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Despite the anti wind energy bluster, wind energy is the best deal for Ontario

Wind energy is
the smarter long-term choice based on cost, environmental protection,
and wider sharing of benefits to rural communities.

At its current rate of 11.5 cents per kWh in Ontario, wind energy is
cost-competitive with virtually all other new sources of electricity
generation.

While some politicians and a group of highly motivated anti-wind
activists have worked hard to discredit wind energy, the benefits and
attributes of the world’s fastest-growing major source of electricity
speak loud and clear.

Wind energy is a better deal for Ontario than new nuclear
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/863783–wind-energy-is-a-better-deal-for-ontario-than-new-nuclear
Chris Forrest  Jan 04 2013  Last year, 2012, saw wind energy’s
contribution of clean power to Canada’s electricity supply grow by
nearly 20 per cent to just over 6,200 megawatts (mw) of installed
capacity, maintaining Canada’s position as one of the world’s leading
wind energy markets.

Every 1,000 mw of new wind energy drives $2.5 billion in investment,
creates 10,500 person-years of employment, and provides enough clean
power for more than 300,000 Canadian homes. New wind energy projects
have been commissioned in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec,
Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia in 2012. Ontario
continues to lead the country with more than 2,000 mw of installed
wind energy capacity now in place. Continue reading →

January 5, 2013 Posted by | Canada, renewable | Leave a comment

Nuclear energy company EDF launches wind energy project

 France’s EDF launches its first wind farm in Poland
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/67517
 04-Jan-13
Country: POLAND
Author: Agnieszka Barteczko

French power company EDF has launched its first wind farm in Poland, a
48 megawatt (MW) facility located in the northern part of the country,
the firm said on Thursday.

The utility’s unit, EDF Energies Nouvelles, bought the Linowo windfarm
last year to strengthen its position in the coal-dependant European
Union nation looking to boost the share of renewables in its energy
supplies.

Poland has around 2,000 MW of installed wind energy, representing more
than 5 percent of the power system’s total capacity. It has targeted
boosting that capacity to 6,000 MW by 2030.

Under EU law at least 15 percent of Poland’s energy production must
come from renewable sources by 2020.

January 5, 2013 Posted by | France, renewable | Leave a comment

Big solar projects acquired by Warren Buffett company

Buffett Company Acquires Major Solar Projects http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3536  4 Jan 13, 

MidAmerican Solar, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings, has acquired SunPower’s 579-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Projects.  The two projects are located in Kern and Los Angeles Counties in California and will provide clean electricity to Southern California Edison (SCE) under long-term power purchase contracts.

President of MidAmerican Renewables Bill Fehrman said the company now has a total portfolio of more than 1,830 megawatts of energy generation projects, including wind, geothermal, solar and hydro assets. Among the holdings are the 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farm in San Luis Obispo County, California and a 49 percent stake in the 290-megawatt Agua Caliente solar project in Yuma County, Arizona. Continue reading →

January 4, 2013 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

USA wind energy to get a boost with an extension of the Production Tax Credit

US tax move puts wind into renewable energy stocks, Sydney Morning
Herald, January 3, 2013 – Vestas Wind Systems, the biggest
wind-turbine maker, and Gamesa Corp. Tecnologica led gains among
European peers as the US Congress approved a law extending a tax
credit for the industry.

Shares of Aarhus, Denmark-based Vestas surged 6.7 per cent, the most
in five weeks, to close at 34 kroner in Copenhagen. Gamesa rose 9.5
per cent, the most since August, to 1.817 euros in Madrid, while
Nordex SE climbed 4 per cent in Frankfurt.

The US House late yesterday passed a bill averting spending cuts and
tax rises that had threatened an economic recovery. The law, already
approved by the Senate, includes an extension of the Production Tax
Credit, which pays wind-farm owners 2.2 cents for every kilowatt-hour
of power they produce.

“It’s really good news for Vestas, because the American market and how
it develops is extremely important,” Chief Marketing Officer Morten
Albaek said today in a phone interview. “It’s a good way of starting
the new year.”

The US Energy Information Administration said Dec. 19 that wind-farm
installations in the country would top 12 gigawatts in 2012 as
developers rushed to complete projects before the scheduled Dec. 31
expiry of the tax credit, known as the PTC. Th
http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/us-tax-m

January 3, 2013 Posted by | renewable, USA | 1 Comment

Nuclear firm AREVA hedging its bets- making wind turbines now

wind-turb-smAreva plans 750 jobs with Scottish wind turbine factory, Telegraph,
By Emily Gosden  19 Nov 2012 French energy company Areva has
unveiled plans for a wind turbine factory in Scotland that could
areva-medusa1create up to 750 jobs.
The plant at the Firth of Forth would manufacture turbines for use off
the coast of the UK, each generating 5 megawatts of electricity, which
could supply 6,000 homes a year.
The move was hailed as “brilliant news for Scotland” by Prime Minister
David Cameron, who added: “Growth of the renewable energy sector isn’t
just good for our environment, it’s good for our economy too.”…..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/9689022/Areva-plans-750-jobs-with-Scottish-wind-turbine-factory.html

December 31, 2012 Posted by | France, renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Wind and solar bringing energy independence to Africa

Early this year, the Rio+20 conference saw increased calls for a green economy that would help African governments cease being net energy importers through the use of renewable energy resources such as wind and solar.

Greening Africa: The turbines turn http://www.africareview.com/Special-Reports/Greening-Africa-The-turbines-turn/-/979182/1654236/-/uuxs6a/-/index.html
December 30  2012 
This month, the UK’s Blue Energy announced it would sink $400 million into building sub-Saharan Africa’s largest photovoltaic solar power plant in Ghana, to meet six per cent of that country’s energy needs.

The planned 155MW Nzema project places Ghana among a growing list of African countries that have recently looked to tap into clean energy to meet their huge power deficits, to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and by extension secure their very existence. Continue reading →

December 31, 2012 Posted by | AFRICA, renewable | Leave a comment

Ghana’s The 155-megawatt Nzema solar energy project

155MW Solar Farm For Ghana http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3533   30 Dec 12, A UK company will construct Africa’s largest solar panel based power plant; which will be fully operational in 2015.

The facility will be developed by Blue Energy; a firm majority owned and funded by members of the Stadium Group, one of Europe’s largest private asset and development companies.

The 155-megawatt Nzema project will be the first utility scale solar project to get the green light under Ghana’s 2011 Renewable Energy Act. Continue reading →

December 31, 2012 Posted by | AFRICA, renewable | Leave a comment

Renewable energy is increasingly powering UK’s electricity grid

renewable_energyUK RENEWABLE ENERGY POWERS FORWARD Waste flag-UKManagement World, LONDON, Dec. 27 — The Department of Energy and Climate Change issued the following press release: Renewable energy is powering forward in the UK, according to the 2012 update to the Renewable Energy Roadmap published today by Energy Secretary Edward Davey.
Significant progress has been made on the rollout of renewable energy across the United Kingdom from July 2011 to July 2012, including:
* A 27 percent increase in overall renewable electricity generated;
* A 40 percent increase over the same period in renewable electricity capacity. Now over 10 percent of all electricity generated is coming from renewables;
* A 60 percent increase of offshore wind capacity to 2.5 gigawatts, and;
* A five-fold increase in solar PV capacity. Continue reading →

December 28, 2012 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

China looks to thousands of jobs and cheap electricity with home solar connected to the grid

flag-ChinaFirst Home Solar Array Connected To China’s State Grid solar-feed-inhttp://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3531  27 Dec 12 For a nation that leads the world in solar panel production, China has been a little slow off the mark with grid connection in relation to home solar power – but that will change dramatically soon.   China Daily reports the first residential solar power system has been connected to China’s State electricity grid in Qingdao, Shandong province. While grid connection is taken for granted in countries such as Australia, this first installation proved to be quite a task; taking 19 days to complete.   However, we can expect grid connected residential solar to bypass Australia’s tally very soon. State Grid Corporation of China, the largest electricity utility in the world, only started allowing small-scale solar power systems to connect to the national grid in November.

   The Qingdao installation will be the first of many millions as new policies mean the work needed to connect privately owned systems below 5 megawatts capacity to the grid will be carried out free of charge. State Grid will also purchase surplus electricity generated by these systems.

The scale of State Grid Corporation of China is staggering. It has over 1.5 million employees and in 2011, generated revenue to the tune of US$ 259.14 billion. Its service area represents 88% of the country and provides electricity to over one billion people.

green-jobs

There will be no shortage of work for those employees. According to RenewEconomy’s Giles Parkinson, rumour has it that China will boost their solar target to 40GW by 2015; which is an entirely achievable goal considering more than 5GW capacity has been installed in this year alone. While China’s love affair with solar is set to continue, its rapid ascent in solar manufacturing hasn’t been without its casualties; with numerous manufacturers falling by the wayside due to competition and external forces. China’s government recently announced it would carry out reforms to the industry; including promoting mergers and acquisitions and reducing government support for manufacturers.

China is often criticised; but something we can all be thankful for is the nation brought affordable solar to the world.

December 27, 2012 Posted by | China, decentralised | Leave a comment

Community owned solar farm – a model for investment

With over 59 million renters, more than 96 million poorly sited properties and 148 million people for whom cost is a barrier to acquiring a solar power system, community owned solar farms are likely to spring up right across the USA in the years ahead.

Colorado’s 500kW Community-Owned Solar Farm http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3528  25 Dec 12

Clean Energy Collective (CEC) recently held a Grand Opening ceremony for its Colorado Springs Community-Owned Solar Farm.

With a 500 kW capacity and consisting of  2,210 solar panels, the facility currently generates enough to power 100 homes.

Based on a community ownership model, investors are able to participate for as little as $565; Continue reading →

December 26, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, renewable, USA | Leave a comment

California racing ahead as top solar power state

Which State Leads the the Solar Power Race? http://www.enn.com/energy/article/45368 20 Dec 12, 
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, in the second quarter of 2012, California again led the nation in installed solar capacity, with a total of 217 MW. The state is expected to lead the nation in the solar race again in 2013. According to new research from the California-based NPD Solarbuzz, California is projected to keep its position at number one in 2013, much thanks to its combination of policy initiatives and citizen motivation.
This year, San Diego was named the top Solar City in California for the second year in a row by the California Center for Sustainable Energy, making it not only the top city in the state, but in the country — and the city is not ready to lose that title anytime soon.
California has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirement goals in the United States. By 2020, their standards require both public and investor-owned utilities to make 33 percent of all electricity delivered to customers from renewable energy sources.
The Go Solar California Campaign contains several policy initiatives to help the state become more solar friendly. The California Solar Initiative (CSI), for example, is the largest rate-payer-funded solar rebate program in the US. It serves homeowners who are customers of investor-owned utilities, and has supported California’s baseline market demand for solar panels.
The state’s New Solar Homes Partnership provides financial incentives and other support to builders of new, energy efficient solar homes. This, together with the CSI and the several other rebate programs offered through the dozens of publicly owned utilities in the state are key components of the Go Solar California initiative.
Although California is leading the race, New Jersey is a close second — and getting closer. New Jersey has intended for increased solar photovoltaic growth within the coming year, as part of the state’s plan to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. One example of the rebuilding using solar panels is solar-powered traffic lights.
Many homeowners and housing developments within New Jersery will be installing back-up solar generation, either grid-tied or off-grid, which can provide power during future major outages. In 2012, New Jersey’s solar efforts generated 103 MW of solar power.
Despite New Jersey’s efforts, California is projected to be the lead state yet again in solar panel installations and energy generated. California is just 7 years away from reaching its goal of 33 percent renewable energy, and is not planning to slow down anytime soon.
Read more at Clean Techies.

December 22, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Solar Energy stocks surging

Solar stocks surged 9.8 per cent on the WilderHill New Energy Global Innovation Index

solar-panels-and-moneyBig week for solar and wind power, The Age December 19, 2012 –  China gave some solar companies an early Christmas present last week, as it selected the second batch of projects – some 2.9GW – under its Golden Sun subsidy programme.

Yingli was a big winner, boosting its share value 31.5 per cent last week. Separately, JinkoSolar won $US1 billion backing from the China Development Bank, propelling it to a six-month high.

There was also news flying around that China may increase its 2011–15 solar target from 21GW to 30–40 gigawatts. The country will introduce a new feed-in tariff early next year, offering production-basedremuneration, as opposed to the capital grants awarded under GoldenSun. Continue reading →

December 19, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Berlin goes for 100% renewable energy, in buying back the grid

The new municipal utility would work towards a 100 percent renewable supply of energy starting with distributed cogeneration units whose efficiencies are at least 80 percent. And as Germans always understand, the path to a greater share of renewable energy always requires energy conservation and efficiency, so the new utility would also focus on these goals

highly-recommendedBerlin to buy back grid and go 100 percent renewable, Renewables International 18 Dec12, The German capital has resolved to buy back its power supply. On Wednesday, the grand coalition that governs the city-state passed a resolution to buy back its grid and switch to renewables. Continue reading →

December 18, 2012 Posted by | Germany, renewable | Leave a comment

Brazil’s wind farms bring cheapest electricity prices

Wind farms set record low generation prices, SMH, December 16, 2012 Four energy developers agreed to sell power from 10 proposed wind farms in Brazil at the cheapest rates ever.

Enerfin Sociedad de Energia SA, Renova Energia SA, EGP- Serra Azul and Bioenergy Geradora de Energia Ltda. won contracts to sell electricity to distributors for an average price of 87.94 reais ($41) a megawatt-hour, Brazil’s national energy agency Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica said in an e-mail yesterday. (Australian wholesale prices are about $50 per megawatt-hour, including the $23 carbon tax per tonne.)

“This is definitely the cheapest wind energy in the world,” Maria Gabriela da Rocha Oliveira, a Sao Paulo-based analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in a telephone interview. It’s 12 per cent lower than the August 2011 auction that yielded an average price of 99.58 reais a megawatt-hour. That was the lowest price in the world for wind power then and the least expensive power in Brazil, beating natural gas and hydroelectricity…..  http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/wind-farms-set-record-low-generation-prices-20121216-2bh4z.html#ixzz2FLfka1Ga

December 17, 2012 Posted by | Brazil, business and costs, renewable | 1 Comment

World’s largest offshore wind farm fully operational by Spring 2013

wind-farm-oceanConstruction complete at world’s largest offshore wind farm REM, 14 December 2012 The 175th and final turbine has been installed at the London Array offshore wind farm marking the end of major construction activities, Dong Energy announced.

Turbine installation began in January 2012 and has been completed by MPI Discovery, A2SEA’s Sea Worker and Sea Jack. Now that all the turbines are in place and the majority now connected and supplying power to the national grid, the wind farm is on track to
be fully operational in Spring 2013.

DONG Energy, which holds a 50 percent stake in the project, said the wind farm has been generating energy since October 2012 when the first turbine began producing power. Continue reading →

December 15, 2012 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

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