THE WEEKLY WIND

Investment of $488b Set for UHV Power Lines

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:56:30 -0400

Investment of $488b Set for UHV Power Lines:

China Daily

The UHV power lines, dubbed “power corridors,” are designed to connect China’s disparate regional grids and help resolve China’s geographical energy imbalance. These improvements are widely expected to help transmission of wind energy and solar power.

Buffett's MidAmerican Plans 1,050 MW Wind Addition by 2015

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:54:48 -0400

Buffett's MidAmerican Plans 1,050 MW Wind Addition by 2015:

Power Engineering

MidAmerican Energy which is a holding company controlled by Berkshire Hathaway plans to add up to 1,050 MW of wind generation, or up to 656 wind turbines, in Iowa by year-end 2015. With the 2012 expansion project complete, 2,285 megawatts, or approximately 30 percent of MidAmerican Energy’s total owned generation capacity, comes from energy generated by the company’s 1,267 owned wind turbines.

Climate Milestone: Earth's CO2 Level Passes 400 ppm

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:08:51 -0400

Climate Milestone: Earth's CO2 Level Passes 400 ppm:

Washington Post

For the first time in human history, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached 400 parts per million (ppm). The arrival at this threshold represents a powerful symbol of the growing human influence on the Earth’s climate.

Novel Solution Stores Renewable Energy Underwater

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:33:16 -0400

Novel Solution Stores Renewable Energy Underwater:

Dow Jones VentureWire

The MaRS Cleantech Fund has completed a C$30M venture deal with Toronto-based energy storage firm Hydrostor, whose technology converts surplus electrical energy to underwater compressed air and stores it for use at peak times.

Want to See the Energy Future? Pay Attention to China

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:32:09 -0400

Want to See the Energy Future? Pay Attention to China:

Intelligent Utility

“Conventional wisdom says that new technology gets created in the United States and is then exported to China. But when it comes to bringing new energy technologies to scale, the reverse may be true,” David Mohler, vice president of emerging technology with Duke Energy, commented.

Protect RPS Mandates

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:29:45 -0400

Protect RPS Mandates:

North American Windpower

During the Wind Industry Leaders Panel at WINDPOWER 2013 on Tuesday, Alonso, CEO at EDP Renewables North America and chairman of the board of directors at the American Wind Energy Association, told the audience that Wind industry participants can help advocate in five states where legislative bills are coming due for a vote regarding renewable portfolio standards (RPS).

China Moves Closer to Starting Regional Carbon-trading Programs

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:07:07 -0400

China Moves Closer to Starting Regional Carbon-trading Programs:

Scientific American

China will soon begin its grand experiment to rein in climate change, using the nation’s regionwide carbon markets as the building blocks for what could become the world’s second-largest emissions trading market.

This is expected to boost China’s renewable energy capacity because financing from polluters can support more wind farms, hydroelectric dams and solar power plants. The ambitious goal of those Chinese regionwide carbon trading pilots is to prove that the mechanisms work and can be deployed on a larger scale.

Wind Power To Hydrogen

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:08:17 -0400

Wind Power To Hydrogen:

Norfolk Wind Energy LLC

Emerald H2 and Norfolk Wind Energy have signed an agreement to produce hydrogen from wind power. The planned 10 MW wind and 500,000 kg hydrogen project will use energy from wind turbines to produce hydrogen.

First-Quarter Results Show Wind Sector Experienced Robust Funding Activity

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:07:07 -0400

First-Quarter Results Show Wind Sector Experienced Robust Funding Activity :

Mercom Capital Group LLC

The wind industry saw strong funding and merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the first quarter of this year. wind sector venture capital (VC) funding rebounded in the first quarter, raising $16 million in three deals after the previous quarter saw just one $500,000 VC deal.

Curtailed Wind to Curtail Coal Heating in China

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:18:42 -0400

Curtailed Wind to Curtail Coal Heating in China:

National Energy Administration (in Chinese)

The National Energy Administration (NEA) of China issued a Notice to urge development of wind-to-heat projects in northern China. This practice aims to reduce the waste of wind power and cut emissions from the coal-fired central heating system. Experiments have been carried out and the approach is going to be scaled up, but further innovations are needed to really shake the dominance of coal.

The End of Paying for Electricity by the Kilowatt-Hour

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:17:08 -0400

The End of Paying for Electricity by the Kilowatt-Hour:

Greentech Media

“I think we’ll see something similar to telecom,” said Urban Keussen, SVP of technology and innovation at E.ON, one of the world’s largest investor-owned utilities. Instead of paying per minute or byte, many phone plans have moved to flat fees for services.

ABB Buys Power-One for $1 Billion to Add Inverter Capacity

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:15:47 -0400

ABB Buys Power-One for $1 Billion to Add Inverter Capacity:

Bloomberg

Just few weeks ago, Advanced Energy acquired REFUsol for US$ 77 million.

Good News From the IRS on the PTC for Wind

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:04:55 -0400

Good News From the IRS on the PTC for Wind:

IRS

A newly issued definition from the IRS has removed the last element of uncertainty attached to the extension of PTC (the production tax credit). In order to meet the “commence construction” qualification, developers must either: 1) show “physical work of a significant nature” has begun on their project, either a) at the site, or b) in a factory to which the developer has given a binding order for specially designed equipment, or 2) show that at least 5 percent of the total project cost has been incurred.

China Overtook the U.S. in Clean-energy Spending in 2012

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:03:40 -0400

China Overtook the U.S. in Clean-energy Spending in 2012:

The Pew Charitable Trusts

China reclaimed the top spot in clean-energy investments last year. Investors poured $65 billion into Chinese clean-energy projects last year, up 20% from 2011, thanks mainly to consistent policies. The U.S. fell to the No. 2 spot, with $35.6 billion, down 37% from the year before.

Enercon's Wind Turbine Installations Grew to 3.5GW

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:02:38 -0400

Enercon's Wind Turbine Installations Grew to 3.5GW:

Windpower Monthly

Enercon reported it had installed 1,747 wind turbines around the world in 2012, with a total capacity of around 3.5GW, compared with about 3.2GW in 2011. The company will continue its policy of incremental growth. Around 3.8GW of installations are due in 2013, on course for 4GW in 2014, according to the firm.

ABB China Reports $5.2 Billion Revenue in 2012

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 -0400

ABB China Reports $5.2 Billion Revenue in 2012:

China Daily

ABB invested $120 million in China last year, boosting its total investment in the country to more than $1.6 billion over the last decade. - a strong commitment to a local engineering sector which suffered an overall downturn during the past 12 months.

13131 MW in 2012

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:00:09 -0400

13131 MW in 2012:

AWEA

Wind energy accounted for 42% of newly installed generating capacity in the U.S. last year, surpassing natural gas, which accounted for 32%. The deadline for the production tax credit was largely responsible for last year’s total.

China's Wind Power Generation Up 41% In 2012

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:00:00 -0400

China's Wind Power Generation Up 41% In 2012:

Xinhua

China generated 100.8 billion kilowatt hours of wind power in 2012, marking a 41-percent rise from 2011. The amount represented about 2 percent of the country’s total electricity sent through the state grid, according to the National Energy Administration.

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) controlled a sweeping majority of investment and construction in wind power projects last year, accounting for about 81 percent of the sector’s installed capacity.

GE Successfully Trials Superconductor Technology

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:59:03 -0400

GE Successfully Trials Superconductor Technology:

GE Power Conversion has successfully completed trials of Hydrogenie, a power generator incorporating technologies using superconductors that the company says enable highly efficient production of electricity in a small space. In a test late last year, the Hydrogenie did well beyond its full rated load of 1.7 MW spinning at 214 rpm and met expectations and design predictions.

Wind Market: Latin America Poised To Outgrow North America

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:58:20 -0400

Wind Market: Latin America Poised To Outgrow North America:

MAKE Consulting

The Americas region will add nearly 92 GW of new wind power capacity from 2013 to 2020, but the rate of growth will be dramatically different between North America and Latin America. The real opportunity over the next eight years will be in Latin America, where MAKE forecasts a 20% compounded annual growth rate.