Hydro

Much More Than Dams: Hydropower Gets Innovative

By


Hydropower is probably the most invisible of the generation sources in the US. It does not have a smokestack, is defined by its reliability and creates none of the emissions that hamper expansions at traditional fossil-fueled generators.

And although in the American mind hydropower is defined by enormous projects like the Hoover Dam, much of the hydropower in the US is actually much smaller in scale, making debates over wild species migration and the filling of valleys applicable only to a much smaller number of projects. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 27, 2011 at 7:30 AM

One Billion Megawatt Hours

By


Financial innovation and energy trading have regularly gone hand-in-hand, as utilities and other firms constantly seek to hedge their exposure to price volatility or take bets on the perennially volatile energy business.

Open interest, or the number of positions open in existing contracts, hit the landmark one billion megawatt-hours level on the CME Group’s trading platforms this week. CME Group owns NYMEX, a formerly independent exchange that hosts trading in the benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract. The firm has made a concerted push in building out its energy business across a range of financial products, from floor-traded futures contracts to options and other products across a range of energy commodities. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 19, 2011 at 6:00 AM

We can tap 9,000 MW just by modernizing existing hydropower

By

We can tap 9,000 MW just by modernizing existing #hydropower infrastructure http://bit.ly/oMiFbW NatlHydroAssoc

 /  Published September 29, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Two hydropower contracts for 180 million euro in Latin America

By

Two hydropower contracts for 180 million euro in Latin America: http://bit.ly/omuFFc Alstom

 /  Published September 26, 2011 at 9:10 AM

Local An Essential Factor In Renewable Energy

By


For all the discussion of federal incentives for renewable energy and the push, both in the Obama Administration and at regulatory bodies, for policies that can accommodate renewable energy generation, actual implementation remains a very local affair.

Some states are blessed with huge resources, whether hydropower in the Northwestern US, or wind sweeping across Texas plains. Even where resources are plentiful, though, earlier analysis from AOL Energy showed the importance of a conducive regulatory climate as well. See our earlier AOL Energy infographic: At The State Level, The National Energy Future. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 14, 2011 at 3:00 PM

Wholesale Electricity Bumpy In 2011

By


As various companies release their financial information for the second quarter of 2011, the Energy Information Administration released its data on the wholesale electricity market for the first half of 2011.

According to the EIA, average on-peak spot electricity prices varied widely throughout the US from January – June 2011, much more so than in the same period in 2010. Western prices fell 14 – 26%, Midwest and Southeast prices fell by about 4%; and Texas and Northeast prices were up 4 – 13%. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 8, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Growing Power

By


Renewable energy is increasingly at the core of the global electricity sector, propelling much of its growth.

Renewable energy delivered almost a fifth of global electricity production in 2010 and now comprises some 25% of global power-generating capacity, reflecting proactive government policies worldwide, particularly in China, according to the latest global assessment of renewables development. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 29, 2011 at 11:15 AM

A Look At Global Renewables

By

[See larger version]

In the last few years, the world has seen a steady increase in renewable energy production and consumption. Key to this increase has been the increased flow of private and government capital to these projects. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 24, 2011 at 9:15 AM

China Becomes World’s Top Energy User

By


When it comes to topics of energy, China has been making plenty of headlines. We’ve recently reported on China’s surge forward as the world’s leader in wind-energy capacity, surpassing the United States in 2010, and have covered reports showing that China now dominates the world in terms of clean energy investments as well. Now, based on a report from British Petroleum (BP) we learn that China holds another energy record of sorts.

BP’s report shows that global energy consumption grew by 5.6% last year, the biggest surge in energy use since 1973 Keep reading →

 /  Published June 15, 2011 at 4:00 PM

Podcast: Clean Power Express

By

The presence of Canadian electricity in the Northeastern US is often a surprise to consumers. If a number of developers, bankers and regulators get their way, more of that power will flow south.

Here, Breaking Energy correspondent Janet Whitman discusses her story “Northern Star” and the opportunities and challenges that stem from new energy projects proposed for Eastern Canada. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 1, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Page 7 of 81...345678