Credit Agricole, a French bank, has bought stakes in 11 wind farms
Credit Agricole, a French bank, announced on Friday that it had purchased stakes up to 32 percent in 11 wind farms located in France. By 2050, France aims to be carbon neutral by having 45 gigawatts of offshore wind installed. Due to the complex permitting procedures and multiple appeals filed against projects, France is behind other countries in offshore wind. The European Union also wants to see more wind power in this region.
IRENA report: Record growth in renewables fuels cost-competitiveness
A report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency on Tuesday showed that solar, wind, and other renewable sources were cheaper than fossil fuels. This shows the competitiveness of these sources. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to meet climate change goals, countries are trying to reduce their reliance on fossil energy sources such as coal and natural gas. The U.N.
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…
Opinion: Egypt Banks on Renewables to Meet Expected Energy Demand Surge
To meet its soaring demand for energy, Egypt is turning to renewable sources. Its targets, if accomplished, will see it become a pioneer in the African energy landscape. But are the plans realistic?Egypt’s population has now passed 100 million. As one of the most populous and fastest-growing nations on the African continent, providing electricity to all its…
IRENA: Shipping Industry Must Cut Emissions
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) highlighted the importance of reducing shipping emissions and following the path towards a carbon-zero industry, in line with International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s sustainability targets.IRENA said that immediate action is required if the global shipping industry is to meet a target of halving its carbon…
Renewable Energy Brings 11 Million Jobs
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) eleven million people were employed in renewable energy worldwide in 2018. This compares with 10.3 million in 2017.As more and more countries manufacture, trade and install renewable energy technologies, the latest Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review finds that renewables jobs grew to their…
Petronas Sets Up Team for Renewables Push
Malaysian state-owned oil and gas firm Petroliam Nasional Berhad, or Petronas, has set up a new business within the group to make a push into renewable energy, the head of the new venture said on Tuesday.Petronas has expressed interest over the last year to diversify into renewables amid low oil prices. In March, Chief Executive Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin…
Google to Tap the Power of Offshore Wind
Google invests $700 mln in Danish data center, secures green energyGoogle will invest almost $700 million in a Danish data centre, the latest investment in the Nordic region which is known for its abundant renewable energy.Google said it would match the new centre's use of energy made from fossil fuels with green energy generated through so-called power purchase agreements (PPAs).The Nordic countries…
Renewable Energy Conference to Advance Low-Carbon Development in Egypt
Release of IRENA’s ‘Egypt Renewable Energy Outlook’ will be key focus of co-organized three-day conference in Cairo next monthEgypt’s Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) together with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will co-organize the country’s first high-level renewable energy conference in the Egyptian capital…
Google Buys into New Finnish Wind Energy in Renewables Search
Google said it has signed a 10-year deal to buy renewable energy from three new wind farms that are being built in Finland and which will power one of its data centers.Big companies have rushed to secure cheap renewable energy to manage costs and reduce their carbon footprint through so-called corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs), which allow firms such as Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, Facebook and Microsoft to buy directly from the e
Equinor Installs World’s First Battery for Offshore Wind
With Batwind in operation, it will for the first time be possible to store energy produced from an offshore wind farm.The battery storage solution was presented in Peterhead, Scotland today by Batwind partners Equinor and Masdar. Electricity produced at the world’s first floating offshore wind farm Hywind Scotland, located 25 kilometers off the coast of Peterhead…
SoftBank, China's GCL Team Up for $930 mln Indian Solar Venture
Japan's SoftBank Group Corp has agreed to launch a $930 million Indian joint solar energy venture with Chinese firm GCL System Integration Technology Co as part of its India solar investment roadmap. The venture will work on photovoltaic technology, which is used in solar panels. GCL will provide technology and SoftBank will assist in obtaining land and regulatory approvals, GCL said in a filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange dated Friday.
RWE Seeks Bigger Market Share in Croatia
German energy group RWE aims to lift its market share in Croatia to 10 percent, the head of the company's Croatia business said on Friday, adding that the country's energy authorities need to do more to encourage sector investment. State power company HEP dominates Croatia's electricity sector with 85 percent of the market, while RWE commands a 7 percent share of the electricity market and 5 percent in gas.
Global Renewables Grew at Fastest Rate on Record in 2015
Renewable energy generation capacity expanded by 8.3 percent last year to 1,985 gigawatts globally, the fastest annual rate on record, data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) showed on Thursday. The strong growth was mainly due to a continued decline in technology costs. Overall, capacity has increased by roughly a third over the last five years, mostly fuelled by new installations of wind and solar energy.
Sheltered from Biggest Risks, Green Fuel to Ride Out Oil Crash
Green power is cheap enough to compete with fossil fuels and will buck the trend of falling investment in oil and gas as it can offer long-term returns sheltered from political risk, investors and industry analysts say. Oil prices have dropped by around 75 percent since mid-2014, leading the International Energy Agency (IEA) to predict a second successive year of falling hydrocarbon investment…
Oil Bleeds Jobs to Renewables Sector
Global oil sector has cut 200,000 jobs in downturn. Renewables are powering a rare bright spot in the energy industry, with record job hiring in solar, wind and hydro partly offsetting the biggest round of job losses in the oil and gas sector in almost two decades. The boom in new green jobs is being led by Asia where governments in countries such as China and India are embarking on massive programmes to use more renewable energy.
Union: Workers Need Care as Renewables Replace Fossil Fuels
Coal, oil and gas workers need a secure future as the world moves away from fossil fuel use, and governments and companies must plan to ensure any new global climate change deal is fair for all those impacted, a top trade unionist said. So far there has been little effort to design a "just transition" to a fossil-free future, putting workers in dirty energy sectors on the defensive…
