Thursday, November 24, 2011

20111124 0953 Renewable Energy Related News.

CHINESE SOLAR COMPANY LOSSES MOUNT BUT STOCKS SOAR
Nov 22 (Reuters) - Chinese solar companies including Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd  , JA Solar Holdings Co Ltd  and LDK Solar
Co Ltd  posted larger-than-expected quarterly losses and warned that the sector's bleak outlook would continue well into next
year.
But shares in the companies, which initially traded lower on Tuesday, rebounded later in the day, led by Suntech, which
erased losses made during the previous three trading sessions.

GOOGLE QUITS PLANS TO MAKE CHEAP RENEWABLE ENERGY
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Google Inc  has abandoned an ambitious project to make renewable energy cheaper than coal,
the latest target of Chief Executive Larry Page's moves to focus the Internet giant on fewer efforts.
Google said on Tuesday that it was pulling the plug on seven projects, including Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal as well
as a Wikipedia-like online encyclopedia service known as Knol.

MOZAMBIQUE PLANS TO UP CAHORA HYDROELECTRIC OUTPUT
MAPUTO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Mozambique plans to raise output at the big Cahora Bassa hydroelectric dam to 3,220 MW from 2,075
MW over next five years to meet rising demand in the country and in the southern African region, an official said on Tuesday.
Chief Executive for Cahora Bassa, Paulo Muxanga, said the project in the Tete province would cost around $1 billion and would
be funded both by the company and private investors, but did not give any more details.
 
UK RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLY TO JUMP TO 33 PCT-NATGRID
LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Britain's total energy supply from renewable sources is set to double to more than 30 percent
between 2020 and 2030 if the government reaches its climate and renewable energy policy targets, the National Grid  said on
Tuesday.
Renewable energy generation is set to rise from 232 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2020 to 474 TWh between 2020 and 2030, a share of
33 percent of total supply, Britain's grid operator said in its 'Gone Green Scenario', which is part of its UK Future Energy
Scenarios published on Tuesday.
 
ROMANIA'S HIDROELECTRICA WANTS 50 PCT PRICE HIKE
BUCHAREST, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Romanian state-owned hydro power producer Hidroelectrica wants a 50 percent hike in tariffs for
household consumers from 2012, its director said on Tuesday, because it is struggling with a drought and high costs.
Tariffs for householders are set by Romanian energy regulator ANRE, which has tried to cushion the blow of a painful two-year
recession by keeping prices stable.
 
SPAIN HYDRO, IRRIGATION RESERVES EDGE HIGHER
MADRID, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Spain has more potential than a week ago to generate hydropower and irrigate crops in order to
ease its hefty gas- and grain-import bill, the latest official data showed on Tuesday.
Reservoirs set aside for hydropower plants held enough water to generate 11,511 gigawatt-hours , a rise of 127 GWh from last
week, the Ministry for the Environment and Rural Affairs said.
 
CHINA SOLAR FIRMS SEEK U.S. POLYSILICON IMPORTS PROBE
HONG KONG, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Chinese solar companies may ask Beijing to launch an anti-dumping and subsidy probe into
imports of U.S. polysilicon, raw material used to make solar cells, into the mainland, a top official of China's solar
industry association said on Tuesday.
China has been suffering from an overcapacity in polysilicon following a spate of investment in the sector after polysilicon
prices peaked four years ago.
 
SUNTECH POSTS WIDER-THAN-EXPECTED Q3 LOSS
Nov 22 (Reuters) - Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd  posted a wider-than-expected quarterly loss, hurt by the depreciation of
euro, and the China-based company slashed its revenue and shipment outlook for the full year.
Suntech, the largest producer of photovoltaic solar panels in the world by volume, cut its revenue forecast to $3-$3.1
billion from $3.2-$3.4 billion.
 
PANASONIC TO BUILD SOLAR PANEL PLANT IN MALAYSIA –SOURCES
TOKYO, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp  will invest as much as 50 billion yen ($645 million) to build a solar panel plant
in Malaysia, its first such facility overseas, as a strong yen pushes up production costs at home, two industry sources told
Reuters.
The firm, which has been touting environmental and energy technology as key growth areas, dropped a plan to convert a
television panel plant in Western Japan into a solar power factory in October because of the rising yen and an industry price
war.
 
WORLD BANK OKS $297 MLN FOR MOROCCO SOLAR PLANT
WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The World Bank on Thursday approved loans to Morocco totaling $297 million to help finance the
first phase of a 500 megawatt solar power plant, among the largest in the world.
The Ouarzazate concentrated solar power plant is the first in Morocco's $9 billion solar power program, vital for a country
that has no oil or gas but has an abundance of sun.

DUTCH FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH WINDMILLS
EGMOND AAN ZEE, Netherlands, Nov 16 (Reuters) - When the Netherlands built its first sea-based wind turbines in 2006, they
were seen as symbols of a greener future.  
Towering over the waves of the North Sea like an army of giants, blades whipping through the wind, the turbines were the
country's best hope to curb carbon emissions and meet growing demand for electricity.
 
FIRST SOLAR COULD SUPPLY TWO MAJOR U.S. PROJECTS
Nov 16 (Reuters) - German solar project developer solarhybrid AG  said on Wednesday it plans to use First Solar Inc  panels
in two major U.S. power plants as part of its plan to take over Solar Millennium AG's  U.S. project pipeline.
The news comes three months after Solar Millennium said it would convert its massive California project - expected to one day
be the world's largest solar power plant - to photovoltaic panel technology instead of solar thermal power because of the
dramatic drop in the price of solar panels.

EPA APPROVES CALIF. PALMDALE GAS/SOLAR POWER PLANT
Nov 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a permit to the City of Palmdale in California to
build its Palmdale natural gas/solar power plant.
In a release Wednesday, the EPA said the 570 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, with 50 MW of solar energy generation,
is the first of its kind in the nation required to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

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