Henry Harrell"s Blog: March 29 Green Energy News

Headline News:

Low carbon sources accounted for 50.4% of electric power generated in the UK last year, according to latest government data, overtaking fossil fuels. Coal generated only 6.7% of the mix. However, the UK’s total energy consumption remains more than 80% reliant on fossil fuels, and transport consumption continues to rise. [The Energyst]

Pen y Cymoedd wind farm in Wales

The cost of wind and solar energy continued to drop in 2017, falling another 18% across the globe, according to a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The report also highlights the falling cost and growing uptake of battery storage, which is now encroaching on the flexibility and peaking revenues enjoyed by those fossil fuel plants. [RenewEconomy]
The world’s biggest-ever solar project, a $200 billion venture in Saudi Arabia, comes with a “batteries included” sticker that signals a major shift for the industry. Surging battery supplies to feed electric-car demand have sent prices plunging, and solar developers from California to China are adding storage to projects like never before. [Bloomberg]
Massachusetts announced that the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project of Central Maine Power Co will proceed in the Massachusetts Clean Energy solicitation process. Northern Pass, which previously had been chosen as winner, was denied Certificate of Site and Facility by the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee. [Renewables Now]
Even if Maine converted all activities currently powered by gasoline, natural gas and other fossil fuels (like transportation and home heating) to electricity, the energy provided by offshore wind turbines could still produce 13.7 times as much power as the state would use, according to a report released by Environment Maine. [Environment Maine]

Henry Harrell"s Blog