Vattenfall aims to build subsidy free offshore wind farms by 2025
Vattenfall expects to be able to build offshore wind power projects without subsidies by 2025, according to a senior company official.
renewables
Renewables drew record $329billion in year oil prices crashed
The slump in oil prices that’s brought upheaval and cost cutting to the traditional energy industry spared renewables such as solar and wind, which raked in a record $329.3 billion of investment last year.
SgurrEnergy gets closer to Mexican renewables market
Scottish renewable energy consultancy, SgurrEnergy, has opened an office in Mexico City to support the Americas' growing green power sector.
Campaigners call for ‘ambitious’ renewables target
Scotland should set a new “ambitious” target of generating half of its total electricity, heat and transport demand from renewables by 2030, according to campaigners. It would require a threefold increase in current green energy generation, Scottish Renewables said as it launched a “manifesto” for political parties to adopt ahead of May’s Holyrood election.
GE Power Convention steps up its renewable presence in China
GE Power Convention is stepping up its presence in the renewables sector in China. The company recently signed a deal which will see it equipping Sewind’s offshore wind turbines with its 4MW fully fed LV3 wind converters.
Construction begins on Scotland’s largest solar farm
Construction has begun on Scotland’s largest solar farm on the Errol Estate in Tayside.
TRIG invests £42million in French solar rather than UK
Lack of UK Government support for the renewables sector has led UK investment firm TRIG to invest £42million in a French solar project.
Major power generation win for wind farm
The 270-megawatt Hornsdale Wind Farm, under construction about 220km north of Adelaide, has won a contract to deliver an additional 100 megawatts of power to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Fossil fuel glut, renewables make EU power cheapest in a decade
Record-low coal prices and increased wind and solar generation that pushed European power prices to their lowest in a decade may cause further declines in 2016. Average day-ahead electricity prices in Germany, Europe’s biggest market, fell 3.2 percent to 31.70 euros ($34.65) per megawatt-hour in 2015, the least since 2004 on the Epex Spot SE exchange in Paris before the last auction later Wednesday. Northwest Europe coal fell 33 percent while the share of Germany’s energy demand met by renewable output increased by four percentage points to 30 percent, according to preliminary figures by utility lobby BDEW.
Renewable investment cash met with mixed response from campaigners
Communities across Scotland received a record sum of more than £10million from green energy projects in 2015, the country’s energy minister said yesterday. Fergus Ewing said it had been a “bumper year” for community energy, but anti-wind farm campaigners said the sum was unimpressive when stacked up against the profits raked in by multi-national energy firms. Green energy production is growing north of the border. According to new figures, Scotland reached its target for community or local ownership projects five years early.
Renewables puts £10million back into Scottish community
The Scottish Government said the renewables industry has helped to put £10million back into the Scottish community following a record year. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said there were now more than 150 projects on the community renewables register with millions of pounds paid out to communities from renewables developments. Meanwhile a target for community or local ownership of renewables was met five years early, with 508MW of capacity now operational.
EV Insights: The top renewables stories of 2015
Take a look back at some of the biggest stories affecting the renewables industry across the globe.
Vattenfall hit by write-downs after fall in energy prices
Vattenfall is in the midst of a restructuring after being hit by massive write-downs in the value of its traditional generation business as well as a fall in energy prices. The utility, which is wholly owned by the Swedish state, was affected by £3billion write-downs on its coal and gas-fired assets in Europe in 2013.
Government accused after solar subsidies slashed
The Government has been accused of “huge, misguided cuts” to clean energy after it announced reductions of almost two-thirds to subsidies for solar panels on homes.
Steel gets share of £300million compensation for energy intensive industry
The European Commission has approved state aid compensation for energy intensive industry which is estimated to be worth £300 million a year, including £45 million to steel companies.
Small scale solar panel subsidies to be cut by 64%
Subsidies for small scale solar panels on homes are to be cut by 64%, the Government has announced. Reductions in payments under the “feed in tariff” scheme for energy generated by new small scale renewables are not as severe as originally proposed in the summer, when ministers floated an 87% cut for domestic solar electricity.
Work begins on Scotland’s largest solar park
Construction work has begun on Scotland’s largest solar park project, New Mains of Guynd, following a £10million investment.
Researchers developing software to cut offshore wind costs
Researchers are developing software to dramatically cut maintenance costs for offshore wind turbines. With tough North Sea conditions, a large percentage of lifetime outgoings for offshore windfarms are associated with maintenance.
Coconuts and solar free Island nations from fossil fuel prices
Renewables are beating fossil fuels on cost in island nations from the Pacific to the Caribbean, where governments are seeking to limit their exposure to volatile market prices. “We’re so far-flung from the sources of fossil fuels that by the time they reach us, with all the shipping, you pay a substantial cost,” said Tommy Remengesau, the president of Palau, whose nation is located almost 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) east of the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean. “It’s an economic advantage for us to go for renewables.”
GCube strikes deal with Xcel Energy for onshore windfarm
GCube has signed a deal with Xcel Energy for a 200MW wind energy project in North Dakota. The company, which acts as an underwriter for renewable energy initiatives, will be providing insurance for all construction risks. The development in Courtenay, North Dakota, forms part of plans to expand its wind portfolio by around 40% and is expected to add a further 1.9GW of wind throughout their service territory over the next few years.
Rudd says compromises needed to reach climate change deal
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd has warned that all countries will need to make compromises as the high level part of crucial United Nations climate talks get under way.
Renewables give £10million boost to Scottish communities says First Minister
Scotland’s communities are benefiting by £10 million every year as a result of renewable energy projects, the First Minister has said.
“Game changing” renewable plan could place Africa as clean energy continent
Plans to roll out as much as 300 gigawatts of renewable energy across Africa by 2030 - twice the continent’s total supplies - have been announced.
Caithness wind farm changes hands for £85million
London-based energy fund Greencoat UK Wind has bought the Stroupster wind farm in Caithness, from BayWa Renewable Energy for £85million.
Mixed bag for energy sector in Autumn Statement
It was refreshing to see so much attention being paid to the Energy sector in the Autumn Budget.