Electrek Green Energy Brief

West Lafayette, Indiana-based Purdue Research Foundation recently completed a licensing agreement with an international energy company – the name of which was not disclosed – for the commercialization of a new process discovered at Purdue University Northwest (PNW) for the biological production of green hydrogen from food waste. A second licensing agreement with a company in Indiana is under negotiation.

The US Army has launched the largest floating solar farm in the Southeast. It’s also the first project of its kind for the US Department of Defense.

The first of 11 8.6 megawatt (MW) turbines has been installed at the world’s largest floating wind farm, off the Norwegian coast. Hywind Tampen is also Norway’s first offshore wind farm – and it will power offshore oil and gas platforms.

President Joe Biden will today waive tariffs for 24 months on solar panels made in Southeast Asia in response to a Department of Commerce (DOC) investigation that is destabilizing the US solar industry.

Southwest Airlines announced this week that it’s investing in SAFFiRE Renewables as part of a Department of Energy (DOE)-backed project to develop and produce scalable, sustainable aviation fuel.

Contrary to popular belief, air-source heat pumps can work very well in cold climates. They’re now the best choice for energy efficiency and reducing heating bills, and that’s why their adoption is going to grow quickly in colder countries.

The Biden administration announced this week that it will cut the cost of building wind and solar on US public land by 50%.

Construction has started on the 1,026-megawatt (MW) MacIntyre Wind Precinct, the largest wind farm to ever be built in Australia. It’s also one of the largest wind farms in the southern hemisphere.

The G7, made up of the world’s largest economies, today agreed to “predominantly decarbonized electricity sectors by 2035.” The G7 also agreed to end government financing for international coal-fired power generation and speed up the phase-out of unabated coal plants by 2035.

Seoul-headquartered PV solar-cell manufacturing giant Qcells today announced that it’s opening a new solar panel manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia.

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.