Renewable Energy

[jai mitchell]

The Obama administration is setting higher goals for wind power, saying it could supply 35% of the nation's electricity by the year 2050.

Wind power currently generates 4.5% of electricity, but that number is expected to more than double to 10% by 2020, says a report obtained by USA TODAY that will be released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Energy.
...
Citing the industry's growth, the report projects a quicker pace for wind power's contributions to U.S. electricity production, which could accelerate over a longer period of time: Up to 10% by 2020, then 20% by 2030, and then 35% by 2050.

report found here:  http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/WindVision_Report_final.pdf
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/12/obama-wind-power-report-energy-department/70160824/

[Sigmetnow]

The Obama administration is setting higher goals for wind power, saying it could supply 35% of the nation's electricity by the year 2050.

Wind power currently generates 4.5% of electricity, but that number is expected to more than double to 10% by 2020, says a report obtained by USA TODAY that will be released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Energy.
...
Citing the industry's growth, the report projects a quicker pace for wind power's contributions to U.S. electricity production, which could accelerate over a longer period of time: Up to 10% by 2020, then 20% by 2030, and then 35% by 2050.

report found here:  http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/WindVision_Report_final.pdf
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/12/obama-wind-power-report-energy-department/70160824/

And remember, this is just wind!  These numbers do not include solar, hydro, and other renewables.

[Sigmetnow]

IEA data point to emissions decoupling from economic growth for the first time in 40 years

Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicate that global emissions of carbon dioxide from the energy sector stalled in 2014, marking the first time in 40 years in which there was a halt or reduction in emissions of the greenhouse gas that was not tied to an economic downturn.

http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2015/march/global-energy-related-emissions-of-carbon-dioxide-stalled-in-2014.html

[Sigmetnow]

Interesting concept.  A solar farm where anyone, anywhere can "buy a panel" and receive 80% of the sales of electricity from it.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/06/startup-selling-solar-panels-cloud-not-your-roof/ZIlSLORzszmpm0nwYRoyFM/story.html

[Laurent]

Green illlusions

[Sigmetnow]

The EU is well on the way to reaching the goal of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020.  Several countries have already met their goals, and more are very close.

The report shows that Lithuania reached its goal in 2013, joining Sweden, Bulgaria and Estonia, which all beat their individual 2020 renewable goals in 2012. Italy and Romania are within a fraction of a percent of reaching their targets as well. And though they aren’t close to their goal yet, Austria, Finland and Latvia all generate a third or more of their electricity using renewables.

It’s not all good news in the Eurostat report, though. Some countries — notably the U.K., France, Ireland and the Netherlands — are well behind their renewables targets. Those countries account for 30 percent of the EU’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Though that might prompt finger wagging, the EU as a whole is still in pretty good shape. The 2013 data show the region gets 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources, well within striking distance of the goal of 20 percent by 2020.

The commitment to renewables fits in a larger EU goal for 2030, when it hopes to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/four-countries-eu-renewable-goals-18760

[Sigmetnow]

@UNFCCC: .@DNVGL asked 1600 energy experts how quickly the world's electricity system could be 70% #renewable. See the answer:

[wili]

France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/20/france-decrees-new-rooftops-must-be-covered-in-plants-or-solar-panels

[Sigmetnow]

Here's how the recent total eclipse affected Germany's power output.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/look-what-today-s-eclipse-did-to-german-solar-power-output

[Sigmetnow]

@billmckibben: Canada could supply all its electricity from renewables by 2035…if it wanted to

Canada can be a world leader in emissions reductions and renewable energy use, but only if its federal government decides to take climate change seriously, according to a new report.

The report, published Wednesday by 70 Canadian academics, looked at Canada’s potential to shift its electricity production to renewable sources and cut its emissions. It found that the country could get 100 percent of its electricity from low-carbon sources like wind, solar, and hydropower by 2035 and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. To achieve these goals, the report recommended that the federal government implement a nationwide price on carbon and eliminate subsidies to Canada’s fossil fuel industry — particularly, its tar sands industry.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/20/3635370/canada-academics-report-on-emissions-renewable-energy/

[Sigmetnow]

A Central Texas city is waving goodbye to fossil fuels.

Georgetown’s municipal utility on Wednesday unveiled plans to abandon traditional electricity sources like coal and gas power plants, instead exclusively tapping wind and solar energy to meet all of its customers’ power needs. It is the state's first city-owned utility to make that leap.

The city announced a 25-year deal with SunEdison, the world’s largest renewable energy company, to buy 150 megawatts of solar power beginning next year. The company said it would build a solar farm in West Texas to meet the demand.

Last year, Georgetown signed a contract for 144 megawatts of wind energy through 2039. That electricity comes from an EDF Renewables wind farm 50-miles west of Amarillo.

(On average, a megawatt of solar energy can power as many as 100 Texas homes on the hottest summer days. During average temperatures, it can power many times more.)

City officials touted a number of benefits of scrapping fossil fuels, including protecting air quality and curbing water use. But ultimately, the deal made financial sense.

“It was really primarily a price decision,” said Keith Hutchinson, the city’s spokesman.

Hutchinson said the deals locked in cheaper electricity than what the city's expired contract with the Lower Colorado River Authority guaranteed, and it would hedge against any future spikes in coal or natural gas prices – whether because of new regulations or other market shifts.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future for regulations for fossil-based fuels,” he said. “This really removes that element from our price costs going forward.”

http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/18/georgetown-goes-all-renewable-energy/

[Sigmetnow]

Study says local and residential solar can make large arrays in environmentally sensitive areas unnecessary.

"Our results show that we do not need to trade these places of environmental value for the production of renewable energy as ample land and space exists elsewhere," said Rebecca Hernandez, study lead author and an environmental earth system scientist at Stanford. "Additionally, developing renewable power generation in places close to where it is consumed reduces costs and loss of electricity associated with transmission."

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/03/18/new-research-endorses-rooftop-revolution-simple-local-solar-solution

[Sigmetnow]

UN/IRENA:  clean energy helps save world's precious water supply.

http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/world-needs-to-manage-water-more-sustainably/

[oren]

A Central Texas city is waving goodbye to fossil fuels.

Georgetown’s municipal utility on Wednesday unveiled plans to abandon traditional electricity sources like coal and gas power plants, instead exclusively tapping wind and solar energy to meet all of its customers’ power needs. It is the state's first city-owned utility to make that leap.

The city announced a 25-year deal with SunEdison, the world’s largest renewable energy company, to buy 150 megawatts of solar power beginning next year. The company said it would build a solar farm in West Texas to meet the demand.

Last year, Georgetown signed a contract for 144 megawatts of wind energy through 2039. That electricity comes from an EDF Renewables wind farm 50-miles west of Amarillo.

(On average, a megawatt of solar energy can power as many as 100 Texas homes on the hottest summer days. During average temperatures, it can power many times more.)

City officials touted a number of benefits of scrapping fossil fuels, including protecting air quality and curbing water use. But ultimately, the deal made financial sense.

“It was really primarily a price decision,” said Keith Hutchinson, the city’s spokesman.

Hutchinson said the deals locked in cheaper electricity than what the city's expired contract with the Lower Colorado River Authority guaranteed, and it would hedge against any future spikes in coal or natural gas prices – whether because of new regulations or other market shifts.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future for regulations for fossil-based fuels,” he said. “This really removes that element from our price costs going forward.”

http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/18/georgetown-goes-all-renewable-energy/

So when such a deal is signed in the US, what does it mean when it says 150 MW? Is this installed capacity, average supply, or guaranteed supply?
And who deals with power fluctuations (partly cloudy, etc.) and I assume the need to buy power on the spot market? Is it the local utility or SunEdison?
I'd be grateful for a clarification. These fixed solar contracts and the issue of fluctuations have been bothering me for some time.

[Sigmetnow]

...
So when such a deal is signed in the US, what does it mean when it says 150 MW? Is this installed capacity, average supply, or guaranteed supply?
And who deals with power fluctuations (partly cloudy, etc.) and I assume the need to buy power on the spot market? Is it the local utility or SunEdison?
I'd be grateful for a clarification. These fixed solar contracts and the issue of fluctuations have been bothering me for some time.

Great questions!  Perhaps Bob Wallace can help.  In the meantime, although not exactly what you asked, I found this:

For instance, a 100 MW rated wind farm is capable of producing 100 MW during peak winds, but will produce much less than its rated amount when winds are light. As a result of these varying wind speeds, over the course of a year a wind farm may only average 30 MW of power production. Similarly, a 1,000 MW coal plant may average 750 MW of production over the course of a year because the plant will shut down for maintenance from time-to-time and the plant operates at less than its rated capability when other power plants can produce power less expensively.

http://www.commodities-now.com/reports/power-and-energy/2136-what-is-a-megawatt.html

And this, which suggest SunEdison manages the power balancing:

For utilities who prefer to own their solar installations, SunEdison can design, build, and provide operations and maintenance services to meet their requirements. For utilities who prefer to put their capital to work in other ways, a Power Purchase Agreement is often the best solution.

With a SunEdison PPA, you agree to purchase the power generated at a fixed cost, and that’s it. SunEdison or its subsidiary TerraForm Power will often retain ownership of the system once it’s up and running. You enjoy the benefits of a diverse energy portfolio, and we do the rest. And because we own the system, we’re as invested as you are in its performance.

http://sunedison.com/utilities

[SATire]

Here's how the recent total eclipse affected Germany's power output.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/look-what-today-s-eclipse-did-to-german-solar-power-output

Dear all,

just to put one thing clear: The eclipse never was seen as a threat to the German grid and power system but as a chance to test the infrastructure under future conditions: Just like in Italy they could also have shut down solar to avoid the steep power gradients. But they decided to take the chance and to test the current system under future conditions (at larger installation in the future morning/evening gradients will be similar) and the test passed. The situation was not a big deal after proper preparation, which must be standard in the years to come.

[Sigmetnow]

Here's how the recent total eclipse affected Germany's power output.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/look-what-today-s-eclipse-did-to-german-solar-power-output

Dear all,

just to put one thing clear: The eclipse never was seen as a threat to the German grid and power system but as a chance to test the infrastructure under future conditions: Just like in Italy they could also have shut down solar to avoid the steep power gradients. But they decided to take the chance and to test the current system under future conditions (at larger installation in the future morning/evening gradients will be similar) and the test passed. The situation was not a big deal after proper preparation, which must be standard in the years to come.

It was an interesting test, and Germany's success shows that the system can deal with the ups and downs of renewables.  One can hope it will quiet some of the detractors.   

[oren]

...
So when such a deal is signed in the US, what does it mean when it says 150 MW? Is this installed capacity, average supply, or guaranteed supply?
And who deals with power fluctuations (partly cloudy, etc.) and I assume the need to buy power on the spot market? Is it the local utility or SunEdison?
I'd be grateful for a clarification. These fixed solar contracts and the issue of fluctuations have been bothering me for some time.

Great questions!  Perhaps Bob Wallace can help.  In the meantime, although not exactly what you asked, I found this:
...

And this, which suggest SunEdison manages the power balancing:

For utilities who prefer to own their solar installations, SunEdison can design, build, and provide operations and maintenance services to meet their requirements. For utilities who prefer to put their capital to work in other ways, a Power Purchase Agreement is often the best solution.

With a SunEdison PPA, you agree to purchase the power generated at a fixed cost, and that’s it. SunEdison or its subsidiary TerraForm Power will often retain ownership of the system once it’s up and running. You enjoy the benefits of a diverse energy portfolio, and we do the rest. And because we own the system, we’re as invested as you are in its performance.

http://sunedison.com/utilities

Thanks. So I went out and read about SunEdison and their business model, and from what I can gather the utility agrees to purchase all the power generated at a fixed cost, regardless of its distribution and fluctuations.
IF I understood correctly, when the sun is shining, you get 100 MW and have to pay for them, and when the sun is hidden you get nothing and pay for nothing.  In my view this model is not scalable beyond a certain point. Today all electricity is priced alike using an average rate, but with high penetration of solar the utility might have an overabundance of power that it has to pay for even if it doesn't use it. One the other hand, during widespread cloudiness it will have to buy the missing power from other sources just at the time when power is scarce. Eventually this should translate into variable wholesale pricing and could cause losses for the utility (average prices during overabundance and high prices during scarcity = above-average rates in total).
Bob - I'll be happy to hear your thoughts on that.

[Sigmetnow]

Thanks. So I went out and read about SunEdison and their business model, and from what I can gather the utility agrees to purchase all the power generated at a fixed cost, regardless of its distribution and fluctuations.
IF I understood correctly, when the sun is shining, you get 100 MW and have to pay for them, and when the sun is hidden you get nothing and pay for nothing.  In my view this model is not scalable beyond a certain point. Today all electricity is priced alike using an average rate, but with high penetration of solar the utility might have an overabundance of power that it has to pay for even if it doesn't use it. One the other hand, during widespread cloudiness it will have to buy the missing power from other sources just at the time when power is scarce. Eventually this should translate into variable wholesale pricing and could cause losses for the utility (average prices during overabundance and high prices during scarcity = above-average rates in total).
Bob - I'll be happy to hear your thoughts on that.

Don't neglect the effect of battery storage....   
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/01/31/citigroup-predicts-battery-storage-will-hasten-demise-fossil-fuels/

[oren]

Don't neglect the effect of battery storage....   
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/01/31/citigroup-predicts-battery-storage-will-hasten-demise-fossil-fuels/

Agreed. Thanks for the link.

[Sigmetnow]

This solar cell is a transparent film.  It could coat building windows, or smart phones, and provide their power.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-03-23/invisible-solar-cells-that-could-power-skyscrapers

[Sigmetnow]

Costa Rica has achieved a clean energy milestone by using 100 per cent renewable energy for a record 75 days in a row.

The feat was achieved thanks to heavy rainfall, which powered four hydroelectric plants in the first three months of the year, the state-run Costa Rican Electricity Institute said.

No fossil fuels have been burnt to generate electricity since December 2014, in the state which is renowned for its clean energy policies.
...
In a sign of how committed Costa Rica is to renewables the government has decided not to exploit rich oil deposits - discovered along the country’s Caribbean coast - for environmental reasons.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/costa-rica-goes-75-days-powering-itself-using-only-renewable-energy-10126127.html

[Sigmetnow]

By 2050, the City of Vancouver will run on 100 per cent renewable energy.

City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to shift Vancouver’s energy use to 100 per cent renewable energy sources by 2050, aimed at removing greenhouse gas production and curbing climate change.

“Cities around the world must show continued leadership to meet the urgent challenge of climate change, and the most impactful change we can make is a shift toward 100% of our energy being derived from renewable sources,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a statement.

“The future of Vancouver’s economy and livability will depend on our ability to confront and adapt to climate change, and moving toward renewable energy is another way that Vancouver is working to become the greenest city in the world.”

The Mayor’s motion asks that staff to report back in fall 2015 with a timeline for the shift.  It also requests that Vancouver act as an advocate for an international agreement that commits to 100 per cent renewable energy sources.

Currently, 32 per cent of Vancouver’s energy comes from renewable sources.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/03/vancouver-renewable-energy-sources/

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/council-votes-unanimously-support-shift-100-renewable-energy

[Yuha]

Offshore Wind Power Grows Up

Turbines are going to grow bigger, to the 6-to-8-MW range, while the transformers that serve them will shrink, saving on production and installation costs. That's the conclusion of a new study published by Ernst & Young, which finds the European offshore wind market nearing the ability to compete with traditional gas and coal markets if it sheds 26 percent of outlays by 2023.

The report states that the industry can significantly reduce costs over the next five years through a number of key actions. These include deploying larger turbines to increase energy capture (9 percent); fostering competition between industrial players (7 percent); commissioning new projects (7 percent); and tackling challenges in the supply chain such as construction facilities and installation equipment (3 percent).

The industry, differing slightly in its assessment, pushes the date forward by three years. By 2020, a united industry that pools together its knowledge and experience could conceivably hit a price below 10 euro cents per kilowatt-hour, at which point it will have achieved a more competitive footing.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/offshore-wind-power-grows-up/

[Sigmetnow]

"A way to get power to the world’s poor without making climate change worse"

As posted in the Paris 2015 thread: a new paper in Nature Climate Change:

...shows that there is a practical road forward, using newly emerging technologies, that can serve to “rapidly increase access to basic electricity services and directly inform the emerging Sustainable Development Goals for quality of life, while simultaneously driving action towards low-carbon, Earth-sustaining, inclusive energy systems.”

http://grist.org/climate-energy/a-way-to-get-power-to-the-worlds-poor-without-making-climate-change-worse/

[Sigmetnow]

More on Georgetown: The Guardian writes about this town switching to 100% renewable power, focussing on the shock that it's in Texas, a state practically synonymous with oil.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/28/georgetown-texas-renewable-green-energy

[Sigmetnow]

The mayor of Georgetown, Texas, explains their choice to go 100% renewable.

We have been asked what happens if the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine out west. Will the lights go out? Given the wind profile of the Panhandle, the radiance rating for West Texas, and the amount of energy we have under contract, we know that our wind and solar farms will be able to provide our power throughout the day. If both resources were not producing simultaneously — an unlikely event — the lights would stay on because the Texas grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, will ensure generation is available to meet demand. In the short term, our solar and wind farms will provide more overall energy than we need. This means we will be able to sell extra solar and wind power we don’t use, providing an overall benefit to power users in the state.

Another reason solar and wind energy makes sense relates to water. Drought conditions and half-empty reservoirs have been common in Texas in recent years. Traditional power plants making steam from burning fossil fuels can use large amounts of water each day. Our move to renewable power is a significant reduction in our total water use in Georgetown.

One of the most important benefits of being 100 percent renewable is the potential for economic development. Many companies, especially those in the high-tech sector, are looking to increase green sources of power for both office and manufacturing facilities. Our 100 percent renewable energy can help those companies to achieve sustainability goals at a competitive price without the burden of managing power supply contracts.

http://time.com/3761952/georgetown-texas-fossil-fuel-renewable-energy/

[Sigmetnow]

Israel’s Knesset Unveils World’s Largest Parliament Rooftop Solar Field

These panels were created especially for the Knesset’s solar field and will have an electrical capacity of 450 kilowatts. The solar array, which cost the Knesset NIS 2.4 million, will create roughly 10 percent of the Knesset’s electricity, and together with additional energy-saving measures, it should reduce the Knesset’s energy use by a third.

http://unitedwithisrael.org/israels-knesset-unveils-worlds-largest-parliament-rooftop-solar-field/

[Sigmetnow]

Citigroup adds its voice to investment researchers saying low oil prices won't stop growth in renewable energy.

Natural gas, not oil, is in competition with renewable energy. The fastest-growing source of energy, natural gas-powered plants now provide more than a quarter of the U.S. electricity supply. However, if low oil prices cause suppliers to limit production, natural gas prices could actually go up, making renewable energy even more cost effective.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/31/3641058/oil-isnt-electricity-renewables-are/

[Sigmetnow]

Americans want more solar and wind, not coal - Gallup poll

The latest round of fossil fuel zombie attacks is coming from big utilities that want to stop the spread of rooftop solar. Just like a zombie horde, they use tactics that are clumsy, somewhat brainless, and yet potentially effective… There’s one big problem with this campaign against rooftop solar. Across the U.S., people love solar power.

http://greenpeaceblogs.org/2015/03/30/americans-want-solar-wind-coal-gallup-poll/

[Sigmetnow]

Spain Got 47 Percent Of Its Electricity From Renewables In March
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/02/3642093/spain-renewable-energy-march/

[Sigmetnow]

Duke Energy Florida announced plans Thursday to launch a major solar power effort that will produce electricity equivalent to that of a small power plant.

Duke Energy is venturing into solar power in a big way with plans to add up to 500 megawatts of utility-scale solar in Florida by 2024.
...
These investments will enable the company to meet a significant need for additional generation beginning in 2018 and to retire half of its Florida coal-fired fleet by that same year.

http://www.evwind.es/2015/04/03/duke-energy-to-add-up-to-500-mw-of-solar-power-in-florida/51345

[Sigmetnow]

Last year saw the largest ever capacity for photovoltaic (PV) installations in the US, a new report states.
http://www.theclimategroup.org/what-we-do/news-and-blogs/us-solar-jumps-30-to-have-record-year/

[jai mitchell]

Just wanted to share that current annual generation capacity increases scheduled for U.S. wind power is 9,811 MW.  This is a comparable addition of wind power to the previous maximum, 2012.


compare:

[jbatteen]

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-08/clean-energy-revolution-is-way-ahead-of-schedule

The most important piece of news on the energy front isn't the plunge in oil prices, but the progress that is being made in battery technology. A new study in Nature Climate Change, by Bjorn Nykvist and Mans Nilsson of the Stockholm Environment Institute, shows that electric vehicle batteries have been getting cheaper much faster than expected. From 2007 to 2011, average battery costs for battery-powered electric vehicles fell by about 14 percent a year. For the leading electric vehicle makers, Tesla and Nissan, costs fell by 8 percent a year. This astounding decline puts battery costs right around the level that the International Energy Agency predicted they would reach in 2020.

...

But this isn't the only piece of good energy news. Investment in renewable energy is powering ahead.

The United Nations Environment Programme recently released a report showing that global investment in renewable energy, which had dipped a bit between 2011 and 2013, rebounded in 2014 to a near all-time high of $270 billion. But the report also notes that since renewable costs -- especially solar costs -- are falling so fast, the amount of renewable energy capacity added in 2014 was easily an all-time high. China, the U.S. and Japan are leading the way in renewable investment. Renewables went from 8.5 percent to 9.1 percent of global electricity generation just in 2014.

That’s still fairly slow in an absolute sense. Adding 0.6 percentage point a year to the renewable share would mean the point where renewables take half of the electricity market wouldn’t come until after 2080. But as solar costs fall, we can expect that shift to accelerate. In particular, forecasts are for solar to become the cheapest source of energy -- at least when the sun is shining -- in many parts of the world in the 2020s.

Each of these trends -- cheaper batteries and cheaper solar electricity -- is good on its own, and on the margin will help to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, with all the geopolitical drawbacks and climate harm they entail. But together, the two cost trends will add up to nothing less than a revolution in the way humankind interacts with the planet and powers civilization.

[Sigmetnow]

So, 2014 was not a fluke!    

New report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance:

2015 will be a “transformative year” for U.S. power, as more natural gas and renewable energy will combine with fewer coal plants to create a 20-year low in U.S. power sector emissions.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/09/3644869/report-us-power-emissions-low/

[Sigmetnow]

The race for renewable energy has passed a turning point. The world is now adding more capacity for renewable power each year than coal, natural gas, and oil combined. And there's no going back.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-14/fossil-fuels-just-lost-the-race-against-renewables

[Sigmetnow]

EIA Report Underestimates Renewables Every Year, And Energy Experts Have Had Enough

Every year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) releases a report on the future of energy in America. And every year, renewable energy advocates say the report is a bust.
The Annual Energy Outlook routinely overestimates the cost of wind and solar energy and underestimates the future price of fossil fuel costs, experts say, which can lead to less renewable energy development — which means greater focus on developing conventional energy sources, such as natural gas.
...
The discrepancies in predictions can be striking. The report this year predicts that by 2040, the U. S. will have added only 48 gigawatts of solar generating capacity. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) expects that the industry will add half of that by the end of 2016.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/15/3646658/eia-report-ignores-renewable-potential/

[Sigmetnow]

Wind was largest source of new U.S. electricity in 2014.  Congress still must provide long-term policy certainty.

Iowa led the nation by producing 28.5 percent of its electricity from wind power, followed by South Dakota at 25.3 percent and Kansas at 21.7. Wind energy provided more than 15 percent of electricity in a total of seven states, more than 10 percent in a total of nine states, and more than five percent in a total of 19 states.

http://www.awea.org/MediaCenter/pressrelease.aspx?ItemNumber=7294

[Yuha]

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-pv-system-prices-continue-to-fall-during-a-record-breaking-2014

"Total installation costs for utility and large commercial systems," writes GTM Research Director MJ Shiao, "are now below 2011 module costs, underscoring the magnitude of the impact of falling module prices and incremental balance-of-system reductions."

GTM Research expects U.S. PV installations to grow 31 percent in 2015, reaching 8.1 gigawatts.

[Csnavywx]

Where are these folks pricing their panels? I haven't seen much of a drop over the past year and I have been waiting to buy. I hope it's not just "module" costs, because that's a bit misleading. Even places like Wholesale Solar are still hovering at $1/watt for panel costs (by the pallet!) and that hasn't dropped substantially in some time now.

[crandles]

Where are these folks pricing their panels? I haven't seen much of a drop over the past year and I have been waiting to buy. I hope it's not just "module" costs, because that's a bit misleading. Even places like Wholesale Solar are still hovering at $1/watt for panel costs (by the pallet!) and that hasn't dropped substantially in some time now.

From the free summary

Three fundamental drivers have contributed to solar’s continued growth in the U.S.
1. Falling costs: The cost of solar continues to fall across segments and states. While PV module prices remained relatively flat in 2014, balance-of-systems (BOS) prices fell precipitously, leading to an average 10% annual decline in system prices, depending on the market segment.

[solartim27]

One of the big price drops is in the installation costs:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2015/04/10/398811199/episode-616-how-solar-got-cheap

[Sigmetnow]

Climate change will be a major factor in the future of power lines, natural gas pipelines, fuel depots and rail tanker cars, according to the Department of Energy's first installment of its Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), released yesterday.

The 348-page document, stemming from the Obama administration's Climate Action Plan, focused on how hydrocarbons and electrons get from point A to point B, mapping out the current state of affairs and recommending pathways to ensure that energy reliably gets from producers to end-users in the coming decade. Proposals included more than $15 billion in spending and tax credits to improve energy infrastructure (Greenwire, April 21).

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-is-coming-for-u-s-energy-infrastructure/

[Laurent]

New GoSun solar cooker is bigger and better and still absolutely brilliant
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/new-gosun-solar-cooker-bigger-and-better-and-still-absolutely-brilliant.html

Someone did try that ?...well may be not yet on the market, hum, hum...I mean the previous one.

[Laurent]

Audi Just Invented Fuel Made From CO₂ and Water
http://time.com/3837814/audi-environmental-protection-green-energy-climate-change-cars/

I would like to see a low tech system like that !

[Sleepy]

The world's first directly solar powered railway is operational in Austria.
http://blog.oebb.at/mediacenter/oebb-nehmen-weltweit-erstes-bahn-solarkraftwerk-in-betrieb/

[AbruptSLR]

The linked article indicates that: "The number of patents for renewable energy products filed worldwide has fallen by 42% over the last three years, which could suggest that global investment in green energy is stalling."  If so this may mean that governments around the world may have difficulty meeting their voluntary/non-binding emission reduction goals for CoP21.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/04/global-hopes-for-renewable-energy-fading-patents-data-show

[andy_t_roo]

One of the bigger factors preventing wide scale deployment of pure renewable power is dispatchability.

Recent technological advances in battery storage are helping to eliminate that, such that at current prices using batteries to buy off-peak, and sell peak power is possible to make a profit.

The mean cost of storage using batteries is still higher than the mean cost of electricity, but the spot price of electricity has enough volatility that batteries are now profitable.

see http://rameznaam.com/2015/04/30/tesla-powerwall-battery-economics-almost-there/ and http://rameznaam.com/2015/04/14/energy-storage-about-to-get-big-and-cheap/#FlowCAES

Moderate deployment of battery tech would have the interesting side-effect of putting a price cap on short term demand swings, and may actually make gas power plants less profitable, and filling in the low demand points would allow coal to run higher baseload, making it more profitable, so who knows what the net affect is.

either way, the long term effect of better battery technology is higher renewable penetration into the market without the grid destabilization we are beginning to see at high renewable %.

[jai mitchell]

The mean cost of storage using batteries is still higher than the mean cost of electricity, but the spot price of electricity has enough volatility that batteries are now profitable.

While I agree with everything you said, the statement above is not exactly true, the Rocky Mountain Institute as well as Morgan Stanley has shown that solar with storage is already cheaper than utility sourced electricity in the state of hawaii and for about 15% of California's market (as well as some others)  what matters most is your incoming solar energy and your current billing structure.  For example, in California if you are a high end user, even a relatively small system, working behind the meter and not tied to the grid will allow you to cut the top tier of electricity consumption (currently about 0.35 cents per kWh) a small solar/storage system would reduce all other consumption below the top tier value and be cost effective in only a few years.

see:  http://www.rmi.org/electricity_grid_defection

the Economics of Grid Defection