News in brief - 1 October 2008
REC to deliver US$450m of wafers
SANDVIKA, NORWAY, October 6, 2008. REC has entered into a US$450 million long-term agreement for the supply of multi-crystalline silicon wafers to Taiwanese Neo Solar Power until 2015.
Masdar invests €120m in WinWinD
ABU DHABI, UAE, October 6, 2008. Abu Dhabi’s Masdar renewable energy and clean technology initiative has bought a €120 million equity stake in WinWinD Oy, a Finnish wind turbine manufacturer.
39.7% solar cell efficiency
FREIBURG, GERMANY, October 6, 2008. A 39.7% efficiency for a multi-junction solar cell has been reached by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.
First phases of Roscoe wind farm opened
ROSCOE, TEXAS, USA, October 6, 2008. E.ON Climate & Renewables has officially opened the first two phases of its wind farm in Roscoe, Texas.
US Congress passes PTC/ITC extensions
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA, October 6, 2008. Solar is the big winner after the US Congress passed the tax credits extensions for renewable energy generation on Friday 3 October as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
EPA identifies wasteland for energy
WASHINGTON D.C., USA, October 3, 2008. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified “thousands” of contaminated properties that could be returned to productive use by hosting solar, wind or biomass energy production facilities.
New UK department of energy and climate change
LONDON, UK, October 3, 2008. In a cabinet reshuffle, the British Government has announced the establishment of a new department of energy and climate change to be headed by Ed Miliband.
Google proposes “Clean energy 2030”
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, USA, October 3, 2008. A Google analysis, led by Jeffery Greenblatt, suggests a potential path to weaning the US off coal and oil for electricity generation by 2030 (with some remaining use of natural gas as well as nuclear), and cutting oil use for cars by 40%.
DoE injects millions into R&D
WASHINGTON D.C., USA, October 2, 2008. The US Department of Energy (DoE) announced several rounds of funding for biofuels, water power, solar power storage and photovoltaic (PV) research and development (R&D) projects in September.
Scottish investment package
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UK, October 2, 2008. The proposed investment package for marine energy and other renewables from the Scottish Government have been welcomed by the trade body Scottish Renewables.
Small wind grows 80%
LONDON, UK, October 2, 2008. Small wind systems in the UK have enjoyed three years of 80% uninterrupted growth per annum. This is set to continue in 2008 and 2009, according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA).
Tax credits set to be part of US bailout?
WASHINGTON, USA, October 2, 2008. Stop Press: Just as it seemed that US renewables tax credit legislation - in the form of extensions to the PTC and ITC - was doomed until at least after the forthcoming US election, who'd have thought it: it has only turned up in the US bailout rescue package...
Fuel cell-driven passenger ship
PUCHHEIM, GERMANY, October 1, 2008. Proton Power Systems Plc (PPS), a designer, developer and producer of fuel cells and fuel cell hybrid systems, has announced what it claims to be the world's first fuel cell driven passenger ship.
Renewable Energy Focus © Copyright 2008, Elsevier Ltd, All rights reserved.