News for April 2013

News Archive

Natural Power secures Biotricity Biomass contract in Ireland

International renewable energy consultancy Natural Power has been awarded its first biomass contract in Ireland.

Major construction work starts on world's largest solar power development

The 579MW Antelope Valley Solar Projects – two projects co-located in Kern and Los Angeles counties in California – is being developed by SunPower and MidAmerican Solar, which owns the development.

Hamburg and Husum wind fairs reach agreement

From September 2014 they will jointly hold a wind fair in Hamburg once every two years, and in alternate years will also jointly hold Husum Wind.

African Development Bank approves €115 Million loan for Turkana wind project in Kenya

The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project involves the construction and operation of a 300 MW wind farm.

Royal DSM opens plant to make anti-reflective coating

The coating will primarily be targeted at solar applications.

REC powers Northern Thailand’s largest solar power plant and sets up local office REC powers Northern Thailand’s largest solar power plant and sets up local office

REC, a leading global provider of solar electricity solutions, has announced its first venture in Thailand.

US Energy Department announces projects to develop advanced drop-in biofuels for military jets and ships

As part of the Obama Administration's all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Energy Department has announced nearly $18mn in four pilot-scale biorefineries in California, Iowa, and Washington that will test renewable biofuels as a domestic alternative to power cars, trucks, and planes that meet military specifications for jet fuel and shipboard diesel.

UK: BRE National Solar Centre opens in Cornwall

The BRE National Solar Centre (NSC) was officially opened by Energy Minister Greg Barker in St Austell last week transforming the UK solar industry into a global player.

Tesco fuels food deliveries with green Bio-LNG from Gasrec Tesco fuels food deliveries with green Bio-LNG from Gasrec

The distribution division of the world’s third largest grocery retailer, Tesco, has committed a fleet of HGVs to fill up at facilities run by leading Bio-LNG supplier Gasrec.

New wave and tidal knowledge sharing hub launched

The Crown Estate has launched a website to support industry collaboration in the emerging wave and tidal industry.

Power yield from Germany's first offshore wind farm continues positive trend Power yield from Germany's first offshore wind farm continues positive trend

The annual yield of the alpha ventus offshore wind farm again exceeded expectations in 2012.

Consent granted for North Selby anaerobic digestion facility in Yorkshire Consent granted for North Selby anaerobic digestion facility in Yorkshire

City of York Council in the UK has given the green light to Peel Environmental’s plans for an Anaerobic Digestion and Horticultural Glasshouse Facility on the former North Selby Mine site, New Road, Wheldrake in Yorkshire.

Wind power components news: Winergy certification, SKF deal with Nordex

HybridDrive system certified while Nordex secures bearing supply

European cooperation in North Sea Power to Gas Platform for future energy storage system European cooperation in North Sea Power to Gas Platform for future energy storage system

A European consortium of 11 leading companies have established the North Sea Power to Gas Platform, to further develop the concept of Power-to-Gas (P2G) – the conversion of renewable electrical power into a gaseous energy carrier like hydrogen or methane.

Biowaste to energy demonstration project gets funding in US

Chemergy’s HyBrTec technology will convert biosolids to hydrogen to generate electricity in a US$1.75 million project.

Sunways AG: banks pull the plug on credit line

Against the background of the struggles of the PV industry, another German company hits the buffers, as banks exercise their "extraordinary termination rights" on Sunway's credit facilities.

UK: £54m smart grid study partners with electric vehicle network

The trials are anticipated to help manage the increasing numbers of low carbon cars plugging in to Britain’s electricity supply...

Voith will supply generators and turbines for hydropower plant in Angola

With the project, Angola will double its installed capacity in hydropower.

Intersolar North America to spotlight Energy Storage innovations

The new segment will feature industry leaders, offer educational presentations on new technologies and discuss market trends...

ABB to buy U.S. inverter manufacturer Power-One Inc

The deal is said to be worth around US$1 billion.

Progress towards clean energy has stalled, IEA says

The rapid expansion of renewable technologies is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak assessment of global progress towards low-carbon energy, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in an annual report to the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)...

Lockheed Martin and Reignwood Group to develop ocean thermal energy conversion power plant

The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) pilot power plant will be placed off the coast of southern China.

BNEF: GE and Vestas "neck and neck in 2012"

Research by Bloomberg New Energy Finance shows that General Electric of the US and Vestas of Denmark were tied for pole position among turbine manufacturers in the world wind market in 2012 - a record year that saw 48.4GW of new capacity installed.

UK consortium delivers enhanced fuel cell systems in collaborative project UK consortium delivers enhanced fuel cell systems in collaborative project

A collaborative project in the UK has demonstrated a more than 30 percent increase in the power density of an Intelligent Energy fuel cell system, as well as reliable cold-start performance at temperatures down to –20°C.

Stop press: Critics slam EU failure to "fix" carbon market

The European Parliament has voted against propping up the EU’s emissions trading scheme in a move that sent prices plunging to new lows in the world’s biggest carbon market.

Investment in clean energy suffers setback

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, investment worldwide in the first quarter of 2013 was US$40.6bn, down 22% on a year earlier, due to a downturn in large wind and solar project financings.

Inverters: quality is the future

New sponsored download available: The quality of all system components and the inverter quality in particular play a crucial role for the longevity of large PV power plant projects...

US wind grew 28% in 2012: AWEA

Wind energy grew 28 percent in America last year, setting a new installation record and confirming its status as a mainstream energy source, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

Air Liquide installs first fuel cell on isolated site in Belgium Air Liquide installs first fuel cell on isolated site in Belgium

Air Liquide recently started up the first hydrogen fuel cell system on a remote site in Belgium. This fuel cell solution is an alternative power supply for telecom antennas in isolated locations, or which are difficult to connect to the power grid, while also reducing CO2 emissions.

New blog: Time to end the guilt on incentives and start fighting

The last month has brought another depressing piece of news: This time the potential demise of Suntech, a pioneer credited with helping scale up the PV industry, on the verge of bankruptcy...

David Zhao becomes general manager of the Switch in China

Zhao’s leadership mandate includes implementing and applying The Switch’s flexible business model in China to optimise operations and grow its local customer base in the country.

Suzlon Group crosses 1 GW milestone in UK

Suzlon Group’s UK subsidiary, REpower Systems SE, is only the third manufacturer in the UK to achieve the 1 GW watershed.

First Solar to acquire startup TetraSun

According to First Solar, TetraSun is a solar photovoltaic (PV) technology startup, which has developed a break-through cell architecture capable of conversion efficiencies exceeding 21 percent.

First Solar sets cadmium-telluride (CdTe) module efficiency world record First Solar sets cadmium-telluride (CdTe) module efficiency world record

The company says it achieved a record 16.1 percent total area module efficiency in tests, which have been confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

ABB central inverter now available up to 1000 kW size

The operating temperature and altitude rating have both been extended in the latest size, says ABB

New markets for a new era of power - Editorial leader from the March/April 2013 issue of Renewable Energy Focus

AND WOW, there are certainly plenty of new markets for the renewable energy industry – and they are finally coming out into the light. Deployment of renewables is an “idea whose time has come”.

Proton OnSite making good progress on reducing cost of hydrogen energy storage Proton OnSite making good progress on reducing cost of hydrogen energy storage

Proton OnSite has reduced the cost of producing water electrolysis stacks by 40 percent over the last five years, enabling the firm to begin producing a cost-effective multi-megawatt electrolyser for the emerging renewable energy markets.

Hoppecke and Truma partner for LPG fuel cell backup power systems

German companies Hoppecke and Truma have formed a partnership in grid-independent power supply systems, with Hoppecke using Truma fuel cells in its new ‘grid.systemizer’ backup power systems.

Trina Solar supplies 33 MW to S.A.G. Solarstrom for UK PV project

Trina Solar has supplied 33 MW of solar panels to S.A.G. Solarstrom, which have been installed at a solar photovoltaic park on the site of the former RAF Wymeswold airfield in the UK.

Prototype efficient high-output GE wind turbine operational at European test site Prototype efficient high-output GE wind turbine operational at European test site

The prototype of what GE claims is the world’s most efficient high-output wind turbine is now operational at a test site in Wieringermeer in the Netherlands. The GE 2.5-120 wind turbine offers higher power output, improves service productivity, and creates new revenue streams for customers.

Indian SKF bearing factory awarded LEED Gold certification

SKF’s new bearing factory in Ahmedabad, India, has been awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by IGBC (India Green Building Council).