Wind Power

Renewable energy had a 64.8% share of electricity generation, according to solar research institute Fraunhofer ISE. The achievement was mainly due to strong production from wind facilities.

An international team of economists says power-to-gas may already generate hydrogen at costs competitive with fossil fuel power plants in Germany and Texas, provided certain production output levels are not exceeded. If medium and small power-to-gas is competitive, large-scale should be viable by 2030.

Through three tenders, Nepal’s Alternative Energy Promotion Center is increasing efforts to bring power to rural communities, and to increase the share of renewables in a nation still dominated by hydropower.

The Munich-based company will receive up to €2 million for a large-scale storage facility in southern Germany. The system will consist of 52 lithium-ion car batteries –which are also used in the BMW i3 – and will be coupled with a wind farm.

In a study on the potential for local manufacturing of renewable energy equipment in the Arab region, IRENA has assessed how three pilot Arab countries – Lebanon, Jordan and the UAE – where development of clean energy is currently strong, may host PV, CSP and wind energy industries. In all of them, however, there are currently few chances of seeing a rising solar and renewable energy manufacturing industry, due to a series of challenges, such as, among others, the lack of a qualified workforce, and favorable regulatory settings.

A simulation of Poland’s two upcoming mixed wind/solar auctions held by the Polish wind energy association has shown that wind may prove more competitive than solar, especially in the auction for projects over 1 MW. The real auctions are expected to be launched between November and December.

Bids can be submitted to the German grid authority, Bundesnetzagentur until November 2, 2018. Solar accounted for all winning bids in the first round.

The Sahara Desert, and the Sahel region, could be set to take advantage of large-scale wind and solar power projects covering huge surfaces.

Engie has released a statement on the rumors that it was looking to invest in EDP Renováveis. Currently the Portuguese renewable energy company, and its parent, power utility EDP, are attracting international interest, also from Chinese state-owned power company China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG).

Several scientist have joined to rebut an Australian article that questions the feasibility of a global energy transition. For this purpose, they have gathered hundreds of studies on energy systems and conclude, that there are neither fundamental technical nor financial barriers to achieve 100% renewable energy supply.