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Renewable Energy News

The latest renewable energy news and information from our partners at RenewableEnergyWorld.com.

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Renewable Energy News Headlines provided by RenewableEnergyWorld.com - the leading online publisher of renewable energy news and information world-wide.
Updated: 1 hour 58 min ago

Greening with Graphene: Using the Wonder Material in Green Technology

Wed, 11/14/2012 - 08:07

Graphene is the thinnest and strongest material known to man. The pure carbon substance is 100 times stronger than steel and thin enough that an ounce could cover twenty-eight football fields. It's also transparent, electrically conductive, flexible and cheap to produce – all properties that could allow it to revolutionize a number of industries, including green technology.

A Policy That Unlocks Community Renewable Energy

Wed, 11/14/2012 - 07:53

Net metering is a common distributed renewable energy policy in the United States, allowing individuals to “turn back” their meter (and reduce their electric bill) by generating on-site electricity.  But utility accounting systems typically prevent people from sharing the output from a single, common "community" solar or wind project. Virtual (or g

Buffett's MidAmerican Seeks Renewables as Utility Prices Climb

Wed, 11/14/2012 - 07:44

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., the power provider owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is targeting renewable energy deals amid high utility valuations, Chief Financial Officer Patrick Goodman said.

Jordan Small Hydro: Innovations Reinvent Aging Dam to Produce Power

Wed, 11/14/2012 - 07:00

Innovative engineering and design is turning a 30-year-old flood storage dam into a hydroelectric power producer at Jordan Dam.

Attend #SolarChat on Climate Change and Solar Solutions TODAY at 2:00 p.m. EST -- Register Here

Wed, 11/14/2012 - 06:04

http://solarchat-111412-estw.eventbrite.com/

Supporting a Real Job Creator – the U.S. Solar Industry

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 23:00

After being bombarded with political ads for the past few months, most of us are relieved we no longer encounter them everywhere we turn. But imagine if you heard one like this:

Governors Urge Congress to Renew Wind Energy Production Tax Credit

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 12:35

With the expiration of the wind energy Production Tax Credit looming and the clock ticking rapidly away to the end of 2012, a bipartisan group of U.S. governors is urging Congress to act now to save jobs. In a joint press conference held today, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) stressed that uncertainty over the extension of the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) is already beginning to have an impact on renewable energy jobs.

How Do We Lower Solar Installation Costs: Standardize and Harmonize

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 08:54

Soft costs can be pretty tough. The cost of solar installations can be generally separated into "hard" costs — representing primary components such as modules, racking, inverters — and soft costs including legal, permitting, and financing. While the former group — particularly modules — have dropped dramatically over the last several years, the latter have not. According to a recent NREL analysis, these costs represent roughly 30% of both residential and utility installations (slightly less for commercial-host systems). See Figure 1 below.

China Solar Energy Lifelines Defy Speculation of Forced Mergers

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 08:17

China's $20 billion solar industry is avoiding loan defaults and mergers by taking aid from local governments, preserving jobs at money-losing companies such as LDK Solar Co., the world's second-biggest maker of solar cells.

Report: 59 GW of Coal-Fired Generation Capacity Should Retire; Could Open Door for Renewable Energy

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 07:19

Today, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released the findings of an economic analysis indicating as much as 18 percent of the country's coal-fired energy generating capacity should be considered for closure. The study found as many as 353 generators in 31 states, totaling 59 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation capacity, likely will be more expensive to operate after installing modern pollution control equipment than switching to cleaner energy alternatives such as natural gas, renewable energy, or using greater energy efficiency measures. These potential closures are in addition to 41 GW of already announced coal retirements.

Capacity Control: How Will China and Taiwan Solar Manufacturers Survive Post-Tariffs?

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 07:15

Overcapacity is the biggest issue facing the global solar manufacturing industry, and nowhere is the issue more apparent — and the losses deeper — than in China and Taiwan. Together these countries account for over 70 percent of solar cell manufacturing. GTM Research estimates that China alone has the capacity to manufacture 59 GW of solar modules — dwarfing even rosiest demand forecasts for 2012, which is around 30 GW. Taiwanese makers add another 8 GW of manufacturing capacity to this equation. The U.S. Department of Commerce antidumping tariffs intend to impact this condition by pricing Chinese solar cells out of the market, and sideline a significant chunk of the global solar cell supply to create a more competitive and sustainable industry.

Beijing EV Campaign Targets Mass Buyers

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 07:00

Struggling electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD (HKEx: 1211; Shenzhen: 002594) got a major boost last week when Beijing announced an innovative new plan to stimulate an anemic industry whose sales have failed to take off despite generous government support. The plan this time around looks much smarter than previous ones by focusing on big customers. Unl

Message to US Solar Panel Manufacturers: Stop Whining and Get Busy Innovating

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 07:00

When the International Trade Commission voted unanimously that imports of Chinese solar cells have harmed U.S. solar manufacturers, which will result in tariffs added to solar modules manufactured in China, a new era in the solar industry began. Sadly, this era is seemingly based on American whining and foot stomping instead of focusing on innovation and market development.

German Utility EON Plunges: Shift to Renewable Energy Presents 'Huge Challenges'

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 06:46

EON AG plunged the most in a year after Germany's largest utility scrapped profit forecasts and said the shift to renewable energy presents "huge challenges."

Areva-led Consortium Pulls Plug on 250-MW Australian CSP Project

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 13:20

A consortium led by French nuclear group Areva has ditched a A$1.2 billion ($1.2 billion) concentrated solar thermal project after the federal government pulled critical funding.

Ontario's Green Energy Act: Domestic Industry and International Trade Wars

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 08:29

When the Canadian province of Ontario introduced its Green Energy Act in 2009, its local content restrictions, which now dictate that new solar power plants have at least 60% of their equipment sourced in Ontario and new wind power plants require at least 50%, were seen as a way to build a new industry in the province which had been hit hard with f

Everyday Low (Fuel) Prices: Drop-in Advanced Biofuels for Under $100 per Barrel

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 07:28

Brent Crude trades this past week at a transorbital $109 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate at a suborbital, if high, $85). It puts the conventional wisdom that biofuels are too infrastructure incompatible and too costly to the test. Are they?

Renewable Energy to Rival Coal for Power Generation in 2035

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 07:09

Renewable energy is set to rival coal as the main generator of the world's electricity by 2035 as the costs of technology fall and subsidies rise, the International Energy Agency said.

Memo to the President; Re: Your Forgotten Promise to Put Solar on the White House

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 06:30

Memo to: President Barack Obama Re: The Promised Solar Panels on the White House. Please advise. Dear Mr President: Now that the election is over, I’d like to follow up on a significant announcement Energy Secretary Chu made in October 2010. He announced that the Department of Energy would put solar hot water and solar PV systems on the roof of The

What Stops Banks from Lending to Energy Efficiency Projects?

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 06:30

Four years after the U.S. credit market crashed, energy efficiency projects continue to struggle to secure financing. What’s the problem? A slow economy, of course. But when it comes to energy efficiency — and on-site renewable energy — the problem runs deeper. It’s not lack of interest in green energy. To the contrary, says Angela Ferrante, direct