Bloomberg: Home to World's Biggest Wind-Turbine Maker to End All Subsidies
After more than four decades of relying on subsidies, Denmark’s renewable energy industry is ready to survive on its own much sooner than anyone expected.
The Danish energy minister, Lars Christian Lilleholt, says that “in just a few years,” renewable energy providers won’t need state support anymore. He says it’s a development he couldn’t have imagined as recently as last year.
“We’re now very close to arriving,” he said in an interview in Copenhagen on Monday, after receiving a set of recommendations from a government-appointed panel on Denmark’s energy future.
Windpower Offshore: Offshore Wind 'No Longer Expensive,' Says WindEurope
The industry has witnessed a dramatic fall in offshore wind prices, from the Dutch Borssele 1 and 2 tender in July 2016 -- the first time offshore wind costs fell below €100/MWh -- to the German auction this month when Dong and EnBW secured zero-subsidy licences.
WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said politicians at the European Union headquarters in Brussels could not keep up with the fall in costs.
"Price levels are dropping quicker than anyone thought. These deals have completely changed the picture for offshore wind," said Dickson. "Now they should also change the perception of policymakers. Offshore wind is no longer an expensive niche technology."
Reuters: Trump Says U.S. Wants Fair Treatment in Climate Pact
President Donald Trump complained on Thursday that the United States was being unfairly treated in the Paris Climate Agreement and told Reuters he would announce a decision in about two weeks on whether Washington would remain in the accord.
The Republican Trump, elected in November, had vowed during his campaign to withdraw from the Paris accord within 100 days of becoming president, part of a broader plan to sweep away Obama administration environmental protections he said were hobbling the economy.
He has since said he is open to staying in the pact if Washington gets better terms, and scores of large U.S. companies and several Republican lawmakers have urged him to stay in the deal as a way to protect American industry interests overseas.
The News Journal: DuPont, Others Urge Trump to Stick With Paris Accord
DuPont and a dozen other major U.S. companies urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to stay in the Paris Climate Agreement, arguing that it will help them manage climate risks and stay competitive in the global alternative energy market.
The group, which includes corporate giants Wal-Mart, General Mills, Google, Intel, Microsoft and Novartis Corp., was organized by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, the former Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
DuPont has invested in cellulosic ethanol as an advanced biofuel and in 2015, opened a cellulosic biofuel facility in Nevada, Iowa, with the capacity to produce 30 million gallons of biofuel annually.
Power-Technology: Engie to Deploy Storage for Hybrid Solar and Wind Project in Brazil
Engie will install a 1 MW, 4 MWh grid-scale energy storage solution for a new hybrid solar and wind demonstration project in Brazil.
Under the deal, Eos and Northern Power will be responsible for manufacturing and delivering the fully integrated energy storage system, which combines an Eos Aurora battery with Northern Power’s FlexPhase power conversion technology and intelligent controls.
Engie's research and technology director Raphael Schoentgen said: “The integrated battery system from Eos and Northern represents a combination of a new promising Zinc-based energy storage solution and a new digital based piloting system, which are attractive both from a cost and performance perspective.”