Policy, investment and markets News for July 2011

Policy, investment and markets News Archive

Uterne solar plant opens in Australia

SunPower has announced the completion of the 1 MW Uterne tracking solar power plant in Alice Springs.

REpower Systems sees revenue rise by 23%

The wind turbine manufacturer has posted preliminary results showing an increase in earnings and revenue.

Shell opens green entrepreneur awards

UK companies with ideas to tackle climate change can now apply for Shell Springboard awards of up to £40,000.

Tidal Energy wins £11m for Wales’ first full tidal power project

The full-scale tidal power generator will begin operating in 2012, having secured funding from the EU and other sources.

EU announces new biofuel certification

The European Commission has launched 7 green certification schemes for biofuels.

Applied Superconductor wins £3.6m backing Applied Superconductor wins £3.6m backing

The technology company is working on a device that could improve the UK smart grid.

12 MW Zerbst II solar plant sold to Berlin investment group

Developer Q-Cells will sell the park to MCG Management Capital Group, and the turnkey handover will take place imminently.

FE Clean Energy Group invests US$40m in NSL

The money will go towards developing the NSL Group’s wind, hydro and solar energy projects in India.

New solar energy partnership in Spain and Italy

Munich Re and KKR have bought a stake in solar photovolatic (PV) producer Grupo T-Solar.

UK utilities entice customers with energy-saving deals

Companies use home energy plans and smart meters to improve energy efficiency for their UK customers.

Global alternative energy investments fell by 28%

The value and number of investment deals in the renewable sector dropped in Q1 2011, according to a new report.

Elia joins US offshore HVDC project

The Atlantic Wind Connection project, which Elia has just joined, aims to develop the first offshore high voltage direct current system in the US.

Carillion buys into ITM Power HOST hydrogen vehicle, fueling trials

In the UK, Carillion Plc has entered into a one-week, paid-for participation in the ITM Power Hydrogen On Site Trial. HOST comprises the operation of two hydrogen internal combustion engine Ford Transit vehicles, with hydrogen supplied by an HFuel® transportable high-pressure refueling unit.

UK offshore wind industry wins compensation guarantee

Offshore wind developers have been assured of compensation on offshore leases

Bids sought for UK offshore energy centre

The technology and innovation centre for offshore wind, wave and tidal power is expected to open in summer 2012.

Topsoe Fuel Cell expanding production of solid oxide fuel cell stacks

Topsoe Fuel Cell is expanding its solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack production facilities in Denmark. The company needs the extra production capacity because it expects demand to exceed its current capacity in 2013.

Renewable energy produced 20% of 2010 global electricity

Renewable energy supplied 16% of global final energy consumption and almost 20% of electricity production in 2010, according to REN21.

UK needs 'huge investment' in renewable energy

The UK Government has published a Renewables Roadmap alongside its latest White Paper on the Electricity Market Reform (EMR).

E.ON launches European heat storage project

The new project will feed heat from renewable sources into the public heating grid.

Sierra Leone bioenergy project wins €133m loan

The bioenergy project will generate energy from sugarcane, ethanol and biomass.

UK energy investment plan to be revealed

Renewable energy will be a key part of the UK's forthcoming White Paper on electricity market reform.

Australia sets up renewable energy agency

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will help target funding for renewable energy.

Renewable energy health and safety awards launched

RenewableUK has created a new health and safety scheme to recognise outstanding performance in the renewable energy sector.

ETI spends £8m on electricity distribution projects

Two new projects have been launched to help reduce the impact of faults in electricity distribution networks in the UK.

SolarWorld floats €150m bond

The SolarWorld bond is likely to be listed on the Luxembourg stock exchange.

Wind and marine to see huge employment growth

A new report predicts thousands of new jobs in wind and marine energy industries by 2021

Smart grid cyber security report released

Threats to the smart grid will be constantly changing and unpredictable, according to a new report on smart grid cyber security.

Clean and renewable investments reached US$211bn in 2010

Global clean and renewable energy investment grow 32% reaching US$112 billion 2010, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Solar PV inverter market drops below US$6bn in 2011

Following 2010’s massive increase, the global solar photovoltaic (PV) inverter market is predicted to decline below US$6 billion in 2011, a fall of more than 10% according to IMS Research.

P21 wins order in Kuwait, its first following takeover by Heliocentris

German-based P21 GmbH has secured a €100 000 order for a monitoring and data acquisition system, as part of a scientific PV systems testing platform at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research.

German solar funding changes as planned from 2012

Changes to the German solar feed-in tariff will go ahead as planned, according to the recent agreement over the German Renewable Energy Law (EEG).

REEEP funds 21 clean energy projects

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) is investing €3 million in 21 new clean energy projects in 17 countries.

UK opposition party questions solar feed-in tariff cuts

UK’s main opposition party, Labour, is questioning the Government’s move to substantially cut solar feed-in tariffs for installations over 50 kW.

22 GW of solar opportunities in India

India’s first national solar policy is targeting 22 GW of installed solar capacity by 2022, 2 GW of which will be off-grid while the remaining 20 GW will be grid-connected.

UK renewable consumption up marginally in 2010

Renewable energy provisionally accounted for 3.3% of energy consumption in the UK in 2010, and 25,734 GWh of electricity was generated from renewable energy sources.

Price declines drive H2’2011 solar PV recovery

After declining for two consecutive quarters, solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments are set to recover strongly in the second half of 2011, according to IMS Research.

Scottish 2020 Routemap for 100% renewable electricity

The Scottish Government has released its 2020 Routemap for 100% renewable electricity and 30% overall renewable energy in Scotland by 2020.