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Google spending billions on data centers in renewable energy rich regions

Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it would invest 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to expand its data center infrastructure in the Netherlands.




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Air conditioning is the world's next big threat

The vast majority of Americans have air conditioning but in Germany almost nobody does. At least not yet.




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Saudi Arabia set to build first wind farm

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, is poised to start generating wind power within three years as part of an effort to harness renewable energy to cut local demand for fossil fuels.




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Small Missouri utility proposes big pivot to clean energy in latest resource plan

Missouri’s smallest investor-owned utility is charting a dramatically different course two years after being acquired by new owners.




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Utility device and data management technologies revenue could exceed $22 billion by 2027edit

A new report from Navigant Research released this week says that revenue from device and data management technologies could grow from approximately $14.8 billion in 2018 to more than $22.1 billion in 2027 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6%.




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US biotech company sets up HQ in Australia

Praxis Precision Medicines has chosen Australia to be its Asia-Pacific headquarters and research and development (R&D) centre.




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US biotech injects 3D printing expertise into Victorian artificial kidney project

San Diego-based biotechnology company, Organovo Holdings (Organovo), has announced a tie up with a Melbourne research institute to help develop regenerative medicine in Australia.




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Korean genome co invests A$4m to take Queensland microbiome project global

Seoul-based genome specialist, Macrogen, has agreed a A$4.1 million investment in the Queensland microbiome testing and bioinformatics company, Microba.




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BAE Systems awarded A$35 billion Future Frigates program

UK company BAE Systems has been selected as preferred tenderer for the SEA 5000 program to deliver the Australian Government’s nine Future Frigates for the Royal Australian Navy.




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Chinese fund invests A$45 million into South Australian health and biotech industry

A Chinese fund has invested A$45 million to accelerate the development and commercialisation of translational health and medical research outcomes from South Australia. The investment will enable researchers from the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, the state’s hospitals and other institutions to develop proof of concept, undertake clinical trials, and bring new drugs and technologies to the global market.




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British Columbia to Proceed with $7.6 Billion Hydropower Project

British Columbia plans to proceed with construction of the Site C hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in the Canadian province’s northeast.




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Norway Utility Plans to Invest as Much as $8.1 Billion in Renewables

Statkraft AS, Norway’s state-owned power company, said it plans to plow as much as 60 billion kroner ($8.1 billion) into renewable energy around the world in the coming years after the government boosted its funding.




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Serbia Seeks to Boost Renewable Energy Investment With New Law

Serbia seeks to unblock investment in renewable energy after adopting legislation that opens gas and power markets in line with European Union guidelines.




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Studying the potential to improve performance of the Brazeau plant through turbine upgrades

One or two new runners for the units at the 355-MW Brazeau Power Station in Alberta, Canada, would allow owner TransAlta Corp. to better optimize revenue and provide valuable ancillary services. Modeling of the various upgrade options allowed the utility to arrive at the most valuable solution.




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India Clean Energy Investments Rose 13 Percent to $7.9 Billion in 2014

Clean energy investments in India increased to $7.9 billion last year and are expected to surpass $10 billion in 2015.




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Obama Proposes $4 Billion for States Beating Climate Goals

The Obama administration is proposing a $4 billion fund to reward states that exceed cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions, and wants Congress to back steeper royalty rates for oil, gas and coal extraction from public land.




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Clean Energy Makes Up Record Share of UK Power with Coal-to-Biomass Conversions

U.K. electricity from low-carbon sources accounted for almost a quarter of the country’s generation in the fourth quarter as Drax Group Plc converted a second coal-power plant to burn wood.




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Brazil to Offer Ambitious Climate Plan With More Renewables

Brazil will increase the use of renewable energy, target zero net deforestation and push for low-carbon agriculture as part of its climate proposal, Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira said in an interview.




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Australia’s Biggest Power Producer Sees Future without Coal

Australia’s largest electricity producer committed to close its coal-fired power plants within 35 years as part of an effort to cut the nation’s dependence on the fossil fuel.




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Scientists Start $150 Billion Program to Cut Clean Energy Costs

Scientists and economists including BP Plc’s former chief executive officer, John Browne, are inviting governments to join a $150 billion program that aims to make clean energy cheaper than coal.




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Uruguay Spends $2.6 Billion to Become South America Wind Leader

Uruguay hopes to generate as much as 38 percent of its power from wind by the end of 2017, up from about 13 percent now, cementing Uruguay’s position as South America’s top wind-energy user, according to Gonzalo Casaravilla, chairman of the state- owned electric utility UTE.




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Australian Renewable Energy Law Paves Way for $11 Billion in Projects

Long-frustrated wind and solar developers in Australia can now get to work on more than A$14 billion ($11 billion) in projects after a new renewable energy target passed parliament.




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Cost estimates for 1,200-MW Punatsangchhu-1 hydroelectric project reach US$1.74 billion

India's Union Cabinet has approved cost revisions for its intergovernmental agreement with the Royal Government of Bhutan to implement the 1,200-MW Punatsangchhu-1 hydroelectric project on Bhutan's Punatsangchhu River.




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Endesa Chile outlines Latin American hydropower ambitions

Endesa Chile has unveiled a plan to develop 36 projects, amounting to 6300 MW of power in Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia. The board of directors are looking at hydroelectric power in particular for the bulk of the new capacity.




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ORPC Ireland receives funding for marine hydrokinetic feasibility study

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is funding the Ireland division of U.S.-based Ocean Renewable Power Co. (ORPC) to identify feasible tidal energy sites in the coastal waters of County Donegal. 




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JSW Energy refinances US$1.1 billion in hydroelectric project debt

JSW Energy Ltd., based in Mumbai, India, is refinancing about US$1.1 billion via a 5:25 financial structure for its hydropower-related debt following the purchase of two hydroelectric projects in November 2014 from Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd.  




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JSW Energy refinances US$1.1 billion in hydroelectric project debt

JSW Energy Ltd., based in Mumbai, India, is refinancing about US$1.1 billion via a 5:25 financial structure for its hydropower-related debt following the purchase of two hydroelectric projects in November 2014 from Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd.  




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Potsdam hydroelectric project has rehabilitation and new construction goals

According to the Federal Register, potential power is presently unutilized at the 800-kW East powerhouse and proposed 700-kW West powerhouse for the Potsdam hydroelectric project on the Raquette River in Lancaster County, New York. The proposed West powerhouse received a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exemption from licensing in 1981.  




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Announcements to move forward development of several hydro projects in Zambia

A recent announcement published by Bulawayo 24 indicates several hydro projects are moving forward in Zambia.




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Sen. Murkowski introduces pair of Alaskan hydroelectric power bills

Hearings on a pair of bills held by the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week could potentially lead to an expansion of hydroelectric power in Alaska.




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E.C. approves transfer of funding from Kyle Rhea tidal turbine array to Atlantis' 398-MW MeyGen

The European Commission's Climate Change Committee has approved a transfer of US$19.3 million in funding for tidal energy developer Atlantis Resources from the Kyle Rhea project to its 398-MW MeyGen project.




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U.S. House passes bill designed to streamline hydroelectric power licensing

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed bipartisan hydroelectric power regulatory improvement provisions as part of the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015, potentially helping to expedite the project approval process.




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US$1.6 billion Northern Pass transmission line will deliver Canadian hydropower to the U.S.

The US$1.6 billion Northern Pass transmission line that could tap into 1,096 MW from Canada’s largest hydropower producer, HydroQuebec, was approved Dec. 7, by a 6-0 vote of New Hampshire’s Site Evaluation Committee [SEC].
 




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US$21 million bioWAVE MHK device deployed in Australia

Marine hydrokinetics (MHK) company BioPower Systems (BPS) reports it deployed its 250 kW bioWAVE pilot demonstration unit, Dec. 16, in the Southern Ocean off the southeastern coast of Australia near Port Fairy, Victoria.
 




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Turbine tests begin at Brazil's 11.2-GW Belo Monte hydropower plant

Test operations are under way at Norte Energia's 11.2-GW Belo Monte hydropower plant, developer Norte Energia said in a statement.




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US$100 Billion NDB is an Additional Funding Source for Hydroelectric Energy

The New Development Bank (NDB), which has an authorized capital of US$100 billion, could provide additional opportunities to fund development of new hydroelectric projects.
 




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Pacific Northwest BiOp once again rejected by court

The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruled on May 4 that the 2014 Columbia Basin salmon biological opinion violates the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act, and declared it invalid.




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What’s Next? EU, US and Colombia Show They’re Moving Forward with the Paris Agreement

Less than two weeks after 175 nations signed the pivotal Paris Agreement on climate change, a question lingers: What happens now?




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Memorandum calls for $1.2 billion in hydropower plant repairs in Corps' Nashville District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signed a memorandum agreement with the Southeastern Power Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, Inc., to perform a variety of work at Corps hydropower projects.




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Phase two of rehabilitation and upgrade beginning at 40-MW Matala hydropower project in Angola

On July 18, Empresa Publica de Producao de Electricidade (PRODEL) Project Manager, Celso Pontes, announced phase one at the 40-MW Matala hydroelectric project is complete and the detailed design of the second phase is now being prepared.
 




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AfDB selected as lead financial adviser for US$4 billion Batoka Gorge hydropower project in Africa

Zambia and Zimbabwe have appointed the African Development Bank (AfDB) as lead financial adviser for the construction of the 2,400-MW Batoka Gorge hydropower project, according to Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) Chief Executive Officer, Munyaradzi Munodawafa.
 




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Sandia National Laboratories MHK, biofouling researcher receives award

Bernadette A. Hernandez-Sanchez, Ph.D., is a chemist and now the first female researcher from Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) to receive the Outstanding Technical Achievement award from Great Minds in STEM.
 




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U.S.-led Power Africa initiative to invest US$1 billion in Nigeria for energy including hydropower

Power Africa and Trade Africa Coordinator, Andrew Herscowitz, announced on Feb. 14 during the Abuja Electricity Distribution Co.’s two-day Distribution Company Workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, that the U.S. will invest US$1billion in the country through the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).




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Indian Cabinet approves US$854.4 million investment for 900-MW Arun 3 hydropower project located in Nepal

India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs announced today it has approved investment for the generation component of the 900-MW Arun 3 hydropower project on Arun River in Sankhuwasabha district of eastern Nepal, for an estimated Rs. 5723.72 crore (US$854.4 million).
 




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ABB Customer World Panel: The future of mobility favors the electrified, autonomous

Only time will tell whether this is right, but EV adoption is clearly rising both on the individual and fleet fronts. Utilities such as Southern California Edison and Ameren, among many others, are working to build EV charging infrastructure and align power distribution in a way to handle it.




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Storage system built at world’s biggest solar park

An energy storage system has been installed at the largest single-site solar park in the world.




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Research shows virtual reservoirs can boost flexibility of small hydropower facilities

New research shows that small run-of-river (ROR) hydropower projects can provide just as much baseload stability as reservoir-based hydropower plants while being highly responsive to real-time grid and market changes. This means that as the U.S. seeks to expand renewable energy sources without compromising reliability, one option is more flexible (and profitable) hydropower that doesn’t involve dams.

 




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N.C. bill aims to expand ‘free market’ for electric vehicle charging stations

Hook up your RV at a North Carolina campground or charge your boat at a marina, and you’ll pay for the electricity you consume. Plug in your electric car at a charging station, and you’ll pay for the time you spend at the outlet.




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Mitsubishi Hitachi launches renewable energy services provider

Oriden – a play on the English word “origin” and the Japanese word “denki” meaning ‘electricity’ – is the start of a new type of power generation organization. 

 




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Ultra-fast EV chargers coming ultra soon as e-mobility manufacturers ramp up

The viability of electric vehicles depends in part on a manufacturing plant in eastern Australia, where gleaming white cabinets the size of large refrigerators are loaded onto shipping crates. They’re among the most advanced car chargers available, promising to deliver a full tank of juice in minutes.