Albanese, an Australian company, has pledged A$2.3 billion in order to assist homeowners with solar batteries
The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged A$2.3billion ($1.39billion) on Sunday to help homeowners purchase batteries to store solar energy and reduce their energy costs. This is a key issue for the 3 May general election. Albanese’s center-left Labor is neck-and-neck with the Liberal-National Opposition led by Peter Dutton in opinion polls. Dutton has been campaigning on a plan for lower electricity bills by forcing LNG producers to divert some of their exports to domestic use.
UK invests $260 Million on solar panels for hospitals and schools
GB Energy, a state-owned firm, will be leading a 200 million pound ($260) solar panel project to benefit hospitals and schools in Britain, the country announced on Friday. This is the first investment made by the company since its establishment last year, with the goal of lowering electricity bills. GB Energy, a key component of the Labour Government's plan to improve the public services in Britain as well as to help revive the British economy, was created in October in order to encourage investment in renewable energy.
Trump's tariffs against Canada could increase US electricity bills
According to grid operators and energy experts, the rising U.S. electricity prices could rise even more in certain parts of the nation if the 10% tariffs on energy imposed this week by the Trump Administration hit Canadian supplies and triggered retaliation. According to government statistics, the U.S. imports only 1% of all its power, but New York State and other regions, such as New England, rely on Canadian electricity much more. This could mean that utility bills will soon increase for customers.
Romanian government extends the energy price cap
Marcel Ciolacu, Romania's Prime Minister, announced on Thursday that the coalition government would extend the price cap for electricity to households and businesses up until June, and for gas, for one year. This is in order to protect consumers from recent increases in energy prices. Since November 2021, Romania caps gas and electricity bills for households, small business, hospitals, schools, and public institutions at certain monthly consumption levels, and compensates suppliers for any difference. The scheme was modified several times, and it was set to expire by the end of march.
Israel urges the public to install solar panels on their roofs in order to generate electricity
Solar panels are being installed on roofs in Israel to harness the sun's power and help Israel meet its growing demand for electricity. Around 15% of Israel's electric production comes from renewable sources, while about 70% of it is natural gas. The Energy Ministry set a 30% target by 2030, which will increase dramatically by 2050, when the goal of net zero emissions becomes a reality. Ron Eifer is the head of the sustainable energy division at the Ministry. Several households produce their own energy and sell the remainder to the national grid.
Centrica: Britain's gas reserves are "concerningly small"
Centrica, the operator of Britain's largest storage facility, stated on Friday that Britain's gas levels were "concerningly" low, with less than one week's worth of gas left to be consumed following a recent cold snap. Britain relies heavily on gas to heat its homes and generate electricity. As of 9th January 2025, UK stockpiles are 26% less than the inventory of last year at the same date, and they're only half full. Centrica stated that the UK had less than one week's worth of gas in stock.
Biden Team wraps up expanded Clean Energy Credit Guidance
The Biden Administration released Tuesday guidance to assist companies in securing clean energy tax credits as part of the 2022 Inflation reduction Act. This program finalized a program that extends subsidies previously available for solar and wind to other low-carbon sources. This move is a part of the actions taken by outgoing president Joe Biden to support his administration's efforts to combat climate change. The move could be vulnerable when President-elect Donald Trump assumes office in the coming weeks on a platform that emphasizes cutting spending and maximising fossil fuel production.
Pennsylvania Governor complains about PJM power market rules to regulator
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has filed a complaint against PJM Interconnection with a federal energy regulatory agency on Monday. He argues that the U.S.'s largest power grid operator, PJM Interconnection, must change their market rules to avoid escalating electricity prices. PJM Interconnection has been under increased scrutiny since July when it announced that its annual capacity auction will result in record-high payment to power plants within its system. In a complaint filed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission…
DOE-backed report: U.S. data centers' power consumption could triple by 2028
According to a Department of Energy report, the U.S. power consumption for data centers could triple within three years and account for 12% of all electricity consumed in the United States. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's report is due to be released this Friday. It comes as the U.S. government and power industry are trying to figure out how the sudden increase in data center demand by Big Tech will impact electrical grids, electricity bills, and climate change. According to a Berkeley Lab report…
Greece announces new round of subsidies on household electricity bills
Greece announced on Friday a new round in subsidizing electricity bills to assist households struggling with the rising costs of electricity in December. Greece spent almost 10 billion euros ($10.58billion) on power bill subsidies to households and businesses between 2021 and 23. This is the largest amount of subsidies that an EU country had ever paid as a percentage of its GDP. In November, wholesale power prices in Europe reached their highest level in more than a year. Greece's economy…
US regulators reject amended agreement on interconnect for Amazon Data Center
A filing on Friday showed that U.S. Energy regulators had rejected an amended agreement to interconnect an Amazon datacenter directly with a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members said that the agreement to increase capacity of the Talen Energy Susquehanna nuclear generating plant's data center could affect grid reliability and raise electricity bills for consumers. As Big Tech race to expand its data centers to support technologies such as generative artificial Intelligence…
Greek Quest to Save on Energy Bills Spurs Island-owned Renewables
Even with his 35-room beach-front hotel on the Greek island of Tilos close to fully booked, owner Michalis Kipraios worries his business might not "survive" sky-rocketing electricity bills, as the war in Ukraine drives up energy prices around the world.Tilos, 360 km (224 miles) southeast of Athens, is affected even though in 2019 it became one of the Mediterranean’s first islands to generate enough wind and solar power to meet most of its needs, including hosting thousands of tourists each summer.Tilos went the extra mile to go green by welcoming a private renewable power project…
Poland's Regulator Approves PGE Price Hike
Poland's energy regulator URE said on Friday it had agreed to let power company PGE hike prices, following similar approvals for the country's other three operators.Household electricity bills for PGE clients will rise by 10.5-11% on average monthly, starting from Jan. 18 until the end of March, URE said. (Reporting by Alan Charlish and Anna Koper Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
Four British Power Firms Call for Carbon Tax Extension
Four British power generators have called on the government to maintain the country's carbon tax until at least 2025, according to a letter seen by Reuters, putting them at odds with industrial groups who want it scrapped. The carbon tax is paid by power generators for each tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) they emit, and was frozen in 2014 at 18 pounds per tonne until 2021. British chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to provide details on what will happen to the tax after 2021 in his autumn statement on Nov. 23. Most British power companies support the carbon tax.
Kenya Signs $408 mln Loan with Japan for Geothermal Plant
Kenya and Japan on Wednesday signed a 46 billion yen ($408 million) loan agreement to go towards building a 140 megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant that is expected to be operational within the next two years, the two governments said. The plant, know as Olkaria V, will be built by Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), which has said it expects to begin construction in July, with the plant arriving on the grid by the end of 2018. The plant is part of KenGen's plans to add 720 MW of electricity - most of it from geothermal sources - to the grid between this year and 2020…
New Renewable Energy Retailer in Australian Market
A new energy retailer is entering the Australian market and pioneering a groundbreaking business model. It will empower consumers to reduce their power usage and potentially use more renewable energy. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and SBCVC have backed a $5 million Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund investment into Mojo Power. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said Mojo was a home-grown Australian business and the world’s first energy retailer which doesn’t rely on selling more power for more profit.
House Batteries Help the Grid & Consumers
Energy provider Ergon Retail is running a trial, with support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), in 33 Queensland homes in Toowoomba in the south of the state and Townsville and Cannonvale in the north. In recent months, about 30 country householders have joined a pilot project that provides a glimpse of the future of our energy grid. For no up-front cost, these homes will get a state-of-the-art rooftop solar and battery system installed in their homes . Participants will pay a monthly fee to use the battery system…
APVI Upgrades Popular Live Solar Map
The Australian PV Institute (APVI) has released an enhanced version of its live PV solar map. The map now monitors more than 5500 systems, double the previous amount. This extra allows energy stakeholders to access more data and more detailed and accurate output estimates from solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed across Australia. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said ARENA was pleased to have provided $430,000 funding support to the map’s development. “The maps and tools developed…
Norway, Sweden to Raise Renewable Energy Target
Norway and Sweden agreed on Friday to increase a joint 2020 renewable energy target by almost 8 percent under a subsidy scheme which could lead to higher energy prices for consumers. Under the new target, the two Nordic countries aim to raise the amount of electricity they produce in total from renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro or biomass to 28.4 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year by 2020 from 26.4 TWh. The changes to the common support scheme need to be approved by lawmakers in both countries before it comes into effect.
Boston Pipes Leak $90m in Fuel Yearly -Study
Boston's ageing pipeline network leaks about $90 million worth of natural gas each year, marking a sizeable financial loss and a threat to the environment, according to a study released on Thursday by Harvard researchers. The findings come as state energy officials struggle with a regional infrastructure shortfall that has left Massachusetts tight on winter heating fuel supplies during harsh cold snaps over the past three years. "Some 2.7 percent of the gas that is brought to the Boston region never makes it to customers…
