Energy transitions – headlines

•The global outlook for renewable power in one graph •US joins elite 10GW solar club •Behind the Tea Party Push For Solar in Georgia •China Raises Target for 2015 Solar Power Capacity •Delivering Stability in the Renewable Energy Transition •U.S. court says biofuel producers must face carbon emissions rules •MEPs deal a blow to crop-based biofuels •Re-Engineering Energy: A Dutch Perspective •Geothermal Plants Can Cause Earthquakes, Say Scientists

Energy transitions – June 28

•Renewables to surpass gas by 2016 in the global power mix •More buybacks in Germany •Solar Cities’ insight into the electricity demand fall •Developing a Regional Renewable Energy Roadmap for Central America •Analysis: How energy efficiency firms are eating utilities’ lunch •’Solar sharing’ spreading among Fukushima farmers

Solar Energy : This Is What A Disruptive Technology Looks Like

A picture is worth a thousand words. This graph compares the price history of solar energy to conventional energy sources. The comparison is striking. This is what a disruptive technology looks like. While conventional energy prices remained pretty flat in inflation adjusted terms, the cost of solar is dropping,fast, and is likely to continue doing so as technology and manufacturing processes improve.

The price of solar power

All across Europe feed-in tariffs and subsidies for solar power are being cut or even scrapped. In Portugal and Spain, these actions are justified with the debt crisis, even though they expand these states’ trade deficit. This month the Spanish government took a decisive move to scare investors away and expel most renewable energies from the electric grid, particularly solar.