Category: News

June 1 2017

Italy Switches on Five New Subsidy-Free Solar Power Plants

Octopus Investments Ltd. started generating power from five subsidy-free solar plants in Italy in the latest sign that clean-energy can be profitable without government support. The plants have a two-year fixed power price agreement in place with Italian power trader Green Trade SA, said Matt Setchell, head of renewable energy investments at Octopus, in a phone […]

June 1 2017

U.S. Residential Solar Market Slides for the First Time in 16 Years

The U.S. residential solar market is projected to contract in 2017 after at least 16 straight years of growth, reflecting a shift in sales strategies by some major installers and increasing pressure from utilities to adjust incentives. Installers will add 2,263 megawatts of residential systems this year, down about 2.4 percent from 2,319 megawatts in […]

June 1 2017

Europe May Get Walloped as Temperatures Set to Swelter in June

It looks like summer will start with a sizzle in Europe. A corridor stretching from eastern Spain into eastern Europe is forecast to be hit by a heat wave in June, according to six meteorologists surveyed by Bloomberg. While the U.K. will mostly be dreary, it may see a burst of warmer-than-normal temperatures at the […]

June 1 2017

Japan Said to Plan Deal With U.S. to Aid American LNG Sales

Japan plans to sign an agreement to promote American liquefied natural gas exports during U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s visit to Tokyo, which started this week, according to people familiar with the plans. The agreement covers Japan developing markets in Asia to sell LNG sourced from the U.S., said the people, who asked not to […]

June 1 2017

Wall Street Isn’t Convinced Coal’s a Winner in Paris Withdrawal

U.S. coal shares tumbled as President Donald Trump was said to be leaning toward exiting the Paris climate agreement. Wait, what? “You’d think everyone would be excited,” Michael Dudas, a coal analyst at Vertical Research Partners LLC, said by phone on Wednesday. “But there’s red on my screen.” Why aren’t coal miners surging? For one […]

June 1 2017

The Country Adopting Electric Vehicles Faster Than Anywhere Else

Since the 14th century, Akershus Fortress has protected Oslo from raids by bloodthirsty Swedes. Now a Cold War bomb shelter in its basement is being repurposed to help save the Norwegian capital from more insidious foes: pollution and global warming. Starting this month, electric car owners will be able to drive down a narrow ramp […]

June 1 2017

Cheaper Solar in India Prompts Rethink for More Coal Projects

India’s coal-power plant developers are growing more pessimistic about their projects after a plunge in the cost of electricity from solar panels improved the economics of renewable energy. After a string of federal auctions, solar is suddenly the cheapest source of electricity in India. That’s darkening the outlook for the coal-fired power industry as projects struggle to find […]

May 31 2017

Fortum Considers Bid for EON’s Fossil-Fuel Spinoff Uniper

Finnish utility Fortum Oyj is in talks with Germany’s EON SE about acquiring its 47 percent stake in legacy fossil fuel and trading business Uniper SE as part of a plan to buy the whole company, according to people familiar with the matter. Fortum is discussing a purchase of the German renewable company’s stake to lay […]

May 31 2017

Exxon Investors to Company: Make Climate Curb Fallout Public

Exxon Mobil Corp. investors, in a split with the company, urged the explorer to publish a detailed analysis on how carbon curbs could affect the value of its oil fields, refineries and pipelines. The non-binding measure, backed by shareholders including the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Church of England investment fund, comes amid […]

May 31 2017

Solar Stocks Fall on Reports That U.S. May Exit Paris Agreement

Solar manufacturers fell sharply on reports Wednesday that President Donald Trump is leaning toward withdrawing the U.S. from the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord. JinkoSolar Holding Co., the biggest solar manufacturer, dropped 3.2 percent to $18.23 at 11:01 a.m. in New York, after sliding as much as 8 percent. Canadian Solar Inc., the largest North […]