In May 2008, SGS was assigned a contract to conduct Project Certification services for Borkum West II offshore wind farm. Project Certification provided by SGS enables wind farm owners to obtain necessary approvals and meet international and local standards. Offshore wind farms incur many risks and challenges due to a variety of external factors such… Read more »
Shares of Sustainable Energy Technologies (STG.V) rose by more than 20 percent early on Tuesday after it announced a tie-up with the solar unit of German engineering giant Robert Bosch [ROBG.UL]. Sustainable Energy, a small Canadian solar energy company, and Bosch Solar Energy (BSLRF.PK) will jointly market Bosch thin-film photovoltaic modules with Sustainable’s Sunergy inverters… Read more »
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has announced that it has entered into a sales agreement to provide green energy to SunDurance Energy for much of the next year. Under the agreement, the New Jersey-based SunDurance will receive more than 10 megawatts of photovoltaic solar energy modules over the first three quarters of 2010. Liansheng… Read more »
America is in danger of falling behind Asia when it comes to wind energy production. And the chief of General Electric says that is jeopardizing this country’s energy future. Business Week reports that in remarks to the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Conference near Washington, DC, General Electric Co. chief Jeffrey Immelt said America must not give… Read more »
China will step up efforts to promote the development of its wind power industry so as to make full use of its wind resources, said Zhang Guobao, director of the National Energy Administration, yesterday. China’s installed wind power capacity is only 22 million kilowatt, far less than its wind energy resources of about 2.6 billion… Read more »
More than 5,000 MECASOLAR trackers installed in the Grupo OPDE photovoltaic solar farms in Spain have endured with great strength over the weekend of 26 and 27 February, the winds that swept the Iberian Peninsula from north to south caused by the explosive cyclogenesis and which reached speeds of up to 200 km / h… Read more »
SunPower Inc. and Toshiba Corporation have entered into an agreement that will help the Japanese electronics company unveil a new solar energy-based undertaking to begin the new decade. As part of the strategic supply agreement between the two companies, Toshiba will order 32 megawatts worth of high-efficiency solar panels that will be manufactured by SunPower… Read more »
Although concentred solar power (CSP) generation is probably better known, solar thermal (ST) collectors employ a much lower level of technology and convert far more of the sun’s energy into useful heat, according to a new market analysis. The report “Solar Thermal Power Report” by ReportBuyer describes solar thermal energy technology in its various applications,… Read more »
A Chicago-based energy company wants to erect 100 wind turbines in southern Brown County: 54 in Morrison, 22 in Holland, 20 in Wrightstown, and four in Glenmore. There’s concern the 400-foot turbine towers could interfere with the county’s plan to erect a series of 911 radio towers. While emotions run high between landowners and families… Read more »
Incentive pays for 30 percent of home photovoltaic projects Xcel Energy announced Monday the launch of incentives for Minnesota electricity customers to install solar panels on top of their homes and businesses. The Minneapolis-based utility’s Solar*Rewards program, designed to encourage solar energy growth in the state, includes a one-time payment of $2.25 per installed watt… Read more »
The three new inverters in the SolarMax TS series have rated capacities of 50, 80 and 100 kilowatts and work in the MPP range of 430 to 800 Volts. The devices are highly compact and are better protected against dirt than their predecessor models in the SolarMax C series. In addition, Sputnik’s developers have succeeded… Read more »
India proposed on Friday a small tax on production of coal to raise millions of dollars for a National Clean Energy Fund that could help the world’s fourth biggest polluter to shift to a low-carbon economy. India’s growing economy has huge potential to shift to a low-carbon future, given that about 500 million Indians, or… Read more »
Pune-based energy and environment solutions’ provider Thermax is gearing up to tap incentives offered in the Union Budget for renewable energy, water and wastewater treatment. The company is planning a strong foray into solar, biomass and geothermal sources of energy, said M S Unnikrishnan, managing director and chief executive. He said the company had initiated… Read more »
In the spirit of friendly competition for a good cause, the European Union reported that it will meet its goal of instituting 20 percent renewable energy by the year 2020. While some countries like Denmark, Bulgaria and Belgium will fall short of their production goals, other nations like Estonia have exceeded their targets considerably. A… Read more »
Australia’s largest energy retailer, AGL Energy Ltd (AGK.AX), revived plans to build a major wind farm on Monday, after the government vowed to increase investment security in the sector. AGL said the Macarthur wind farm, previously estimated to cost A$800 million ($716 million), will be constructed in a joint venture with New Zealand’s state-owned generator… Read more »
An offshore North and Baltic Sea electricity grid could be in place within 10-15 years, but its development is being slowed by political and regulatory differences between countries bordering the North and Baltic Seas, according to a report published by the OffshoreGrid consortium. The European Commission-funded consortium – made up of eight organizations* – stated… Read more »
Oldcastle Precast, Inc., the leading manufacturer of precast concrete, polymer concrete, and plastic products in the United States, showcases their innovative patent pending precast ballasted footings for solar panel mounting. The patent pending footing designs are used for solar power systems that utilize Photovoltaic (PV) technologies such as fixed tilt, single axis, or dual axis… Read more »
Australia’s top operator of renewable energy assets, AGL Energy Ltd. (AGK.AX), will shelve up to A$1 billion worth of planned investments in wind energy, citing uncertainty in the government’s climate change policies. AGL said on Friday the government’s current rebates for small renewable technologies, such as solar water panels and heat pumps, had flooded the… Read more »
Federal regulators have received leasing proposals from two Virginia companies seeking to develop offshore wind farms capable of supplying clean energy to hundreds of thousands of homes. Apex Wind Energy Inc. is proposing to lease 116,000 acres for an undetermined number of wind turbines with the potential to generate up to 1,500 megawatts of power…. Read more »
Government of UK has planned to craft Britain a center of green manufacturing, for which it won a major accolade from plans which will begin the job hunts. The authority in command, has decide to create a plan for a green manufacturing hub in Britain which has been promoted, when the same got unleashed with… Read more »
A Chinese solar energy company is proposing to build a solar-panel plant in Austin, investing $20.7 million and creating more than 300 jobs. In return, the city of Austin is proposing to give the company an 80-percent break on property taxes on the plant and equipment. Yingli Green Energy, the U.S. subsidiary of a large… Read more »
The biggest boat to be powered by solar energy, left, has been displayed in Germany before it begins preparations to circumnavigate the globe. The 31m (100ft) by 15m catamaran, PlanetSolar, has been developed to be silent and clean, its Swiss-based maker said. The ship will be able to travel at a top speed of 15… Read more »
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Community of European Shipyards’ Association (CESA) are calling on the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the building of new ships to serve the expanding offshore wind energy market over the coming years. EWEA and CESA urge the European Commission to develop programmes… Read more »
Iberdrola SA, Spain’s biggest electricity company, said net investment from 2010 through 2012 may total 16 billion euros ($22 billion) as it spends more on renewable-energy projects and networks. Gross investment may climb to 18 billion euros, while asset sales may raise as much as 2.5 billion euros through 2012, Iberdrola said today in a… Read more »
A state bill that would open wind power to private developers was praised by a variety of groups during a legislative hearing on Wednesday, including some who called it a potential milestone for Nebraska’s fledgling wind power industry. “I think this is the most significant legislation relating to electricity in this state, probably, since the… Read more »
One of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers is in talks with the government about setting up a factory in Britain. Gamesa, the Spanish turbine company, is being urged by Iberdrola, the owner of Scottish Power, to build a manufacturing facility to serve the British market, according to Ignacio Galan, Iberdrola’s chief executive. Gamesa confirmed… Read more »
At the Renewable Energy Expo and World Conference in Austin, Texas yesterday, solar energy received accolades from the editors and readers of the Renewable Energy World network of publications. The Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards are intended to recognize projects, people, and companies for “advancing the market for renewable energy in North America”. Of the… Read more »
The Chevron Corporation has announced that it will be constructing a new photovoltaic solar panel facility on the site of one of its molybdenum mines in Questa, New Mexico. The solar energy facility will consist of approximately 175 solar panels spread across 20 acres of land, making it the largest concentrating solar photovoltaic installation in… Read more »
For homeowners and businesses, a big part of the appeal of “going solar” is the chance to offset their energy bills by earning credit for the power they generate. State law requires investor-owned utilities such as the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to provide such credits to their customers – up to 2.5 percent of… Read more »
It’s really not surprising to many of us in North Dakota, but a new report from the American Wind Energy Association says there’s more wind energy potential in the Dakotas than previously estimated. The report lists North Dakota number six in the nation in wind energy potential. However several companies are arguing that the state… Read more »
Kansas learned last week that it’s second only to Texas among states for its potential wind generation, according to a new report co-authored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Now, the state and its leaders, with help from Congress, should take the second-place status and run with it, turning that potential into power, jobs and… Read more »
Wind, solar can’t provide energy needs Mainstream media are gaga over solar and wind energy. Myth 1: Mainstream media would have you believe solar and wind can replace coal-fired power plants. Most coal plants produce base-load electricity. Base-load electricity is required 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Solar is obviously not base-load. Only… Read more »
The global market for solar thermal energy has skyrocketed, particularly in China. Despite the boom, what’s considered the most important of all solar technologies still has a long way to reach its true potential. Mention solar energy and most people are likely to think of sun-powered electrical systems. But there’s a much more important solar… Read more »
The Energy Department on Monday announced a “conditional” $1.4 billion loan guarantee for a solar thermal power complex in the Mojave Desert that would ultimately produce as much as 392 megawatts of electricity. The loan guarantee would be drawn from the resources given to the Energy Department under the economic stimulus bill adopted last year…. Read more »
The state of Pennsylvania has announced new grants totaling more than $5 million in 13 solar energy projects, which will add more than 4.25MW of photovoltaics installations in 11 counties. The projects have a total value of more than $23 million and will include rooftop, parking structure, and ground-mount systems, ranging in size from 20KW… Read more »
The potential amount of wind energy in this country is actually more than three times what is was previously thought to be. This post from the Energy Collective blog says a new analysis from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) credits the increase to improvements in wind turbines over the last decade and a half:… Read more »