e85 Information

Insight: More solar firms set to burn up as prices sink

2011-12-22T21:30:08Z

(Reuters) - Only four years ago, hundreds of start-ups optimistically built factories and churned out solar panels to meet rising demand. Now, closures and failure loom for many.

The brutal shakeout is a dramatic reversal for an industry that has seen overall global growth of more than 30 percent annually over the past decade and this year will reach new records for solar panel sales....

UK plan to cut solar subsidy ruled legally flawed

2011-12-21T12:00:07Z

LONDON (Reuters) - British government plans to cut subsidies for solar panels on homes were ruled legally flawed by the High Court on Wednesday.

The decision was a victory for environmental campaigner Friends of the Earth and two solar companies, Solar Century and HomeSun, who said the plans were creating ec...

UK plan to cut solar subsidies "legally flawed"

2011-12-21T09:00:20Z

LONDON (Reuters) - British government plans to cut subsidies for solar panels on homes were ruled legally flawed by the High Court on Wednesday.

The decision was a victory for environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth (FoE) and two solar companies, Solar Century and HomeSun, who challenged the proposals...

UK solar plants boom ahead of subsidies cut

2011-12-21T07:30:20Z

LONDON (Reuters) - The number of solar panel installations in Britain doubled in less than two months until December to 230,000 projects, government data showed, as developers scrambled to benefit from higher state subsidies ahead of a 50 percent cut.

Solar projects of up to 4 kilowatts (kW) installed on or after Decemb...

Google turns up investment in solar power

2011-12-20T16:30:26Z

Google on Tuesday ramped up its investment in clean energy by backing the construction of solar panels that will feed electricity to California's power grid.

The Internet giant announced that it is pumping $94 million into Recurrent Energy projects near the state's capitol of Sacramento, raising its investments in...

U.S. solar companies urge SolarWorld drop China case

2011-12-20T16:00:16Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A coalition that says it represents 97 percent of the U.S. solar industry urged solar panel maker SolarWorld on Thursday to withdraw a petition asking President Barack Obama's administration to slap punitive duties on China for unfair trading practices.

"The s...

Government reviewing Google-backed power line

2011-12-20T13:30:18Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Interior Department on Tuesday said it hopes to make a decision on the location of a Google-backed offshore transmission line in the next few months, pledging that the project would not face the bureaucratic delays that ...

Brazil aims to shrink W. Cup's carbon cleat-print

2011-12-20T07:30:14Z

With solar panels, recycled stadium seats and rain water sprinklers, Brazil hopes to make the 2014 World Cup the most environmentally-friendly yet.

At a dozen stadium construction and renovation sites around the country, builders are hoping to meet or even exceed new FIFA recommendations aimed at reducing the carbon footprint o...

Google, TransCanada set solar plant deals

2011-12-20T06:30:29Z

(Reuters) - Google Inc and TransCanada Corp announced deals to buy solar power projects on Tuesday, just days after billionaire Warren Buffett made his second major purchase in the sector.

...

Soitec invests $150 million in California solar module factory

2011-12-16T13:00:12Z

(Reuters) - French silicon company Soitec SA said it will invest more than $150 million in a manufacturing facility in California to produce concentrator photovoltaic modules (CPV) for the U.S. renewable-energy market.

The French company said the facility will have a manufacturing capacity o...

Buffett's MidAmerican makes second foray in solar

2011-12-16T12:30:27Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings made its second foray into solar energy in as many weeks, saying on Friday it will buy a ...

U.S. PV solar installations soar 40 percent in 3rd quarter

2011-12-14T09:30:25Z

LOS ANGELES - (Reuters) - U.S. solar installations soared nearly 40 percent in the third quarter and are likely to be even higher in the current period, though 2011 overall will lag expectations slightly due to a decline in state incentives.

Third-quarter photovoltaic solar installations were 449.2 megawatts, up from 324.3 MW...

German solar firms go from boom to bust

2011-12-14T05:30:09Z

BERLIN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - When Tino Blaesi joined the solar sector gold rush, he thought his career was made. Seven years later, he is looking for a job outside the industry after his company slashed more than a third of its workforce in one day.

Work...

Q+A: What does UN climate deal mean for green investment?

2011-12-13T09:30:40Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Over 190 countries secured a last-ditch deal on Sunday to save the planet from global warming, which should legally bind developed and developing countries to greenhouse gas emissions cuts.

Negotiations for the new deal will start next year, and it should be signed by 2015 at the latest, but the commitments will not take effect until after 2020.

Below are key questio...

Wind farm fuels Ethiopia's green power ambitions

2011-12-11T08:30:23Z

Villagers in Ethiopia's arid north live as they have for centuries surrounded by cattle and donkeys; only the rows of towering white wind turbines look out of place.

It is not the first place one might expect to find the sleek new structures. The unpaved roads around the site are lined with donkey-drawn carts lugging firewood and bushels of wheat.

"It's a little bit anachronistic to see the turbines in a rural zone where peasant...

Analysis: Solar companies to seek deep pockets in downturn

2011-12-06T05:00:08Z

(Reuters) - Struggling solar manufacturers will likely be driven into mergers with rivals to survive a sector squeeze, a trend that could draw major Asian conglomerates deeper into the renewable energy sector.

Solar makers have seen their profit margins nearly erased this year as prices for renewable energy systems plummeted by about 40 percent and industry experts say many companies are too small to wit...

Booming Brazil wind power market draws foreigners

2011-12-06T03:30:40Z

Already blessed with huge hydro and fossil fuel resources, Brazil is seeing a wind power boom as production prices fall and government incentives lure in a growing number of foreign suppliers.

The country's wind power sector has a current capacity of around 1,400 megawatts, and is expected to grow nearly eight-fold by 2014, according to the Brazilian Ass...

ADB to fund Reliance Power solar power plant in India

2011-12-04T20:30:41Z

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Monday it is part-funding a project with India's Reliance Power to build what it said would be India's largest solar photovoltaic power plant.

The pla...

China says US solar probe 'protectionist'

2011-12-04T09:30:17Z

China on Sunday accused the United States of "protectionist attitudes" towards Chinese solar panel makers and warned that a US investigation could hurt global efforts to cut emissions cheaply.

A US trade panel vote to continue a probe into Chinese imports "betrayed the insincerity of America ... in pushing climate talks while being indifferent to cutting emissions in an affordable wa...

China says 'deeply concerned' over US solar ruling

2011-12-03T20:30:08Z

China said it was "deeply concerned" after a US trade panel ruled that Chinese companies have harmed the US solar panel industry by selling products at unfairly cheap prices.

The US International Trade Commission voted unanimously on Friday that there was a "reasonable indication" that Chinese solar cell and panel imports have ...

China says U.S. solar ruling smacks of protectionism

2011-12-03T19:30:11Z

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China said it was "deeply concerned" about a preliminary ruling by a U.S. trade body that trade practices by Chinese solar makers are hurting U.S. producers and said the decision underscored a U.S. "inclination to trade protectionism."

Such protectionism measures would hurt bilatera...

France's Alstom opens its first Brazil wind turbine plant

2011-11-30T20:30:36Z

French engineering group Alstom moved to capitalize on a booming Brazilian wind energy market by inaugurating a new wind turbine manufacturing plant in northeastern Bahia state Wednesday, its first in Latin America.

The plant, built with an initial investment of 20 million euros ($26 million dollars), is located in Camacari

China solar industry rejects US anti-dumping probe

2011-11-29T10:31:14Z

Chinese solar panel makers on Tuesday rejected an anti-dumping complaint filed in the US by competitor SolarWorld, saying it risked "seriously hindering the development of green energy."

"China's photovoltaic industry has greatly contributed to the development of the global market," Wang Guiqing, vice president of the China C...

China solar executives aim to avoid trade war with U.S.

2011-11-29T04:00:14Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - Heads of China's solar industry on Tuesday said they strongly oppose an investigation by the U.S. into Chinese-made solar panels and asserted that competitive advantages alone explained their success on the global market.

However, in a statement from the Canada has scooped a top prize for environmental protection awarded by the Austrian foundation Energy Globe for a community project that uses solar-powered heating to warm local houses.

The Energy Globe World Award for Sustainability was handed to the Drake Landing Solar Community project in Alberta, west Canada, in a ceremony late Friday in Wels, Denmark aims to have wind power supply half of the country's electricity needs in 2020, under a new programme presented by Climate and Energy Minister Martin Lidegaard on Friday.

"Denmark must use a lot more renewable energy and we will have to become much better at using energy efficiently," Lidegaard told reporters.

The country aims to be 100 percent free of fossil ...

Developing economies see no escape from coal

2011-11-24T20:30:05Z

Concrete towers rise over the African bush, as the continent's largest coal-fired power station takes shape in a multi-billion-dollar testament to developing nations' love affair with coal.

South Africa, like China and India, has large domestic coal supplies that provide a cheap source of energy to meet an...

Junior explorer jumps on gold assay results

2011-11-23T19:30:14Z

This as an alternative energy solutions provider popped following a services contract Wednesday

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IEA backs renewable energy

2011-11-23T17:30:24Z

Renewable energy resources are growing very fast but countries still must be vigilant to ensure that they continue to expand, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

The IEA, the energy advisory body to the developed countries, said renewable energy is a key element in meeting increasing demand and balancing environmental concerns.

IEA Executive Director SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc has abandoned an ambitious project to make renewable energy cheaper than coal, the latest target of Chief Executive Larry Page's moves to focus the Internet giant on fewer efforts.

Does investing in wind power make sense?

2011-11-22T19:30:30Z

This company's growth prospects, leaner operating expenses and ability to make a profit make it a better bet

The answer is a qualified, “Yes.” You just have to pick the right company. U.S. investors typically aren’t familiar with the “Who’s Who” of wind turbine manufacturers. That’s not surprising. Compared to other places around the world, wind power isn’t exactly taking off here.

According to

Google terminating more products in house cleaning

2011-11-22T16:30:48Z

Google on Tuesday announced the latest list of products being tossed out as part of a drive by chief executive Larry Page to focus resources on more promising projects.

"We're in the process of shutting a number of products which haven't had the impact we'd hoped for, integrating others as features into our broader product efforts, and ending several which have shown us a diffe...

China confirms $1.7 trillion spending plan: U.S.

2011-11-21T02:00:33Z

CHENGDU, China (Reuters) - China confirmed to visiting U.S. officials that Beijing plans to pour $1.7 trillion into the so-called "strategic sectors" over the coming five years, U.S. Commer...

Is U.S. farm boom sitting on an ethanol bubble?

2011-11-20T12:00:12Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Grain farmers in the Midwest may want to pinch themselves.

In recent years they have been buoyed by a dream scenario. Record high prices. Record high profits. Record high farmland values. Near record production. Farm debts paid off.

"Historically agriculture has been asset rich, cash flow poor, profit poor. This time we ...

Analysis: U.S. government a tenuous beachhead for biofuel firms

2011-11-20T12:00:09Z

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. military has emerged as a key ally for fledgling producers of non-food-based biofuels, who find themselves threatened by looming budget cuts and growing political hostility to renewable energy funding.

A Britain's Prince Philip has launched a fierce attack on "absolutely useless" wind farms, in the latest outburst from the famously outspoken consort, a report said on Sunday.

The husband of Queen Elizabeth II said that onshore wind farms would never work and accused their supporters of b...

GAS DEMAND

2010-12-20T14:32:41Z

Graphic shows gasoline and ethanol demand since

...

Wind Power Public Lands

2010-12-13T12:01:44Z

In this Nov. 8, 2010 photo, a wind-driven turbine drives an electrical generator on private property near a site proposed for wind turbines to generate electricity, in the Mojave Desert near the town of Apple Valley, Calif. For years, wind farms sprouted on privately held land while projects on public lands languished, in part becau...

Mexico Climate Conference

2010-11-28T23:31:21Z

Mexican authorities and guests gather under a wind turbine during an event where Mexico's President Felipe Calderon activated a wind turbine that is planned to help power the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, Sun...

Philippines Climate Change

2010-11-28T09:30:26Z

Greenpeace activists wave windsocks as they campaign for the use of renewable energy Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010 in Pasay City, south of Manila, Philippines. The Filipino activists called on President Benigno Aquino III to commit to 50 percent renewable energy by 2020 as one of the solutions to fight climate change. (AP Phot...

Solar Energy Plant

2010-11-13T08:31:22Z

In this Nov. 10, 2010 photo, solar panels at a 1.8 megawatt facility run by the Western Massachusetts Electric Company are shown in Pittsfield, Mass. It is the largest solar energy plant in New England. (AP Photo/Stewart Cairns)