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Archive for September 2011

Alstom, Siemens and utilities among founder members of new energy storage association

The world’s largest power equipment OEMs and Europe’s leading utilities have joined forces to establish the Brussels-based European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE). EASE is focused on acting as a coherent voice to promote the role of energy storage as key enabling technologies for Europe’s transition towards a sustainable, flexible and stable energy system. … Continue reading »

UK set to restart shale gas fracking as DECC warns Cuadrilla over earthquakes

The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) warned the first company to explore for shale gas in the UK that its operations in the vast Bowland basin near Blackpool will be shut down permanently if methods to mitigate earthquakes from hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’, fail. Cuadrilla Resources, a joint venture between Australian drilling … Continue reading »

Siemens nuclear PR stunt puts RWE plans in doubt

Industrial conglomerate Siemens has abandoned all plans to build new nuclear power stations following Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to phase out nuclear power in Germany. The announcement was made in an interview given to weekly German newspaper Der Spiegel by CEO Peter Loescher, in which he stated that “for us it is a thing of … Continue reading »

Honesty is the best policy for UK’s Big Six utilities

The chief executive of UK utility EDF Energy Vincent de Rivaz has broken ranks from the rest of the ‘Big Six’ by extolling the virtues of a possible Competition Commission inquiry into an industry under attack from politicians, regulators and consumers alike. Announcing the decision by the UK subsidiary of France’s state-owned utility EDF to … Continue reading »

New pylon design shortlist unveiled by UK government

Update 14 October – T Pylon has been unanimously agreed by the judging panel as the winner of the Pylon Design competition run by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, National Grid, and the Royal Institute of British Architects. As a result of this contest National Grid will now work with Bystrup to develop … Continue reading »

GE launches GE Deutschland

GE has announced a press conference for 11am CET tomorrow (Tuesday) to launch its new structure for the German market, GE Deutschland. A GE blog states the media will be informed about the new structure and its planned investments, goals and projects at its research centre in Garching near Munich. Millicent Media understands the new unit … Continue reading »

New IEA chief says no to nuclear is not an option

The new chief of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Maria van der Hoeven says nuclear power must have a place in the future energy mix despite the Fukushima catastrophe and the decision by some countries to opt out. The former Dutch minister for economic affairs, who took up the post of IEA executive director on … Continue reading »

Malaysia to recruit PR agency to boost nuclear power support

Malaysia’s state nuclear firm is recruiting a PR agency to build public support for nuclear power, as it seeks to build two 1000 MW nuclear reactors by 2022. According to the PR industry website the Holmes Report, the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC) has shortlisted three firms for the PR contract. It is understood that a … Continue reading »

British farmers swap CAP for FiT

An increasing number of British farmers are embracing renewable energy schemes with a potential return on investment of more than 10 per cent, according to UK renewables developer Eco Environments. With income for farmers dropping as commodity prices have plummeted, the farming community has been forced to look for new ways to make money. There … Continue reading »

ABB, GE energy storage system videos

I’m currently researching a feature about what the major power grid equipment OEMs – ABB, Alstom, GE, Siemens etc. – are offering/developing in terms of energy storage solutions for utility scale applications. Here are a few videos of the current products. ABB’s lithium-ion DynaPeaQ system: (Many thanks to Andy Bartlett of Six Degrees PR for … Continue reading »

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