Renewable Energy News

In its 75-year history, modern ground source geothermal energy (GSGE) has flown so far under the radar, it might as well lie in your granddad's root cellar. But unlike root cellars, built as crude geothermal systems to preserve perishables in a static environment, a ground source geothermal heat pump (GSGHP) can deliver a dynamic and effective heating or cooling system.

In a re-election bid mired with questions about Benghazi, President Barack Obama can now officially add another hot-button issue to his plate: the recent bankruptcy of solar company Abound Solar, which has been called "Colorado's own Solyndra." A criminal investigation is now officially underway, headed up by the Weld County District Attorney's Office in Colorado, for what it calls "possible securities fraud, consumer fraud and financial misrepresentation."

For years, algae has been the great green hope for the biofuel industry. Now, it's finding a place in sustainable architecture; in Germany, microalgae will power and shade the BIQ house, a zero-energy building featuring the world's first bioreactor facade.

Environmentalists have long advocated feed-in tariffs as a public policy mechanism to spur massive development of renewable energy. However, as a policy mechanism, feed-in tariffs are technology neutral. They can be used to pay for fossil-fired generation as well as nuclear power.

Mexico's Maremotrices de Energias Renovables (Marersa) is currently negotiating for the implantation of its wave power technology at sites in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic, according to Francisco Javier Carrion Cuellar, the director general of the company. Marersa is seeking patents for the technology which it developed to build its first three megawatt wave plant at Rosarita, in Baja California, about 15 miles south of Tijuana. The plant operates at close to 85 percent efficiency and was built for the equivalent cost of $2 million per megawatt, excluding the sea wall cost, he says.

An independent body set up to consider Australia's official target of generating 20 percent of its energy needs by 2020 from renewable sources has rejected calls from incumbent utilities and heavy industry to scale back the target.

No, and it’s not trying to, either. Under EU direction, all of Europe is undergoing an energy revolution, if at different speeds. The impact of energy policies does not stop at borders–Chernobyl drove that point home. And Germany is by no means trailblazing on its own while everyone else watches idly from the sidelines. The German energy system is

Poland is set to approve renewable energy laws that may spur a 100-fold increase in solar power capacity next year, just as the rest of Europe scales back.

Most people who drive up and down on Highway 101 through California would never think of making a one-hour detour through the oak-dotted hills, canyons and ranches to visit the Carrizo Plain, a beautiful swath of land that is ringed by mountains and, in the spring, blooms with wildflowers. Yet, soon this region will be host to what will be among the largest solar power plants in the country.

On the heels of the recent biomass regulations imposed by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), the 50-MW Russell Biomass plant, which has been in the works since 2005, has been terminated.

The China Development Bank (CDB), largely considered to be the main engine behind the Chinese government's economic development policies, has issued solar project developer Sky Solar Holdings a loan for 10 billion RMB (US$1.6 billion). The agreement, which runs until 2016, is being seen as a way for China to solve its problem of PV solar panel overcapacity while simultaneously ushering downstream development of its solar interests.

London Array, the largest offshore wind park approved in the world, produced its first power as backers Dong Energy A/S, Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. and EON AG seek to curb technology costs by building at scale.

On December 31st of this year, the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for renewable energy is set to expire. If we wake up on January 1st without an extension, we will be throwing away years of hard work setting up important renewable energy industries that help provide clean electricity, energy independence and, most importantly, jobs.

South Africa said it will open a new bidding round for alternative energy projects that should add an additional 3,200 megawatts of power to the national grid in Africa's largest economy by 2020.

President Obama has been a reliable advocate for the cleantech sector, but his ability to deliver tangible benefits is not what it was in 2008. Energy legislation is a significant piece of unfinished business from the administration's first term, but polls suggest it is not a high priority among voters. In a recent survey, likely voters ranked energy policy the 9th most important issue from a list of 10 choices. And even if energy becomes a higher political priority, the debate will likely be shaped by deficit concerns and developments in the natural gas industry.

The Danish government won't provide direct support to Vestas Wind Systems A/S should the world's biggest maker of wind turbines need a bailout to stay afloat.

When asked about choosing a module brand, about two-thirds of surveyed buyers cited price per watt as one of their top three buying criteria. This trend was found both in ClearSky Advisors' Ontario Buyer Study and U.S. Buyer Study (70% and 63%, respectively).

In a move that will likely set a worldwide precedent barring governments from imposing local content requirements to their feed-in tariff programs, a forthcoming World Trade Organization report indicates that it will side with the European Union and Japan against the Canadian province of Ontario. Although the official report is not expected to be released until November, a leaked preliminary dispute settlement floated by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) signals the WTO's acceptance of two separately filed claims of protectionism against Ontario. Both Japan and the EU have claimed Ontario's feed-in tariff (FIT) program discriminates against foreign green energy manufacturers and unduly pressures local companies to purchase hardware from local suppliers.