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IEA says 3-fold or greater increase in biofuels possible by 2040

The International Energy Agency released its latest World Energy Outlook 2015, saying there are clear signs that an energy transition is under way. The report finds that the plunge in oil prices has set in motion the forces that lead the market to rebalance, and cautions that strong direction is needed from the upcoming United Nations conference on climate change in Paris, COP2. “It would be a grave mistake to index our attention to energy security to changes in the oil price,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Now is not the time to relax. Quite the opposite: a period of low oil prices is the moment to reinforce our capacity to deal with future energy security threats.” The World Energy Outlook 2015 examines all energy sectors, looking at global energy trends to 2014, the oil market, natural gas, unconventional gas, coal, power, renewables and energy efficiency, along with […]

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New Jersey is next for offshore wind energy

U.S. government auctions off the rights to develop offshore wind energy installations in the federal waters off the coast of New Jersey. File photo by Teun van den Dries/UPI WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) — Two energy companies won the rights to advance wind energy off New Jersey’s coast, where the potential exists to power 1.2 million homes, the government said. RES America Development and U.S. Wind Inc. bid more than $1.8 million collectively for the rights to consider the potential to develop wind energy in the federal waters off the coast of New Jersey. "We are optimistic about the promise of a strong renewable energy future offshore New Jersey, as well as for the entire nation," Abigail Ross Hopper, director of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said in a statement. The estimated 344,000 acres off the New Jersey coast has, by the federal government’s estimate, the potential […]

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Texas expected to keep breaking records for wind generation as wind capacity grows

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Note: Hourly averaged generation shown. Instantaneous peaks highlighted in the hour in which they occurred. Wind generation on the Texas electric system recently hit several all-time highs. The latest all-time instantaneous peak of 12,238 megawatts (MW) reached on October 22 replaced the short-lived records of 11,467 MW on September 13 and 11,950 MW on October 21, based on data from the grid’s operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Substantial additions of new wind generating capacity, coupled with strong wind conditions amid unseasonably warm early-autumn temperatures, drove the recent generation records. During the recent peaks in September and October, wind generators in ERCOT were running at an overall 75%–81% utilization of total generating capacity (called the capacity factor ), lower than the 83% capacity factor recorded during an earlier generation peak in February 2015 […]

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Daimler and partners deploying world’s largest 2nd-life EV battery storage unit for grid support

« Hyundai delivers 50 more ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles across Europe in October | Main | Hyundai Motor launches new global luxury brand Genesis » The world’s largest 2nd-life battery storage unit will soon go into operation in the Westphalian town of Lünen. A joint venture between Daimler AG, The Mobility House AG and GETEC, it will be operated from the beginning of next year at the site of REMONDIS SE and marketed in the German electricity balancing sector. The stationary storage unit, with a total capacity of 13 MWh, uses second-life battery systems from the second generation of smart electric drive vehicles. Under the banner of “E-Mobility thought to the end,” Daimler, The Mobility House, GETEC and REMONDIS are mapping out the entire battery value creation and recycling chain with their project in Lünen. The process demonstrably improves the overall environmental performance of electric vehicles, thereby helping to […]

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A US ethanol rally to be thankful for?

November is the month of Thanksgiving in the US, and if historical trends hold up, we’re about to see a price recovery that producers will appreciate. Before I dive into the evidence, I would first like to apologize for being wrong in September. I guess my crystal ball was a little fuzzy when I suggested that we were about to see a downturn in prices. US ethanol prices for four consecutive years had lowered in September, but thanks to crop concerns and rallying corn prices, that streak was broken. Similarly, we saw another minimal gain in October. So let’s try this again. Across the last four years, the Platts Chicago Argo benchmark ethanol assessment has averaged a 37.5-cent rise in November. Before you get too excited about that, understand that the bulk of those gains were made in the past two years. In 2014, the assessment rallied 98 cents […]

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Scotland hosting new type of offshore wind program

Scottish government grants license to build a floating type of wind farm off its coast. File photo by Teun van den Dries/Shutterstock ABERDEEN, Scotland, Nov. 2 (UPI) — The Scottish government said it granted a license to the operators of what Edinburgh said may be the world’s largest offshore floating wind energy development. Norwegian energy company Statoil was granted a license for its Hywind pilot project that envisions up to five turbines installed by an anchoring system that developers said would facilitate deep-water installation. "Hywind is a hugely exciting project in terms of electricity generation and technology innovation," Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney said in a statement. "The momentum is building around the potential for floating offshore wind technology to unlock deeper water sites." At full capacity, the company said the floating installation could generate 135 megawatts of power annually, enough to meet the energy demands of about […]

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As oil industry bleeds jobs, Asia’s green energy drive offers bright spot

A worker inspects solar panels at a solar farm in Dunhuang, 950km (590 miles) northwest of Lanzhou, Gansu Province in this September 16, 2013 file photo. 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 programs to use more renewable energy. The fresh opportunities come as the oil sector is suffering its worst downturn since the late 1990s, encouraging engineering students to rethink their options and even mid-career switches for some who have spent more than a decade in the oil sector. "It’s a matter of time for me personally before I make the move," said […]

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Will Tidal and Wave Energy Ever Live Up to Their Potential?

As solar and wind power grow, another renewable energy source with vast potential — the power of tides and waves — continues to lag far behind. But progress is now being made as governments and the private sector step up efforts to bring marine energy into the mainstream. In the Pentland Firth, a strait that separates the Orkney Islands from Northern Scotland, strong tidal currents have challenged sailors for centuries. But some of that marine energy is now being captured through a project known as MeyGen. This summer, the Atlantis group began construction on a submerged tidal turbine array consisting of four, three-bladed, seabed-mounted turbines, enough to deliver 6 megawatts to the grid by 2016 and power approximately 3,000 Scottish homes. By the early 2020s, Atlantis is planning to build 269 turbines in the firth, capable of generating 398 megawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 200,000 homes. On […]

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Chinese firm invests in Mexican wind power projects

China’s Envision Energy announced the acquisition of a majority stake in ViveEnergia, a Mexican wind power renewable energy developer. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI MEXICO CITY, Oct. 19 (UPI) — China’s Envision Energy announced the acquisition of a majority stake in the wind energy projects of Mexico’s ViveEnergia. Low-speed wind and turbine manufacturer Envision Energy, based in Shanghai, sees itself as a competitor to the Spanish company Gamesa, which dominates Mexico’s wind energy market with a 73 percent share. Envision Energy’s deal brings it a majority stake in a portfolio of projects not yet started but designed to have a capacity of 600 MW, as well as a strategic partnership with ViveEnergia to develop 1.5 GW of wind energy capacity by 2020. The acquisition includes a plan to bring the planned projects to a ready-to-build stage by the end of 2015, the companies reported. Terms of the agreement were […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple