South Carolina
Two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports provide back-to-back confirmation that the potential for electricity from coastal wave and tidal stream energy could reach as high as 15 percent of the total of current U.S. electrical demand.
On Friday, the U.S Department of Energy said it is seeking private industry partners to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has released its fifth annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which ranks all 50 U.S. states for their various energy-efficiency programs and policies.
Earlier this month Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) released the white paper Duke Energy: Developing the Communications Platform to Enable a More Intelligent Electric Grid [pdf]. The paper addresses the company’s vision and plan to digitize the electric grid.
Two separate energy mergers have taken steps towards becoming final. If they are completed, it will mean four of the United States' largest utilities will have merged to become the nation's two largest electric utilities.
A consortium of Siemens Energy, a division of German-based Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), and Prysmian Cables & Systems, a division of Italy-based Prysmian SpA (Milan: PRY.MI), has won a $400 million turnkey contract to design, supply and install a HVDC (high-voltage direct-current) link to connect the power supply networks of New Jersey and New York, the companies announced today. Construction has begun and the link is scheduled to come on line in the summer of 2013.
Texas retains its huge lead as the largest generator of electricity in the U.S., including the largest total amount of renewable energy generation and the largest year-over-year additions of renewable energy, according to EnergyBoom’s analysis of the latest U.S. Energy Information Agency data for January and February 2011 released May 13. Renewable energy in this data is defined as wind, solar, wood-derived fuels and biomass, and geothermal.
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), one of the largest power generators in the U.S. and the leading producer of power from wind and solar projects, released its Q1 2011 financial results Friday and said it had signed long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) for an additional 400 megawatts (MW) of wind power since the beginning of 2011. At the end of 2010, NextEra had nearly 43,000 MW of generating capacity (approximately 53% natural gas, 19% wind, 13% nuclear, 13% oil and coal, and 2% hydro and solar), according to the company’s regulatory filings.
Shares of tiny photovoltaic (PV) systems and module manufacturer Solar Power, Inc. (OTCBB: SOPW.OB) jumped 30 percent Thursday (but slipped back six per cent in early trading today) after it announced that LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK), the world’s largest producer of multicrystalline PV wafers, was buying 70 percent of the company for approximately $33 million.
Other news: AQT Solar heading to South Carolina
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Dept. of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu recently announced the beginning of a program aimed at helping consumers save energy and money.
