-Fukushima Era: A Case Study” • In the late 1960s, the Atomic Energy Commission, the forerunner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, paid General Electric and Westinghouse, the very companies that designed nuclear reactors, to test the efficacy of their own emergency cooling systems. [All Things Nuclear]

Science and Technology:

¶ Global tourism accounts for 8% of total worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, four times more than previously had been believed, according to new research. The increasing carbon footprint of global tourism between 2009 and 2013 represents a 3% annual growth in emissions, according to researchers at the University of Sydney. [CNN]

Cherry blossoms in Tokyo (Photo: Carl Court | Getty Images)

World:

¶ Australian rooftop solar hit a new record in April by achieving sevens month in a row of over 100 MW of new solar installed. Installations in April reached 109 MW, which was down from the 127 MW installed in March, but this is enough energy to power more than 36,700 homes, according to data from Green Energy Markets. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ Off the coast of Western Australia, a battle between mega-giants is unfolding. The combatants involve the world’s biggest semi-submersible platform, the longest subsea pipeline in the southern hemisphere, and the largest floating facility ever built. They are all there for natural gas, and they are hoping to start drawing it up this month. [BBC]

Prelude, the largest sea-faring vessel ever (Shell image)

¶ The Japanese government has created a new research entity to develop lithium-ion battery technology. It is working in the research together with major Japanese manufacturers, including Toyota, Honda, Panasonic, and Yuasa, on a mission is to push forward with research into solid state batteries that will cost less and have extended range. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The renewable energy industry created over 500,000 new jobs globally in 2017, a 5.3% rise on the previous year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. IRENA’s latest edition of “Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review” says there are 10.3 million people employed in renewables worldwide, the first time the figure was over 10 million. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Pixabay image)

US:

¶ At the 2018 ACT Expo green transport conference in Long Beach, California, representatives from UPS, Navistar, and Cummins joined with speakers from Honda and the California Air Resources Board to express support for the fuel economy standards put in place by the Obama administration. Much of the reason was economic. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Professional actors were paid to support Entergy’s proposal of a gas plant at New Orleans City Council meetings, according to some participants. “They paid us to sit through the meeting and clap every time someone said something against wind and solar power,” said one actor, who heard about the opportunity through a friend. [The Lens]

Entergy supporters in orange shirts (Michael Stein | The Lens)

¶ Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds signed a bill that critics say could largely evaporate utility-sponsored energy efficiency programs in the state. The law caps program spending at substantially lower levels than utilities now maintain. It also allows municipal utilities to discriminate against customers who generate their own power. [Energy News Network]

¶ Texas electric utility Luminant has signed a 300-MW power purchase agreement for electricity from the Foard City wind farm, developer Innergex Renewable Energy Inc said. A full notice to proceed with construction is expected for the final quarter of this year, with commercial operation to start in the third quarter of 2019. [Renewables Now]

Wind turbines (Author: Jaime Rey)

¶ Iowa-based Ideal Energy is constructing a 1.1-MW power plant at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, using the NEXTracker NX Flow integrated solar-plus-storage system. The project will be built on University land and is projected to be one of the largest solar-plus-storage power plants in the state. [Solar Builder]

¶ Kenyon Energy, in partnership with Maui Electric Co, flipped the switch on a new 2.87-MW solar farm. The 11.3-acre project, which is located on land owned and managed by Haleakala Ranch Co, is producing electricity for MECO’s nearly 70,000 customers on Maui, Molokai and Lanai at 11.06¢/kWh, according to a news release. [Pacific Business News (Honolulu)]

South Maui renewable power (Maui Electric Company image)

¶ After months of acrimonious wrangling over a new energy policy already delayed by more than a year, the Connecticut Senate overwhelming passed a plan that will fundamentally reimagine how the state values the solar energy people generate on their roofs. Environmental and solar groups opposed the bill to no avail. [The CT Mirror]

¶ Environmental groups are pushing back against a bill that outlaws building solar facilities and other renewable-energy projects on forestland. It was introduced to address cutting trees to build large solar-energy projects. The bill prohibits the building of renewable-energy systems in, or connected to, a wooded area of 250 acres or larger. [ecoRI news]

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Opinion:

¶ “Leapfrogging Tech Is Changing Millions of Lives. Here’s How.” • In developing countries, particularly in Africa, millions of people are skipping the technological evolution process, leapfrogging over now-obsolete technologies and going straight to modern fixes. These often happen to be green, sustainable, and relatively inexpensive. [Singularity Hub]

Renewable energy (Credit: ingehogenbijl | Shutterstock.com)

¶ “Tony Seba Charts Out The Disruptive Path Forward To EVs & Out Of The I.C.E. Age” • At the rEVolution 2018 Conference in Amsterdam, Tony Seba took the stage to share a tale of two technological disruptions in cleantech we are currently living through and show us the adoption curves that he believes map out their next few years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nuke closures have impacted local economies, changed community character” • On some of America’s most idyllic shorelines between Vermont and California lie several defunct behemoths. They are shuttered nuclear power plants. They closed prematurely because they could no longer compete in electricity markets. [Toledo Blade]

Kewaunee nuclear plant, which closed in 2013

World:

¶ Uncertainty in the renewable energy sector continues to drive a “relentless focus on cost” to soften the impact of protectionism, subsidy cuts, and rising interest rates, EY’s latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index report said. EY’s Global Power & Utilities Corporate Finance Leader said, “The renewable energy sector is at risk.” [pv magazine India]

¶ During 2017, the International Renewable Energy Agency collected data to determine estimates of off-grid capacity. IRENA looked at data on 180,000 off-grid solar systems, 40,000 off-grid hydropower plants, and bio-digesters supplying electric power to about 300,000 people. In addition, 115 million people use solar lights. [Modern Diplomacy]

Off-grid renewable energy

¶ The Japanese government is exploring the possibility of promoting wind power generation in four prefectures, sources close to the government said. The government is considering designating areas off Aomori, Akita, Saga, and Nagasaki for offshore wind power development projects to operate for up to 30 years. [The Mainichi]

¶ The government of the UK failed to consider the climate or the economic costs of a policy change that led to a 94% drop in applications for onshore wind developments. Documents that were obtained under Freedom of Information rules show the government did not conduct relevant impact assessments before implementing the changes. [The Independent]

Wind farm near Sheffield (Photo: AFP | Getty)

¶ Japan will soon launch a new market to promote the use of solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources. Officials at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry say market players will be able to buy and sell certificates representing the amount of electricity produced through renewables. The market is due to open on May 14th. [NHK World]

¶ GeoSea has kicked off turbine installation at the Otary’s 309-MW Rentel wind farm in the Belgian North Sea. Jack-up Sea Installer started work over the weekend from load-out port Ostend. The vessel is installing 42 Siemens Gamesa 7.3-MW turbines. First power is due before end-summer, according to Otary. [reNews]

Sea Installer setting out (Photo: van der Kloet | Rentel)

¶ Buyers of new-build houses and apartments at a development in Perth’s northern suburbs are being offered an innovative solar power purchase agreement that promises to cut their daytime power costs by 40%. Home buyers who opt into the program get a rooftop solar system of about 3.8 kW to 4.8 kW installed at no upfront cost. [One Step Off The Grid]

US:

¶ A renewable energy bonanza may be blowing in the winds off the coast of California. But the Navy released a map that shows large areas from San Diego up to the Central Coast off limits to future offshore wind farms. Government and corporate officials are working with the Defense Department to develop a more flexible plan. [The San Diego Union-Tribune]

Floating offshore wind turbines (Statoil image)

¶ In what seems to be an about-face from his stance two years ago, New York Gov Andrew Cuomo introduced a bill calling for a ban on single-use plastic carrier bags by 2019. The governor, who will stand for re-election in November 2018, said the proposed statewide ban is part of an effort to fight the “blight of plastic bags.” [Plasteurope]

¶ A working paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond concludes that global warming could significantly slow economic growth in the US. Hardest hit will be Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona, states that voted for Donald Trump in 2016. [The Guardian]

Texas lake bed (Photo: Tony Gutierrez | AP)

¶ A bill that adds woody biomass to the list of renewable-energy generators, such as wind and solar, was quickly passed by the Rhode Island Senate. It has woody biomass, including wood and wood waste, qualify for net metering. There is considerable disagreement about the pollution and carbon emissions from these sources. [ecoRI news]

¶ Fortune 500 corporations like Chevron and Kinder Morgan are facing renewed pressure from climate-focused activist investors. This year some of the most powerful shareholders, including giant mutual funds, are supporting the push for businesses to respond to climate change. And the prodding has had more effect than ever before. [Salon]

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Opinion:

¶ “Plugging in” • Hard though this might be to believe for those who live in Alaska, where the single-engine Super Cub aircraft of the last century remains a cherished form of transportation, the world of aviation appears on the cusp of an electric revolution. Battery-powered aircraft, already certified and flying in Australia, are coming. [craigmedred.news]

Eviation’s nine-seat commuter (Eviation photo)

¶ “As Winter Warms, Bears Can’t Sleep. Plus They Truly Are Getting Into Trouble.” • As climate change leads to warmer winters, American black bears are changing their hibernation routines. In some cases, bears are not hibernating at all, staying awake all winter. But with droughts, they might not find enough food in the wild. [Independent Recorder]

¶ “In India’s last electrified village: ‘Around 5-6 pm, bulb came on… That night, not one of us slept…'” • Villagers in Leisang in Manipur hope the fame brought by a tweet from the PM means it won’t fall off the map again. They are getting ready for changes in how their children study and with such technology as satellite TV and computers. [The Indian Express]

Leisang in Manipur (Express photo by Jimmy Leivon)

Science and Technology:

¶ Extreme weather appears to be disrupting the life cycle of Europe’s bats. Scientists were alarmed to find that some bats in Portugal skipped winter hibernation altogether this year while others gave birth early. The findings add to growing fears that rising temperatures are having unpredictable effects on bats, birds and other wildlife. [BBC]

World:

¶ Taiwan will install an offshore wind project along its western coast that will begin an energy transformation in the country and highlight Taiwan’s commitment to renewable energy. Speaking at a ceremony, President Tsai Ing-Wen said the project will not only provide a new source of power but will also help generate 20,000 jobs. [Devdiscourse]

Offshore wind project (Image Credit: Wikipedia)

¶ The Haryana government is making it mandatory for all public buildings, like schools, health centers, and offices, to have rooftop solar panels as part of a state-wide project. The program will be first implemented in Gurugram and Faridabad. Gurugram is the 11th most polluted city in the world, partly because of backup diesel gensets. [Times of India]

¶ HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, commissioned the 200-MW first stage of the 800-MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The electric energy will be generated for a cost of 2.99¢/kWh using PV solar panels. [Business Wire]

Dubai’s solar system (Photo: AETOSWire)

¶ India has achieved the ambitious target of setting up solar power plants of 20,000 MW capacity four years in ahead of schedule. The United Progressive Alliance government, at the launch of National Solar Mission in 2010, had set a target for deploying 20 GW of grid connected solar power by 2022. Now that goal has been met. [EnergyInfraPost]

¶ With a brand-new factory and a cluster of specialised firms, the Basque city of Bilbao is the focus of Spain’s wind power industry, which is fighting to hold its own in the face of fierce competition from China and northern Europe. Iberdrola and Gamesa, two of the most important players in the sector, have their headquarters in the city. [The Local Spain]

Wind turbine blades in Bilboa (Photo: Ander Gillenea | AFP)

¶ North Korean authorities have ordered the inspection of two nuclear reactors abandoned before completion more than a decade ago, apparently to study if they can produce electricity to help jump-start the country’s stagnant economy. Experts are skeptical about the wisdom of allowing Pyongyang to use light-water reactors. [Asahi Shimbun]

¶ An action to develop cheaper and environmentally friendly power supply for Thai national parks is being drafted in a joint venture of the Department of National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi. Diesel gensets are already being replaced with solar hybrids with diesel backup. [ThaiVisa News]

National park in Thailand

US:

¶ BYD has teamed with US Hybrid Corporation, a company with 20 years’ experience, to develop a hydrogen fuel cell battery-electric bus. This bus, the first of its kind, will serve Honolulu’s Daniel K Inouye International Airport, which is one of the busiest airports in the US, with more than 21 million passengers going through it each year. [MassTransitMag.com]

¶ California’s Energy Commission is due to vote next week on new energy standards that would require virtually all new homes to be constructed with solar panels from 2020. Currently, around 20% of single-family homes being built have solar capacity. The new requirement would apply to all homes over three stories tall. [The Independent]

Workers installing solar panels (Getty Images)

¶ The state of California plans to build a 1,349-kW solar plant in Chino just 300 feet to the southwest of the California Institution for Women. The solar plant is part of the state’s effort to build solar facilities on prison property. A Chino spokesperson said the city was not provided with a notice or any information on the project. [Chino Champion]

¶ When the Tennessee Valley Authority settled with the EPA and environmental groups in 2011 to clean up its power generation, coal industry advocates warned about rate increases and lost jobs. But TVA managed instead to phase out over half of its 59 coal-fired units and add pollution controls on others while reducing the rates. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

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Science and Technology:

¶ According to a study recently published in Nature Energy by researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the transition to a low-carbon energy society will require more renewable energy sources than previously thought, if current levels of energy consumption per capita and lifestyles are to be maintained. [R & D Magazine]

Wind turbines at sunrise

World:

¶ Just six weeks ago, VW boss Matthias Müller stunned the automotive world when he revealed the company had placed orders for EV batteries and components worth a total of $25 billion. Now, VW has a new head man, Herbert Diess, who told investors at the annual meeting that VW has signed orders for almost double that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ India added more new capacity of renewable energy than it did traditional power, such as coal, over the time from April 2017 through March 2018. During that time, 11,788 MW of clean power was added to India. Thermal and hydropower sources were responsible for contributing 5,400 MW of power capacity to the grid. [Energy Digital]

Solar panels in India (Getty Images)

¶ Germany’s zero-cent bid for offshore wind power, down from €0.145/kWh in 2012, heralded what appears to be a cascade of cost degression in offshore wind power. The Netherlands is pressing ahead with a full zero-support tender, and France and Denmark are also making plans to adapt their auction systems accordingly. [Clean Energy Wire]

¶ With an estimated population of over 198 million, oil-rich Nigeria’s carbon emissions are soaring as its power systems strain. Now, however, Nigeria is turning to renewable energy. The shift to renewables will strengthen the grid infrastructure to support the country’s strong push towards rural electrification in the country. [Industry Leaders Magazine]

Wind turbines

¶ German insurer Allianz SE said it will stop providing insurance to single coal-fired power plants or coal mines with immediate effect to help drive the decarbonization of the economy. Those companies that generate electricity from a mix of sources will continue to be insured. Allianz has plans to phase out all coal-based risks. [Renewables Now]

¶ Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said we need to invest trillions protecting ourselves from the impacts of climate change. She said, “Trying to address climate change at current financing levels is like walking into a Category 5 Hurricane protected only by an umbrella.” [Rappler]

Child in typhoon floodwaters (File photo by IFRC)

¶ In its industry trend analysis this week on the outlook for the sector, BMI Research projected that gas-fired generation would account for 52% of power by 2027 in the UK, up from last year’s figure of 45%. The prediction is based on delays to new nuclear capacity, the closure of ageing coal plants and a rebound in gas power plant economics. [Utility Week]

US:

¶ The demand for wind energy surged through the first quarter of 2018, pushing the country’s wind development pipeline to over 33 GW, the American Wind Energy Association said. The AWEA has tracked new announcements of over 5,500 MW. This represents a 40% year-over-year increase over the same quarter last year. [CleanTechnica]

MidAmerican Energy wind farm

¶ Former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn has been charged by the US Justice Department with conspiracy in relation to the coverup at Volkswagen relating to the diesel vehicle emissions cheating scandal. He is unlikely to ever face justice in the US, as Germany generally does not extradite its citizens to face charges in foreign countries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Winnebago, a recreational vehicle manufacturer, launched an all-electric/zero-emission commercial vehicle platform through the company’s Specialty Vehicles Division. The company formed a strategic partnership with Motiv Power Systems, in which it has invested, for the development and supply of electric-powered chassis. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Winnebago all-electric RV shell (Courtesy of Winnebago)

¶ Salt River Project, a community-based not-for-profit water and energy company in Arizona, started a program for installation and use of battery storage systems by its residential customers. The Battery Storage Incentive Program will provide up to $1,800 for those customers who purchase and install qualifying batteries. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a ban against offshore drilling and exploration. The Governor’s action to protect New York’s waters from oil and gas exploration was prompted by the Trump administration’s plan to vastly expand offshore drilling in American waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. [White Plains Daily Voice]

Offshore drilling platform (Mirafiori, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ The New York Independent System Operator released a new report that indicated energy usage is set to decline over the next decade at a rate of 0.14% per year over the next decade, with peak demand falling 0.13% during the same time. The decline would result from use of distributed energy resources and energy efficiency efforts. [Power Engineering Magazine]

¶ Vermont regulators are reducing the financial incentives for electric customers who install renewable energy systems and get a credit on their electric bills for the power they provide power to the grid. The Vermont Public Utility Commission said the reduction was needed to balance the program’s impact on electric rates. [Valley News]

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Science and Technology:

¶ Carbon dioxide, the No 1 greenhouse gas leading to man-made global warming, has reached a dubious new milestone. The level of the gas in the atmosphere, as measured by instruments on top of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, topped 410 parts per million for the month of April. Scientists say this is the highest level in 800,000 years. [CNN]

Sunset from above the clouds, Mauna Loa Observatory
(LCDR Eric Johnson, NOAA, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ NASA officials announced the results of the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) experiment. They said it demonstrated that the system can create electricity with fission power and is also stable and safe regardless of the environment. The demonstration took place after NASA conducted extensive tests. [R & D Magazine]

¶ Electric motors are the beating heart of any electric vehicle, and thanks to a startup in Belgium, your next EV’s motor could be stronger, smaller, and more efficient. Magnax is hard at work developing new axial flux motors for use in EVs, even including aircraft, and a number of other applications that require powerful yet lightweight motors. [Electrek]

New axial flux electric motor

World:

¶ The Plan to Repower Australia, released by environmental activist Bill McKibben, provides a blueprint for the country to reach an entirely fossil fuel free power system by 2030. The plan attempts to transform Australia’s electricity system in a rapid and ambitious way; it envisions achieving that goal in just over ten years. [Climate Action]

¶ UK-based water company, Northumbrian Water has entered into a partnership with Lightsource BP for the development of 10 new solar farms at its sites. They are expected to generate 10 GWh of clean electricity each year to help power its operations. The electricity would be enough to power more than 3,000 homes. [pv magazine International]

Lightsource BP solar farm (Photo: Lightsource BP)

¶ A pilot-scale geothermal plant with a capacity of 1.2 MW is being blamed for setting off the worst earthquake in South Korea since seismic records began over 100 years ago. A report by Scientists at Korea and Busan universities said there was a strong link between the quake last November and the operations of the Pohang plant. [Your Renewable News]

¶ French utility EDF Renewables has bought the 450-MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm from Mainstream Renewable Power following a competitive bidding process. The project, which will be located in the Firth of Forth, is expected to require an investment of £1.8 billion. Commissioning is planned for 2023, EDF said. [reNews]

Teesside offshore wind farm (Credit: EDF)

¶ The consortium behind a plan to create an Asian Renewable Energy Hub in the Pilbara region of Western Australia has unveiled plans to add another 3 GW of wind and solar to the project to help meet domestic as well as international needs. Their plan envisages exporting renewable electricity to Asia via subsea cables. [RenewEconomy]

¶ The biggest wind farm in the southern hemisphere will be built about 130 km west of Melbourne, powering an estimated half a million homes a year by 2025, if the government of Victoria gives the project the green light. The proposed wind farm would have 228 wind turbines, each 230 meters tall at their highest point. [The Age]

Wind Farm in Victoria (Changyang1230, Wikimedia Commons)

US:

¶ Energy Secretary Rick Perry was in Kodiak, Alaska, recently to learn more about how the island manages its renewable energy microgrid, according to KTUU News in Anchorage. The visit was arranged by Senator Lisa Murkowski. Kodiak Island gets 98% of its electricity from renewables. It has diesel backup generators, but rarely uses them. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Buried down toward the bottom of Tesla’s Q1 earnings letter, the company reiterated its goal of tripling its energy storage business in 2018. The first use of the 129-MWh South Australia battery project came when a coal plant suddenly went offline; the response time was 140 milliseconds. Utilities value that kind of performance highly. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Powerpack and solar on Kauai

¶ A new study from the DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds that the “market value” of offshore wind varies significantly along the US East Coast and generally exceeds that of land-based wind in the region. The study considered the values of energy, capacity, and renewable energy certificates, by location. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ Iowa energy provider MidAmerican Energy has announced plans this week to build two new wind farms with a combined capacity of 550 MW in Adair County. They will be a part of the company’s previously-announced 2 GW Wind XI project. The Wind XI project is the largest economic development venture in Iowa’s history. [CleanTechnica]

Beaver Creek Wind Farm (Image: Mortenson Construction)

¶ Wind, solar, and other renewable sources accounted for almost 95% of all new US electrical generation placed into service in the first quarter of 2018, data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shows. 3,149 MW of solar and wind power came online, compared to 79 MW of natural gas and 4 MW from a nuclear power uprate. [Solar Power World]

¶ Hydrogen-powered semi truck startup Nikola Motor Company announced that Anheuser-Busch has placed an order for “up to” 800 of its zero-emission big rigs. Nikola says it will start delivering the trucks to the beer distributor in 2020, and that it will show off a final production version of the truck at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show. [The Verge]

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Opinion:

¶ “Concrete is a disaster for our planet: can the building industry break its addiction?” • There are myriad proposed solutions to the problems posed by concrete, such as changing the way we make concrete, creating sustainable alternatives, or doing away with it altogether. But we use so much of it that it is hard even to imagine life without it. [CNN]

High-rise buildings (CNN image)

¶ “Is Offshore Wind About To Hit Cost-Competitiveness In New York And New England?” • Offshore wind may seem pricey, but it is actually extremely valuable. Analysis from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that the market value of electricity generated by offshore wind will soon exceed its cost in the Northeast. [Forbes]

¶ “Are public objections to wind farms overblown?” • Renewable energy researchers wanted to see how much local opposition there is to existing wind farms across the US. With funding from the DOE , they teamed up to undertake the largest scientific study to date on how people who live near US wind farms perceive them. [Phys.Org]

Wind turbines and hay bales (Photo: MattJP, CC BY-SA)

Science and Technology:

¶ Ticks are making us sicker. Illnesses spread by ticks more than doubled between 2004 and 2016, a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. Mosquito-borne illnesses are also on the rise. The lead author, declining to address the “politically fraught issue of climate change,” blames warmer weather. [Grist]

World:

¶ Official data from Germany’s Federal Network Agency has suggested that renewable energy provided more than 100% of the country’s power on May 1 for about two and a half hours. Renewable output, bolstered by a bright and blustery public holiday, reached 53,987 MWh of power; consumption was at 53,768 MWh. [Climate Action Programme]

Solar array

¶ This year, India had its highest-ever solar power capacity addition for any quarter, government data shows. India managed to add 4.6 GW of new utility-scale solar power capacity between January and March 2018. The previous highest solar power capacity addition in a quarter was in Q1 2017 with the addition of 3.3 GW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ According to a tracking report from five international agencies, the world is lagging behind its sustainable development goals for the period 2015-2030. The report underlines the fact that progress in electricity, where rapidly falling costs of wind and solar have driven the uptake, is not yet matched by heating and transportation. [pv magazine International]

Off-grid renewable energy (Image: Trine)

¶ Wave Energy Scotland has commissioned consultancy Arup to study opportunities for wave energy generation over 10 MW. The review, which will also involve Cruz Atcheson Consulting Engineers and the University of Plymouth, will consider manufacturing limits and how to de-risk future large-scale wave energy converters. [reNews]

¶ Swedish wave energy company, Seabased, is teaming up with UAEs’ Infocom Connect to provide wave energy for commercial projects in the Canary Islands. The partnership will begin with a project for a pilot 5 MW installation to provide energy for a desalination plant, but could expand to address other energy needs. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Canaries (© David Marquina Reyes | Flickr Creative Commons)

¶ A total shift to renewable energy would pay for itself within two decades, and ultimately save Australians A$20 billion ($15 billion) a year in combined fuel and power costs, a report says. It shows a path to powering homes and businesses from renewable sources by 2030 and says by 2035, 40% of transport could be emissions free. [The Guardian]

¶ Electricity output from the Hunterston B nuclear power station could fall by 40% this year after dozens of cracks were discovered in one of the reactors. The North Ayrshire power plant’s director said it would be necessary to reduce generation. But he insisted that Hunterston B, which is scheduled to operate until 2023, was still safe. [BBC News]

Hunterston nuclear power station (Reuters image)

US:

¶ The California Independent System Operator reported that the state had record-breaking amounts of solar power generated, at 10,539 MW on April 29. California also hit a new record for the instantaneous portion of demand met by renewable energy at 73%, just 15 minutes before the solar record, with solar and wind alone meeting 64% of demand. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Dominion Energy Virginia could expand its solar capacity by over 4.7 GW over the next 15 years, plans submitted to state regulators say. The expansion, which was included in a long-range Integrated Resource Plan filed with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, is higher than the 3.2 GW increase the company forecast last year. [reNews]

Solar system (Pixabay image)

¶ Research studies have found that chemicals present in some popular sunscreen products are harmful to ocean ecosystems. For example, they contribute to coral bleaching. And now, after state lawmakers passed a bill, Hawaii is set to become the first state in the US to ban the sale of sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. [CNN]

¶ Federal subsidies for renewable energy dropped to $6.7 billion in FY 2016, a 56% decline from FY 2013. Renewable subsidies in FY 2010 and FY 2013 were about $15 billion. The decline came with decreasing support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Renewable energy accounted for 46% of the FY 2016 total. [Biomass Magazine]

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Opinion:

¶ “If we walk away from the Clean Power Plan, we’re walking away from the future” • Of all the damage that the Trump administration has wreaked on America, from tearing apart our social fabric to trampling all over the rule of law, none is more dangerous than walking away from the Clean Power Plan. It is an attempt to save the future. [PennLive.com]

Power lines

Science and Technology:

¶ A team from the University of Exeter in the UK developed a new technique to make hydrogen from sunlight to create a clean, cheap, and widely available fuel. The research centers on use of a photo-electrode made from nanoparticles of lanthanum, iron, and oxygen, which the researchers believe will be inexpensive to produce. [gasworld]

¶ Researchers at Stanford have developed a new battery that may better harness the intermittent power of renewable energy. In a study reported in Nature Energy, the small prototype water-based battery, which generates about as much energy as an LED flashlight, has the potential to be built to an industrial scale and last for a decade. [Innovators Magazine]

Wind turbines (Unsplash image)

World:

¶ Siemens launched an energy storage system called BlueVault for offshore and marine deployment. The system is based on lithium-ion batteries and Siemens plans to manufacture it in a robotized factory in Norway. Siemens has already signed several contracts for the storage system and expects to deliver the first one in the summer. [reNews]

¶ Nearly 7,000 independent renewable energy projects across the UK are now generating enough clean power to supply 8.4 million homes, according to SmartestEnergy’s latest annual report. It says that more than £227 million ($309 million) was invested in 400 independent renewable energy projects in the UK last year alone. [Energy Live News]

Renewable energy in the countryside (Shutterstock image)

¶ AT&T Inc and Walmart Inc are just two of the 36 businesses, government agencies, and universities that have agreed to buy 3.3 GW of wind and solar power so far this year. That amount is on track to shatter the previous high of 4.8 GW of the deals disclosed last year, according to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. [Bloomberg]

¶ Cambodia has been proactive in transforming their electricity supply, reducing their diesel and heavy fuel oil use from 89% to just 9% in the past five years. As technologies like solar generators and lithium-ion batteries become more easily available, the choice to go green is a practical alternative to traditional energy sources. [Innovation & Tech Today]

Cambodia

¶ Neoen says coal is “technically and economically dead,” with falling renewable energy costs. According to Franck Woitiez, the managing director of Neoen’s Australian arm, the company is aiming to increase its clean energy capacity in the country from 1 GW built or approved for construction to as much as 3 GW by 2022. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ Construction has begun on the Thalkirchen geothermal heating project in the German city of Munich. With a planned 50 MW of thermal generation, when the plant is ready it will not be only the largest geothermal heating plant in Munich, but also in all Germany. It is planned to supply up to 80,000 Munich residents with geothermal heat. [ThinkGeoEnergy]

Munich (Photo: flickr | Achim Lammerts, creative commons)

¶ The Australian Capital Territory announced that the Sapphire wind farm in northern New South Wales has 28 turbines in place and operating. The territory’s minister for climate change and sustainability said the ACT-supported part of the wind farm will provide 12% of the ACT’s renewable electricity target and power about 48,000 of its homes. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ The National Weather Service reported nearly 50 inches of rain fell in 24 hours on Kauai, the oldest and northernmost island in Hawaii. It is the most severe rain event in the history of the state. People should get used to it, says Chip Fletcher, a leading expert on the impact of climate change on the Pacific’s island communities. [CleanTechnica]

Flood on Kauai (Image: USCG Officer 3rd Class Brandon)

¶ It is not easy for most Minnesota homeowners to throw solar panels onto their roof, nor can renters easily convince their landlords to do it. Community solar may be an alternative. CleanChoice Energy and Cypress Choice Renewals announced they were adding 42 MW of community solar capacity, accessible in over 35 Minnesota counties. [City Pages]

¶ Air temperature increases from climate change will make New Hampshire’s streams warmer, according to Dartmouth-led research published in Freshwater Biology. The study examined the warming of stream waters, which has implications for freshwater ecosystems, in which many species depend on cold water to survive. [Science Daily]

Stream in New Hampshire (Photo: Lauren Culler)

¶ The Iowa Senate approved legislation making energy-policy changes that will alter energy efficiency programs and reshape the Iowa Utility Board’s regulatory role and sent it to the governor. Sponsors say the move will save consumers money, and critics warn it will kill jobs and “gut” programs that make Iowa a “green” energy leader. [Quad City Times]

¶ NuScale Power, based in Oregon, aims to build the country’s first house-sized nuclear reactor to provide grid power. It cleared a hurdle with the federal government, passing part of a safety review by the NRC. Small modular reactors are basically scaled-down nuclear plants that can be combined to provide a plant of whatever size is needed. [OPB News]

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Opinion:

¶ “How Long Will PV Prices Continue To Fall?” • Prices of solar PV systems follow economic laws just like other things, such as computers and cars. That does not mean that the precipitous drop in prices will slow, however. Wright’s Law works with the intuitively obvious fact that the more you do something, the better you get at it. [CleanTechnica]

1913 Ford Model T Roadster, a car for the ordinary family
(Photo: order_242 from Chile, Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ Swedish energy group and burgeoning renewable energy leader Vattenfall has announced that it intends to offer British businesses the opportunity to secure corporate Power Purchase Agreements direct from its 165-MW South Kyle Wind Farm from as little as 1 MW in a move that could revolutionize the idea of corporate PPAs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Chief Minister of Gujarat has told media outlets that his government will set up a 5-GW solar power park in the state. The solar power park, which will be the largest in India, will come up along the coast of Gulf of Khambat, on state-owned land. A 200-MW wind energy park is also planned along with the solar power park. [CleanTechnica]

Charanka Solar Park, Gujarat

¶ China has maintained its leadership position in Ernst & Young’s latest Renewable energy country attractiveness index for the third year in a row. The US was in second place, despite solar tariffs. The third position was secured by Germany, with India dropping to the fourth place. The other country in the top five was Australia. [Renewables Now]

¶ Germany is aiming to reduce heavy-vehicle emissions with a new plan introduced that waives truck tolls for electric trucks. The policy would start next year, with net savings of around €5,000 per vehicle, depending on the routes used. Up until last year, the only company with extensive electric truck offerings was BYD, based in China. [CleanTechnica]

German highway

¶ Wind farms produced more than a quarter of Spain’s power in the first four months of 2018, and overall, renewables’ share stood at 47.1%. Wind turbines were the number-one electricity source in the period, followed by nuclear power plants with a share of 21.1%, according to provisional statistics from the grid operator. [Renewables Now]

¶ The government of Honduras has commissioned a 35-MW geothermal power plant in the community of Platanares. The Geoplatanares plant was developed by the US-Israeli geothermal company Ormat Technologies Inc. It cost of $126.7 million (€105 million) to develop and build. ​It is the first geothermal facility in Honduras. [Renewables Now]

Geoplatanares plant

¶ Following from the recent decision by the government of China to ban the import of most foreign waste materials, Australia’s environment minister announced that the country will invest significantly in the creation of new trash incineration facilities, and also aim for all packaging materials to be 100% recycled by 2025. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Australia can be the first 100% renewables-powered continent, but it needs the political will to do so, according to renewable energy entrepreneur and the chief executive of energy investor Energiya Global Capital, Yosef Abramowitz. He said the country is being blocked, as it is “up against the older, entrenched fossil fuel industry.” [The Sydney Morning Herald]

Australia has the world’s best solar resources. (Justin McManus)

US:

¶ General Motors’ Fort Wayne Assembly Plant, one of the automaker’s environmental leaders, will get a lot greener later this year by adding wind energy as the major source of its electrical power. GM officials announced that GM will buy power from the 100-MW Northwest Ohio Wind Farm, which is now under construction. [News Sentinel]

¶ The DOE launched a $23 million funding call for marine energy technology aimed to reduce capital costs and shorten deployment timelines. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy support targets in three areas: early stage device design; power take-off and control system testing; and environmental data dissemination. [reNews]

Wave (Pexels image)

¶ The Mortenson company recently added three new Illinois wind-farm projects to its construction list. They will contribute an additional 289 MW of electricity to the state by the end of 2018 and follow that with 194 MW in 2019. The company is also building transmission lines and  interconnect facilities to link to the grid. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ The US has overtaken India in EY’s latest Renewable energy country attractiveness index, despite the US imposition of a 30% tariff on imports of cells and modules earlier this year. The American solar tariffs are mostly absorbed and wind projects are not subject to subsidy cuts under the recently passed US tax reform bill, said EY. [PV-Tech]

Solar farm in California (Credit: 8minutenergy)

¶ Canadian energy company Capital Power is almost set to go ahead with the 150-MW Cardinal Point wind farm in Illinois. The developer said construction will start once all of the regulatory approvals needed are received. The Cardinal Point wind farm is scheduled to come online in March 2020 and already has a contract for 85% of its output. [reNews]

¶ The largest US grid operator issued a report that could serve to undermine a Ohio utility’s bid for the Trump administration to save its fleet of ailing nuclear and coal power plants. PJM Interconnection said closing several FirstEnergy nuclear reactors in its territory would pose little harm to its reliability and the energy market. [Washington Examiner]

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Opinion:

¶ “Energy costs: Renewables close in on fossil fuels, challenging on price” • Coal has been getting the squeeze for years now, but the plunging cost of renewable energy is starting to give natural gas a run for its money. The implications for the fossil fuel industry are dire. And batteries are making renewable power dispatchable. [Farmington Daily Times]

Golden Hills wind farm (Photo: Google)

¶ “No Need To Wait: Electric Buses Are Cost-Competitive Transit Buses Today” • Electric buses have proven savings and efficiencies. These are even more attractive when the extreme pricing fluctuations of diesel and CNG are taken into account. By contrast, electricity prices are extremely stable and can be supplied renewably. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ Australia has pledged more than A$500 million ($379 million) to help preserve the Great Barrier Reef, in an attempt to help better protect the world heritage site from the effects of climate change. Aerial surveys conducted in April last year showed more than two-thirds of the coral in the Barrier Reef had experienced “shocking” amounts of bleaching. [CNN]

Great Barrier Reef

¶ Chinese-owned Alinta Energy offered A$250 million ($189 million) for Australia’s ageing Liddell coal-fired power plant, creating a headache for owner AGL Energy amid a national debate over energy security and government pressure to keep the plant open. AGL wants to shut the plant down and use the site for a battery installation. [Nasdaq]

¶ Ideas have a power to transform lives. At Unidad Educativa Sagrado Corazon 4 school in rural San Juan, Bolivia, the ideas of a handful of dedicated educators are transforming not just their school, but their community and even their country through sustainable living practices, which range from solar power to rainwater capture. [CleanTechnica]

Unidad Educativa Sagrado Corazon 4 school

¶ Ireland faces fines of €600m a year from the EU for failing to meet renewable energy targets and cutting carbon emissions by 2020. New, more ambitious targets for 2030 do not let Ireland off the hook. A report for the Dáil Public Accounts Committee said they will be a matter for the European Court of Justice to impose. [Independent.ie]

¶ US technology that can harvest drinking water from “thin air” using the power of the sun is set to be tested in Australia, with backing from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. ARENA is providing $420,000 in funding to Arizona-based Zero Mass Water to test 150 of its solar-powered SOURCE drinking water systems in the country. [RenewEconomy]

SOURCE drinking water systems

¶ Authorities in Taiwan have announced the winners of the country’s first 3-GW-plus offshore wind auction. The Bureau of Energy made awards to 12 projects totaling 3836 MW. Confirmed winners include Orsted, WPD, Swancor and Macquarie, Yushan and Northland Power, Taipower, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and China Steel. [reNews]

¶ Australia’s ineluctable switch to solar power is gathering speed. In New South Wales, the 55-MW Parkes solar farm and the 30-MW Griffith solar farm started production at full capacity in the last couple of weeks. Another dozen due to connect in NSW and Queensland in coming months. The 25-MW Dubbo solar farm is already connected. [RenewEconomy]

Parkes solar farm

¶ Hitachi wants to sell more than half its stake in its Horizon Nuclear Power subsidiary, which is slated to build 5.4 GW of installed capacity at sites in Anglesey and Gloucestershire. If no agreement that would reduce Hitachi’s share to below 50% can be found, Hitachi plans to withdraw from both of the nuclear plant projects. [GCR]

¶ Falling prices and government policy are driving solar power. In 2016, solar power was the fastest growing source of new energy globally, accounting for up to two thirds of new power capacity added, the International Energy Agency said. This was partly due to China embracing the technology, installing half of all new solar panels. [Power Technology]

Crescent Dunes solar thermal power plant

US:

¶ An American Jobs Project report found that solar jobs in New Mexico could more than double by 2030. Projected growth of the state’s solar industry over the next 12 years could increase solar jobs to 6,800 from the current figure of about 2,500. A side benefit of solar power for New Mexico is that unlike coal or gas it needs no water. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Duke Energy’s annual sustainability report says it expanded renewable energy generation by about 19% in 2017. According to the report, Duke added 1,000 MW of renewable energy last year. That included not only solar and wind farms, but also biomass, a relatively new source of energy produced from natural sources like animal waste. [WFAE]

Duke Energy solar farm (David Boraks | WFAE)

¶ A new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates the rooftops of low-to-moderate income households could potentially accommodate 320 GW of PV installations. The report determined that single-family, owner-occupied rooftops collectively held the greatest opportunities for PV installations. [National Mortgage Professional Magazine]

¶ Climate change is set to intensify summer droughts and increase forest fire frequency, with drastic consequences for unique bioregions of northern California and southwestern Oregon. These sort of forests are well-adapted to wildfire but even the most resilient species may find it difficult to recover in the face of abrupt climate change. [ZME Science]

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Science and Technology:

¶ With increased long-distance shipping of fresh food has come the long-distance shipping of dangerous insect pests and plant pathogens. Now climate change has allowed some of these to proliferate rapidly in regions where they either previously were not present or were unable to maintain more than the barest population levels. [CleanTechnica]

World fruits

¶ As the ice sheets of the world melt, an enormous amount of pressure will be lifted off of the continental crusts that play host to them, as well as the surrounding oceanic basins. Something similar is broadly true, but to a much lesser degree, of the world’s remaining large glaciers. With changes in pressure, there will be seismic activity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A great number of technologies related to renewable energy and passive building design have been in use historically in many parts of the world. Some are not well known in the modern western world, but are nevertheless worth examining. Here is an article that focuses on Yakhchāls, Āb Anbārs, and wind catchers of various kinds. [CleanTechnica]

Āb Anbārs, “water reservoirs” (Image: Zereshk, CC BY-SA 3.0)

¶ Solar walls, glazed solar collectors, and Trombe walls are different passive solar heating technologies based around the use of materials to absorb solar radiation and store it in thermal mass. The end goal is to provide space heating, and often ventilation as well. With them, we can provide thermal control for buildings passively. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ The Green School in Bali is aimed to transform education through several significant deviations from traditional brick and mortar schools. It has an unconventional, progressive educational curriculum. Sustainable construction materials and techniques were used prolifically for construction. And it is powered with renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

The Green School in Bali

¶ Saudi Arabia’s first solar-powered gas station has just been opened in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. The inauguration comes on the heels of the Kingdom’s switching on its drive towards solar power, kicked of in February with the Ministry of Energy’s announcement of a solar power plant in the city of Sakaka in the country’s north. [ZAWYA]

¶ All villages in India have been electrified, data on a government website shows. Three years ago, 18,452 villages had no access to power. Apart from those classified as grazing reserves, all that are inhabited now have power. A village is said to be electrified if at least 10% of its households, as well as public places, have access to power. [Scroll.in]

Electrification in India

¶ The Japanese government plans to set a target of making renewable energy, including solar and wind power, the country’s main power source, when it updates its basic energy plan as early as this summer. The government will continue restarting some nuclear power reactors but will reduce the country’s reliance on nuclear energy. [The Japan News]

¶ Russia launched a floating nuclear power plant from a shipyard in St Petersburg. The Akademik Lomonsov was towed out to sea for the start of a long journey from the port in the former capital, where it had been constructed. Environmentalists slammed the mobile maritime reactors as dangerous, calling it the “floating Chernobyl.” [Deutsche Welle]

Akademik Lomonsov

US:

¶ Minneapolis officials announced new targets moving the city to 100% renewable electricity. The goal is for municipal facilities and operations to reach that level by 2022, with the rest of the city fully complying by 2030. The effort will be reflected by a shift to electricity sources such as wind and solar, instead of fossil fuels. [Twin Cities Business Magazine]

¶ More than a thousand low-lying tropical islands are at risk of becoming “uninhabitable” before the middle of the century because of rising sea levels, according to startling new research. As seas rise, increasingly large waves that crash farther onto the shore will contaminate water supplies. This endangers key US military assets. [The Guam Daily Post]

Roi-Namur Atoll (Peter Swarzenski, US Geological Survey)

¶ As part of a decision that sets rates for customers of American Electric Power in Ohio, the state’s public utilities commission approved a 50¢ per month surcharge to put $10 million toward EV charging infrastructure over the next 4 years. The plan calls for 300 Level 2 public chargers and 75 Level 3 fast chargers in the AEP service area. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Five environmental organizations have sued to challenge the Interior Department’s leases on more than 45,000 acres of land for natural gas production by fracking in Mesa County, Colorado. The Bureau of Land Management had rejected the organizations’ protests. They contend that no adequate environmental analysis has been done. [Craig Daily Press]

Natural gas processing plant (Brian Ray)

¶ The threat by the owner of a huge gas-fired power plant near Boston to shut down unless it can make more money selling its power has added more urgency to a long debate about how to maintain the stability of the region’s power grid during winter, and how to get the six New England states to share in that expense. [Valley News]

¶ Nuclear power plants typically run either at full capacity or not at all, though they have the technical ability to adjust to the changing demand for power. Researchers from the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been exploring the benefits of doing just that. [pvbuzz media]

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Opinion:

¶ “Earth to Pruitt: Americans Say Keep Clean Power Plan – Again” • One thing echoing through the halls of Capitol Hill is that Scott Pruitt is far out of touch with both the public he is supposed to protect and the mission of the EPA. That is clear in his remorseless defense of efforts to dismantle the Clean Power Plan. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

Clean power (Photo: Karsten Wurth)

World:

¶ Swedish wave energy company Seabased and Infocom Connect are working to develop renewables projects in Sri Lanka. The first system the partners will work on is a 1-MW to 5-MW wave project that will power a fish farm. Infocom Connect’s managing director pointed out that many countries have little land to site renewables projects. [reNews]

¶ A study from researchers at MIT found that if China follows through on its climate policies targeting the reduction of CO2 emissions, the monetary savings stemming from air quality and human health will greatly exceed the cost of meeting those goals in the first place. The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change. [CleanTechnica]

Air pollution in China

¶ Sunseap International, a unit of Singaporean clean energy company Sunseap Group, said it has been given the green light for a 168-MW solar farm in Vietnam, with construction expected to start in mid-2018. The solar project, which is described as the country’s largest so far, has received Decision on Land Handover (Phase 1). [Renewables Now]

¶ Toyota has built a prototype hydrogen fuel cell truck using most of the hydrogen fuel cell components from two of its Mirai passenger vehicles. The design of the truck arose out of a need for improved air quality in seaport facilities, where large numbers of traditional diesel trucks were making a bad problem much worse. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota hydrogen-powered truck

¶ Canadian Solar Inc announced a partnership with Turkey’s Global Investment Holdings to develop and operate up to 300 MW of solar power projects. The solar company will provide engineering, procurement and construction for the projects, and after completion will continue with operations and maintenance services. [Renewables Now]

¶ ABB has inaugurated a microgrid solution at its Vadodora manufacturing facility in Gujarat, India. The microgrid is said to be the first of its kind to be installed at a manufacturing campus in India using both solar PV and battery energy storage. The facility makes transformers, generators, and other technology products. [Energy Storage News]

ABB manufacturing facility (Credit: ABB)

¶ Iberdrola Renewables Offshore will invest €1 billion ($1.21 billion) to develop two offshore wind farm projects in the Baltic Sea after it recently won 486 MW of capacity in an auction, its managing director said. The 476-MW Baltic Eagle wind project received a minimum guaranteed power price of €64/MWh from the German regulator. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ Rural communities in Pakistan have high expenses when using generators or aren’t even connected to the national grid. Karachi, the capital city is dealing with blackout issues so bad that the power is often out eight hours per day, forcing businesses to lay off workers. These are reasons why people are increasingly turning to solar energy. [Green Matters]

Small rural solar array

¶ North Korea has hailed its summit with the South as “new milestone” in the history of the two countries after the two leaders pledged to pursue a permanent peace and rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons. The official KCNA news agency said the meeting opened the way “for national reconciliation and unity, peace and prosperity.” [The Guardian]

US:

¶ MGM Resorts International announced that it plans to power a significant portion of its 13 Las Vegas casinos with a dedicated solar panel array, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The resort and casino giant has partnered with generation and storage developer Invenergy to create a 100-MW PV array 25 miles northeast of Las Vegas. [TravelPulse]

Mandalay Bay Convention Center’s 8.3-MW rooftop
solar array (photo courtesy of MGM Resorts International)

¶ Five Winter Olympians are urging Congress to take action on climate change. Snowboarder Arielle Gold, biathlete Maddie Phaneufalong, and skiers David Wise, Jessie Diggins, and Stacey Cook traveled to Capitol Hill this week to brief lawmakers on how climate change is a growing threat to winter sports and outdoor recreation. [CNN]

¶ Michigan utility regulators approved DTE Energy Co’s plan to build a 1,100-MW natural-gas-fired power plant in St Clair County to replace aging coal plants. The Michigan Public Service Commission authorized DTE to recoup up to $951.8 million for the construction of the plant through future rates charged to customers. [ETEnergyworld.com]

Natural gas plant

¶ With the dust settling from President Trump’s PV tariff, it looks like we have a winner: First Solar hopes to open a 1.2-GW factory in Ohio to make thin-film solar PVs. “Roll” is the key word here. The film PV can be made with low cost, fully automated, high output roll-to-roll systems. In other words, most jobs go to robots. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The 21-MW Icebreaker offshore wind farm in Lake Erie, a project of Fred Olsen Renewables and LEEDCo, is back in action after the US Fish and Wildlife Service said the project poses little threat to wildlife. The Ohio Power Siting Board re-commenced its review of the project’s application ahead of a public hearing on 19 July. [reNews]

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Opinion:

¶ “China Leading The Way To Electric Car Future: BYD, BMW Highlight Beijing Auto Show” • There was a time when the world flocked to Detroit every January for what is grandly known as the North American International Auto Show, but today, if you want to know what’s hot in the world of automobiles, you go to Beijing to find out. [CleanTechnica]

GM’s dog in the fight, Buick Enspire all-electric concept SUV

¶ “California’s legislative session could be huge for state economy and world climate” • California’s clean energy policy may be coming of age, as leaders and significant players put programs together and answer policy questions. This progress can have a major impact on both California and the world well beyond it. [Environmental Defense Fund]

¶ “FirstEnergy’s 202(c) request is a bigger deal than you think” • Over the last decade, FirstEnergy made numerous bad business decisions and tried to force taxpayers or ratepayers to bail them out. Its current plea, however, is more dangerous than those it has made in the past. It would go beyond taxing consumers and trivialize national security. [pv magazine USA]

Sherco Generating Station (Image: Tony Webster
from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “The True Cost of the Chernobyl Disaster Has Been Greater Than It Seems” • The Chernobyl Disaster happened on April 26, 1986. While the immediate destruction was downplayed, the long-term effects have become clearer with time. The world has already been overwhelmed by one Chernobyl and one exclusion zone. It cannot afford any more. [Yahoo News]

¶ “The value of offshore wind energy: What the US is missing out on” • The only offshore wind farm in the US is small, with five turbines. It is a 30-MW installation off the coast of Rhode Island switched on in 2016. By comparison, Europe now has 15,780 MW of offshore wind, according to Wind Europe, 526 times the US capacity. [Ars Technica]

Block Island wind farm (Photo: David L.
Ryan | The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

World:

¶ Company execs of the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced plans aiming for a 20% carbon dioxide emissions reduction by 2020, compared to 2016. This move is reportedly part of broader company plans to participate in the reduction of global shipping industry emissions, as well as to switch to more efficient ships. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The EU’s Member states have voted in favor of an almost complete ban on the use of neonicotinoid insecticides across the region. Scientific studies have long linked their use to the decline of honeybees, wild bees and other pollinators. The move represents a major extension of existing restrictions, in place since 2013. [BBC]

Honey bees (Getty Images)

¶ Only weeks after Germans started talking seriously about bans on diesel vehicles, Bosch announced it has a new diesel emissions control system that may reduce emissions enough to extend the life of diesel. The company says the system will have emission levels 90% below the stringent new standards set to go into effect in Europe in 2020. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate released a new energy policy. Among other things, it envisages phasing out of all of the country’s coal power plants and covering 50% of its energy needs with renewables by 2030. The ministry intends to reduce average support levels for renewables to DKK0.10/kWh (1.6¢/kWh). [pv magazine International]

Danish solar farm (Image: Wirsol)

¶ Siemens Gamesa announced that it had received its largest ever wind turbine order in India. It sealed a 300-MW supply contract with Sembcorp Energy India Limited for a wind farm in the state of Gujarat. Earlier in April, Siemens Gamesa announced that it had installed 5,000 MW of wind capacity in India since it started operations there in 2009. [CleanTechnica]

¶ As the United States works to revitalize coal and other fossil fuel industries, China is reaffirming its efforts towards renewable energy. China’s National Energy Administration announced that the country would “ease the burden” on renewable power generators, ordering local governments to give them priority access. [RenewEconomy]

Floating solar array (Photo: VCG | VCG via Getty Images)

¶ The bottom of the inside of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s crippled No 2 reactor has been revealed in a much clearer and wider range in footage released by plant operator TEPCO. The film shows the clearest pictures yet inside the containment vessel just below the pressure vessel of the nuclear reactor, which melted down in 2011. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶ Anthropogenic climate weirding will drive increasing volatility in the climate of California, with severe drought-to-flood events becoming more common as time goes by, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The events could potentially be debilitating for the state’s agriculture and industry. [CleanTechnica]

After the drought, not a relief

¶ In a bid to help more New Mexican residents, businesses, power providers, and municipalities turn to solar power, US Senator Martin Heinrich has launched an online solar toolkit that offers resources for those considering solar power, along with solar success stories and information on potential funding sources. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Massachusetts offshore wind development could be worth $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion to the US state over the next 10 years, a report from Bristol Community College, UMass Dartmouth, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy said. It said deployment of 1.6 GW of offshore wind capacity could create between 2270 and 3170 jobs. [reNews]

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Opinion:

¶ “Low Production Cost of Renewable Energy Will Drive Coal Production out of Business” • In last eight years, utility-scale solar costs have plummeted by 86% and wind energy prices have declined by 67%. Industry leaders expect significant decline in coal-fired and oil-fired generation, as solar power and storage grow. [Industry Leaders Magazine]

Wind power

¶ “Falling Grid-Scale Storage Prices Create ‘Watershed Moment'” • Energy storage has grown to the point where it can be used in place of new generating plants powered by new natural gas. Even some existing gas facilities may be replaced by renewables coupled with energy storage. We are on the brink of a watershed moment. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ More than 95% of the world’s population in 2016 (+7 billion) lived in areas with dangerously high levels of air pollution, according to the annual report from the Health Effects Institute. Over 95% live in areas where WHO organization guidelines for air quality (which are themselves likely an underestimate) were exceeded. [CleanTechnica]

Air pollution in China

¶ German manufacturer Nordex unveiled a 4.8-MW turbine designed for strong wind sites such as north-west Europe, the UK, and Norway. The N133/4.8 is an expansion of the Delta4000 series introduced last year and includes component elements from the N131 and N149 machines. Production is expected to begin in 2019. [reNews]

World:

¶ There are now almost 400,000 electric buses in the world, according to BNEF. Every week, China adds 1,900 more. All those electric buses are beginning to have an impact on the demand for diesel fuel. According to Bloomberg, by the end of this year, electric buses will be displacing 279,000 barrels of diesel fuel every day. [CleanTechnica]

Daily EV oil displacement (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

¶ Just days after setting a record of 55 hours without using coal, Great Britain has smashed it with a new record by going a total of 76 hours without any coal generation. The UK electricity grid’s new record was set by going a total of 76 hours and 10 minutes, from April 21 through April 24, without burning any coal to generate electricity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ MHI Vestas announced that it will provide its 9.5 MW wind turbines to the 224-MW Northwester 2 offshore wind farm set to be developed in Belgian waters. This installation will be the first in which the record-setting 9.5 MW wind turbine will be installed and operational anywhere in the world. The design was unveiled last June. [CleanTechnica]

MHI Vestas offshore wind turbine

¶ A partnership between a local developer and South Korea’s Hanwha Group could bring two 100-MW battery energy storage projects to the Midlands of Ireland, the developer, Lumcloon Energy, has confirmed. Lumcloon, a locally headquartered company, said the projects would be built in Lumcloon itself and Shannonbridge. [Energy Storage News]

US:

¶ Americans used more solar and wind energy in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Overall, energy consumption by the residential and commercial sectors dropped a bit. Energy from both natural gas and coal declined. [Tech Xplore]

US energy flow in 2017 (Please click on the image to enlarge it.)

¶ Nearly 60% of American voters oppose tariffs recently imposed on imported solar cells and modules by US President Trump according to a new survey. This includes majorities in districts classified as “very red,” despite nearly 60% of Republicans favoring the tariffs. The survey had 1,999 registered US voters participating. [CleanTechnica]

¶ American University has achieved carbon neutrality, reaching its goal of having a net zero carbon footprint two years early, according to an announcement by University President Sylvia Burwell. She said AU was the “first carbon neutral university in the nation” and the first urban campus and research university to earn the distinction. [The Eagle]

Kogod School of Business at the American University
(Public domain photo, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a second renewable electricity solicitation for up to 20 large-scale projects. The call is expected to spur up to $1.5 billion in private investment. It is the second round run by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority under the state’s Clean Energy Standard. [reNews]

¶ Google filed a public comment today criticizing the EPA’s proposal to roll back the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era policy that aims to cut power plant pollution. Google is joining Apple in arguing that keeping the policy is a good deal for the US. Google says that sticking with the plan will encourage investment in renewable energy. [The Verge]

Coal-fired plant (Photo: Mark Wilson | Getty Images)

¶ Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA will repower 572 wind turbines in Texas under two separate agreements with a unit of NextEra Energy Resources. Siemens Gamesa will deliver hardware and control upgrades so the output of each unit will be increased from 660 kW to 710 kW and their life will be extended for 10 years. [Renewables Now]

¶ The South Carolina House insisted a utility cut its rate by 18% to eliminate a fee customers are paying for two nuclear plants that were abandoned before generating a watt of power. The vote was 104 to 7. The state Senate had earlier passed a 13% cut for South Carolina Electric & Gas customers, and the bills have to be reconciled. [Standard-Examiner]

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Opinion:

¶ “The EPA Declared That Burning Wood Is Carbon Neutral. It’s Actually a Lot More Complicated” • Scott Pruitt, the head of the EPA, announced that it would begin to count the burning of “forest biomass” as carbon neutral. But according to many researchers, burning forest biomass will only make climate change much worse. [Smithsonian]

Forest (Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “The Secret of the Great American Fracking Bubble” • In 2008, Aubrey McClendon was the highest paid Fortune 500 CEO in the US, earning $112 million per year running a fracking company, Chesapeake Energy. But the company did not make money by selling gas. Its real income was from buying and selling drilling rights. [Energy Collective]

World:

¶ China’s National Energy Administration announced that the country installed an impressive 9.65 GW of new solar PV capacity in the first quarter of 2018, up 22% on the same period a year earlier and up on analysts’ projections. Last year, China installed a massive 52.83 GW worth of solar capacity in its own territory. [CleanTechnica]

Apple solar farm in China (Image via Apple)

¶ According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, India overtook the entire continents of North America and Europe in terms of solar power capacity added during 2017, and is only behind China. India added 9.63 GW of solar power capacity in 2017. The US added 8.2 GW last year, down from 11.3 GW in 2016.  [CleanTechnica]

¶ Acciona Energia is planning to build two wind farms and two solar projects in Chile. The projects will have a combined capacity of 400 MW. Construction is already underway of the 183-MW San Gabriel wind farm in the municipality of Renaico. The $300 million project is expected to come online in late 2019 or early 2020. [reNews]

Punta Palmeras wind farm in Chile (Credit Acciona)

¶ With the sharp decline in tariff bids of solar and wind energy projects in India, the country’s largest power generation company is now looking to replace some coal-based power supply with potentially cheaper renewable energy. NTPC Limited will call for bids to auction 2 GW of solar and wind energy capacity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ GE Renewable Energy and the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult signed a five-year research and development agreement which will see GE’s mammoth 12 MW Haliade-X wind turbine head to UK shores for the first time for extensive testing. The project is part of a larger R&D agreement between the organizations. [CleanTechnica]

GE Renewable Energy Haliade-X wind turbine

¶ Global wind energy capacity could increase by more than half over the next five years as costs continue to fall, a report by the Global Wind Energy Council shows. The market is expected to return to growth at the end of this decade. The GWEC said cumulative wind energy capacity stood at 539 GW at the end of last year. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ Ørsted is to build and operate a 20-MW energy storage project near Liverpool. The Carnegie Road battery will be the Danish company’s first venture into large-scale storage and is scheduled to be operational by the end of the year. A grid connection agreement and permits are already in place and construction is expected to start in May. [reNews]

Energy storage (Ørsted image)

¶ A Japanese company, Itochu, decided to leave the French-Japanese consortium building a nuclear power plant in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Sinop, Turkish online paper artıgerçek reported, citing the Japanese stock exchange Nikkei. The decision was made after a feasibility study that showed the cost of the plant almost doubled. [Ahval]

US:

¶ Washington DC’s Circulator transportation system has now deployed 14 new all-electric Proterra Catalyst E2 buses. The deployment makes the Washington DC Circulator System the operator of the largest all-electric bus fleet on the East Coast. It is not exactly Shenzhen, which has over 16,000 electric buses, but hey. [CleanTechnica]

Proterra Catalyst E2 electric bus

¶ The Trump administration said it would delay implementing fines on car makers that fail to meet the current standards on fuel economy. The National Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Sierra Club sued, saying the delay was illegal. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the administration. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A total of 1,568 MW of large-scale wind and 565 MW of large-scale solar power capacity became operational in the US in January and February 2018, according to a report by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The only other source that added some capacity in the period was natural gas, which added 40 MW. [Renewables Now]

Iowa wind farm (Photo: Carl Wycoff, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic)

¶ Siemens Gamesa is to supply turbines with a combined capacity of 225 MW for an unnamed client and wind farm in Kansas. The order is for 98 2.3-108 SWT machines, which will be installed across 16,187 hectares of land. The blades will be made at a Siemens Gamesa facility in Iowa, and the nacelles and hubs will be made in Kansas. [reNews]

¶ The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is joining with the City of San Diego, non-profit Clean Coalition, and San Diego Gas & Electric to determine a city-wide plan for distributed power generation. They are planning on solar plus energy storage to increase the city’s electricity grid affordability, reliability, and resilience. [pv magazine USA]

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Opinion:

¶ “Renewables, Not Natural Gas, Should Replace Shuttered Nuclear Plants” • US utilities continue to announce the planned shutdown of nuclear power plants. Early retirement of these crumbling, outrageously expensive and dangerous plants is long overdue. But will they be replaced by polluting natural gas plants? [Environmental Working Group]

Davis-Besse nuclear plant (NRC photo, Wikimedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ SoCalGas and Opus 12 announced a successful demonstration of a new process to convert unwanted carbon dioxide in raw biogas into methane via a single electrochemical step, Kallanish Energy reports. This represents a simpler method of converting excess renewable electricity into storable natural gas, according to the companies. [Kallanish Energy]

¶ The novel “supermaterial” graphene could hold the key to making one of the oldest building materials greener, scientific research suggests. Graphene has been incorporated into traditional concrete production by scientists at the University of Exeter to develop a composite stronger and more water-resistant than existing concrete. [The Guardian]

Graphene lattice (Image: nobeastsofierce | Alamy | Alamy)

World:

¶ Paris is fighting back against smog by restricting motor vehicle access in the center of the city and requiring all new buildings to have roofs that are covered with solar panels or vegetation. Now the two largest public transportation companies in the Paris area have decided they will have only zero emissions buses in their fleets by 2025. [CleanTechnica]

¶ France is sitting on a tidal energy “goldmine” that could see as much as 2 GW of projects at Le Raz Blanchard off the Normandy coast by 2027, according to developer Atlantis. The company has submitted a strategic plan to the French government outlining how 1 GW of tidal power could be delivered by 2025 and 2 GW by 2027. [reNews]

Atlantis tidal turbine (Atlantis image)

¶ In a major relief to solar power project developers in India, the government exempted solar panels from customs duty. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has reclassified imported solar modules in order to provide the customs duty exemption. The CBITC had made them subject to a 7.5% customs duty in 2016. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Diu Smart City became the first city in India that runs on 100% renewable energy during daytime, setting a new benchmark for other cities to become clean and green. Diu, which is a town in the district by the same name in the Union Territory of Daman and Diu, had been importing 73% of its power from Gujarat until 2017. [Zee News]

Installing solar panels

¶ For the first time in history, the production cost of renewables is lower than that of fossil fuels, according to Kaiserwetter, a renewable energy asset manager. Fossil fuels presented costs between US $49 and $174 per MWh in the G20 countries during 2017, while renewable energy projects were between $35 and $54. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ Costa Rica’s Electricity Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, better known as Masdar, on a plan to exchange technical knowledge and experience in renewable energy projects. Under the MOU, the state company and Masdar will collaborate in numerous areas of technology. [Renewables Now]

Costa Rica (Richie Diesterheft, Wikimedia Commons)

US:

¶ Sunrun, a leading solar company, has won the right to take its practically zero-down rooftop solar leasing program to Florida, under a ruling by the state’s Public Service Commission. The issue is that in Florida, it is illegal to sell electricity to somebody unless you are a utility. The Florida PSC ruling clarified that Sunrun is not a utility. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Walt Disney World Resort has announced that it is partnering with developer Origis Energy USA to develop a new 50-MW solar project that will power two of its four theme parks in central Florida. The Walt Disney Company’s target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2020 and already has a 5-MW system in operation. [CleanTechnica]

Disney’s 5-MW solar project near Epcot

¶ To win over big tech buyers (and the 20-year contracts they often promise), many energy companies are changing their policies to help tech companies hit their renewable energy targets. Focusing on renewable energy is often used as a way for companies to get an edge in the marketplace. Many see it as a competitive advantage. [ConsumerAffairs]

¶ New York State has announced a new energy efficiency target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and tackle climate change. The scheme aims to reduce energy consumption by 185 trillion British thermal units below the energy use forecast for 2025. This is equivalent to the energy consumed by 1.8 million New York homes. [Energy Live News]

New York City (Shutterstock image)

¶ Hawaii’s public utilities commission is considering how to amend the traditional utility rules to support the state’s 100% renewable energy goals without being unfair to utility companies that have invested in traditional generation systems. Its latest proposal would encourage electric utilities to increase renewable energy investments. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Lockheed Martin Corp hopes to launch a new flow battery made of inexpensive, nontoxic materials that can help utilities save money and use more renewable energy, company officials said. An earlier report said Lockheed hoped to introduce a flow battery by the end of 2018, but there are no details on what materials would be used. [ETEnergyworld.com]

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Opinion:

¶ “NEG will block renewables, favour hydro and big retailers” • Australian energy industry experts have thrown their weight behind a campaign to oppose the federal government’s National Energy Guarantee, describing it as a “woeful” outcome, both for Australia’s renewables sector, and for its emissions reduction and climate effort. [RenewEconomy]

Transmission lines

¶ “America’s Smart Grid Dreams Fading Without Congressional Support” • The US Congress has not allocated funding explicitly for the Smart Grid since the Obama stimulus package in 2009. Without Congressional support, the grid could develop in slow and piecemeal fashion, putting it at increased risk of being made up of  incompatible parts. [Forbes]

¶ “How to unlock renewables? Cheaper, cleaner, better batteries” • Advances in energy storage technology have propelled an explosion in portable electronics and radically changed the way people live, work and communicate. Batteries can help to make clean energy-based power plants a viable alternative to thermal power stations.  [eco-business.com]

Albany Wind Farm (Juan Alberto Garcia Rivera, CC BY 2.0)

¶ “Renewables Are Booming In Oil Country” • The rapid growth of the renewable energy sector has been astonishing. Both solar and wind continue to decline in operating costs, while increasing in energy efficiency. The combination is making it difficult for coal to recover and poses a challenge in what had been oil-dominant areas. [OilPrice.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers at the University of Hawaii at Hilo partnered with faculty at Duke and Cornell University to study algae production with bioenergy with carbon capture and storage technology. They created a model that uses carbon dioxide emissions from burning wood to grow algae, which can then be used for fuel or food. [Duke Chronicle]

Algae (Special to the Chronicle)

World:

¶ Debate is raging around Australia’s National Energy Guarantee and the requirements to meet its proposed emissions and reliability obligations. As this goes on, corporates are expected to account for the bulk of new wind and solar projects that are developed. Some are installing microgrids, others are building solar or wind projects. [RenewEconomy]

¶ In the first quarter of 2018, sales of electric cars in China doubled compared to the same period last year, to over 122,000 units. In March electric car sales surged to 59,000 units, up 85% year over year. Last month, the Chinese OEMs represented roughly 40% of all PEVs registered globally. Last year, China had 46% for the year. [CleanTechnica]

BAIC EC-Series, China’s best-selling electric car

¶ An Irish company, Lumcloon Energy, is to invest €150 million in two battery storage centers that will boost use of renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuel-fired power plants. The firm has partnered with Korean firms Hanwha Energy Corporation and LSIS to develop two 100-MW sustainable energy projects. [Independent.ie]

¶ India’s Hero Future Energies Pvt Ltd has commissioned a hybrid renewable power plant combining 50 MW of wind and 28.8 MW of solar power capacity in the state of Karnataka. As part of the project, the Indian firm installed PV panels in the spaces between turbines powering an existing 50-MW wind farm the company owns. [Renewables Now]

Solar plus wind hybrid

¶ Four of Nigeria’s federal universities and university teaching hospitals in the country have signed engineering, procurement, and construction contracts to develop mini-grid solutions. A total of 9.3 MW of PV and 5,760 battery cells will be deployed to power the facilities, which will be disconnected from the electric grid. [pv magazine International]

¶ Sunsure Energy finished FY18 with commissioning of their largest turnkey solar plant project, a 20-MW solar power plant. Situated in the Davangeri district, this project is spread over 75 acres of land and will generate enough clean energy to power more than 8,000 urban households in Karnataka through the next 25 years. [ETEnergyworld.com]

Solar array

¶ Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis over the North’s nuclear program will be put to their first test Friday when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the heavily fortified border area. That meeting may be a precursor to a summit by Kim with President Donald Trump in May or June. [Stars and Stripes]

US:

¶ When Gov. Jerry Brown leaves office next year, California will lose a climate advocate who has carried the nation’s fight against global warming as Washington has stood down. Many of the Democratic candidates seeking to replace Brown say they will stick to his climate agenda. Some of them want to step up the effort. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Wind turbines (Photo: Michael Macor | The Chronicle)

¶ Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he is giving $4.5 million to the UN Climate Change Secretariat to cover a US failure to help fund the international Paris climate accord. Bloomberg’s charitable foundation said the money will support work by developing countries to achieve emissions targets. [Voice of America]

¶ Drivers of electric cars in Oklahoma will soon be able to charge their vehicles much more easily. The Oklahoman reports that vehicle charging stations will soon be set up at Walmart stores in the Sooner State. For now, four or five Walmarts in Oklahoma will receive the charging stations, with the possibility of more to come in the future. [HPPR]

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Opinion:

¶ “‘Greening’ project could end use of fossil fuel for Centennial Flame” • Natural gas piped from the West has been bubbling through the fountain in the Centennial Flame monument for 50 years, but the federal government is studying options to make it more eco-friendly. Will the Centennial Flame become the Centennial LED? [CBC.ca]

The Centennial Flame (Philippe Turgeon | CBC)

¶ “We can fix this: Don’t be dispirited by Big Oil’s power in the age of Trump – real climate change solutions are in reach” • How much time do we have? The scientists have long warned us that warming by 2° (3.6° F) would be reckless. We are far more than halfway there, but with clear and ambitious targets, we can limit warming. [New York Daily News]

World:

¶ Electric vehicle fever has definitely caught on in Germany, with March coming in as a record month and echoing France’s record electric car sales month. Diesel-powered car sales sank by a quarter, regular gasoline-powered cars are up 9%, CNG cars are up 519% (to 1,046 units), plug-in hybrids are up 32%, and fully electric cars are up 73%. [CleanTechnica]

VW e-Golf 2

¶ Average used plug-in electric vehicle resale prices rose by 41% in the UK during the first quarter of the year, according to a report at Autorola. The overall used car resale price rose 5.3% during the first quarter, an increase that is presumably comes with lower discretionary income among much of the population in recent times. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The  nonprofit Kopernik runs its Wonder Women program in Eastern Indonesia to empower local women with the resources needed to start their own cleantech businesses. Kopernik trains local women on a variety of clean tech solutions including solar lanterns, water filters, and biomass stoves needing half the fuel of traditional fires. [CleanTechnica]

Kopernik

¶ State Bank of India announced that it has saved ₹125 crore ($18.8 million) in the last eight years by putting up 10 wind turbines, and it expects to save ₹30 crore ($4.5 million) annually through its renewable energy investments. The bank installed 10 windmills having a capacity of 1.5 MW each and also invested in solar power. [Greater Kashmir]

¶ The world’s most powerful wind turbine, which was installed in the sea off the coast of Aberdeen, is the first of eleven such beasts that will make up the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. The wind farm will cost £300 million to build. A single propeller rotation can reportedly power an average home for a whole day. [Wired.co.uk]

Wind turbine off Aberdeen (TVP Film and Multimedia Ltd)

US:

¶ In California, the Straus Family Creamery announced several ongoing sustainability initiatives leading up to Earth Day. The creamery has long practiced sustainable organic farming. Straus’ newer innovative programs range from resilient packaging and water conservation to carbon-free energy and electric vehicle usage. [GlobeNewswire]

¶ Virginia has been slow to realize the benefits of clean energy technologies. This session, however, legislators have passed bills that will take meaningful steps toward increasing utility investment in renewable energy and modernizing Virginia’s framework for evaluating and approving utility efficiency programs. [Richmond.com]

Solar panels in Louisa County (2016, Times-Dispatch)

¶ The Sierra Club held its second annual Arkansas March for Science rally today at Little Rock, the state capitol. The Sierra Club has a message for local elected officials: science matters to everyone. It is demanding that the elected officials both support and rely on science when making important public policy decisions. [THV11.com KTHV]

¶ A DOE website says the US and Russia each have 34 metric tons of plutonium designated for destruction under a treaty signed in 2010. That is enough to make 17,000 nuclear weapons. But the United States has no permanent plan for what to do with its share. Scientists say solving the problem of plutonium storage is urgent. [The Japan Times]

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Opinion:

¶ “Market forces are driving a clean energy revolution in the US” • Transforming US energy systems away from coal and toward clean energy was once a vision touted mainly by environmentalists. Now it is shared by market purists. Today, affordable renewable energy is driving coal production and coal-fired generation out of business. [Source]

Block Island Wind (Ionna22, CC-BY-SA)

¶ “What steps can the UK take to reach net zero emissions by 2050?” • UK Government plans announced this week seek a zero-carbon economy in the next 30 years. This means more wind farms, solar power, and electric cars. Less obvious changes could include smart houses, smart roads, and widespread changes in forestry and farming. [The Guardian]

World:

¶ Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy announced that it has secured an order for 100 MW of wind turbines in Mexico, as part of the most recent renewable energy auction held in the country in November of 2017. Mexico’s third Long-term Auction for renewables awarded 2.5 GW of new projects at an average price of $20.57/MWh. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbines in New Mexico (Photo: Lars Schmidt)

¶ London-based financial services giant HSBC, the biggest bank in Europe, published an update to its energy policy. It announced a new decision to cease financing new coal-fired power plants around the world, with the exceptions of Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It is effectively ceasing support in 78 developed countries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A report by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Energy Agency, and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century sheds new light on the policy barriers to increased deployment of renewables. The report also provides a range of options for policymakers to scale-up their ambitions. [Modern Diplomacy]

Solar farm

¶ A report released recently by the Australian Wind Alliance has provided some fascinating insights about the economic benefits produced by Australian wind farms. Their construction has resulted in an almost $4 billion contribution to the Australia economy. Over half of this value was generated in the last 5 years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The UAE was the second-largest investor in the renewable energy sector in the Middle East and Africa last year, investing $2.2 billion, up 2,815% over the previous year. The UAE recorded the second highest growth after Rwanda’s 8,665% as the African country invested $400 million in the renewable energy sector in 2017. [ZAWYA]

Shams 1 (Masdar | Handout via Thomson Reuters Zawya)

US:

¶ The Defense Production Act of 1950 gives the president power to implement subsidies for domestically produced materials in the name of national defense, including energy supplies. The Trump administration is reportedly considering this law as a way the president could fulfill his promises to help out uncompetitive nuclear and coal plants. [Greentech Media]

¶ Five New England liberal arts colleges have joined together to create a solar power facility that will offset 46,000 MWh of the total amount of electricity they use. The participating colleges are Bowdoin, Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, and Williams. The facility will be built in Farmington, Maine, and is expected to open in 2019. [MassLive.com]

Hampshire College PV array (Republican file, Diane Lederman)

¶ Ride-hailing service Lyft has announced a plan to purchase enough carbon credits to make all its global operations carbon neutral. Lyft will also fund “emission mitigation efforts, including the reduction of emissions in the automotive manufacturing process, forestry projects, and the capture of emissions from landfills.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ Together, the US Geological Survey and the Department of Energy, in partnership with DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the American Wind Energy Association, have published the most complete online database and interactive map of wind turbines in the United States. It has data on 57,000 turbines. [CleanTechnica]

USWTDB image

¶ A report released by the Elemental Excelerator, which is based in Honolulu, said Hawaii can achieve 84% of its clean energy goal by 2030, more than double the state’s target for that year, and that it would be cheaper than not doing anything. The report said reaching 100% renewable energy by 2045 could save the state $7 billion. [Pacific Business News (Honolulu)]

¶ GE Renewable Energy announced orders totalling $2.4 billion in the first quarter of 2018, up 15% on the same quarter last year. The company has secured commitments for 2.9 GW of onshore wind in North America following the introduction of the variably rated 2.2-MW to 2.5-MW turbine with 127-metre rotor, first quarter results show. [reNews]

GE wind turbine (GE image)

¶ A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to repeal tariffs on imported solar products. “Under this legislation, duties and tariffs would default back to previous rates and would allow companies that imported any affected solar products under this new tariff to receive retroactive reimbursement,” a press release said. [Greentech Media]

¶ Two solar development companies are complaining to state regulators that Detroit-based DTE Energy Co is throwing up roadblocks to their plans to build solar power arrays with total capacity of up to 800 MW in Southeast Michigan. The complaints say DTE is obliged under state and federal law to purchase their electricity. [Crain’s Detroit Business]

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Opinion:

¶ “Cost, Schmost! Energy Dept Touts Coal-Killing Atlantic Offshore Wind” • The US offshore wind industry ran into some mighty stiff headwinds under the Obama Administration. Now, the logjam is breaking up, and the Trump Administration is overseeing a burst of activity along the Atlantic Coast. Does that sound a bit weird? [CleanTechnica]

Erecting an offshore wind turbine

¶ “OH & PA Will Transition From Nuclear Energy – But How?” • Bankrupt FirstEnergy Solutions is seeking customer-funded bailouts or, it says, it will close three nuclear plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The debate over uneconomical plants is heating up, including the prospect of replacing them with shale-gas-fired plants. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

World:

¶ Element Power has taken over the development of the up-to-750-MW North Irish Sea Array offshore wind site off the coast of Ireland from Gaelectric. The move marks Element Power’s entry into the offshore wind sector. The company said it has been assessing the market to determine the best entry point for its capabilities. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (reNews image)

¶ The Canada Green Building Council has announced the first building certified under their new Zero Carbon standard, an office building in Waterloo, Ontario. The building was built by the Cora Group and designed by Stantec. Waterloo is a hotbed of technology startups (it is where the Blackberry came from) and continues to thrive.  [Treehugger]

¶ How can you create public transport in the jungle without polluting it? The isolated Achuar peoples of Ecuador have come up with an ingenious solution. Since April 2017, a canoe powered solely by solar energy travels back and forth along the 67-km (42-mile) stretch of the Capahuari and Pastaza rivers that connect their settlements. [BBC]

Commuting to school

¶ After an agreement for further work to be done on the national energy guarantee, Lily D’Ambrosio, the energy minister for Victoria, wrote to the Energy Security Board, asking for detailed analysis of it. The stand-off between the Turnbull government and the Australian states over energy policy seems to be shifting into its decisive phase. [The Guardian]

¶ No coal was used for power generation by stations in the UK during the 55 hours from 10:25 pm in London on Monday, April 16, until 5:10 am on Thursday, April 19, according to grid data compiled by Bloomberg. During the same time, wind turbines produced more power. Coal is increasingly losing out to power sources that are renewable. [Bloomberg]

Boat in a wind farm (Photo: Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg)

¶ National Thermal Power Corporation, India’s largest coal-based power generator, will back down thermal power at some of its units to blend with renewable energy and sell the two together. The company has placed a tender to procure 2,000 MW of solar and wind power which will be bundled with the non-pithead units. [Business Standard]

US:

¶ Sun Flyer’s Sun Flyer 2 electric airplane has completed its successful maiden test flight at the Centennial Airport near Denver, Colorado. Though the company has not decided on a final system, it used LG Chem’s MJ1 lithium-ion battery cells in the test. The battery pack will push out 260 Wh/kg, enough for a 3.5-hour flight. [CleanTechnica]

Electric Sun Flyer 2

¶ Two years ahead of schedule, Bowdoin College has achieved carbon neutrality. Onsite carbon emissions were reduced by 29%, with remaining emissions offset with renewable energy credits from wind farms. Bowdoin also announced a renewable energy project partnership that will result in the largest solar array in the state of Maine. [Bowdoin]

¶ Wells Fargo plans to put $200 billion into investments and financing for new renewable energy and clean technology from now through 2030, according to Tim Sloan, the bank’s Chief Executive. The bank is making a company-wide effort to support and be part of the transition to a low-carbon economy, he said in a call. [GreenBiz]

Solar farm (Shutterstock | Roschetzky Photography)

¶ With Earth Day only days off, Democratic and Republican legislators from from both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly are introducing legislation to make the state a leader in efforts to solve climate change. Newly introduced legislation would transition Pennsylvania to 100% renewable energy by 2050. [Bucks Local News]

¶ We have never seen change in the energy space like we’re seeing right now, and “from here, things will only pick up.” So said Greg Scheu, president of ABB’s America’s Region, delivering the a keynote address at a conference. Swiss-based ABB is a pioneer in electrification products, robotics, power grids, and industrial automation. [WRAL Tech Wire]

Solar Impulse 2

¶ Invenergy is to supply electricity to MGM Resorts International from a 100-MW solar project located 40 km (24 miles) north of Las Vegas.  The MGM-Invenergy solar project, which is expected to  be operational by the end of 2020, will help power thirteen properties on the Las Vegas strip belonging to MGM Resorts International. [reNews]

¶ The Senate narrowly confirmed Rep Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla), a former Navy pilot with no scientific credentials and who doesn’t believe humans are primarily to blame for the global climate crisis, to lead NASA. He joins a Cabinet already loaded with deniers of the near-universal scientific consensus on climate change. [Huffington Post]

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Science and Technology:

¶ A study published in the journal Nature examined coral reefs suffering from warming waters. Die-offs since 2014 have hit every part of the Great Barrier Reef. Marine heat waves causing bleaching struck three-quarters of the world’s coral reefs, and the heat waves that cause corals to die struck almost a third of them, the researchers said. [CNN]

Coral bleaching

World:

¶ The Chinese government announced that it will eliminate the 50-50 rule, which requires foreign manufacturers to be equal partners with local companies, for makers of battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars. For companies making commercial vehicles, the rule will expire in 2020 and will disappear completely by 2022. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Saudi Arabia has received four offers from local and European bidders in a 400-MW wind tender and, according to sources cited by The National, the award is expected in June. Saudi Arabia recently awarded a 300-MW contract, and its wind and solar tenders support the country’s goal to have 9.5 GW of renewables in 2023. [Renewables Now]

Wind turbines (Ville-Matti Kaartinen, CC-BY-SA)

¶ The UK confirmed its membership in Indian-led International Solar Alliance, which was created to provide affordable and sustainable energy to more than one billion poor people worldwide. ISA aims to raise $1 trillion of private and public finance to provide access to cheap, clean and renewable energy to all by 2030. [Power Technology]

¶ ICRA Ratings said Indian wind power capacity addition will improve to 3 GW over this fiscal year, backed by project awards by Solar Energy Corporation of India and state utilities. The SECI and the distribution utilities in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu have issued bids for wind capacity of 7.5 GW over the past 14 months. [ETEnergyworld.com]

Wind turbines reflected in the water

¶ Italian oil company, Eni has presented its Strategic Plan for the period of 2018 to 2021. The plan includes the construction of 220 MW of solar power plants at several of the group’s industrial sites in Italy. The projects are expected to start commercial operations in 2021. Eni has already identified 25 industrial sites for the power plants. [pv magazine International]

US:

¶ On Monday, the Puerto Rican power utility boasted that it had restored electricity to 97% in the nearly seven months since Hurricane Maria. Two days later, the precarious electric grid collapsed as a result of a minor accident, plunging the entire island into a blackout. According to officials, the power should be restored in 24 to 36 hours. [The Guardian]

Living without power (Getty Images)

¶ Many Puerto Rican families staying on the mainland since Hurricane Maria were relying on FEMA to extend vouchers they depend on for housing until May 14. But on April 16, FEMA told evacuees the aid would be cut off by April 20. The fact that the FEMA has not restored utilities at their homes does not qualify them for help. [Orlando Weekly]

¶ Wind power generated a record 6.3% share of all US electricity last year, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s newly released US Wind Industry Annual Market Report 2017. Last year, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota generated over 30% of their electricity from wind energy, data in the the report showed. [OilPrice.com]

Wind power on the farm

¶ Walmart announced that suppliers have reported reducing more than 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the global value chain, as part of Walmart’s Project Gigaton initiative. Project Gigaton seeks to work with suppliers to reduce emissions from the company’s value chain by a billion metric tons, by 2030. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ Michigan utility regulators will soon decide on DTE Energy’s proposal to replace an old coal plant with a $1 billion natural gas plant. The plan has drawn fierce opposition. Both sides have increasingly focused on a simpler question: Must DTE comply with new state guidelines for proving power plants meet the public’s interest? [Bridge Michigan]

St Clair coal-fired plant (Bridge photo by Jim Malewitz)

¶ Alliant Energy Corp received approval from the Iowa Utilities Board to add 1,000 MW of wind energy in Iowa by 2020. The company is planning to invest $1.8 billion to boost renewable energy. The wind energy can provide power for  approximately 430,000 homes. Alliant Energy currently owns and operates four wind firms in the state. [Nasdaq]

¶ In a walk-the-talk move, California Gov Brown now has a solar plus storage microgrid serving his new home, a ranch north of Sacramento. Like 1.4 billion others in the world, the isolated home had no access to an electric grid. The Brown Ranch microgrid has 48 solar panels and 10 SimpliPhi PHI 3.4 kWh, 48-V batteries. [Microgrid Knowledge]

System at Gov Brown’s ranch (PRNewsfoto | SimpliPhi Power)

¶ The city of Boulder, Colorado, along with Boulder County and San Miguel County, filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor in state court. They are seeking to recover some of the costs associated with climate change impacts. The case is just the latest of many lawsuits to try to hold the major carbon polluters accountable. [Sierra Magazine]

¶ South Carolina lawmakers agree that they want to slash SCANA Corp’s electricity rates in the wake of the company’s failed nuclear project. The state Senate has moved to make SCANA and its subsidiary, South Carolina Electric & Gas, absorb more of the cost of its effort to expand the VC Summer nuclear plant, at least temporarily. [Charleston Post Courier]

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Opinion:

¶ “In Ohio town, energy ‘locavores’ drive demand for community solar” • Athens, Ohio, is home of Ohio University, but it is also in the heart of Appalachian Ohio, with a long history of coal and salt mining. Coal fields in the area contributed as much as 40% of the state’s output at the turn of the 20th century. But the times have changed. [Energy News Network]

Solar installations at an Ohio University compost facility

World:

¶ Offshore wind accounted for 6.2% of the UK’s total electricity generation in 2017 and is on track to reach a contribution of 10% by 2020, data released by the Crown Estate shows. At the end of last year, the country’s 33 operational offshore wind parks had a combined capacity of 5.83 GW, and eight plants being built will add 4.58 GW. [Renewables Now]

¶ Increasing the pace of global renewable energy adoption by at least a factor of six is critical for meeting energy-related emission reduction needs of the Paris Climate Agreement. However, it can still limit global temperature rise to 2° C, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency’s long-term renewable energy outlook. [ETEnergyworld.com]

Renewable power generators

¶ India probably witnessed the greenest stretch of its power sector last year in terms of new capacity added. No thermal power capacity was added in 8 of the 12 months last year in India. In six months, India actually retired coal-based power capacity, leading to a net reduction in installed coal-based capacity during those months. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Eon has commissioned all 116 MHI Vestas V112 3.45-MW turbines at the 400-MW Rampion offshore wind farm off the south coast of England. Work will continue both on and offshore over the next few months, including at the substations and landfall, to prepare the project for full operation later this year, the company said. [reNews]

Turbine in the Rampion wind farm (MHI Vestas)

¶ German energy minister Peter Altmaier has reiterated the country’s plans to halve coal-fired power output by 2030, but dashed hopes for quick action on coal by saying plans to exit nuclear power generation by 2022 are a “double challenge” preferring a more gradual approach with the “coal commission” to safeguard jobs. [Platts]

¶ In its quarterly Renewable Energy Index, Green Energy Markets said the amount of renewable energy generated in Australia is set to exceed the original Renewable Energy Target of 41,000 GWh in 2020. That target was scrapped in 2015 by the federal government, because it took the position that the goal was impossible. [ABC Online]

Wind turbines (Fabrizio Bensch | Reuters file photo)

¶ Westinghouse Electric Co, emerging from bankruptcy, is ready to supply six nuclear reactors to India on schedule, US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said. “The Trump administration thinks nuclear energy is very important. It’s important domestically, it’s important internationally.” The two countries are moving on a 2008 agreement. [Economic Times]

¶ Seychelles is planning to install Africa’s first utility-scale floating solar PV system on the sea, said a top official of the Seychelles Energy Commission. The chief executive officer of the commission, Tony Imaduwa, told SNA that the project will inject clean and green energy into the island nation’s electricity system. [Seychelles News Agency]

Floating solar power (cceonlinenews.com, CC BY)

US:

¶ A bill passed by the New Jersey legislature calls for 600 MW of energy storage for the state within three years. It also calls on the New Jersey Public Utilities Board to analyse further storage use and to make revisions for community solar, energy efficiency, peak demand reduction, and solar renewable energy certificate programs. [Energy Storage News]

¶ Green Mountain Power has done a lot to put distributed energy resources in the hands of its customers. But less than 3% of the Vermont utility’s customer base is currently using one of these offerings, a report from the Rocky Mountain Institute said. That adoption rate will have to grow tenfold or more to meet state clean energy goals. [Greentech Media]

Home in the mountains (Photo: Tesla)

¶ Evidence is growing that an energy revolution is under way. The City Council of Glendale, California voted 4-1 to explore whether renewable energy plus storage could meet its future energy needs better than an upgrade of an 80-year-old gas plant that the municipal utility proposed. Reports on the topic are due to the council in 90 days. [pv magazine USA]

¶ Clean energy proponents in Nebraska, stymied by the state government, are going directly to the state’s largest utilities in an attempt to bring about change. A coalition of organizations has begun lobbying the state’s major utilities, which are all publicly owned, to adopt a clean energy plan that it unveiled earlier this year. [Energy News Network]

Nebraska wind farm

¶ Procter & Gamble aims to use 100% renewable electricity at all of its plants by 2030, the company stated in a sustainability goals report called “Ambition 2030.”  P&G’s renewable power program enlists its brands, including Dawn, Head & Shoulders, and Tide, to “inspire responsible consumption” through reusable and recyclable packaging. [Supply Chain Dive]

¶ Arizona’s Palo Verde nuclear station could be forced to close in six years, instead of twenty-seven, if voters approve a renewable-energy ballot measure, its owner said. The initiative would amend the state constitution to require utilities to get half their electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2030. [Forbes]

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Science and Technology:

¶ Back at the dawn of the electric car era, about 10 years ago now, the knock on electric cars was that their batteries would not last 100,000 miles. But a survey in Europe of 350 Tesla drivers reveals that such concerns are not warranted. On average, cars with 160,000 miles on them still have 90% of their battery capacity remaining. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla in the mountains (Tesla image)

¶ Most lithium-ion batteries use cobalt, an expensive metal with a number of associated problems. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found a way to create cathodes from other metals, such as manganese, in their cathodes. Not only are other metals far less expensive than cobalt, the new cathodes have 50% more capacity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Scientists have developed a plastic-eating enzyme that may be used to combat one of the world’s worst pollution problems. Researchers from the UK’s University of Portsmouth and the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory say the enzyme can “eat” the polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, that is used to make plastic bottles. [CNN]

A river in France (Lamiot, Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ A small island in the Pacific Ocean is the site of a discovery that could change Japan’s economic future. The island has large enough supplies of several rare earth minerals to supply current world demand for hundreds of years. Rare earth elements are used for numerous specialty products. Nearly all supplies had been coming from China. [CNN]

¶ The UN International Maritime Organization has adopted a new commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the maritime sector, seeking to peak emissions “as soon as possible” and to reduce annual emissions by at least 50% by 2050. It is pushing strategies designed to increase the reduction to 70% by 2050. [CleanTechnica]

Container ship

¶ In Argentina, 44 renewable energy projects submitted dispatch priority requests during the first quarter of 2018, the manager of the country’s wholesale electricity market said. The combined capacity of the projects is 2,031 MW, according a market report, although there was no information about the capacity of two of the projects. [Renewables Now]

¶ Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy announced that it had been awarded the contract to supply wind turbines for four separate wind farms in Spain by developer Gas Natural Fenosa Renovables, for a total of 166 MW. Siemens Gamesa will provide 48 of its SG 3.4-132 wind turbines, which are due to be completed mid-2019. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm (Gas Natural Fenosa Renovables image)

¶ The Australian Capital Territory says the federal government’s national energy guarantee will “lock in poor outcomes for the climate, for renewable energy, for states and territories who are pursuing strong climate actions and, ultimately, for electricity consumers.” The ACT will push for improvements at a critical meeting this Friday. [The Guardian]

¶ A consortium including Siemens and Austrian utility Verbund are building a 6-MW carbon dioxide-free hydrogen production plant in Austria. The €18 million H2Future project will be used to test the potential for green hydrogen in the various stages of steel production, as well as integration into reserve markets for the power grid. [reNews]

Hydrogen project (Siemens image)

US:

¶ Hawaiian Electric Co has initiated construction on a 20-MW solar park at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, which it says will produce the lowest cost renewable power in Hawaii. To be located at the West Loch Annex base in Honolulu, the plant is expected to generate electricity at a cost of less than 8¢/kWh, Hawaiian Electric said. [Renewables Now]

¶ Falling prices for solar and wind power is helping the Iowa utility owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway gain on its goal of generating 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, a company officer said. But a major force driving MidAmerican Energy’s renewable energy plans is its customers, who want more clean energy. [GreenBiz]

Wind farm (Photo: Shutterstock | Justin C. Hilts)

¶ Green Mountain Power in Vermont has several high-impact opportunities to build upon its customer-focused energy programs while re-imagining its business model as an “energy transformation company,” delivering low-carbon, affordable, reliable energy to customers, according to a new Rocky Mountain Institute report. [Solar Builder]

¶ Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport may become the nation’s first airport to get 100% of its energy from solar power. Officials have agreed to move ahead with initial work on a third phase of its solar farm. The newest phase would help create enough electricity to pay the airport’s power bill, its chief executive said. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

Chattanooga Airport (Staff File Photo | Times Free Press)

¶ Duke Energy customers in North Carolina will be able to get rebates of up to $6,000 each, starting this summer, for installing solar panels on their homes. The four-year, $62 million rebate program has been approved by state regulators. It is required under a 2017 state law designed to keep solar power growing in North Carolina. [WUNC]

¶ Brattle Group released an analysis of FirstEnergy’s planned nuclear plant closures that said closing the four plants would leave a huge hole in the zero-carbon capacity serving mid-Atlantic grid operator PJM. This would lead to increased carbon emissions, raising social costs of about $921 million per year over a 10-year period. [Greentech Media]

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Opinion:

¶ “‘It’s The Gulf Stream, Stupid!’ Climate Scientists Warn Tipping Point Is Near.” • Take away the heat of the Gulf Stream and Europe becomes up to 10º C cooler in winter, parts of Africa become more arid, and sea level rise along the eastern seaboard of the United States increases. Flow in the Gulf Stream is down 15% since 1950. [CleanTechnica]

Gulf Stream (Image: Icelandic Mountain Guides)

¶ “Building lawsuits instead of power plants: Where South Carolina’s nuclear fiasco stands now” • Since Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy, South Carolina has swapped engineering for litigation, construction designs for federal subpoenas, and two nuclear reactors for a debt larger than the state government’s annual budget. [Charleston Post Courier]

Science and Technology:

¶ Scientists at Utrecht University have modeled a way to hit tough global climate targets without resorting to the extensive use of negative emissions technology. They found that by using more renewable power and reducing agriculture emissions the world can hit a 1.5° goal with less use of negative emissions technology. [www.businessgreen.com]

Unconvinced cows

World:

¶ The Australian Energy Market Commission has called for submissions on the best model for renewable energy zones so new low emissions generators can join the power system at the lowest possible cost. AEMC sets out options for clustering new generators in zones to reduce the costs of new transmission grid infrastructure. [The Asset]

¶ Pakistan can spur social and economic development while increasing energy security and improving energy access with renewable energy, a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency said. The report has an analysis of the country’s energy sector and identifies key actions to accelerate renewable energy deployment. [The Asset]

Offshore wind turbines

¶ Brookfield Asset Management plans to install solar panels on virtually every roof of GLP, the dominant operator of logistics warehouses in China. GLP operates nearly 700 million square feet of logistics space globally, with half in China. Brookfield will use GLP’s rooftops to create a distributed solar energy grid geared to Chinese cities. [Forbes]

¶ The Philippines could supplement 57% to 60% of its energy needs with renewables by 2040, by adopting a strategy to increase renewable-power generation through carbon taxes or subsidies for renewable energy, a study from the International Food Policy Research Institute said. The study was published in the journal, Energy. [Business Mirror]

Wind turbines in the Philippines

¶ New Brunswick’s only solar farm is now online. With 400 panels on 25 poles that carry 16 panels on each, it is the first of its kind in the province. Frank Jopp is a farmer who decided to hop on board with renewable energy. With declining income from his dairy business, he started to farm and harvest sunlight to increase his income. [Globalnews.ca]

¶ Solar and wind power projects are increasing along the Mekong River. Energy expert Brian Eyler said the developments call into question the financial viability of the area’s major hydro-electric dams. He said that in the last six months, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos have signed agreements for 6,000 MW of wind and solar power. [Voice of America]

Dachaoshan dam on the upper Mekong River in China

¶ Residents at Sydney student housing co-op Stucco in Newtown have seen huge reductions to their power bills thanks to a combined solar and battery system installed last year. After a year of operation, Stucco has confirmed a reduction of around 55% to residents’ bills, with the building generating more energy than it used in 2017. [Gizmodo Australia]

¶ Mahindra Susten won a solar and energy storage auction in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for the second time, having seen its victory in the original auction cancelled. The company has now quoted a winning price of ₹1.33 billion ($20.29 million) for the 20 MW of solar PV with 8 MWh of energy storage. [Energy Storage News]

Andaman Island beach

¶ Mexico’s Secretary of Energy, Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, said last week that renewable sources will likely produce 43% of the country’s electricity by 2024. The calculation is based on the results of the energy auctions carried out by the government so far, he said. 65 renewable power plants are to be built in the next three years. [Renewables Now]

US:

¶ Two more Massachusetts offshore wind energy leases are moving toward auction by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, as southern New England and Mid-Atlantic states are hastening their own planning for wind power. The two lease tracts totaling 390,000 acres are located south of Martha’s Vineyard. [WorkBoat]

Turbines off Block Island, (Photo: RI Department of Energy)

¶ Omaha Public Power District customers will soon be able to support local solar power. OPPD as early as next year will start selling shares of solar power to interested customers. The utility designed each share of solar power to represent roughly 10% of the electricity that an average residential customer uses each month. [North Platte Telegraph]

¶ Environmental activists in Boston want Fenway Park to “go green.” They are asking the Red Sox to commit to exclusive use of energy from renewable sources. Activists from Environment Massachusetts and MASSPIRG Students are asking the franchise to obtain 100% of its energy from renewable power within five years. [WPRI 12 Eyewitness News]

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Opinion:

¶ “From rubble to renewables: Greensburg is back and better than ever” • The city of Greensburg, Kansas was leveled by an F5 tornado on May 4, 2007. The F5 tornado rating means the wind speeds were 261 to 318 mph. When they started to rebuild, they had no idea that they would end up going green, at least not in the beginning. [Omaha Reader]

Greensburg, after the storm

¶ “China’s bold energy vision” • The boldest plan to achieve the targets set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement comes from China. China’s Global Energy Interconnection offers a vision of how to achieve this energy transformation that is breathtaking. It moves electricity from where renewable resources are abundant to where it is needed. [Gulf Times]

¶ “Kit Carson Electric setting national example for renewable energy” • New Mexico co-op Kit Carson Electric Cooperative bought back its power contract in 2016. Now it is building PV arrays for 34% to 44% of its power. It will buy the rest under long-term contracts for renewable power, avoiding fossil fuel price risks. [The Durango Herald]

KCEC solar array (Kit Carson Electric Cooperative image)

Science and Technology:

¶ Polymer Solar Cell efficiency reaches about 13%, which is far from the 20% efficiency of commercial solar panels. They also cannot match the durability of inorganic solar cells. But the potential to mass-produce nontoxic, disposable solar panels using roll-to-roll production makes them attractive for some applications. [The Green Optimistic]

¶ Some eroding mountains may emit greenhouse gases rather than absorbing them as scientists had hypothesized. For decades, researchers believed eroding mountains and newly exposed silicate rocks served as carbon sinks, taking greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. A new study has thrown a wrench into that theory. [The Weather Channel]

Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range (Wikimedia Commons)

¶ According to a study published this month in the journal Nature Geoscience, Antarctica’s frozen underbelly is melting and receding at a rate around five times faster than normal. In the centuries following an ice age, glacier grounding lines should retreat about 82 feet per year, but the ice is retreating at speeds up to 600 feet annually. [KIRO Seattle]

World:

¶ Alinta Energy, a private power company, has unveiled Western Australia’s biggest battery, a 30-MW lithium-ion battery attached to its Newman power station in the Pilbara region. The project, which cost $45 million to build, has 100 individual batteries in it, each of which is capable of powering the typical home for 90 days. [The West Australian]

Newman Power Station (Steven Bradley, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ The new head of Korea Electric Power Cor, Kim Jong-kap, pledged to improve profitability of the state-run utility firm and forge a new path forward amid the government’s energy policy shift from coal and nuclear power to natural gas and renewables. In the fourth quarter, the utility firm posted its first quarterly loss in nearly five years. [pulse]

Solar study lamp

¶ The Indian government is will provide 700,000 solar study lamps in five states where rural household electrification levels are low. In Bihar alone, the target is to provide more than 188,400 underprivileged students with solar study lamps. Around 40,570 of such lamps have already been distributed to students by the program. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ New energy power generation surged in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the first quarter of the year as local authorities sought to improve the energy mix. Wind and solar power generation rose 35% and 38% year on year to 7.6 billion kWh and 2.3 billion kWh, respectively, the grid regulator said. [China.org.cn]

¶ Solar power may become the most preferred alternative electricity source to Nigerians, judging by recent developments. Despite the economic barriers to its growth, Nigeria’s solar power market has moved quickly for consumers, who are fast embracing it to overcome the poor supply from the national electricity grid. [THISDAY Newspapers]

Installing a rooftop solar system

US:

¶ The County of Maui recently joined Drive Electric Hawaiʻi, a collaboration of groups that share a vision to power Hawaiʻi’s ground transportation with 100% renewable energy. Mayor Alan Arakawa signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month to join the other organizations in the Drive Electric Hawaiʻi Initiative. [Maui Now]

¶ A trial date of October 29 has been set for a landmark lawsuit brought by a group of young Americans. Juliana v. United States was filed in 2015 on behalf of 21 young plaintiffs who allege their constitutional and public trust rights are being violated by the government’s creation of a national energy system that causes climate change. [DeSmog]

Kids demonstrating (Credit: Our Children’s Trust)

¶ The Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club announced its support for a ballot initiative promoting clean energy in Nevada. The ballot initiative would amend the Nevada Constitution to require electric suppliers provide at least 50% of their total electricity from renewable sources, like wind, solar, and geothermal, by the year 2030. [Nevada Appeal]

¶ Since the downturn in mining operations, nearly 1,000 miners have left the Wyoming coal industry. About 5,600 remain. Some were laid off and hired back with different working conditions: less pay, a weaker insurance plan, a temporary position. Other workers are on mandatory overtime or searching for a second job. [Casper Star-Tribune Online]

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Opinion:

¶ “I’m An Expat Scientist Coming Home To Stop Trump’s War On Science” • Given what’s happening in Washington, DC, the recent move by some US climate scientists to accept an offer to relocate to France for the rest of Trump’s presidency makes perfect sense. I strongly support their important statement. But I’m going the other way. [Fast Company]

Coming home (Photo: Willian Justen de Vasconcellos | Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ New research shows that extreme climate variability over the last century in western North America may be destabilizing both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Climate is increasingly controlling synchronous ecosystem behavior in which species populations rise and fall together, with that synchrony increasing risks of extinction. [Science Codex]

World:

¶ As the CEO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy visited India, the company announced that it had successfully connected 5,000 MW of wind turbines to the Indian grid since it started work in the country in 2009. Siemens Gamesa is now the second largest wind turbine manufacturer in India, based on cumulative installed capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Gamesa wind farm in India

¶ Gas Natural Fenosa has begun construction on a 49-MW PV project in the central Spanish region of Castilla La Mancha. The company has invested approximately €34 million ($42 million) in the project. According to Gas Natural Fenosa, the plant will also exceed the annual electricity demand for residents of two nearby towns. [pv magazine International]

¶ MPs are to press ministers on why they have left investors hanging in limbo over taxpayer support for a pioneering £1.3 billion tidal lagoon in Swansea. The government has still not indicated whether it is minded to support the lagoon, 15 months since an independent review told ministers to back the clean energy project. [The Guardian]

Wall at Swansea Bay (Image: Tidal Lagoon Power | PA)

¶ The Canadian province of Nova Scotia has issued permits and a power purchase agreement worth C$350/MWh ($27.7/MWh) for Big Moon Power’s 5-MW tidal project in the Bay of Fundy. The 15-year PPA involves a multi-phase project off Cape Split in the Minas Passage. It will start with a much smaller project testing a prototype. [reNews]

¶ Italian energy group Eni is considering stepping up its nuclear fusion investment. Nuclear fusion is a technology considered so uncertain that Eni remains the only global oil company prepared to bet on it. This happens just as the falling cost of solar and wind power and a shift to electric vehicles raise doubts over long-term demand for oil. [Reuters]

Fusion experiment at MIT (Bob Mumgaard |  Plasma
Science and Fusion Center | Handout via Reuters)

¶ Ireland’s power system is the first in the world capable of delivering 65% of all electricity from variable sources including wind. EirGrid said it had achieved “record levels” of variable renewable energy after successful completion of a five-month trial. It said the all-island power system was the first in the world to reach this level. [Independent.ie]

¶ Fugro geotechnical drill vessel Fugro Scout has completed its surveys of the foundation sites for Innogy’s 860MW Triton Knoll offshore wind farm off the coast of Lincolnshire. The three-week surveying operation involved test drilling up to 40 meters deep at the locations of the 90 turbine foundations and two offshore substations. [reNews]

Fugro Scout (Image: Innogy)

¶ A draft bill submitted Friday to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russia parliament, would ban all trade between state-owned nuclear company Rosatom and US nuclear power companies. The bill is in response to sanctions the Trump administration imposed against 24 Russian top businessman and government officials. [Platts]

US:

¶ Wisconsin’s largest coal-fired power plant, We Energies’ Oak Creek generating facility on the Lake Michigan shoreline south of Milwaukee, burns about 12,000 tons of coal each day. As it arrives by the trainload and sits in large piles, black coal dust blows into nearby neighborhoods. There is concern among residents. [Wisconsin Public Radio News]

Oak Creek Plant (JanetandPhil CC-BY-NC-ND)

¶ A poll for the Southwestern Electric Power Company found that 77% of registered voters in Louisiana support renewable energy development as a means of keeping customers’ electric bills low. The poll showed that a majority of voters supported a proposed 2,000-MW wind farm together with a dedicated power line. [Daily Energy Insider]

¶ This week, New York Gov Andrew Cuomo announced up to $15 million in funding available for grid modernization projects. Also this week, the NYPA’s Board of Trustees approved a $9.3 million sensor deployment program aimed at transforming the state’s grid; it is the first phase of a multi-stage program that will cost $55 million. [Utility Dive]

New York City

¶ Green Street Power Partners LLC and Swinerton Renewable Energy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a 315-kW rooftop solar system at Gann Academy, an independent Jewish high school in Waltham, Massachusetts. The array is expected to supply 394,000 kWh annually, 25% of the school’s electricity. [Solar Industry]

¶ The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled against ExxonMobil in the company’s bid to block the state’s attorney general from obtaining records to investigate whether the company knew about the role fossil fuels play in climate change. It ruled that the AG has jurisdiction to investigate climate-related offenses by Exxon. [Insіdеr Cаr Nеws]

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World:

¶ China is placing a 25% tariff on cars made by Tesla. This is a problem Tesla must solve to move beyond being a niche player there. Not only are new Chinese car manufacturers cropping up at a record pace, the quality of the cars they build is getting better all the time. Given a choice, many Chinese would prefer to buy a Chinese car. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla in China (Credit: EPA | Wu Hong via Quartz)

¶ Germany’s Federal Network Agency reports that in a 200-MW joint auction for solar and wind power, no bid for a wind project was successful and solar projects won 32 contracts. Heads of industry associations for both technologies said they considered the joint auction experiment unsuccessful because it was so one-sided. [CleanTechnica]

¶ A new joint industry initiative, which will run until mid-2020, has been established with the aim of reducing power cable failures in the offshore wind industry. The initiative aims to develop a continuous monitoring system for cables using optical fibre sensors. Such a system may enable early identification of possible failures. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Image: DNV GL)

¶ Tunisia is about to launch an international tender for the procurement of 1,000 MW of wind and solar power, a project that is estimated to be worth about $1.04 billion. To support its renewable energy goals, Tunisia has made a pledge to invest $1.78 billion to develop renewable energy projects over the course of next two years. [African Review]

¶ Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said it received 16 bids in a 200-MW solar tender. The tender was for four projects of around 50 MW each. A separate tender for 100 MW of wind farms in southern parts of Jordan is to take place in November. Jordan aims to have more than 2.4 GW of renewable power by 2021. [Renewables Now]

Petra Sunset (Author: Rob)

¶ Australian utility Evoenergy is carrying out comprehensive demand management trials ever in Australia, using a combination of batteries and traditional demand response. One virtual power plant used to avoid a substation upgrade could save Evoenergy around A$2 million ($1.6 million). Other utilities are conducting similar trials. [Greentech Media]

¶ Wind power helped renewable energy sources generate a record 25 TWh of electricity in the UK in the first quarter of 2018, according to analysts EnAppSys. Wind generated 15.8 TWh during the quarter. Renewables overall accounted for 29% of UK electricity generation in the period, behind natural gas with a 37.3% share. [reNews]

Offshore wind power (reNews image)

¶ Spanish renewables giant Acciona Energy won a tender to build one of Australia’s largest solar farms in the heart of Queensland coal country, the state government has announced. Acciona will develop, finance, construct and operate the $500 million 300-MW Aldoga solar farm, through a 30-year lease with the state government. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ Bay State Wind, the joint venture between two offshore wind farms in the northeastern US, has announced that it will commit to providing over $2 million in grants for research and programs aimed at protecting the region’s fisheries and whale populations. The two wind farms are to have a combined capacity of 1,000 MW. [CleanTechnica]

Humpback whales

¶ Utilities would be required to first consider renewable energy whenever replacing fossil fuel generation under legislation proposed by a prominent Republican Minnesota legislator. The “motivational bill” is not expected to pass, but its author hopes it will spur discussion about how Minnesota replaces retiring power plant capacity. [Energy News Network]

¶ Corporate procurement of solar power is on the rise for both distributed generation and offsite utility PV. Apple and Google have met goals, and Microsoft set a new solar procurement record. And there are many smaller companies also choosing to put solar power at the centers of their corporate sustainability strategies. [Greentech Media]

Urban rooftop solar installation

¶ A lot of good data is to be found in public reports from national labs and government research papers. But it has not always been easy to find or easy to parse, and it has been nearly eliminated by the Trump Administration. The Natural Resources Defense Council has stepped into the breach with a new tool to track green progress. [Green Car Reports]

¶ Ithaca College, a private liberal arts college in Upstate New York, has switched to 100% wind energy as part of its goal of becoming carbon-neutral. The college has followed its Climate Action Plan Reassessment Team’s recommendation that it purchase 100% wind energy through its current electricity supplier. [North American Windpower]

Wind turbines

¶ The New Jersey Assembly and Senate have passed two bills that set ambitious goals for expanding renewable power and curtailing greenhouse gases in the state. The bills require power companies in New Jersey to generate 50% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. They also subsidize existing nuclear power plants. [New York Times]

¶ Due to their high cost relative to other generating options, no new nuclear power units will be built in the US, William Von Hoene, Exelon’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer, told the US Energy Association’s annual meeting in Washington, DC. He said, “They are too expensive to construct, relative to the world in which we now live.” [Platts]

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Opinion:

¶ “Solar and wind plus storage to increasingly replace gas plants” • For some years it has been obvious that increasing deployment of solar and wind is cutting into the market share of coal and nuclear power plants in the US and Europe. One industry pundit went so far as to call anyone who might build a combined cycle gas plant “crazy.” [pv magazine USA]

California gas plant (California Energy Commission)

Science and Technology:

¶ The Atlantic Ocean circulation that carries warmth into the Northern Hemisphere’s high latitudes is slowing down because of climate change, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Nature. This suggests that one of the most feared consequences of climate change, affecting the Gulf Stream, is already coming to pass. [ScienceAlert]

World:

¶ The global average cost of shipping fuels will rise by around 25% in 2020, due to the new sulfur limits set to go into effect then, according to a new report from the consultancy Wood Mackenzie. The rules are intended to move ships to switch over to marine gasoil and ultra-low-sulfur fuel oil from the highly polluting fuel they use. [CleanTechnica]

Ship at port

¶ Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has commissioned 46 SWT-3.2-113 wind turbines at the Mont Sainte-Marguerite project in Québec. This 147-MW project, developed and owned by Pattern Energy Group LP, is the first in Québec for both companies. The companies have partnered for nearly 1.1 GW of installations in Canada. [Your Renewable News]

¶ Shell vowed to invest up to $2 billion every year to 2020 in its new energies division, which is tasked with growing the energy giant’s renewables business. Much of the cash will be spent on renewable power generation, Shell said. It is targeting markets in North America, Europe, and countries with “fast-growing” renewables sectors. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (reNews image)

¶ The Queensland and Victorian governments are hedging their bets about the Turnbull government’s national energy guarantee ahead of the circulation of key design. The states say they are still considering whether or not to support the national energy guarantee and remain committed to their renewable energy targets. [The Guardian]

¶ The government of New Zealand is taking “an important step to address climate change and create a clean, green and sustainable future for New Zealand,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a speach in Wellington. It will limit the 2018 offer of exploration permits to onshore acreage in the oil-rich province of Taranaki. [Energy Voice]

Auckland

¶ In Portugal, the wholesale prices of energy declined in March from the previous year, as renewable energies covered 103.6% of the total power consumption of the country, a performance which was mainly driven by wind and hydropower. On average, daily market power prices dropped from €43.94/MWh to €39.75/MWh. [pv magazine International]

¶ The expanding network of giant windmills in the North Sea, the largest such collection in the world, is turning into a windfall for some bankers helping institutional investors acquire a piece of Europe’s renewable-energy market. Offshore wind farms account for just 2% of Europe’s electricity, but more are being built. [Energy Voice]

Offshore wind turbines (Photo: Simon Dawson | Bloomberg)

¶ EDF Energy warned that a flagship nuclear power station it is building in France could run further behind schedule and over budget, after it detected faults at the €10.5 billion (£9.2 billion, $12.96 billion) plant. Flamanville’s reactor design is the same as the one being used at a delayed plant in Finland and at Hinkley Point in Somerset. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ ACCIONA Energia announced that it will build its ninth wind farm in the US with the development of the 145-MW Palmas Atlas wind farm in Texas, its second wind farm in the state. The Palmas Atlas wind farm will need an investment of around $200 million and will be built using 46 Nordex AW125/3150 wind turbines. [CleanTechnica]

ACCIONA wind farm in Texas

¶ Green Development, a renewable energy company based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, has proposed a 40-MW solar array in North Smithfield.  The proposed project is thought to be the largest being considered for the state. It would generate approximately $20 million in lease payments to landowners over a period of 25 years. [Valley Breeze]

¶ EDP-Energias de Portugal is optimistic about renewable power investments in the US, despite President Donald Trump’s push to support coal and nuclear power plants and the tariff he has slapped on imported solar panels. Its chief executive said in an interview, “US renewables represent the growth engine of our company.” [ETEnergyworld.com]

Hybrid renewable energy plant

¶ US federal officials say they expect to have a plan by June on how to strengthen Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. Assistant Energy Secretary Bruce Walker says officials are looking at integrating renewable energy sources and building micro grids. More than 50,000 power customers remain in the dark nearly seven months after Hurricane Maria. [WEAU]

¶ The biggest coal-burning power plant in the West is fighting for survival. Despite support from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, it appears likely to close next year. The Navajo Generating Station in northern Arizona is facing difficulty as local utilities that use its power turn to cheaper renewable energy. [NBCNews.com]

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World:

¶ The world’s most powerful wind turbine, the first of two 8.8-MW turbines, has been successfully installed at Vattenfall’s European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre off the coast of North East Scotland, which is set to be a groundbreaking testbed for new offshore wind technologies. It is the first time a turbine this large was installed. [CleanTechnica]

Installing the suction bucket jacket foundation (Vattenfall)

¶ BayWa re renewable energy GmbH announced today it has entered into a power purchase agreement with Norwegian energy group Statkraft for the 170-MWp Don Rodrigo solar project in Spain. The BayWa AG unit notes in its announcement that this is one of the first solar projects of this size in Europe not reliant on any subsidies. [Renewables Now]

¶ Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy announced that it was awarded the contract to build what it is calling a “pioneering” 194-MW onshore wind farm with a combined battery energy storage system. The Bulgana Green Energy Hub will be built in Victoria, with a 194-MW wind farm and a 20-MW/34-MWh lithium-ion battery. [CleanTechnica]

Siemens-Gamesa wind farm (Siemens-Gamesa)

¶ Sterling and Wilson is planning to build solar PV projects totaling 300 MW in Vietnam. These solar projects could generate about 270 million units of clean energy annually, while offsetting around 250,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The projects are expected to attract around $250 million in investments. [CleanTechnology News]

¶ South32 announced plans to put up a 3-MW solar farm at the Cannington silver and lead mine in north-west Queensland. The Perth-headquartered mining and metals company, which was spun out of mining giant BHP Billiton in 2015, said that the solar installation would be integrated into the current gas power station. [pv magazine Australia]

Cannington silver and lead mine (South32 image)

¶ The UK’s National Grid, in its Summer Outlook report, revealed it is expecting summer demand for grid electricity to be dragged low due to the growing amounts of small scale renewable energy installed. The National Grid warns that inflexible generators, such as large gas and nuclear plants, may have to reduce their output. [pv magazine International]

¶ Gujarat’s Chief Minister approved setting up a 5000 MW capacity solar park at the Dholera Special Investment Region. It would be the largest such entity in the world after its completion. The proposed solar power generation project would be set up in 11,000 hectares of land with an investment of ₹25,000 crore ($3.76 billion). [ETEnergyworld.com]

Solar panels at sunset

US:

¶ Energy Secretary Rick Perry said his agency will soon decide whether to approve a request to boost economically struggling coal and nuclear power plants. His remarks seem to dampened prospects that the Trump administration will move to keep a string of these plants open in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as the president had indicated. [Axios]

¶ Cyprus Creek Renewables partnered with LG Electronics on a project that is the largest solar-plus-storage installation in the continental US. The project is located in coastal North Carolina. It is an 8.5-MW series of solar installations bundled with 12 MWh of storage. The 22,000 solar panels, each 395 providing watts, are spread across 12 sites. [CleanTechnica]

LG site in North Carolina (PRNewsfoto | LG Electronics USA)

¶ A 240-kW/324-kWh behind-the-meter energy storage system made by Sharp Electronics will be installed at Paradise Village Retirement Community near San Diego by NW Photon Energy. It will be integrated with 516 kW of solar PV. Analysis found that the storage system could save the senior community about $90,000 per year [CleanTechnica]

¶ GRID Alternatives brings solar power and solar jobs to low income communities. Recently, GRID Alternatives completed its 10,000th residential solar system installation with a total power of 42 MW. The installations will save families more than $300 million in lifetime energy costs and prevent 850,000 tons of carbon emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Installing a solar system (GRID Alternatives photo)

¶ Tesla will build and supply the energy storage facility to be installed at BP’s Titan 1 wind energy power plant in South Dakota, the company has revealed. The new energy storage facility is expected to be installed during the second half of 2018. It will be BP’s first large-scale battery-based energy storage facility. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Georgia Power announced plans to add at least 177 MW of new solar resources as part of its Commercial & Industrial Renewable Energy Development Initiative. The initiative is designed both to encourage growth of renewable energy and to help commercial and industrial customers of GP meet their own renewable energy goals. [Power Engineering Magazine]

Solar array

¶ Google has broken ground on Alabama’s first large-scale data center in Jackson County. The new energy-efficient center is being built on 360 acres next to the closed Widows Creek coal-fired power plant.The Tennessee Valley Authority is partnering with Google to power the new facility with 100% renewable energy. [Birmingham Business Journal]

¶ Under pressure from the state’s major utilities, the South Carolina House killed a solar bill that was intended to protect thousands of jobs and save customers money on their monthly power bills. Many lawmakers decried the House for caving in to opposition by Duke Energy and SCE&G, which were concerned about competition from solar. [The State]

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Opinion:

¶ “Like Coal, Natural Gas Losing Ground to Renewables” • As expensive, dirty coal power staggers toward its inevitable demise, natural gas has dominated the electricity market. Now natural gas is also losing ground to cleaner, cheaper renewable energy sources and technological advances, including those relating to batteries. [Environmental Working Group]

Oilfield pipeline

¶ “As Fossil Fuels Melt the Planet, Could Climate Change Cause a Nuclear Meltdown?” • Nearly three dozen US nuclear power plants are inadequately protected against major flooding from an upstream dam failure, flooding that could easily lead to an accident on the scale of the 2011 Fukushima Disaster. But the NRC downplays the risk. [Climate Science Watch]

World:

¶ The government of Norway and the country’s shipowners’ association have revealed their preference for global shipping related greenhouse gas emissions goals to target a figure of 50% by 2050, the two entities have revealed. This comes ahead of talks at the International Maritime Organization, slated to begin in London next week. [CleanTechnica]

Ship at sea

¶ Responding to falling oil industry revenues, the government of Algeria unveiled a suite of new programs meant to improve the country’s financial situation, including a solar PV facility build=out, and energy efficiency programs,  and incentives to convert their vehicles to run on liquefied petroleum gas rather than petrol/gasoline or diesel. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Apple announced today that its global operations are now powered by 100% renewable energy after years of work in 43 countries around the world. Apple’s announcement means that all of its data centers, retail stores, offices and co-located facilities in 43 countries around the world are now 100% powered by renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

Solar roof on Apple’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino

¶ London-based market data company IHS Markit predicted that strong demand in China will push global solar PV demand to a record of 113 GW in 2018, and should even result in the fourth quarter yielding 34 GW of new PV installations, the largest quarter in history. It predicted new installations will grow by 19% in 2018. [CleanTechnica]

¶ GE Renewable Energy and its consortium partner Elecnor announced that they will build the 100-MW Mass wind park in Jordan, under an engineering, procurement and construction deal. The GE subsidiary will provide its latest generation of 3.6-137 wind turbines for the project, which is its first in the country, they said. [Renewables Now]

GE turbines (GE Renewable Energy image, all rights reserved)

¶ Elawan Energy has signed a power purchase agreement to build a 102-MW wind farm in South Africa with an investment of €145 million. The Copperton wind farm will be built in the province of Northern Cape and its estimated annual production will be 360 GWh per annum. The wind farm is expected to be operating by 2020. [Power Technology]

¶ Samsung Renewable Energy and Pattern Energy Group have started operations at the 100-MW North Kent wind farm in Ontario. The project, which is located in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, has 34 Siemens Gamesa 3.2-MW turbines. It created about 175 jobs at peak construction and 10 permanent full-time jobs. [reNews]

Wind farm (Pixabay image)

US:

¶ While Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is busy deleting the role of humankind in causing climate change from the state’s websites, Eau Claire, the 68,000-strong former factory town in northwestern Wisconsin, has adopted an ambitious sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality and to get 100% of its energy from renewable sources. [Next City]

¶ An above-average storm season, with regard to the probability of major hurricanes striking the mainland, is facing the US this year, a report from meteorologists at Colorado State University says. The report states that the US Gulf Coast and the East Coast are facing 39% and 38% probabilities that major hurricanes will make landfall this year. [CleanTechnica]

Hurricane Harvey

¶ The governing board of Glendale Water and Power, a California municipal utility, last week halted plans for a 310-MW natural gas plant to explore renewable energy and storage options instead. GWP’s decision to table a natural gas project puts it in company with a growing number of jurisdictions rethinking investment in gas plants. [Utility Dive]

¶ Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative signed a power purchase agreement with EDP Renewables to buy electricity from a yet-to-be-completed 200-MW solar project in Indiana. The Riverstart Solar Project, which will generate enough energy to be supplied to 37,000 households is expected to be operating by 2022. [CleanTechnology News]

Solar panels (Photo: RK008 | FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

¶ Italian utility Enel SpA announced that it has broken ground on the 185-MW HillTopper wind farm in Illinois. The project, which is Enel’s first wind power facility in the state, already has power purchase agreements to sell portions of its output to media group Bloomberg LP and General Motors Co. It is expected to be operating this year. [Renewables Now]

¶ Central Iowa Power Cooperative announced development of the Heartland Divide Wind Farm, a major expansion of its wind energy platform, set for completion by the end of this year. CIPCO will purchase 100% of the output from the 104-MW facility, adding to a diverse energy portfolio that is already 60% carbon-free. [Windpower Engineering]

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Opinion:

¶ “Investing in rural America would lift nation’s economy” • Rural America grows most of the food, generates much of the power, and manufactures many of the goods we use. When the modern economy threatens to leave much of the country on the wrong side of the ledger, that’s bad news regardless of where you live and work. [The Hill]

Rural America (© Getty Images)

¶ “AGL’s plan to replace Liddell is cheaper and cleaner than keeping it open” • The Australian government called for AGL Energy to consider selling the coal-burning Liddell power station to rival Alinta instead of shutting it down. AGL is confident this can be replaced by a mix of improved efficiency, renewables, and demand response. [The Conversation AU]

¶ “Offshore oil industry suppliers fight to be fit for frugal future” • Rising more than 20 meters above the sea, Statoil’s Aasta Hansteen platform towers over the Stord shipyard in western Norway, representing the height of engineering in the offshore oil sector. But despite recent high oil industry profits, the writing is on the wall globally. [The Business Times]

Aasta Hansteen oil platform (Reuters image)

World:

¶ What are the risks climate change poses to the stability of financial institutions? What role should supervisors play to mitigate the risks? These questions were topics of discussion when 200 central bankers and financial supervisors from over 30 countries gathered for the first ever International Climate Risk Conference in Amsterdam. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Eon has installed the topside for the offshore substation at its 385-MW Arkona wind farm in the German Baltic Sea. The jacket foundation for the platform was put in place last week. The substation, which is located at the project site some 35 km north-east of the island of Rugen, will be used by the Arkona wind farm and transmission operator 50Hertz. [reNews]

Oleg Strashnov (Eon image)

¶ Azerbaijan’s State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources will present documents to the Cabinet of Ministers to attract private investments in the construction of wind power plants in the country, the Agency’s Deputy Head told Trend. The goal is to have 350 MW of windpower capacity under construction by 2020. [Trend News Agency]

¶ The Munich city utility, Stadtwerke München has signed contracts for a geothermal plant to produce approximately 50 MW of environmentally friendly district heating for around 80,000 households in the city. Six wells have been contracted. They will be drilled to a depth of 4,000 metres to extract heat from deep in the Earth. [ThinkGeoEnergy]

Munich (Praxisforum Geohtermie.Bayern | Enerchange)

¶ Nissan recently came up with the idea of using spent batteries from Leaf cars to power streetlights in Japan. It is now offering LEAF owners in Japan a chance to trade in old Leaf batteries for refabricated ones under a fee-based program. Nissan set up a joint venture company with Sumitomo Corp to refurbish the batteries. [Tires & Parts News]

¶ Wind turbines in Scotland provided a 44% increase in power to the National Grid during the first quarter of 2018, compared to the same period in 2017, environmental groups say. In January alone, renewable wind from onshore turbines over 5,353,997 MWh, enough power for the equivalent of more than five million homes. [STV News]

Wind turbine (© STV)

US:

¶ A new lawsuit was filed against the EPA by 14 states over the agency’s slow action issuing federal methane emissions standards, reports say. The new legal challenge comes about 9 months after a federal appeals court ruled the EPA is not legally able to freeze enforcement of its methane leak rules relating to oil and gas operations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state provide about 4% of the region’s electricity, but they have been responsible for declining salmon populations. The energy they produce could be replaced by a mix of other clean energy sources, such as a mix of wind and solar power, according to a recent study. [The Spokesman-Review]

Lower Granite Dam (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

¶ A North Carolina company plans to install 81,000 solar panels about 75 miles west of Spokane, starting in May. Strata Solar will build and own the 170-acre project. Avista Corp will buy the electricity and sell it to 40 to 80 large commercial and industrial customers. The solar farm could be generating power by mid-December. [The Spokesman-Review]

¶ Voters in Decorah, Iowa, will decide whether to divorce their current electricity provider and create a city-owned utility on May 1. Interestingly, the current provider said in an email, “We’re delivering on commitments to reliability and renewable energy that outpace anything a startup city-owned utility can promise to provide.” [Energy News Network]

Decorah, Iowa

¶ Lower prices for the natural gas Xcel Energy uses to produce electricity at area generating plants are leading the company to reduce the monthly fuel charges Texas customers pay, a move that will result in 6.3% lower bills on average. The adjustment must still be approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. [EverythingLubbock.com]

¶ The NRC gave a key approval to a Florida Power & Light project that could lead to adding two nuclear reactors in Miami-Dade County. The commission announced that it had authorized staff members to issue “combined licenses” for reactors at FPL’s Turkey Point site. FPL has not finally committed to building the reactors. [Florida Politics]

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Opinion:

¶ “Is it Over for Uranium?” • According to the World Nuclear Association, there are 57 reactors under construction globally, which, when combined with the 440 existing reactors should trigger an uptick in demand for uranium. However, the situation is not as simple as the headline numbers would have investors believe. [The Motley Fool Canada]

Uranium mine

¶ “Nuclear subsidy plan bows to PSEG demand” • If New Jersey’s nuclear bailout bill becomes law, ratepayers could be paying $300 million annually to boost the profits for owners of two South Jersey nuclear plants. All indications are that for now the plants remain profitable, but not enough for Public Service Enterprise Group. [Daily Record]

Science and Technology:

¶ The term “PlusEnergy” was apparently first used by Rolf Disch back in 1994 when designing a private residence for himself now known as “The Heliotrope.” The idea is for a building to produce notably more electricity than it uses via renewable energy technology. It serves its own needs and also becomes a local power plant. [CleanTechnica]

The Heliotrope (Image by Andrewglaser, CC BY-SA 3.0)

¶ A clear demonstration of climate change upsetting vital relationships between species has been revealed, thanks to a study led by the University of Sussex. The Research tracks how rising temperatures have wrecked a relationship, which depends on precise timing, between a rare orchid species and the bee that pollinates it. [Science Daily]

¶ A simple mathematical trick can accurately predict the shape and melting effects of ponds on Arctic sea ice, according to research by UChicago. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, should help climate scientists improve models of climate change and perhaps address the differences between scientific predictions and observations. [Phys.Org]

Arctic ice (Credit: Healy-Oden Trans-Arctic Expedition, 2005)

World:

¶ The African Development Bank is set to provide backing for coal-fired projects in Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal. This is a departure from the International Monetary Fund, which has a ban on fossil fuels. Kenya is developing a 1-GW plant to use “clean-coal” technology, but the World Bank and IMF refused to support the project. [Caj News Africa]

¶ Subsidy-free offshore wind is getting a lot of attention after contracts were signed in Germany and the Netherlands were signed. However, experts say these zero-subsidy offshore wind farms will not be the norm anytime soon. While further zero-subsidy bids are likely in Europe, they will be linked to unusual market conditions. [Greentech Media]

Turbines (Vattenfall | Robin Dawe | Perfectly Clear Marketing)

¶ China Machinery Engineering Corporation signed a contract with Ukraine’s largest private energy holding, Donbas Fuel and Energy Company, to build a solar power plant in Ukraine. Under the deal, the CMEC will build a solar power plant with a total generating capacity of 200 MW. This is enough to provide for over 100,000 people. [EastDay.com]

¶ Scientists are finalizing plans to exploit the vast reservoir of warm water that fills disused mines and porous rock layers beneath Glasgow. They believe this subterranean store of naturally heated water could be used to warm homes. If the system proves successful, other cities and towns across Britain might use similar systems. [The Guardian]

Glasgow coal delivery, ca 1960 (Albert McCabe | Getty Images)

US:

¶ We Energies’ Pleasant Prairie facility in Kenosha County, one of Wisconsin’s largest coal-fired power plants, shut down for good about a week ahead of schedule. The company announced last fall that the plant would close this year due to changing energy economics resulting from the use of natural gas and renewable energy. [Wisconsin Public Radio News]

¶ BYD announced another expansion to its Lancaster, California, electric bus and battery module factory. The expansion will add 100,000 square feet (9290 square meters) to the facility when it comes online at the end of June. It will be used to store parts and components for BYD’s products, freeing up space in the plant for manufacturing. [CleanTechnica]

BYD electric vehicles in Shenzhen

¶ On the site of a closed Massachusetts naval air station, a home developer and General Electric plan a community with smart technology embedded in its energy, transportation, water, and lighting systems. Because they are starting from scratch, the companies can embed a number of new technologies to serve the community. [Seattle Times]

¶ A proposal to build the New Hampshire’s largest solar farm in the city of Concord was rejected after running afoul of the city’s zoning laws. The Zoning Board of Adjustment rejected a proposal for a 54-acre solar farm because it had too much “impervious surface,” meaning area that would cause rain to run off rather than soak in. [Valley News]

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