Asia Pacific

Offshore Wind

Flagship Scottish Offshore Wind Project, A Model For Bringing Interests Together

Beatrice Offshore Windfarm, off the coast of Caithness, will create 900 jobs and generate 588MW of power once operational in 2019. Hailed as the “flagship project for the Scottish offshore wind industry”; it’s claimed that the £2.6bn project will be one of the largest private investments ever made in Scottish infrastructure. Lang Banks, director of conservation group WWF Scotland says that: it’s “great news for the climate and Scotland’s economy, this single project will almost quadruple our offshore wind capacity, helping to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as well as creating jobs and supporting local economic renewal.”

EV_Battery

Major Development From Nissan Can Boost EV Battery Life, Extend Driving Range

Nissan has reached a major breakthrough with its new lithium ion battery generation, which will significantly extend the driving range of zero-emission electric vehicles. As car batteries are continually charged and depleted, overall battery capacities begin to diminish, eventually leading to battery replacement. It remains one of the many issues affecting electric vehicles, however, Nissan believes they may have found the solution by using silicon.

Solar For Trains_India

Indian Railways Commences Trial For Its First Solar Panel-Powered Train

India has moved one step closer to the goal of using purely solar-powered trains in the near future. The Indian train system is the fourth largest in the world and Indians are heavily dependent on the railways. Due to the large population, more and more trains are being utilised to keep up with the ever-increasing demand, which means more electricity. Studies show that trains using solar power can reduce diesel consumption; bring down CO2 emissions and additionally, solar and further alternative sources of energy can save on expenditure significantly .

Saudi Arabia_Solar

A World After Oil: Saudi Arabia Plans $2 Trillion Fund Transforming Its Economy

Saudi Arabia is planning to create a $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and fundamentally change its economy. The fund will then be in a position to buy the four largest publicly traded companies in the world; among them Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc. (Google parent company), Microsoft Corp. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and still be left with over a billion remaining. It’s a vision driven by the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia who stated “undoubtedly, it will be the largest fund on Earth.

utility_wind project

Masdar Boosts Small-Scale Projects In Remote Pacific Islands With $50Mn Fund

Abu Dhabi’s state-owned renewable energy company Masdar has announced the inauguration of a series of renewable energy projects in the Pacific Island countries and territories, made possible by the $50 million UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund (UAE-PPF). The projects are designed to drive economic growth and sustainable development across the islands, in addition to job creation and capacity-building efforts. Highlights included cyclone-proof wind turbines, space-optimising solar solutions, and plants providing 50 percent of local energy requirements.

utility_wind project

Unprecedented Unity As Record Numbers Of Nations Sign Climate Change Agreement

To enter legal force, the Paris Agreement needs a minimum endorsement from 55 countries, representing no less than 55% of greenhouse gas emissions. The World Resources Institute states that with more than 171 countries signing, these represent a total of 93% of global emissions. Among the most welcome surprises were the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters; China, India, Brazil and the US, who all signed the treaty. The volume of first-day-signatures broke the record held by any international treaty to date.

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Overcoming Challenges, Solar Market Growth Is Becoming Irresistible

Solar power is becoming increasingly competitive and is leading to reductions in the costs of photovoltaics. Emerging and developing countries are seeing a new focus on wind and solar power, as generating it is often considerably cheaper than buying electricity from the grid, with long-term solutions providing independence from fluctuations in fossil fuel prices. The improved speed of installation also allows for renewable energy systems to be positioned in areas with greatest electricity demand.

Wind Turbines

Amid The Rise In Demand For Wind Turbines, Gamesa Gains Strength In India

Gamesa has consolidated its position as the leading OEM in India for the third year running recently. Consolidating its position, it has secured a contract for the supply of 198MW of the G114-2.0MW turbines. The Indian pipeline for this product has now been increased by 124MW and the order intake for it has reached nearly 2GW in 2015, globally.

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China: JA Solar Commences ‘Intelligent Manufacturing’ At 1.5 GW Capacity Plant

JA Solar has announced that it has started mass production of high-performance PV panels at its high-performance manufacturing facility in Xingtai, Hebei province, China. The new facility, located in the Economic Development District of Xingtai city, has an annual capacity of 1.5 GW with fully automated assembly lines using the latest module manufacturing technologies. The fully automated assembly lines for making standard 60- and 72-cell modules significantly increase the productivity of the facility. The annual production per capita is estimated to be 2 MW, the highest among peers in the industry.

ICCI 2016_Investment

ICCI 2016, A Platform For New Investment Opportunities

ICCI 2016 in Istanbul saw new investment opportunities for wind and solar in Turkey. Around 14.000 professionals and 279 exhibitors joined this year`s ICCI. They included big manufacturers like Siemens, GE, Suzlon, Nordex, Enercon or Goldwind and Turkish companies like Zorlu Energji. Significant opportunities for deals were opened in both Solar and Wind, as the national energy roadmap is to have 20 GW wind power installed by 2023.

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Renewable Energy Generation Investment Surges, Outstripping Coal and Gas

In 2015, coal and gas-fired electrical energy generation drew less than half the record investment made in wind, solar and other renewables; one of numerous important firsts for clean energy. For the first time in 2015, developing world investments in renewables surpassed those of developed nations. The renewable market was dominated by wind and solar PV, which added a combined 118GW in generating capacity. Global investments in renewable energy since 2004, now total $2.3 trillion.