Xcel Energy has announced that it will build seven new wind farms totalling 1550 MW in the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa in the USA.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Advanced Reactor Concepts (ARC Nuclear) have agreed to collaborate in the development and licensing of an advanced small modular reactor (aSMR) based on mature Generation IV sodium-cooled reactor technology.
SunPower has announced that construction has started on the 56 MW Gala Solar Power Plant in Crook County, Oregon, USA.
Southwest Power Pool (SPP) in the USA has set a wind power penetration record of 52.1 per cent on 12 February, becoming the first regional transmission organisation (RTO) in North America to serve more than 50 per cent of its load at a given time with wind energy.
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions produced at power plants in the USA declined by 73 per cent from 2006 to 2015, a much larger reduction than the 32 per cent decrease in coal-fired generation over the same period, according to a recently released report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
NuScale Power, based in Oregon, USA, has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve the company’s small modular reactor commercial plant design.
Solar industry employment in the USA rose by over 73,000 jobs (+ 25 per cent) in 2016, and the nation’s wind industry added 25,000 jobs, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE).
Renewables lead as electricity sector investments hit record high ■ Transmission operations at centre of ABB review ■ US offshore wind strategy targets 86 GW ■ Asia climate goals call for over $7 trillion investment ■ Batteries find a home after EFR tender ■ Record low bids submitted for Abu Dhabi solar project ■ Vattenfall hits record low with wind tender ■ Areva seals Adwen’s future
Andreas Wade, Global Director, First Solar
In recent months, news about the solar energy industry was dominated by headlines describing record-breaking tariffs, reflecting the fast declining price of solar electricity. And while the focus has been on the attractive economics of utility-scale solar, it is often taken for granted that solar energy is inherently environmentally sustainable and that its carbon credentials don’t require scrutiny.