Renewable Energy News

Canadian Solar completed construction on three utility-scale solar power projects in North Carolina. The projects, named "Lenoir 1, Lenoir 2 and Wilson 1," total 18 MW and are part of a 15-project portfolio totaling 85MW being jointly developed with Strata Solar. In total, the latest three solar power projects use approximately 40,608 Canadian Solar CS6P-P 245 and 19,896 CS6P-P 250 watt solar modules.

Phoenix Solar signed a contract with Silicon Ranch to build the Simon Solar Farm, 38.6-MW, 161 acre solar plant in Georgia. Under the terms of the contract, Phoenix Solar will provide all engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services and long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) support for the solar park. Georgia Power, the state's largest electrical utility, will buy the electricity generated from the solar park under a 20-year PPA with Silicon Ranch. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.

DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar, marked the official inauguration of London Array, a 630-MW operational offshore wind power plant in Margate, Kent. Siemens was responsible for the supply of 175 wind turbines, the grid connections and will provide service under a long-term agreement with Dong Energy.

EnviraCarbon (ECI) commercialized a patented technology which molecularly alters renewable biomass feedstock into EnvirAnized Biofuel (EBF), a product that looks, transports, stores, pulverizes and burns like coal, but doesn’t pollute. EBF can be used interchangeably with coal or biomass and contains negligible amounts of sulfur and non-detectable levels of mercury, arsenic, and lead which are toxic elements in coal. EBF is also, by most standards, at or near carbon neutral.

Walmart and SolarCity completed solar projects at eight Walmart stores and two Sam's Clubs across the state of Maryland.

GE was awarded a contract with its consortium partner, Downer EDI Limited to supply, build and maintain 67 turbines at the $350 million Boco Rock wind farm in New South Wales, Australia. In addition to supplying and commissioning the wind turbine generators, GE will also provide $50 million worth of maintenance services over 10 years. The wind farm will be located outside of Nimmitabel, in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region, and is permitted for potential future expansion to 121 turbines.

Upon review of a load profile study submitted by Xcel Energy, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) found that “it is clear … that solar PV facilities contribute to Xcel’s capacity requirements and that the existing Standby Service tariff does not reflect that contribution.” The commission ruled that $5.15 per kW per month would be a reasonable, conservative interim rate to be paid to sellers in the form of a capacity credit.

The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a proposal by Ameren Missouri to update a voluntary program which gives consumers the opportunity to finance the purchase renewable energy credits (REC). Ameren charges customers $15 per credit, including the ability to purchase amounts equal to their monthly usage or select a set number of RECs per month. The PSC said that price was about average for such programs in the United States.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) awarded a contract to Siemens to construct the federal government’s largest wind farm. The Pantex facility will consist of five 2.3-MW turbines on 1,500 acres of government-owned property east of the Pantex plant in Amarillo. Using an energy savings performance contract, Siemens will provide a turnkey wind farm system that includes a multi-year service, maintenance, and warranty agreement.

Georgia Power added 53.5 MW of new biomass capacity to the company's generation portfolio. The addition of the biomass capacity is made possible through a 20-year purchase power agreement (PPA) with Rollcast Energy, under which Georgia Power will receive all generation output of the newly completed Piedmont Green Power plant, located in Barnesville, Ga.