Category Archives: OpEd

U.S. wind energy investment grows during the second quarter: Over 18,200 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity are now under construction

U.S. wind energy industry activity approached record levels in the second quarter as utilities and other purchasers locked in record low wind costs. Over 18,200 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity are now under construction or in advanced stages of development, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) U.S. Wind Industry Second Quarter 2016 … Continue reading U.S. wind energy investment grows during the second quarter: Over 18,200 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity are now under construction

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Developing reliable renewable energy sources

As the world’s population continues to grow, so does our consumption of natural resources. Many of these resources are non-renewable, so research into renewable sources of energy is vital. Research led by Bournemouth University’s Dr Zulfiqar Khan is tackling this issue through reducing corrosion, improving heat transfer and fluid dynamics, and using nano coatings to … Continue reading Developing reliable renewable energy sources

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Murdoch and the Coalition’s latest wind energy myths

Dodgy data, the Coalition and the Murdoch Press have again presented a spectacular performance in renewable energy misinformation, writes Giles Parkinson. IT APPEARS that the South Australian conservative Opposition may have been the original source for the dodgy numbers that formed the basis of an erroneous front page story on TheAustralian last week, about wind generation in the state. RenewEconomy understands from … Continue reading Murdoch and the Coalition’s latest wind energy myths

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Offshore wind energy is making its way to the U.S.

Dr. Sandra Whitehouse is a consultant who serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Ocean Conservancy, where she focuses on the Smart Ocean Planning, Ocean Acidification and Trash Free Seas programs. For the past twenty years Dr. Whitehouse has used her marine science expertise to advise clients on a variety of environmental policy issues. … Continue reading Offshore wind energy is making its way to the U.S.

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Donald Trump loses his war against wind energy

On Thursday, the Swedish company Vattenfall confirmed it would be investing £300 million ($397 million) in an offshore wind farm off the coast of Northern Scotland. The wind power project, due to start generating power in 2018, has had a long, controversial gestation.Trump, who owns land nearby, has also long been a passionate objector to … Continue reading Donald Trump loses his war against wind energy

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Murdoch media gets it hopelessly wrong on wind energy

 It seems that the Murdoch media attack on the Australia wind industry knows no bounds, and not many facts either.The latest – from their Adelaide bureau, which earlier this week were congratulating themselves for an “investigative” report into the surge in electricity prices that did not even mention the impact of record gas prices – … Continue reading Murdoch media gets it hopelessly wrong on wind energy

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Wind energy in Iran: 4th Iranian Wind Power Congress

Iran unveiled plans for its first tender for utility-scale renewable energy projects last week. This announcement happened just before the 4th Iranian Wind Power Congress. WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson gave the keynote speech at the Energy Ministry in front of 500 people and pointed to the tremendous potential of one of the largest wind power … Continue reading Wind energy in Iran: 4th Iranian Wind Power Congress

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Associations say EU law must hold Member States to account on renewables ambition

In October 2014, 28 EU Heads of State agreed that a binding target for renewables should be set at EU level to meet their collective climate and energy ambition. Since then, the European Parliament has consistently backed a binding renewable energy target for 2030, most recently in June 2016. The post-2020 renewable energy directive must … Continue reading Associations say EU law must hold Member States to account on renewables ambition

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Wind Energy Foundation launches Renewable America Champions social media contest

The Wind Energy Foundation (WEF) has recruited, trained, and mobilized hundreds of business people and other community leaders to help strengthen renewable energy policy through its A Renewable America (ARA) campaign over the past two years. Past successes In 2015, we worked with partners to advance understanding and support of the Clean Power Plan and … Continue reading Wind Energy Foundation launches Renewable America Champions social media contest

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Clean energy investment in 2016 undershoots last year’s record

Clean energy investment in the second quarter totaled $61.5bn, some 12% above the first-quarter 2016 figure but 32% below a very strong outturn of $90bn in the equivalent period of 2015.   Looking at the 2016 trend so far, and taking the Q1 and Q2 2016 figures together, global investment in the first half of … Continue reading Clean energy investment in 2016 undershoots last year’s record

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China hopes to build a $50 trillion global wind energy and solar power grid by 2050

One thing you can’t fault China for, lack of ambition. By 2050, the country hopes to lead efforts to build a $50 trillion global wind and solar power grid that would completely change how the world is powered. The Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) project was first introduced by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) … Continue reading China hopes to build a $50 trillion global wind energy and solar power grid by 2050

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Wind power strongly supported by Americans across the country

Professional anti-renewable energy fabricator Robert Bryce is at it again, spreading a laundry list of false, debunked claims about wind power. American voter-supported wind energy is one of the country’s leading sources of new electricity: more wind came online than any other new electric generating capacity in 2015, including solar and natural gas. That’s partly … Continue reading Wind power strongly supported by Americans across the country

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Wind power overwhelmingly popular in New York

New York has some of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the country. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed cutting carbon pollution by 80 percent in the coming decades, while the state is currently designing a 50 percent clean energy standard. To meet these targets, the Empire State will need to substantially increase its renewable … Continue reading Wind power overwhelmingly popular in New York

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Joe Bush, a former oil and gas man learns to love wind power

Joe Bush has been in the energy game for a long time. For a native Texan who spent years working in oil and gas accounting before becoming a rancher in Osage County, Okla., the sight of an oil derrick is as familiar as they come. But about 10 years ago, a wind energy developer approached … Continue reading Joe Bush, a former oil and gas man learns to love wind power

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President Donald Trump would be a climate catastrophe

A Trump presidency would be a boon for the wall construction business – not just the Mexican wall, but also walls along the coasts to keep back the rising seas. To prevent climate change that floods large portions of coastal cities, dooms small island nations and turns whole regions into deserts, we need to accelerate … Continue reading President Donald Trump would be a climate catastrophe

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Northeast Regional Forum on July 19 and 20

While states like Texas, Iowa and California often make headlines for their renewable energy progress, in many ways, it’s the Northeast that leads the way in clean power policy innovation. That’s why it’s an exciting time to attend the AWEA Northeast Regional Forum on July 19 and 20, where you can learn about the policies … Continue reading Northeast Regional Forum on July 19 and 20

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Europe sees two big wind energy purchase agreements in June

Two of the world’s largest companies signed wind power deals in the UK and Norway last month, as Europe continues to see a strong year for Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).   On 30 June, Google signed a 12-year deal with Zephyr and Norse Vind Energi for the 160MW Tellenes plant in the Southwest of Norway. … Continue reading Europe sees two big wind energy purchase agreements in June

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Dutch tender brings offshore wind power on a par with conventional power generation

The Netherlands’ Minister of Economic Affairs has today awarded DONG Energy the concession to build the offshore wind farms Borssele I and II. The total price for the two projects is €87/MWh including the cost of the grid connections. This is by some distance a record low for offshore wind. The previous lowest was Horns … Continue reading Dutch tender brings offshore wind power on a par with conventional power generation

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Germany EEG reform a mixed bag for wind energy

Germany’s parliament approved a plan to reform the country’s renewable energy law by ending feed-in tariffs in favour of competitive auctions and putting clear volumes on wind energy deployment.   Lawmakers have agreed to cap the annual auctions for onshore wind at 2.8GW and offer fluctuating tenders for offshore wind in order to control renewables … Continue reading Germany EEG reform a mixed bag for wind energy

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Brexit: what it might mean for the wind energy industry

The full impact and implications of the UK referendum, and what it means for the wind industry short and long term, are impossible to assess properly at this stage. But there are some points we can make with a degree of clarity today.   First, the UK wind market retains a number of strong fundamentals. … Continue reading Brexit: what it might mean for the wind energy industry

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