Archives

New Scientist - Back in 1970, Russian engineers began pumping natural gas from beneath the permafrost and piping it east across the tundra to the Norilsk metal smelter, the biggest industrial enterprise in the Arctic.

South Asian Focus - Even as world leaders in Copenhagen are struggling to take positive decisions, the local Sikh community is setting an example and taking the lead to go climate friendly.

Planet Ark - Canadian Solar Inc said on Thursday it plans to build a C$24 million ($22.9 million) plant to manufacture solar panels in the province of Ontario, taking advantage of rich incentives for renewable power projects.

Toronto Star - This close to the equator, night descends quickly in November. By 6 p.m., the sky bursts with stars. All is dark outside the village of Wimbe, save for a compound of houses where outdoor fluorescent lights twinkle.

Wind-Works.org - Ontario's new feed-in tariff program got off to an attention-grabbing start when the Ontario Power Authority announced it had awarded 700 contracts for renewable energy to homeowners under its microFIT program.

BBC News - The cost of installing and owning solar panels will fall even faster than expected according to new research. Tests show that 90% of existing solar panels last for 30 years, instead of the predicted 20 years.

Renewable Energy World - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week said that it expects to make a final determination in mid-2010 regarding whether to increase the allowable ethanol content in fuel.

ClimateBiz - ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA launches a comprehensive resource today to guide cities and countries, step by step, through the process of greening their communities.

BBC News - The Copenhagen climate change talks will discuss how to capture the energy from such "renewable" sources. The UK plans to get 15% of all its energy that way within just 10 years.

BBC News - Wales' largest wind farm - the Rhyl Flats off the coast of north Wales - has been opened officially by Welsh Secretary Peter Hain in Llandudno. It is expected to be fully operational by the end of the month.

The NativeEnergy Voice - Just about a month after the ground breaking ceremony in Greensburg, Kansas, turbines are being erected in the field where the Greensburg Wind Farm is located.

Toronto Star - Dozens of property owners in Prince Edward County who agreed to lease out their land to wind developer SkyPower Corp. are now unwitting participants in a complex bankruptcy proceeding.

Renewable Energy World - Enbridge Inc. and Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES Canada) have entered into an agreement to develop a 99-megawatt (MW) wind energy project near Chatham, Ontario.

Renewable Energy World - DuPont Apollo has opened its silicon based thin-film solar photovoltaic module manufacturing facility in China. Full-scale commercial production at the facility is targeted for the first quarter 2010.

Renewable Energy World - Suniva Inc. announced the completion of its collaborative project with Titan Energy Systems Ltd. to create India's first large-scale project in Jamuria, West Bengal.

Planet Ark - A rush to cash in on incentives to develop renewable energy projects in Bulgaria could end up in so much new supply it could cause blackouts on the national grid, the operator told Reuters on Tuesday.

Planet Ark - Italy's total capacity of the photovoltaic (PV) installations that turn sunlight into power has risen to 700.7 megawatts from 650 MW a month ago, the state-run energy management agency GSE said on Thursday.

openhydro - The provincial power utility in Nova Scotia and its Irish partner report a successful deployment of the first commercial scale in-stream tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy.

CANARIE - CANARIE, is pleased to announce $2.4 million in funding for four ground-breaking Green IT projects aimed at reducing ICT's carbon footprint and measuring the impact of ICT and cyberinfrastructure.

Reuters - Solar energy costs will drop by half in 2009 while other low-carbon technology costs will see their pre-subsidy costs drop by 10-20 percent, renewable energy analysts say.

SFGate - State regulators Wednesday approved limits on how much energy televisions can consume, citing the increased use of power-guzzling flat-panel sets.

Planet Ark - Canadian Solar Inc's third-quarter profit rose sharply on strong demand, comfortably beating estimates, and the company said it expects to more than double shipments in 2010.

BBC News - A new generation of portable solar chargers can plug straight into a laptop and provide up to a quarter of its power needs while in use.

National Wind Watch - Manitoba's green-energy projects are sucking wind compared to other provinces and companies that develop and service wind farms are starting to take their business elsewhere.

Huffington Post - Scientists agree that dams can trigger earthquakes. A new research paper presents evidence that the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan Province in May 2008 was triggered by the Zipingpu Dam.

Environmental News Network - If Internet companies and some utilities have their way, the smart grid will rely on the existing infrastructure of the information superhighway in order to function.

The New York Times - European legislators and countries struck a deal last night to introduce tough new energy-efficiency regulations for all electricity-using appliances and buildings within the next decade.

Scientific American - Wind, water and solar technologies can provide 100 percent of the world's energy, eliminating all fossil fuels.

ClimateBiz - This study finds that a robust climate bill could boost the U.S. economy by about $111 billion by 2020 and create as many as 1.9 million jobs.

Manitoba Government - As of Dec. 30, Manitoba will have the highest energy-efficiency standards in Canada for replacement furnaces and boilers used in homes and small businesses.

BBC News ENGLAND - Cardiff-based Tidal Energy Ltd has planning permission for onshore works and is now seeking consent to place its DeltaStream device on the seabed.

The Independent ENGLAND - The world's energy systems will need an extra $10.5 trillion (£6.3trn) in investment between now and 2030 to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and avoid "irreparable damage to the planet".

Reuters - A climate change deal is needed not just to ward off global warming, but to ensure a shift from increasingly costly fossil fuels that could lead to a doubling of energy bills, the IEA's chief economist said.

CBC News - A Manitoba Hydro whistleblower said that employees are being threatened to stay quiet about allegations of mismanagement and she fears an investigation is being swept under the rug.

TimesOnline - Spain was celebrating its commitment to renewable energy yesterday after wind turbines dotted across the country produced more than half of all its electricity for the first time.

Manitoba Wildlands - The National Congress of American Indians and Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council passed resolutions calling on the US Congress to recognize and address the environmental impacts of Manitoba Hydro.

REVE - Wind energy in Spain reached a new record last night, providing at its peak 45.1% of Spain’s total electricity demand – 2.1% greater than the previous record set in November last year.

CBC News - The largest wind energy project developed by a Nova Scotia company is about to take off in Pictou and Antigonish counties, with the financial backing of a Spanish utility conglomerate.

EcoSeed - A new type of three-dimensional photovoltaic system could mark the era for cooler and sleeker solar power generation that does away with bulky and unwieldy panels.

PlanetArk - Brazil's huge offshore oil find, though an economic treasure chest, threatens to undermine the renewable energy industry the country has worked so hard to build.

Citizens Energy Task Force - The developers of Big Stone II coal-fired power plant in South Dakota officially cancelled the $1.6 billion project due to the poor economy and concerns about federal regulations of carbon emissions.

RePower America - The Alliance for Climate Protection's Repower America campaign unveiled a new campaign designed to demonstrate broad national consensus for action on clean energy and climate.

ELPC - Environmental Law & Policy Center in Minnesota has published a guide on the latest information on financing community wind projects, ownership structures, roles of financial intermediaries, and more.

Marketwire - Norway House Cree Nation Chief Marcel Balfour and Council called on Manitoba to establish a "public, open and transparent process" to review the Lake Winnipeg Regulation and Churchill River Diversion Project.

Green Economy Post - U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $338 million in funding for exploration and development of new geothermal fields as well as research into advanced geothermal technologies.

Manitoba Wildlands - Manitoba Hydro is currently seeking a route for Bipole III, a new 500kW high-voltage transmission direct current line from northern generating stations with delivery system to southern Manitoba.

Renewable Energy World.com - After months of negotiating with the solar industry, the Ontario government decided to make a few last minute, surprising changes to the rules for utility-scale solar projects in Ontario.

RenewableEnergyWorld.com - The opening of SunEdison's new 9.1MW solar PV power plant in Canada reflects a confluence of factors from financing and incentives to increased interest from utilities.

Reuters - From the Himalayas to the Andes, faster-melting glaciers spell short-term opportunities -- and long-term risks -- for hydroelectric power and the engineering and construction industries it drives.

CBC News - A special audit of Manitoba Hydro has been ordered by the province because of recent allegations about the power company's risk-management strategies.

The Globe and Mail - Critics say vertical-axis models will never generate enough electricity to be practical, but Jim Rowan is holding firm.

The Globe and Mail - You don't need to spend much time in Copenhagen, Denmark to realize how serious the people take climate change. Its no coincidence that the next big climate conference will be here in December.

GreenInc New York Times - Dow Chemical has unveiled a residential roof shingle in the form of a solar panel designed to be integrated into asphalt-tiled roofs.

The Tyee, The Hook blog - An association of states and provinces in western North America released an extensive map of areas with potential for renewable energy development.

Manitoba Government - A new program will help put Manitoba transportation companies on the path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Tyee, The Hook blog - Ontario passed its Green Energy Act, hailed by some as one of the most progressive in the country because it establishes a feed-in tariff for new renewable electricity generation.

Manitoba Government - Manitobans now have access to a provincewide program that will help reduce the cost of purchasing a solar energy system.