Siemens has received an order for a total of 50 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 115 MW for the El Arrayán wind power plant in Chile, a joint venture between Pattern Energy and AEI.

The 2012 EurObserv’ER Photovoltaic Barometer has been released, focusing on developments in Europe regarding solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation for the year 2011. According to the report’s authors, growth continued, prices fell, and cell efficiencies rose; all of which indicate that grid parity is just round the corner for this renewable energy source in some countries.

Biopower, which uses biomass for electricity generation, is a niche market but one that is expected to grow rapidly in Europe as utilities turn to the technology as a source of reliable and cost-competitive renewable power, according to a new market study from IHS Emerging Energy Research.

As part of President Obama's commitment to an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy for American-made energy, the US Energy Department has announced $500,000 available this year to test the technical readiness of technologies that can harness energy from waves to supply clean, renewable power to highly-populated coastal regions.

The energy ministers of the 27 EU Member States have agreed to cut the energy savings targets for 2020 outlined in the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive by almost 62%. For Spain’s Renewable Energy Foundation, this sharp reduction confirms that the criteria of the major utility and consumer lobbies have been imposed on these savings and efficiency targets.

Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming Washington Fuel Cell Summit. The event will be held on 19 June in Washington, D.C. in the US.

In this exclusive interview, Juan Verde, Sustainability Advisor to the President of the United States, gives us an insight into his experiences, his vision for the sector and the boost the US government has given to renewables. "In a second Obama term, energy reform will probably be the priority for his administration," he says.