China’s total solar power capacity could reach around 3 GW by the end of this year, including photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal power.

According to preliminary statistics, the total capacity of concentrated solar thermal power planned and under construction will exceed 3 GW by 2015.

In addition to its work on CVSR, the company is currently building the Ivanpah project in the Mojave Desert which is the largest concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) facility every undertaken.

A senior Ministry of Water and Power official on Thursday said, ?The government has initiated an extensive wind power programme to meet increasing power demand and introduce renewable energy technologies in the country.?

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has developed a highly detailed wind energy forecasting system with Xcel Energy.

“The best wind energy plants in the world already produce power as economically as coal, gas and nuclear generators; the average wind farm will be fully competitive by 2016.”

Pacific Gas & Electric, on a 4-1 vote, won California Public Utilities Commission approval Thursday for a power purchase agreement with Abengoa Solar’s proposed 250-MW Mojave Concentrated Solar Power project.

Bidding for a 1,000 megawatt wind farm has begin, and shows the Egyptian government’s intent to meet its ambitious renewable energy target.

REpower Systems SE has signed a contract with EDF EN Canada Inc. to supply a total of 75 wind turbines for a 150 MW Massif du Sud wind farm in the Canadian province of Québec.

India?s big gains in the solar power sector, Concentrating Solar Thermal Power and photovoltaic solar energy, have been catching the world?s attention of late.

Spanish wind power manufacturer Gamesa said on Friday it expects to sell between 3 and 3.5 gigawatts of wind turbines in 2012, of which it has already 1.0 gigawatts commited as of November.

Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES Canada) completed the 99 MW Greenwich Wind Power Project, located on the northern shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, with 43 Siemens wind turbines.

GE today announced that it is working with Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to investigate ways to improve wind farm productivity and efficiency.

Bulgaria is on the verge of becoming the world’s leading solar power producer with large international solar energy projects and significant solar potential equal to that of Northern Spain and exceeding Germany by 10 ? 15%.

China plans to increase the combined installed capacity of its offshore wind farm sector to 5 gigawatts by 2015 and 30 gigawatts by 2020.

Once completed, the overall wind energy installed on the island by Enel Green Power will rise to over 250 MW.