Policy, investment and markets News for September 2012

Policy, investment and markets News Archive

New Blog: Water use in electricity generation: the sobering facts that make a case for wind and solar power

Did you know it takes 100,000 gallons of water to produce a single megawatt hour of electricity?

Stop Press: Webinar - Advanced Conversion: Maximising the Potential for Energy from Waste Stop Press: Webinar - Advanced Conversion: Maximising the Potential for Energy from Waste

Our next webinar on October 24 will give a snapshot behind the development of Energy-from-Waste, and highlight the benefits of Advanced Conversion Technologies...

OPIC board approves US$250 million for South African solar project

The agency’s first solar power project in South Africa will be a 60MW plant aimed at diversifying the country’s electricity generation

Federal officials urged to accelerate the development of offshore wind in the US

A report looking into the sector's development to date claims that more could be done to encourage clean local energy and economic development by implementing critical policies to encourage investment.

Communities must benefit from wind farms says UK's Energy Secretary

Onshore wind farms need to "provide benefits to the communities that host them", such as reduced electricity bills and investment in local infrastructure...

Husum Wind 2012: juwi boss slams German government for energy policy backtrack and offshore wind support Husum Wind 2012: juwi boss slams German government for energy policy backtrack and offshore wind support

juwi CEO Matthias Willenbacher has criticised the German government for backtracking on its energy revolution agenda and looking to slow it down on the basis of cost.

Proposed land use rules will “penalise biofuels producers in Europe” warns European Biomass Association

The European Commission (EC) is preparing new rules on indirect land use change (ILUC) for the biofuels sector, but the current draft, if adopted, will have a number of negative impacts on biofuels sector, according to the European Biomass Association (AEBIOM).

Joint initiative launched to develop Germany’s green economy

Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Research, and Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Environment have invited 450 experts to discuss how market instruments could be used to achieve sustainable production, pricing and consumption.

Husum Wind 2012: Garrad Hassan report bullish about Baltic offshore wind

The development of offshore wind resources will be "vital for many of the Baltic nations, as they look to meet their commitments to boost renewable energy generation", reports Garrad Hassan.

Japan becomes third largest solar power market

In 2011, Japan accounted for 7% of total installed PV capacity, according to a new research report.

Suntech slashes solar cell production in China

The company says that after closing some of its solar cell production lines in China, its operational solar cell capacity will be temporarily reduced to 1.8GW, affecting some 1,500 jobs.

Trina Solar to cut headcount, streamline operations

The company says it is optimising its business operations in the face of an increasingly competitive landscape.

Report: Cash incentives better than federal tax credits for US renewable energy

Replacing federal tax credits with cash incentives for renewable energy could deliver big savings for taxpayers, according to a new report.

US biofuel organisations appeal to Obama to maintain Renewable Fuels Standard

The Biofuels Producers Coordinating Council (BPCC) has urged President Barack Obama to maintain the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a series of regulations requiring the blending of renewable fuel into transportation fuel with a current target of 36 billion gallons by 2022.

SolarVision completes $18mn NMTC solar power deal

SolarVision LLC has successfully completed an $18mn transaction using new market tax credits (NMTC) in order to fund a 5MW solar power system in Celina, Ohio.

Hawaiian university gets solar makeover

The Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Hawaii has contracted SolarCity to provide it with solar electricity for the next 20 years.

Mainstream Renewable Power ramps up after securing €60mn corporate finance deal

As it builds up for rapid expansion, Global renewable energy company Mainstream Renewable Power has signed an agreement for €60mn in corporate funds to be provided by Macquarie Group.

Wind industry urged to adopt a networked approach to deal with slowdown and boost innovation

There needs to be less vertical integration in the wind industry and companies in the sector need to start working together better, according to Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of wind turbine generator supplier The Switch, based in Finland.

Blog: an introduction from our new Managing Editor Gail Rajgor...

When David passed on the editorial metaphorical torch to me for Renewable Energy Focus, I knew it was going to be a whirlwind first month or two...

Stop Press: Our newsletter is back up and running...

Renewable Energy Focus' e-newsletter service returns after an unscheduled break...