By Henrik Poulsen, CEO, DONG Energy
More than 80 per cent of the world's energy supply comes from coal, oil and gas. There is a general consensus that CO2 emissions place a strain on our climate, yet our inability to set a proper price on these emissions means that it is still far too cheap to pollute. The costs of our inaction are already all too clear. At current emissions rates, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects that global temperatures will rise by two degrees compared to pre-industrial levels, even before 2040.
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.
Andy Dewis, VP energy and sustainability services, Schneider Electric
With the ongoing dip in crude oil prices, it is natural to assume that utility prices would follow a similar, downward trajectory. Yet electricity prices remain stagnant.
Siemens has won an order to supply, install, and commission 64 onshore wind turbines for the 147 MW Grand Plains Wind Project in Oklahoma, USA.
Toshiba Corporation has signed an MOU with Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) on a comprehensive partnership in geothermal power.
GE Renewable Energy announced that it has secured five-year Digital Wind Farm services contracts for two aging wind farms in central Japan.
The Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has donated solar power equipment worth $9.7 million to the Nigerian federal government as part of its efforts to boost electricity production in Nigeria.
Purdue University in Indiana, USA, announced that it has developed a new concept that it claims could enable highly efficient solar power by combining three technologies that convert different parts of the light spectrum, and also store energy for use at night.