As Paris’conference COP21 is coming to an end, Ireland’s Minister for Energy Alex White declared, when he arrived last Monday, that Ireland can still make the objective of 16pc renewable energy production by 2020.

Speaking last week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny also said that the target set for Ireland, lowering carbon emissions by 20pc by 2020, is not fair on a country that is a major producer of agricultural goods. But Minister White appears more confident of our chances of meeting those renewable energy aims.

Attending the Lima Paris Action Agenda meeting on Renewable Energy, Minister White said in advance of his talk that Ireland is well placed to meet its legally-binding EU target to source 16pc of total energy use from renewable sources by 2020.

This is in spite of the cautious news earlier this year that Ireland has only now achieved the halfway point of 8pc renewable energy production :

“Ireland and the international community face a huge task but, whatever the difficulties, I believe we can meet the challenge of global warming”, Minister White explained. He also added :

“Last week, Ireland became one of only a handful of European countries to legislate on this when the Climate Change Bill completed its passage through the Oireachtas. Next week, I will publish an energy White Paper, which will set out a vision of how Ireland will achieve a low carbon energy system. We are poised to do great things.”

It does appear, however, that some of the targets that are subsections of the key target are struggling to be reached, particularly with clean energy transport accounting for only around 5pc of its 10pc target. Minister White said on the matter :

“We need to encourage much greater adoption of electric cars and we can increase the ‘biofuel obligation’, which requires minimum amounts of biofuel to be contained in petrol and diesel.”

EDF Energies Nouvelles said today its local subsidiary EDF EN Polska has commissioned the 58-MW Rzepin wind farm in Lubuskie region, north-western Poland.

The wind farm, which consists of 29 turbines each with a capacity of 2MW, is the second one to have been installed by EDF in Poland since it entered the market in 2012.

The wind park is expected to generate enough energy per year to meet the needs of more than 70,000 Polish households.

Nowadays it’s not uncommon to see solar panels added to rooftops, but a new EU-funded project, “Construct PV”, is working on how to integrate photovoltaic (PV) systems into buildings from their very inception.

The new technology can be used to replace parts of conventional building materials, such as roofs, skylights and facades. It means that solar panels can be hidden as part of a wall or as a transparent window. The total cost of the Construct PV project is €11 707 677 including €6 913 100 in EU funding.

The project includes two large-scale demonstration sites in Stuttgart, Germany and Athens, Greece. These showcase the latest in solar PV technology which aims to maximize the active surface area of the photovoltaic system and enhance its appearance.

In Stuttgart, a five-floor office building for up to 250 employees working for a company called Z3 has been built with integrated PV systems which will help Z3 reach their goal of becoming a zero-energy building. Meanwhile, in Athens, the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, has been built with integrated PV systems.

Construct PV develops customizable photovoltaic structures for opaque building surfaces for new buildings and buildings undergoing renovation. These hidden solar panels are not only designed to produce electricity, but they also come with other purposes for example to protect a building against the elements, provide insulation to the building, or enhance it aesthetically.

The project has an estimated value of around $12bn (€11.1bn) and represents the first phase development under the Grand Inga project, which has been planned as a hydropower complex across the Congo river, and which will be the world’s largest once developed.

Construction is likely to be carried out in six phases, with the final phase expected to be completed in 2022, Congo Prime Minister Matata Ponyo saying that “the project is in an advanced state”.

According to the World Bank estimates, the dam is expected to have a capacity to produce 50GW of renewable energy with investments totalling around $80bn (€74bn).

The country initially expected to start construction works for the project in October but got delayed due to selection process hold-ups.

Lenders for the project include the World Bank, European Investment Bank, and African Development Bank, which had approved around $73m in March 2014 (€67m) for carrying out the environmental feasibility and social impact studies.

The African country has shortlisted three consortiums for the project, of which one will end up with the development contract.

While one consortium represents Chinese partnership between Sinohydro and China Three Gorges, the second was formed by Spanish firms Actividades de Construccion y Servicio and Eurofinsa. The third shortlisted group includes Posco and Daewoo from South Korea, along with Canadian SNC-Lavalin Group.

Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems said on Monday it has received an order from EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) to supply 201 MW of its machines for a project in the US.

Financial details and the name of the project have not been disclosed yet, but the Danish giant has also signed a three-year Active Output Management 5,000 service agreement for the wind farm.

Under the deal, Vestas will supply a total of 81 turbines, of which 51 will be from its V100-2.0 MW models with the rest being V117-3.3 MW turbines. The machines are expected to be commissioned in the final quarter of that year.

Delivery of the turbines is expected to start in the third quarter of 2016, prior to the wind power farm’s scheduled commissioning in the fourth quarter.

The firm has also recently won another 200MW order for a US wind project in Oklahoma, details for which have also not been disclosed.

So far this year, the Danish company has announced 7,282 MW of orders, it noted.

India has launched a global alliance with France to boost solar power generation across countries, especially in developing ones that have ample solar energy resources but insufficient capital.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) initiative was launched by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande on the first day of the UN climate change summit in Paris, France.

It is expected to operate as a collaborative platform for the tropical countries, having solar potential and support solar projects and infrastructure.

The International Solar Alliance aims to have 121 signatories, including the US and China, as well as a long list of developing countries situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

The members of the alliance will sign a declaration to “undertake innovative and concerted efforts” to reduce the cost of solar financing and the cost of solar technology around the world.

They will also agree to push for new solar projects around the world, with an aim to “mobilise $1.000bn” in funds (€915bn) by 2030 needed for a “massive deployment of affordable solar energy”.

Under the initiative, India expects a $100bn investment every year (€91bn), from the rich countries to the poorer ones from 2020.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented the announcement :

“The sun is the source of all energy. The world must turn to solar, the power of our future. We want to bring solar energy into lives and homes by making it cheaper, more reliable and easier to connect to the grid.”

ISA will be operating from the National Institute of Solar Energy in the city of Gurgaon in Haryana, India. The institute will be allocating land and $30m (€27m)to form a secretariat for the solar alliance. The initiative is expected to encourage technology exchange and innovation and create new business opportunities in India and globally.

Over the past few years Mr Modi has made solar power generation a key part of his government’s energy policy, targeting 100 gigawatts of solar power generation by 2022, up from around 4 gigawatts at the moment.

Dong Energy has signed an agreement for lease with the Isle of Man government to carry out preliminary investigations for an up to 700MW offshore wind farm in Manx waters off the north east coast of the island.

The agreement gives Dong the right to investigate an area approximately six to 12 miles off the east coast of the island to determine its offshore wind suitability.

Dong said the investigation will take several years to complete, after which, if conditions are suitable, there will be an option to execute a lease with the Isle of Man government for the seabed over the lifetime of the wind farm.

Subject to the findings of the investigations, construction activities would likely take place post-2020.

The creation of an offshore energy hub is one of its core long-term strategies for economic growth of the island. Developments in renewable energy could open up an opportunity for the Isle of Man to position itself as a hub to coordinate offshore projects and enhance connections between countries in the Irish Sea region.

There may also be scope to secure future renewable electricity supplies for domestic use in the Isle of Man, as well as exporting power to the UK.

Enel Green Power España has sold to First State Wind Energy Investments all of its assets in Portugal totalling 624MW for €900m.

EGPE, 60% owned by Enel Green Power and 40% owned by Endesa, offloaded the entire share capital of Finerge Gestão de Projectos Energéticos – its Portuguese subsidiary – including the repayment of a shareholder loan to Finerge Gestão.

The sale was finalised following the completion of the split of Eólicas de Portugal a company that used to own a portfolio of operating wind farms with a total installed capacity of 1333 MW in which Finerge Gestão held a stake of 35.96%.

As a result of the split, Finerge Gestão added six wind farms totalling 445MW to its existing 197MW.
EGP said the sale and exit from the Portuguese renewable energy sector is part of its “strategy to optimise its portfolio and seize opportunities in countries with greater development potential, in line with the objectives of the company’s current business plan”.

Schneider Electric, U.K. & Ireland, has been chosen as the preferred bidder for a contract to supply its medium-voltage PIX switchgear range for the £24.5bn (€33bn)Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in the UK, EDF Energy said last week.

Final contract terms for the nuclear power project had been agreed with a number of suppliers including Areva, Alstom, Bouygues TP/Laing O’Rourke and BAM Nuttal/Kier Infrastructure.

Schneider’s UK operations will be responsible for the design, engineering and deployment of the equipment, which is expected to ensure safe operations and reliable energy management at the site.

The firm’s operations in France will be assisting the UK team for the project.

While Areva is to deliver nuclear steam supply system, instrumentation and control for the power facility, Alstom France will be supplying the turbines and Alstom UK is to deliver the services during operations.

EDF has selected Bouygues TP/Laing O’Rourke for the main civil works of the project and BAM Nuttal/Kier Infrastructure for the earthworks at the site.

Hinkley Point C commercial director Ken Owen commented :

“Schneider UK & Ireland is the latest addition to the industrial partnership that will build Hinkley Point C.”

In October, EDF and the China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN) had completed a strategic investment agreement to facilitate the Hinkley Point construction and operations. Following the deal, CGN holds a 33.5% stake in the project with the rest being owned by EDF.

The French giant had said that approximately 7 percent of the U.K.’s anticipated electricity demand would be met by the Hinkley Point C facility.

German technology giant Siemens has won three onshore wind orders for projects in Scotland that will provide a combined capacity of 126MW.

The Scottish projects under consideration include the Dersalloch wind farm in the South Ayrshire region, the Ewe Hill project, which is situated at a 15km distance from Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway, and another wind development in North Ayrshire.

Following delivery of the turbines, Siemens will also be offering long-term service and maintenance for the projects.

For the Dersalloch project, the firm will be responsible for the construction, installation and commissioning of 23 units of its D3 direct drive wind turbines for a combined capacity of 69MW.

While turbine installations have been scheduled to start in spring 2016, official handover of the site to developer ScottishPower Renewables is expected to be completed in autumn 2016.

For the second order, Siemens will be delivering a total of 22 wind turbines, having a potential capacity of up to 51MW.

While six of its SWT-2.3-93 wind turbine models will be supplied for Ewe Hill Phase I, the second phase of the same project will have 16 similar wind turbine type installations.

Siemens is expected to conduct installation of the turbines for the first phase of the project in spring 2016, while the Phase II installations have been scheduled for autumn 2016.

The third order is for Millour Hill Community Wind farm, under which the German firm is to deliver two SWT-3.2-101 turbines for a wind project in North Ayrshire.

Siemens Wind Power and Renewables Onshore CEO Thomas Richterich commented :

“With their combined rating of 126MW, these three projects will provide reliable, clean energy for the region, equivalent to the demand of both Scotland’s Orkney and Shetland Islands.”