geoharvey

Opinion:

¶   “Fracking: Energy Abundance or Crisis?” As the boom in fracking wells in the northern Appalachian Marcellus shale region now produces seven times more natural gas than in 2010, the implications for policy and impacts on the energy market are starting to show. [The Equation: Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists]

World:

¶   Three million Kenyans will benefit from increased wind power on their national grid. The country’s director renewable energy and petroleum said independent power producers will reduce the cost of power by up to 40% by use of cheaper, reliable technologies such as wind. [The Star]

¶   The UK’s wind energy industry set a new hourly output record for August late on Sunday, as strong winds led to a surge in renewable energy generation. Wind power delivered an average of 5.0 GW of power over a period of an  hour, meeting 17% of national demand. [Business Green]

¶   The Indian government plans to rapidly accelerate wind energy generation, adding an ambitious 10,000 MW every year, or five times the total new capacity that came up in the last fiscal, as the Modi government takes steps to reduce dependence on costly energy imports. [Economic Times]

¶   A report issued by Hanergy Holdings Group and China New Energy Chamber of Commerce says China became the world’s biggest market for solar power in 2013, with the country’s newly installed photovoltaic generating capacity jumping 232% on-year to 12 GW. [Your Renewable News]

¶   Plentiful resources of wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro-electric energy, combined with a need for new, more economical power capacity, are fuelling strong momentum in clean energy investment in Mexico and Central America, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. [Business Spectator]

¶   EDF Energy is taking three of its nuclear reactors in Britain offline for inspection this week after finding a defect in a reactor of a similar design, the company said on Monday. The three reactors will be offline for an estimated eight-week period. [Yahoo!7 News]

¶   According to the latest weekly analysis by NPD Solarbuzz on UK PV market deployment, the UK’s cumulative capacity has now reached 5 GW. This makes the UK only the sixth country to have more than 5 GW capacity. [Solar Power Portal]

US:

¶   Environmentalists want TVA to slow down before building another major gas plant just because natural gas prices are now very favorable. One alternative is to bring in high-voltage DC power from windfarms in Oklahoma and Texas. Another is local solar and wind. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

¶   The Northeastern United States’ largest garage mounted solar canopy has gone online at Boston Properties’ Bay Colony.  The solar canopy covers 60,000 square feet atop a parking garage, producing 840 kW, or over a million kWh annually. [EarthTechling]

Science and Technology:

¶   UK-based Cenex has just completed a two-year project to reduce both the weight and cost of EV batteries, succeeding by shaving 99 pounds, or about 41% of the weight off a standard EV battery, reports Green Car Congress. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A new study investigates various models of how bicycle infrastructure influences cities. It reasons that policies and projects supportive of bike lanes are deserving of the change; deserving of the money spent which becomes money saved. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Vattenfall and Stadtwerke München have decided to jointly invest about 11 billion Swedish kronor ($1.97 billion) in a second joint offshore wind farm off the German North Sea coast. With a capacity of 288 MW and is expected to power for about 400,000 households. [Business Wire]

World:

¶   Uganda’s government has started paying power connection fees for rural households to encourage use of electricity by the rural folks, energy minister, Irene Muloni, has disclosed. She says all households near the power lines (within 15 metres range) are being connected. [New Vision]

¶   The Indian Railways are working on a project which would replace, to a major extent, the traditionally used diesel and conventionally produced thermal electricity, by eco-friendly and cheaper resources in the form of solar and wind power. [The Indian Republic]

¶   A mapping study has revealed the energy and environment sector is one of the fastest growing in both Wales and the rest of the UK, employing 58,000 people in more than 2,000 companies with a combined turnover of £4.8 billion. [WalesOnline]

US:

¶   Ocean acidification hurts infant oyster populations that cannot develop thick enough shells to survive. Washington state oyster farmers deal with this by adding alkaline chemicals into controlled environments, but as acidification worsens it will hurt adult populations as well. [Energy Collective]

¶   California has lagged behind other states on demand response. This week, a group of utilities, environmental groups, consumer advocates and demand response and smart grid companies filed a settlement agreement meant to help unlock the potential of demand response in the state. [Energy Collective]

¶   More than 650 US organizations now rely wholly on “green” power resources – such as solar, wind and geothermal – to meet their electricity needs, according to the US EPA’s Green Power Partnership’s latest quarterly report. [Triple Pundit]

¶   According to the Electric Power Research Institute, the total recoverable wave power along the US continental shelf is 1,170 TWh/yr, or enough to power about 110 million homes in the US. That would be about 70% of all US homes. [The Market Oracle]

¶   Three of Ohio’s four largest utilities — American Electric Power, Duke Energy and FirstEnergy — are asking state regulators to guarantee profits on a select number of power plants that might otherwise be decommissioned. [Columbus Dispatch]

Opinion:

¶   “RMI Blows The Lid Off The ‘Baseload Power’ Myth (Video)” Amory Lovins has very effectively debunked the myth that a reliable electricity supply from renewable resources needs either giant baseload coal, gas, or nuclear power stations or some yet untested cheap storage solution. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶   First Solar, the world’s largest manufacturer of thin-film solar photovoltaic cells and modules, announced that a cell made at its Ohio R&D center achieved an efficiency of 21%, the highest on record by a non-concentrating cadmium-telluride (CdTe) cell. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Scientists in South Korea say they have found a way of converting used cigarette butts into a material capable of storing energy that could help power everything from mobile phones to electric cars. [Reuters]

World:

¶   Australian Prim Minister Tony Abbott is under fresh pressure to put climate change on the agenda at the upcoming G20 gathering, with a group of medical scientists led by a Nobel laureate warning Australians face “serious health risks” if the issue isn’t urgently tackled. [The Guardian]

¶   Like other developing countries, Vietnam has been powered by hydropower dams and fossil fuels, while other sources are underdeveloped. The government has taken to saying that if it doesn’t build dams, the only other feasible options are coal and natural gas. [Thanh Nien Daily]

US:

¶   Leading US solar company SunPower has flagged the introduction of battery storage into the commercial market in 2015 in Australia, as it looks to rapidly expand its suite of home energy service offerings. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Aside from hosting a majority of the nation’s wind farms, the Midwestern U.S. is not known for aggressively pushing the agenda on clean energy issues. But that may be changing as Minnesota joins other leading states in the effort to remake the electricity sector. [Energy Collective]

¶   A new energy conservation effort from the non-profit Efficiency Vermont is expected to shave a significant percentage off the electric bills of 19 large companies. The Industrial Peak Initiative aims to reduce consumption at peak times that bring extra charges. [Comcast SportsNet New England]

¶   There was good news for renewable energy companies on Friday, as the IRS lowered qualification threshold for qualifying for tax credits. The new threshold has been lowered from 5% to 3% of total energy project costs incurred before the start of this year. [Bidness Etc]

¶   While Florida advertises itself as the Sunshine State, power company executives and regulators have worked successfully to keep most Floridians from using that sunshine to generate their own power. [Los Angeles Times]

Opinion:

¶   “Flaw and Order: How Brookings Got Its Analysis of Wind and Solar Costs So Wrong” A paper from the Brookings Institution, claiming that wind and solar were our most expensive electric resources was wrong. Why? It was based on badly obsolete data. [Greentech Media]

World:

¶   Germany already boasts over 7,000 home solar plus energy storage systems, and some analysts suggest the US could see similar growth once Tesla’s much-touted battery “Gigafactory” starts producing at scale. [Scientific American]

¶   A day after Chinese state media reported that Beijing is set to ban the use and trade of coal in its inner districts, Xinhua has now reported that the head of the National Energy Administration has said that China is aiming to install 13 GW worth of solar PV power in 2014. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Gamesa, one of the world’s largest wind energy companies, has announced that it has installed a total of 30 GW worth of wind power with the completion of one of the eight turbines being installed at the Tornio wind farm in Finland. [CleanTechnica]

¶   South Australia’s wind farms produced enough electricity to meet a record 43 per cent of the state’s power needs during July, and on occasions during the month provided all the state’s electricity needs. [RenewEconomy]

¶   Vice-President Namadi Sambo has said that Nigeria would fully utilise its abundant renewable energy resources to enhance electricity supply across the country. He particularly mentioned solar energy, which Nigeria has in abundance. [Nigerian Tribune]

US:

¶   Massive algae blooms on Lake Erie have robbed Toledo of clean drinking water, and boiling water with blue-green algae toxins just concentrates the poison. The causes include loss of wetlands, crumbling infrastructure, invasive species, and climate change. [Energy Collective]

¶   Residential solar provider Sungevity, Inc, headquartered in Oakland, CA, has announced that it has expanded its solar services into New Mexico and Vermont. Sungevity was ranked the third most productive residential solar installer in America, by a GTM Research report. [CleanTechnica]

¶   In Springfield, Missouri, City Utilities held a dedication ceremony for a 40-acre solar farm northeast of the city that officials say can power approximately 900 homes each year. The site will produce 4.95 MW, making it the largest solar farm in the state. [KSMU Radio]

¶   Some utilities say they are discouraged by the way the EPA’s carbon reduction proposal treats new nuclear projects that are coming online or attempts to help existing facilities overcome the economic factors that threaten them with retirement. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

¶   Wyoming’s Industrial Siting Council voted 7-0 to approve a proposal for a 1,000-turbine wind farm. During the two-day public hearing, no one spoke against the project. The nearly $5 billion project could produce up to 3,000 MW, or 10 million MWh annually, with 114 permanent jobs. [Casper Star-Tribune Online]

Opinion:

¶   “Solar Power on the Rise: Rooftop Solar, Large-Scale PV, CSP, and the Solar Revolution” Shining. Soaring. Skyrocketing. Solar is so exciting, we’re running out of adjectives. America’s solar power revolution is the subject of a new UCS report. It’s a story worth celebrating. [The Equation: Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists]

Science and Technology:

¶   A group of chemical and mechanical engineers wants to harness the power of the sun to fuel cars, airplanes and semi-trucks. If the energy from sunlight can be harnessed and boosted in a single spot, it can be used to break chemical bonds and create chemical feedstocks for fuel. [PBS NewsHour]

World:

¶   A full-scale tidal power generator aimed at showing the potential for renewable energy has been unveiled in Wales. Power generated by the 400 kW demonstration device – to be installed within a matter of weeks – will be fed into the National Grid and used to power nearby homes. [BBC News]

¶   An Australian Energy Market Operator report says Australia is facing an energy glut. It raises serious questions about the viability of existing coal-fired power stations, but might also result in more pressure on the Federal Government to reduce the Renewable Energy Target. [Yahoo Singapore News]

¶   Iranian officials have announced the country’s investment in solar and wind renewable energy will result in 500 MW of electricity generated by the wind farms and solar plants sent into the country’s national grid by March 2015. [SmartMeters]

¶   A set of community councils is launching a major community consultation exercise on the regeneration proposals for the Scottish North Carrick region over the next three months, which includes a community wind farm. [allmediascotland.com]

¶   UK renewable power producer Infinis said it will wait for the outcome of the referendum on independence before building two wind farms, the 43 MW A’Chruach and 55 MW Galawhistle projects in Scotland. The vote is on September 18. [Recharge]

¶   The Japanese government and TEPCO are considering pumping up contaminated groundwater from 42 wells around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s Nos. 1 to 4 reactors and releasing it into the Pacific Ocean after removing almost all radioactive substances. [The Japan News]

US:

¶   Governor Peter Shumlin marked the completion this week of the South Ridge Solar facility, the first 500-kilowatt solar net-metering project in Vermont. The solar farm provides power to Middlebury College as part of the school’s commitment to become carbon neutral. [Rutland Herald]

¶   Customers of Vermont Gas Systems are now burning renewable natural gas as a small mix of their overall natural gas consumption, the company announced Thursday. Biomethane is coming from a landfill operator in Quebec and piped into the transmission system. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

¶   Currently, Milwaukee utility We Energies pays about 9.2¢ per kWh for electricity generated from biogas digestors. In a pending rate filing is a proposal, they plan to cut the buyback rate for new customer-sited bioenergy projects down to 4.24¢ per kWh in 2016. [Biomass Magazine]

¶   Distributed wind is the use of smaller, on-site wind turbines for a home or business power supply. Established wind companies are now bringing distributed wind to the masses by providing a turbine leasing solution to farmers. [RenewablesBiz]

World:

¶   SunPower’s Fab 4 facility to produce 350 MW of solar panels annually in the Philippines, will start up in 2015 and reach full capacity until 2016. After that, Fab 5 may be ready for solar panel production by 2017, and will have a solar panel production capacity of 700 MW or more. [CleanTechnica]

¶   India may emulate a solar pricing model that made Germany and Spain the biggest markets for the technology, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to spur renewable energy. Germany has installed 35 GW of solar compared to India’s 2.4 GW, according to data from Bloomberg. [Livemint]

¶   Wircon, a German renewable energy company, has teamed up with Sino-American solar power specialist SPI to target the UK solar photovoltaic market. They plan to set up a joint venture company to develop solar energy projects in the UK, with an initial target of 55 MW. [The Construction Index]

¶   The World Bank Group has committed $5 billion for energy projects in six African countries as part of US President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative. The six beneficiary countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania – will receive support. [Energy Matters]

¶   As coalition forces leave the old Afghan Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, they plan to take diesel generators with them, according to the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The generators provide much of the province’s electricity. [Motherboard]

¶   Greece’s Blue Star Ferries, a subsidiary of Attica Group, and Eco Marine Power (EMP) of Japan, will deploy and evaluate renewable energy technology on board the passenger and car ferry Blue Star Delos. [Ship & Bunker]

¶   In sub-Saharan Africa, only 8% of the population in rural areas has access to mains electricity, but mini-grids – localised generation, transmission and distribution of power – could change all that. [The Guardian]

¶   Almost all of the nuclear fuel in the No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant melted within days of the March 11, 2011, disaster, according to a new estimate by Tokyo Electric Power Co. [Asahi Shimbun]

¶   The long-awaited restart of Japan’s nuclear power plants is facing yet another setback and may be delayed until 2015, Japanese media said on Wednesday, piling pressure on struggling utilities to push for fresh price hikes. [Japan Today]

US:

¶   The State of Indiana last week joined 10 other states and the Commonwealth of Kentucky in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the US EPA’s new Clean Power Plan, which aims to achieve targeted reductions in carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. [NUVO Newsweekly]

¶   New England States Committee on Energy, a group of the governors’ utility regulators, decided to delay discussions about the tariff with the New England Power Pool, an industry group, for a month or so, to consider defeat of a “clean energy bill” in Massachusetts. [Boston Business Journal]

¶   Tesla Motors, the manufacturer and proponent of electric vehicles, might deal a crippling blow to utility companies with its plan to make renewable energy and the storage of that energy more accessible to the public. [Bakken.com]

¶   America’s wind power market continues to boom on the back of government renewable energy incentives, but the industry’s peak body says Congress must provide assurance it will continue to support tax breaks for private investors. [Energy Matters]

¶   Northern Power Systems, based in Barre, Vermont, a next generation renewable energy technology company and maker of wind turbines, has announced financial results for its three and six month periods ended June 30, 2014. Revenues have tripled while the net loss has fallen. [Vermont Biz]

¶   Conservative groups failed Tuesday in a coordinated effort to unseat several moderate House Republicans. Despite a flood of negative mail in the final weeks of the campaign, all of the targeted members appear to have survived their primary challenges, several by wide margins. [KCUR]

Opinion:

¶   “Sowing Confusion About Renewable Energy” Readers of The Economist may be surprised to read that solar and wind power are “the most expen­sive way of reducing green­house-gas emissions,” while “nuclear plants…are cheaper.” But not everything you read is true. [Forbes]

World:

¶   The University of Queensland and First Solar have begun construction on a 3.275 MW solar PV research facility at UQ’s Gatton campus. It will be the largest solar PV research facility in the southern hemisphere. [UQ News]

¶   A sugar mill in Queensland has fuelled one its boilers solely on macadamia nut shells. The boiler is normally run on bagasse, a cane by-product, but that was swapped for 3,000 tonnes of shell during a three-week system maintenance, the equivalent of 1,800 tonnes of coal. [ABC Online]

¶   The end of the price on carbon triggered a drop in output from Snowy Hydro last month, while high levels of wind and solar energy helped drive the share of coal-fired power stations in Australia’s main electricity grid to a record low, consultants Pitt & Sherry say. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶   Jordan is carrying out a project to use wind power in Tafila province in the south of the country. The project’s energy production is around 117 MW, generating 400 GWh yearly. The project will be built in mid-2015, with an estimated cost of around $285 million. [Al-Monitor]

¶   The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change has said it was examining the benefits of providing support to wind, solar, and other low carbon projects located outside the UK through the new Contract for Difference regime, as it looks to meeting its renewable goals for 2020. [Business Green]

¶   Europe’s energy dilemma – burning the dirtiest coal while meeting pollution targets – is crystallizing in opposition to a plan that would uproot 700-year-old villages on the German-Polish border and dig two pits the size of Manhattan. [Businessweek]

¶   The message from energy ministers as part of the US-Africa Leaders Summit was that coal and natural gas will have to dominate the continent’s near future, even as officials also emphasized how deeply threatened the region is by climate change. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

¶   At best, nuclear power accounted for only 10.8% of the world’s electricity last year – down from a peak of 17.6% in 1996 – and faces a difficult future in at least the short term because the world’s reactor fleet is aging, while new projects are hit by high costs and construction delays. [MinnPost.com]

US:

¶   Investment bank Morgan Stanley says the global electricity utility industry is still underestimating the potential of EV maker Tesla to achieve a dramatic reduction in battery storage costs, luring more and more consumers to go “off-grid.” [RenewEconomy]

¶   The Long Island Power Authority and the state of New York are reviewing recommendations from PSEG Long Island that conclude that the region has plenty of power to get it up to 2022, including a finding that projects such as the proposed Caithness II plant will not be needed. [Newsday]

¶   Environment New York Research & Policy Center released a report showing strong solar growth across the nation including a 30% increase in New York in 2013. The report says effective state and local public policy is more important than the quality of sunlight. [Long Island Exchange]

¶   Pacific Energy Solutions signed a contract with the US Navy to supply 30,400 MWh annually in Hawaii. They will install 68,645 photovoltaic modules at 14 project sites at military installations, offsetting 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. [Your Renewable News]

Science and Technology:

¶   A team of researchers led by Newcastle University has produced an all-in-one Biofuel Micro Trigeneration prototype system fueled by unprocessed plant oils that provides combined cooling, heating, and electrical power. This first-generation system is designed for use in homes. [Gizmag]

World:

¶   SolarReserve is bringing 20 MW of utility-scale solar power to El Salvador’s Acajutla plant, while advancing its share of the Latin American solar market. The Santa Monica, California–based company won El Salvador’s first ever utility-scale solar tender. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Cape Town, South Africa, will be a new base of US solar panel manufacturer Jinko Solar, as the firm announced that it will be opening a R80 million ($7.5 million) 120 MW solar photovoltaic module production facility in the city. [htxt.africa]

¶   Beijing will stop using coal and close coal-fired power plants and other coal facilities in six of its capital districts by 2020. With pollution in Beijing reaching levels more than double levels considered hazardous, the country is increasingly installing clean wind and solar power. [NEWS.com.au]

¶   India will provide low-cost loans and grants to set up solar power parks across the country to host as much as 20 gigawatts of capacity, about 10 times what it has built to date. The parks will host large plants ranging between 500 MW to 1,000 MW that will be connected to the grid. [eco-business.com]

¶   As Australia’s federal government commits to a future dependent on the nation’s vast coal resource, two of the countries upon which this shaky economic plan is most dependent – India and China – look to be closing the door on the heavy polluting fossil fuel. [RenewEconomy]

¶   France is set to cut fossil fuel use and ramp up renewable energy generation after passing a long-awaited energy and climate law last week. The law sets targets to reduce consumption of fossil fuels 30% by 2030 and get 32% of energy from renewable sources. [Responding to Climate Change]

US:

¶   Mississippi Power will convert from coal to natural gas or retire several units at plants in south Mississippi and Greene County, Alabama, as part of an agreement to end litigation over construction of a coal-fired power plant in Kemper County. [Greenfield Daily Reporter]

¶   Three members of the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act Implementation Advisory Committee resigned and criticized the administration’s support of a bill that could lead to the construction of a natural gas pipeline across the state. [Platts]

¶   Green groups say the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to weaken radiation standards at nuclear power plants would triple the likelihood of people in surrounding communities developing cancer. [The Hill]

Science and Technology:

¶   A new material could allow more utilities to store large amounts of renewable energy, says a new research. The new electrode made of a liquid metal alloy enables sodium-beta batteries to last longer, helps streamline their manufacturing process and reduces the risk of accidental fire. [Big News Network.com]

World:

¶   US-based First Solar has signed an EPC contract for the 52.5 MW Shams Ma’an PV plant in Jordan. The agreement for the facility, which will be the largest solar PV installation in the Middle East, also covers long-term operations and maintenance. [reNews]

¶   Siemens AG Chief Executive Officer Joe Kaeser is leaning on the manufacturer’s €19 billion ($25 billion) financial services division as a tool to help fund nascent technologies and promote them with customers. [Businessweek]

¶   About 25% of Australian power generation profits come from supplying power 0.4% of the time at peak prices. Renewable resources are destroying that profitability. Coal-burning power stations are being hit hardest, because they need to keep producing around the clock. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶   The government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh plans to add 500 MW of wind power capacity in the state within a year and is revising the wind power potential estimates. It has a typical advantage of high wind velocity which has been tapped scarcely. [Deccan Chronicle]

¶   Britain, a land of cloudy skies and reliable rain, is fast becoming the hottest spot in Europe for many investors in solar energy. The UK has benefited from a combination of stable subsidies since 2011, public support for solar, amenable planning authorities and creative finance. [Wall Street Journal]

¶   The proportion of electricity produced in Western Australia’s main power grid from coal has jumped more than 30% in seven years despite carbon pricing and concerns about climate change. New figures reveal that coal has overtaken gas as the dominant fuel source. [The West Australian]

¶   TEPCO looks likely to miss a deadline to filter out a cancer-causing radioactive isotope from water stored at its wrecked nuclear plant in Fukushima and treat all water at the site by March 31, 2015, according to Bloomberg News calculations. [Businessweek]

US:

¶   The US DOE has just teamed up with EPA and the Department of Agriculture to announce a new initiative for ramping up manure-to-biogas at dairy farms and other farming operations, called the Biogas Opportunities Roadmap. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Even with hydropower, efficiency is important. The INN Electric Cooperative’s hydro dam in Alaska is an example. Efficient operation reduced the amount of diesel power needed to power the three villages it supplies from 40,000 to 50,000 gallons to less than 5,000 per year. [Anchorage Daily News]

¶   Rather than resisting change, San Diego Gas & Electric has been working with the Environmental Defense Fund and others at Rocky Mountain Institute’s eLab Accelerator to explore a vision of a future with even greater quantities of distributed energy resources. [Business Spectator]

¶   Leveraging the US’s strengths in its renewable supply of cows, garbage, and flushable toilets could help make electric vehicle charging stations – including Tesla’s Supercharger sites – as numerous and widespread as gas stations. [USA TODAY]

Opinion:

¶   “Coal: True cost and effect” The Philippine government claims that coal is cheap. But a Greenpeace study debunks this. Hydro, geothermal and biomass are cheaper.  The study said that a typical new 600-MW coal-fired power plant has a price tag of $2 billion. [Business Mirror]

Science and Technology:

¶   The Council of Economic Advisors just released an important analysis on the costs of delaying climate action. It sounds a familiar alarm: climate change is here, it is very costly, and doing nothing to reduce dangerous carbon pollution runs intolerably high risks. [Energy Collective]

World:

¶   Governments across Indian states seem to be scrambling to launch programs to set up solar rooftop projects after the success of such projects in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state. The latest state to join the bandwagon is Tamil Nadu. [CleanTechnica]

¶    In South Africa, former homeland areas in the Eastern Cape’s Transkei and Ciskei regions are gearing up, through the House of Traditional Leaders, to take on private farming enterprises for a share in the lucrative renewable energy market, especially as regards wind power. [Independent Online]

¶   A massive solar farm which it is claimed would power up to 3,000 homes has been proposed for Swansea, Wales. Sheep and cattle graze on the proposed site, but the company claims this could continue beneath the solar panels. [Southwales Evening Post]

¶   India’s environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday said clean energy was the ‘mantra’ of his government and promised to utilize money from the National Clean Energy Fund to promote solar and wind power in a big way. [Times of India]

US:

¶   The Edison Electric Institute, the power industry’s main trade group, is calling on utilities to better promote electric cars in order to stimulate demand for electricity and help reverse trends that threaten the long-term viability of some in the industry. [Energy Collective]

¶   Panasonic, Tesla’s current lithium-ion battery cell supplier, has now signed an agreement with Tesla on how the two will jointly carry out construction of this factory in the United States, including the roles each will play. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Kansas and Indiana utility regulators have approved a new transmission project to carry electricity from wind farms in Kansas to Illinois and Indiana. The $2 billion Grain Belt project, and regulators in Missouri plan to hold public hearings this week. [The State Journal-Register]

¶   Dismantling the San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California will take two decades and cost $4.4 billion, but spent radioactive fuel will be held at the site indefinitely, according to a game plan from Southern California Edison. [Chicago Daily Herald]

Opinion:

¶   “Energy bill’s failure sets back state’s fight on climate change” An important Massachusetts energy bill has failed, but the problems it tried to address have not gone away, and the clock is ticking. Massachusetts climate goals won’t mean much if they aren’t met. [Boston Globe]

World:

¶   The Australia Institute today released findings that solar is both creating jobs and pushing down electricity prices – contrary to the popular belief that renewable energy puts upward pressure on energy prices. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The UK government’s electricity market reform proposals, designed to help encourage investment in low carbon energy, was passed into law. The Department of Energy and Climate Change claims the new law will attract £100 billion of new infrastructure investment. [Solar Power Portal]

¶   Coffs Harbour residents have been named as leading Australia in using solar energy to power their homes. The Climate Council has announced that a staggering 39% of all Coffs Harbour households or businesses have installed rooftop solar PV systems. [Coffs Coast Advocate]

¶   Mainstream Renewable Power is to test a large-scale power storage system at an Irish wind farm from September. The aim is to assess the commercial viability of installing 2 MW of storage at an operational 10 MW wind site in the current Single Electricity Market. [reNews]

¶   Following a competitive tendering process, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator has selected technologies from five separate providers, which it now plans to test for their contribution to grid stability. [PV-Tech Storage]

¶   Bulgaria’s outgoing government greenlighted on Thursday a last-minute deal with Toshiba’s US nuclear engineering unit Westinghouse to build a new reactor at the country’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant. [Focus News]

US:

¶   Central Hudson Gas & Electric filed a $46 million rate case, “Value for our Valley,”  which includes new distribution automation systems, community solar, expanded demand response, and a microgrid-as-a-service program, with the New York Public Service Commission. [Energy Collective]

¶   New Jersey’s recently created Energy Resilience Bank, designed to address a repeat of the devastating impacts of SuperStorm Sandy, will provide $200 million for municipalities to finance clean resilient power solutions. [Energy Collective]

¶   Southern California Edison has signed contracts with solar and geothermal energy producers representing more than 1,500 MW. More than 1,300 MW of solar power will come from providers in California and Nevada and 225 MW from geothermal in Northern California. [Los Angeles Business Journal]

¶   The USDA today released a Biogas Opportunities Roadmap outlining voluntary strategies the U.S. livestock industry can use to accelerate adoption of methane digesters and other technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020. [Agri-Pulse]

¶   The US Energy Information Agency announced that non-hydro renewable had gone eight months where it outproduced hydroelectric dams. The figures include projects in excess of 1 MW of solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, and municipal solid waste. [Ars Technica]

¶   California Governor Jerry Brown is set to make a trade mission to Mexico accompanied by some 90 delegates from the state’s public and private sectors. The mission will focus on issues relating to climate change, environmental protection, the economy, and renewable energy. [International Business Times]

¶   The planned 1300 MW Eagle Mountain pumped storage project in California has received a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, paving the way for the project to go ahead. The pits at the mine will be modified to become water storage reservoirs. [International Water Power and Dam Construction]

Opinion:

¶   “No Need for Indian Point” Independent expert analysis commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council provides a road map for replacing the aging and risky nuclear facility with renewable power — like wind and solar — and increased energy efficiency. [New York Times]

Noteworthy:

¶   A retired coal miner traveled 1,300 miles from his home in Kentucky to Denver to tell the EPA about the black lung disease he suffers from and how the pollution from coal plants is adversely affecting public health. His plea: “We’re dying, literally dying for you to help us.” [ThinkProgress]

World:

¶   Electricity from renewable sources in the UK increased 30% over 2013 to account for 14.9% of total generation. Installed onshore wind capacity rose 27% and there was a 59% increase in solar photovoltaic capacity. [Business Green]

¶   The New Zealand government is stepping up its funding to help Pacific island nations switch from imported fossil fuels to renewable energy, the foreign minister has announced. New Zealand is now funding 25 renewable energy projects in the Pacific. [GlobalPost]

¶   Wuxi Suntech, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of PV modules, announced that it will provide PV panels for 7.5 MW of off-grid projects to power rural schools and villages in Malaysia. The first phase will power three schools and twenty villages. [Your Renewable News]

¶   New analysis from business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan shows that the global solar power market earned revenues of nearly $60 billion in 2013, and estimates that by 2020 this figure will double to $137.02 billion. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Danish wind-turbine manufacturer Vestas has received an order of wind turbines totaling 53 megawatts for a wind power project in Sweden, the company announced Thursday. The order entails delivery of 16 wind turbines to Sattravallen. [RenewablesBiz]

¶   Acknowledging the significant risks climate change and environmental health pose to both countries, the United States and India are also furthering cooperation on addressing, mitigating, and adapting to the effects climate change. [US Department of State]

¶   Plans are afoot to set up the country’s largest ultra mega solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, a senior official said on Thursday. The plant is designed to produce 700 MW of electricity. [Times of India]

US:

¶   When a Republican congressman who represents an area of central Kansas co-sponsored a bill that would cut demand for biofuels by phasing out a federal renewable energy program, many of his rural constituents took note. Now he is in a tough race with a political novice. [Daily Journal]

¶   Farmers Electric Cooperative, a rural energy company serving 650 members, has constructed Iowa’s largest solar farm — an expanse of 2,900 panels spanning 4½ acres along a gravel road in southwest Johnson County. [Iowa City Press Citizen]

¶   In Tiffin, Ohio, the Sisters of St. Francis built a straw-bale house as a demonstration project to show that by incorporating an alternative design, nontraditional materials and a renewable-energy system, a structure can be comfortable and good for the environment. [Catholic Free Press]

¶   The US nuclear power industry has so far spent about $3 billion taking actions and making plant modifications to address lessons learned from the 2011 Fukushima Disaster in Japan, a utility official told the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission during a briefing Thursday. [Platts]

Opinion:

¶   “Wind Energy Beats Nuclear & Carbon Capture For Global Warming Mitigation” An enduring myth about wind energy and nuclear energy needs to be put to bed. It is that only nuclear can be scaled sufficiently to reduce the impacts of global warming, so wind can be ignored. [CleanTechnica]

¶   “FERC Commissioners: Clean Power Plan Doesn’t Spell Doom for Grid Reliability” All five members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission agree that acting on climate change is critical and none indicates the EPA’s plan to cut carbon emissions would hamper grid operations. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

World:

¶   Energy monolith GE has announced that it will be investing equity in three Atria Power wind projects currently under construction in India — a move that goes a long way towards GE’s commitment to invest $1 billion annually in the global renewable energy industry. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The Australian Renewable Energy Agency today celebrated a major milestone with the installation of the first solar panels at AGL’s large-scale solar plant in Nyngan, New South Wales. The project will have 1.35 million panels and a capacity of 102 MW. [MarineLink]

¶   Small, renewable energy projects in South Africa are starting to supplement the limited coal-fired power available from Eskom and the municipalities. About 1,000 MW is expected to be delivered from renewable sources such as wind and power by the end of this year. [SA Commercial Prop News]

¶   One of Australia’s oldest and most polluting coal-fired power stations, Energy Brix in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, is being shut down, the plant’s owner announced. It is the first coal plant in the state to close in decades. Environmentalists say its power is no longer needed. [RenewEconomy]

¶   Wind power is officially the cheapest source of energy in Denmark, according to the nation’s government—and by 2016, it claims the electricity whipped up by its newest turbines will be half the price of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. [Motherboard]

¶   An independent judicial panel of citizens has concluded that three former TEPCO executives should face criminal charges in connection with the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the latest development in the search for justice following the accident. [Wall Street Journal]

US:

¶   SunPower Corp. today announced it has started construction on the 135-MW Quinto Solar Project in Merced County, California. After completion, which is scheduled for late 2015, the Quinto project is expected to generate enough electricity for 40,000 homes. [AZoBuild]

¶   NextEra Energy Resources has announced plans to begin construction on a wind farm in northeast Hockley County, Texas. The plan is set to have 47 wind turbines on the site by 2016, producing 80 MW. The name of the farm will be Red Raider Wind. [LubbockOnline.com]

¶   Members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on July 29 told a congressional committee that they are working closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make sure the coal-averse Clean Power Plan doesn’t destabilize the grid. [PennEnergy]

¶   Flexible alternating current transmission systems have been implemented in electric grids since the 1920s, but growing renewable energy deployment has increased their demand. According to Navigant Research, the market for them to 2022 will be $42 billion. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Exelon is getting into the fuel cell business with a commitment to finance projects at 75 commercial facilities throughout the US. The company will provide equity financing for California-based Bloom Energy, which uses fuel cells to produce electricity from natural gas. [Businessweek]

World:

¶   The longer the world waits to act on climate change, the more costly it will be to rein in the environmental impacts of releasing heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, according to a White House report on climate change. [Christian Science Monitor]

¶   An international arbitration court ruled on Monday that Russia must pay $50 billion for expropriating the assets of Yukos, the former oil giant whose CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky fell foul of the Kremlin. [Reuters]

¶   France’s planned energy law will mobilize about €10 billion ($13.4 billion) in tax credits and low-interest loans to spur energy efficiency and renewable generation, according to Environment Minister Segolene Royal. [Businessweek]

¶   Since 2010, 35 solar farms, totaling approximately 257 MW, have been constructed under the project and connected to the utility grid in Northeastern Thailand. A ceremony held earlier this month in Surin Province commemorated the launch of the installations. [Today’s Energy Solutions]

¶   In China, M&G Chemicals announced a joint venture with Anhui Guozhen CO, using PROESA technology licensed by Beta Renewables to convert 970,000-1,300,000 metric tons per year of agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol, glycols and by-products such as lignin. [Biobased Digest]

¶   Onshore wind turbines market in Germany posted strong growth in the first half of 2014 with some 1,723 MW generation capacity having been installed as against 1,038 MW in the corresponding period last year, a growth of 66%. [Big News Network.com]

¶   PV installations in Germany generated significantly higher profits than onshore installations despite producing less electricity overall, according to a new study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research. [pv magazine]

¶   On the second anniversary of a scheme aimed at boosting Japan’s renewable energy after the Fukushima crisis, its powerful industry ministry is taking steps critics say will choke off solar investment and pave the way for a return to nuclear power. [eco-business.com]

¶   After months of attempting to negotiate with local residents in Fukushima, the Japanese government has abandoned its attempt to purchase land to store nuclear waste from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi reactors. [the Diplomat]

US:

¶   A new report by The Analysis Group, “EPA’s Clean Power Plan: States’ Tools for Reducing Costs and Increasing Benefits to Consumers,” shows that states seem to already possess the tools needed to cut down on carbon emissions, boost the economy and protect consumers financially. [Energy Collective]

¶   Under a system called “community choice,” a town can become the bulk buyer of electricity on behalf of its residential and small business customers. Marin Clean Energy in California has fought for nearly decade to offer service in their commitment to renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A total of $250 million in state grant funding is available to fund clean-energy generation projects, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said Tuesday. Funding will be for wind farms, fuel cells, biomass facilities, renewable biogas and the upgrading of types of hydropower projects. [WatertownDailyTimes.com]

¶   New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has launched a $27 million initiative to build the market for high-efficiency, low-emissions wood heating systems in the state. The money is coming from New York’s share of proceeds from the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. [Press & Sun-Bulletin]

¶   The “new reality” facing electricity consumers and their utility companies is that renewable energy is meeting an increasingly larger share of U.S. energy needs, according to a report Ceres and Clean Edge. That translates into more and better choices and a clean energy future. [Triple Pundit]

Opinion:

¶   “The Coal Industry Has Been Fear-Mongering for 40 Years Now” The fossil fuel industry has been promising catastrophe coming with regulation for decades. But if the sky fell because of the EPA’s proposed climate rule like promised, it would the first time the industry guessed it right. [The New Republic]

¶   “Energy diversity critical to U.S. economy” The uncertainty around the future prices of natural gas, oil, coal, uranium, and others means uncertainty regarding the cost to produce electricity. A diversified portfolio is the most cost-effective tool available … [Fierce Energy]

World:

¶   Gamesa has added two new Brazilian wind projects worth 214 MW to its order pipeline. According to the website, the Spanish wind manufacturer will supply 166 MW to Companhia de Energias Renováveis plus 48 MW to Eletrobras subsidiary Eletrosul. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Kyocera and partner SPCG have achieved full commercial operations at a solar cluster totalling 257 MW in Thailand. The string of 35 plants has been under development in Surin Province since 2010 and together constitute one of the largest PV projects in south-east Asia. [reNews]

¶   Babcock and Wilcox Company announced that B&W Vølund, a subsidiary of B&W Power Generation Group, was awarded a contract exceeding $80 million to build a 280 MWth biomass boiler system for the Skærbækværket district heating and power plant. [BioEnergy News]

¶   NextEra Energy Canada has received renewable energy approval for the 102 MW Goshen wind project to be constructed adjacent to Lake Huron in Ontario.  Goshen will employ 62 1.6 MW units and one 1.56 MW machine on 80-meter towers. [reNews]

¶   Atomic power’s share of global electricity supply is at the lowest level since the 1980s and may fall further without major new plant construction, according to a draft of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2014. [Thomson Reuters Foundation]

¶   The share of renewables in Germany’s gross electricity consumption surged to a record 28.5% in the first half of 2014, up from 24.6% in the year-earlier period, according to preliminary figures from the federation of energy and water industries BDEW. [Recharge]

US:

¶   The American Wind Energy Association has just come out with some facts and figures about the so-called hidden cost of wind power. According to AWEA’s calculations the “hidden cost” for conventional power plants in Texas is 17 times more than wind. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Small natural gas leaks from old buried pipes may be more common than previously thought, according to the preliminary findings of a new methane mapping project being carried out by Environmental Defense Fund and Google Earth. [Energy Collective]

¶   Arizona Public Service Co. is looking to enter the rooftop residential solar market with a plan to install and operate panels on as many as 3,000 Phoenix-area homes. It’s a departure for the Arizona’s largest utility, which until this point has only built large utility-scale projects. [Phoenix Business Journal]

¶   Two Wisconsin utility companies — once among the early leaders in promoting solar power — now say the solar industry has grown so much it is hurting their business and their customers. They are asking state regulators for rate changes that they call a matter of fair treatment. [RenewablesBiz]

¶   Faced with increasing interest in renewable energy generation, the Chicopee, Massachusetts Planning Board and Planning Department is developing guidelines for generating power from sun or wind. The plan allows home and business solar installations without special permits. [MassLive.com]

¶   Oahu could become the first place in the United States to connect the energy harvested from ocean waves to a power grid. Northwest Energy Innovations, a private company, will start testing a prototype in September, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. [The Tribune]

¶   Green Mountain Power is expanding its groundbreaking heat pump pilot program to Montpelier as part of the city’s major initiative focused on making Montpelier the first net zero capital city in the country. [vtdigger.org]

Opinion:

¶   “Boom-or-Doom Riddle for Nuclear Industry” The nuclear industry paints a rosy picture of its future. Detractors of the industry say that industry projections are a pipe dream and that nuclear power will not expand at that pace, if at all, in the face of solar and wind power growth. [Truthdig]

Science and Technology:

¶   A new study finds that when climate models factor in the temporary warming and cooling impact of El Niño and La Niña, they accurately predict recent global warming. It agrees with other studies leading one climatologist to say, “Global temperatures look set to rise rapidly.” [Energy Collective]

¶   With an EPA-rated range of 265 miles per charge, the Tesla Model S is the longest-range electric car you can buy today. In an interview with AutoExpress, though, Elon Musk revealed that a 500-mile battery will be possible “soon” … but at an exceedingly high cost. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   Plans to replace up to 70% of the diesel-powered electricity generation on Australia’s Lord Howe Island with hybrid renewables generating capacity and storage have received financial backing from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. [CleanTechnica]

¶   GE Energy Financial Services, part of the GE conglomerate, has undertaken investments in three wind energy projects in India, the company said on Monday. These wind farms, being constructed by Atria Power, have a combined capacity of 126 MW. [NDTV]

¶   Soon, all of Germany’s coal-fired power plants will be dependent on imports, with the country expected to halt coal mining in 2018 when government subsidies end. US exports of power plant-grade coal to Germany have more than doubled since 2008. [Times Colonist]

¶   Solar Frontier has signed an agreement with the town of Hiraizumi to build a 13 MW CIS megasolar power plant. To be located on 30 hectares of land designated for commercial use, the utility-scale power plant has received support of local residents. [Energy Business Review]

¶   An Australian-made energy storage system is now on site in Western Sydney. Built for Transgrid by Magellan Power, the system has 400-kWh lithium polymer (LiMnNiCoO2) batteries and an advance bi-directional inverter. [Energy Matters]

US:

¶   Con Ed filed a proposal for a program it hopes can defer costs to build a $1 billion substation. Instead, $200 million would go to novel customer-side load management programs, and $300 million toward more traditional utility investments to reduce load from specific areas by 2018. [Energy Collective]

¶   Amazon Web Services and Greenpeace have become embroiled in another slanging match over the cloud provider’s green credentials, due its supposed lack of energy-efficient data centres to power its services. [V3.co.uk]

¶   The Army has awarded the final round of solar technology contracts that will support a $7 billion renewable and alternative energy power production for Department of Defense installations Multiple Award Task Order Contract. [AZoCleantech]

¶   Clarkson University, partnering with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, National Grid and others, is designing a grid that will provide renewable and conventional electricity to many entities in the village of Potsdam, New York. [WatertownDailyTimes.com]

¶   Dominion North Carolina Power dedicated the company’s first renewable power grid at Kitty Hawk. The project will be used to reduce the amount of power the Kitty Hawk regional office pulls from the grid. It has four wind turbines for 13 kW and 6 kW of solar PVs. [The Outer Banks Voice]

¶   A Texas Empowerment report released by Choose Energy shows that about one in three Texans choose renewably sourced energy options. That’s 100% more than any other state, according to Levente McCrary, spokeswoman for Choose Energy. [Tyler Morning Telegraph]

Economy and Finance:

¶   In the transition towards a post-carbon future, infrastructure built today for fossil fuels could easily become stranded assets which burden investors and taxpayers with sunk costs. The future looks bleak for coal, and we should not invest in it. [Resilience]

World:

¶   Kudos Energy, a new Australian start-up solar company, believes that the Australian market for rooftop solar leasing for the residential and commercial sectors could reach $100 billion in the next decade. Kudos is the brainchild of two leading private equity investors. [CleanTechnica]

¶   According to the Chilean specialized media ‘Electricidad,’ Abengoa, the world leader in the Concentrated Solar Power market, is planning to invest up to $10 billion in renewable energy infrastructures in Chile. [CSP World]

¶   Scottish businesses have invested almost £50 million in onsite power stations in recent years because of concerns over cost and security of supply. There are now 40 commercial-scale renewable energy projects including wind turbines, solar PVs and anaerobic digestion plants. [Scotsman]

¶   Secretaries of the ministries concerned will brief Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once a month on key infrastructure projects. This decision was taken at a meeting after the secretary of the Planning Commission presented India’s infrastructure targets and achievements. [Business Standard]

¶   From an initial targeted development of 23 MW, Filipino firm Eastern Renewables has been moving its goal higher to accomplish an expansion of up to 100 MW for biomass projects. Eastern Renewables is the arm for renewable energy ventures for Eastern Petroleum Corporation. [Manila Bulletin]

¶   Over £45 million has been invested in commercial-scale renewable energy projects across the UK county of Hampshire. Farmers, businesses, communities and public sector organisations in the county have taken advantage of renewable energy projects, with 74 now operating. [Daily Echo]

US:

¶   The old US microgrid model, built for power security and based on fossil fuels, is evolving. Microgrid development is expected to grow 70 to 80% in the next three years, with many hew projects at private commercial operations and including solar PV, battery storage and biogas. [Energy Collective]

¶   With a new battery pack built in partnership with LG Chem, it seems like GM plans to usurp Tesla’s plans to deliver a long-range and affordably priced EV to the masses. The rumors of a 200-mile GM-branded EV have been around for a while, and now the car may appear soon. [CleanTechnica]

¶   In the past few years a tremendous technological transformation has occurred. The barriers for electric companies to entertain unprecedented growth potential by devouring a large piece of the oil companies’ share of the US energy market for transportation is now clearly in reach. [Energy Collective]

¶   Ohio green energy advocates want to ensure the state’s new two-year freeze on renewable energy mandates for utilities becomes just that — a timeout from requirements set forth under a 2008 law and not a backdoor strategy to repeal it after this fall’s gubernatorial election. [Toledo Blade]

¶   A new project would transform 25 acres of brownfield in Lackawanna, New York into a 4 MW solar farm with 13,000 solar panels. The project would be near a related wind project with its 14 wind turbines on the Hamburg and Lackawanna waterfront. [Buffalo News]

¶   Renewable-energy advocates are rallying against a proposed utility fee for Utah residents who have solar panels and wind turbines, saying it could hinder further development of renewable energy. [Washington Times]

¶   This week a committee at the National Academy of Sciences released a report entitled, “Lessons Learned From the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of US Nuclear Plants.” Those lessons are summarized as “Safety first, complacency never, shift to renewables.” [allvoices]

World:

¶   Russia is a major exporter of crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. Sales of these fuels accounted for 68% of Russia’s total export revenues in 2013, based on data from Russia’s Federal Customs Service. [Energy Collective]

¶   A consortium of Australian energy groups look to create a “mini electricity” system relying on local renewable energy production and storage. The search has begun for a suitable town to become Australia’s first “zero net energy town,” using renewables, storage and a local mini-grid. [RenewEconomy]

¶   The signals coming from Australia’s Federal Government say it is preparing to cut the renewable energy target back. But Melbourne and Sydney have set ambitious targets to slash carbon emissions and are determined to make it happen, whatever direction Canberra takes. [ABC Online]

¶   A project to build 65 MW of solar power generation in Uruguay has successfully reached financial close. The Spanish, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, has signed for $70 million in funds from Norway’s DNB Group. Spanish bank, Santander is also financing $24 million. [PV-Tech]

¶   Construction is starting at the Westermeerwind nearshore wind farm in the Netherlands after the developer reached financial close on the project. It will feature 48 3-MW turbines between 500 metres and 1100 metres from the dikes of the Noordoostpolder. [reNews]

¶   Restarts of reactors at the Ikata nuclear power plant in Japan’s Ehime Prefecture will be delayed until at least next year because the site does not meet safety standards. The emergency headquarters building at the facility needs to be completely replaced. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶   Seneca Mountain Wind issued a statement saying it has ceased development its project in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. It has withdrawn a request to connect the project to the New England power grid and it has terminated all its leases it had to build the turbines. [Greenfield Daily Reporter]

¶   A lobbyist for Exelon Corporation recently bragged about killing the wind industry and claimed they would kill the solar industry next. Now the company favors extension of a net metering cap in Massachusetts, though in a watered-down form. It remains to be seen why. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Georgia Power will add 34 MW of solar PVs via three large projects following an approval by the Georgia Public Service Commission in December. In addition, they will add an additional 7.2 MW at smaller sites through a small- and medium-sized initiative program. [Macon Telegraph]

¶   Two months after an Angelina County judge decided to allow the Aspen Power’s trustee to recommence operations at the biomass facility, wood chip conveyor belts were up and running. Traffic in and out of the facility signaled a positive movement for the restart of the facility. [KTRE]

¶   Researchers at the West Central Research and Outreach Center in Minnesota are working together on an initiative to lower energy consumption and introduce renewable energy generation to crop, dairy, and swine production systems. [Morris Sun Tribune]

¶   The Baltimore Interfaith Solar Co-op allows members to purchase home solar systems from an installer together, negotiating a group rate. Despite its title, the Baltimore co-op is open to all regardless of church membership or religious affiliation. [Baltimore Sun]

¶   California could meet its energy needs with renewables alone, according to Stanford University researchers. The authors of a recent study say a transition scenario is economically as well as technically feasible. [Deutsche Welle]

¶   Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning has said he hopes to announce plans to expand the utility’s fleet of power reactors by the end of the year. The company is studying six existing plants and new sites for potential reactor construction. [Nuclear Street – Nuclear Power Portal]

Science and Technology:

¶   A new report has found that the number of incidents of wind turbines catching fire is a sizeable issue for the wind industry, and a problem that is not being accurately reported on, with an estimated ten times more fires occurring than are actually being reported. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   Global prospects for wind power are rising despite disappointing 2013 numbers, say analysts at Navigant Research. Wind power now supplies about 3% of the world’s electricity, but Navigant expects wind power to deliver 7.3% of global electricity by 2018. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Bradford Council has become the first local authority in the UK to back plans for its schools to run on solar power, as it emerged that nationally just five schools have installed renewables that qualify for feed-in tariff incentives in the past year. [Business Green]

¶   Alice Springs can expect 4% of its electricity supply to come from solar by the end of 2015. Already Australia’s largest tracking solar farm, the 3.1 MW expansion of Uterne will bring its total capacity to 4.1 MW. [ABC Online]

¶   Plans for a series of new UK offshore wind farms have been thrown into doubt after the Government disclosed it would only award enough subsidies this autumn to fund one such project. Wind farm developers for other projects will be forced to wait to find out about funds. [Telegraph.co.uk]

¶   Ventinveste, a consortium of some of Portugal’s top energy and engineering companies, and Ferrostaal GmbH, a worldwide project developer, will build four wind farms in the country, in a €220 million investment that will strengthen the country’s renewable energy cluster. [AltEnergyMag]

¶    Research sponsored by business groups and the mining industry shows Australia’s 20% renewable energy target (RET) will cost the economy $29 billion and 5000 jobs by 2020. This is in direct conflict with other recent reports finding consumers would be better off with the RET. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶   European power sector stakeholders are fully aware that a substantial transition is taking place there. A poll taken during POWER-GEN Europe revealed that half of the delegates present expected that the European market for large power plants will never return. [Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine]

¶   According to a new report by analyst Frost & Sullivan published this week, global solar power market revenues are set to more than double to $137 billion by 2020, up from just under $60 billion in 2013. [Business Green]

¶   Kudankulam nuclear power project’s second 1,000 MW unit is expected to be commissioned shortly, the government said on Thursday. The power project, located in Tamil Nadu, has two units of 1,000 MW generation capacity each. [The Hindu]

US:

¶   The National Hockey League is the first A-list pro sports league to issue a Sustainability Report. In its report, the NHL took on climate change deniers and set a new high bar for all the other pro sports leagues in the US. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The US Energy Department and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have awarded funding totalling $1.35 million to four distributed wind companies to help drive down the cost of small- and medium-sized wind energy systems. [reNews]

¶   More than three years after the town of Edgartown, Massachusetts made a bet on green energy, the first municipal solar sites on Martha’s Vineyard are now feeding power back into the grid. But getting to this point has been anything but easy. [Martha’s Vineyard Gazette]

¶   New York State has awarded seven research teams $3.3 million to develop smart grid technologies to “enhance grid performance, reduce the risk of power outages, and lessen environmental impacts and energy consumption, all while reducing the cost of power delivery.” [SmartMeters]

¶   A new Stanford study finds that it is technically and economically feasible to convert California’s all-purpose energy infrastructure to one powered by wind, water, and solar. The plan could create tens of thousands of jobs and save billions of dollars. [Phys.Org]

¶   Wind power makes up 15% of the energy supply that Xcel Energy provides to customers and can meet the energy needs of about 2.5 million homes. At one point in May 2013, wind accounted for more than 60% of the power on the Colorado system, setting the national record. [Intelligent Utility]

Science and Technology:

¶   As governments struggle to find practical routes forward with positive outcomes for CO2 mitigation, attention is turning to dealing with other greenhouse gases, particularly methane. A number of methane emission initiatives are now underway or being planned. [Energy Collective]

¶   Planning is underway to replace the aging US power network with a new, “smart” grid, one that’s energy efficient and flexible enough to handle variability in both supply and demand — one comprised of microgrids that can isolate electrical crises before they spread. [KQED QUEST]

¶   Google wants to see the size of inverters shrink – and will award a million dollars to the person or team that comes up with the best design. An inverter can take the DC current produced by the solar modules or wind turbines and converts it to AC. [Energy Matters]

World:

¶   UK renewable-power projects will compete for guaranteed payments totaling more than £200 million ($340 million) a year of as part of its first auction of contracts to spur low-carbon electricity. By 2021 as much as £1 billion a year may be available, it said. [Bloomberg]

¶   Increased focus on curbing the emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants is fuelling the global solar power market. Coupled with favourable legislation and the need to enhance energy self-sufficiency and security, these factors will help the solar power market grow rapidly. [Greentech Media]

¶   South Australia’s Tindo Solar is being provided up to $20 million senior debt finance from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to locally manufacture, install and own rooftop solar arrays and sell the power to building occupants under a power purchase agreement. [Manufacturers’ Monthly]

¶   All of Japan’s nuclear reactors remain shut down as the country heads into the hottest days of summer, when demand for energy is at its highest. Utilities are boosting production at thermal plants and the government is calling on locals and companies to save energy. [Nippon.com]

¶   The Government of Rwanda is preparing to commission in early August 2014 the first utility-scale solar PV power plant in East Africa with a production capacity of 8.5 MW. The project has commenced testing phase of up to 20% of its total capacity. [AltEnergyMag]

¶   First Solar has submitted an application to build a huge solar power plant in Chile. According to a press release from the Centre for Renewable Energy, the plant will be one of the biggest in the world and the largest in Latin America at 370 MW. [ValueWalk]

¶   The European Commission approved the U.K. government’s renewable energy contracts and so-called capacity payments, saying the program that benefits power plants complies with state-aid rules. [Businessweek]

¶   Up to 1.12 trillion becquerels of radioactive cesium are estimated to have been dispersed during work last summer to remove debris at reactor 3 at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, TEPCO said Wednesday. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶   According to data from the Solar Industries Association, more than 44% of solar capacity installed in the US during the first quarter was non-utility. Adding that amount to the utility solar power indicates that solar is leading the nation in terms of installations. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Though solar power is still far from surpassing coal as America’s primary energy source, the number of people employed by the solar industry has surpassed the number of coal miners. There are about 142,000 people in the US workforce working at least half time on solar. [CleanTechnica]

¶   On Wednesday, US Senator Chuck Schumer unveiled a proposal for a federal tax credit to reimburse farmers for 30% of the cost of anaerobic digesters. Such systems can be costly, but the electricity from the waste of 400 cows is enough to power 185 average households. [Albany Times Union]

¶   Last year, California created a mandate calling for 1,325 MW of energy storage projects by 2020. As of mid-2014, more than 2,000 MW of energy storage projects have already applied to interconnect with the state’s grid. [Energy Collective]

Opinion:

¶   “Will the micro-grid put major power companies out of business?” There is now a range of units such as cogeneration plants, which deliver heat and electricity, wind turbines and solar PVs, owned by a whole raft of municipalities, households and businesses. [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶   A new material developed at MIT is able to convert 85% of incoming solar energy into steam — a significant improvement over recent approaches to solar-powered steam generation. Very little heat is lost in the process, and it can produce steam at relatively low solar intensity. [Energy Collective]

World:

¶   Germany and the United Kingdom have 18 of the 30 most polluting energy plants in the European Union, according to a study funded by the European Union. All of the EU’s most polluting plants are coal-fired. [EurActiv]

¶   Toyota will have at least three production fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle models on sale within ten years. That’s the official word from the company’s US National Manager Advanced Technology Vehicles, Craig Scott. [Motoring]

¶   Australia’s household solar revolution has caught the government-owned electricity sector by surprise. More than one million Australians have already installed solar panels on their rooftops, which has caused demand for electricity from the grid to plummet. [Huffington Post]

¶   Clean energy investment continued to grow in the second quarter. Investment was up 9% at $63.6 billion during the April-June period, with China the largest investor followed by the US, according to the latest quarterly update from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. [Business Spectator]

¶   Indian Railways is all set to give a push to its plans to generate renewable energy. The national transporter is planning to generate 20% of its total energy requirement from solar and wind energy over the next couple of years. [Financial Express]

¶   The UK government will retain its 2023-27 target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, resisting reported pressure to water it down. Current estimates are that UK and EU levels of ambition on carbon-cutting “are likely to be extremely close”. [Recharge]

¶   Located in the Engadine Valley in Switzerland, Zernez has set the goal of using only renewable sources to meet its energy requirements for buildings in the municipality, thus reducing CO2 emissions to zero. [Nanowerk]

¶   Top officials at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan, charged with the selection and construction of the nuclear waste facilities, were replaced last month because of lack of progress and in view of the planned restart of nuclear power plant operations. [The Japan News]

US:

¶   California officials have ordered an emergency shut-down of 11 oil and gas waste injection sites and a review more than 100 others in the state’s drought-wracked Central Valley out of fear that companies may have been pumping toxic waste into drinking water aquifers there. [Resilience]

¶   Consumers Energy is choosing four Michigan farms to produce renewable energy with anaerobic digesters. The farms could generate electricity under long-term contracts that total 2.6 MW, enough to power about 2,800 homes. [Your Renewable News]

¶   The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will hold a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction for the 250-MW Beacon Solar Power Project. This new solar array is an important component of LADWP’s complete power supply transformation. [Sierra Wave]

Science and Technology:

¶   Just how fast the California’s climate is changing became apparent Monday when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released figures showing the first six months of this year were the hottest the state has ever recorded. [Willits News]

¶   The globe is on a hot streak, setting a heat record in June. That’s after the world broke a record in May. NOAA’s climate monitoring chief said both the June and May records were driven by unusually hot oceans, especially the Pacific and Indian oceans. [Lexington Herald Leader]

World:

¶   Research from the Energy Economics and Management Group in the School of Economics shows that wind energy – particularly in South Australia and Victoria – has a big impact on wholesale prices, even at peak demand time when the wind is least powerful. [CleanTechnica]

¶   New South Wales aims to be “Australia’s answer to California”, accelerating the use of renewable energy and finding new ways to curb waste, in a push that puts it at odds with Coalition counterparts in other states and at the federal level. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶   For the first six months of 2014, China’s power consumption has recorded an increase of 5.3%. For the same period, coal used in generation declined year-over-year by three grams per kWh to an average of 317 grams per kWh of electricity produced. [Market Realist]

¶   EDF en Canada has reached agreement with three aboriginal groups on the 350 MW Rivière-du-Moulin wind project in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve in Quebec. The project is in a territory of interest for the Innu First Nations. [reNews]

¶   Iberdrola Ingeniería and Gamesa have entered into an agreement with Honduras-based Grupo Terra to build a turnkey project to cost $83.8 million. The new 50 MW wind farm will supply the electricity needs of 100,000 homes. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶   The Australian Federal Parliament voted to scrap the country’s carbon price last week, causing concerns as to the future of PV in the country. However, the Australian Solar Council says that the move won’t halt the growth of solar. [pv magazine]

US:

¶   US agriculture could provide up to 155 million tonnes of crop residues and 60 million tonnes of manure for the generation of clean fuels and electricity in 2030, according to new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists. [BioEnergy News]

¶   According to the latest  Energy Infrastructure Update from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, solar and wind energy constituted more than half of the new generating capacity in the country for the first half of 2014. [AlterNet]

¶   While the politics of fracking has taken hold of election-year energy discussions in Colorado, the wind power industry is quietly surging. On Friday Vesta Wind Systems announced it was hiring 800 new workers, after receiving orders for 370 turbines over the last few weeks. [ThinkProgress]

¶   Schneider Electric has partnered with Green Energy Corp to provide standardized microgrid solutions for energy clients. The partnership combines Schneider Electric’s experience in distributed energy resources with Green Energy Corp’s open source Linux tools. [SmartMeters]

¶   New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation advocating shutting down the Indian Point nuclear plant as an alternative to proposed engineering changes to the facility that have largely been rejected by Entergy, the plant’s operator. [Wall Street Journal]

Opinion:

¶   “The Politics of Renewable Energy” In 2011, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, comprised of leading scientists selected by the United Nations, found that there are few, if any, technological restrictions to powering the world through the use of clean energy. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

World:

¶   UK manufacturers are ­increasingly looking to generate their own power to sidestep fears of rising energy prices and threats to supply security, according to the Confederation of British Industry. New power options include wind, solar, and anaerobic digestors. [Express.co.uk]

¶   The UK government is expected to announce a cut in subsidies for small-scale hydro power schemes this week in a move that industry leaders said could kill off further investment in the sector and put Scottish jobs at risk. [Scotsman]

¶   In India, power demand is on an upswing due to lengthening summers, but declining monsoon rainfall has caused apprehension about hydropower output. With coal production dwindling, Coal India Limited has been asked to increase output. [SteelGuru]

¶   Another leak of radioactive water was found in the piping of water used to cool the spent fuel pool in the undamaged No. 5 reactor building of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a sign of possible deterioration in the system. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶   Over the next 20 years the role that coal plays in providing power to Texas will continue to diminish, perhaps just not as fast as experts had hoped.  Rising prices of natural gas have slowed coal’s reduction putting its numbers at about 23% of the Texas generating capacity. [Energy Collective]

¶   California has announced $26.5 million in grants for microgrid projects that put renewable integration front and center. Applicants should be able to incorporate low-carbon energy resources with energy storage and on-site energy management. [Energy Collective]

¶   No state has done more than California to fight global warming. But a deepening drought could make that battle more difficult and more expensive. The state’s hydroelectric dams are running low after three parched winters. [SFGate]

¶   At least five major transmission projects — some estimated to cost more than $1 billion to build — have been proposed to connect New England to plentiful hydropower sources to the north. The projects, however, are spurring opposition and debate. [Boston Globe]

¶   The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority has filed a petition for a feed-in tariff rate to comply with the Feed-in Tariff Act the VI Senate passed in May. It is just one of the steps that the territory is making to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and diversify energy production. [Virgin Islands Daily News]

Opinion:

¶   “24% Renewable Energy Over 27 Years — Is That All?!?” EIA is the experts, but we wonder if they left a couple of things out of the equation when it comes to the competition between natural gas and renewables for a share of the new capacity market from 2015 on out. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶   There’s a class of fuels that don’t use an intervening biomass to make a fuel. For that reason, they are not really properly called biofuels. Those working with them prefer “solar fuels,” because they use sunlight to capture carbon dioxide and make it into a fuel. [Biobased Digest]

World:

¶   Green bonds have been experiencing quite a boom lately — having seen a huge surge in 2013, they are up to almost $14 billion. Now green bonds look to set to climb to perhaps as high as $40 billion this year, up from under $14 billion in 2013. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will spend 15 billion rupees (US$ 250 million) to increase solar power across the country and also to improve power delivery. Nearly 40% of India’s 1.2 billion people have no access to reliable electricity. [IEEE Spectrum]

¶   WindStream Technologies has installed what it says is the world’s largest wind-solar hybrid array on an office roof in Kingston, Jamaica. The array is expected to generate over 106,000 kWh annually. [Gizmag]

¶   Wind farms in the Australian state of Victoria may face termination due to the highly inflexible and restrictive nature of new anti-wind laws and permit rules. Companies granted permits before the new laws were passed cannot make simple upgrades to their turbines. [Green Left Weekly]

¶   Recent commercial satellite imagery indicates that North Korea continues to experience difficulties in operating its 5 MW reactor, which was restarted in summer 2013. A new sand dam to ensure adequate water supply for the secondary cooling system failed in two places. [38 North]

US:

¶   President Obama announced a series of climate change initiatives on Wednesday at the White House aimed at helping cities and towns affected by storm surges, flooding, drought and erosion. [Latin Post]

¶   Waste Management is doubling capacity at its landfill gas power plant south of Arlington, Oregon, generating more energy for homes and businesses 260 miles away in Seattle. With the expansion, capacity will increase from 6.4 MW to 12.8 MW, or enough for 12,500 homes. [The Tribune]

¶   The Boothbay, Maine Planning Board gave a New York City firm conditional approval to build an energy storage facility. The board voted 5-0 approving Convergent Energy + Power’s application  to construct a valve-regulated lead acid battery storage facility. [Boothbay Register]

¶   The City of Rifle, Colorado produced enough power through its seven solar arrays to reach a net zero status for its electricity needs, including the City Hall, the police station, parks maintenance facility, public works, wastewater treatment, and other city buildings. [Glenwood Springs Post Independent]

¶   Gov. Mark Dayton wants Minnesota to eliminate coal as a source of energy production in the state. He wants the conversion of coal plants to natural gas to continue, along with boosting investment in renewable energy sources. [Rick Kupchella’s BringMeTheNews]

Opinion:

¶   “Decarbonizing the world energy system without nuclear” In 2013, where nuclear power supplied 11% of the world’s electricity, renewables about twice as much. And in 2013 renewables had a 72% share of new electricity generating capacity. [The Ecologist]

World:

¶   Onshore wind energy is the cheapest available form of new power generation in Denmark. Its cost, 5.4¢ (US) per kWh is about half that of offshore wind, new centralised coal, new centralized natural gas, and decentralised combined heat and power. [reNews]

¶   The UK government approved plans for a wind farm off the coast of Sussex. E.ON’s Rampion offshore wind farm, which would generate enough electricity to power approximately 450,000 homes, is expected to bring more than £2 billion of investment to the UK’s economy. [Insider Media]

¶   The price for thermal coal has plunged more than 10% in the last two months as the presumed major customers for Australian fossil fuels – China and India – make it clear that renewable energy is offering a competitive alternative to coal and gas. [RenewEconomy]

¶   The Asian Development Bank says there has been a spike in the need for investment in renewable energy in the Pacific as the cost of diesel becomes unaffordable and a structural shift to hydro, wind and solar power makes both economic and environmental sense. [Radio New Zealand]

¶   Among the latest insurance news for Europe’s renewable energy industry are plans being developed by insurers to provide protection to investors backing solar and wind power projects against the removal of vital federal subsidies. [Live Insurance News]

¶   Almost £8 billion was invested in renewable energy in the UK last year, according to a report by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The report showed renewables now produce 15% of the country’s electricity. [The Guardian]

¶   Turkey’s electricity consumption scored an all time record last week, highlighting the country’s thirst for new power capacity. Yet renewable power development plods slowly onwards. [pv magazine]

¶   Germany comes in first in a new energy efficiency ranking of the world’s major economies, followed by Italy, the European Union as a whole, China, and France, according to the 2014 International Energy Efficiency Scorecard. The US ranks 13th out of 16 countries ranked. [InvestorIdeas.com]

¶   According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research, global smart grid market was valued at $37.7 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach $118.1 billion in 2019, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 18.2% from 2013 to 2019. [PR Newswire UK]

US:

¶   The US Department of Interior will offer leases to companies that want to build wind turbines off parts of the coast of New Jersey, along blocks of ocean floor starting about seven miles off Long Beach Island, Atlantic City and Cape May County. [Cherry Hill Courier Post]

¶   The city of Boulder, Colorado has filed to condemn portions of the electric system owned by Xcel Energy through eminent domain. Boulder deems parts of the Xcel’s system as necessary to create a local electric utility that would serve customers within city limits. [Boulder County Business Report]

¶   If renewable energy sources produced a higher percentage of energy in West Virginia, new jobs would be created, and health conditions, particularly in poor and black neighborhoods, would improve, according to a new report from the state chapter of the NAACP. [Charleston Gazette]

Australian Carbon Tax Repeal:

¶   The Australian Senate voted on Thursday to scrap the country’s carbon tax and plans for emissions trading, a major victory for conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott that leaves uncertainty about how the country will meet its carbon reduction goals. [Gulf Times]

¶   Opinion: “‘A Perfect Storm of Stupidity’: Scientists React To News The Carbon Tax Is Gone” The Abbott Government delivered on its election promise to repeal the carbon tax today, 10 months after taking office. [Business Insider Australia]

¶   Opinion: “Carbon repeal: condemning our children for cheap political points” Australia has returned to its old role opposing serious action on climate change, having replaced functional, effective and low-impact carbon pricing with a witless policy of handouts to corporate mates. [Crikey]

¶   John Rice, vice-chairman of US multinational GE, one of Australia’s largest foreign investors, says its $3.5 billion pipeline of investment in green energy in this country is at risk because of possible changes to the renewable energy target. [The Australian]

¶   The Tasmanian state government has hailed the repeal of the carbon tax as a win for consumers, and the repeal was immediately greeted with optimism by Acting Premier Jeremy Rockliff. But the Opposition says it will leave a huge black hole in the state’s budget. [Yahoo!7 News]

¶   Australia cut carbon dioxide emissions from its electricity sector by as much as 17 million tonnes because of the carbon price and would have curbed more had industry expected the price to be permanent, according to an Australian National University study. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶   Global clean energy investment surged to $63.6 billion in the second quarter of 2014, up 33% compared to the first quarter and 9% compared to Q2 2013. But in Australia, utility-scale renewable energy project investment has largely dried up over policy uncertainty. [The Australian]

World:

¶   Europe will invest around $1 trillion into growing its renewable energy capacity by the year 2030, according to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Of this, $339 billion is expected to be into rooftop solar PV, and $250 billion into onshore wind energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Rural communities in Rwanda’s Eastern Province are quickly embracing use of biogas as a way of cutting the cost of fuel for cooking and lighting. The province, with the biggest cattle population in the country, has seen a number of households install biogas digesters. [AllAfrica.com]

¶   The government of Nepal has provided a ‘net metering’ system to allow a ratepayer to bank energy generated from the installation of rooftop solar PV system for later use or share for credits from Nepal Electricity Authority. [E Kantipur]

¶   EDF EN Canada Inc., a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, and Enbridge Inc. dedicated the 300 MW Blackspring Ridge Wind Project today. Located in Vulcan County, Alberta, the project is the largest investment in wind energy in Western Canada. [AltEnergyMag]

¶   A new report from the European Wind Energy Association has revealed a total of 4.9 GW of new offshore wind power currently under construction in Europe consisting of 16 new commercial wind farms. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

US:

¶   Following two record-setting months in May and June of this year, total American EV sales have surged past 222,000 units since late 2010, and while the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt remain the dominant players, there are many more options now. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Minnesota Power has settled with the EPA over emissions at coal-fired power plants. In addition to a $1.4 million civil penalty, the company will invest in renewable energy, including a 1-MW solar installation. The agreement includes 200 MW of wind energy. [Northland’s NewsCenter]

¶   The U.S. will build 351,000 MW of new electric generation capacity by 2040, according to an  Energy Department forecast. The agency projects new capacity over the next three decades will be 73% natural gas, 24% renewable and 3% nuclear. [FuelFix]

World:

¶   A national fleet of six tidal lagoon power plants could contribute £3.1 billion a year to the UK’s gross domestic product, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research examining Tidal Lagoon Power’s plans to build six projects. [reNews]

¶   Scatec Solar has completed a 40 MW solar plant in South Africa. Annual production will be around 94 million kWh, enough to cover the electricity demand of about 20 000 South African households. [Renewable Energy Focus]

¶   Japanese authorities have declared that two nuclear reactors at Sendai meet new standards put in place after the 2011 Fukushima disaster and are safe enough to be restarted, paving the way for the revival of the country’s atomic energy industry. [Washington Post]

¶   Spanish manufacturer Gamesa has signed deals to supply 100 MW in Mexico and 190 MW in the United States. The US contract was agreed with EDP Renováveis and covers 95 G114 2 MW turbines at the Waverly wind farm in Coffey County, Kansas. [reNews]

¶   Shinsei Bank Ltd, a lender for Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s clean-energy projects in Japan, plans to provide as much as $2 billion in loans for renewable developments. Shinsei is among lenders increasing financing for clean-energy projects in Japan. [eco-business.com]

¶   2040-50 may finally be the decade when the installed renewable energy capacity in India would overtake the coal-based installed capacity, if the Integrated Plan for Desert Power Development is fully realized. The plan is called ambitious. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Australia’s investment in large-scale renewable energy all but dried up in the first half of 2014 amid uncertainty fueled by the government’s latest review of the mandatory target, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶   Project developers have been invited to apply for qualification to the Ontario Power Authority’s next Large Renewable Procurement round, which will see as much as 440 MW of wind and solar capacity allocated. [Recharge]

¶   Nigeria’s Minister of Power says plans are in place for solar technology solution to replace the generators run with diesel as primary source of energy for the rural electrification projects across the country. [WorldStage]

¶   UK-wide greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 12% between 2007 and 2012, according to a study by the Committee on Climate Change. The report says the first carbon budget was met “through a combination of the impact of the recession and low-carbon policies.” [reNews]

US:

¶   In Massachusetts, new legislation would accomplish the stated objectives of the Patrick Administration, including a deployment target of 1,600 MW of solar PV (four times current levels) by 2020, while addressing core concerns of the utilities. [Energy Collective]

¶   Microsoft has signed its biggest renewable energy agreement, committing to buy the output of a 175 MW wind farm in Illinois. The 20 year deal commits Microsoft to buying the output of the 175 MW Pilot Hill wind project. [TechWeekEurope UK]

¶   Northern Power Systems, a next-generation renewable energy technology company based in Vermont, has launched a new 60 kW permanent magnet/direct drive wind turbine. The unit was specifically engineered for the Italian and other low wind regime markets. [Stockhouse]

¶   Rather than simply working against the (likely inevitable) spread of distributed generation, Vermont’s Green Mountain Power has been transforming itself into a company with a business model that puts renewable energy and distributed generation at its core. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Just when Cape Wind officials thought it was safe to go back in the water, the GOP-controlled House approved an energy and water appropriations bill that included a measure to bar a $150 million federal loan guarantee for the Nantucket Sound offshore wind farm. [RenewablesBiz]

Opinion:

¶   “Orwellian Newspeak and the oil industry’s fake abundance story” The oil industry’s fake abundance story is so full of verbal legerdemain that it has become a sort of lexicon of Newspeak for oil. [Resilience]

¶   “Electric Cars Will Change the Way You Power Your Home” When you put a solar panel on your roof, your home becomes a mini-power plant. When you buy an electric vehicle, you suddenly control an automobile-shaped energy-storage device. [TIME]

¶   “Wisconsin reactor’s demise hits local economy” The legacy of the 2013 shutdown of the Kewaunee Power Station, which generated nuclear energy for 39 years along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, is lost jobs, hard-hit economy, and nuclear waste. [Finance and Commerce]

World:

¶   Global clean energy investment surged to $63.6 billion in the second quarter of 2014, up 33% compared to the first quarter and 9% compared to Q2 2013, according to the latest authoritative figures from research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance. [Commodities Now]

¶   General Electric will supply some 94 MW of wind turbines to the Dunmaglass Wind Farm in Scotland. This capacity will come from 33 wind turbines that will be delivered to SSE Renewables in the coming months. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

¶   Like many other small island nations, Barbados has to ship in all of the oil that it uses to produce electricity—making power over four times more costly than it is in the fuel-rich US. That high price has proven to be a boon for Barbados’ fledgling solar industry. [New America Media]

¶   The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has awarded funding of $17.3 million (US) to a hybrid energy project in South Australia. The system will integrate 2 MW of PV and 3 MW of wind with the town’s pre-existing diesel power station of 3.9 MW. [PV-Tech]

¶   The UK is in danger of missing its post-2020 climate change goals unless it strengthens low carbon policy, according to the Committee on Climate Change. Instead of reducing carbon emissions by 31% from 2013 to 2025, the UK will achieve reductions of 21 to 23%. [Business Green]

¶   The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has commissioned what it claims is the Germany’s largest solar power storage park. The 1-MW facility is being developed by the KIT together with its Solarwatt and Kostal Solar Electric partners. [Daily Fusion]

US:

¶   California-based Siva Power has an ambitious cost roadmap for its thin-film solar modules. Siva says its first 300-MW production line will manufacture modules at 40¢ per watt, but believes it can get all-in costs down to 28¢ per watt after another two years of operation. [Energy Collective]

¶   Minnesota Power has taken delivery of equipment for Bison 4, a 205–MW addition to a wind farm. Once operational, Bison 4 will push Minnesota Power past the 25% renewable energy goal established by state legislators, 11 years ahead of the 2025 deadline. [Northland’s NewsCenter]

¶   Armed with the knowledge that his New England counterparts saw their energy costs explode last winter, Quebec Premier Couillard made it clear at a conference of New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers that the province has plenty of power for sale. [The Telegram]

Opinion:

¶   “Is Solar Ownership Poised For A Comeback?” Most car buyers believe ownership tends to be a better deal than leasing. That’s why only 25% percent of new cars were leased in 2013. The same is true for solar: ownership has more risks, but can also have more financial rewards. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶   UK-based AFC Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korean hydrogen supplier Chang Shin Chemical for fuel cell systems totalling up to 5 MW. Hydrogen from Chang Shin’s chemical works to generate clean energy with zero carbon emissions. [reNews]

¶   Indian company Welspun Energy is kicking off construction of the 50 MW Baramati solar project in Maharashtra. The facility will be installed in two phases with an initial 36 MW being installed on 75 hectares of government land. [reNews]

¶   Political parties in the South West of England that oppose onshore wind development are likely to lose twice as many votes as they gain, according to research commissioned by RenewableUK. [Western Daily Press]

¶   In Denmark, wind-farm developers are obliged to auction a minimum of 20% of the shares in a wind turbine over 25 metres high to neighbours living within 4.5 km of the mast. In addition, funds are put aside for local improvements and compensations. [Irish Independent]

¶   AU Optronics has announced its PowerLegato commercial and home energy storage system is now available to Australian customers. There are 7.2, 4.8 and 2.4 kWh models, all with over current, over temperature, over voltage and undervoltage protection. [Energy Matters]

¶   Despite ‘best efforts’ by the Punjab government, it is not getting the coal supply from the Centre to run its newly-commissioned thermal plants, which would easily give the state more than 2,000 MW. Punjab is in a desperate need of coal to power irrigation for crops. [Hindustan Times]

US:

¶   Apple has permission to establish its third solar farm in North Carolina. Apple plans to spend $55 million, to create the 17.5 MW new solar farm. It estimates that the construction will be completed 5 years after purchase of the land. [CleanTechnica]

¶   The EPA has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to solicit comments from the general public and affected stakeholders about 40 CFR 190, Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Nuclear Power Operations. [Energy Collective]

¶   On Saturday and Sunday in Oklahoma, there were seven earthquakes. As of last month, Oklahoma had surpassed California in the number of earthquakes. It’s possible that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, could have played a role in causing them. [CNN]

World:

¶   A geothermal project valued at $958 million was approved by the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly last week. Over $600 million of the total will potentially be funded by two sources: the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and European Investment Bank. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Singapore-based wind and solar energy developer The Blue Circle and Bangkok-based renewable energy group Annex Power will form a partnership to tap into Thailand’s wind energy investments with investments of approximately $200 million. [AsiaOne]

¶   Ricky Muir, the lone senator of Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, has revealed a broad belief in the environment, renewable energy and organic food. The government has been surprised along with almost all others. Muir’s votes in the senate may turn out to be pivotal. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶   Work has begun on the first solar farm in Central Bedfordshire. The  five-MW farm is expected to supply enough power for 1500 homes. It will potentially contribute £17,500 for the two parish councils, some of which could help fund domestic solar panel installations. [Luton Today]

¶   Indian environmentalists say the new government’s budget shows no real commitment towards the environment and does not allocate enough funds towards promoting renewable energy or public transport and appears to favour corporates over people. [Hindustan Times]

¶   According to Ernst & Young’s Power Transactions and Trends report, the increasing role of the private sector in both power generation and water could boost large-scale transactions in Middle East – North Africa in the future. Renewables may be a fertile growth area. [CPI Financial]

¶   Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has awarded £2.2 million to a major industry program to reduce the costs of offshore wind power. The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator brings major developers together to work on new technology concepts. [Business Green]

¶   NTR is lining up a €400m investment in wind energy on the island of Ireland as it seeks to diversify its US-focused power business. The company has just announced its first annual profit since the financial crash in 2008. [Irish Independent]

¶   German utility E.ON sees no need for any writedowns as a result of current low power prices, its finance chief was quoted as saying. Solar and wind power have edged out gas-fired power stations, causing an impairment wave in Europe. [Reuters]

¶   An anti-nuclear citizens’ network has translated a Japanese court’s ruling blocking restarts of two reactors at Ohi into English, Korean and Chinese. They want to spread the “universal values” of the judgment. [Asahi Shimbun]

¶   Seismologists said an earthquake that struck near Japan’s shuttered Fukushima nuclear site early Saturday was an aftershock of the tremor that sparked 2011’s deadly tsunami. They warn of more to come. [英文中國郵報] (This is the source as given – it is The China Post.)

US:

¶   After a period of explosive growth, the renewable power industry that Arizona helped pioneer is slowing there as utility regulators grapple with how much of a premium energy customers should pay to implement solar and other renewables. [Arizona Republic]

¶   SC Johnson, maker of Windex, Pledge, and Ziploc, among other things, says its largest manufacturing plant worldwide generally requires no outside electrical energy to operate. Most of its power comes from landfill methane, and the rest is from the wind and sun. [Journal Times]

World:

¶   A new report from analysts Clean Energy Pipeline has shown that global clean energy investment totaled $66.2 billion in the second quarter of 2014, the highest total since the end of 2012. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Hopes are high that West Harris will be central to Scottish wave energy production. The European Marine Energy Centre has been awarded rights to the seabed and will work alongside the West Harris Trust and the Comhairle to attract wave energy developers. [Stornoway Gazette]

¶   Medicine Hat’s (and Canada’s only) solar-thermal project is completed and only awaits regulatory approval from the Alberta Boiler Safety Association, while the three wind turbines are up and should be running by the end of summer. [Medicine Hat News]

¶   There may now be 6.5 million direct and indirect jobs in renewable energy, according to new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency. Global PV employment is estimated to be 2.3 million in 2013, with 1.45 million in biofuels and 834,000 in windpower. [Emirates 24/7]

¶   Regulators have given the go-ahead for the biggest investment in Scotland’s green energy sector in decades. The £1.2 billion submarine transmission cable in the Moray Firth is expected to pave the way for future wave and tidal energy generation in remote locations. [Scotsman]

¶   German hard coal consumption for power generation was down by 11% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2014 as the use of coal in electricity production gave way to higher renewable power production, coal importers lobby VDKI said on Friday. [Reuters]

US:

¶   Sixteen Transition groups in 12 states are currently laying the groundwork in their communities to pilot Transition Streets, a project proven to reduce the carbon footprint of entire neighborhoods and save hundreds of dollars on energy bills. [Resilience]

¶   The city of Loveland, Colorado lost a dam and hydroelectric plant in last year’s flood, but there may be an opportunity to replace the renewable energy source with one 100 years more modern. City officials are in the initial planning stages for a 5 MW solar array. [ReporterHerald.com]

¶   The Senate passed legislation to encourage more geothermal energy production on federal lands, streamlining the federal geothermal leasing program to encourage development of geothermal power by making adjacent development rights available at fair market rates. [myCentralOregon.com]

¶   Solar energy companies can legally sell power directly to customers, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday. The ruling will likely expedite the adoption of rooftop solar power generating systems – particularly by cities, schools and nonprofit groups. [Washington Times]

¶   Facing strong opposition from students, faculty and nearby residents who opposed a fossil fuel plant did due to its carbon footprint, the University of Delaware has scrapped plans for a 279 MW natural gas burning co-generation power plant. [Natural Gas Intelligence]

¶   Despite ample opportunities to replace the power from the closed San Onofre nuclear plant with renewables, energy efficiency, demand response and other pollution-free energy options, SDG&E is planning on buying 600 MW of power produced with natural gas. [Greentech Media]

¶   A dozen leading companies, including Wal-Mart and General Motors, called for market changes to make it easier to buy renewable energy. They say they want to purchase 8.4 million MWh per year of this energy, but the market often stymies their efforts. [USA TODAY]

¶   Exelon, which owns the Ginna nuclear plant, wants Rochester Gas and Electric to sign a contract promising payments keep the plant running. Exelon has filed a petition asking the New York Public Service Commission to enter into a multiyear contract by the end of 2014. [Rochester Democrat and Chronicle]