Renewable energy developers won contracts to produce 1,720 megawatts of power in Mexico during the country’s first-ever private auction, after the government ended a decades-long state electricity monopoly in 2013.
Electricity generating facilities expect to add more than 26 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity to the US power grid during 2016, according the country's Energy Information Administration.
Norvento has begun construction on a 200kW twin turbine site at Shoreham Port on the UK’s South Coast.
NTR and Legal & General Capital have announced the successful and final close of its wind investment fund with the addition of a further €50million secured from the Strathclyde Pension Fund.
Statoil confirmed it was on the hunt for renewables firm to invest in.
Gusty weather could give a major boost to UK businesses with the launch of a new system which claws back wasted wind energy.
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.
The Government has been accused of “irrational” curbs to renewables subsidies after official projections revealed lower than expected energy bills by 2020. Ministers have said cuts to support for technology such as onshore wind and solar are necessary to prevent rising costs to consumers and to curb the projected overspend on the £7.6 billion budget by 2020 for a raft of green measures paid for on bills. But emails obtained by climate change analysis website Carbon Brief under Freedom of Information rules reveal Government projections which show that, while the overspend will add £12 to average household bills by 2020, overall bills would be £97 lower.
Take a look back at some of the biggest stories affecting the renewables industry across the globe.
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.
Britain will go to climate talks in Paris with the biggest gap between current renewable energy usage and 2020 targets of any European country, Jeremy Corbyn has claimed.
An ambitious £10million plan set up set up seven years ago to make Scotland a world leader in wind and tidal power should be scrapped, according to critics. The Saltire Prize, led by Gordon MP and former First Minister Alex Salmond, has come into difficulty after it was revealed none of the competitors would be able to meet the criteria for the 2017 deadline. According to reports in the Herald Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said the ambitious prize had become a “white elephant”.
Enbridge has joined the Rampion offshore wind project by acquiring a 24.9% interest, becoming one of three shareholders in the plans. E.ON will remain as the controlling shareholder with a 50.1% interest while GIB (Green Investment Bank) will continue to hold a 25% stake. Adrian Scholtz, head of renewables at KPMG and lead advisor on the deal, said it highlighted a “growing global appetite” for offshore win.
The first phase of Orkney’s new fully funded community wind turbine scheme is expected to go live later this month. Farmers and landowners at 20 properties are set to benefit from discounted electricity for at least two decades as a result. Hamsin Wind is aiming to install over 60 single onshore wind turbines at residential and commercial sites across Orkney by the end of 2015 and is actively seeking applications from interested parties.
RenewableUK will launch a new accord which will allows its member companies to demonstrate their commitment to health and safety standards in wind, wave and tidal energy. Companies which sign up will be committing themselves publicly to supporting a common set of shared values and principles in health and safety. These include taking a pro-active lead on health and safety matters as well as ensuring the right training is in place.
Offshore wind schemes could be built without subsidies in a decade with clear support from the UK Government, the head of Europe’s biggest renewables company has said. The most recent awards of clean power subsidies saw guaranteed payments for offshore wind of £114 to £120 for each megawatt hour of electricity generated, more than double the wholesale electricity price and much more expensive than onshore wind farms.
The Government has been relentlessly strangling the UK’s green energy sector, arguing that this is all part of their campaign to reduce energy bills for consumers. Now, not only are we risking inflating our energy bills in the future, but we are also at risk of handing control of our future energy security to China.
At time of writing, 5% of the UK’s electricity consumption is coming from wind. Another few per cent is powered by other renewables, mainly long-established hydro; 39% from gas, 21 from nuclear and 22 from coal.
Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy is pressing ahead with the development of an onshore wind project in Scotland. Statkraft is working on the Andershaw windfarm in South Lanarkshire following the successful construction of the 36MW Berry Burn windfarm. Construction of Andershaw is expected to begin later this month starting with work to construct the roads, turbines bases and substation.
Renewable Energy Generation said it is making progress on four new British onshore wind projects with a combined output of 26 megwatts.
Donald Trump will take his fight against plans for an offshore windfarm near his north-east golf resort to the highest court in the land next month. The tycoon’s case will be heard at the UK Supreme Court in London on October 8. The Court of Session rejected Mr Trump’s appeal against the £230million European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC).
The cost to renewables firms from unpredictable weather is being offset by underwriter GCube's new Weather Risk Transfer mechanism for the wind and hydroelectric energy sectors.
Campaigners have hailed the early closure of a subsidy scheme for onshore wind projects – while renewables experts last night warned it will deter investment. Jenny Hogan, director of policy at Scottish Renewables, warned firms were at risk of “shutting up shop altogether” and that 5,400 jobs had been put at risk by the withdrawal of the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme. Ending the subsidy – funded by levies to household bills – a year earlier than expected could cost up to £3billion of investment, she added. Ms Hogan also called for the Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee to consider holding an inquiry on the move, which she said would have a disproportionate impact on Scotland.
A venture capital firm specialising in investments in innovative, high-growth technology companies is backing the roll-out of small community wind-energy schemes across the Highlands and islands. Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) said yesterday the £9million investment from its Environment Capital Fund into newly formed business Hamsin Wind aimed to deliver single units at about 200 high wind speed locations in the north. Working with development partners Mistral Energy and ABG Corporate Finance, Hamsin has appointed Ayrshire company Kingspan Wind as its turbine supply partner.
A plan for a 31-turbine wind farm near one of Scotland’s most picturesque mountain ranges has been refused. The proposed Allt Duine wind farm, near Kincraig on the edge of Cairngorms National Park, has been vetoed by Scottish ministers who ruled that it would have a significant impact on the landscape. The Scottish Government said it is committed to generating 100% of Scotland’s electricity demand from renewables by 2020 but it will not permit wind farms that have an unacceptable impact on the local area.