Japan Parliament's upper house has passed the renewable energy scheme which has been pushed as a factor for ramping up investments in the country's clean energy sector. Following the March earthquake and the serious consequences on the country's economic sector and environment, Japan needs to turn more attention to clean energy sources, as an alternative to nuclear energy as the primary source of electricity.
A Chinese solar manufacturer has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the City of Vranje (Serbia) for the development and installation of solar capacity in the municipality areas around the city. The total investment in the project is estimated at about EUR 300 million.
The Carbon Trust has offered support for the first Welsh tidal stream energy project, in the form of 60% funding (GBP 390,000) for the monitoring activities involved in the assessment of environmental impacts associated with the installation of the project. The tidal stream device is to be deployed in Ramsey Sound, off the coast of Pembrokeshire.
The US Department of Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) have officially launched the leasing process for offshore wind energy projects off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachussetts. BOEMRE is additionally seeking comments on the environmental issues that may be involved with the proposed concessions, as well as offers of "reasonable alternatives" for these concessions.
Existing Katsu river dam in Lesotho.
Us Department of Interior has approved the 550 MW Desert Sunlight solar farm, which has been proposed for development in Riverside County, California. The project, sponsored by First Solar, through its subsidiary Desert Sunlight Holdings, will eventually be able to produce an annual amount of electrical energy equivalent to the consumption of about 165,000 average homes. Its location, in the California desert, has great solar energy harvesting conditions, allowing for such a good annual energy yield.
The US Department of Energy has finalized the USD 967 million loan guarantee for the Agua Caliente solar power plant, being built in Yuma County, Arizona. The 290 MW project, sponsored by NRG Energy, will be using First Solar solar modules. NRG Energy just recently completed the acquisition of Agua Caliente from First Solar.
South African Department of Energy (DoE) has announced the opening of the bidding process for renewable energy development. The official request calls for the proposals for the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of any offshore wind, solar thermal, solar PV, biomass, biogas, landfill gas or small hydro technology project. This basically opens the "flood gate" for massive development of renewable energy capacity in this still underdeveloped renewable energy market, but one with great potential in this energy industry sector.
Abengoa has received backing from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the production of cellulosic bioethanol from biomass at the company's Hugoton production facility, located in Kansas. USDA has approved a total of four new programs for biomass derived biofuels as part of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), in the US states of California, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington. The program for Kansas will be carried out near the company's factory, capable of producing 100 million liters of cellulosic bioethanol.
India is reported to be setting up an indepentent environmenta regulatory body, in order to lessen the pressure of making unpopular decisions to protect the eco system by dissallowing development. So far, the Environment Ministry has been slowing down investments by putting a hold on major projects.
