GE and Kenya announcing development of a 150 MW wind power project highlights the multiple benefits of making renewable energy a pillar of economic development.
The European Commission has confirmed that tougher emissions regulations would be less costly to implement than previously thought. This is due to multiple factors, but especially due to the economic recession, which caused a significant overall decrease in energy usage. Another key factor is the effectiveness of EU climate policies.
Want to do some online solar learnin’? Infinite Solar Inc has just launched Infinite Solar Online, which is “Internet-based solar training programs that expand its traditional curricula to an online format,” the company writes.
As many as 60,000 American solar industry jobs would be lost over the next three years should a 100% tariff be imposed on Chinese silicon PV imports, according to the results of a Brattle Group study commissioned by CASE, the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy.
Some more top cleantech stories from around, to kick off the week:
I think we’ve covered all of the technologies and stories mentioned in this guest post below, but it is a nice summary of some recent clean energy news and a nice “step back and take a broader look at things” kind of piece that I think is worth sharing, so here it is!
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has proposed a major offshore wind energy plan in his state for the second year in a row. But even though the plan has wide backing from environmental groups and the public, it may once again face stiff headwinds of opposition from utilities and the state legislature.
I spend much of my time studying carbon pollution trends, analyzing growing evidence of global warming, and assessing the impacts of a warmer climate. Thus, I recently found myself in agreement with scientists when they moved the symbolic doomsday clock closer to midnight (planetary catastrophe) in part because of global inaction on climate change. At the same time, I remain optimistic about our collective ability to face the crisis. Why? Because even as we’re racing against time to combat climate change, we’re also moving forward in the clean energy race.
US wind power capacity surged 31% in 4Q and 17% annually in 2011, according to the AWEA’s latest industry report. Wind energy now supplies 20% of electricity in Iowa and South Dakota, while more than 100 wind projects in 31 states and Puerto Rico are under construction at present. Looming expiration of the wind power PTC threatens the economic growth and job creation that’s under way, however.
Good news on the clean energy finance front—private sector investors are stepping up the pace of their investments across the renewable energy landscape, from wind and solar to geothermal and hydropower. With a Congress hopelessly divided on the direction energy and environmental policy should take and threatening lapses of key clean energy incentives imminent, private sector capital is going to be critical in order for the fast pace of renewable energy systems deployment and technological innovation to continue.
