d

The U.S. and Canada can benefit from pioneering ocean energy work in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is known for its pioneering work in wave, tidal and ocean current energy. The U.S. and Canada have vast marine resources and would benefit from partnerships with UK companies in a number of ways, including building expertise, sharing lessons learned and fostering industry growth.




d

Unique study of net evaporation at a hydroelectric facility in Canada

A first-of-its-kind study of net evaporation at a hydroelectric facility reveals that the project has very little effect on the loss of water to the atmosphere as compared with pre-impoundment conditions.




d

EU Needs Low-Carbon Energy Union, Ministers’ Advisory Panel Says

The European Union needs an ambitious emissions-reduction goal, targets for energy- efficiency and renewables as well as tools to foster investment under its planned 2030 policies, an advisory panel to 14 ministers said.




d

R&D Forum

Research reports and study findings related to hydropower for June 2014




d

French State Bank Sets Aside 5 Billion Euros for Green Projects

Caisse des Depots et Consignations, a French state bank, is setting aside 5 billion euros ($6.8 billion) for green projects after the government proposed a law to spur use of renewable electricity and boost efficiency.




d

US Ex-Im Hangs in Balance as Chief Defends Bank Against Critics

U.S. Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg mounted a defense of the 80-year-old agency as Republicans weigh eliminating the lender they say backs major corporations with political connections.




d

Renewables to Receive Lion's Share of $7.7 Trillion in Global Power Funding

Renewable energy may reap as much as two-thirds of the $7.7 trillion in investment forecast for building new power plants by 2030 as declining costs make it more competitive with fossil fuels.




d

Rehabilitation of Turbines at the Ohakuri Hydro Power Station

Turbine rehabilitation at the 112 MW Ohakuri Hydro Power Station in New Zealand was owner Mighty River Power's most complex program of works of any it had previously performed.




d

Japan Bank Sets Aside $2 Billion for Clean Energy

Shinsei Bank Ltd., a lender for Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s clean-energy projects in Japan, plans to provide as much as 200 billion yen (US $2 billion) in loans for renewable developments.




d

Using the BioPA method to help ensure safety of fish at the 912-MW Priest Rapids project

To help ensure the safety of fish passing through the new turbines at 912-MW Priest Rapids, Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County is employing the BioPA method to analyze the biological performance of proposed designs - and to choose an improved one for this facility.




d

Orix Plans to Build as Many as 15 Small-scale Geothermal Plants in Japan

Orix Corp., a Tokyo-based finance and leasing company, plans to build as many as 15 geothermal power stations in Japan in the next five years.




d

India to Sart Construction on German-backed $8 Billion Renewable Grid Project

India will begin construction this year on an $8 billion project backed by Germany’s development bank to upgrade its grid to handle a more than doubling of renewable power capacity by 2022.




d

Australia Chills Hopes for $20 Billion Clean Energy Industry

Australia is frightening developers away from renewable energy even before the government decides whether to overhaul targets for the industry’s growth.




d

South Africa Seeks to Improve Process for Renewable Energy Deals

South African Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson said her department wants to address weaknesses in the process of commissioning renewable-power projects.




d

Australia's Renewable Industry Imperiled Pending Policy Review

A government-appointed panel gave Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott two options to cut emissions more cheaply: either scrap or weaken its main clean energy program.




d

Drillers Look for Geothermal in the Depths of Paris

In the midst of a suburban sprawl halfway between the Eiffel Tower and Paris’s busy Orly airport, a drilling crew works night and day burrowing deep into the Earth’s crust in search of underground heat.




d

US-China Rifts Put Aside for Clean Energy Research

The threat of climate change is driving China and the U.S. — frequent rivals and the world’s two largest greenhouse-gas emitters — to collaborate on dozens of potential clean-energy breakthroughs.




d

Japan Utility to Suspend Grid Access for New Renewable Energy Producers

Kyushu Electric Power Co. will suspend responding to applications from renewable-energy producers applying to access its grid while it reviews how much more clean energy it’s capable of handling.




d

RGGI Chair Says States Won’t Leave Emissions Trading Market for California, Quebec

California and Quebec, which together created the largest carbon market in North America this year, may come away empty-handed as they woo northeastern U.S. states to join their system.




d

Canadian Spotlight

The latest hydropower industry news from Canada




d

EU Seeks Faster Renewable Energy Integration Amid Crisis in Ukraine

The European Union is seeking to speed up the creation of a common energy market to help its shift to a low-carbon economy and boost security of energy supplies amid a natural-gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine.




d

EU Nations Mull Funds to Aid Clean Energy in 2030 Climate Deal

European Union governments are considering the use of carbon-permit funds to help finance clean technologies and spur poorer nations toward a low-carbon economy under a planned deal on 2030 climate and energy policies.




d

Germany’s Clean Electricity Costs Decline for First Time

German electricity consumers will for the first time see a drop in the fee added to their bills to fund renewables, a boost for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has pledged to curb the cost for voters.




d

UK Green Bank Set to Draw Offshore Wind Investors to $1.6 Billion Fund

The U.K. Green Investment Bank is set to tie up the first investments in a $1.6 billion fund by the end of March, part of Britain’s push to cement its dominance in offshore wind power.




d

Australia Seeks to Reduce Renewable Energy Target to ‘Real’ 20 Percent

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government will negotiate with the opposition to cut Australia’s renewable energy target and exempt industries such as aluminum and copper smelting.




d

UN Sees Irreversible Damage to Climate Caused by Fossil Fuels

Humans are causing irreversible damage to the planet from burning fossil fuels, the biggest ever study of the available science concluded in a report designed to spur the fight against climate change.




d

Fossil Fuels Reap $550 Billion in Subsidies, Hindering Renewables Investment

Fossil fuels are reaping $550 billion a year in subsidies and holding back investment in cleaner forms of energy, the International Energy Agency said.




d

Obama to Pledge $3 Billion for Climate Change Fund

President Barack Obama will pledge $3 billion to a United Nations climate-change fund that’s intended to help poor nations boost renewable energy and counter the ill effects of global warming.




d

Hydro technology information and research reports

Collection of articles related to hydropower technology




d

Gas and Coal To Replace Hydropower in Brazil, Pollution to Follow

The Brazilian government is seeking to award contracts in an auction tomorrow for natural gas- and coal-fueled power plants, reversing a drive that previously favored renewable-energy projects. It would lead to the first new thermal plants in three years, after the government scaled back such projects and awarded wind contracts starting in 2009 and solar energy earlier this year.




d

German Utility EON To Ditch Fossil Fuel Arm, Focus on Renewables

EON SE’s plan to spin off its fossil fuel plants marks a watershed moment in Germany’s renewables effort that will likely bolster the country’s already leading position in clean energy.




d

Sage Advice is the Highlight of the Women in Power Luncheon

The advice that Pennwell’s 2014 Woman of the Year, Mary Powell, gave to women in the power industry during Tuesday’s Women in Power Luncheon might come as a surprise to some. It was this: Stop undercutting each other. Powell said the most difficult obstacles she has encountered in her various leadership roles have not come from men, but rather from other women. Small comments like “I don’t know how you do it [being a mom and holding a high-level job]”, serve to bring doubt and uncertainty to high achieving women in any industry, and ultimately can lead to women exiting their careers in order to fit what they perceive is the societal norm.




d

India Plans Renewables Splurge, But Will Not Commit to Carbon Plan

India, the world’s third-largest polluter, will spend at least $100 billion on climate-related projects but isn’t ready to follow China and the U.S., the top two emitters, in promising to limit its fossil-fuel emissions.




d

Japan's Prime Minister Re-Election Risks Undercutting Clean Energy Push

Shinzo Abe’s re-election as prime minister risks undercutting Japan’s commitment to clean energy at a time when incentives are under review and the nation’s utilities say they can’t accommodate capacity already planned.




d

Buffett Testing Smart Grid Technology for Home Energy Management

Warren Buffett wants to tell you the best time to wash your clothes. Or at least his energy company in the U.K does. Buffett’s Northern Powergrid Holdings Co. is working with Siemens AG to test a so-called smart grid that has the ability to control when consumer appliances will be used in the home.




d

California Governor Seeks to Increase Renewable Energy Mandate to 50 Percent

California Governor Jerry Brown proposed spending $59 billion to fix crumbling roads and raising the state’s renewable energy mandate to 50 percent.




d

Utility GDF Suez Plans to Double European Renewable Capacity by 2025

GDF Suez SA plans to double renewable power production capacity in Europe over the next decade as the utility shifts its focus away from developing more historic natural gas and nuclear energy sources in the region.




d

China Nears Publication of Plan to Guide Geothermal Developments

China could be nearing publication of a plan to guide the development of geothermal energy resources over the next few years as it plunges ahead with efforts to get more of its energy from renewable sources.




d

India Clean Energy Investments Rose 13 Percent to $7.9 Billion in 2014

Clean energy investments in India increased to $7.9 billion last year and are expected to surpass $10 billion in 2015.




d

Brazilian Bank Raises $408 Million for Renewable Energy and Water Projects

The Brazilian bank Itau Unibanco Holding SA raised 1.05 billion reais ($408 million) to finance renewable energy and water treatment projects.




d

Want to Buy a Used German Power Plant? Shipping Is Included

Germany’s utilities, battered by the country’s shift to wind turbines and solar panels, would be glad to sell you a power plant on the cheap. They’ll even pack it up and ship it to another country.




d

California's Clean Tech Industry Best in US for Jobs and Investment

California’s bet on green energy is paying off, with clean technology companies creating more jobs and investing more money than competitors in any other state.




d

Enel Putting Final Touches on Yieldco for US Renewable Assets

Enel SpA is putting the final touches on a yieldco that would hold its U.S. renewable energy assets, making it the latest power-plant owner to opt for a structure that frees up capital.




d

India Renewables Boom Aided by International Funds

India said cheaper credit along with foreign investment will help the world’s third-largest polluter fund an ambitious renewable energy program that would build green power plants faster than China.




d

Harvard’s Star Alumni Urge Week of Fossil Fuel Protests

Actress Natalie Portman, environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and other high-profile Harvard University alumni are calling for demonstrations to urge divestment from fossil fuels.




d

Sweden, Norway Increase Renewable Target Amid Power Glut Concern

Sweden and Norway agreed to boost their target for renewable energy production amid concerns the additional capacity will exacerbate a power glut and strain the region’s electricity grid.




d

Obama Orders US Agencies to Cut Carbon Emissions 40 Percent by 2025

President Barack Obama ordered the federal government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 2008 levels over the next 10 years by shifting to renewable energy sources such as solar power.




d

Clean Energy Makes Up Record Share of UK Power with Coal-to-Biomass Conversions

U.K. electricity from low-carbon sources accounted for almost a quarter of the country’s generation in the fourth quarter as Drax Group Plc converted a second coal-power plant to burn wood.




d

Mexico Pledges to Cut Emissions 25 Percent in Climate Change Milestone

Mexico has become the first developing nation to formally promise to cut its global-warming pollution, a potential milestone in efforts to reach a worldwide agreement on tackling climate change.




d

Investors Spent a Record $2 Trillion on Renewables, Report Says

Investors have spent more than $2 trillion on clean-energy plants in the past decade and last year added more renewable capacity than ever before.