America's wind industry is simultaneously on course for a record-breaking year of installations and on the brink of catastrophe – and a lot has to do with the boom and bust of the Production Tax Credit (PTC).
28 March, 2012
Our regular column, written by the Energy Industries Council, reports on project development in the renewable energy marketplace...the latest instalment covers developments in January and February.
28 March, 2012
ITM Power has developed a flexible hydrogen generation and refuelling platform which offers a sustainable supply of hydrogen for transport vehicles. Together with the company’s Hydrogen On Site Trials (HOST) programme, ITM Power is showing the way to a cleaner and more independent future. In this second instalment, we look at the challenge of integration with renewable energy.
26 March, 2012
Renewable sessions were in evidence at 2011's U.S. PowerGen event, which took place in December, but the profile of wind and solar was less obvious. Drew Robb went along to find out more.
21 March, 2012
The PRATT & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) name is normally connected to rocket science and high-powered engine technology, but this aerospace leader is now lending its extreme heat management expertise to the renewable energy industry…and the CSP sector in particular. Could this be an indication that the much heralded “demise” of CSP is somewhat premature?
21 March, 2012
The UK Government’s ‘green deal’, aimed at persuading householders to insulate their homes then pay later through installments added to electricity bills, could be threatened by a manpower shortage.
20 March, 2012
ITM Power has developed a flexible hydrogen generation and refuelling platform which offers a sustainable supply of hydrogen for transport vehicles. Together with the company’s Hydrogen On Site Trials (HOST) programme, ITM Power is showing the way to a cleaner and more independent future.
20 March, 2012
Although renewable energy is usually seen as benefiting the environment, project developers in the U.S. must plan ahead to manage risks and environmental challenges, as this case study demonstrates.
14 March, 2012
Part 1: could a new type of insurance help cutting edge renewable energy companies cross the valley of death?
14 March, 2012
The UK government has stepped up its entreaties to Scotland to jointly develop a world-class renewables industry with its UK neighbours as part of the Union.
14 March, 2012
The new-generation of wind turbines that will operate offshore require very large rotors. George Marsh looks at a different approach to blade design from Blade Dynamics – scaling down as opposed to scaling up.
14 March, 2012
The steep increase of wind and solar photovoltaics (PV), has been noted in the latest edition of the Strategic Energy Technologies review – the 2011 Technology Map – produced by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).
13 March, 2012
In the run-up to the 11 March anniversary of the Fukushima reactor meltdown, the steady drip of anti renewables articles in the mainstream media was becoming a torrent as the nuclear lobby cranked up its public relations machine. And they're taking aim at European feed-in tariffs, no doubt because of their success. Germany is particularly in their cross-hairs because of its massive development of renewable energy over the past two decades and Germany's plan to close all its reactors for good.
12 March, 2012
The debate surrounding renewable energy and the security of the UK’s power supplies is less about ‘what’ and more about ‘where’ and ‘when.
07 March, 2012
Recent press reports that billions of pounds of investment in UK wind power is in jeopardy because of wavering Government commitment to the technology are "overblown", the UK Renewables industry has said.
07 March, 2012
A new European-wide project hopes to standardise energy harvesting devices. These scavengers of energy can power sensors, helping to tackle blade cracking and failure and increasing the lifetime of components….
07 March, 2012
Which energy technology really is the most economical, cost-effective solution for the long term? In this second installment, we look at renewable energy cost examples, LCOE and the importance of taking risk into account.
07 March, 2012
Which energy technology really is the most economical, cost-effective solution for the long term? And how do renewable technologies really stack up when compared to coal, gas and nuclear on cost? Gail Rajgor kicks off a new Renewable Energy Focus series by asking whether it is even possible to compare technologies on a truly like-for-like basis. And if so, what do we need to bear in mind?
06 March, 2012
What is the glue that will hold the pieces together as we plan for 40 GW of offshore wind in and around the North Sea region in 2020?
06 March, 2012
Last year Google announced its power purchase agreement for the output of an Oklahoma wind farm. So why is Oklahoma such a good place for renewable energy developments?
05 March, 2012
2011's Solar Power International (SPI) took a big chance, moving from its California comfort zone to the uncharted territories of Texas. We take a look back at what came out of the latest chapter in the event's recent history.
05 March, 2012
What is the glue that will hold the pieces together as we plan for 40 GW of offshore wind in and around the North Sea region in 2020?
05 March, 2012