Renewables

German Utilities Bail Out Electric Grid at Wind’s Mercy

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Germany’s push toward renewable energy is causing so many drops and surges from wind and solar power that more utilities than ever are receiving money from the grids to help stabilize the country’s electricity network.

Twenty power companies including Germany’s biggest utilities, EON SE and RWE AG, now get fees for pledging to add or cut electricity within seconds to keep the power system stable, double the number in September, according to data from the nation’s four grid operators. Utilities that sign up to the 800 million-euro ($1.1 billion) balancing market can be paid as much as 400 times wholesale electricity prices, the data show.

Posted in | »

Germany exports 'more energy than ever'

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Despite regular apocalyptic warnings of black-outs due to the nuclear power shutdown, a recent boom in renewables means that Germany is exporting more electricity than ever before, new figures show.

Germany exported the equivalent of the output of two large power stations - 12.3 terawatt hours - during the first three quarters of the year, according to a preliminary report from the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), seen by the business weekly Manager Magazin.

Posted in | »

EU diverts cash for nuclear fusion demo project

Thursday, July 22, 2010

BRUSSELS, July 20 (Reuters) - Cash-strapped European Union governments will not have to provide fresh money in order to fill a 1.4 billion euro ($1.81 billion) funding gap in a project to commercialise nuclear fusion -- the process that powers the sun.

Increased complexity and rising construction costs have seen the price tag for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project rise to 16 billion euros ($20.76 billion), while the EU's share has more than doubled.

Posted in | »

Spain's windfarms set new national record for electricity generation

Friday, November 13, 2009

High winds over the weekend supplied 53% of Spain's electricity – equivalent to the power output of 11 nuclear plants

Posted in | »

Slash renewables target to protect nuclear, says EDF

Friday, March 13, 2009

The development of new nuclear plant could be prevented if the government allows too much windpower to be built, energy giants EDF and Eon have claimed.

EDF – the world’s largest nuclear operator with 58 plants – is calling on the government to lower its proposed renewable electricity target from 35% of supply in 2020 to just 20%.

Posted in | »