Renewable Energy News

In Washington, the U.S. EPA finalized the 2013 percentage standards for the Renewable Fuel Standard program. The final 2013 overall volumes and standards require 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be blended into the U.S. fuel supply (a 9.74 percent blend).

I spent the past two weeks saying goodbye to my father, Jim Farrell, so instead of my usual discussion of good policy and practices for distributed renewable energy, I’m taking time to explore how my dad’s work on sustainability fits with how I approach it in this blog and elsewhere in my work for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. My dad was a

Research into contrast painting patterns and their potential influence on bird strikes by wind turbine rotors is underway at Norway’s largest wind farm.

The European wind industry has grown so rapidly over the past decade that it is facing a critical shortage of skilled personnel, a new report reveals. There is currently a shortage of 7,000 qualified personnel required by the European wind energy sector each year, a figure that could increase to 15,000 by 2030 if the number of graduates taking cour

China has largely welcomed the recently concluded solar trade agreement with Europe, according to reports. Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said in a statement that the conclusion of procedures to resolve the solar case within the EU are welcome in China.

The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE)’s objective is to stimulate economic development through the promotion of off-grid renewable energy technologies for rural electrification in developing countries and emerging markets. While often grid extension is not a feasible option, decentralised solutions are often the better alternative to alleviate energy poverty: they are cost-effective over the system’s lifetime, easy-to-deploy, install and maintain and their design can be tailored to demand needs. Plus, these regions offer abundant renewable energy resources.

California is no stranger to rolling blackouts. When Charles and Elke Hewitt installed a solar electric system with batteries for emergency backup power on their home this April, they were shocked when Southern California Edison rejected their application for grid connection under their net metering program. And the Hewitt family was not alone. Soon all homeowners with solar electric systems with battery backup in California could be affected by Edison’s stance on backup power.

The global solar industry is in the midst of another "inflection point" that sets the stage for "the beginning of the grid parity era," where solar is at equal cost or cheaper than traditional energy sources, according to a new report from Deutsche Bank. The report says that the number of markets where solar is at grid parity will double over the next 3-5 years.

There has been much made of the idea of African ‘lion’ countries, mimicking Asia’s famous ‘tigers’. There is no reason Africa shouldn’t start behaving like Asia — hordes of international businessmen should travel to air-conditioned offices and lavishly appointed bars in cities like Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam well within my lifetime. There are many t

This week, the Solar Energy Industries Association joined other renewable energy advocates, businesses, and environmental groups to urge the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to reject a new proposal from Xcel Energy that would discourage net-metered solar energy growth in its territory. Issued last week as part of Xcel’s 2014 Renewable Energy S

Claims for blade damage and gearbox failure top the table for U.S. insurance payouts related to wind energy, according to a new analysis from GCube.

Have you noticed increasing attention being paid to potential impacts from higher levels of solar distributed generation (DG)? Does the conversation sound like productive dialogue or an excerpt for a daytime drama? What is that sausage making they call ratemaking? What should be considered when valuing the costs and benefits of DG? What costs are fixed for the electrical system? And what, exactly, is net-energy metering (NEM)?

Belarus has been criticized for its authoritarian regime and therefore shunned by most businesses in the West. For the sanctioned country, all Western investments are of a great importance. However, those in the green energy sector perhaps have additional value as they can help Belarus catch up with global renewable energy development. But Belarus has also recently been embracing renewable energy source (RES) investors from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), particularly China.

If solar energy costs come down within goals set by the Department of Energy's (DOE) SunShot program, solar could contribute a large chunk of the power used by the western regions in North America, according to new research.

How does the grid value energy storage? What are the actual costs of grid smoothing, reliability and other services that a given amount of energy storage can offer? The answers to these questions may be a bit more transparent this Fall after the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) conducts a two-month market simulation of their grid territory beginning in September, including a test of the supply of commercial-scale energy storage services by the University of California at San Diego.

With ever increasing measures to encourage the use of renewable energy sources, it can be assumed that solar photovoltaics (PV) will continue to thrive in Europe and worldwide. However, there is an issue that needs to be considered when talking about PV, especially in Europe given the important growth, and this is the waste collection and disposal capacities.

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While incentives alone have worked to grow the market for solar PV systems in California, the state's generous CSI Thermal rebates — plus the Federal 30% Investment Tax Credit — have yet to create a solar hot water boom in California. At least not yet. Is it time to lobby for some type of state solar thermal mandate? California already has one type

As offshore wind development moves further out to sea, into deeper waters and harsher weather conditions, service and support vessels — boats used for installation, crew transfer and maintenance — have seen a sea change from smaller boats, often re-purposed from other sectors, to purpose-built craft of 20 metres and larger.

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