ScottishPower Renewables has just completed an initial testing period for its 1-megawatt (MW) tidal power project in the Orkney isles, located off the northern tip of Scotland. The underwater turbine was installed last December and is set to be used in Scotland’s first and only consented tidal power project.
Archive | May, 2012
Solar power generation world record set in Germany
German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity – equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity – through the midday hours of Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank has said.
Germany’s government decided to abandon nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, closing eight plants immediately and shutting down the remaining nine by 2022.
IEA: Shale Gas Boom At Risk Over Environment Failings
Global exploitation of shale gas reserves could transform the world’s energy supply by lowering prices, improving security and even curbing forecast carbon dioxide emissions, but the industry might be stopped in its tracks if it doesn’t work harder to resolve concerns over its environmental safety, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.
Shell to Exit Libyan Exploration Blocks due Insecurity
Royal Dutch Shell PLC Monday said it was exiting its Libyan exploration blocks amid insecurity and harsh contracts, the first such move since Gadhafi’s overthrow. The Anglo-Dutch giant insisted it was still interested in the country, which holds Africa’s largest oil reserves
Maria van der Hoeven: Responsible shale industry ‘would thrive’
Explorers must address social and environmental concerns over shale gas extraction if the unconventional fuel is to thrive, the International Energy Agency has said. Launching a new report by her agency on the issue, IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven said the technology was available for environmentally-responsible production of unconventional gas.
Iraq Oil License Terms Forbid Deals With Kurdistan
The terms for Iraq’s latest energy licensing auction, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, will bar successful companies from signing contracts with the country’s semiautonomous Kurdistan region, oil industry officials said Tuesday. The Oil Ministry has for the first time inserted a clause in the final contract model permitting the ministry to cancel contracts if the [...]
EU Coal Prices Could Hurt Low-Carbon Competitiveness
Limited reform of EU emissions trading may not achieve much in CO2 cuts as the falling competitiveness of cleaner technologies is driven more by plunging coal than carbon prices. The financial crisis has slashed carbon prices to record lows by creating a glut of emissions permits. The European Commission wants to boost prices by rationing the supply of EU allowances (EUAs) from next year.
Chris Schuring: Legislation
This past week there was some activity in the legal world of energy. A bill for permitting, a ruling for net metering, a Chinese Tariff and I am sure a few that I missed. The point is this, there will always be fluctuations in the process, and there will always be hurdles in business. When [...]
Saudi Arabia Finally Tapping Sunshine?
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, may finally be getting serious about overcoming the technical and financial hurdles for tapping its other main resource: sunshine. Thousands of solar power panels have sprung up across Europe over the past few years, thanks to generous subsidies that make the technology an attractive alternative to conventional energy.
Texas Fracking Disclosure Law Set Standard for Other States
The hydraulic fracturing chemical disclosure law passed by Texas in 2011 served as a trailblazer for other states, said David Blackmon, director of government affairs at El Paso Corporation at the Seventh Annual Mayer Brown Global Energy Conference in Houston on Wednesday.
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