geoharvey

New Year

¶   “A resolution for 2014 – go 100% renewable!” The only thing slowing us down is the lack of political will. The countries winning the clean energy race all have one thing in common: effective national laws and policies. [The Ecologist]

¶   “Top 10 Solar News Stories we’re thankful for in 2013” Solar is getting to be the fastest-growing industry in the US. When the military is getting in on the action, you know something’s going on. [PV Solar report]

¶   “Executive Perspectives: The Most Important Trends in Energy Efficiency” Was 2013 the year efficiency got cool, sexy and cheap? Not quite. But it did become cooler, sexier and cheaper than ever before. [Energy Collective]

Opinion:

¶   “7 things everyone knows about energy that just ain’t so” The list is  getting longer as the fossil fuel industry (which has little interest in intellectual honesty) continues its skillful manipulation of a gullible and sometimes careless media. [Resilience]

World:

¶   People in British Columbia understand that wind power is emissions free. The surprise for most is that wind energy is now the province’s lowest-cost renewable resource for new electricity generation, and experts say the costs will continue to fall. [Vancouver Sun]

¶   Data from Ofgem, the UK’s regulator of electricity and gas markets, shows Scotland’s installed solar PV capacity has reached 106 MW – an increase of 28 MW (36%) on the same time in 2012. At the end of 2010 Scotland had just 2 MW of PVs. [Energy Matters]

¶   A group of lawmakers from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party seeking to phase out nuclear power has made a proposal that would describe nuclear power as a “transitional” energy source, the sources said. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶   Vestas recently received an order of 150 MW of wind turbines for multiple First Wind projects in the US, enough to power up to 50,000 homes. Around the same time, it received an order for 110 MW worth of wind turbines for another US wind farm. [CleanTechnica]

¶   RGS Energy, the commercial and utility division of Real Goods Solar, Inc., has joined forces with Green Lantern Capital to co-develop seven solar projects totaling 4.5 MW in Vermont. The company expects to complete construction by November, 2014. [MarketWatch]

¶   An anaerobic digestion (AD) system has begun operations in Akron, Ohio. The project can now accommodate 100% of the biosolid waste stream and  is expected to generate 10,000 MWh of electricity annually. [Biomass Magazine]

¶   EDF Renewable Energy has begun operations of two biomass power plants in South Carolina, a 17.8 MW plant in Allendale County and a 17.8 MW facility in Dorchester County. [Biomass Magazine]

¶   The controversial production tax credit given to wind-energy developers expires with 2013 ending. But the controversy won’t disappear with the new year, spawning instead new discussions about potential compromises over the federal subsidy pie. [Christian Science Monitor]

Opinion:

¶   “Ranking the climate culprits” Groundbreaking, independent new research — eight years in the making — is shining fresh light on the biggest climate culprits in the world, and quantifying exactly how much of the climate change pie belongs to whom. [eco-business.com]

World:

¶   The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has set an ambitious target to replace all of the nation’s cars with electric vehicles as part of a government effort towards environmental sustainability as well as to reduce the cost of fossil fuel imports. [EconomyWatch.com]

¶   The government of Zimbabwe is looking to renewable energy as part of a solution for its financial problems and increasing manufacturing output in the country, creating employment and decreasing poverty in the process. [BizDay Zimbabwe]

¶   Alstom installed its first 6 MW Haliade 150 off the coast of Belgium. It is the largest offshore wind turbine ever installed in sea waters. The turbine has a 15% better yield than earlier models. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶   Coalition talks in Germany to form the next government between Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU and the social democratic SPD are considering a two-year extension to premium feed-in tariffs for offshore wind. [reNews]

¶   A nuclear reactor at Scotland’s Torness Power Station was today shut down for the second time this year after its seawater cooling system again became clogged with seaweed. The 640 MW reactor is expected to remain closed for a week. [Edinburgh Evening News]

US:

¶   As House and Senate budget negotiators look for ways to lower deficits, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) today introduced legislation to eliminate tax loopholes and subsidies that support the oil, gas and coal industries. [vtdigger.org]

¶   Wind and solar were the fastest growing technologies for electricity generation in 2012, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Wind capacity grew 28% to 60 GW in 2012 and PVs were up 83% to 7.3 GW compared to 2011. [Denver Post]

¶   Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative has dedicated a new 49-megawatt biomass plant that turns wood waste into electricity. The $178 million plant will provide 6% of NOVEC’s power and help the Virginia’s 15% renewable energy standard. [Electric Co-op Today]

¶   The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a consortium of solar industry professionals have introduced standardized solar contract templates, which make it easier for everyone involved in the industry, from homeowners to financiers. [Clean Energy Authority]

¶   Ohio’s renewable energy law of 2008 has saved the state 5 million MWh through mandated efficiency and reduced peak demand by 1,583 MW. Also, 313 MW of wind power and 25 MW of solar capacity were added statewide in 2012 alone. [HispanicBusiness.com]

¶   EDF Renewable Energy and Santee Cooper today dedicated the Pinelands Biomass project which consists of two nominal 17.8 MW generating facilities located in Allendale and Dorchester counties in South Carolina. [The T and D.com]

¶   According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Energy Projects, 694 MW of new renewable capacity was added in October, 99.3% of the total. Of new capacity, 72.1% was solar, 17.7% was biomass, and 9.4% was windpower. [Green Building Elements]

¶   A Maryland county has passed a precedent-setting clean energy bill – it could be the first in the US to require all government buildings to run on renewable energy. Every building must have 1 kW of clean energy per 1,000 square feet.  [SustainableBusiness.com]

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From the REV Conference

¶   Vermont and Upper Austria have signed an agreement to collaborate on the promotion of biomass heating. Vermont and Upper Austria are both recognized leaders in biomass heat as a local and renewable heating source. Upper Austria has a goal of 100% renewable heat by the year 2030. [vtdigger.org]

¶   Vermont could create thousands of jobs if it used locally produced biomass to heat about 20 percent of the state’s homes and businesses using modern, energy-efficient equipment, an official said Monday. [NewsOK.com]

Science and Technology:

¶   The Australian Renewable Energy Agency late last week announced “the launch of the world’s first one megawatt wave-energy-to-electricity unit.” The unit derives power indirectly from passing waves, as the changes in height of a water column cause changes in air pressure to turn turbines. [EarthTechling]

¶   Twenty one Nobel prize winners-including South African anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu-are calling on the EU to immediately implement the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) which would see tar sands labelled as dirtier than conventional fossil fuels. [TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk]

World:

¶   According to the International Energy Agency, power generation from non-hydro renewable sources including solar, wind, and bioenergy will exceed gas and nuclear by 2016, and renewable power is expected to increase by 40% in the next five years. Bioenergy has an advantage of creating useful heat.[EP Magazine]

¶   Analysis from BCCONSULT says that at one point in early October, high renewable production drove the electricity price index covering Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland to 2.75¢/kWh at 2:00 pm. Renewable power produced nearly 60% of German grid demand and the grid did not explode. [Greentech Media]

¶   According to the Ontario Public Health Association, coal-fired power plants in Ontario accounted for 15% to 25% of the province’s a decade ago. By the end of next year, that figure will be zero, as renewable energy production and demand reduction allow the last coal plant to close. [Chatham Daily News]

¶   The first Spanish offshore wind turbine has been erected in the Canary Islands despite an industry lacking in state support. The 5 MW turbine is located at the end of a dyke and stands 154 metres (505 feet) tall with 62.5-metre (205-feet) long blades. It will be able to supply electricity to 7,500 homes. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶   The governor of Niigata Prefecture, says TEPCO’s processing and distribution of information on Fukushima Daiichi is “institutionalized lying.” His prefecture is the home of Kashiwazaki Kariwa, the world’s biggest nuclear complex, and he wants the company to come clean before restarting the plant. [The Japan Daily Press]

US:

¶   A1 Organics in Eaton, Colorado, the region’s largest commercial composting and organic recycling company, announced it has entered an agreement, worth tens of millions of dollars, with a renewable energy business to develop what could be the largest anaerobic digester project in the US. [Greeley Tribune]

¶   A federal complaint, filed at the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, alleges that the plaintiffs were diagnosed with some form of cancer as a result of the negligent and reckless operation, remediation and/or decommissioning of two nuclear materials processing facilities in western Pennsylvania. [The Pennsylvania Record]

¶   Federal regulators plan to take public comment at a Nov. 6 meeting in Orlando, Florida on a proposed rule and an environmental study on the effects of extended storage of spent fuel after nuclear plants close. At issue is the federal “waste confidence” policy. [Tampabay.com]

Numbers:

¶   Renewable energy has reduced wholesale prices in Germany by €0.012 per kWh. Since the surcharge is calculated by the difference between the feed-in tariff and the wholesale price, the lower prices will lead to a nominally higher surcharge next year, but lower prices to come. [RenewEconomy]

Science and Technology:

¶   Biomass is often overlooked within the renewable energy sector, but is now emerging as a key player for many countries seeking cleaner ways to power their economy. Though it is currently overlooked, biomass may just become the game changer for some countries. [eco-business.com]

World:

¶   A recent study by a green electricity provider in the UK has found that rapid expansion of renewable energy can lead to strong cost savings by 2030. Taking the consequential costs of coal and nuclear into account, the savings can run into many billions. [pv magazine]

¶   Danish wind turbine company Vestas has signed an agreement with a manufacturer and exporter of spiral-welded steel pipes in Turkey for the construction of a 52 megawatt wind power plant. Vestas will deliver, install, and commission 16 turbines of 3.3 MW. [EcoSeed]

¶   Australia’s energy industry is on an inevitable path away from fossil fuels and further investment in the sector, particularly coal, would be very risky, according to research by UNSW. The study says 100% renewable electric power by 2030 would be cost-effective. [WA today]

¶   European Union coal demand is on course for a decades-long slide as the growth in capacity of renewable power outstrips new coal-fired plants. Across the EU, a total of 28 gigawatts of old coal-fired capacity could come offline between 2012 and 2020. [Business Spectator]

¶   TEPCO detected the highest radiation levels found so far near tanks holding contaminated water used to cool reactors at its wrecked Fukushima Daiichi plant. Readings of 2,200 millisieverts per hour were found yesterday, up from 1,800 millisieverts per hour. [Bloomberg]

US:

¶   SolarWorld, the largest US solar manufacturer, announced today that it has begun building solar carports totaling 537 kW capacity at four public parks in Thousand Oaks, California. The carports are expected save local government millions of dollars over 25 years. [Your Renewable News]

¶   Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) will deactivate its Honolulu Power Plant on Jan. 31, 2014, as part of its strategy to increase the use of renewable energy and reduce Hawaii’s dependency on imported fossil fuel. [KHON2]

¶   HECO recently announced getting almost 18% renewable energy in the first half of 2013, exceeding the 2015 requirement two years ahead of schedule. Four notable bright spots are helping to drive Hawaii’s clean energy transformation. [Huffington Post]

¶   The US Energy Information Administration’s “Electric Power Monthly” says renewable energy sources provided 14.20% of the country’s net electric generation during the first half of the year (through June 30, 2013), up from 13.57% for the same period last year. [Domestic Fuel]

World:

¶   AGL Energy Limited has said it has reached financial close on two large-scale solar photovoltaic projects in New South Wales. The projects will see a 102 MW development in Nyngan and a 53 MW plant built in Broken Hill. [Business Spectator]

¶   Global use of solar and wind energy continued to grow significantly in 2012. Solar power consumption increased by 58%, to 93 TWh, and the use of wind power increased by 18%, to 521 TWh. [Nanowerk]

¶   Renewable energy company RES has received development consent from the government for the 100 MW North Blyth Biomass Power Station. The facility, to be built on Blyth Estuary, will be able to generate low-carbon electricity using sustainably sourced wood-based fuel. [New Post Leader]

¶   China plans to invest 2.3 trillion yuan ($375 billion) in energy-saving and emission-reduction projects in the five years through 2015 to clean up its environment, the China Daily newspaper reported, citing a senior government official. [Reuters]

US:

¶   Minneapolis-based utility holding company Xcel Energy proposes to expand its wind power production by as much as 1,500 megawatts to reduce customer costs, protect against rising and volatile fuel prices, and benefit the environment. [EcoSeed]

¶   St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, could be the site of the state’s first commercial wind farm. Southern States Renewable Energy is proposing a $40 million project that would bring eight 498-foot-tall wind turbines to an isolated patch of coastal land near the Port of West St. Mary. [Westport-News]

¶   French utility EDF, the world’s biggest operator of nuclear plants, is pulling out of nuclear energy in the United States, because of  cheap shale gas. The CEO said EDF would now focus on renewable energy in the United States. [Business Spectator]

¶   The University of Missouri System announced a partnership among Ameren Missouri, Westinghouse Electric Co. and two UM campuses to conduct research related to small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs. [Columbia Missourian]

¶   As part of a reorganization plan to simplify Entergy’s corporate structure, the company is studying options for its non-utility owned power plants, mainly its aging nuclear plants operating in the U.S. Northeast which face falling wholesale prices and a difficult regulatory environment. [Reuters]
… Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will lose 30 of its 650 employees by the end of the year as part of a reorganization announced Tuesday by parent company Entergy Corp. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶   Dominion is seeking a change in temperature limit from 75° to 80° Fahrenheit for both Millstone units 2 and 3. The NRC posed a number of questions to the company and asked for additional information before accepting the request. [Patch.com]