Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com

NLP Solar Sales Training May 29 & 30 - New Bonus for Contractors & Sales Teams

Rich Hessler — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:00 GMT

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.

Senate Committee Passes Geothermal Leasing Measure

Leslie Blodgett, GEA — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:28:01 GMT

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met Thursday, May 16th, to vote on a series of measures that included S. 363, The Geothermal Expansion and Production Act. The legislation was sponsored by Senator Wyden (D-OR), and co-sponsored by Senators Murkowski (R-AK), Begich (D-AK), Crapo (R-ID), Risch (R-ID) and Merkley (D-OR).

Fracking and Solar: Friends, Foes or the Bridge to Clean Energy Adoption?

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:17:00 GMT

Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” has been widely criticized by environmentalists who cite concerns with water pollution and methane leakage from this high-volume method of extracting natural gas. However, the burning of natural gas is undoubtedly better for the planet than the burning of coal. Some experts are now saying that — toxic chemicals an

Brazil Auction Rules May Boost Price of Wind Power 15%

Stephan Nielsen, Bloomberg — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Prices for wind energy in Brazil, currently the lowest in the world, may rise at least 15 percent due to government policies designed to make the nation's power grid more reliable.

No Easy Fix for Broken Wind Turbine at US High School

Tim Faulkner, ecoRI News — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

It's status quo for the Portsmouth High School wind turbine. On Monday night, town planner Gary Crosby informed the Town Council that negotiations ceased with two possible developers interested in fixing or replacing the 336-foot-high turbine, which has been broken since June 2012.

Breakdown: Penetration of Renewable Energy in Selected Markets

Paul Gipe, Contributor — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

The penetration of renewable energy into the electricity supply mix has been much in the news recently. During the first quarter, Portugal generated three-quarters of its electricity with renewable energy. Meanwhile, in Germany, one-fifth of all electricity was generated with renewables, most of that from new sources of renewable energy, such as wind and solar. And recently, at a conference in San Francisco, attendees heard calls for generating not just 100 percent of electricity supply with renewable energy, but far more — 200 percent to 300 percent of generation — in order to meet the need for heating, cooling, and transportation as well.

Solar Under Assault Again in Louisiana

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

A slew of bills introduced in Louisiana’s legislature this year were challenging the state’s solar incentives. At least one of which, House Bill 705 to gradually phase out the state’s solar and wind tax credits by 2020, has moved forward. While that bill might make some sense, other bills, like a bill to eliminate tax credits immediately, seem to b

Moniz Unanimously Confirmed As New DOE Chief

James Montgomery, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:55:25 GMT

Ernie Moniz has been unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next Secretary of Energy, in a 97-0 vote (with three nonvoters). He succeeds Stephen Chu who held the position for four years.

SolarCity Scores $500 Million from Goldman Sachs for Solar Leasing

Christopher Martin, Bloomberg — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:55:34 GMT

SolarCity Corp. (SCTY), a solar-energy developer chaired by billionaire Elon Musk, won financing from Goldman Sachs (GS) Group Inc. for more than $500 million in rooftop solar systems that the company will complete this year.

China Solar Update: Trina Improves, Suntech Scores Extension, Beijing Awaits EU Tariff Decision

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:36:06 GMT

Several news bits from the solar sector show more signs of stabilization after a 2-year-old downturn, even as an ongoing trade war looks set to escalate. The big picture in these news bits does seem to reflect some cautious optimism returning to the sector after the prolonged downturn due to massive oversupply. But that turnaround remains very tent

US Solar 2013 Halftime Update: Victories and Ongoing Initiatives

Adam Browning, Vote Solar — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:36:37 GMT

2013 is nearly halfway through, so we'd like to share an update of Vote Solar initiatives and notable industry happenings from net metering to innovative financing.

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.

SunPower To Launch Solar Leases Overseas

Ucilia Wang, Contributing Editor — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Distributed generation and international markets will be the twin focus for SunPower over the next few years as the company makes a big push for using its concentrating PV technology and selling residential leases abroad, SunPower executives said during its analyst day presentations Wednesday.

U.K. Delays Smart Meter Rollout by a Year on 'Challenge'

Alex Morales, Bloomberg — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

The U.K. postponed its mass installation of "smart" energy meters by a year as suppliers struggle with design glitches and testing is delayed.

Solar PV Inverter Giant SMA Cutting Workforce Amid Sales Slide

James Montgomery, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:02:25 GMT

Global inverter leader SMA AG cast a downward glance in its fiscal 1Q13 results today, and is preparing for what could be major layoffs in the face of the global PV market's first decline in many years.

Efficiency New Brunswick Cuts Geothermal Energy Incentives

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:21:00 GMT

Throughout Canada, energy efficiency retrofit grants have helped stimulate the geothermal industry and have made geothermal heat pumps more popular than ever before. The introduction of these substantial financial incentives on both a provincial and federal level have been a boon for the geothermal industry and the energy efficiency retrofit indust

Ireland Keen to Hit 2030 Renewable Targets, Says EU Ambassador

Tom Rowe, EWEA — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:56:14 GMT

Irish Ambassador to the European Union Tom Hanney is in the throes of a six month stint at the heart of decision making in Brussels, as Ireland currently holds the EU Presidency. The Deputy Permanent Representative says holding the Presidency is "a marathon, from January to June."

SolarCity Earnings: Mixed Results, Good Prospects

Harris Roen, The Roen Financial Report — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

SolarCity (SCTY) has been one of the hottest alternative energy stocks since its Initial Public Offering five short months ago. Yesterday it shot up 24% in one day, on the largest one-day volume since it opened, in anticipation of its quarterly earnings release. It is up 95% in the past three months, and has more than tripled from its initial trading price. As of this writing SCTY has given back about a third of yesterday's stratospheric gains.

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.