The solar energy revolution is well underway. The share of solar power in the global energy mix has nearly tripled over the past five years, and solar panel technology is increasingly cheap, with utility-scale costs falling by a factor of five in the United States over the same period. 


State of the Planet

Opinion: for solar power to go global, we must consider relaxing intellectual property rights

IEA’s Fatih Birol says uptake of solar power and EVs is in line with net zero goal but rich countries must hasten their broader plans. The prospects of the world staying within the 1.5C limit on global heating have brightened owing to the “staggering” growth of renewable energy and green investment in the past two years, the chief of the world’s energy watchdog has said

The Guardian

‘Staggering’ green growth gives hope for 1.5C, says global energy head

First Solar kept producing them in Ohio after most of the industry moved to China. President Biden wants many more domestic manufacturers

The New York Times

Can the U.S. make solar panels? This company thinks so

In our pursuit of a greener, more sustainable future, solar panels have emerged as the sunlit champions of renewable energy

Economic Times

Beneath the glare of green energy: unveiling the hidden heat of solar panels

Britain's energy needs could be met entirely by wind and solar, according to a policy brief published today by Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

Tech Xplore

Wind and solar power could significantly exceed Britain's energy needs

accelerating groundbreaking charging tech that could be used in electric vehicles, in part by pumping the brakes. The result of the research could eliminate the need to plug into the grid for a charge.


Yahoo News

Solar panel innovations include artificial intelligence in an effort to boost efficiency

Energy company turns to alternative supply sources after US import legislation causes delays

Financial Times

Solar supply chains must diversify away from China, warns EDP

The price decreases recorded in the last 10 years make the energy transition much more viable

Interesting Engineering

Solar power and storage prices have dropped almost 90%

“As an academic, you want to push things to the limit,” says Martin Green, director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, on this week’s Zero

Bloomberg

The godfather of solar predicts its future

Space-based solar power, once a topic for science fiction, is gaining interest

Space-based solar power is a possible alternative energy source

Germany is on track to generate more than half of its electricity from renewables this year, an official said Monday. Speaking at a conference organized by the Heinrich Boell Foundation, economy minister Robert Habeck said that Germany has seen a boom in renewable power, Reuters reported





Yale Environment 360

Germany to surpass 50 percent renewable power this year, official says

Wind and solar are the world’s fastest growing energy sources and together generated 12% of global electricity in 2023. The amount of energy produced by wind and solar is expected to increase and accelerate

The Conversation

Renewables are cheaper than ever yet fossil fuel use is still growing – here’s why

Norway has installed the world’s northernmost ground solar panels in its Svalbard archipelago, despite the region being plunged into darkness from early October until mid-February every year

Euronews

Solar panels installed in remote Arctic community to power green energy transition

Astronaut says rockets from Elon Musk’s SpaceX can reduce price of launching equipment

Tim Peake backs idea for solar farms in space as costs fall

Germany is likely to generate more than 50% of its power from renewable energy this year but needs to ramp up the speed of its transition towards the end of the decade, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Monday

Reuters

Germany likely to pass 50% mark for renewable power this year

Investments in renewable energy are seen as essential to protecting the planet’s future, as the effects of climate change become more and more prominent. According to a report of the International Energy Agency, a quarter of the world’s electricity is now produced by renewable sources like wind, solar, and hydroelectricity; this percentage is expected to rise as part of decarbonization initiatives. But there are still problems in the sector. The reliability of renewable energy sources is sometimes criticized because output varies depending on factors including the time of day, the weather, and, in the case of hydroelectric power, seasonal river flows.

Pakistan Today

Renewable Energy: Importance for the global energy transition in 2023 

The boom in solar power and electric vehicles this year is smashing the forecasts of the most bullish analysts, giving hope they are on the net-zero path the world needs. If only the same could be said of other forms of clean energy

The Washington Post

The rise of solar and batteries is upending our renewable future

Over the past decade, the global growth rate of renewable energy trounced every other energy source. During that period, modern renewables (excluding hydropower and geothermal) grew exponentially, at an average annual rate of 12.6%. Renewables were the only energy category that grew globally at double digits over the past decade

Forbes

Renewable energy milestone: wind And solar trump hydropower

The European Parliament has voted to accelerate the adoption of renewable power generation on the continent, aiming for renewables to meet 42.5% of the region’s energy needs by 2030, and calling on EU member states to meet 45% of their energy demand with clean power

PV Tech

EU votes to set renewable power targets of 42.5%, speed up new clean power permitting

Europe will boost its renewable energy target to 42.5% of energy use by 2030, under legislation approved Sept. 12 by the European Parliament.



Pensions and Investments

European Parliament approves renewable energy boost

Renewables | Solar

In 2022, the burning of fossil fuels provided 82% of the world’s energy. In 2000, it was 87%. Even as renewables have undergone tremendous growth, they’ve been offset by increased demand for energy

Muscle, wood, coal, oil: what earlier energy transitions tell us about renewables

Achieving net zero by 2050 is still possible, but requires tripling renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade and increasing green investments to $4.5 trillion a year globally by the early 2030s, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency

Net zero by 2050 still remains possible with rapid renewables expansion, says IEA

Record growth in clean energy technology, including solar panels and electric vehicles, means it is still possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday



IEA says route to net zero requires more cash and less politics

New Radnor, Powys: I reject in the strongest terms the idea that we must choose between building renewables and keeping our most precious land. To gain the high points of Fforest Clud (Radnor Forest), you start from New Radnor and head through the afforested Mutton Dingle, an appropriate name for a landscape feature in a region where sheep far outnumber people.

Country diary: This is prime wild country – and should remain so | Jim Perrin

Lawyers call for more clarity to accelerate project approval

Legal advisers plug green power efforts

Labor leaders worry that some federal incentives for renewable energy do not come with strict standards on pay. In Maine, they added their own

Unions fight in the States to make Biden’s climate agenda work for workers

In December, Norwegian energy giant Equinor won a 2-gigawatt (GW) lease in Morro Bay, California, in the first-ever offshore wind lease sale on the US West Coast. It was also the first US sale to support commercial-scale floating offshore wind development.



Electrek

Underwater robots have been secured for the US’s first floating offshore wind farm

 U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to deploy 30,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind by 2030 is still possible, although not easy, the CEO of Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, said on Monday at the Climate Week NYC event in New York

Orsted CEO says US offshore wind targets still possible but not easy

Vattenfall, Spoor and the British Trust for Ornithology are partnering to trial AI software that records and monitors how seabirds interact with offshore wind turbines

Current±

Vattenfall trials Spoor AI tech to monitor seabirds’ interaction with offshore wind

Markus Krebber urges British government to heed warnings from developers to avoid jeopardising climate targets

Offshore wind auction’s lack of bids must be ‘wake-up call’ for UK, says RWE chief

The US offshore wind industry has had some significant problems lately – but here’s why that’s not going to stop the young sector in the long run.



4 reasons why the US’s offshore wind problems are temporary

Significant hurdles lie ahead of the G20's renewable energy target agreed in New Delhi last weekend, but the ambitious goal is feasible, experts say.



Phys.org

The tricky path to tripling renewable energy capacity

President Joe Biden’s goal to deploy 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind along U.S. coastlines this decade to fight climate change may be unattainable due to soaring costs and supply chain delays, according to forecasters and industry insiders

Biden’s offshore wind target slipping out of reach as projects struggle

On a craggy desert plateau in Uzbekistan, a renewable energy company from the United Arab Emirates is putting up more than 100 wind turbines

Meet the oil man in charge of leading the world away from oil

United States' annual renewable energy capacity could triple in 10 years to 110 gigawatts (GW) as clean-energy law powers more investment in the sector, research and consultancy firm Wood Mackenzine said on Wednesday

US renewable energy capacity could triple in 10 years on IRA boost

President von der Leyen pledged more support for the wind industry during her State of the Union address. Europe’s wind industry is a notable “success story”, according to the European Commission president

EU unveils wind power package. Which countries are leading the way, and which need the help?

This week, a diverse group of organisations called on the Australian federal government to establish a A$100 billion, ten-year policy package to turbocharge Australia’s green energy transition

We urgently need $100bn for renewable energy. But call it statecraft, not ‘industry policy’

Renewables | Wind

Techniques developed by Big Oil may lead to the next clean energy breakthrough.

Drill, baby, drill: The promise of geothermal power

The Philippine Department of Energy is offering three geothermal sites as part of the latest round of the competitive selection process for renewable energy contracts.



Think GeoEnergy

Three geothermal prospects in the Philippines up for bidding

Goal is to 'tap into as much geothermal energy as possible', Chancellor says as he visits construction site of pioneering closed-loop deep geothermal plant by Canadian start-up Eavor



Recharge

Eavor Loop visit | Scholz pledges 10 times more geothermal heating by 2030

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that deep geothermal energy had great potential for heat generation in Germany, as Berlin aims to phase out fossil fuels in its heating system.

Scholz pushes expansion of geothermal energy in Germany

Thermal battery start-ups target the carbon-belching industrial heat space.

An ‘embarrassingly simple’ solution for industrial emissions

Lawmakers in some states have been laying the groundwork to add geothermal power to the electrical grid and pump underground heat into buildings. Now, a technological breakthrough could dramatically expand those ambitions—and perhaps unleash a new wave of policies to tap into geothermal sources.

Tech breakthrough could boost states' use of geothermal power

As the world is seeing the consequences of climate change more frequently and more dramatically, the demand for renewable, green energy is growing worldwide. One of the most widely available forms of green energy is geothermal energy, and the United States is leading the world in accessing this green, renewable resource.

Ensuring safety in geothermal drilling: How to assess and prevent risks

Six geothermal exploration permits have been awarded in Western Australia, representing the first geothermal exploration permits issued in the region since 2011.

Six geothermal exploration permits granted in Western Australia

Enhanced geothermal could produce 24/7 clean electricity, remove carbon dioxide from the air, and create jobs for oil and gas workers.

Enhanced geothermal could be a missing piece of America’s climate puzzle

Some homeowners looking to switch out their heating and cooling systems are turning to home geothermal—also known as ground source—heat pumps. It's a technology that relies on a simple physical fact: Dig several feet below Earth's surface, in the coldest winter or the hottest summer, and the temperature will be around 55 degrees.

Here's how geothermal energy heats and cools a home

The country’s first geothermal well was drilled there in the 1950s. By 1981, Kenya had its first geothermal power plant, harnessing a renewable resource that taps into heat generated deep within the Earth. Today, Naivasha’s Olkaria geothermal power project plus a small facility at another site are capable of generating 963 megawatts of electricity when running at full power.

Science News

How Kenya is helping its neighbors develop geothermal energy

The Geological Survey of Finland has received EUR 1 million in funding to advance research on deep geothermal systems in low-enthalpy crystalline settings.

EUR 1 million allocated for geothermal research in Finland

The conventional wisdom once posited that Iceland’s geothermal-centric energy model could not be exported or studied. New tech is changing that

New Iceland tech shakes up global geothermal energy

State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) has drawn up a plan to map India’s geothermal energy sources, with likely potential of 10 giga watt (GW), even as it aims to airlift drilling equipment in Ladakh to give its pilot project a second chance.

Financial Express

ONGC to map India’s 10 GW geothermal energy potential

Japan currently has the highest density of geothermal power plants, owed in large part to the rapid growth in small-scale geothermal power plants (250 kW or less).

Japan sees surge of small-scale geothermal power plants

Four companies that have been involved in efforts to develop geothermal heating in parts of North Holland and Utrecht, Netherlands, have agreed to join forces in a partnership. Each party brings a different specialization to the group, helping to ensure the success of the group’s geothermal projects.

Multi-party partnership created for geothermal heating in Netherlands

Construction of the 17-MW binary geothermal power plant in the Tiwi geothermal facility in Albay, Philippines is progressing as expected and is on-track to be operational by the end of 2023. This is based on an update provided by Aboitiz Power Corp. and subsidiary AP Renewables Inc. (APRI).

Binary geothermal plant in Tiwi, Philippines to start operations by end of 2023

In what has been hailed as a landmark moment for renewable energy in Cornwall and the UK, the Eden Geothermal project has been opened and is now generating heat.

Power Engineering International

The heat is on at UK’s Eden Geothermal project

The UK’s first deep geothermal energy project in 37 years began operating on Monday and is now generating heat, Eden Geothermal announced in a press release.

Power Technology

UK switches on its first deep geothermal plant for 37 years

Plant at Eden Project in Cornwall highlights opportunities of drawing heat from the earth’s core

UK’s first deep geothermal energy project for 37 years switched on

Renewables | Geothermal

The fossil fuel accounts for around three-quarters of power generation and demand is expected to grow, despite an ambitious renewables plan

India’s dream of green energy runs into the reality of coal

Major energy sector gathering explores cutting-edge innovations to accelerate the global energy transition and feeds into the innovation agenda at COP28.

IRENA

IRENA innovation week spurs renewable solutions to decarbonise end-use sectors

On September 29th, the European Central Bank (ECB), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are holding a high-level conference on ensuring an orderly energy transition in Paris. The event comes at a time when Europe is facing energy price shocks and attempting a transition to renewables, without a coherent and cohesive strategy

Energy: Europe’s big disadvantage?

Eleven countries have already pledged to exit the disastrous international charter treaty. We must join them. If Labour wants an energy transition in which working people don’t foot the bill, it has to address fossil fuel companies’ secret weapon against national climate laws: the energy charter treaty (ECT)

Fossil fuel companies have a secret weapon. Here’s how Britain can help take it away from them

Chief went further than competitors in oil and gas group’s commitments to invest in renewable energy

Bernard Looney’s exit throws BP’s strategy into doubt

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed the environmental review of the Empire Wind 1 & 2 offshore wind farms, proposed to be built offshore New York by a joint venture of BP and Equinor, and plans to issue a Record of Decision (ROD) on whether to approve the project this autumn

Offshore Wind

US to soon decide on whether to give go-ahead to Empire Wind 1 & 2 offshore wind farms

European parliament agrees to lift green energy share to 42.5% by 2030 after nuclear power concessions

EU lawmakers vote to sharply increase bloc’s renewable energy target

With the provision of a swathe of new oil and gas exploration licenses and a crisis in offshore wind energy, clouds are gathering over the UK's net zero promises

Oil permits and wind crisis threaten UK net zero pledge

No new offshore windfarms will go ahead in the UK after the latest government auction, in what critics have called the biggest clean energy policy failure in almost a decade. Britain’s offshore wind industry suffered a blow after ministers failed to heed warnings from renewable energy developers 

‘Biggest clean energy disaster in years’: UK auction secures no offshore windfarms

Developers warned support on offer was too low to offset their rising costs

UK offshore wind auction fails to attract investors in blow to net zero plans

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have devised an efficient method of recovering high-purity silicon from expired solar panels to produce lithium-ion batteries that could help meet the increasing global demand to power electric vehicles.

Scientists develop method to recover high-purity silicon from solar panels for upcycling into lithium-ion batteries

Goldwind’s GWH252-16MW wind turbine, installed at the Zhangpu Liuao offshore wind farm owned and developed by China Three Gorges, has produced 384.1 megawatt-hours in a 24-hour period, setting a new world record for an individual wind turbine in the given period.

World’s largest wind turbine takes on typhoon, comes on top

Despite a history of wind energy in Texas, further renewable energy growth can be perceived to conflict with traditional oil and gas success.

Oil and gas success in Texas and New Mexico – what does it mean for renewable energies?

The I-PURE Kalamansig Sustainable Coffee Production project in Philippines seeks to promote the adoption of renewable energy solutions in the agricultural sector and inspire other agricultural communities to exercise sustainable practices.

How solar power improves coffee farming in Southern Philippines

The looming climate crisis and an acute need for independence from Russian oil and gas have massively accelerated European appetite for offshore wind. Governments keep raising ambitions and underlining the importance of European energy independence, through the accelerated development of offshore wind. 

Scale up smarter, not harder – Why offshore wind ambitions can be met more efficiently if turbine growth is paused

Trying to follow the energy transition involves a lot of scrutiny of the media and a certain amount of what the academics call ‘content analysis,’ that is, observing what is said—and isn’t said—in the press and by pundits.

For energy transition, results aren’t matching the efforts

The global offshore wind supply chain will require USD 27 billion of secured investment by 2026 if it is to meet a fivefold growth in annual installations (excluding China) by 2030, according to the global research and consultancy group Wood Mackenzie.

Multi-billion-dollar investment needed to meet global offshore wind targets by 2026 – Report

Renewable energy growth in Texas and New Mexico is only a partial success. Getting the world off fossil fuels to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is an unrealistic goal.

Permian oil and gas success in New Mexico and Texas – A dilemma for renewable energies

An Italian company has submitted an application requesting a 40-year concession for a site off Sicily where it plans to build a 660 MW floating wind farm, in what is one of the latest of numerous such applications the Italian authorities have received over the past couple of years.

New Floating Wind Project Proposal Springs in Italy

The Vestas V236-15.0 MW™ prototype offshore wind turbine has set a world record.

Vestas offshore wind turbine breaks 24-hour production record

Renewables | Investment

Here’s how California's governor, Gavin Newsom, is torpedoing his chances to be president

How Gavin Newsom is ruining his chances of being President

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is spurring a land rush for development sites and giving impetus to clean energy equipment manufacturing in the United States

Oil Price

U.S. renewables capacity to soar with the Inflation Reduction Act

The iconic city of Paris is synonymous with climate change, thanks in part to it being where the landmark 2015 Paris Climate Change agreement was adopted. Now, a research group has investigated the potential of integrating rooftop photovoltaics (PVs) with electric vehicles (EVs) as an effective and scalable solution for supplying clean, affordable, and reliable electricity in urban environments, with a focus on Paris and its surrounding areas.

The SolarEV city concept: A sustainable option for Paris?

Industry figures and the TUC warn of missed carbon reduction targets and lost jobs unless government boosts green investment

UK’s net zero ambitions at risk after ‘disastrous’ offshore wind auction

We estimate that the United States added 6.4 gigawatts (GW) of small-scale solar capacity in 2022, the most ever in a single year

Record U.S. small-scale solar capacity was added in 2022

G20 leaders on Saturday agreed to pursue tripling renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 and accepted the need to phase down unabated coal power, but stopped short of setting major climate goals

Renewables

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