Group items tagged

Since Google declared its 100 percent commitment to renewables back in 2012, it has signed contracts that will help add almost 2.6 gigawatts of wind- and solar-generated electricity to the grid by the time all the projects are completely. While each of those installations has its own timetable for completion, at least 900 megawatts of those projects should come online within the next four to six weeks alone, according to one of Google's energy strategy executives. Over the course of next year, all the clean power that Google is adding to the grid will offset what it's using in aggregate. And moving forward, Google wants to ensure that more of the electricity it actually uses can be traced to renewable generating sources.

For the first time, solar power is becoming the cheapest form of electricity production in the world, according to new statistics from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) released Thursday. While unsubsidized solar has occasionally done better than coal and gas in individual projects, 2016 marked the first time that the renewable energy source has out-performed fossil fuels on a large scale-and new solar projects are also turning out to be cheaper than new wind power projects, BNEF reports in its new analysis, Climatescope.

The nation's largest electric producers continue to substantially reduce emissions of key air pollutants, the latest comprehensive analysis of U.S. power plant emissions shows. The new report analyzed publicly reported data on carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and mercury emissions from the nation's 100 largest electric power producers, which account for 85 percent of the nation's power production.

Renewable energy projects, like a hybrid wind and diesel system on San Cristobal Island, are paving the way for the Galapagos Islands' clean energy future, according to this analysis. Elecgalapagos, a utility tasked with leading the islands' transition away from fossil fuels, has set a goal to source 70% of the Galapagos' electricity from renewables in the near future. San Cristobal is home to three turbines providing about 30% of its electricity needs.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that more than 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) were on the road in 2015, including 400,000 in the United States. In order to limit global warming to 2°C or less, the agency says the world will need 150 million EVs by 2030 and 1 billion by 2050, implying a 21 percent compound annual growth rate from now until 2050.

China has proposed building a $50 trillion global transmission system that would connect the world's wind farms and renewable energy projects. "Global energy interconnection" would solve global energy instability, climate change and environmental pollution, said State Grid Corp. of China Chairman Liu Zhenya. In such a model, clean energy sources would provide about 80% of the world's total electricity.

The small country of Denmark is making a big commitment to renewables. Today Denmark's electric grid is over 40 percent renewably powered, and the country is aiming to reach 100 percent renewable electricity by 2035 and 100 percent renewable energy in all sectors by 2050. 

Harvest Power Inc. has opened a plant at Walt Disney World to convert food wastes from restaurants, supermarkets and others into electricity and fertilizer.

Bear Republic is taking things a step farther: In January, it was the first brewery to buy Cambrian's EcoVolt system, which uses electrically active organisms to clean wastewater for reuse while creating a high-quality biogas that helps offset the heat and electricity needed for Bear's production process

IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today announced it had officially plugged-in Kansas' largest rooftop solar array, atop the recently opened IKEA Merriam. The 92,000-square-foot solar array consists of a 730.17-kW DC system, comprised of 2,394 panels, and will produce approximately 986,800 kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent of reducing 680 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) - equal to the emissions of 143 cars or providing electricity for 94 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).

Bonaire (pop. 14,500), a small island off the coast of Venezuela, is famous for its beautiful marine reefs, which are visited by 70,000 tourists every year. What many of the tourists don't realize is that the majority of the electricity powering their needs comes from renewable energy. Yet for the residents of Bonaire, the switch from fossil-fueled to renewable energy systems has made a world of difference.

Ecolab announced plans to offset 100% of its electricity use at Minnesota corporate and research, development, and engineering campuses through a SunEdison program supporting community solar gardens. The program will use shared solar panel sites with grid-connected subscribers to ensure clean electricity is generated for use in the local grid.

Ford's world headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., will be fitted with a 68,000-square-foot solar array as part of the automaker's broader efforts to boost its credibility as a sustainable company. The project will include 30 charging stations for electric vehicles and will generate more than a megawatt of electricity.

The US could source 100% of its electricity needs from renewables by 2050, according to Stanford. The report said that under its model, land-based wind and offshore wind would provide 30.9% and 19.1% of the nation's electricity, respectively. Solar, hydroelectric, geothermal and hydro power would supply the remaining capacity. The report added that the plan would create 2,815,850 40-year operation jobs, and 2,285,816 40-year construction jobs.

Saskatchewan, Canada, has set a goal to source 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. The province currently sources about 5% of its total electricity from wind, but experts say that total could double by 2020. The Canadian Solar Industries Association said Saskatchewan also has a huge potential for solar development. "Saskatchewan's potential for solar power generation is significantly superior to Germany's -- the country with over 50% of the world's operating solar technology," it said. 

Hilton Worldwide is taking advantage of a partnership with General Electric by installing electric-vehicle, or EV, chargers at 100 of its hotels by the end of 2016. Some other hotels are using green-energy storage systems, which can reduce charges on about 30% to 50% of a property's energy bill, according to a GreenBiz report

India's largest automobile manufacturer Tata Motors has pledged to source 100% of its electricity from renewables as part of The Climate Group- and CDP-led RE100 initiative. The company is currently sourcing around 8% of its electricity from renewables.

Sony joins the RE100, a global initiative made up of big companies committed to using 100 percent renewable electricity.

More than 4,800 fuel-cell electric vehicles were registered in California as of May, and 36 retail stations were open to the public with 28 more funded, according to a California Air Resources Board report released July 31. An estimated 47,000 fuel-cell electric vehicles are expected to be on the roads by 2024.

Social media giant Facebook has switched all electric accounts at its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters to participate in a 100% renewable energy program created by a newly established California electricity supplier.