"More than half of Scotland's electricity now comes from zero-carbon sources such as wind, hydro and solar, and the latest target of 100 percent by 2020 may be within reach. "The exceptional output brought the country membership in a small but growing club of nations proving that the vision of a world powered by renewable fuels is closer than many realize. Long derided as a fantasy, a day’s worth of energy harvested purely from the sun and the wind has lately become reality in nations such as … Continue reading
Scotland just produced enough wind energy to power it for an entire day
"Strong winds combined with low demand on a sunny summer Sunday help Scotland reach ‘significant milestone’ on path towards ditching fossil fuels entirely... "For the first time on record, wind turbines have generated more electricity than was used in the whole of Scotland on a single day. "Karen Robinson, of the WeatherEnergy project, which provides information about renewables, said that electricity demand during weekends was “usually lower than the rest of the week”. People also tend to use … Continue reading
Findhorn: Could this be the cleanest, friendliest place to live in the world?
"For many people living in the developed world, day to day life is hectic and increasingly stressful. While we are more connected than ever before, the amount of free time we have to take stock of our lives and spend time with friends and family is constantly under threat. "Maybe we should move to north-east Scotland. "Founded in 1962, the Findhorn Foundation has sustainability and clean living at its core, and offers an alternative way of life to the millions of us who find ourselves in the … Continue reading
China pushes for mandatory integration of renewable power
"China has become the world's biggest wind and solar power user, but a large amount of renewable power has not been able to reach the grid because transmission capabilities are lagging generating capacity by around three to five years. "China has ordered power transmission companies to provide grid connectivity for all renewable power generation sources and end a bottleneck that has left a large amount of clean power idle, the country's energy regulator said on Monday." Read the full story by … Continue reading
David Attenborough backs the Global Apollo Program for Renewable Energy
"Leading scientists, business figures, academics and MPs have called on world leaders to adopt the Global Apollo Program (GAP). "The GAP plan for internationally coordinated RD&D (research, development and demonstration) into renewable energy technology aims to make renewable energy cheaper than fossil fuels." Watch video
Solar and Wind Just Did the Unthinkable
"Cheap oil and gas couldn't stop another record year for renewables, or a turning point for energy investment. "The sun and the wind continue to defy gravity. "Renewables just finished another record-breaking year, with more money invested ($329 billion) and more capacity added (121 gigawatts) than ever before, according to new data released Thursday by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "This wasn't supposed to happen. Oil, coal and natural gas bottomed out over the last 18 months, with bargain … Continue reading
El Hierro – The greenest island in the world?
"The smallest and most isolated of the Canary Islands, El Hierro, has a way of combining hydro and wind power that may allow it, one day, to get all its energy from renewable sources. In August it went for two hours without using its diesel power station at all - but this could be the start of a bigger green transformation. "For more than 30 years, El Hierro has been dreaming of becoming self-sufficient. And this year it took a big step forward. At the end of June its new hydro-wind facility, … Continue reading
Solar and Wind Just Passed Another Big Turning Point
"Wind power is now the cheapest electricity to produce in both Germany and the U.K., even without government subsidies, according to a new analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). It's the first time that threshold has been crossed by a G7 economy. "But that's less interesting than what just happened in the U.S. "For the first time, widespread adoption of renewables is effectively lowering the capacity factor for fossil fuels. That's because once a solar or wind project is built, the … Continue reading
Power to the People
"In the Netherlands, ordinary citizens are assuming responsibility for generating their own sources of energy through the installation of solar panels and wind turbines. This practice has grown into a widespread movement, and threatened the viability of traditional power companies in the region. As explored in the documentary Power to the People, this phenomenon has altered the population's reliance on profit-centered corporate structures, and empowered their capacity for self-sufficiency. Can a … Watch video