The Ten Essential Renewable Energy News Stories This Week

By Nathanael Baker on July 30, 2010

Without doubt, it has been a difficult spring and summer for the oil industry. Three major oil spills, each of which is the largest their affected area has ever endured. The Kalamazoo River in Michigan is the latest victim, with an estimated 1 million gallons floating within its banks.

On the other hand, there has been some very positive news for the solar industry, including a study showing solar power is now cheaper than nuclear power.

Here are the Top 10 Renewable Energy News Stories You May Have Missed This Week:

1. DiCaprio's Solar Powered Inception - The set of Leonardo DiCaprio's latest film, Inception, was powered in part by solar energy. Check out the pictures and read DiCaprio's praise of alternative energy sources.

2. Solar Power at a Tipping Point: Now Cheper Than Nuclear - A new study from Duke University concludes that “solar photovoltaics have joined the ranks of lower-cost alternatives to new nuclear plants.

3. Nasty Enbridge Oil Spill Contaminating Michigan River - In the shadow of the massive BP Gulf of Mexico disaster, there is another similar - albeit smaller in scale - disaster unfolding on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.

4. EBoom Capital: Four Small Pure-Play U.S. Wind Companies Have Raised Capital to Continue the Race - Broadwind Energy, Inc.; Juhl Wind, Inc.; Catch the Wind Ltd.; and Western Wind Energy Corporation are four companies that offer investors the ability to invest strictly in wind energy as it is the only industrial sector these businesses are involved in.

5. 20-Foot Geyser of Oil Gushing Into the Gulf of Mexico - As if the Gulf of Mexico hasn't had enough oil pipe blowouts, a towboat cruising the waters near Plaquemines Parish hit a wellhead in Mud Lake, adjacent to one of the bays that crews are currently cleaning up as a result of the BP oil disaster.

6. Ocean Power Technologies Looks to Cash in on Wave Power - Ocean Power Technologies Inc., a Pennington, New Jersey-based pioneer of wave-energy technology for autonomous power generation and the utility market, has been making moves in the emerging wave energy market.

7. Terra-Gen Secures $1.2 Billion For Largest Wind Farm in U.S. - Energy giant, Terra-Gen Power has secured US$1.2 Billion in financing for four major wind projects in California, totaling 570 MW in capacity.

8. Enbridge Energy Partners Stock Plummets in Wake of Oil Spill - Shares in Enbridge Energy Partners, the oil affiliate of Enbridge Inc., dropped precipitously Thursday as news of the company's oil spill grew worse.

9. Modeling the U.S. Rooftop Photovoltaics Market to 2030 - A National Renewable Energy Laboratory report shows that rooftop solar PV deployment has not only benefited from falling PV prices and incentives, but has managed to reach a stage where costs of $4 per watt (by 2015) may make even small solar PV a better value than traditional energy sources like coal, oil or gas.

10. BP's Tony Hayward Steps Down and Off to Siberia (For Real) - The battered and bruised CEO of BP, Tony Hayward has announced he is stepping down from his position and will be replaced by American, Robert Dudley.

Remember, the best way to stay up-to-date on cleantech and renewable energy news is to follow EnergyBoom on Twitter and Facebook.

Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has researched and reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change for over two years. He has provided research to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published on different media outlets including, The Energy Collective.