Ocean Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
Tracking and Analyzing Energy Legislation Across the US
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A new online database created by Colorado State University's (CSU) Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) aims to serve anyone interested in clean energy legislation in any state in the U.S., or even those who are crafting policy themselves.
Warning Scotland Against Independence: Renewables Will Suffer, Says Ed Davey
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UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey has warned that Scotland will damage its standing as a prime mover in renewable energy if it votes to become independent.
Asia Report: Tweaking India's Domestic Content Policy
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India's solar energy policy contains domestic content requirements for solar cells and panels, but initially these excluded thin-film technologies — a big help to First Solar among others. But as expected, new proposals aim to close that loop.
Moniz Unanimously Confirmed As New DOE Chief
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Ernie Moniz has been unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next Secretary of Energy, in a 97-0 vote (with three nonvoters). He succeeds Stephen Chu who held the position for four years.
Marine Energy Breakthrough: New Technology Multiplies Potential
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Marine energy is the 'best of the best' amongst green energy sources: it has the greatest potential (in theory, the planet's oceans could supply the entire world with renewable energy), tidal and ocean current power plants are under water and therefore completely invisible, they produce electricity from 100 percent renewable energy sources (the water in the globe's oceans will always move around, well, at least until the sun swallows the moon), they are safe, and the icing on the cake is that they actually have positive environmental effects. Positive? Yes, studies have shown that marine life thrive in marine energy parks.
EU Debate Over Climate Change Policy Could Dampen Renewable Energy Growth
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Europe's program to halt climate change is in disarray with lawmakers in the region expressing concern the drift is undermining the planet's most significant effort to combat global warming.
DOE Announces $13 Million to Advance Ocean Energy Technologies
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The Energy Department announced today up to $13 million in funding to develop and test advanced components and technologies to boost the performance of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) energy systems. The Department plans to select up to 10 awards aimed at developing advanced controls, power systems, and device structures specifically for MHK applications, which harness energy from waves, tides, or currents.
Tidal Energy Wins Welsh Government Grant to Test Device at Sea
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Tidal Energy Ltd., a U.K. maker of technology that uses ocean currents to generate electricity, received 1.6 million pounds ($2.5 million) from the Welsh government to test its device at sea.
Replacing Diesel with Renewables: Negotiations for a 1-MW Wave Project at Tongatapu
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Currently IRENA estimates that small Pacific Island nations are expected to account for 17 percent of all new renewables built globally over the next 5 years. Renewable energy developers are flocking to these island nations with proposals.
Asia Report: Balancing China's Solar PV Market Volatility
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China's solar PV demand sunk 23 percent in 1Q13 to 6.2 gigawatts (GW), driven by seasonality and policy incentive deadlines. Chinese demand largely drove a burnoff in upstream inventory accumulated over several quarters, but repetitive swings in Chinese demand over the next year will emphasize the need for smart capacity utilization and inventory control, according to SolarBuzz analyst Michael Barker in a recent report.
The Greenest Organizations in the US: Who Uses the Most Renewable Energy?
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the updated list of the top 50 organizations in the US that get their electricity from "green power." The rankings are listed in order of annual green power usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh), though there's enough data to call attention to groups in different ways, for how effectively they've brought renewable-generated electricity into their usage profile, and whether they've taken further steps to generate their own renewable energy power.
Lockheed, Reignwood to Build Ocean Thermal Power Plant for China
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Lockheed Martin Corp. and China's Reignwood Group will build a plant to generate electricity from differences in ocean temperatures, using technology the U.S. defense company previously worked on in the 1970s.
Renewables Are "Bright Spot" in Bleak Low-carbon Outlook
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Today in New Delhi the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed the latest figures from its annual report on global progress towards a low-carbon future. The agency addressed its report to a meeting of the Clean Energy Ministerial, a group of ministers representing nations that collectively emit four-fifths of global greenhouse gases.
VC Funding in Renewable Energy: Tracking the New Normal
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Clean energy investments worldwide slid 22 percent in 1Q13 to $40.6 billion, their lowest level in four years, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The biggest declines were in the U.S. (54 percent), Europe (25 percent), and China (15 percent), while investments in Asia were robust: $8.2 billion in Japan, and the rest of Asia ex-India and China increased 47 percent to $10.1 billion. Asset finance (equity, debt, and balance sheet funds) for utility-scale projects dropped off 34 percent to $19.3 billion. VC and private equity (PE) funds fell 29 percent year-on-year to $1.3 billion.
IRS Defines Start of Construction for the Production Tax Credit
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The Internal Revenue Service explained today what developers must do this year to be considered to have started construction of new renewable energy projects.
2030: A Future Roadmap for Renewables?
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A recent European Commission Green Paper seeking views on the development of intermediate renewable energy and climate targets for 2030 has prompted calls from the industry to adopt a three part approach, targeting renewable energy, energy efficiency and emissions reduction. Formally opening an ongoing debate, the consultation — the Commission says
The Limits of Renewable Energy: A Call for Research and Development
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We're losing the race against global warming. Worldwide coal production increased about eight times faster than solar- and wind-power generation last year. China added more new coal plants in 2011 than are running in Texas and Ohio, even as it leads the world in wind-power capacity. Meanwhile, the United States is only modestly cutting carbon emissions by transitioning from coal to natural gas, which is still a carbon-rich fuel.
Maine Introduces Feed-in Tariff Legislation
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After a long period of quiescence, Maine's state legislature has again taken up feed-in tariffs. Legislative document 1085 to establish the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff was introduced 19 March 2013 and referred to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology.
Australia Backs Renewable Energy Targets
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In response to a statutory review, The Australian Government's Climate Change Authority has committed to maintaining its renewable energy target (RET) of 20 percent of the nation's electricity (roughly 41,000 GWh) coming from renewable sources by 2020. The Government also emphasizes that 20 percent is only a minimum target, and leaves "the way open for improvements in energy efficiency to deliver a higher share of renewable energy."
The Good and Bad News of DoE Fiscal Year Budget Request
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The good news is the Department of Energy (DoE) FY 2013 budget request of $2,337 million for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs (EERE) shows a 29 percent increase from the enacted FY 2012 budget. The bad news is the FY 2013 has not been approved by Congress, as of this writing, see Table 1 below. Table 1: FY 2013 DoE Budget Request