President Obama gives his State of the Union address tonight, and some supporters of the shift to clean energy worry that the troubled U.S. economy and high unemployment will overwhelm any attention he might want to give climate change. Sen. John Kerry, who has been leading the Senate drive for climate legislation, urged the president… Read more »
Intel Corp.’s Folsom campus is targeted to have the largest of eight new solar power systems the company plans to install in four states. Intel announced Monday that it has new contracts for generating approximately 2.5 megawatts of solar energy at new solar power projects in California, Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico.Intel spokesman Mark Pettinger… Read more »
Q-Cells SE, Solarworld AG and competing solar-energy companies face a dimmer outlook for investment and jobs as the German government considers cutting subsidized power prices. Lower rates may reduce profit for panel makers and strip Germany of its title as the largest market for photovoltaic panels, said Karl Kuhlmann, chief executive officer of S.A.G. Solarstrom… Read more »
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister is eyeing the potential for wind power along Haiti’s coastline as part of the effort to improve the earthquake ravaged country’s capacity for power production. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Monday technology will be an important element of rebuilding in Haiti after its infrastructure was devastated in the Jan. 12… Read more »
A Texas-based wind energy company has chosen Clovis for its venture into wind farm operation and turbine manufacturing. Officials at Vert-I-Go, a subsidiary of Plano, Texas-based Abundant Energy, say they expect the New Mexico plant to produce 60 jobs by 2013. Vert-I-Go has reached a preliminary agreement with Clovis officials to purchase six acres south… Read more »
On a mountain top 80 miles northeast of Bangor, Maine, in country where houses and gravel pits are mere pinpricks on a map green with forest, Paul Gaynor is making stimulus work. Gaynor, chief executive of First Wind, is using $40 million in federal funds to help build a wind farm that will produce enough… Read more »
In what is being touted as one of the largest clean energy deals to date, a consortium led by Samsung C&T Corporation and Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) signed a C$7 billion deal with the government of Ontario, Canada. The $7 billion invested by the consortium will see the building of 2,500 megawatts (MW) of… Read more »
The King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) on Sunday launched a major national initiative to produce desalinated water and electricity at a much cheaper rate – less than a riyal for a cubic meter of water and 30 halalas per kilowatt/hour. Prince Turki bin Saud bin Muhammad, vice president of KACST for research… Read more »
Think of it as the shrinking American dream. What’s out: Outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, two-story foyers and deluxe bathroom features like multiple showerheads in the master bathroom.What’s in: Smaller homes with lots of natural light, storage and energy efficiency features that save money and don’t cost too much. “There’s no more ‘la-dee-da, green is wonderful,”… Read more »
After eight years of review, the future of a controversial wind farm off Cape Cod now rests in what would seem to be friendly hands – an Obama administration that’s pledged to make the U.S. “the world’s leading exporter of clean energy.” But it’s tough to tell if Cape Wind’s prospects just got better or… Read more »
China Wind Power International Co Ltd, which was listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange, said in an update on its project pipeline in Du Mon County, Heilongjiang Province, including its Sino-Danish project, has been identified by the Heilongjiang Province Development and Reform Commission as one of the key development areas in the province. China Wind… Read more »
Populations continue to swell. Cheap energy begins to fade. And rising oceans swallow urban lands. Such problems demand solutions to the current path of energy, according to scientists, business leaders and politicians who gathered at a recent public forum at UNC-Chapel Hill’s William and Ida Friday Center. But it’s still unclear what alternatives are viable,… Read more »
Looking for work? You might consider “green jobs.” The term has been a buzz word the past few years, but according to a state report there were 8,169 “green-collar jobs” in 2008. Green-collar jobs can be found in construction, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, agriculture and many other sectors of the economy, according to the report issued… Read more »
DEK Solar and Heller Industries have unveiled the results of a recent collaboration; a pioneering drying system that enhances the state-of-the-art PV3000 metallization line even further. The alliance between the market-leading screen printing and thermal technology specialists has enabled a significant breakthrough in solar cell production, incorporating precise thermal control, improved VOC management and reduced… Read more »
PPG Commercial Coatings today launched its advanced “thin-film” HSP-7401 Polyurethane Primer and AUE-50000 Series Polyurethane Topcoat wind turbine blade coating system. The coating system is designed specifically for wind turbine blades and uses a thinner build to reduce labor, material use and weight while providing unparalleled adhesion, erosion resistance and flexibility protection properties. PPG technical… Read more »
The very first Beluga multipurpose project carrier of the latest generation proved her capabilities by the transport of several large reactors during her maiden voyage. Shortly after the delivery from the equipping shipyard in Shanghai, MV “Beluga Houston” headed for the port of Yokohama, Japan. There, on December 7th and 8th 2009, the special vessel… Read more »
India’s federal electricity regulator announced a policy for regulating tradable energy instruments in the country, a step that will help open up its multibillion-dollar carbon markets as it attempts to balance a rapidly expanding economy with low-carbon growth. The instruments–called renewable energy certificates–will help boost power generation from water, wind, solar and other such clean… Read more »
Premier Dalton McGuinty is set to announce a blockbuster deal with a group led by South Korean firm Samsung that could create 15,000 jobs in Ontario, CTV Toronto has learned. The deal, expected to be formally announced Thursday, will see about $5 billion in investment as Samsung establishes up to four manufacturing facilities to build… Read more »
Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc. (OTCBB: SNRY), executing on a grass roots campaign, “RENEW THE NATION,” to help redeploy a portion of the U.S. work force and focus on reducing the world’s dependence on fossil fuels by selling solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) technologies, today announced the signing of a Project Funding Agreement with a financial… Read more »
The head of one of the largest utilities in Massachusetts is not sold on the state’s largest wind power project.NStar chief executive Thomas May said yesterday that although he believes in alternative energy, he’s not counting on the proposed Cape Wind project. Cape Wind, which has been supported by the Patrick administration, would place wind… Read more »
President Barack Obama last week announced the award of US $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits. One hundred eighty three projects in 43 states will receive that funds that are meant to help create tens of thousands of jobs through the domestic manufacturing of advanced clean energy technologies including solar, wind… Read more »
BrightView Systems today unveiled the InSight M Series, the world’s first in-line process control and optimization tool developed specifically toaddress the challenges faced by thin-film solar cell manufacturers. The Wide Area Metrology (WAM) system provides continuous monitoring and whole-panel mapping of critical material and process parameters at full production throughput and for 100% of manufactured… Read more »
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced $10 million in federal stimulus funds for solar-energy installations. The funding pays for seven solar-energy companies to install solar photovoltaic systems (PV) on homes and businesses statewide. The companies include Alteris Renewables, Inc. in Ballston Spa; Hudson Valley Clean Energy, Inc. in Rhinebeck, Global Resource… Read more »
While the housing market begins what will likely be a long, slow, recovery, homeowners looking to make investments in energy efficiency are providing one of the few bright spots for local contractors. On January 30, for example, an array of area businesses will fill the basement of the West Square Building during Sustain Sauk County’s… Read more »
Oerlikon Solar today announced it will be presenting its technology at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Oerlikon Solar leads the thin film silicon solar equipment sector with nearly half a gigawatt of production equipment ramped globally and more than 1 million panels produced by its customers to date. With the company’s Micromorph… Read more »
New Mexico’s Jemez Pueblo tribe is working a deal to use their land for solar energy production. They will be the first Native American tribe to use solar energy as a way to make revenue. The 3,000 members of the tribe are working to harness the energy from their 30-acre site. They plan on setting… Read more »
Europe’s fledgling offshore wind industry will grow this year by 1,000 megawatts, or 75 percent, the European Wind Energy Association forecast in a report Monday. That compares with a 54 percent growth rate in 2009, when nearly 2,000 turbines and 373 megawatts of offshore wind were installed. “This is an incredibly good result considering the… Read more »
Wind turbines offshore in the Great Lakes have the potential to generate a huge chunk of Ontario’s power, but a more streamlined approval process is needed if the offshore industry’s potential is to be achieved. That’s the conclusion of a report from wind developer Trillium Power Wind Corp., which calculates that the Ontario government has… Read more »
Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors has approved a power purchase agreement expected to substantially increase the district’s renewable energy portfolio. Under the agreement the utility plans to purchase up to 40.5 megawatts (MW) of wind energy for twenty years from a wind farm to be built in Boone County near Petersburg, Nebraska. The… Read more »
In a new twist on opposition to wind farm development, the sector is now experiencing infighting, with the largest owner of wind farms in the U.S. challenging a recent state decision that aids another company. Now, instead of fighting environmentalists or NIMBYs (not in my backyard types), MidAmerican Energy must face off against electricity giant… Read more »
Staff members at the Public Utility Commission will get to work today trying to please a district judge who threw a $5 billion wind energy transmission plan back to the agency. The city of Garland’s municipally owned utility had objected to losing out on an opportunity to build some lines to take West Texas wind… Read more »
In 2009, a total of eight new wind farms consisting of 199 offshore wind turbines, with a combined power generating capacity of 577 MW, were connected to the grid in Europe. This represents a growth rate of 54% compared to the 373 MW installed during 2008. For 2010, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) expects… Read more »
Ferrostaal AG will present its activities in the field of solar power at the World Future Energy Summit, which will take place in Abu Dhabi from January 18 to 21. At the same time the company will announce the order intake which it has received to construct the parabolic trough power plant Andasol 3 in… Read more »
Germany’s photovoltaic-solar-energy industry faces a reduction in state subsidies that could be close to 30%, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen next week plans to present a proposal that foresees cutting solar subsidies by a double-digit percentage, the people within the industry told Dow Jones newsletter Energy Daily. The cuts… Read more »
Gazoo Energy Group (OTCBB:GAZU) (www.GazooEnergyGroup.com) announced today that it has entered into discussions with several solar energy companies regarding new investment opportunities. Gazoo Energy Group is exploring the potential for extensive growth in advancing technologies capable of maximizing energy production, while utilizing smaller footprints of land. The company also believes it can maximize the land… Read more »
In the heat of an Oklahoma summer, it often seems like the sun never stops shining. That is likely the reason Oklahoma is among the states with the highest potential for harnessing solar energy.The same is true for wind, which is why western Oklahoma is awash with towering turbines, but it’s hard to find signs… Read more »