In April 2016, Portugal’s electricity generation came almost entirely from renewable energies (95,5%) and ran in early May on RES generation exclusively for 107 hours straight. A transition to 100% renewable energies is thus closer than ever in the country. Rita Antunes and Francisco Ferreira from ZERO – Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System explain.
All posts tagged: Wind
Is Denmark slowing down its energy transition?
The Danes announced plans in May to cut back on the cost and speed of their energy transition. The debate sounds practically identical to the one in Germany, where the government also aims to slow down its Energiewende. But a Danish expert says Denmark remains on course. Craig Morris investigates.
Impressive First Quarter Results for American Wind Power released by AWEA
There are now more than 48,800 wind turbines operating in the US, across 40 states. American wind power has had its most productive first quarter for installations since 2012, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has announced. Robin Whitlock takes a look.
German legislators fight over policy rollback on renewables
This month, the German government met with state representatives but failed to reach an agreement. The second meeting is scheduled for May 31. At the moment, both sides have simply agreed to disagree. Berlin wants to dramatically slow down the energy transition, and some states will have none of it. Craig Morris explains.
Pushback against onshore wind power in Germany gets real
Up to now, public support for wind power has been very strong in Germany. But recent changes to German law have encouraged local groups that oppose wind farms. The relegation of competence from the national to the state level means that smaller groups have a larger impact. Craig Morris explains.
Global coal power: capacity keeps going up, utilisation goes down
While the amount of electricity generated from coal has declined for two years in a row and utilisation rates of coal power plants have been going down, energy companies continue to build new coal-fired generating plants at a rapid pace. Worldwide the equivalent of 1500 coal plants is under construction or in various stages of planning, Karel Beckmann writes.
RWE splits into two
On April 1, German coal power giant RWE split into two companies: one, containing conventional energy; the other, renewables. Craig Morris explains.
Why people come together in community projects
How can public acceptance of utility projects be increased? Policymakers want to allow citizens to invest in such projects, but the focus is insufficient. Citizens want more than just financial benefits. By Craig Morris.
Global energy transition conference bigger than ever
On Thursday and Friday last week, the German Foreign Office invited dignitaries, business people, and the press to the second Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. The event was roughly 50 percent larger than in the previous year. And once again, it revealed that not all decision-makers are on the same page when it comes to the global energy transition. Craig Morris explains.
Can utilities be trusted with the energy transition?
Utilities that invest heavily in renewables outside of their territory often show little interest to do so at home. Craig Morris takes a look.