RWE Generation is planning to close three power plants in Germany with a total capacity of 1,000MW, amid declining demand for conventional energy.

The company is considering closing the 110MW Goldenbergwerk lignite power plant in Hürth in the third quarter of 2015, and Unit C of the 285MW Westfalen hard coal power plant in Hamm in early 2016.

The part of Unit K fuelled by hard coal in the 610MW Gersteinwerk plant will be shut down in the first quarter of 2017.

The shutting down of the power plants will affect 180 of the 640 jobs at the three stations.

RWE Generation CEO Peter Terium said: “Conventional power generation is losing ground – not just at RWE.

“Figures from the Federal Network Agency indicate that, up to 2018, more secured power station capacity will have to be taken offline than is added through capital investment.

“This does not bode well for security of supply, to which wind and solar can make little contribution.

“With a capacity market that is non-discriminatory and open to all technologies, Germany could create an economically feasible basis to continue to operate indispensable generation facilities – and thus supplement the expansion of renewable energy.”

The company will terminate supply contracts for approximately 470MW by the end of this year.

RWE had earlier decommissioned Didcot A and Tilbury power stations in the UK and reduced operating hours of the gas-fired power plants in Continental Europe. This has reduced the company’s electricity generation in the first half by 11%.

Yingli Green Energy International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yingli Green Energy Holding Company, has signed a collaboration agreement with AMB Energia Wytwarzanie (AMB Energia), a subsidiary of AMB Energia, for the development of 30MW of solar power projects in Poland.

As part of the agreement, AMB Energia as a local partner will fully develop the projects, while Yingli will provide its support throughout all project stages.

The two companies are planning to sell the turn-key projects to investors.

Yingli Green Energy International head of project business Manuel Seiffe said, “In this strategic alliance, the partners will jointly work on co-developing a diversified project portfolio to be ready for inclusion into the auction system in 2015.

“As a leading developer in Poland, AMB Energia will engage in all stages of the development phases of the solar PV projects. This partnership will furthermore enhance our strong position in the project business as well as in the Polish market.”

AMB Energia CEO Przemyslaw Pieta said, “It is a great honor to cooperate with the world’s leading PV manufacturer on the development, implementation and commissioning of projects. We believe that the investment in a pipeline of early-stage project opportunities will bear fruit as early as in 2015.”

The auctions will be conducted separately for planned renewable installations below and above 1MW with only ready-to-build projects allowed to participate.

The UK’s renewables sources generated 14.9% of electricity in 2013, according to a new report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The DECC, in its annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics, revealed that onshore and offshore wind energy in the UK is playing the central role for transition from fossil fuels to clean renewables for the country.

According to the report, electricity generated from renewable sources increased by 30% in 2013 when compared to 2012, and accounted to 14.9% of total UK electricity generation.

Electricity generated from onshore wind provided 32% of the total, while offshore wind generated a further 21%, making a total of 53% of all renewable energy from wind, according to the report.

The renewables installed capacity increased by 27% (4.2GW) to 19.7GW in 2013 due to a 27% increase in onshore wind capacity (1.6GW) and a 23% increase in offshore wind capacity.

RenewableUK policy director Dr Gordon Edge said: “We’re now on course to hit 10% of electricity from wind alone this year.”

Commenting on publication of the annual energy statistics, Energy & Climate Change Secretary of State Edward Davey said: “The government’s investment in renewable energy is paying off: renewable electricity has more than doubled in just four years – with around 15% of Britain’s electricity already coming from clean renewable sources like wind, solar and hydro.

“Having a strong UK renewable sector helps to reduce our foreign imports of energy, improving our energy security, as well as helping us tackle climate change and creating new hi-tech green jobs. A green energy future that once seemed impossible for Britain is fast becoming a reality.”

The UK aimed to meet a legally binding target of 15% of all energy from renewables by 2020.

Irish renewable energies firm BNRG has begun construction of its 15MW solar plant across 85 acres of land in Bilsham Farm in West Sussex, UK, at a cost of €25m.

In terms of benefit for the area, the plant will have the capacity to power more than 4,950 homes for 30 years.

BNRG, which is based in Dublin and backed by IDA Ireland, is constructing the project through a joint venture with the Langmead Group.

Langmead Group is one of the UK’s largest fresh produce suppliers. Its company policy includes working towards sustainability and promoting clean-energy use within the company and on farms across some 2,500 hectares in West Sussex, Scotland and Suffolk and Spain.

To date, BNRG has developed and constructed solar farms with a combined value of more than €170m and has completed 11 utility scale solar projects in the UK since 2011.

The company also recently received planning approval for the first utility scale solar PV plan on the island of Ireland near Downpatrick in Co Down.

BNRG has also confirmed it has lined up a number of similar projects across the UK and Europe for construction in 2015 and the following years after.

The UK Government will award more than £200m annually for renewable energy projects as part of its first auction of contracts in building low-carbon electricity system.

The first auction of contracts-for-difference, to be held place in October, involves deals worth £50m a year available to more established technologies such as solar and onshore wind power.

The remaining £155m a year will be granted for less established technologies like offshore wind and biomass.

The renewable energy projects to compete for a part of the government’s reforms to the electricity market for reducing emissions from the power sector much more cheaply than through existing policies, around 6% lower on the average domestic electricity bill up to 2030.

UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: “Our plan is powering growth and jobs as we build clean, secure electricity infrastructure for the future.

“By radically reforming the electricity markets, we’re making sure that decarbonising the power sector will come at the lowest possible cost to consumers.

“Average annual investment in renewables has doubled since 2010 – with a record breaking £8bn worth in 2013. We’re building a secure, low-carbon electricity system that will be the powerhouse of the British economy, supporting up to 250,000 jobs by 2020.”

At least a further £50m is planned for an auction around 2015 and a total of approximately £1bn for further projects, including carbon capture and storage, up to 2020-21.

RenewableUK director of policy Gordon Edge said: “Although we appreciate that it’s necessary to hold back budget for future years in order to allow potentially cheaper projects to come forward later, this initial release of the draft budget risks being insufficient to drive industrialisation, competition and cost reduction.”

MIT has developed a potentially revolutionary graphene sponge that uses a combination of steam and solar energy to create a clean energy efficiency of 85pc.

The process converts steam energy created by directing sunlight on the material into useable energy, something which is considered a viable option financially given that once it is developed on a larger scale will be more efficient than standard solar panels.

The actual structure placed on top of the body of water consists of a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam that is both porous and insulating.

When sunlight hits the structure’s surface, it creates a hotspot in the graphite, drawing water up through the material’s pores, where it evaporates as steam, meaning the brighter the light, the more steam is generated.

According to MIT News, the entire setup loses little heat in the process and, more importantly, can produce steam at relatively low solar intensity at an equivalent of 10 times an average sunny day, in comparison with 1,000 times with existing steam-to-energy systems.

If the technology were to be scaled up, the setup would likely not require complex, costly systems to highly concentrate sunlight.

Hadi Ghasemi, a PhD student in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, has said the material’s inexpensive production cost could bring great benefits.

“Steam is important for desalination, hygiene systems, and sterilisation. Especially in remote areas where the sun is the only source of energy, if you can generate steam with solar energy, it would be very useful.”

The Linde project, located in the Northern Cape region, is the second utility scale solar PV plant Scatec Solar has completed under the South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Program and the first of its two projects awarded in the second round. The new solar plant increases its installed capacity in the country to 115 MW.
The completion of the Linde project is a milestone that confirms Scatec Solar’s strong position as an integrated independent power producer,” said Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar. “I am very pleased with my team and partners who have been able to realise this complex project on time and on budget. We have built on the experience gained from our Kalkbult project, and have broadened this with our first installation of a solar tracker system, which will increase the output from the plant considerably.”
The new Linde solar project, muck like Scatec Solar’s first South African project (the 75 MW Kalkbult plant), has been developed by Scatec Solar through its South African joint-venture company Scatec Solar SA. The plant is located at Linde near Hanover in the Northern Cape, a sun-drenched region that boasts some of the best conditions for solar power anywhere in the world.
According to Carlsen, the annual production will be approx. 94 million kWh per year, enough to cover the electricity demand of about 20 000 South African households. Furthermore, the power generated by the plant will be fed into the local grid and sold through a 20-year power purchase agreement with the national utility company, Eskom. A portion of the revenue from the plant as well as the project dividends will be earmarked Socio Economic Development initiatives in the area around the project site.

First Solar Inc. won’t be building the world’s largest solar plant in China after more than four years of negotiations on pricing failed to produce an agreement.

The refreshingly upbeat tone of the Intersolar 2014 conference and show in San Francisco this year was broadly supported by company announcements of advances in technology, new strategic partnerships, and expectations of more business as the PV industry evolves into maturity.

Apple has made quite a green turnaround in the past couple of years.