Tuesday, 16 October 2018
panorama
World’s Major Climate Financiers Launch Initiative to Clean Up Oceans

World’s Major Climate Financiers Launch Initiative to Clean Up Oceans

Ahead of the IMF/World Bank Group meetings, KfW Group on behalf of the German Federal Government, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Agence Française de Developpement (AFD) launched the Clean Oceans Initiative to support the development and implementation of sustainable projects that will reduce pollution in the world’s oceans over the next five years. This partnership will provide €2-billion ($2.3 billion) long-term financing for projects aimed at reducing marine litter, especially plastics, as well as untreated wastewater discharge, with a view to crowding-in private sector investment.

wind
solar
Maximo Solar Energy Company Receives Major Award

Maximo Solar Energy Company Receives Major Award

A Puerto Rican solar energy company with offices in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale received a major national award for initiatives it deployed to build a more energy-independent Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria left the island in the dark for almost a year.  Maximo Solar Industries is the first runner-up of Solar Power 2018 Most Forward-Thinking, an award given by Solar Power World, a leading online and print resource for news and information regarding solar installation, development and technology.

Bioenergy
15 MWth Biomass Heat Plant in Lelystad Begins Operation

15 MWth Biomass Heat Plant in Lelystad Begins Operation

The 15 MWth wood-fired heating plant in Lelystad, the Netherlands, turnkey supplied by HoSt and commissioned by heat supplier Primco, has begun producing stainable heat for the district heating network of the city of Lelystad. Up to 30,000 tons of wood chips from necessary forest maintenance in the area will be combusted annually.

other renewables
energy saving
esVolta Selected for Energy Storage Projects Totaling 38.5 MWhs 

esVolta Selected for Energy Storage Projects Totaling 38.5 MWhs 

esVolta, a developer and owner of utility-scale energy storage projects across North America, has been selected by Southern California Edison Company to deliver a series of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems in Riverside and Ventura Counties. Under the contracts, which are pending approval by the California Public Utilities Commission, esVolta will develop, build, and operate the Wildcat Energy Storage project (a 3 MW / 12 MWh facility) near Palm Springs, California, and the three Acorn Energy Storage projects (total combined storage capacity of 6.5 MW / 26.5 MWh) in Thousand Oaks, California. All four projects are slated to be in service by March 2020.

electric/ hybrid
Xcel Energy Investing Big in Electric Vehicle Future

Xcel Energy Investing Big in Electric Vehicle Future

Xcel Energy plans to invest more than $25 million to promote the use of electric vehicles. In a filing with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Xcel Energy has announced a range of innovative programs that expand upon its support for the growth of EVs. The company expects these programs to benefit drivers, customers, the environment, and the state. 

interviews
Interview with Antonio Delgado Rigal, PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Founding Partner and Director General of AleaSoft

Interview with Antonio Delgado Rigal, PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Founding Partner and Director General of AleaSoft

In Italian, in Spanish, in German, in French, in English. AleaSoft has a website that says a lot in many languages. Because this Spanish company that was born in the UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia) offers a product –forecasting in the energy sector– that is demanded everywhere. AleaSoft is a company that has married statistics with Artificial Intelligence to forecast demand; forecast the production of renewable energies; and forecast the prices in the electricity markets (all of them at the short, medium and long-term). Forecasts that, according to their client portfolio, are accurate: "At present –says its Director General, Antonio Delgado Rigal– 85% of the electricity traded in the Spanish electricity market uses AleaSoft forecasts as reference".

Spain
amERica