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Three new Renewable Energy Laws in California

California Governor Signs Three Renewable Energy Bills Into Law, Solar Industry News  26 September 2011
Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., D-Calif., says he has signed into law three bills that are designed to bolster the state’s commitment to clean energy. Continue reading

September 27, 2011 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Wind turbine project boosts employment in Ontario

Siemens Wind Turbine Expansion to Create 600 Jobs in Ontario, Business Facilities, 26 Sept 11, Pattern Energy Group LP and Samsung Renewable Energy have announced the completion of an expanded agreement with Siemens to supply turbines for four wind energy projects totaling 870 megawatts (MW). Up to 600 jobs will be created from CS Wind’s tower and Siemens’ blade factories in Windsor and Tillsonburg, Ontario, respectively. Together, the four projects will provide enough clean energy to power more than 300,000 local homes in Ontario each year.

“By committing to Ontario-made turbines, we are focused on bringing new jobs and revenue to the province, along with clean energy,” said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy. “The creation of up to 600 new jobs is direct evidence of the successful framework established by the Green Energy Act and Green Energy Investment Agreement. Together, these initiatives have created a vibrant green energy economy in Ontario, developing wind power projects, building factories, and putting thousands of Ontarians to work throughout the province.”…. http://businessfacilities.com/news/siemens-wind-turbine-expansion-to-create-600-jobs-in-ontario/

September 27, 2011 Posted by | Canada, renewable | Leave a comment

Indian public willing to pay more for renewable energy

Majority of survey respondents (90 percent) argued government should support renewable energy. A significant share (82 percent) of survey respondents overwhelmingly supports renewable energy projects…..

Indians Ready to Pay More for Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources: Mercom Survey, Technology World,  Rajani Baburajan  24 Sept 11 A recent survey conducted by Mercom Capital Group on renewable energy awareness in India finds that only 56 percent of Indian consumers have heard of ‘renewable energy’ or ‘clean energy.’ Further only 27 percent of customers have heard of ‘energy efficiency.’

Despite the low awareness, 71 percent of Indian consumers said they are willing to pay higher rates for electricity from renewable energy sources, according to the ‘India Renewable Energy Awareness Survey’ conducted on more than 500 commercial, residential and rural consumers in India….. Continue reading

September 26, 2011 Posted by | India, renewable | Leave a comment

Millions of jobs in USA’s renewable energy future

“The report underscores the need for appropriate public policy support and funding to maximize the economic benefits that come from our nation’s vast sustainable resources and achieving a clean, 25x’25 renewable energy future,”

Pursuit of 25x’25 renewable energy goal will generate millions of new jobs, Drovers Cattle Network, Ernie Shea, 25x’25 and Burton English, BEAG     September 25, 2011 With the United States on a path to achieving the 25x’25 clean energy goal, an estimated 1.4 million new jobs would be created by 2015, 2.9 million jobs by 2020, and 4.7 million by 2025, according to a University of Tennessee study. Released by the 25x’25 Alliance, 25% Renewable Energy for the United States by 2025: An Analysis on Jobs Created By Meeting this Goal shows that the jobs will be created by annual economic growth in the renewable energy sector, reaching $208 billion by 2015, $411 billion in 2020, and $646 billion by 2025. Continue reading

September 26, 2011 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

India aiming for global leadership in renewable eneergy

India will be global leader in solar energy: Minister of New And Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, 21 SEP, 2011,  CHICAGO: Minister of New And Renewable EnergyFarooq Abdullah today discussed ways to reduce the cost of producing solar power and said the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission aims to establish India as a leader in the field.  Continue reading

September 22, 2011 Posted by | India, renewable | Leave a comment

USA Department of Energy predicts surge in renewable energy

Renewable energy expected to surge, DOE says, September 19, 2011,Charleston Gaxette By Ken Ward Jr. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Renewable energy is projected to be the fastest growing source of energy worldwide over the next quarter-century, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual international outlook report released Monday. Continue reading

September 21, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Renewable energy prospects:Japan’s nuclear heirarchy failing to convince.

The nuclear village and its hired guns in the academic and administrative and political sectors have worked together to craft a mechanism through which compensation will almost inevitably be torn out of the public budget as well as the pockets of utility ratepayers.

Creating a Solar Belt in East Japan: The Energy FutureJapan Focus , Son Masayoshi with an introduction by Andrew DeWit, 19 Sept 11   Introduction  “……..In fact, the fight over Japan’s energy options is not at all ended. The nuclear village’s effort to portray Fukushima as merely a setback has failed in the face of the facts, of course. Continue reading

September 19, 2011 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

… Are nuclear power plants actually cheap while natural energy is expensive?

Creating a Solar Belt in East Japan: The Energy Future, Japan Focus , Son Masayoshi with an introduction by Andrew DeWit, 19 Sept 11  ”……… Are nuclear power plants actually cheap while natural energy is expensive?   From the standpoint of practical, economical logic, solar power and natural energy are expensive. I had always believed that nuclear power was the most inexpensive way of producing power, at 5-6 yen per kilowatt-hour; therefore we have to use nuclear power and construct new plants. I am sure that many people thought the same.

But is this really true? According to figures listed on an application for approval of the nuclear power plant installation, its unit cost is 15-20 yen. This is the actual data; the pre-accident cost. Continue reading

September 19, 2011 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Renewable energy top priority for Scotland

Scottish Government puts renewable energy at centre of economic strategy, The Courier, 13 Sept 11, The Scottish Government will invest £70 million to support offshore windfarms as renewable energy becomes the country’s economic priority.

Finance Secretary John Swinney made the announcement as he unveiled the Government Economic Strategy, which puts green technology at the heart of economic recovery. Mr Swinney claimed the government’s plans would support the transition to a low-carbon economy capable of supporting 130,000 jobs by 2020.

He also revealed the Scottish Government is to create four enterprise zones, including sites with a focus on low-carbon manufacturing opportunities, to attract more inward investment….http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/National/article/17225/scottish-government-puts-renewable-energy-at-centre-of-economic-strategy.html

September 14, 2011 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Offshore wind turbines for Japan’s Fukushima coast

Japan plans floating wind power for Fukushima coast, By Yoko Kubota, TOKYO | Tue Sep 13, 2011  (Reuters) Japan will join the race to develop floating wind turbines to use in deepwater off its tsunami-stricken northern Pacific coast as it rethinks energy sources after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It aims to outpace the leaders in the sector in Europe, trade ministry official Masanori Sato said on Tuesday…..

In the next five years, Japan plans to spend 10 to 20 billion yen to install six or more floating turbines off the northeast coast. It will work with firms including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries, Sato said.

Globally, Norway leads the way on floating turbines with a 2009 pilot project while other countries including Britain and Portugal have studied the technology….http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/13/us-japan-wind-idUSTRE78C41M20110913

September 14, 2011 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Electric cars go well with grids and wind energy

Drive like the wind, R & D, 12 Sept 11, In a new report, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory show how electric vehicles—increasingly available to consumers in today’s marketplace—could help operators more seamlessly add more renewable energy sources like wind into the Pacific Northwest’s energy grid. Continue reading

September 13, 2011 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Sheffield the UK’s top renewable energy producer

Sheffield solar power sees city top table for renewable energy installation, Steel city has added the most renewable energy production per head since introduction of feed-in tariffs last year. Sheffield shines out as the soar-away winner of the solar stakes in the UK, with more solar power generation added in the city per household than in any other British city, according to a league table published on Monday. Guardian UK, Fiona Harvey,  12 September 2011  Continue reading

September 12, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, UK | 1 Comment

Germany’s competitive advantage with 21st Century energy technology

closure of Germany’s NNP installations, previously scheduled to be shuttered as late as 2036, would give Germany a competitive advantage in the development of renewable energy, 

Germany’s renewable energy sources surge after Fukushima crisis, ARAB NEWS, By JOHN C. K. DALY, Sep 9, 2011  The worldwide implications for nuclear power advocates in light of the 11 March disaster at Japan’s Daichi Fukushima nuclear complex, battered first by an earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, are slowly unfolding.

Nations committed to nuclear power are being subjected to a relentless PR barrage by nuclear construction firms, who stand to lose billions if current contracts are suspended or, even worse, canceled. Continue reading

September 10, 2011 Posted by | Germany, renewable | 1 Comment

160,000 US army bases to get rooftop solar panels

U.S. military to be largest rooftop solar customer CNet News,By: , SEPTEMBER 7, 2011d more:The Department of Energy today backed a deal to connect solar electric panels at 160,000 locations on military bases, a move which could double the number of residential solar installations in the U.S.

The DOE said it has provided a conditional commitment to guarantee a $344 million loan for the SolarStrong Project, which will help the military meet its renewable energy targets and bring solar power to a many states which now have little. SolarCity, which specializes in residential solar installation and financing, has been tapped to install, own, and operate the panels in up to 124 military bases in as many as 33 states. The five-year project will add 371 megawatts of solar capacity, bringing rooftop solar to military families’ homes as well as warehouses and administrative offices on bases.

“This is the largest domestic residential rooftop solar project in history,” Energy secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. “This groundbreaking project is expected to create hundreds of jobs for Americans and provide clean, renewable power to our military families.” SolarCity said it hopes to fill as many jobs as possible with U.S. veterans and military family members.

This deal brings a clever residential financing model to a scale never been done before. Rather than pay for rooftop solar panels, customers pay a monthly fee–either to purchase the energy produced by panels or a solar lease. The arrangement allows consumers to avoid the big upfront cost of panels and lower their monthly spending on electricity.

For the SolarStrong deal, investor U.S. Renewables Group will serve as the lead lender for the project in partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The DOE will guarantee loans provided for the residential solar installations……http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20102845-54/u.s-military-

September 9, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Germany’s renewable technologies showing their value

Germany proves the promise of renewable energy: hits 20 percent renewables, By Karimeh Moukaddemmongabay.com September 06, 2011A s many people in the United States question whether renewable energy is a viable alternative to fossil fuels, Germany now derives 20.8 percent of its electricity from renewable sources—a 15 percent increase since 2000, reports Der Spiegel. In contrast, the United States generates only 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, 6 percent of which comes from hydroelectric power, which some environmentalists see as unacceptably damaging.  Continue reading

September 7, 2011 Posted by | Germany, renewable | Leave a comment