We’ve heard a lot about wind power in Brazil, but there’s another South American country swooping in to take the leadership role with this renewable energy resource: Uruguay. According to Bloomberg, a $2.6 billion wind power spending spree is set to transform Brazil’s neighbor to the south into a veritable Denmark of wind, tripling the country’s use… Keep reading →
Add Spain to the list of countries that have offshore wind power before the United States. And on this one the U.S. really missed an opportunity. (That’s right, cool though it is, I have decided not to count that scaled-down 20-kilowatt floating turbine demo off Maine as establishment of U.S. offshore wind power.) This is the real thing… Keep reading →
Blessed with abundant surface water resources and a considerable amount of associated hydroelectric power, Brazil has lots of renewable energy, and a lot of room to generate additional power from renewable sources like wind and solar.
Brazil is the world’s second largest hydro power consumer behind China, but a sharp contrast between wet and dry seasons – along with occasional droughts – has driven the country to import LNG in recent years to supplement its energy security. Keep reading →
Ambitious offshore wind targets in the UK could result in the country becoming the world leader in the technology and help accelerate the global industry through lower costs, a British energy minister said yesterday.
“We have to accept that there are some technologies where we can really influence the global price and there are others where we can’t,” said Charles Hendry, minister of state for the Department of Energy and Climate. “UK offshore is a fantastic example of where the work that we do here will influence the global price. There are other areas, solar for example where the UK market is not significantly large enough to change the price. So we’re focusing our resources and efforts on where we can see the change in the pricing structure.” Keep reading →
European wind companies have played a major role in the development of the US wind energy sector, even as shadows loom over the industry and the global economy.
Vestas, the world’s largest turbine manufacturer, clearly has high hopes for its US business, with a market share of 18.7% and room for growth. In recent years Vestas had invested in two blade factories, a nacelle facility and a tower facility in Colorado. It also has R&D hubs in Texas, Massachusetts and Colorado. Keep reading →
How the renewable energy industry copes with the loss of incentives this year will test its maturity and the success of the stimulus funding.
In many ways, the renewable energy industry is facing a pivotal moment as the 1603 grant program is set to expire this year, the $2.3 billion for the 48C advanced manufacturing tax credit has already been allocated and the Department of Energy has completed its work of handing out more than $36 billion in its loan guarantee program. Keep reading →
What to do when the wind stops blowing at Western Wind Energy’s newest Arizona power plant? Hope the sun is shining.
On Friday, the Vancouver-based renewable energy company began operating its newest 10.5 MW combined wind/solar project in Kingman, Arizona. Though various wind-firming gas plants already exist in the United States, this plant is the first wind-solar plant on the continent that does not use any gas. Keep reading →
There may be fewer players in the European wind sector in a few years, but it won’t be because the continent’s industry has shrunk.
With order volumes on the rise and the industry’s cumulative backlog reaching new highs, investment firm Jefferies & Co. said in its most recent wind industry outlook for Europe. Vestas and Siemens lead the pack in the sector. Keep reading →
