Iberdrola Gets Portugese Nod for Wind Farm Start
Iberdrola has received a production license from the Portuguese Directorate-General for Energy and Geology of Portugal (DGEG), taking another step towards the construction of the largest wind farm in Portugal.Located in the districts of Vila Real and Braga, in northern Portugal, with a total investment of around €350 million, this project reinforces Iberdrola's commitment to environmental goals, being the first to combine wind and hydro energy.
China will continue to implement low-carbon reforms according to the energy regulator
The energy regulator in China said that China would continue to phase out fossil fuels, and reform its electricity system. It issued a paper on Thursday listing achievements, but lacking new plans for China’s energy transition. Zhang Jianhua, the head of China's National Energy Administration, said that China will continue to reform its electric system, expand the market for spot electricity, promote green electricity trade and replace fossil fuels by renewable energy.
China increases coal mining to provide winter power: Kemp
China's coal production has reached record levels, and its imports have also risen. However, the surge in power generated by solar farms and hydro dams has reduced thermal generation. The reliability of electricity is dependent on coal-fired power generation, especially during the winter when solar and hydro output are lower and the system relies more heavily on fossil fuel. Even though wind and solar power have been deployed in record numbers…
China increases coal mining to provide winter power: Kemp
China's coal production has reached record levels, and its imports have also risen. However, the surge in power generated by solar farms and hydro dams has reduced thermal generation. The reliability of electricity is dependent on coal-fired power generation, especially during the winter when solar and hydro output are lower and the system relies more heavily on fossil fuels. Even though wind and solar power have been deployed in record numbers…
Vattenfall Shortlisted for 1 GW French Offshore Wind Tender
France has shortlisted Swedish utility Vattenfall and its two partners to bid in a tender to develop an offshore wind farm with a capacity of about 1 gigawatt (GW) off Normandy, the company said on Tuesday.Vattenfall and its partners - German wind farm developer wpd and French institutional investor Banque des Territoires - would participate in France's fourth offshore wind tender alongside five other groups…
innogy Applauds Ireland's Offshore Wind Push
innogy Renewables Ireland, the joint developer of Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm, has this week welcomed the announcement by Ireland's Minister of State, Damien English TD, of a clear road map for the development of offshore wind energy in Ireland. The government earlier this week announced the seven offshore wind energy projects that have been designated as Relevant Projects. These are offshore wind projects that either applied for or were granted a lease under the Foreshore Act 1933…
TenneT, Vattenfall Pact on Hollandse Kust Zuid
European transmission system operator TenneT Holding and offshore and wind farm developer Vattenfall have signed agreements for the offshore grid connection for the Hollandse Kust Zuid I and II wind farms.The agreements concern the realisation of the connection and the transmission of electricity between the 700 MW wind farm of Vattenfall and the TenneT Hollandse Kust Zuid Alpha offshore platform…
Tax Sops for Shore-Side Electricity Supply for Ships in EU
The Transport committee of the European Parliament supported yesterday the removal of tax barriers for the uptake of shore-side electricity supply (OPS) in ports for ships at berth.The Ertug report on the deployment of infrastructure for alternative fuels in the EU which was voted by the Transport committee, pointed out that taxation has a major impact on the price competitiveness of alternative…
Total, Siemens Hope to Sign Cuban LNG Deal Soon
French energy firm Total SA and German industrial giant Siemens AG hope to sign a deal soon with Cuba to build a 600 megawatt gas-fired power plant on the island, according to diplomats and businessmen with knowledge of the talks.The two are leading a consortium that has been in negotiations with Communist-run Cuba since last year when they won a tender for the project, said the sources, who did not identify the other members"Total…
Fortum Contracted to Raise Finland's Solar Power Capacity
Finland's Fortum, a majority state-owned utility company, won a tender to increase Finland's total solar production capacity by nearly 30 percent, the firm said on Monday. Fortum will install a solar electricity system on rooftops of about 40 commercial buildings across Finland. Even though their combined output will be of only 10 megawatts (MW), the project will be the biggest ever of its kind in the Nordics.
Energy Island: Europeans Mull North Sea Hub
A plan set in motion by three European transmission system operators (TSO) aims to develop mammoth offshore wind farm infrastructure in the North Sea supported by at least one manmade island. First unveiled in June 2016, plans for the North Sea Wind Power Hub project will now press ahead to develop a large offshore renewable European electricity system following the signing of a trilateral agreement by TenneT TSO B.V.
Canada's Ontario to Scale Back Renewable Energy Purchases
Ontario will scale back its purchase of renewable power, a move expected to save up to C$3.8 billion ($2.86 billion) in electricity system costs relative to a 2013 forecast, the government of the Canadian province said on Tuesday. The government said it will immediately suspend the second round of its Large Renewable Procurement process and the Energy-from-Waste Standard Offer Program, halting procurement of over 1…
ABB Debuts Digital Substation
Digital substations as key elements in future-oriented power grids to improve efficiency, safety and system visibility. ABB is presenting its digital substation model at the Cigré conference and exhibition, in Paris from August 22-26, 2016, a leading global platform for power experts and a showcase for the latest technology developments in the sector. Digital substations will be a key component of next generation grids as they enable smarter power systems.
Portugal to Build Sustainable Energy System
Portugal must maintain its efforts to deliver a financially sustainable energy system, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today as it also urged the Portuguese government to build stronger energy links between the Iberian Peninsula and France. Speaking at the launch of an IEA review of Portuguese energy policies, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol encouraged Portugal to maintain efforts to resolve the so-called tariff deficit…
ABB Integrates Baltics with European Grid
ABB has commissioned and handed over a high-voltage power transmission link to the Lithuanian transmission system operator Litgrid. The LitPol Link is the final step of the European Union’s Baltic Ring initiative to interconnect the grids of nine countries around the Baltic Sea: Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. ABB’s high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link…
Britain's Coal Transition Holds Lessons for China
Britain's last deep coal mine closed on Friday, bringing the curtain down on an industry that once employed more than 1 million miners at over 3,000 collieries. Coal helped Britain become the first modern industrial power, fuelling her factories, steel works, ships and railways in the 19th century, when the country became famous as the workshop of the world ("Energy transitions", Smil, 2010). Contemporary observers believed Britain's imperial might was bound up with the future of her mines…
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.
Green Investments Up After Two-Year Decline
Renewables investment last year up nearly 17 pct to $270 bln. Global green energy investment surged in 2014, after two years of decline, due to a solar boom in China and Japan and record offshore wind investment in Europe, a U.N.-backed report showed. Renewables investment reached $270.2 billion last year, 16.6 percent above 2013 investment of $231.8 billion, said the report backed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Eskom Repairs Three Units, Builds Up Diesel and Water
South Africa's Eskom was able to repair three out-of-service units and build up its diesel and water reserves after instituting rolling black-outs over the weekend, the state-owned power utility said on Monday. The move restored much-needed power back into South Africa's ailing grid although the utility said supply would remain tight. "The electricity system will remain constrained this week requiring…
India, Indonesia on Different Coal Paths
India, poised to become the world's largest importer of thermal coal, appears to be opening up its domestic mining sector to foreign competition just as Indonesia, its biggest supplier, is making it harder for exporters. On a superficial level it appears that India and Indonesia are choosing different paths for their coal sectors, but the policies being pursued by the countries' new, reform-minded leaders may have more in common than first appearances suggest.
