America's wind industry is simultaneously on course for a record-breaking year of installations and on the brink of catastrophe – and a lot has to do with the boom and bust of the Production Tax Credit (PTC).
28 April 2012
Members' Content
In the run-up to the 11 March anniversary of the Fukushima reactor meltdown, the steady drip of anti renewables articles in the mainstream media was becoming a torrent as the nuclear lobby cranked up its public relations machine. And they're taking aim at European feed-in tariffs, no doubt because of their success. Germany is particularly in their cross-hairs because of its massive development of renewable energy over the past two decades and Germany's plan to close all its reactors for good.
12 March 2012
Spurred by eligibility criteria to access a growing number of financial incentives the small wind industry is making solid headway toward consistent ratings, reliable performance estimates, and demonstrated compliance with safety standards.
28 February 2012
Wind devices date all the way back to vertical axis wind mills from the Persian-Afghanistan borders around 200 BC, to today’s efforts to develop 10 MW wind turbines...
18 January 2012
A big year is in store for the U.S. wind power industry in 2012, both in the policy arena and out in the field...
30 December 2011
Turning from 1st generation biofuels produced from food crops to 2nd generation biofuels produced from ligno-cellulosic feedstocks has been praised by many, but 2nd generation has a long way to go to reach full commercialization.
18 July 2011
In the final installation on the Department of Energy’s (DoE) SunShot-US$1/W program, the biggest challenge of them all for solar PV, the balance of system (BOS), is addressed.
14 July 2011
As Google announces its power purchase agreement for the output of an Oklahoma wind farm, Oklahoma’s Secretary of Energy, Mike Ming, tells Renewable Energy Focus U.S. why Oklahoma is such a good place for renewable energy developments.
13 July 2011
By signing SB X 1-2 into law, Governor Jerry Brown has marked a new milestone in California’s electricity history, turning the state into a deeper shade of green.
12 July 2011
Although renewable energy is usually seen as benefiting the environment, project developers must plan ahead to manage risks and environmental challenges.
11 July 2011
Newly installed solar photovoltaic (solar PV) projects in Californian were paid an average of approximately US$0.34/kWh last year, according to a privately-commissioned study, substantially more than Germans paid.
07 July 2011
With its SunShot program, the Department of Energy (DoE) has greatly expanded the reach past the one goal of a delivered US$1/W of solar power by 2017.
06 July 2011
California reached a landmark achievement last year by hitting a keystone renewable energy target just before the Holidays, raising hopes of a prosperous new year for investors, project developers and manufacturers.
05 July 2011
Offshore wind could contribute significantly to the world’s energy demand, according to wind turbine company Gamesa, which is planning an offshore wind turbine center in Virginia.
04 July 2011
Developers, investors and clean energy companies are on tenterhooks over the future of the American renewable industry as Republican politicians train their sights on environmental legislation in the US.
01 July 2011
Bioenergy has the potential to provide renewable heat, electricity and transport fuel the world over, but controversy has dogged the technology’s development, especially in recent times. So what is the industry doing to redress this? Sarah Robertson talks to international bioenergy expert Ralph Sims.
30 June 2011
Battery, flywheel, ultracapacitor and fuel cell developers need to act now if they wish to tap the $4B market for off-grid applications, says Lux Research.
24 June 2011
What is geothermal energy? Is it renewable and reliable? Is it aff ordable, and is it worth it? These are some of the questions on the minds of the young making preliminary career choices, cities joining the race to meet state renewable standards, and energy companies looking to broaden their portfolios.
21 June 2011
The argument about who wins – PV, CSP, or CPV – is currently all the rage. But is this just an unnecessary distraction?
17 June 2011
One of the major challenges facing the solar photovoltaic (PV) research community is to bring costs down. In this first feature in a series following the progress of DoE’s dollar-per-watt program, Joyce Laird sets the stage.
16 June 2011