Category: Renewable News

Poor Showing for WYO on Nat’l Conservation and Energy Scorecard

Wyoming may be one of just a few states aggressively developing wind energy, but the new National Environmental Scorecard released today by the League of Conservation Voters ranks the state last when it comes congressional representation on energy and conservation issues. The organization has put the tally together for 30 years, and this past year,… Read more »

NI Technology Updates Outlooks for Suntech Power Holdings, First Solar, Yingli Green Energy, LDK Solar and JA Solar

Next Inning Technology Research (http://www.nextinning.com), an online investment newsletter focused on semiconductor and technology stocks, announced it has updated outlooks for Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP), First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR), Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE), LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) and JA Solar ( JASO). Editor Paul McWilliams has displayed uncanny accuracy in identifying winners and… Read more »

Turbine design breathes new life into hopes for UK’s renewable targets

A radical windmill design could hold the key to making offshore wind power more economical and helping the UK meet its ambitious renewable energy targets. The Aerogenerator turns conventional windmills on their side, with a 100m tall V-shaped blade rotating on a vertical, rather than the usual horizontal, axis. By building all the moving parts… Read more »

Taiwan aims at 100,000 solar-panel roofs

Taiwan, in an effort to increase the use of solar energy and cut carbon emissions, has taken to the rooftops. Under the ‘100,000 solar roofs programme’ launched last year, the government plans to spend 280 million dollars in subsidies to encourage the locals to turn their rooftops into sun roofs, said Wang Yun-ming, deputy director… Read more »

Sanders: ‘It’s time for a solar revolution’

This country spends, in a typical year, $350 billion importing oil from Saudi Arabia and other foreign countries. Although this is no doubt good news for the Saudi royal family, one of the richest in the world, it is bad news for the average American. The vast majority of the American people understand now is… Read more »

Remote Desert Region Spearheading Israel’s Renewable Energy Revolution

Dorit Banet is not one to throw around hackneyed expressions (such as “making the desert bloom”) when describing her work. Tired clichés are apparently not part of her lexicon, but she does have an ambitious vision. Largely under the radar, Banet and her colleagues at the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Administration in southern Israel are busy… Read more »

U.S. wind capacity has more than tripled: report

Wind capacity in the United States has tripled and is enough to meet U.S. electricity consumption, according to a new report co-authored by the Department of Energy. President Obama has promoted renewable energy sources such as wind as well as nuclear power plants as ways to generate carbon-free energy. The country’s wind could generate 37… Read more »

Wind powers the Falklands as oil drilling begins

The Falkland Islands are the focus of a double energy drive this weekend as explorers begin drilling for oil and three giant wind turbines start generating electricity. The Ocean Guardian rig begins drilling today off the north coast, amid hopes that reserves in the region could yield up to 60bn barrels of oil.At the same… Read more »

European research project for organic photovoltaic applications

Dr. Schenk GmbH, leading supplier of inspection and measurement solutions for the thin-film solar module production, proudly announces its participation in a trend-setting research project supported by the European Commission. The “HIFLEX” project aims to jointly develop a technology for highly flexible Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) modules. Due to the use of commercially viable printing and coating techniques on roll-to-roll material, this new… Read more »

Ice halts northern N.B. wind farm

Northern New Brunswick’s cold, icy weather is causing wind turbines to freeze and stop producing power at the Caribou Wind Park near Bathurst. The new wind farm’s 33 turbines have been generating power since November, but they have been forced to shut down for the past two days due to ice forming on some of… Read more »

Wyoming House sends wind energy tax to the Senate

The Wyoming House has approved a state excise tax on commercial wind energy generation and sent the measure to the Senate. House Bill 101 would impose a $1 per megawatt hour tax, generating an estimated $3.8 million annually under current production rates. The House approved the bill Thursday with two-thirds support. Representatives opposed to the… Read more »

eSolar and Ferrostaal AG Partner to Provide Turnkey Solar Thermal Plants

eSolar, a leading producer of modular, scalable concentrating solar thermal power technology, and Ferrostaal AG, one of the world’s largest power plant developers, announced today a partnership to deploy turnkey solar power plants in countries including Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa. Under the agreement, eSolar will provide solar field and receiver technology,… Read more »

Suntech provides solar panels to 19 remote schools in Lebanon

The world’s largest producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules has supplied almost 20 Lebanese schools with supplies to let them utilize solar energy through the sponsorship of the Country Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Demonstration Project for the Recovery of Lebanon. Suntech Power Holdings provided the solar panels for 19 remote schools in the country… Read more »

AltaTerra Research: Solar Water Heating Gets Hot in 2010

AltaTerra Research is pleased to announce the web conference, “Heating Up in 2010?: The Outlook for U.S. Commercial and Industrial Solar Water Heating Markets,” to be held Wednesday, March 24th at 11:00 am Pacific / 2:00 pm Eastern. Participants will hear from Sue Kateley, Executive Director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), Les… Read more »

RI gets $22M in stimulus money to upgrade port

The port at Quonset Point will receive more than $22 million to improve its dock and buy cranes so it can accommodate a wind turbine developer, serve container cargo ships and create jobs in a state with nearly 13 percent unemployment, officials said Wednesday. The federal stimulus money is meant to support Deepwater Wind LLC,… Read more »

Renewable Energy to Supply 40% of Falklands Power

Annual wind power contribution in the Falkland Islands is set to rise to 40 per cent of total energy generated with the installation of three new wind turbines, which started going online on 15 February. The installation of the first three wind turbines in 2007 has resulted in the displacement of 26% of annual fuel… Read more »

Turbine factory plan for former Anglesey Aluminium site

Plans have emerged to turn the former Anglesey Aluminium site into a wind turbine factory. Smelting operations at the Holyhead metal plant, which was the largest employer in north Wales, ended in September last year. A turbine company is now looking at the possibility of using the site as a factory, although Anglesey council stresses… Read more »

Boom for small-scaled wind turbines at New Energy Husum

Small-scaled wind turbines are currently something of a renewable energy niche product in Germany at this time. But this situation can change very quickly – especially if you look at the market success and the potential of small-scaled wind turbines in other countries. The New Energy Husum trade fair now offers a worldwide overview. With… Read more »

Obama Says Safe Nuclear Power Plants are a Necessary Investment

President Obama today said that safe, new nuclear power plants are a “necessity” as he announced more than $8 billion in federal loan guarantees to build the first nuclear power plant in three decades. “Investing in nuclear energy remains a necessary step,” the president said today at the IBEW Local Headquarters in Lanham, Maryland, “What… Read more »

Timminco says to expand silicon metal production

Canada’s Timminco Ltd (TIM.TO) said on Tuesday it was in talks with Icelandic power company Orkuveita Reykjavikur for a power supply contract for its planned silicon metal facility in Iceland, sending its shares up as much as 24 percent. Timminco, a silicon producer, said it has secured about $1 million in convertible debt financing from… Read more »

Colorado Renewable Energy Award winners named

The winners of Colorado’s 2009 Governor’s Excellence in Renewable Energy awards, announced Tuesday, span wind energy, biofuels, and economic development in the sector. The awards are aimed at companies, utilities and other entities that work to protect Colorado’s environment, diversify the state’s energy portfolio and provide renewable energy. “Colorado is blessed with a creative and… Read more »

Zhejiang Hongchen purchases even more solar metallization lines from DEK

Following last year’s purchase of several PV1200 photovoltaic metallization lines from DEK Solar in 2009, Zhejiang Hongchen has started the New Year extremely positively by purchasing more lines from the screen printing specialist. Selected as part of Hongchen’s drive to substantially increase cell production through 2010 and beyond, the DEK lines are renowned for their… Read more »

Czech Power Grid Says Solar Boom Risks Blackouts

CEPS AS, the Czech electricity-grid operator, said the pace of solar-power investment risks overloading the network and driving up prices for consumers. Output from solar panels may overwhelm the grid by 2011 and plants may need to be temporarily disconnected to prevent blackouts, CEPS Chief Executive Officer Petr Zeman said today. Total solar capacity may… Read more »

REpower gets wind turbine orders from French firm

Mumbai: REpower, in which Suzlon Energy holds a majority stake, said it has got an order from France-based EOLE-RES SA to supply 26 wind turbines. REpower has entered into an agreement with EOLE-RES SA to supply 26 wind turbines of 2 MW each, generating a total capacity of 52 MW, Suzlon said in a filing… Read more »

Spanish Wind Turbine Company To Build Milwaukee Factory

A company in Spain that makes generators for high-tech wind turbines will put a new factory in Milwaukee. Mayor Tom Barrett confirmed in his \”state of the city\” address Monday that Ingeteam will locate in the Menomonee Valley between downtown Milwaukee and the Miller Park baseball stadium. Julia Taylor of the Greater Milwaukee Committee says… Read more »

GE files new suit against Mitsubishi over wind-turbine patents

General Electric Co., the biggest maker of wind turbines in the U.S., filed a new patent-infringement lawsuit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and plans to appeal an earlier case it lost. The new complaint, filed Thursday in federal court in Dallas, claims Mitsubishi Heavy infringes two patents. One is related to the base frame supporting… Read more »

Gains in Global Wind Capacity Reported

The Global Wind Energy Council, a trade association based in Brussels, estimates that wind power capacity grew by 31 percent worldwide in 2009, with 37.5 additional gigawatts installed, bringing global wind power capacity to 157.9 gigawatts. China accounted for a third of the new capacity, and the Chinese market experienced more than 100 percent growth…. Read more »

Eu Nations Expect To Meet The Eus Renewable Energy Target

The EU will meet its 2020 20% renewable energy target – slightly exceeding it – according to an analysis by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) of all 27 Member States’ national forecast documents. The EWEA analysis shows that EU member states are on course to achieve over 20% renewable energy by 2020, with 21… Read more »

Bosch and Linde collaborate for a new ‘solar cluster’ in Germany

Linde Nippon Sanso (LNS), a company of The Linde Group, and Bosch Solar Energy, have announced an extension of their collaboration at Bosch’s new crystalline Si solar cell manufacturing site in Arnstadt, Germany. Under the new agreement, LNS will supply silane and ammonia gas, both critical materials in the fabrication of Bosch’s high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cells. Bosch currently operates three… Read more »

GE Energy Finance Unit May Expand B.C. Wind Farm

General Electric Co.’s energy finance unit said it may double the capacity of a wind farm in British Columbia, increasing its bet on renewable-power in Canada’s westernmost province. GE and Vancouver-based Plutonic Power Corp. last year bought the unfinished, 144-megawatt Dokie Ridge Wind Project, the first equity investment in wind energy in Canada for both… Read more »

Mitsubishi Heavy Considers US Wind Turbine Plant

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd said it is considering building a wind turbine plant in the United States, and will a make final decision after seeing how demand recovers. Mitsubishi is currently tussling with General Electric over wind turbine patents, with the GE this month filing patent suits against the Japanese company in a U.S. Court…. Read more »

Renewables can ensure energy security

Peak oil has been around for a while now. Energy specialists in India, specially those working in the renewable energy space, are now talking the same about coal: not quite peak coal but an increasing likelihood that coal will not always be available to run power plants. Will this mean that development as we know… Read more »

Areva Switching From Nuclear Power To Solar ?

French energy company Areva (best known for its nuclear power business) has purchased solar thermal power company Ausra – yet another example of a promising Australian technology company ending up with foreign ownership. One possible positive interpretation of the news is that Areva are losing faith in the oft-predicted but unrealised “nuclear renaissance” and now… Read more »