Hydropower News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Rising Energy Dependency Endangers Europe’s Economy

Zoë Casey — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:59:00 GMT

The issue of energy may have been overshadowed by that of tax at yesterday’s EU summit of Heads of State in Brussels, but its growing importance and impact on Europe’s economy is one that cannot be ignored. As the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, Europeans are paying a lot for their energy – prices are 37% higher than those in the US and 20% hi

Tracking and Analyzing Energy Legislation Across the US

James Montgomery, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:02:00 GMT

A new online database created by Colorado State University's (CSU) Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) aims to serve anyone interested in clean energy legislation in any state in the U.S., or even those who are crafting policy themselves.

UK Urged to Boost Clean Energy Over Natural Gas

Alex Morales, Bloomberg — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:25:00 GMT

Britain, under pressure to build new power stations, could save as much as 100 billion pounds ($150 billion) through 2050 by spending on wind, nuclear and carbon capture rather than gas, the government’s climate adviser said.

Warning Scotland Against Independence: Renewables Will Suffer, Says Ed Davey

Kelvin Ross, Deputy Editor, Power Engineering International — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:31:00 GMT

UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey has warned that Scotland will damage its standing as a prime mover in renewable energy if it votes to become independent.

Outlook for US Energy Independence Gaining Confidence

Power Engineering Editors — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:33:00 GMT

A survey conducted by the KPMG Global Energy Institute shows that a majority of energy executives believe the U.S. can reach energy independence by 2030. The survey also showed a decrease in the number of executives who believe the U.S. will never gain energy independence.

Renewable Energy Research Initiative Launched in UK

Kelvin Ross, Deputy Editor, Power Engineering International — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

A new inquiry investigating the role of renewable power generation in the UK’s future energy mix has been launched.

French and German Ministers Call for 2030 Renewable Energy Targets

Phillippa Jones — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:25:00 GMT

Writing in France’s prestigious centre-left daily newspaper Le Monde, Peter Altmaier, the German environment minister, and Delphine Batho, his French counterpart, underlined the need for a 2030 renewable energy target and highlighed the importance of renewables in transforming the European economy, improving energy security and reducing greenhouse

Asia Report: Tweaking India's Domestic Content Policy

Renewable Energy World Editors — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

India's solar energy policy contains domestic content requirements for solar cells and panels, but initially these excluded thin-film technologies — a big help to First Solar among others. But as expected, new proposals aim to close that loop.

EU Should Scrap Energy Subsidies to Fight Warming, Poland Says

Ewa Krukowska, Bloomberg — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:36:20 GMT

The European Union should scrap fossil fuel and renewable energy subsidies and set a target to cut oil imports to remain the leader in the fight against global warming, according to Poland's environment minister.

Are Run-of-River Hydroelectric Systems Ready to Ride US Currents?

Bruce Dorminey, Correspondent — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:17:35 GMT

Reaping renewable energy from un-dammed portions of great American rivers like the Mississippi, Ohio, or even the Columbia is an idea that has been bandied about for decades.

The Economic Case for Divesting from Fossil Fuels

Garvin Jabusch, Green Alpha Advisors — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Securities of fossil fuels firms, as an economic sector, may soon be on the decline.

Finland's New Energy Solutions

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

You may not know much about Finland, but you certainly know the powerhouse technology company that became a household name across the globe and drove the nation’s economic expansion through the 1990s-2000s. Nokia generated a quarter of Finnish economic growth from 1998-2007, prompting a new term, ‘the Nokia effect’, to describe economic development

Three Ways to Increase Hydropower Efficiency and Revenues

Adam James, Correspondent — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Recently, the Department of Energy conducted a study with the Electric Power Research Institute on quantifying the value of hydropower, based on a 3 year examination of the Western Electric Coordination Council region.

Marine Energy Breakthrough: New Technology Multiplies Potential

Anders Jansson, CEO, Minesto — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Marine energy is the 'best of the best' amongst green energy sources: it has the greatest potential (in theory, the planet's oceans could supply the entire world with renewable energy), tidal and ocean current power plants are under water and therefore completely invisible, they produce electricity from 100 percent renewable energy sources (the water in the globe's oceans will always move around, well, at least until the sun swallows the moon), they are safe, and the icing on the cake is that they actually have positive environmental effects. Positive? Yes, studies have shown that marine life thrive in marine energy parks.

Connecticut Seeks to Literally Water Down its RPS, Could it Happen in Your Region?

Jennifer Runyon, Managing Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:07:46 GMT

Since I live in New Hampshire and write about the global renewable energy industry, once in a while small local news that might appear to be of minor importance to my neighbors leaps out at me as something that could end up having a huge impact on the renewable energy industry.

Europe Sinks Its Flagship Carbon Trading Scheme

Paul Hockenos, International Correspondent — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:34:47 GMT

All German Chancellor Angela Merkel had to do was pick up the phone and dial her people in Brussels. Had she done so before the European Parliament's (EP) key vote last month on April 19, her party's representatives could easily have saved the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), Europe's flagship mechanism for reducing carbon emissions. But the woman once hailed as "the climate chancellor," didn't make the call, a consequence of differences of opinion on the ETS within her ruling center-right coalition, she said. The impotent ETS is now withering on the vine, where it may remain until it is dead altogether.

Russian Renewable Energy Law Could Significantly Boost Clean Energy But Obstacles Remain

Linas Jegelevicius, Correspondent — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:43:21 GMT

Hopes for Renewable Energy Source Development Measures (RESDM) in Russia's renewable power sector are high: if adopted and properly implemented, it will boost the renewable sector that is plagued with underfunding, often differing regional and federal legislation, other short-comings or simple ineffectiveness.

Brazil May Favor Gas Over Wind to Fulfill World Cup Energy Demand

Stephan Nielsen and Mario Sergio Lima, Bloomberg — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Brazil, the second-biggest producer of hydroelectricity, is seeking to increase the use of fossil fuels after the worst drought in 50 years depleted reservoirs, underscoring a limit to renewable energy.

Fforde on Feed-in Tariffs: Literary Use of "Feed-in Tariffs" Comes of Age

Paul Gipe, Contributor — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Feed-in tariffs, the terminology at least, has come of age. The term can now be found in a prolific English novelist's most recent book. Jasper Fforde's use of the words in fiction is an open acknowledgment that the term and the idea it conveys have become mainstream in the English language.

EU Debate Over Climate Change Policy Could Dampen Renewable Energy Growth

Ewa Krukowska and Alex Morales, Bloomberg — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:39:31 GMT

Europe's program to halt climate change is in disarray with lawmakers in the region expressing concern the drift is undermining the planet's most significant effort to combat global warming.