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The EU added a record-breaking 12.8 gigawatts of installed wind capacity last year, according to the European Wind Energy Association. The group says wind has surpassed hydro power, becoming the third-biggest source of generation in the EU. "Wind power accounts for one-third of all new power installations since 2000 in the EU. Conventional power sources such as fuel oil and coal continue to decommission more capacity than they install," EWEA said.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently released its ranking of the leading utility green power initiatives, and for the 10th year PacifiCorp - the parent company of Rocky Mountain Power and the Oregon-based Pacific Power- was named among the top five programs nationally.

Clean power supplied almost all of Germany's power demand for the first time on Sunday, marking a milestone for Chancellor Angela Merkel's "Energiewende" policy to boost renewables while phasing out nuclear and fossil fuels. Solar and wind power peaked at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, allowing renewables to supply 45.5 gigawatts as demand was 45.8 gigawatts, according to provisional data by Agora Energiewende, a research institute in Berlin. Power prices turned negative during several 15-minute periods yesterday, dropping as low as minus 50 euros ($57) a megawatt-hour, according to data from Epex Spot.

Cleantech company Mainstream Renewable Power will reportedly build and operate nearly 1 GW of wind power capacity in Chile by 2021. The 7 wind power projects have a combined investment value of more than $1.5 billion.

there's another major consumer of water in California and the United States - one that doesn't receive the same attention as lush lawns or the agricultural industry: power plants. In 2005, power plants across the country withdrew as much water as farms did, according to a 2011 report, Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants: Electricity's Thirst for a Precious Resource, from the Union of Concerned Scientists and a team of independent water experts.

Texas Wesleyan University has installed a co-generation system called the Combined Heat and Power Plant that can produce its own energy. Powered by natural gas, the system captures waste heat from the engine and exhaust and converts that to power. The project is projected to save the university $377,000 a year and is part of a $6.2 million energy project.

The US could cut its carbon dioxide emissions 20% more by using the Clean Power Plan, according to the Energy Information Administration. The report said carbon dioxide emissions from coal-burning power plants have been declining for a decade, but the nation could further accelerate that shift by employing the CPP. Rice University Associate Professor Daniel Cohan argues that the report emphasizes the importance of the ongoing litigation over the CPP and how far the US still has to go to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets.

India has completed the world's largest solar power plant-a 648 MW plant in Southern India. The $679 million plant is now operational and is expected to produce enough electricity to power about 150,000 homes.

More than 4,400 people died last year because of health problems caused by emissions from Pennsylvania and Ohio's power plants, according to reports from NextGen Climate America and PSE Healthy Energy. In total, the states' power plants caused problems that cost state residents $40 billion in health care bills, the reports found.

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.

Researchers from Harvard University published a study that analyzes the economic and public health benefits of implementing a U.S. power plant carbon standard similar to the Clean Power Plan. The study estimates that a U.S. power plant carbon standard could bring net benefits close to $38 billion annually.

Adobe, IKEA North America, Mars, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts filed briefs in the U.S. Court of Appeals in support of the EPA's Clean Power Plan. The companies stated they "view the Clean Power Plan and its emissions reduction program as a component of their domestic and international business risk mitigation strategies."

Mercedes-Benz to use Plug Power fro 123 hydrogen-based GenDrive fuel cell units to power forklifts. Fiat selected AeroViroment to provide its home charging stations and installations for the Fiat 500e. Its the 5th auto manufacture to choose Aero for its services.

China, the world's biggest clean energy investor, plans to increase wind and solar power capacity by more than 21 percent next year as it works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting its reliance on coal. The nation is targeting at least 20 gigawatts of new wind power installations and 15 gigawatts of additional photovoltaic capacity next year, the National Energy Administration said in a statement on Tuesday.

Amazon intends to install solar power panels at more than 50 warehouses and distribution centers worldwide, including 15 this year in the US. The company estimated power generation of as much as 41 megawatts of by year's end.

ug Power will develop hydrogen fuel cell range extenders for 20 FedEx Express electric delivery trucks.

Electric car manufacturer Tesla has revealed a battery for the home that can store power from solar panels, be used in case of a power outage and potentially transition solar-powered homes to be off the grid entirely. "The goal is complete transformation of the entire energy infrastructure of the world, to completely sustainable zero carbon," said the company's founder, Elon Musk. 

In a sweeping initiative to curb pollutants blamed for global warming, the Obama administration unveiled a plan Monday aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by nearly a third by 2030.

Under a new order from the state's Public Service Commission, utility companies will soon be barred from owning "distributed" power systems-that means rooftop solar, small wind turbines, and basically anything else that isn't a big power plant. "By restricting utilities from owning local power generation and other energy resources, customers will benefit from a more competitive market, with utilities working and partnering with other companies and service providers," the commission said in a statement.

Spending on offshore wind energy development in Europe reached $14.45 billion last year. That was a record amount and double 2014's number. The rate is expected to decline this year but increase in the future. "Offshore wind power produces roughly one and a half times the energy of onshore wind power," said Toni Sulameri, who works for wind power production company Suomen Hyotytuuli Oy. Europe has 84 offshore wind farms.