Electrek Green Energy Brief

The EU plans to transition to renewables more than twice as fast as Japan by 2030, according to new analysis released by global energy think tank Ember ahead of the G7 environment, climate, and energy ministers meeting, which kicks off today in Berlin. The ministers will decide whether and how G7 countries will commit to clean power by 2035. 

St. Petersburg, Florida-based Climate First Bank, which claims to be the world’s first FDIC-insured community bank founded to fight the climate crisis, today launched an online solar lending platform for Florida residents.

Four EU countries – Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands – jointly announced yesterday that they have set an offshore wind target of at least 65 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and then intend to more than double that combined total to 150 GW by 2050.

For perspective, according to the Global Wind Energy Council, as of September 2021, there were 35.3 GW of global offshore wind capacity.

GE Renewable Energy yesterday announced the 3 megawatt (MW) Sierra, its newest onshore wind turbine platform that will only be sold in North America.

A US Department of Commerce (DOC) probe — investigating whether Southeast Asian solar cell manufacturers are using parts made in China that would normally be subject to a tariff — is destabilizing the US solar industry, which relies on solar module imports to meet growing demand. Bipartisan lawmakers wanted answers from US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at a hearing last week, but she basically responded that the inquiry is beyond her control.

IKEA announced yesterday that it’s partnering with residential energy services provider SunPower, a 35-year solar veteran, to sell home solar panels to US customers. The Swedish-based multinational company wants to make solar more easily accessible for consumers.

In order to understand the impacts of adopting rooftop solar in the United States, customer review and consumer news platform ConsumerAffairs polled 1,000 US homeowners about their views on and overall experience with solar panels. Here’s what the homeowners said.

New capacity for generating electricity from renewables such as solar, wind, and other clean energy increased to a record level worldwide in 2021. And clean energy will continue to grow in 2022, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA).

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today held the lease sale for two offshore wind areas in Carolina Long Bay. Up to 16 prequalified bidders competed for lease rights for 110,091 acres off North Carolina’s and South Carolina’s shores. Together, they will result in at least 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy, enough to power nearly 500,000 homes.  

The US achieved a new record in April 2022 – for the first time, the US generated 20% of its electricity from wind and solar power, according to new data released today from global energy think tank Ember.

Europe’s largest floating solar farm – which is on the Alqueva hydroelectric dam’s reservoir in Portugal – is ready to produce power in July.

US Department of Energy-funded solar marketplace EnergySage and nonprofit accreditation body The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) just released the results of the 2021 Solar Installer Survey, which polled more than 500 residential and commercial solar installers across 43 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. Here’s what they said.

Offshore construction work has officially started for the UK’s Dogger Bank, which will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, with the installation of the first length of HVDC export cable off the Yorkshire coast. Dogger Bank will also be the first HVDC-connected wind farm in the UK.

Mexico’s largest opposition party proposed installing rooftop solar on houses for free on Sunday. That pitch was in response to a run-in with the president’s party over a constitutional overhaul of the power market.

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) is investigating whether Southeast Asian solar cell manufacturers are using parts made in China that would normally be subject to a tariff. A group of bipartisan senators today joined most of the US solar industry in asserting that the DOC investigation will devastate solar businesses, as they rely on solar module imports to meet growing demand.

For the first time ever, California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, was powered by 100% clean energy on Saturday, April 30. That milestone was driven largely by solar power.

Last month, the US generated 18% of its electricity from wind and solar (59 TWh) for the first time. That beat the previous record set in March 2021 (53 TWh), according to new data from global energy think tank Ember.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R) vetoed a bill, which the state’s Republican-majority House and Senate passed, that would have slashed rooftop solar credits in the state. It would have denied many homeowners net metering in the Sunshine State, and harmed its solar industry.

All 10 offshore wind turbines have now been installed by Dutch maritime company Van Oord off Italy’s Puglia coast – the heel of Italy’s boot. It’s Italy’s first offshore wind farm, and the first in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Biden administration set a goal of permitting 25 gigawatts (GW) of solar, onshore wind, and geothermal energy on public lands by 2025. It’s well on its way to exceeding that goal.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) yesterday issued a request for information (RFI) to support $84 million in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) pilot demonstration projects. It’s part of the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which passed last year.