SunEdison, already a very big solar developer, will become even bigger when it purchases First Wind, one of the major wind energy developers in the country. The acquisition of First Wind transforms SunEdison and TerraForma Power, an indirect subsidiary, into diversified renewable energy and will make SunEdison the leading renewable power plant developer in the… Keep reading →
Sapphire Energy and refiner Phillips 66 – comprised of ConocoPhillips’ former refining assets – have announced a joint development agreement to commercialize Sapphire’s Green Crude, an algae-based crude oil. The two companies will expand Sapphire’s ongoing testing program to ensure that Green Crude can be processed in traditional refineries and meet Environmental Protection Agency standards under the… Keep reading →
Hawaii, which arguably needs renewable energy more than any other state, is making progress. A new report says that renewable generation for the Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiaries, Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light, grew from 12 percent of energy needs in 2011 to 13.9 percent in 2012. This increase was attributed to more rooftop and… Keep reading →
The US wind power industry has lived and died by production tax credits over the years, and with the prospect of expiration finally looming at the end of this year, industry players are working hard to build a future without it.
US installations are set to fall off a cliff in 2013 with Navigant Consulting estimating additional incremental capacity between 1 and 4 GW, down dramatically from >9 GW in 2012. Keep reading →
Energy storage is moving out of the laboratory and into the world of project finance, but how long that evolution will take is in question.
Experts told the Energy Storage Association’s annual conference in Washington DC last week that storage is at a “tipping point.” While storage is being incorporated into some operating projects, the technology is still struggling for recognition of its role, and financing remains a high hurdle. Keep reading →
Challenges abound for renewable power companies, especially small and medium-sized firms.
Difficulty obtaining a power purchase agreement, tax incentive uncertainty, the European debt crisis, and the post Lehman financial crisis in the US all continue to pose serious challenges. Keep reading →
VT Gov. Shumlin to join First Wind at ribbon-cutting for Sheffield, VT project. http://fb.me/17e8TbFOx FirstWind
Investments rose in the last quarter in the cleantech sector despite market volatility and the collapse of Solyndra, CEO of Cleantech Group said today.
Sheeraz Haji said that $2.23 billion in capital investments across 189 clean tech deals were made in the third quarter this year, a 12% increase from the last quarter, and a 23% in the same quarter last year. Keep reading →
Companies often seem like mitochondria; coming together and tearing apart. Each individual action can seem random, but overall, the activity makes for an ecosystem moving in concert.
The trend in firms today is to divide, to move away from the conglomerate model and the much-vaunted synergies that can be gained by owning a share of every piece of an industry. Oil companies are under pressure to split their upstream exploration and production work from their downstream refining and marketing efforts, and companies across multiple sectors are besought by investors to specialize and focus on their areas of expertise. Keep reading →
Wind power developers can profit by moving away from subsidies and focusing on areas where robust electricity pricing makes the decision to sign a wind power purchase agreement easy.
Focusing on the “premium markets” where there are high power prices and state-level support for renewable fuels generation can be a winning strategy for power project developers, even when prices for natural gas are so low that generators are increasingly turning toward the fossil fuel, First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor told Breaking Energy. Keep reading →
