Dominion wind request could lead to first Virginia project

Dominion Energy has launched a request for proposals that could result in construction of the first wind farm in Virginia, one of only nine US states without installed capacity. The utility company is seeking bids for 300MW of onshore wind and solar power capacity and environmental attributes including renewable energy certificates. Developers must locate projects in Virginia and can be 10MW (ac

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 hours old Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Dutch set December date for 700MW subsidy-free auction

The economics ministry of the Netherlands has invited companies interested in a subsidy-free tender for the 700MW Hollandse Kust South 1&2 offshore wind zone to hand in bids between 15 and 21 December. Only if the subsidy-free tender fails to yield an acceptable bid will a tender procedure that includes subsidies with the lowest bid price as main criteria be initiated. The Dutch government earli

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 hours old Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Canada's Boralex backs Scottish onshore wind with 325MW JV

Canada’s Boralex has linked with UK developer Infinergy with a view to developing a 325MW onshore wind pipeline in Scotland, in the latest vote of confidence in the sector there. The two developers have agreed a 50/50 joint venture to advance a 10-project pipeline in Scotland, comprising wind farms of up to 80MW at various stages of progress. Boralex will invest the majority of the £6.6m ($8.7m)

Wind  rechargenews.com 13 hours old Andrew Lee

Australia signals end to renewables subsidies after 2020

Australia’s government has shifted away from renewables by rejecting a recommendation by the nation’s chief scientist to set a post-2020 clean energy target, instead opting for a 'technology-neutral' plan that prioritises reducing electricity prices. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull claimed in an online video that a new policy, known as the National Energy Guarantee, would reduce power prices and

Transition  rechargenews.com 15 hours old Christopher Hopson in London

Shrunken Chile power tender attracts 24 bidders

Chile’s regulated power market tender received bids from 24 companies, of which around 10 were solar and wind projects, amid declining demand from a slowing economy that led the government to reduce the amount of electricity to be contracted. According to power sector regulator CNE, the 24 bids included proposals from Chilean, Spanish, US and Italian companies in relation to 2.2TWh a year of pow

Transition  rechargenews.com 15 hours old Alexandre Spatuzza in Sao Paulo

Innogy lines up UK's Murphy for Triton Knoll onshore cables

Germany’s Innogy has chosen UK-firm J Murphy & Sons as its preferred supplier to install almost 60km of onshore cables for the 860MW Triton Knoll wind farm off eastern England. Murphy will design and install the project’s onshore cable circuits, which will run from the point of landfall near Anderby Creek to a new National Grid substation at Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire. The installation is seen a

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 hours old Christopher Hopson in London

Siemens Gamesa sees lower 2017 Ebit on inventory revision

Wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa has sharply lowered its guidance for its underlying full-year profit following a write-down of inventories in the US and South Africa. Revised earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) for the fiscal year 2017, which for the company ended on 30 September, are now expected to come in at €790m ($928m) instead of the €900m foreseen earlier. “This disclosure

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 hours old Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

GE to supply 158MW Masdar-led wind project in Serbia

General Electric is slated to supply 57 turbines to the largest wind project in the Western Balkans, the 158MW Cibuk 1 in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, World Bank unit International Finance Corporation ( IFC) said. Part of the Vetroelektrane Balkana project, Cibuk 1 is a 60:40 partnership between Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company Masdar and Cibuk Wind Holding, a unit of US de

Wind  rechargenews.com 17 hours old Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

New global realities mean floating wind will stay the course

ANALYSIS | It will see triumphs and setbacks along the way, but powerful fundamentals of technology, geography and societal change will help floating wind find a role, writes Darius Snieckus

Wind  rechargenews.com 18 hours old Darius Snieckus in London

German Greens to push for coal exit in tricky coalition talks

ANALYSIS | The Green Party will make a renewables-friendly acceleration out of coal a priority in what are set to be tightrope negotiations in Berlin, writes Bernd Radowitz

Transition  rechargenews.com 20 hours old Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

US awards grant to support Vietnamese offshore project

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a grant to Power Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Co. 2 (PECC2), a Vietnamese power engineering company, to support development of a 100MW offshore wind farm in southern Vietnam. PECC2 selected consulting and engineering firm DVN GL in Seattle to carry out the project design and feasibility study. PECC2 is developing the 100 MW Tan Thu

Wind  rechargenews.com 17 Oct 01:22 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Hexcel extends advanced prepreg supply deal with Vestas

Hexcel Corp. has reached terms with turbine OEM Vestas to expand its existing agreement to provide advanced composite materials for new-generation wind blades. Hexcel, based in Stamford, Connecticut, did not release terms of the deal that will involve supply of advanced prepreg (glass fiber-reinforced resin systems) manufactured at its plants in Neumark, Austria; Windsor, Colorado; and Tianjin,

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 21:38 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Wind to surpass coal soon in Texas as plant retirements loom

Wind will soon surpass coal in nameplate generation capacity in the main Texas power grid after Luminant, the state’s largest electricity producer, announced it will close three large coal-fired plants in early 2018. Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which serves about 90% of the state’s electric load, has at least 19GW of wind power capacity on its grid, slightly less than 19.2GW

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 19:28 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Oklahoma considers wind turbine limits near Air Force bases

Oklahoma’s legislature is considering whether to place restrictions on further wind development in areas of the state where US Air Force bases conduct training exercises. The move follows action by Texas and North Carolina to address concerns over alleged wind industry interference with military air space. Potential action by Oklahoma lawmakers to restrict development during the 2018 legislative

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 16:31 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Brave Tern nears end of 350MW Wikinger build in the Baltic

Construction of the €1.4bn ($1.65bn) Wikinger offshore wind farm – developer Iberdrola’s first outing in German waters – is nearing completion, with contractor Fred Olsen Windcarrier in the next week or so due to top-out the last of the project’s 70 steel jackets with a 5MW Adwen turbine. Iberdrola chief tells newbies: 'No easy way into offshore wind' FOW’s Brave Tern, a self-propelled installa

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 15:56 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Invenergy says Poland breached treaties in $700m wind dispute

US energy group Invenergy notified the Polish government of action under international treaties as it claimed losses of $700m from a “coordinated conspiracy” it says destroyed the viability of its wind farm investments in the country. Invenergy has sent a letter to Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło, its President and other officials notifying a dispute under the US-Poland Bilateral Investment Tr

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 12:36 GMT Andrew Lee

German EEG levy nudges lower in 2018 as wholesale prices rise

The levy to finance the expansion of renewables in Germany – the EEG surcharge – will fall next year amid rising wholesale power prices and large reserve funds in the surcharge account, the country’s four transmission system operators (TSOs) said. The EEG surcharge will fall by 1.3% to €0.06792 ($0.08) per kilowatt hour of electricity in 2018, down from the €0.0688/kWh paid by most consumers as p

Transition  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 10:19 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Vestas launches V120 in China as low-wind push gathers pace

Onshore wind market-leader Vestas has launched its V120 turbine in China in a bid to meet the growing push to develop low- and ultra-low-wind sites in the country. The V120-2.0/2.2 MW – first unveiled earlier this year – will be made at the Danish group’s facilities in Tianjin, with first deliveries due in Q3 2018. The model builds on Vestas’ successful V110 2MW machine, adding features includin

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 10:00 GMT Andrew Lee

India to ramp-up wind auctions by up to 4.5GW more: reports

Encouraged by falling tariffs, India wants to ramp up its centrally-run programme of wind power procurement with as much as 4.5GW-worth of further auctions by the end of the current financial year, according to local reports. The New Delhi government took the low winning bids seen in an 1GW auction earlier this month as a signal that the sector is capable of delivering low-cost power on an ongoin

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Oct 09:07 GMT Andrew Lee

US finalises Avangrid's North Carolina offshore wind lease

The federal US government has finalised the lease of a 122,405-acre (500 sq km) offshore wind development zone facing North Carolina that was won earlier this year by Avangrid Renewables, paving the way for more than 1GW to be built off the southeastern US in the 2020s. Avangrid, the US utility holding company controlled by Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, won the Kitty Hawk lease with a $9.1m bid

Wind  rechargenews.com 13 Oct 18:50 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Offshore wind will play a vital role in the Blue Economy

OPINION | With $1trn due to be invested over the next 25 years, the sector can make a massive contribution to the long-term sustainability of our seas and oceans, writes Joao Metelo

Circuit  rechargenews.com 13 Oct 13:55 GMT Joao Metelo

UK infrastructure watchdog to probe onshore wind lock-out

The UK’s infrastructure watchdog has flagged up fears that Britain is unnecessarily missing out on low-cost renewable energy because of onshore wind’s lock-out from the contract-for-difference (CfD) support mechanism. The role of onshore wind is high on the energy agenda in the UK, where the government on Thursday unveiled a wide-ranging Clean Growth Strategy that put offshore wind centre-stage a

Wind  rechargenews.com 13 Oct 13:38 GMT Andrew Lee

‘Floating wind is racing towards commercial viability’

OPINION | Floating wind may never be fully competitive with bottom-fixed offshore wind, writes Giles Hundleby – but without it many nations will face continued reliance on fossil fuels

Wind  rechargenews.com 13 Oct 09:49 GMT Giles Hundleby

French floating wind flagship raises its sails

France’s first floating wind turbine, the 2MW FloatGen, has been inaugurated in the west coast port of Saint-Nazaire. The flagship – developed by French outfit Ideol and built by civil engineers Bouygues Travaux Publics (BTP) under a €25m ($29.6m) EU technology accelerator programme – will head out in the coming weeks for the SEM-REV ocean-energy test site off Brittany for a two-year trial, wit

Wind  rechargenews.com 13 Oct 09:26 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Nordex launches 140 metre rotor for AW3000 turbine platform

The Nordex group has launched a 140-metre rotor option for its Acciona Windpower brand AW3000 wind turbine platform for moderate wind sites, aimed at non-European grid constrained markets. The design of the AW140/3000 is optimized for specific low-wind conditions which make the turbine a perfect fit for certain markets like India, Nordex says, but it will also be an option in various geographies.

Wind  rechargenews.com 13 Oct 08:43 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Owens Corning to shut wind-focused factory in Maine

Owens Corning, the global composite specialist, confirmed it will shut a factory in Brunswick, Maine focused largely on the wind market, and shift production to Texas. Machinery from the Maine factory will be transferred to a facility in Wichita Falls, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, according to a local press report. Sixty jobs in Maine will be lost in the process. The move will allow Owens Co

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 21:37 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Alberta wind bids will 'change discussion' in Canada: Siemens Gamesa

The record-low wind bids expected to emerge from Alberta’s renewables tender will change discussions about Canada’s energy future, says David Hickey, head of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy in Canada – but intense cost pressure will make it difficult for western provinces to attract wind factories. Like all turbine suppliers in Canada, Siemens Gamesa – the product of the recent merger between the

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 15:41 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in Montreal

Argentina extends renewable component tax break to 2022

Argentina has extended for 60 months an exemption of import tax on around 41 renewables-related components, allowing investors to quickly build projects to help the country to meet its 8% renewable energy target in 2018. The exemption was due to end at the end of 2017, and its extension confirms an earlier Recharge report. Many of the 59 projects contracted at last year’s two tenders, including 1

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 14:30 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Sao Paulo

'Everybody in the value chain has to make a little or it will die'

5 MINUTES | Siemens Gamesa’s chief executive for onshore, Ricardo Chocarro, talks to Leigh Collins about manufacturing strategy, falling power prices and its delayed 2GW plan in Egypt, at the inauguration of its new blade plant in Morocco

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 12:42 GMT Leigh Collins in Tangier

Corporate supply chains the next frontier for renewables

Big corporations are moving towards more sustainable business models – and it won't be long before their value chains have to follow, writes Tom Lindberg

Transition  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 12:40 GMT Tom Lindberg

'Offshore wind can be the backbone of UK electricity'

5 MINUTES | As the global offshore wind leader prepares for a change of name, Dong UK wind head Benj Sykes talks to Christopher Hopson about its plans in its most important market to date

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 10:34 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

Offshore wind centre stage as UK sets out Clean Growth Strategy

The UK government reinforced the pivotal role of offshore wind in its low-carbon future as it pledged to study potential deployment of turbines at sea “in the late 2020s and beyond”, as part of a Clean Growth Strategy that also includes ambitious goals in areas such as electric vehicles, storage and green industrial expansion. The Clean Growth Strategy reiterates earlier announcements that furthe

Transition  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 09:44 GMT Andrew Lee in London

BayWa re buys Australia’s Future Energy with 300MW wind portfolio

German developer BayWa r.e. has expanded its Australian activities through the acquisition of local energy developer Future Energy that has a 300MW wind power project pipeline. BayWa r.e. already had a solar pipeline of around the same size in Australia. “The investment in our first pipeline of Australian wind and small-scale solar projects comes quickly after our growth in the utility-scale sol

Wind  rechargenews.com 12 Oct 08:12 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Deep-ocean wind could 'power all humanity': US study

If commercial wind farms in the open ocean become technically and economically feasible, they could potentially provide humanity’s present electric power needs – “civilisation-scale” at 18TW, a new US study suggests. To achieve this on “an annual mean basis” would require turbines installed over more than a 3 million sq km (1.16 million sq mile) area in the North Atlantic, larger than Greenland a

Wind  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 20:19 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Jamaica firm wins US offshore wind development grant

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a grant to the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) supporting the development of an offshore wind farm in Jamaica. The feasibility study will evaluate the viability of installing the wind farm, which would represent the first offshore installation in Jamaica and the greater Caribbean region. “The Government of Jamaica has identified rene

Wind  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 15:36 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Foresea tests waters for cross-over offshore technologies

The European Foresea technology funding programme has put out a call for proposals to developers of offshore oil & gas, subsea and shipping technologies that could be “transitioned” for use in offshore wind, tidal and wave power. Successful applicants will receive support to trial their cross-over concepts at one of the Foresea (Funding Ocean Energy through Strategic European Action) test centres

Transition  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 15:23 GMT Darius Snieckus in Brussels

EU must rework regulations to boost corporate PPAs

The EU must rethink burdensome regulatory frameworks across its member states and get the upcoming Clean Energy Package “right” if it is to build a market that meets the fast-growing private sector appetite for corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs), a string of renewable energy leaders said as they gathered for the first Re-Source conference. The volume of PPAs – through which companies can

Transition  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 14:08 GMT Darius Snieckus in Brussels

Siemens Gamesa eyes exports as Tangier blade plant opens

Wind OEM Siemens Gamesa has cut the ribbon at its new blade factory in Tangier, Morocco, a facility it claims will give it access to key growth markets well beyond North Africa. The plant – billed as the first blade factory built by an OEM in Africa and the Middle East – will produce the company’s 63-metre, B63-10 blades, for SWT-DD-130 turbines up to 4.2MW, and is ready to take on other models a

Wind  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 13:03 GMT Leigh Collins in Tangier and Andrew Lee in London

Next UK contract-for-difference round set for spring 2019

The UK government has confirmed the country's next contract-for-difference (CfD) auction for offshore wind and other "less established" technologies will be held in spring 2019, with a further pool of up to £557m ($734m) on offer for future rounds. The next CfD auction follows September's round that allocated 3.2GW of offshore wind capacity at prices that almost halved since the previous process

Wind  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 11:59 GMT Andrew Lee

China commissions Asia's largest offshore wind farm

China Huaneng has announced the full commissioning of Asia’s largest offshore wind farm, the 302MW Rudong Baxianjiao project. Rudong Baxianjiao, sited off the coast of Rudong, Jiangsu province, is the first offshore wind project built by China Huaneng, the world’s largest developer of power projects by capacity. The wind farm is equipped with two offshore substations and 70 turbines. Chinese of

Wind  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 10:51 GMT Yuki Yu in Beijing

Mytrah Energy orders review after chairman's $2.4m loan

India-focused wind and solar group Mytrah Energy has ordered an investigation after disclosing a $2.4m loan to founder chairman Ravi Kailas was made without its board approving the transaction. London-listed Mytrah said it has hired a law firm to help with a “comprehensive review” of the unauthorised loan, which Kailas used to buy a property “not related to the company’s operation” and has arrang

Wind  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 10:29 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Scotland plans renewable-powered energy supplier

The Scottish government plans to set up its own not-for-profit energy company based on renewables, said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The new entity will be set up by the end of 2021 to supply customers as "as close to cost price as possible" Sturgeon told a conference of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs the devolved government in the UK nation of five million people. "Energy woul

Transition  rechargenews.com 11 Oct 08:40 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Innogy agrees to buy Statkraft's 50% stake in Triton Knoll

Germany’s Innogy has agreed to buy out joint venture partner Statkraft’s 50% stake in the 860MW Triton Knoll offshore wind project in UK waters, just weeks after the £2bn ($2.6bn) project emerged as a winner in the UK’s contract for difference (CfD) auction. Statkraft's divestment comes as no surprise, after the Norwegian utility concluded it is not large enough to compete in the fast-maturing an

Wind  rechargenews.com 10 Oct 21:36 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

China retains lead in EY's attractiveness index as India wobbles

China has held onto its top spot in Ernst & Young’s latest renewables attractiveness index rankings after overtaking the US earlier this year, while India’s second position in the top 40 countries looks increasingly precarious. India has faced cancelled wind energy power purchase agreements and steep falls in tariffs bid in recent auctions, placing doubt over the country’s ability to reach its

Transition  rechargenews.com 10 Oct 15:22 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

US EPA chief: 'I'd eliminate the wind PTC'

Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says he would prefer to see the plug pulled early on the federal tax credit that support wind energy, as Congress gears up to overhaul the US tax code. “I'm not in Congress and the state of Oklahoma has similar incentives, but I'd do away with these incentives that we give to the wind industry,” Pruitt said Monday at

Transition  rechargenews.com 10 Oct 14:45 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

New Dutch coalition to add more offshore wind, set 2030 CO2 target

The incoming Dutch four-party government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte as part of a long-awaited coalition agreement plans to increase offshore wind power, as well as introduce a 49% CO2 emission reduction target by 2030 that will require a fast expansion of renewable energy in general. “We widen the offer of cables [grid links] for wind energy at sea,” the coalition accord between Rutte’s centre-

Wind  rechargenews.com 10 Oct 14:05 GMT Bernd Radowitz

Australian government mulls abandoning clean energy target

Australia’s energy minister has signalled that a steep fall in renewables costs is weakening the case for new clean energy subsidies after 2020, with the liberal-national government of Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull hinting it may abandon setting fresh targets. In comments to the Australian Financial Review’s National Energy Summit energy minister Josh Frydenberg has indicated that the electricit

Transition  rechargenews.com 10 Oct 10:51 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

Fred Olsen pools units to set up single offshore O&M provider

Norway’s Fred. Olsen has set up a single operations and maintenance (O&M) provider for offshore wind led by its installation specialist Fred. Olsen Windcarrier, and including its related companies Natural Power, ZephIR Lidar, as well as Global Wind Service The scope of services offered by the new provider will include inspections, major component exchange, integrated service campaigns, blade repa

Wind  rechargenews.com 10 Oct 10:06 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Trump administration to scrap landmark Clean Power Plan

President Donald Trump’s administration announced Monday it is moving to repeal the Clean Power Plan (CPP), his predecessor’s 2015 landmark policy to reduce carbon pollution from US fossil-fuel electric power plants. Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, later said that the federal government’s “war on coal” is over, arguing that EPA had exceeded its legal authority

Wind  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 18:50 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

O&M specialists flourish in Brazil as wind fleet ages

Brazil’s wind power sector is entering the era of customised O&M, as guarantees from OEMs reach expiry and strong wind conditions take their toll on the 5,000 strong fleet already operating. “These machines were designed for European winds. Brazilians need to apply specific maintenance conditions since they were designed to operate for 20 years at lower wind speeds and winds that are not so const

Wind  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 15:52 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Fortaleza

Enel inks $330m tax equity financing deal for Oklahoma project

Enel Green Power North America (Enel) has signed an agreement for $330m in tax equity financing for its 298MW Thunder Ranch wind project under construction in Oklahoma with GE Energy Financial Services (EFS) and the Alternative Energy Investing Group of Goldman Sachs. GE EFS says the deal secures the funding commitment by the two investors and will close when Thunder Ranch begins commercial opera

Wind  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 14:53 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

'Talking about curtailment will soon be a distant memory'

IN DEPTH | Steven Martin, chief digital officer at GE Energy Connections, talks to Leigh Collins about an energy future transformed by multiple technologies

Transition  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 14:44 GMT Leigh Collins

Flagship 150MW Indonesia tidal project reaches phase one FID

Asian marine renewables developer SBS Energi Kelautan has taken a final investment decision (FID) to progress with the lead-off phase of its 150MW Nautilus tidal stream project off Indonesia. The FID, which covers the 12MW Phase 1, kick-starts a preferred supplier agreement (PSA) with tidal turbine company Atlantis Resources, which is lined up to deliver 100 of its 1.5MW AR1500 machines for the t

Technology  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 13:44 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Renewables need support despite auction price falls: IEA

Clean-energy pacesetter solar and other renewables will continue to need government support in many parts of the world, despite the plunging power prices seen in recent auctions, said the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA’s latest report on renewables said PV is set to be the “star” of a growth trajectory that will see clean generation sources add almost one terawatt of capac

Transition  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 12:32 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

Enel sells 80% of 1.7GW of Mexican renewables in $1.35bn deal

Enel has tied up a $1.35bn deal for the sale of an 80% stake in 1.7GW of Mexican renewables assets to Canadian investor Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and local pension fund CKD Infraestructura México . The Italian group said the agreement – which covers 1GW of solar and 700MW of wind – is a step forward in its build, sell and operate (BSO) strategy, allowing it to accelerate its pipeline

Transition  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 11:59 GMT Andrew Lee

Microsoft signs PPA with GE at innovative Irish wind project

Microsoft has signed a power deal to buy all the output from a 37MW GE wind project in Ireland, claimed to be the first European deployment of turbine-integrated battery storage. The 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) will see the software giant take power from GE’s Tullahennel Wind Farm in County Kerry. The power will be used to support Microsoft’s cloud data services in Ireland. Tullahenn

Wind  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 09:58 GMT Andrew Lee

Russia to tender for 900MW more wind power in 2018: minister

Russia plans to tender off almost 1GW more renewables capacity next year – most of it made up of wind power – said a senior minister. The country wants to hold tenders for 899MW of wind power and 57MW of PV capacity in 2018, according to first deputy energy minister Alexei Texler, in comments made as part of Russian Energy Week and quoted by the Russian wind power federation (RAWI). The 2018 ten

Transition  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 09:13 GMT Andrew Lee

Rush to join Tesla in S. Australia renewable storage scheme

South Australia has received almost 60 proposals from domestic and "leading global" players under its pioneering search for renewables-plus-storage deployments, one of which will be Tesla’s 100MW battery linked to a wind farm. The Australian state launched its A$150m ($116m) Renewable Technology Fund (RTF) earlier this year, seeking storage technologies that could be paired with renewables to fir

Transition  rechargenews.com 09 Oct 07:16 GMT Andrew Lee

US Energy Secretary: Baseload aid proposal was 'not a directive'

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Friday said his recent proposal that coal and nuclear plants be subsidised for keeping on-site fuel stocks was intended to spark a “conversation”, while pointing to support for renewables as evidence that there’s “no free market” in the US energy industry. Last week Perry sparked a firestorm by requesting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rapidly cr

Transition  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 20:40 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Battery storage set for 17-fold growth as costs plunge 66%: Irena

A fall of up to 66% in the cost of battery storage for stationary applications by 2030 is set to spur huge growth in the sector, which will join renewables in a mutually-beneficial global expansion, says a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). The plunging prices could result in a 17-fold expansion of battery deployments, opening new potential applications from utilit

Transition  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 14:52 GMT Andrew Lee

US government sees NY offshore wind auction as soon as 2019

By the end of this year, the US government intends to kick off the multi-year process leading to an offshore wind auction for additional New York zones, meaning a lease auction could happen by late 2019. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is targeting the end of 2017 to issue a call for information and nominations regarding large development zones south of New York

Wind  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 14:39 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

'Brazil needs to get to grips with the energy transition'

Brazil needs to start engaging more closely with energy transition by putting in place long-term policies to make better use of its diverse energy resources, train personnel and develop its own technology in renewables, smart-grids and distributed generation, an energy conference was told. “Despite the fast growth in wind and solar technologies in recent years, the energy transition will not be f

Transition  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 14:00 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Fortaleza

'Wales needs the UK to match our direction on energy'

5 MINUTES | With a 70% renewables target to chase, Welsh First Minister Carwen Jones tells Christopher Hopson why he wants the UK government to think long-term over energy

Transition  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 12:57 GMT Christopher Hopson

E.ON and Enel pioneer blockchain energy trading

A new experimental energy trading platform utilising blockchain technology was used for trades between utility giants E.ON and Enel this week, eliminating the need for a fee-charging central exchange or broker and thus reducing costs. Many of Europe’s largest utilities and oil & gas companies are among the 33 organisations to have signed up to participate in the trial of the blockchain software,

Transition  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 11:48 GMT Leigh Collins in London

Siemens Gamesa wins Greater Gabbard service extension

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has won a five-year extension to its service contract for the 504MW Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm off the coast of Suffolk in eastern England. The contract to provide scheduled servicing, troubleshooting and technical support to the 140 SWT-3.6-107 offshore machines at the site builds upon service work already provided by the OEM since the offshore array’s com

Wind  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 11:21 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Rotterdam: where the old and new energy worlds meet

DISPATCHES | Dutch offshore operators are plotting a smooth transition from fossil fuels to renewables. The Port of Rotterdam is proof of that, writes Anamaria Deduleasa

Transition  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 10:25 GMT Anamaria Deduleasa in Rotterdam

Shell tells offshore wind: 'think big if you want us on board'

Shell told North Sea governments and offshore wind developers they need far more ambitious targets if they want the oil supermajor to widen its commitment to the sector. Shell, which is advancing up to 740MW at the Borssele 3 & 4 offshore wind project in Dutch waters, urged North Sea governments and other developers to look ahead at “the big picture”, repeating calls for projects as large as 10GW

Transition  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 09:07 GMT Anamaria Deduleasa in Rotterdam

Supply chain woes stall Kincardine floating wind

Progress on the UK’s pioneering Kincardine floating wind power array has suffered a setback linked to unspecified “difficulties” in its project supply chain. Kishorn Port, on the northwest coast of Scotland, where the concrete caissons for the project’s turbines were to have been built for development consortium Kincardine Offshore Wind Ltd (KOWL), was informed yesterday that problems with “an im

Wind  rechargenews.com 06 Oct 07:36 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Canada's Boralex plots push into US wind market

Boralex, the Québec-based renewables developer, has trained its sights on US wind as its next big international opportunity, where it hopes to mirror its success in France. Boralex has doubled its in-house renewables capacity over the past few years, to 1.4GW – most of it wind, and split roughly between Canada and France. But while the company owns about 80MW of small hydro in the US, it has not

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 20:06 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in Montreal

First Brazil offshore wind set for Petrobras platform: officials

Plans for Brazil’s first offshore wind project are underway off the country’s Northeast coast, with a 4-5MW turbine set to power a platform of state oil group Petrobras, local officials told Recharge. Officials at Cerne, the renewable energy think-tank of the Northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte, said they hope the experimental project – of which no further details were immediately available

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 15:56 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Fortaleza

Alliant Energy buys 300MW Iowa project from developer Apex

Developer Apex Clean Energy has sold the 300MW Upland Prairie project in northwest Iowa to a subsidiary of Alliant Energy, part of the regulated utility’s earlier announced 1GW rate-based wind capacity plan in the state. Virginia-based Apex did not make financial details of the transaction public. After Apex completes development work, Alliant’s Interstate Power and Light (IPL) unit will construc

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 14:49 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Argentina's Genneia adds to funds for 500MW wind push

Argentine power generator Genneia is ploughing ahead in a bid to increase its wind capacity to 500MW in the coming years, after raising $50m of new cash from its shareholders and acquiring a 51MW wind project from Spain’s Isolux Corsan. With 475W of mostly gas capacity, the operator of Argentina’s largest working wind farm – the 77MW Rawson – Genneia received approval last week from its sharehold

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 14:49 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Sao Paulo

Wind giants spur Q3 leap in renewables investments: BNEF

A clutch of major third-quarter wind investments including 2GW of US onshore and Chinese offshore projects helped keep global renewables investment on track to match or beat 2016’s level, said analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). American Electric Power’s $4.5bn investment in the 2GW Wind Catcher project – currently under development by Invenergy in Oklahoma – was the “stand-out move”

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 13:51 GMT Andrew Lee

Utilities must embrace energy transition to survive: IEEFA

The bleak future facing utilities that do not commit wholeheartedly to the energy transition has been laid bare in a new report by US energy policy think-tank the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). “Electricity utilities that perform best going forward will likely be those that transition to renewable energy-based models in a way that avoids the financial damage typica

Transition  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 12:19 GMT Leigh Collins

Netherlands 'may add 1GW offshore wind annually' post-2023

The Netherlands is likely to set in motion plans to install 1GW of offshore wind annually post-2023 once a new governing coalition is formed, according to the country’s wind association – which is still hoping for double that figure. Visibility on the extent of Dutch offshore wind ambitions after 2023 is eagerly awaited across Europe, as the current rolling programme of 700MW annual auctions has

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 11:59 GMT Anamaria Deduleasa in Rotterdam

First V164 converter modules roll out of new Danish factory

First power converter modules (PCMs) for MHI Vestas’ supersize V164 offshore wind turbines have begun rolling off the assembly line at the OEM’s new manufacturing facility in the Danish port of Esbjerg. The PCMs, which can handle both 33kV and 66kV voltage, are the last step in the power chain of the world’s biggest turbine, which is built around 80-metre “structural shell” blades and a three-sta

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 10:30 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Unknowns linger as South Africa hopes for renewables restart

Last month, a small ray of hope appeared for the long-awaited restart of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPPP). For more than two years, rounds 3.5 and 4 of the programme have been prevented from reaching financial close by state-owned utility provider Eskom’s refusal to sign power purchase agreements (PPAs). REIPPPP, which is based on competitive tender

Transition  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 09:40 GMT Jo Reeves

Indian wind drops again to $40/MWh after latest 1GW auction

India saw another sharp drop in wind tariffs to 2.64 rupees/kWh ($0.04kWh) after its second 1GW national auction, the country’s government announced as it claimed it is on track to beat its ambitious 2022 renewable energy targets. The 2.64 rupees figure in this week’s auction marks a fall from the 3.46 rupees/kWh figure seen in India’s first central government-run tender held in February – which

Wind  rechargenews.com 05 Oct 08:09 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Investor Quercus plans 600MW Iran PV development

Renewables investment group Quercus has reached an agreement with Iran’s Ministry of Energy for the phased development, construction and operation of a 600MW solar plant in Iran. The deal, worth more than €500m ($585m), is Quercus’ first investment outside Europe and represents the largest single investment in Iran’s renewables sector since the lifting of international sanctions. Trump tension

Wind  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 16:06 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

'The ocean makes perfect sense as the world's largest battery'

OPINION | Wind and solar have made huge progress, but only tapping the resources of the ocean will give the world the renewable energy it needs, writes John Liljelund

Transition  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 13:35 GMT John Liljelund

MPI in line for foundation installation at 860MW Triton Knoll

UK-based MPI Offshore has been confirmed as preferred supplier for the transportation and installation of offshore wind turbine foundations and offshore substations at Statkraft and Innogy’s 860MW Triton Knoll offshore project in the UK. MPI says its jack-up vessel MPI Discovery is slated to lift, transport and install 92 monopile foundations and transition pieces, and two offshore substations, i

Wind  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 13:05 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Blade materials market to pass $4.5bn by year-end: Navigant

The global wind industry is expected to spend over $37bn through to 2026 on the fiber, resins, core materials, adhesives and coatings need to manufacturer its ever-long turbine blades, according to a new report from consultancy Navigant Research. The report found that the market for blade materials would reach $4.5 bn this year, driven by the fast-clip pace of research and development into blade

Wind  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 12:35 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Saudi bidding hits $17.90/MWh as PV turns the price screw

The PV sector closed in on a new power-price milestone as it emerged that bidding in Saudi Arabia’s solar auction dipped below a headline rate of $20/MWh. Abu Dhabi clean energy group Masdar and French energy giant EDF submitted a bid equivalent to $17.9/MWh during bidding for a 300MW PV plant to be built on behalf of the Saudi government, said reports from the Kingdom. If successful, the bid –

Transition  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 11:37 GMT Andrew Lee

Catapult and Hull University to open doors on UK O&M hub

UK technology development body the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult has partnered with the University of Hull to set up an offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) centre of excellence in the Humberside region, in northeast England. The five-year, £2m ($2.65m) collaboration will focus on a series of research and innovation projects targeting improvement to current offshore O&M practices,

Wind  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 10:39 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Irish offshore boost as Belgium's Parkwind joins 330MW Oriel

Belgian developer Parkwind has taken a stake in the 330MW Oriel project planned off Ireland, boosting the development’s ambitions to become the nation’s first commercial offshore wind project. With the help of Parkwind as a strategic partner, Oriel aims to begin operations in the Irish Sea 22km off Dundalk, County Louth, by the end of the decade, contributing to Ireland’s 2020 renewable energy ta

Wind  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 10:12 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Digitalisation set to supercharge solar profitability: SPE

Digitalisation will increase the profitability of solar power across every part of the value chain – creating new business models, improving existing ones and bringing PV ever closer to retail and wholesale grid parity, according to a new report by SolarPower Europe (SPE). The use of big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and drones, blockchain, 5G connectivity,

Transition  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 09:12 GMT Leigh Collins in London

Norway’s Statoil takes first stake in utility-scale solar

Norwegian energy giant Statoil has made its first foray into utility-scale PV with the acquisition of a 40% stake in the construction-ready 162MW Apodi project in Brazil from compatriot developer Scatec The $25m buy-in is part of a longer-term tie up with Scatec for future solar plants in a region where Statoil has existing offshore oil and gas assets, and includes a 50% share in the development’

Transition  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 08:45 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Senvion lands its first wind turbine order in Argentina

Germany-based turbine maker Senvion has landed its first order in the fast-growing Argentine wind market after signing a firm order to deliver 97MW for the Vientos Los Hércules wind farm. Senvion will deliver the 17 3.6M114 NES machines in the coming months, ahead of the project’s completion in December 2018. The company said that the turbines to be sent to Argentina were developed with the regi

Wind  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 07:56 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Sao Paulo

'Solar the star' as renewables add one terawatt by 2022: IEA

Renewable energy accounted for two-thirds of all new generating capacity installed globally last year, and will grow at twice the rate of coal and gas combined over the next five years, thanks largely to the meteoric growth of solar, says the International Energy Agency (IEA). The world installed 165GW of renewables last year, dominated by solar PV and wind, and is on track to add another 920GW b

Transition  rechargenews.com 04 Oct 06:58 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York