China Plans to Triple Its Wind Power Capacity by 2030

Here are some of the stories we’re reading this morning.

Renewable Energy Focus: China's Total Wind Power Capacity to Triple by 2030

Wind power installed capacity in China will increase from approximately 149 GW in 2015 to over 495 GW by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData.

The company’s latest report states that China has the highest wind power globally by far, accounting for a third of cumulative wind power capacity worldwide in 2015, followed by the U.S. with 17% of the global share.

NH Business Review: For Some Projects, NH’s New Net Metering Cap Has Nearly Been Reached

New Hampshire’s new net metering cap, signed into law this week by Gov. Maggie Hassan, has already been practically filled up for larger projects, at least in the Eversource service area.

That means there will probably be no large renewable energy projects in that area, except for those already in the pipeline, at least for the next 10 months, while the NH Public Utilities Commission comes up with a new way to credit projects that generate excess energy that is sent back to the electric grid.

MIT Technology Review: Exxon Has a Clever Way to Capture Carbon -- If It Works

Determined to solve one of the biggest challenges in reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from the production of electricity, ExxonMobil says it will partner with fuel-cell developer FuelCell Energy to pursue a novel form of carbon capture -- cleansing the carbon dioxide from the exhaust from natural-gas- and coal-fired power plants and storing it rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.

Carbon capture and storage, as it’s known, has long been a goal of big oil, gas, and coal producers and the utilities that generate power. Power plants that burn fossil fuels are the single largest source of carbon emissions. Research and development to date has focused on derivatives of ammonia known as amines, which can separate carbon dioxide from smokestack exhaust.

PVTech: SolarCity Files Legal Complaint With New Zealand’s EA Over Discriminatory ‘Solar Tax’

The solar energy industry is fighting back against taxes being imposed by lines companies [grid operators] on customers installing solar PV panels on their homes, by taking a case to the Electricity Authority.

The higher lines charge has prompted SolarCity to file a series of legal complaints with New Zealand’s Electricity Authority (EA) today, asking it to stop electricity solutions group Unison Energy’s "solar tax" on the grounds that it wrongfully disadvantages customers and is in clear violation of the Electricity Industry Participation Code on two counts.

Alaska Dispatch News: Solar Power Might Work Better in Rural Alaska Than You'd Expect

Harnessing solar power in Alaska might not, at first, seem very effective.

The sun is a rare sight in much of Alaska during winter, and doesn’t even make an appearance for weeks at a time in northernmost Barrow.

But sunlight actually might be a factor for remote areas trying to diversify their energy sources. Villages here, some with the help of the federal government, are looking to solar as an alternative to diesel fuel.

Sleek solar panels are already cropping up in small towns in the Arctic and elsewhere, and many more are on the way.

But how cost-effective might solar power in the darker parts of Alaska really be?