Alternate Energy

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Apple Tips Plans For Solar, Biogas Systems at NC Data Farm
Last year Apple commissioned its new 500,000 acre data center in Maiden, North Carolina. The facility, costing an estimated $1 billion facility to build, is the company’s biggest data center several …..

Trina Launches New Solar Advocacy and PR Campaign with Patrick Dempsey
The “Power Behind the Panel” is getting more in front. Last week, Trina Solar invited me and about 100 other guests to a private Beverly Hills home where Mark Kingsley, Trina’s Chief Comme…..

Chinese Tier-2 Modules Offered Below $1/W
Prices for crystalline-silicon (c-Si) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules fell below the $1/W mark in January 2012, and in some cases well below even that, marking the first time that global average pric…..

Finding Talent the Creative Way: Are Your Race Horses Pulling Plows?
When it comes to hiring, the biggest issue renewable energy employers face today is finding the right engineers with the right skills for their businesses. This can be identified as “talent mismatch…..

Will Italy’s FiTs Survive the Fall of Berlusconi?
Never one to do anything by half-measures, a somewhat surprising legacy of ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government has been to send installed capacity in Italy’s photovoltaic (PV) market soa…..

The Quiet Clean Mining Revolution
Few industries have got the black eye, literally and metaphorically, of mining. After centuries of environmental effects ranging from toxic emissions to unsightly tailings ponds, acid mine draina…..

Tribal Renewable Energy Projects: Balance Opportunity with Caution
In my 20-plus years of dealing with economic development on tribal lands, I have found that few people are familiar with federal Indian law or tribal law, governments and dispute resolution systems, …..

Washington State Legislature Considers Changes to Geothermal Law
The Washington State legislature is considering potential changes to the state’s geothermal law (Chapter 78.60 Revised Code of Washington), following up on last year’s effort. The bill seeks to brin…..

Obama’s Budget Good for Energy Efficiency
President Obama’s 2013 budget caused a lot of smiles this week among energy efficiency advocates — even if it is more of a wish list than anything else. Obama calls for about $1.2 billion…..

Innovation and Diversification Are Key for Kenya’s Renewable Energy Industry
Decentralizing and diversifying renewable energy power generation technologies could be the panacea to save Kenyans from unreliable and expensive power supplied by hydro and thermal power generation,…..

Regulators discuss Neb. nuclear plant recovery
OMAHA, Neb. – Federal regulators will get another update on a Nebraska utility’s plan to repair and restart a nuclear power plant that has been shut down since last spring. …..

NRC Examines U.S. Response To Fukushima
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission released Tuesday about 3,000 pages of transcripts of conversations recorded in its operations center after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, conversations that …..

UNEP warns Kenya against nuclear energy venture
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner says Kenya has an abundance of renewable energy sources that if well tapped into it could be self sufficient in energy. …..

NRC officials doubted US claim on Japan crisis
Top Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials debated the accuracy of public statements made by the agency’s chairman about a pool holding spent fuel rods at a crippled Japan nuclear plant, newly releas…..

Radiation detected 400 miles off Japanese coast
Members of the media wearing protective suits and masks report, escorted by an official of Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, second left, at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s tsunami-crippled Fukushima D…..

Into Fukushima’s no-man’s land
Japan’s Self Defense Force soldiers collect fallen leaves from a gutter as they started decontamination mission in Namie, in Fukushima prefecture, west of the stricken nuclear power plant on December …..

National nuclear research capabilities expand at National Scientific User Facility
The Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility has added several new nuclear research capabilities with the support of two new partners. …..

Billionaire Fredriksen Sees Golar LNG Rates Surging: Freight
Rates for tankers hauling liquefied natural gas are rising for a third year as expanding Japanese demand for the fuel attracts cargoes from the Atlantic, extending voyages at a time of shipping capaci…..

Nuclear structure head arrested
Former Vice-President of the National Nuclear Energy Company of Kazakhstan Rustam Tursumbayev has been arrested in Canada. …..

Readers’ forum: Utah’s nuclear energy
I have noticed the effort to gain approval for a nuclear power plant in the area of Green River, Utah. …..

China starts program to beef up nuclear safety
China’s National Energy Administration plans to beef up safety at nuclear power plants after months of assessments and inspections in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima disaster. …..

Unit 1 at Limerick Nuclear Plant Shut Down for Refueling Outage
The Limerick nuclear generating station is partially shut down.A “Unit 1 is shut down due to a scheduled refueling outage,” said Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station Communications ManagerA Dana Melia…..

Nuclear waste storage depot attracts southern Ontario towns
Either way, a surprising cluster of municipalities in south-western Ontario’s rural heartland are saying they might want to be the place where Canada’s spent nuclear fuel is stored for thousands of ye…..

Georgia Power receives historic license approval for new nuclear units
Construction is set to begin on the nation’s first two new nuclear units in 30 years at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle, near Waynesboro, Ga., approximately 26 miles southeast of Augusta. …..

Millstone evacuation routes get fresh look
If an accident or security emergency occurred at the Millstone Power Station today, residents of the nine communities within a 10-mile radius would be told to evacuate according to a plan written 10 y…..

Concerns linger over U.S. nuclear plants
As the United States prepares to build its first new nuclear power reactors in three decades, concerns about an early generation of plants have resurfaced since last year’s disaster in Japan. …..

Japan trade deficit balloons as fuel imports surge
Japan reported a record high trade deficit in January after its nuclear crisis shut down nearly all the nation’s reactors for tougher checks, sending fuel imports surging. …..

EDF Energy seeks high court injunction against protestors
Nuclear energy company seeks high court injunction against protestors For immediate release Feb 18th Nuclear energy company EDF today served papers on activists occupying a farm on the proposed site f…..

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California Utility Scales Back Rooftop Solar Program To Save Money
Southern California Edison has won approval to modify a photovoltaic program that won praise for its intent to promote distributed, rooftop generation when it received the initial thumbs-up from stat…..

A Harsh Winter for China’s Wind Industry and Its Leading Company: Sinovel
The Year of the Dragon has gotten off to an inauspicious start for the Chinese wind industry and in particular, Sinovel Wind Group Co. (Sinovel), China’s leading wind turbine manufacturer. …..

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar February 22nd & 23rd
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Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards Winners: Project of the Year and Readers’ Choice
Winners of the Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards for Project of the Year Award represent facilities that signified excellence in five technologies: Solar, Wind, Biomass, Geothermal and Hydro. …..

Comments On Spain’s Recent Renewable Energy Policy Decisions
Spain’s recent decision to stop subsidizing new renewable energy projects as part of managing its debt crisis has been hitting the headlines. Renewable energy skeptics will surely spin this as …..

Ground-truth: Do We Need To Destroy the Desert To Fight Climate Change?
There are two holes the size of bulldozers in the argument made by Johanna Wald in “Clearing Up the Record on Solar Energy on Public Lands”, that opening public lands to large scale industrial solar …..

DOE Offers $12 Million to Spur Solar Energy Innovation
DOE announced more than $12 million in funding to speed solar energy innovation from the lab to the marketplace. The funding, which will be made available through the agency’s SunShot Incubator progr…..

Excellence in Renewable Energy Award Announced! Check out Video Coverage of the Winners Here
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/video?categoryId=62 …..

Renewable Energy Tax Credits Left out of Payroll Tax Extension
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) and other renewable energy associations are no doubt disappointed with the outcome of the U.S. House and Senate ne…..

More than 1.1 Million People Employed in EU’s Renewable Energy Sector
More than 1.1 million people have jobs in Europe’s renewable energy sector, according to new figures released from EurObserv’ER, a renewable energy tracking project supported by the European Commissi…..

Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards Winners: Leadership
Great industry achievements happen when dynamic visionaries step up and spearhead efforts to bring about the changes they envision. Whether it is pioneering the development of solar power training ne…..

Clearing Up the Facts About Solar In Germany
On January 18, 2011, the German magazine Der Spiegel published an article titled “The Solar Subsidy Sinkhole,” which paints a distorted picture of the German solar story. The fo…..

Main image for Prime Minister hails West nuclear plant’s role in economic deal with French
Building a new Westcountry nuclear power station will blaze the trail for a new Anglo-French industrial pact, David Cameron has said in Paris. …..

Jobs deal a ‘shot in the arm’ for local economy
A DEAL which is set to secure hundreds of high-tech jobs at a new factory in South Yorkshire was today hailed as a ‘welcome shot in the arm’ for the local economy. …..

U.S. nuclear plants similar to Fukushima spark concerns
Programming note: Join CNN’s Amber Lyon for a Special Investigations Unit report on America’s aging GE Mark I nuclear reactors, including the 40-year-old Vermont Yankee plant this Saturday and Sunday …..

Buddhist Monks And Nuns Lead Anti-Nuclear Energy Walk
A Japanese Buddhist organization along with anti-nuclear groups will be participating in a 19-day ‘No More Fukushimas Peace Walk’ to three nuclear generating facilities on the northeast coast beginnin…..

Brick environmental group among 37 calling for expanded evacuation zones around nuclear power plants
A Brick-based citizens group is among 37 environmental organizations pushing the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to expand evacuation zones around nuclear plants. …..

Ex-PM: Japan was unprepared for nuke crisis
Japan was woefully unprepared for last year’s nuclear disaster, the country’s former prime minister said Friday, and suggested that the crippled Fukushima plant should not have been built so close to …..

UK and France sign nuclear deal
The UK is to sign a deal with France to strengthen co-operation in the development of civil nuclear energy. …..

Analysis: U.S. nuclear industry’s fate rests with Southern Co
The future of U.S. nuclear power rests squarely on the shoulders of Atlanta-based Southern Co, which will lead the industry’s effort to prove the concept of new reactor construction after a 30-year hi…..

Nuclear plants need bigger evacuation zones, advocates say
Dozens of clean energy and anti-nuclear groups – including two in Tennessee – want evacuation zones around nuclear plants expanded from 10 to 25 miles. …..

NRC cites security violation at Minnesota plant
Federal regulators have cited Xcel Energy Inc. for a security violation at its Prairie Island nuclear plant in Minnesota . …..

Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves Constellation-Exelon deal
Exelon’s proposed takeover of Constellation Energy crossed another hurdle Thursday when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the $7.9 billion deal. …..

Watts Bar behind schedule and over budget
The second nuclear reactor at TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant will not be completed on schedule and will be over budget. …..

Energy secretary: Vogtle reactors may spur nuclear resurgence
With workers behind him already assembling the towering steel capsule that will contain one of the nation’s first new commercial nuclear reactors in a generation, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Wedn…..

After Palisades ruling, watchdog group calls for nuclear plant to be…
A watchdog group is calling for Palisades nuclear plant to be closed in response to Tuesday’s action by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission downgrading the plant here to a status that requires much…..

Viet Nam and the UK boost co-operation on nuclear energy
The seminar, attended by representatives and scientists from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the British Embassy in Viet Nam, discussed the legal framework and selecting, deployment and sup…..

Kenya: UN Body Opposes Nuclear Energy Venture
The United Nations Environment Programme has warned Kenya against venturing into nuclear energy generation, saying the country has more sustainable options for meeting its power needs. …..

Advocates File Petition to Expand Emergency Evacuation Zones Around Nuclear Reactors
Jersey Shore advocates joined thirty-seven clean energy groups in submitting a formal petition for rulemaking to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeking the adoption of new regulations to expand eme…..

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SunPower Sues SolarCity, Former Employees Over Data Theft
Corporate espionage always makes for a tantalizing read, and here is a new script that pits a veteran solar company against an upstart: SunPower is suing five former employees and SolarCity over what…..

U.S. President Stands Firm on Clean Energy Agenda
Yesterday, President Obama released his 2013 Energy budget, which, according to Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, makes critical investments in innovation, clean energy and national security, while emp…..

Coal Plants Switch to Bioenergy in the UK
To describe the British town of Tilbury as a green beacon would require a stretch of the imagination. Home to London’s main container port and an unsightly 1960s concrete-slab power plant, with a cur…..

Forecasting Solar Demand: European Solar in Good Shape, Says Lux Analyst
Europe’s solar market is in good shape despite the global financial crisis, a new study by Lux Research shows. Small European markets will show favorable returns in the near term, the study predicts,…..

Inverter Market Update: China Makes Progress on Perceptions of Quality
Is the German utility business model dead or dying? This outcome would at least appear credible given the conclusions emerging from the 2nd Inverter and PV System Technology Forum 2012, held recently…..

Opportunities for Energy Innovators
For a long time “clean” and  ”green” marked the forward trend in the energy industry. Then came the quest for “smart” energy.  And now “innovation” is the buzzword. It’s easy to s…..

MIT Research: Liquid Batteries for Utilities Could Make Renewables Competitive
The biggest drawback to many real or proposed sources of clean, renewable energy is their intermittency: The wind doesn’t always blow, the sun doesn’t always shine, and so the power they produce may …..

How Distributed Solar Can Reduce Electricity Prices
What if installing more solar could reduce electricity prices? It’s already happening in Germany, world leader in solar power, and it’s likely to happen in the U.S., too. Right now the id…..

Wind Energy Installed in 2011 Totals 41,000 MW
The global wind industry installed just over 41,000 MW of wind power in 2011, bringing the world’s total installed capacity to more than 238,000 MW, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reported. …..

2012 PV Forecast: Industry Value Chain Blues
At the turn of the year, photovoltaics manufacturers are faced with difficult choices: continue selling at prices that do not allow for positive margins, or shutter production and wait for the curren…..

Where the Renewables Are
If you were looking for a good reason to head to sunny California in February, I’ve got one. Come to the Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo, co-located with Solar Power-Gen Conference and Ex…..

European Offshore Wind Sector Holds Steady
With 235 new offshore wind turbines grid-connected and worth approximately €2.4 billion, 2011 was a stable year for the offshore wind industry, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EW…..

Daily Recap: Palisades Nuclear Power Plant downgraded; readers…
Here are links to some of the stories posted on mlive.com/kalamazoo today. Which posts were your favorite? What would you like to see more of? Share your thoughts in the comments section below or send…..

FPL failed to maintain Turkey Point nuclear plant’s emergency facility, agency says
Florida Power & Light Co. has allegedly failed to properly maintain its Turkey Point nuclear plant’s on-site emergency response facility, resulting in apparent violations, the Nuclear Regulatory Commi…..

US to resume building nuclear plants
For the first time since 1978, the United States has approved the construction of nuclear reactors. …..

Feds downgrade Mich. nuclear plant over safety
Most are in the top-performing group. Palisades was bumped to the No. 2 category last month and now will join two others in the third category: the Perry Nuclear Power Plant’s Unit 1 generator near Cl…..

Will Japan hold a referendum to scrap nuclear power?
A year an earthquake and a tsunami caused the world’s worst nuclear disaster in a quarter century, a group of activists in Osaka, Japan, are seeking to hold a referendum that would ban nuclear power f…..

Feds Downgrade Palisades Over Saftety
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has downgraded the Palisades nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan following an investigation of two incidents last year that raised safety concerns. …..

Taiwan presses ahead with home-built nuclear power plant despite safety fears
Even the head of the safety department at Taiwan ‘s Atomic Energy Council, has doubts about the country’s fourth nuclear plant, suggesting it no longer enjoys much support. …..

Japan official faults nuke design, defends secrecy
The government official who outlined Japan’s worst-case scenario for the unfolding nuclear disaster last March defended how his study, warning that millions of people might have to flee, was kept secr…..

Stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at dire risk of massive new earthquake, scientists warn
Scientists have issued a dire warning that the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant is at risk of a massive new earthquake. …..

US nuclear watchdog questions safety oversight
The report comes as concerns are rising over the safety of America’s aging nuclear infrastructure after the catastrophic failure of the containment system at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in t…..

Nuclear Next Door
Gulf Power’s parent company has received the first new licenses for nuclear reactors in more than 30 years. …..

Obama budget seeks Ohio uranium enrichment funds
The 2013 budget proposal President Barack Obama unveiled Monday seeks $150 million for research and development of a southern Ohio plant that would provide enriched uranium for generating electricity …..

Hanford cleanup budget proposed for $2.1 billion
President Barack Obama has proposed spending more than $2.1 billion for cleanup at the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site in fiscal year 2013. …..

Laguna Beach raises concerns on San Onofre’s nuclear future
LAGUNA BEACH Between radioactive waste storage, a location near a fault line and a debated evacuation plan, some Laguna residents have a few concerns about the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. …..

The Nuclear Juggernaut
Last week’s granting by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission of combined construction and operating licenses for two nuclear plants to be built in Georgia-both Westinghouse AP1000s-is the culminatio…..

Green Blog: Can Efficiency Counter a Loss of Nuclear Power?
In an era when almost every energy technology is unpopular with somebody, the people who don’t want wind turbines, generating stations or new transmission lines installed in their neighborhoods often …..

Electrical malfunction at TVA’s Sequoyah Plant
The Tennessee Valley Authority says an electrical malfunction at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant damaged some equipment, but did not affect operations. …..

Opinion: Nuclear power remains the cornerstone of N.J.’s energy strategy
How can we best provide energy for New Jersey’s economic expansion? The answer is nuclear power – and building a new plant to capitalize on nuclear power’s economic and environmental benefits. …..

A year on, only brief home visits for Japan nuclear evacuees
Back home for just three hours, a tearful Miyoko Takeda sorted through her belongings. …..