28 new projects focusing on renewable energy and energy efficiency have collectively received DKK 286 million in support funding from the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme, writes the Danish Energy Authority in a news release. The largest slice of the funding cake has been given to projects in the fuel cell and biomass areas: six project s in both sectors have received DKK 90 million. Other renewable energy areas receiving support include projects in wind, solar, oil and gas. Support funding for biomass projects has been divided between pre-market development and demonstration for both smaller-scale and large-scale technologies where Denmark has a leading international position. The technologies cover a broad spectrum of both wet and dry biomass applications for the production of heat, electricity and fuels for transport.
Source: Denmark.dk
The Danish government has submitted a national action plan for renewable energy to the EU Commission which documents that Denmark will reach its 2020 objectives, reports the Danish Energy Agency in a press release. According to the EU directive on renewable energy, the Danish share of renewable energy must account for at least 30% by 2020. In 2008, the share was 18.7%. The expansion of renewable energy must also meet a number of intermediate objectives in the period leading up to 2020. In addition at least 10% of Denmark's energy consumption for transport must be generated from renewable energy. The new action plan shows that Denmark's biggest renewable energy expansion opportunities are the construction of new wind turbines onshore and offshore as well as conversion of power stations and CHP stations from coal to biomass.
Cautious optimism
In 2009, and in absolute terms, about 19.9% (608 TWh) of Europe's total electricity consumption (3042 TWh) came from renewable energy sources. Hydro power contributed with the largest share (11.6%), followed by wind (4.2%), biomass (3.5%), and solar (0.4%). With regards to the new capacity constructed that same year (27.5 GW), among the renewable sources, 37.1% was wind power, 21% photovoltaics (PV), 2.1% biomass, 1.4% hydro and 0.4% concentrated solar power, whereas the rest were gas fired power stations (24%), coal fired power stations (8.7%), oil (2.1%), waste incineration (1.6%) and nuclear (1.6%) (see figure1).
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved a renewable energy contract for San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), furthering the state's progress towards its renewable energy goals. Through its 20-year power purchase agreement with Alta Mesa, LLC, SDG&E will procure renewable generation from a 40 megawatt, fourth phase build-out of the Alta Mesa Wind Project in the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs, Calif. Under the power purchase agreement, SDG&E will receive an average of approximately 123 gigawatt-hours of energy per year beginning in July 2011. The CPUC's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) program requires investor-owned utilities, energy service providers, and community choice aggregators operating in California to obtain 20 percent of their retail sales from renewable energy sources by 2010. On November 17, 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order (S-14-08), which established a 33 percent by 2020 RPS goal. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.Source: California Public Utilities Commission
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today issued its quarterly renewable energy progress report to the state Legislature showing that in the first quarter of 2010, the state's investor-owned utilities (IOUs) submitted 37 renewable contracts for CPUC approval, more than the number of contracts the CPUC approves in an entire year, on average. According to the Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) Quarterly Report for the 2nd Quarter 2010, the IOUs are contracting with renewable projects at an unprecedented rate. The IOUs are requesting approval of more than 50 contracts before the end of the year, which is twice as much as the utilities have requested in prior years. More than a dozen of these projects are requesting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. In 2009, the state's IOUs collectively served 15.4 percent of their electricity with renewable energy, up from 13 percent in 2008. This increase is due to a number of factors, including newly installed renewable capacity; small hydroelectric facilities generating more power; more contracts with existing facilities; and customers using less electricity in 2009 than in 2008, so the utilities' renewable procurement accounted for a greater percentage of retail sales. Based on the contracts signed to date, the utilities are expected to be at about 18 percent in 2010 and 21 percent in 2011.
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