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Renewable energy portal archived news

2015

• October 22, 2015: Dutch racing team Nuon wins the 2015 World Solar Challenge in Australia. (Reuters)
• October 18, 2015: The 2015 World Solar Challenge starts in Darwin with the solar car Stella Lux in poll position. (ABC)
• October 16, 2015: The 312-MW Borkum Riffgrund 1 offshore windfarm in the German North Sea is inaugurated. (REM)
• October 16, 2015: Construction begins on the Gulpur Hydropower Project in Pakistan. (Daily Times)
• September 30, 2015: The 182-MW Ventos de Santa Brigida wind farm is inaugurated in Pernambuco, Brazil. (SeeNews)
• September 25, 2015: Renewable energy production in the UK surpasses electricity from coal for the first time. (The Guardian)
• September 16, 2015: The 172-MW Cheves run-of-river plant is inaugurated in Peru. (SeeNews)
• July 1, 2015: The 210MW offshore Westermost Rough Wind Farm is inaugurated. (REM)
• June 24, 2015: Australia reduces its 2020 mandatory renewable energy target from 41TWh to 33TWh. (The Guardian)
• June 19, 2015: The world's second largest offshore wind farm named Gwynt y Môr is inaugurated in Wales. (Clean Technica)
• June 8, 2015: Hawaii sets a renewable portfolio standard of 100% by 2045. (Climate Spectator)
• May 1, 2015: The 288MW DanTysk wind farm is inaugurated off the coast of Germany. (Renewable Energy Focus)
• April 10, 2015: Vancouver announces goal to have 100% of its electricity, heating/cooling and transport be powered from renewable sources. (The Guardian)
• March 20, 2015: France passes law that requires all new commercial development to have green roofs or solar panels. (The Guardian)
• March 19, 2015: Costa Rica powered by 100% renewable energy in first 75 days of the year. (RenewEconomy)
• February 10, 2015: Wind power in the European Union has grown by 11.8GW in 2014, representing 44% of new electricity generation capacity in the EU. (The Guardian)
• January 30, 2015: Solar power in the UK doubled in 2014 to reach 5GW. (The Guardian)

2014

• December 20, 2014: The 46MW Landmead Solar Farm, the largest in the UK, is connected to the grid. (The Guardian)
• December 7, 2014: Record wind power generation in the UK accounts for 43% of domestic energy consumption. (The Guardian)
• December 2, 2014: Alstom inaugurated a wind turbine production plant in Saint-Nazaire, to supply France's first offshore wind farms. (Newswire)
• December 1, 2014: Poll shows that 89% of Australians support the current 20% by 2020 renewable energy target despite government considering reducing it. (The Guardian)
• November 29, 2014: The 74MW Sishen Solar Facility in South Africa is connected to the grid. (Moneyweb)
• November 24, 2014: The 30MW Talara wind farm in Peru is inaugurated. (Peruvian Times)
• November 17, 2014: The 50MW Chiripa Wind Farm inaugurated in Costa Rica. (Recharge)
• November 2, 2014: The 270 MW Snowtown Wind Farm 2 is inaugurated in South Australia. (RenewEconomy)
• September 3, 2014: Australia's largest solar power station, the 20MW Royalla Solar Farm, is opened as part of a plan to reach 90% renewables by 2020 in the ACT (Canberra Times)
• August 14, 2014: In the first half of the year 31% of electricity in Germany was generated from renewables. (Business Week)
• August 7, 2014: Solar power capacity in China increased by 3.3GW in the first half of 2014, more than the entire solar capacity of Australia. (Bloomberg)
• July 30, 2014: France passes law that sets a renewable energy target of 32% by 2030. (Euractiv)
• July 15, 2014: The 138MW Jeffreys Bay wind farm in South Africa is inaugurated (REM).
• June 27, 2014: In the first quarter of 2014 a fifth of UK's electricity was from renewables (The Guardian).
• June 22, 2014: 72% of Australians support the 20% by 2020 renewable energy target despite government considering abolishing it. (The Guardian)
• June 20, 2014: Electricity production from solar energy in Germany reaches a record peak matching 50% of national demand on June 9. (Phys.org)
• June 19, 2014: Report shows that 22% of global electricity production in 2013 was from renewables. (Wall Street Journal)
• June 6, 2014: A 100MW solar plant in Chile, the largest in Latin America, is inaugurated. (abc27)
• May 12, 2014: IRENA report shows 14% global employment growth in the renewables sector in 2013, led by China. (The Guardian)
• April 22, 2014: Apple announces that 94% of its buildings and 100% of its data centres are now powered by renewable energy. (The Guardian)
• April 13, 2014: According to the UN's Fifth IPCC Report the most realistic option for the future is to triple the use of renewable energy. (The Guardian)
• April 10, 2014: IKEA buys 98-MW Hoopeston wind farm to achieve its goal of producing more renewable energy than it consumes by 2020. (REW)
• April 4, 2014: US Senate votes for extension of tax breaks for wind farms. (REW)
• March 28, 2014: Renewable electricity in the UK rose by 28% in 2013. (REW)
• February 25, 2014: 64% of Australians support the renewable energy target despite government review. (The Guardian)
• February 12, 2014: Ivanpah Solar Power Facility -the World's largest- opens in California. (The Independent)
• February 11, 2014: Billionaire Donald Trump loses legal case against wind farm near his golf field. (The Guardian)
• February 6, 2014: The European Parliament votes for a renewable energy target of 30% by 2030. (The Guardian)
• January 30, 2014: China sets world record with 12GW of new solar power installed in 2013. (The Guardian)
• January 22, 2014: The European Commission agrees on a renewable energy target of 27% by 2030. (Press Release)
• January 7, 2014: Ministers from eight countries including France and Germany call for an EU-wide 2030 renewable energy target. (The Guardian)
• January 6, 2014: Wind power was the main source of electricity in Spain in 2013. (The Guardian)

2013

• December 20, 2013: In November 100% of new US electricity generating capacity was from renewables. (REW)
• December 9, 2013: Drax power station, the largest in the UK, opens biomass facility (REW)
• December 6, 2013: Hurricane-force winds lift wind power generation in Germany to a record peak of 39% of national electricity production (Bloomberg)
• November 29, 2013: Wind power output in the UK hits a record 6,010 MW at midday, leading to temporal halt of gas-fired plants. (Bloomberg)
• November 14, 2013: One Angel Square considered one of the most sustainable large buildings in Europe is officially opened (Manchester Evening News)
• November 8, 2013: Offshore wind power capacity increased in the UK by 80% in just one year, to 3,321 MW. (REW)
• October 29, 2013: Largest wind farm in Africa opens in Ethiopia. (The Guardian)
• October 10, 2013: Dutch Nuna7 car wins the 2013 World Solar Challenge. (ABC)
• September 30, 2013: Renewable energy in the United States reaches 14% of electricity generation. (REW)
• September 20, 2013: UK rejects proposal for a tidal power Severn Barrage designed to generate 5% of the nation’s energy consumption. (Bloomberg)
• September 20, 2013: Australian solar racing team parades at Sydney campus prior to the 2013 World Solar Challenge (Wikinews)
• September 12, 2013: The EU parliament approved a 6% cap on the contribution of biofuels to Europe's renewable transport energy target of 10% by 2020. (The Guardian)
• September 9, 2013: Standards Australia publishes the world’s first solar cooling standard. (REW)
• September 6, 2013: Chile’s upper house passes bill lifting its renewable energy target from 10% by 2020 to 20% by 2025. (REW)
• April 17, 2013: Low-carbon power development too slow to keep global warming below 2C, warns IEA. (The Guardian)
• April 15, 2013: The High Court of Justice in England rules local council's proposed wind farm buffer zone unlawful. (The Guardian)
• April 9, 2013: London Array, the world's largest wind farm fully operational. (The Guardian)
• March 26, 2013: Kiribati acquires international funding for solar power (Wikinews)
• March 17, 2013: 100-MW Shams 1 solar plant becomes operational in Abu Dhabi. (Der Spiegel)
• February 12, 2013 - Global photovoltaic capacity reaches 100 GW. (REW)
• February 11, 2013 - Global wind power capacity increased by 20% in 2012. (The Guardian)
• January 21, 2013 - Wind power in the United States reached 6% of electricity generation capacity. (REW)
• January 14, 2013 - Investment in renewable energy fell 11% in 2012 (The Guardian)

2012

• December 14, 2012 - Europe's largest wind farm at Fântânele-Cogealac in Romania, goes live. (Bloomberg)
• November 6, 2012 - The 400MW Lower Se San 2 Dam Hydroelectric Project in Cambodia's approved by government (REW)
• October 29, 2012 - London Array, the largest offshore windfarm in the world generates first power (REW)
• October 23, 2012 - Poll finds that 67% of people in the UK would prefer a wind turbine than a shale gas well near their home (The Guardian)
• October 12, 2012 - USA raises tariffs on Chinese solar panels (Wikinews)
• September 27, 2012 - Norway's Crown Prince Haakon officially opens the 317 megawatt Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm built off the coast of Norfolk, U.K.
• September 24, 2012 - The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, under construction in California's Mojave Desert, is now 60% complete; when operational in 2013 it will be the largest solar thermal power project in the world.
• September 22, 2012 - The 845 megawatt Shepherds Flat Wind Farm is officially opened in Oregon.
• July 30, 2012 - London Olympic Park erects seven vertical axis wind turbines. (The Guardian)
• July 27, 2012 - Alcatraz Island now powered by 1,300 solar panels. (REW)
• July 23, 2012 - Solar panel installations in the UK halved after cut to feed-in tariffs in April. (The Guardian)
• July 12, 2012 - Artist Olafur Eliasson designs cheap solar lamp for developing countries. (The Guardian)
• July 11, 2012 - U.S. House of Representatives passes Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act supporting small hydro. (REW)
• July 10, 2012 - The 200MW Wuskwatim hydroelectric plant in Manitoba is officially opened. (REW)
• July 2, 2012 - China quadruples 2015 Solar Energy Target to 21 GW. (REW)
• April 6, 2012 - In five states in the U.S., wind power contributed 10 percent or more of electricity generation in 2011. South Dakota is the leading state, with wind power contributing 22 percent of its power generation.
• April 5, 2012 - UK Launches £20 Million wave power contest (The Guardian)
• April 4, 2012 - Los Angeles set to launch a feed-in tariff program . (REW)
• April 2, 2012 - Renewable energy targets in the EU driving tree-cutting for biomass energy threaten 2020 carbon target. (The Guardian)
• March 26, 2012 - Denmark aims to get 50% of all electricity from wind power by 2020. (The Guardian)
• March 20, 2012 - Wind power in South Australia contributed 26 per cent of the State’s electricity in 2011.
• March 1, 2012 - The IPCC has appointed Benjamin K. Sovacool, an energy policy analyst, to its climate change mitigation Working Group.
• February 21, 2012 - The 32 MW Long Island Solar Farm, located in Upton, New York, earned the Best Photovoltaic Project of Year Award from the New York Solar Energy Industries Association. (Long Island Press)
• February 17, 2012 - The 290 MW Agua Caliente Solar Project competed in the Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards and won Project of the Year Award. (Renewable Energy World)
• February 9, 2012 - Rwanda sets feed-in tariffs for hydro (REW)
• February 9, 2012 - The 367 MW Walney Wind Farm, the world's largest offshore wind farm, was officially opened by the new UK energy secretary, Ed Davey, MP. (Telegraph)
• February 7, 2012 - China installed 18 gigawatts of wind turbines in 2011, followed by the U.S. with 6.8 gigawatts and India’s 3 gigawatts, to bring wind power capacity to 238 gigawatts worldwide. (Bloomberg)
• January 29, 2012 - 27 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity was commissioned in 2011, bringing the world total to an estimated 67 GW of global PV capacity at the end of 2011. (REVE)

2011

• December 19, 2011 - Following a two years long Greenpeace campaign, Facebook announces to "unfriend" coal and switch to renewable energy for its data centres. (The Guardian)
• December 15, 2011 – The California Energy Commission accepted the application for certification for the proposed 750 MW Rio Mesa Solar Project in California. (Power Engineering)
• December 14, 2011 - New survey shows that 74% of UK's population want more investment in solar power and 56% want more investment in wind power. (The Guardian)
• December 8, 2011 – Investor Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings has bought the $2-billion, 550 MW, Topaz Solar Farm in California, in a move that will boost the solar energy industry. (LA Times)
• November 23, 2011 – The IEA said the renewable electricity sector has grown rapidly in the past five years and now provides nearly 20 percent of the world's power generation. (Reuters)
• November 17, 2011 – The 420 MW Macarthur Wind Farm is under construction in Victoria, Australia, and is expected to be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. (The Standard)
• November 1, 2011 – International Energy Agency chief economist Faith Birol said that cutting the current $409 billion fossil fuel subsidies would help renewable energies get more market share and reduce CO2 emissions. (Oilprice.com)
• October 27, 2011 – Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era, a book by Amory B. Lovins, analyzes the possibility of converting the United States to almost total reliance on renewable energy sources. (NYT)
• September 29, 2011 – Renewable energy in the UK hits record high reaching 9.6% of electricity production. (The Guardian)
• September 29, 2011 – The Belo Monte Dam project in Brazil halted after ruling that it risked damaging fish stocks. (The Guardian)
• September 24, 2011 – First 78 MW of the world's to be largest solar photovoltaic plant connected to grid in Senftenberg, Germany. (SolarServer)
• September 20, 2011 – Developers installed 314 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power in the second quarter, an increase of 69 percent on the same period last year. (Bloomberg)
• September 20, 2011 – More than 100,000 Americans are employed in the US solar industry, twice as many as in 2009. (Bloomberg)
• September 6, 2011 – Renewable energy in Germany sets new record approaching 21% (REW)
• August 30, 2011 – China aims to have 100 gigawatts (GW) of on-grid wind power generating capacity by the end of 2015. (Reuters)
• August 29, 2011 – Automaker Volkswagen is planning to invest almost 1 billion Euros ($1.45 billion) in renewable energy. (EL)
• August 29, 2011 – The International Energy Agency says that solar power generators may produce most of the world’s electricity within 50 years. (Bloomberg)
• August 23, 2011 – China tops 2011 Renewable Energy Index (REW)
• August 18, 2011 -- Price of Wind energy in Brazil lower than gas and hydro (REW)
• August 12, 2011 – Samsung C&T Corporation has signed a $3 billion contract to build wind and solar energy plants in Ontario (REW)
• July 19, 2011 – In 2010, renewable energy investment reached a record $211 billion, about one-third more than the $160 billion invested in 2009. (REW)
• July 19, 2011 – Renewable energy accounted for about half of the 194 gigawatts of new installed generating capacity in 2010. (REW)
• July 12, 2011 – In 2010, solar water heating and space heating capacity increased by 25 gigawatts-thermal (GWth), or about 16%. (Reegle)
• July 12, 2011 – Solar power in Australia to pass 1GW this month, and on track to become a top-5 solar nation. (REW)
• July 6, 2011 – Spanish solar energy plant Calveron by Torresol Energy first ever to generate uninterrupted electricity for 24 hours. (REW)
• July 1, 2011 – 1,300 MW of solar power projects in California have received government loan guarantees totaling $4.5 billion (REW)
• July 1, 2011 – Revised international aviation fuel standards now allow 50% biofuels in jet fuel (REW)
• June 27, 2011 – The largest solar energy farm in the United Kingdom connects to national grid (The Guardian)
• June 20, 2011 – Deal reached to tap Irish offshore wind will help Great Britain meet its renewable energy goals. (REW)
• June 9, 2011 – China ends subsidies for domestic wind turbine makers. (The Guardian)
• May 25, 2011 – Japanese PM vows a renewable energy target of 20% by 2020, and aims for 10 million solar roofs by 2030 (Reuters)
• May 15, 2011 – The long-range air plane Solar Impulse makes first international flight. (Wikinews)
• May 12, 2011 – Collgar Wind Farm, the largest single-stage wind farm in the southern hemisphere starts operation. (AFR)
• April 28, 2011 – Solar power in the United Kingdom tripled in one year. (The Guardian)
• April 21, 2011 – In the city of Rizhao, China, population 3 million, 99 percent of homes have solar water heating. (Nation)
• April 14, 2011 – Ecuador adopts feed-in tariff for renewable energy. (REW)
• April 11, 2011 – Ursula Sladek who owns a small local power company, Schönau Power Supply, that provides electricity from renewable energy sources to the German grid, wins a Goldman Environmental Prize. (NYT)
• April 11, 2011 – An electricity cable link between UK and the Netherlands is a key step in connecting renewable energy to a European super grid. (Guardian)
• April 6, 2011 – The share of domestic U.S. energy production derived from renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass/biofuels, geothermal, solar, water, wind) rose to 10.9% in 2010, up from 10.6% in 2009. (REW)
• April 5, 2011 – Malaysia adopts system of feed-in tariffs (REW)
• April 4, 2011 – California utilities do not meet their 2010 renewable energy goal of 20%, but PG&E generated 17.7% of the electricity it sold in 2010 from renewable sources. (REW)
• March 25, 2011 – The German solar photovoltaics (PV) industry installed 7,400 MW from nearly one-quarter million individual systems in 2010, and there is now 16,500 MW of solar PV capacity on line in Germany. (REW)
• March 21, 2011 – Economic analysts expect market gains for renewable energy and natural gas, following the 2011 Japanese nuclear accidents. (UPI)
• March 11, 2011 – James Dehlsen, a pioneering figure in U.S. wind power development receives an "Excellence in Renewable Energy Award". (REW)
• March 11, 2011 – Interest in renewable energy rises, as oil prices surge due to unrest in the Middle East. (LA Times)
• March 8, 2011 – More than 18% of California's electricity came from renewable power in 2010. (EERE)
• March 8, 2011 – First foundations are laid for the London Array, a planned 1,000 MW offshore wind farm under construction in the Thames Estuary in the UK.
• March 7, 2011 – Canadian renewable energy companies Magma Energy and Plutonic Power merge under name Alterra Power Corp.
• March 7, 2011 – Iceland is conducting a feasibility study into building a 1,170 km power line to enable renewable energy export to Europe. (Bloomberg)
• March 3, 2011 – Estonia trades 10 million carbon dioxide credits to Mitsubishi for exchange of construction of the nationwide electric car charging network, 507 Mitsubishi i MiEV for social workers, and subsidies for private buyers of electric cars recharging from renewable sources. (ERR, AFP)
• February 16, 2011 – Masdar plans to complete its second 100 MW solar power plant in 2013. (Bloomberg)
• February 14, 2011 – Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard, where the Titanic was built, now mainly produces turbines for offshore wind farms. (Telegraph)
• January 31, 2011 – Uruguay to develop 500 MW of wind power capacity by 2015. (REW)
• January 28, 2011 – Solar power in Spain reached 3% of its total electricity generation. (REW)
• January 21, 2011 – The Greek government has allocated 600 million euros to build a 200 MW photovoltaic park. (naftemporiki)
• January 20, 2011 – The USDA has approved $405 million in loan guarantees to support cellulosic ethanol commercialization. (EPM)
• January 13, 2011 – Oil giant Valero will invest $50 million in Mascoma’s delayed commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Kinross, Michigan. (Reuters)
• January 11, 2011 – "Round 3" offshore wind farm projects are in the pipeline in the UK, including Dogger Bank at 9,000 MW, Norfolk Bank (7,200 MW), and Irish Sea (4,200 MW). (REM)
• January 11, 2011 – New global investment in clean energy reached $243 billion in 2010, up from $186 billion in 2009. (REW)
• January 11, 2011 – In 2010, China installed 16,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity, compared with 5,000 MW for the U.S. (NYT)

2010

• December 28, 2010 – Canada’s expanded Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant, with a 97 MW capacity, became the world's largest PV power plant. (REW)
• December 27, 2010 – Southeast Asia's largest hydroelectric power station, the 2,400 MW Son La Hydro Project starts generating power in Vietnam. (REW)
• December 22, 2010 – The 106 megawatt Shady Oaks Wind Project, in Illinois, will be the first large U.S. wind farm to use Chinese-made turbines. (China Daily)
• December 15, 2010 – Renewable energy in Spain grew 30% in 2010 (REW)
• December 6, 2010 – Copper Mountain Solar Facility, the largest PV power plant in the USA goes online. (REW)
• December 2, 2010 – Solar cell efficiencies continue to rise: Miasole announces 15.7% CIGS thin-film efficiency; Boeing announces commercial production of a 39.2% efficient concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cell. (REW)
• November 30, 2010 – Investment in wind power in China at record high, representing around half of global wind energy investment. (REW)
• October 19, 2010 – 1366 Technologies has found a simpler way to produce silicon wafers for solar cells, resulting in an expected cost reduction of 40% below current methods. (NYT)
• October 19, 2010 – The World Wind Energy Association states that global wind power capacity reached 175 GW by mid-2010 and is heading for 200 GW by the year-end. (REW)
• October 14, 2010 – Solar advocate Hermann Scheer, recipient of the Alternative Nobel Prize, dies unexpectedly. (REW)
• October 6, 2010 – Solar hot water panels and some photovoltaic (PV) cells are to be installed on the White House, in Washington, DC. (Washington Post)
• October 4, 2010 – Renewable energy sources provided 11.14% of domestic U.S. energy production during the first six months of 2010. (REW)
• September 24, 2010 – Solar photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturers produced a record 10,700 megawatts of solar cells globally in 2009, a 51-percent increase from the year before. (REW)
• September 23, 2010 – The world's biggest offshore wind farm, the 300 MW Thanet Wind Farm, is officially opened in the U.K. (BBC News)
• September 23, 2010 – Construction of the 392 MW Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in the Mojave Desert is approved. (REW)
• September 16, 2010 – USDOE awards almost $100M to renewable energy research. (REW)
• September 15, 2010 – The California Energy Commission has approved the $6 billion Blythe Solar Power Project, which will be the largest solar power plant in the world. (Reuters)
• September 9, 2010 – Masdar PV is to supply 1.5 MW of thin film solar panels to Indian villages. (REW)
• September 9, 2010 – Phase 3 of the 450 MW Biglow Canyon Wind Farm in Oregon is completed. (REW)
• September 8, 2010 – The Whitelee Wind Farm near Glasgow is to expand from 322 MW to 539 MW. (Herald Scotland)
• September 8, 2010 – China has succeeded the U.S. as the most attractive country for renewable energy investments, according to Ernst & Young. (REW)
• August 27, 2010 – Construction is underway on the world's largest solar cell manufacturing plant in Taiwan, which will produce 3.4 GW of cells per year. (REW)
• August 26, 2010 – California's energy regulatory agency approved plans to build a 250 MW solar thermal power plant near the Mojave Desert. (Green Tech)
• August 24, 2010 – German researchers have set a new efficiency record for CIGS solar cells, by producing a 20.3 percent efficient cell (REW)
• August 12, 2010 – The largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, the 420 MW Macarthur Wind Farm, to be built in Australia (NYT)
• August 12, 2010 – World's largest tidal turbine unveiled in Scotland (Guardian)
• July 29, 2010 – Ground is broken on the world's largest wind project, the 1,550 MW Alta Wind Energy Center in California (REW)
• July 20, 2010 – 148 countries and the European Union signed on to the International Renewable Energy Agency (List)
• July 08, 2010 – Solar-powered plane completes 26-hour flight (Wikinews)
• April 30, 2010 – US off-shore wind farm approved by government (Wikinews)

2009

• June 27, 2009 – U.S. House of Representatives passes 'clean energy bill'
• March 16, 2009 – Maldives to become the world's first carbon-neutral country